In Your Share (Oct 24th edition)

This is the last week of our summer CSA. Thank you to all our members who joined us this season!! Despite the slow start this spring it turned out to be a bountiful summer. There is still time to sign up for the winter share if you haven’t done so already! We still have a few shares available so pass the word on if you know folks who might be interested. The Winter Share starts next week…

Hope everyone has a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

This week your share may include…

• Shelly Beans: These are a giant white bean that we have been saving seeds of for many years. These beans are fresh, not dried, so they need to be used quickly. Take the pods off and use them in any recipe that calls for white or Carona beans. The good news is that they will cook up much faster than a regular dry bean! I often sweat the beans in some oil and herbs, then add broth to cover and simmer until tender. Top with some fresh parsley, breadcrumbs or parmesan – easy & yum!! Or try this recipe with poached tuna.
• Brussel Sprout Tops: You can use these just like you would collard greens. This time of year the brussel sprouts are just starting to form on the stalks. By removing the tops, we break the apical dominance of the leader and the sprouts mature more evenly on the stalk. Otherwise we’ll have giant sprouts on the bottom of the stalk and tiny ones on top. This technique same technique is as work when you pinch the central leader of a basil plant to make it bushier out more, or prune fruit trees for better branching. We hope to have fully mature sprouts in time for Thanksgiving.
• Cauliflower: This fall cauliflower is amazing!! The white variety is Candid Charm and the green ones are called Panther.
• Fennel: The mild anise flavored bulb is very versatile – it can be shaved into salads and is also great in gratins. The flavor is very bright when raw and much more mild after cooking. More ideas here.
• Garlic: This heirloom hardneck variety, Chesnook Red , is originally from the Republic of Georgia. The cloves have a beautiful red wrapper and are easy to peel.
• Onions, Cippolini: This Italian sweet onion has a slightly flattened shape. Often these are just pearl onion size, but we grew some bigger ones this year.
• Parsley: Big beautiful bunches of flat leaf Italian parsley.
• Peppers, Green: These are nice thick walled bell peppers.
• Peppers, Gypsy: Finally these are ripening!!
• Peppers, Jalapeno: Hot peppers can be hard to grow in our climate but this variety, Early Jalapeno, has been a real workhorse for us this summer. I like to save a few for the winter – just roast them under the broiler, pull off the skins and pop them in the freezer. I do this with all the different peppers, but I freeze hot peppers in smaller containers since I tend to use them in smaller quantities.
• Pumpkins: We grew some baby pumpkins for the first time this year. They are not edible, but they do make adorable decorations for Halloween!
• Tomatoes, Green: The time has come to embrace green tomatoes! Don’t be afraid or intimidated – there are lots of tasty things to do with these.  This article has recipes for fritatta, gratin, salsa and of course the classic fried green tomatoes – maybe not the best for you but they’re soooo good!

Coming soon… Beautiful Winter Greens!!