It’s Week Seven

Welcome! We are hope that you had a fantastic sixth week and that you were able to use everything in your bag. Did you discover a new recipe? Try something that will be added to your rotation of meals? Try a new to you vegetable that you liked? Let us know and I will share it here with our other members. If you loved it, others will too!

In Your Box This Week and How to Store Them

CARROTS - Store carrots in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or container. Cut tops off prior to storage. They can store for several weeks and sometimes even months $5

CELERY - Place the celery in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, which should be set to high humidity. Don't wash or cut the celery until you're ready to use it. I would recommend storing in an open plastic bag. $5

ROVER RADISH - Remove the greens from the root. If you choose to keep the greens, wash them and then store wrapped in a damp paper towel in a bag. Place in the crisper of the refrigerator. The root can store up to two weeks in the fridge in a plastic bag. Wash before use. $5

KALE - Kale loves the crisper drawer. Does well in a loose bag in your refrigerator. Wash prior to use. Stores normally for UP to two weeks. $5

MIXED LETTUCE - Store in a plastic bag loosely in your refrigerator. The ideal temperature for storing lettuce is at or near 32 degrees. Wash prior to use. Lettuce stores normally for UP to two weeks. $5

WINTER SQUASH - Winter squash will last up to a month in a cool (50 to 55 F) dark cellar or storage area, but only about two weeks in the refrigerator. We keep ours out on the counter out of direct sunlight and haven’t had any issues with it lasting several weeks. $4 2.0lbs

*Note- You will receive either butternut, acorn or spaghetti squash in your bag this week.

HERBS - (ONE of the three listed)

SAGE - To store, simply wrap the sage leaves in paper towels and put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Make sure to use the leaves within four to five days. Fresh leaves that are covered in olive oil can be stored for much longer in the refrigerator, about three weeks. Use the flavored oil to your advantage to sauté sage with other ingredients. For example, consider a dish like butternut squash with sage leaves (see recipe below). $2.50

ROSEMARY - You have a couple of options to store Rosemary. First, place the rosemary sprigs in a large mason jar or glass of water, just like you would with a bouquet of flowers. You can set this on the counter, and it will last a few days this way. Second, you can take a slightly damp paper towel and wring out any excess water (should be damp but not soaking wet). Wrap the damp paper towels around the rosemary sprigs. Put the paper towel wrapped rosemary sprigs into the ziplock baggie and seal it, ensuring there is no air inside. Store the bag in the refrigerator and it can last for up to two weeks $2.50

PARSLEY - trim a little off of the bottoms of the stems so that they can take in more water. Fill a jar or glass partially with water and set the parsley inside. An inch or two of the stems should be submerged. Cover the jar of herbs loosely with a plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator. Change the water when it becomes cloudy. $2.50

Veggie of the Week

CARROTS

For some of you this week’s veggie of the week post may look familiar as it is a copy from week 6 of our summer CSA. The original post was from the middle of June and has recipes that fit well with this week’s bag. Plus, plenty of time has passed and it may seem like a new post!

We have a busy week as Kim is leaving for a long weekend on Thursday to visit family. Matt is staying behind with the 5 kids that live at home which means he is in charge of carpool, meals, laundry, trying to potty train our youngest, football and soccer practices/games and this week’s CSA and farmer’s market. Please give him a little extra grace and patience as Matt tries to keep our life together while Kim is gone!

I will not be posting a farm update this week either. Stay tuned for next week’s farm update which will also be our LAST WEEK for fall CSA. Can you believe it??!! I’m struggling to think that we are closing in quickly on the end of October. We hope you enjoy this week’s bag and look forward to bringing you a fantastic last week once we have returned to full occupancy, lol!

Before Matt and I became market garden farmers we did occasionally attend farmers markets and stop at roadside stands. There were certain vegetables that I would gravitate towards knowing they were much, much better fresh and local. Those were typically melons, fruit of any kind, red slicing tomatoes and sweet corn. When I watch what consumers leave with at the market I feel as if these are things most people naturally gravitate towards as well.

What I did not give enough credit to, and I don’t think most people do, is how much I would love fresh carrots. They’re not something I would regularly see at farmers markets and if I did, they were small and stubby, which is another reason I never bought them. Once we grew our first good crop of carrots I was hooked, the taste was so much sweeter than store bought. (A little farmer tip…. carrots are at peak sweetness in the spring and fall) Our kids will eat carrots right out of the field, but we have a couple great recipes that your kids are sure to love too!

I found this recipe on Instagram over last winter. We had 20lbs of leftover carrots after the Thanksgiving holiday and this has easily become my go-to recipe.

HONEY GLAZED CARROT

I have included this recipe below in case you don’t have Instagram.

Ingredients:
2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut to 1.5” in length and 1/2” thickness
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup honey
2 large cloves garlic, minced (I usually omit this, but it is up to you)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin (I usually half this or omit all together, but it is up to you)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425
In a small jar, whisk together your honey, olive oil, spices, garlic salt and pepper
Add your carrots to a bowl and toss with your honey mixture
Add your carrots to a parchment-lined sheet pan, pouring any remaining honey mixture over top, and roast in the oven for 25 minutes, tossing once halfway through
Remove from oven, toss again, then service and enjoy!

I know it is colder now than when I originally sent this, but it is still a good side option. This one is very good and something we serve as a quick, healthy side dish or snack. I again included the recipe in case you don’t have an Instagram account. You can omit the dill if needed and try zucchini ribbons instead of cucumber if you have any zucchini left.

Carrot & Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
* 1 large cucumber, shaved into ribbons (if you have zucchini try this recipe with it!)
* 2 medium carrots, shaved into ribbons
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup dairy-free yogurt
* 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions:
Combine Ingredients: In a bowl, mix cucumber ribbons, carrot ribbons, chopped dill, minced garlic, salt, olive oil, dairy-free yogurt, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Gently toss everything together, ensuring all ingredients are well combined and coated.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, allowing flavors to meld.
After chilling, give the salad a final toss, adjusting seasoning if needed.
Transfer the salad to a serving dish and garnish with extra dill and enjoy.

HOMEADE CHICKEN POT PIE

FYI THIS RECIPE HAS A VIDEO! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE!

I know the image is a bit large but, sometimes transferring things from social media doesn’t work well, but this recipe was too good to leave out!

I made this recipe on Sunday for our family. Quick and easy! My daughter will come home every Sunday but, occasionally show up on a day when she knows I am making something she likes. I personally, like this recipe not only because it is easy but, it uses a lot of the vegetables we grow.

3 cups of store-bought rotisserie chicken (shred at home).

1 can of Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle Biscuits

1/2 cup flour

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, diced

4 celery sticks, diced

3-4 carrots, diced

1/2 cup of peas, fresh or frozen (we used frozen)

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika (I used smoked paprika but either is fine)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

3-4 sage leaves

1/2 teaspoon of creole seasoning

pinch of pepper

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees
Saute the onion, carrots, celery, peas in olive oil, avacado oil, butter or bacon grease for approx 5 minutes
Shred chicken, set aside
Add all seasonings and flour. Mix together with veggies in pan.
Add chicken stock and start to gently boil for a few minutes. It will thicken up. Watch and stir!
Add heavy cream, bring to a boil then reduce temp and let simmer for a few minutes.
Add mozzarella and chicken, mix
pour into either a large cast iron skillet or a glass dish.
cut biscuits in half and then top the chicken mixture with the biscuits ensure all space is covered in an even layer
bake for 12-18 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.

NOTES:

One small chicken from Wal-Mart gave us about 5.5cups which was perfect as we double any recipe.

You don’t have to use a pre-cooked chicken. This is just a step that allows this meal to be quicker and it adds lots of flavor. You can cook your own chicken and then boil the bones and scraps and make your own stock for this recipe.

If you double this recipe, let step 6 boil for more than a few minutes to allow vegetables to become tender. Careful not to burn.

I used Rosemary, Sage and Oregano, fresh for this recipe.

The creole seasoning isn’t required. I did have some on hand so I did use it.

Again, THIS RECIPE HAS A VIDEO! CLICK THE LINK ABOVE titled Homemade Chicken Pot Pie. It is a Facebook video and I think most of you have Facebook.

I paired this dish with a side Ceasar salad using our mixed lettuce, croutons and parmesan cheese.

Additional Recipes

My Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (sallysbakingaddiction.com)

Parmesan Roasted Carrots Recipe - Cafe Deliteavs

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe - The Forked Spoon

Roasted Carrots Recipe - Love and Lemons

Easy Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup - Creme De La Crumb (lecremedelacrumb.com) (perfect for your kale and the cold temps that are coming! You can use mild Italian sausage and add red pepper to your spice level)

If All Else Fails

If your week has been crazy and you haven’t had time to do a thing with items in your bag, focus on these tasks:

Parsley wash and dry thoroughly. You want to make sure no excess water is present as that can cause freezer burn. Cut the lower part of the stems. Place cleaned and dried parsley in a large freezer bag and push it down to the bottom.
Rosemary can freeze. Wash sprigs thoroughly and dry them well. Leave the leaves on the stem and arrange the sprigs on a baking tray so that the individual stems do not touch − this prevents the stems from freezing together and makes it easier to remove individual sprigs later. Place the baking tray in the freezer for a few hours to freeze the rosemary sprigs. Once frozen, transfer the rosemary sprigs to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer. Frozen rosemary can be stored for a year or more. Frozen rosemary sprigs do not need to be defrosted before cooking
Oregano must be used quickly. Whether it's homegrown or purchased, oregano should be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to three days. If you place a slightly damp paper towel in the bag with the oregano and leave some air in the bag, it may extend the life up to one week. You may also extend the shelf life of fresh oregano by storing whole stems with leaves in a glass of water with a plastic bag loosely tented over the glass. Fresh oregano can also be frozen. Before doing so, though, wash and dry the fresh oregano sprigs. Strip whole leaves from stems and place in plastic bag loosely without crushing but remove all air.
With any herb you can also make a compound butter and freeze. Try this link for recipes: Herb Compound Butter Recipe - Love and Lemons or this one: Herb Compound Butter - Downshiftology
Lettuce, spinach and kale will store for at least 7-10 days. We wash and spin dry your greens one time. You should wash and dry again before consumption. The best way is with a hand crank salad spinner. Keep in mind moisture leads to spoilage. You can wait to wash your greens until you plan to consumer them. Place greens in an airtight container such as a bag or Tupperware. Greens will hold for 7-10 days.
Winter squash will also store for weeks if not months if kept in a cool, dry space away from direct sunlight.
Make sure the greens are removed from the root vegetables. Your roots will store for a good while, your greens from your root vegetables need to be used or lose them.
Greens such as carrot tops or other veggie scraps can be saved and used for homemade vegetable broth. Try this recipe: How to Make Vegetable Broth Using Saved Kitchen Scraps ~ Homestead and Chill
Celery can be stored in your crisper drawer for quite a while but, you can also chop it and store it in a freezer bag to be used for cooking later.

Next Week’s Possibility’s

Your bag next week will include 6-7 of the following depending on availability and if it’s ready to harvest.

apples
carrots
green beans (if the frost doesn’t take the plants)
beets
lettuce
okra (if the frost doesn’t take the plants)
sweet potatoes
bell peppers
zucchini (if the frost doesn’t take the plants!)
herbs (rosemary, sage, oregano, parsley)
celery
radish
kale
spinach (big maybe)
winter squash

Wishing you a fantastic week ahead, see you next week!

Fall CSA Newsletter: Week 7