In Your Share (Nov 3rd edition)

Romanesco_ColorThere’s still time to join us for the first Winter Share of the season! One of my favorite things about this time of year is the bountiful brassicas. Crops in the broccoli family (aka. cole family, crucifers or the correct latin genus – Brassicaceae) include a crazy diversity of edible roots, stems, leaves, flower buds and even some tasty seeds. We grow many of the roots in this family this time of year including the watermelon and black radish in your share this week. The kohlrabi, which you’ll see in the share in a few weeks, is technically not a root, but an enlargement of the stem of the plant. We eat the leaves from many varieties of brassicas including kale, collards, mizuna and mustard greens. Cabbage and brussel sprouts are also leaves, just packed in there tight together. Broccoli, cauliflower and the weirdly fractal romanesco (see the beautiful illustration from shareholder Allison Bollman above) are different kinds of brassica flower buds. All this and more to look forward to over the winter season!

Winter share members have access to the exclusive CSA recipe site at Cook With What You Have for  inspiration, seasonal recipes and cooking tips. This week Katherine has some great ideas for your veggies including a ribollita that I made tonight and it was AMAZING!  Check your email for the password to access the site and enjoy your 24/7 access to recipe inspiration!

This week your share may include…

  • Beets: Big fat beautiful red winter beets! Some of my favorite go-to beet recipes are here. These roots also have glorious greens that can be cooked just like their cousins, chard and spinach.
  • Red Cabbage: Make slaw, braised cabbage or Okonomiyaki – it will all be tasty if you use this sweet red cabbage!
  • Cauliflower: Giant white (and some orange) heads – plenty for soup, Thai cauliflower, AND cauliflower mac & cheese – yum! Recipes for all this and more at the Cook With What You Have website.
  • Collard Greens: This was a new green for me when I started farming. One of the first things I cooked was Collards & Black Eyed Peas from what we used to call the “Spoon Lady Cookbook” aka Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. Take a look at the old cover and you’ll know how she got her nickname : )  Don’t get me wrong – this is one of the most beloved and dogeared cookbooks in my collection! And that recipe is still one of my favorite ways to cook collards. However, since then I’ve discovered collards are a very versatile green and can also be used successfully in everything from traditional Italian ribollita to mexican quelites.
  • Anaheim Peppers: These definitely make an amazing chile relleno!  Or add them to your homemade Harissa.
  • Garlic: Beautiful Chesnok in the pretty purple wrappers.
  • Leeks: One of my favorite fall veggies! In a hurry – just sauté them until soft and add to scrambled eggs with a few sweet peppers & cheese for a simple supper.
  • Italian Sweet & Red Bell Peppers: The last of the summer sweet peppers!
  • Hot Peppers: Add a bit of spice to any dish with jalapeño, cayenne, and Bulgarian carrot peppers.
  • Romanesco: Wow!! This has got to be the weirdest most beautiful vegetable ever – looks more like something from a coral reef. Happily cooking it is easy – use it just in any dish that calls for cauliflower.
  • Rosemary: Fresh herbs are always appreciated this time of year!
  • Watermelon and/or Black Spanish Radish: These are quite different than the little red radishes we have in the spring. They are the size and shape of a turnip, but Watermelon (actually related to the daikon) has a white skin and shocking red interior while Black Spanish has a dark exterior and creamy white interior. Both have mild radish flavor and their healthy  attributes are aclaimed across many cultures.

Coming soon… The Thanksgiving share!!