This week’s share
- Brussels sprouts
- Carrots
- Collard greens
- Onions
- Parsnips
- Pumpkins
- Potatoes
- Winter Squash
Brussels Sprouts- One of the more unusual, and I think one of the most delicious plants in the cabbage family, Brussels sprouts are in your shares for the first time this week. If your kids don’t want to eat them, you can tell them that the world record for speed eating is 44 heads in a minute and see if they’re up for the challenge. Remove outer leaves, slice in half or leave whole, steam until tender, and then sauté with some chopped bacon, garlic, shallots, and peeled chestnuts.
Carrots- No surprise here. Try tossing your carrots in olive oil, garlic, and onion and bake them at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes for a nice and healthy side dish this Turkey Day.
Collard Greens- Oh, how do I love collard greens? Let me count the ways. Try cooking these leaves a bit longer than you would kale or chard. Someone on the farm claims to have seen a study stating that when all vegetables were analyzed for their nutritional value, collards were the healthiest on Earth! I never would have guessed what the healthiest fruit was, either…..guava!
Onions- Copra onions are great for any recipe you might be using this Thanksgiving calling for yellow or white onions.
Parsnips- Parsnips add such a great flavor to soups and stocks. They are also a welcome addition to any root vegetable roast. This week I made a ton of mashed vegetables with potatoes, parsnips, and rutabaga, so if you still have your rutabaga from last week you can throw it in. Just chop the rutabaga in pieces half the size of the potato and parsnips and boil for 20 minutes until everything’s soft. Then mash it all up with butter, cream, and sautéed garlic and shallots. Also, check out my recipe below for a delicious parsnip dessert!
Pumpkins- Speaking of dessert…pumpkin pie is definitely one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving, and I’m sure I’m not alone on this. These baby bear pumpkins are sweet and delicious, perfect for pie.
Shallots- You can substitute shallots for onions in just about any recipe and it will add a new and distinct twist to an old favorite. Their flavor is so subtle and wonderful, they are especially nice complimenting simple recipes where they can really shine. Check out the suggestions for using them with Brussels sprouts and parsnips above.
Winter Squash- This week there will be one large Hubbard squash in your share. We grow a variety named “Blue Ballet”. It is a beautiful pale blue color with an elegant teardrop shape. The flesh of this squash is a bit firmer than the other varieties, and the flavor is really great. Check out the recipe directly below for stuffed squash.
Recipes
Stuffed Hubbard Squash
This is a recipe courtesy of Josh, who works with us on the farm and is vegetarian. If you or anyone at your table this holiday is vegetarian, this makes a great veggie alternative to the turkey. Josh calls it stuffed hub-bird, and it is so simple and tasty you might even consider skipping the hassle of roasting a turkey!
1 Hubbard squash
Plenty of your favorite vegetarian stuffing…or see recipe below
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a circular hole around the base of the squash just big enough to fit your hand in, as you would for a jack-o-lantern pumpkin but on the opposite side of the fruit. Remove the plug and scoop out the seeds, then stuff the squash with the stuffing and return the plug to the hole. Place the squash on a greased baking sheet and bake for about an hour and fifteen minutes, until you can easily stab a fork through the skin of the squash.
That’s all there is to it!
Here are some simple instructions for a stuffing…
Sauté onions, leeks, shallots, or any combination of all three in butter until golden yellow. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add a few cups of crumbled, day old bread or cornbread. Add herbs and seasoning, like sage, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Moisten with vegetable broth and you’re ready to go.
Stuffing instructions adapted from www.ladyshrike.com.
Parsnip and Pear Ginger Hazelnut Crumble
I tried this dessert at the tasting counter at New Seasons a little while ago, and it was so delicious I took the recipe flier and wanted to pass it on. Strange as it may seem, I thought the hardy flavor of the parsnip was delicious in a dessert. It would make a great dessert to share the table with the pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving.
Crumble Topping
½ cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup crystallized ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
Pear and Parsnip Filling
5 pears, peeled, cored, and cubed
4 medium parsnips, peeled and grated
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pulse crumble ingredients in a food processor until a coarse crumb forms. Set aside. Combine filling ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Spread filling in a 9×13 baking dish. Top with crumble. Place on middle oven rack. Bake 30 to 40 minutes until cooked through and crumble is browned.
Adapted from New Seasons’ recipe.
Pick-up Notes
Thanksgiving Week Pick-up
SE Ankeny, SE Elliott, Friendly House and Farm
Pick-up will be Tuesday November 20, 2007.
Same place, same time only please come on Tuesday.
Ecotrust, Metro, PSOB and St John
Pick-up will be Wednesday November 21 boxes will be available by noon.
A note to members who receive boxed shares
If you have any of our empty blue and purple bins taking up space around the house, please return them as soon as possible! We are really short on bins right now and are having to resort to emergency measures. Thank you!!
Field Notes
Have fun with your family preparing fresh, local produce this Thanksgiving!
Out at the farm, things have been very gradually slowing down ever since the madness of September, but now we are finally at a good place to take a few days off. The onions and garlic are in the ground, we just finished planting all of our winter salad greens, and although there is plenty of tidying up and random jobs to do, we are finally at a place where we can relax for a bit, which feels really good. I know I am excited to unwind and spend some time with my family and friends. We are also beginning to look ahead to the coming winter, so Brian, Michael and I are in the process of selecting and planning for our Independent Winter Projects, which as apprentices will keep us busy in the coming months when there is less farming to do. Shari, Tanya, Shannon, and Scott, as our fearless managers, are starting to roll up their sleeves and get busy with all of the planning that is necessary for next season.
Two Great Ways to Give This Season
The Sauvie Island Scholarship Fund helps low-income families join the CSA. We believe everyone should have access to fresh locally grown produce. The scholarship fund helps make this a reality. A family can apply for up to half the share amount in scholarship dollars. In 2007 the fund supported 10 families. 21 adults and 23 children received farm fresh produce because of the generous contribution of community members like you.
The Sauvie Island Center is a 501c(3) non profit that teaches youth and adults about farms, the food they grow and the landscape in which they exist. Sauvie Island Organics is a proud partner. Through the Sauvie Island Center’s field trip program thousands of students k-5 have visited our farm fields to gain a better understanding of how food is grown. The Sauvie Island Center was recently awarded a three year grant by Organic Valley. There will be some information in your share this week about the Sauvie Island Center and a fun gift from Organic Valley. We hope you enjoy this creative deck of Earth Dinner cards and use them to help you share stories and laugh with family and friends as you come together this Thanksgiving holiday.