- Corn
- Kale
- Carrots
- Peppers
- Parsnips
- Cabbage
- Broccoli or Cauliflower
- Arugula
- Winter Squash
- Eggplant
*as always this list may change a bit once we get out in the fields to harvest
Ok, so two years ago we had a bumper crop of parsnips and during our fall/winter/spring sessions I very much inundated our members with parsnips. I received pleading emails to no longer put parsnips in the box. These poor people tried, they made their kids try but parsnips every other week was too much for many of you. I wholeheartedly apologize and truth be told, I did not include parsnips in the boxes at all last year because of the parsnip aftermath of the year prior. But! After a quite lengthy hiatus they are back. And you know what? I am so excited for them and I really hope you will be too! I promise this time around we won’t overdo it, everything in moderation, even parsnips.
Happy eating!
-Liz
Storing and Using your Winter Squash
The squash you are receiving now can certainly be eaten straight away, especially the delicata and sugar loaf varieties (small, long squash with green stripes). However, sometimes it’s hard to eat that many squash at once, luckily they store beautifully! In addition, their sugar content will continue to rise as they cure a bit. Just keep them in at a regular, cool room temp and these squash will hang out with you all winter long if need be. Just be sure to check for any damages to either the skin or the stem, and if there are any, just eat those guys first.
Now, processing them….
The small aforementioned delicata and sugar loaf squash can be cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed, and either roasted as is or sliced into half moons and roasted. A light coating of olive oil, salt and pepper and a 375 degree oven are all you need for some roasty toasty squash. No peeling needed on these guys.
The larger squash (cinderella, blue hubbard) are perfect for making puree with. Simply (and carefully) cut squash into smaller pieces. Place skin side up on a baking sheet or roasting pan with a bit of water, this helps get some steam going. Roast at 375 for 35-45 minutes, squash will be very tender. Remove from the oven and once cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh from the rind. Puree in a blender or food processor. If the puree seems a bit thin and loose, strain it for at least a few hours or overnight in a tea towel or cheesecloth lined strainer set over a bowl in the fridge. From there, this can be packed in freezer bags and pulled out whenever the urge to eat pumpkin muffins hits! (or whatever else you may want an awesome pumpkin puree for!)
The smaller round shaped ones (red and blue kuri, acorn, jester) can be handled much like their larger brethren or they also make great single serving dishes when stuffed with things like rice, meat, other veggies etc. Just slice in half, remove the seeds and parbake for 20-30 minutes. Stuff with whatever good things you have around and return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes. A nice combo of brown and wild rice, lentils and sausage stuffed in a squash half and served with a fresh cranberry sauce is one of my favorite things in the world. Omit the sausage and you’ve got a great veggie main for Thanksgiving!
Carrot and Parsnip Soup
I know it’s really fall when everything I make is ideally in a big ol’ pot cooking on the stove. Warm and restorative, this soups’ line up of spices mixed with the carrots and parsnips will fix anything that went wrong with your day. (maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it’ll sure make you want to curl up in a blanket and at least forget about what happened that day).
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne
pinch of salt
1 pound carrots, roughly chopped (peeling is optional)
1 pound parsnips, roughly chopped (peeling is optional)
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth + additional to thin if needed
1 (14 ounce can) full fat coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, spices, pinch of salt, carrots and parsnips. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes longer. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the roots are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the coconut milk (reserving a little to swirl in at the end if desired) and carefully puree the soup in a high speed until smooth and creamy (see note). Return the soup to the pan and keep on low heat until ready to serve. If the soup seems too thick add more broth or water to thin if needed. Taste for seasonings and serve.
From ‘Dishing Up the Dirt’
Parsnip Fries
A great gateway into root veggies you may not know is fries. If you have some potatoes around you can do a little mix up of them with the parsnips if you’d rather. Dip these guys in your favorite aioli or most certainly ketchup.
½ pound parsnips, peeled
2 tablespoons mild veggie oil
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
¾ teaspoon garlic or onion powder (or a mix of both)
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Place 2 large rimmed baking sheets in the oven and preheat to 450°F.
Cut parsnips into “fries” about 3 inches long and ½ inch thick. Toss the parsnips in a large bowl with oil, oregano, paprika and onion/garlic powder. Spread on the hot baking sheets in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir the parsnips and rotate the baking sheets top to bottom. Bake until browned around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Secret Squash Macaroni and Cheese
Here’s the thing, squash is orange. Cheddar is orange. So at first glance, no one will ever know there’s a healthy dose of squash in here. Maybe they never will.
unsalted butter (for greasing)
1 pound small pasta
2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup full-fat yogurt
1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 1/4 cup Pecorino romano, grated
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cup sharp cheddar, freshly grated, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
SAGE BREADCRUMBS:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 whole sage leaves (roughly chopped)
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 400º F. Grease a casserole dish with butter, set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.
While the pasta is cooking; in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, yogurt, stock, 1 cup of the Pecorino and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Add the hot drained pasta and reserved pasta water (if needed) to the bowl of pumpkin puree mixture and stir to combine. Add in 1/2 cup of cheddar, stir to combine and then pour into buttered casserole dish. Set aside.
Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar, then evenly top with remaining 1/4 cup Pecorino and the sage breadcrumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until warmed through and bubbly. Remove from the oven and allow to set for 3-4 minutes before serving.
For the Sage Breadcrumbs: In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the sage and toast until golden brown and crisp, then stir in the panko. Continue to stir until panko is coated in butter and is light golden brown, about 3-4 minute
Jubilee Farm 