In Your Share (Nov 13th edition)

We put together the share this week with Thanksgiving in mind. Whether you are home for the holidays or not, there are lots of good things to make with all the veggies. We’re especially excited about the brussel sprouts this week! These are a challenging vegetable to grow and even under the best circumstances they are not always attractive. Still, the flavor of a farm fresh sprout is worth all the work! You’ll find amazing recipes Brussel Sprouts for everything in your share are available to members at Cook With What You Have. If you joined our Winter CSA you will find your password in the member email. Enjoy 24/7 access to recipe inspiration!

Let your friends know that they can still get in on the CSA. It’s easy to sign up for a pro-rated Winter Spring CSA Share online!

This week your share may include…

  • Brussel Sprouts: Trim them off the stalk, take a few of the outer leaves off and they’ll be ready for your favorite recipe. I’m a fan or roasting them under the broiler and of this one pot wonder – gnocchi with sprouts & pesto.  
  • Carrots: Sweet winter carrots – yum!
  • Cauliflower: Big beautiful heads!
  • Celery: The flavor is probably a bit stronger than celery from the store, but it will be great in soup, stuffing or au gratin.
  • Collard Greens: These make a tasty raw salad and also cook down beautifully. If you’re looking for inspiration there are 17 different recipes at CookWithWhatYouHave.
  • Fennel: When the bulbs are sliced raw into salads the fresh anise flavor stands out. The longer the bulbs are cooked, the more subtle the flavor becomes. Try them sautéd with onions and greens or make this Soffrito.
  • Garlic: I usually sauté garlic with onions as the base for any number of culinary adventures. Last week I branched out a bit by making tzatziki with some raw garlic and I also roasted a bunch of whole peeled cloves with carrots & potatoes. Both were a big hit!
  • Onions: Italian cippolini (pronounced chip-oh-lee-knee) are sweet and mild. The baby onions are most common at the store, but we grew some BIG ones this year. They make amazing carmelized onions and are also good cut into chunks and roasted with root veggies.
  • Parsley: This vegetable is both an herb and it is greens. I prefer to treat it more like the latter since it contains all the healthy goodness of other dark leafy greens plus has a distinct flavor and subtle sweetness. You can sauté a pile of chopped parsley in olive oil by itself or in combo with other greens like chard, spinach or kale. Then add them to pasta, scrambled eggs, polenta… yum! Parsley also makes great pesto, chimmichuri and salsa verde. More on my favorite green sauces here.
  • Pie Pumpkins: This time of year I always have to include my grandmothers pumpkin pie recipe, but these cute little pumpkins also make great quick bread or muffins.
  • Potatoes: This Nicola variety has one of the lowest glycemic index of all the potatoes, but you can use it just like you would any other yellow potato – roasted, mashed, boiled, hash browns etc.
  • Winter Squash: Delicata – just cut in half, lay cut side down on a baking sheet coated with a little olive oil and roast in the oven at 350 until tender. It is so sweet it hardly needs toppings and the skin is edible too! Also works well as Squash Rings.

Coming soon… Leeks & Escarole!