Birch Point Fall-Winter CSA Week 7: the penultimate week

Warm weather!  Thursday was the loveliest day since summer, I believe. I hope you all got outside for a good stretch of Thursday. Friday wasn't bad either... this reprieve from bitter cold and gray has got spirits up, even though the ground is still frozen solid.  We'd love to harvest the last few root veggies that were still in the ground when the deep freeze hit, but it may be next week before that happens.    In good news, the sunshine has warmed up the hoophouse to the point where the baby greens are harvestable!  Most things we grow in the winter hoophouse can handle a certain amount of freezing and thawing (e.g. kale, spinach, arugula, lettuce, claytonia, parsley), but quality is much higher when the greens aren't actually frozen solid at the time of harvest! Today they were nicely thawed out and perky, so we were able to harvest a lovely winter salad of arugula, baby kale, and a smattering of lettuce-- mainly arugula and kale, a handful of red lettuce just for color.  Hope you enjoy this special treat!
Remember: next week is our final week of CSA for the fall-winter season.   We look forward to seeing you-- if shares are outside of Bldg 50, be sure to come say hello when you pick up your box!

In This Week's Share

Winter Squash-the squash we carefully harvested, cleaned, sorted, and stored is just starting to show signs of not loving its storage life-- parts of the squash field sustained minimal frost damage this fall before harvest, which can shorten storage life.  We've been on the lookout for rot all fall, and I'm impressed that it's just now showing up.  Squash normally keeps for several weeks up to several months, but once soft spots develop, the best thing is to use it up or cook and freeze it for later.
For maximum storage life (of non-compromised squash), keep at approx 50 degrees F in a relatively dry environment.  Attics or garages that stay well above freezing, spare rooms that are minimally heated, or root cellars with good ventilation are all good for squash storage. What's bad for squash storage: temps too close to freezing or much above 60 degrees F, high humidity, bruising.

Brussels sprouts- the last of these little lovelies for the season!  Brenin harvested them frozen earlier this week, and they are still so sweet and tender, if on the small side.  If you think you're (or someone in your household is) not a Bsprout fan, try this: trim and clean, and slice super thinly across sprouts, then fluff into a frizzy, fluffy pile (basically destroying the evidence that they started out as sprouts).  Saute onions with olive oil or butter til tender and browned, add shredded sprouts and a generous sprinkle of salt, saute on med heat til bright, bright green and tender.  If it starts to dry out or stick, sploosh in a spoonful or two of water. Toss in pan with balsamic vinegar and/or lemon juice- balsamic vinegar will add more sweetness, lemon more acidity.  I also like to throw in some dried cherries or cranberries, chopped, at the last moment of cooking. There. See what the haters say now.

Rutabagas!  I think rutabagas are delicious.  The secret?  Bring out their sweetness- they ARE sweet, but also pungent.  If you love pungent, go for it; you're in your element.  If not, take advantage of caramelizing and maximizing surface area-- e.g. rutabaga fries (cut like steak fries, brush with olive oil and bake at 375 til brown and crisp on edges, soft at centers) with  ketchup OR spicy mayo (half-half mayo and your favorite hot sauce), rutabaga-and-potato gratin (see recipe below), rutabaga hash browns --use some combo of potatoes and rutabagas (half-half or any ratio, really), and mashed rutabaga (straight up roasted- not boiled- rutabaga OR mixed with potato).  These techniques maximize the transformation of starches into sugars, not changing the inherent rutabaga-ness, but allowing their inner sweetness to shine through.


Salad mix-- a winter combo of baby arugula, baby red Russian kale, and lettuces (barely any lettuce-- this is mostly arugula and kale).  These greens are so tender I hope you'll try them with the most nominal of dressing- e.g. olive oil and salt, grape seed oil and verjus (the hyper-local equivalent of olive oil and lemon juice), or the like.  Let the delicate greens shine as themselves rather than a vehicle for heavy dressings!

Onions- either Rossa di Milano (big red) or a mix of small reds and yellows.  Try chopped, roasted onions along with your rutabaga and carrot (and last week's potatoes if you still have some) in a roasted root medley.

Carrots- a rainbow mix of orange, purple, and/or white.  Enjoy fresh or roasted.  I made a lovely purple-and-orange carrot slaw the other day with just grated carrots and an apple, onions, toasted sunflower seeds, cilantro, a minced dried hot pepper, and a sesame oil-rice vinegar dressing. YUM!

Ida Red Apples- another installment of certified organic apples from our friend Gene, the organic orchardist in Northport. Ida Reds are great for fresh eating OR baking; they also store well if you can't use them immediately- keep them cold and humid (refrigerator=great, but anywhere that stays slightly above freezing is fine (breezeway, drafty attic, etc).

Rutabaga and Potato Gratin
SERVES 6–8
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 lb. rutabagas, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 tbsp. minced thyme leaves
2 cups (about 4 oz.) grated
Gruyére cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 425°. Heat butter and oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat; add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 6 minutes. Stir in flour, and cook until smooth, about 1 minute. Add milk and cream, and stir until smooth. Add potatoes, rutabagas, and 2 tsp. thyme, and bring mixture to a boil; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are slightly tender and broken apart, about 5 minutes. Stir in half the cheese and salt and pepper, and then transfer to a 9″ × 13″ baking dish; top with remaining cheese and bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining thyme before serving.

And an Even Fancier (more delicious sounding) Brussels Sprout Recipe
Brussels Sprouts Chiffonade with Caramelized Onions

Birch Point Fall-Winter CSA Week 6

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!  Brenin was out in Portland visiting old and new friends, and Jess and I hosted all our parents plus a handful of friends here at the farm for dinner-- check out some menu/recipe suggestions at the end of this blog inspired by our Tday dinner (it was delicious and almost entirely raised/grown by the people at the table!).
Note: we were packing shares as dusk turned to darkness this evening.  While we're careful to sort and select the nicest produce for your shares, it can be difficult in the dark, as you might imagine, to be as thorough as we'd like ;)   IF you find squash with soft spots, or a green potato, for example, please let us know-- it's possible we missed some!  Suggestion: if you ever are faced with squash with soft spots, the best thing is to cook it and freeze the cooked squash ASAP-- it'll keep for months in your freezer.

In this week's share:

Celeriac-- the alien-looking root veggie that's the most versatile winter food ever.  Use them any way  you'd use a potato- boiled, mashed, fried, roasted, pureed, etc.  Or go the traditional route and use in soups and stews-- chunked into bite sized pieces or pureed for creamy soup.  Save the skins (you have to peel these b/c it's nearly impossible to get all the grit out of the root hairs) and use in soup stock. I often find great recipes and info on other CSA farms' blogs and newsletters, and recently came across this celeriac page from Radical Roots farm in VT- enjoy!
Potatoes: either red (Red Maria), white (Katahdin) or red French fingerling. Oh potatoes, we'd be hard pressed to find a food as versatile and universally appreciated (perhaps celeriac ... one day!!!).
Leeks: hope you enjoy these lovely alliums as much as we do! Besides using leeks any way you'd use onions, also try them in this frittata recipe OR baked (sliced lengthwise) in a casserole dish with plenty of cream and/or plain yogurt, goat cheese, and bread crumbs. YUM.
Winter Squash: Kabocha or Buttercup (both dark green with sweet, flaky flesh-- even better than pumpkins for "pumpkin" pie, but so, so delicious baked whole/halved, or sliced into wedges, brushed with olive oil or melted butter, and roasted in a single layer on a cookie sheet).
Cabbage: harvested frozen solid out of the field, most of these cabbages are best for cooking rather than fresh eating. Chances are good they'd be fine fresh, but since we've had some REALLY cold nights without the protection of deep snow, it's possible the cell walls sustained enough frost damage to change the texture of the leaves-- which doesn't matter for cooking but can make fresh eating less satisfying. In honor of Jess's Polish heritage, and his dad's constant quest for good Polish food, here's a recipe for golumpki, or traditional stuffed cabbage rolls. Note: you can stuff cabbage with anything you like/anything you've got-- feel free to stray from the traditional suggestions!
Onions- sweet little roasting onions-- peel and roast whole or halved, OR slice and use exactly like large onions.
Sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichokes: a most versatile and tasty root veggie!  Check out this Brooklyn foodie's blog entry about sunchokes if you missed it the first time around.
Kale OR braising mix-- hoophouse-grown, the braising mix is a blend of kales, swiss chard, and parsley and can totally be eaten as salad if you're into non-lettuce salads. The big kale is from the field and as sweet as it ever can be!

Our Thanksgiving Feast (can be replicated any time this fall/winter!)

Roasted Winter Squash-- slice into 1" wedges, skins still on but seeds/inner pulp removed, brush generously with olive oil, arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake @ 365 for 20 min OR til tender and caramelized/browned around the edges. YUM.
Celeriac Remoulade-- a variation of Farmer John's involving matchsticked celeriac, chopped cornichons and capers, dijon mustard and mayo, lemon juice, salt and pepper. So tangy!
Turkey- raised, slaughtered, cooked, and served by our friend Andy (he called her Annabelle)
Chicory-Pomegranate seed salad: Finely chopped Sugarloaf chicory from our friends and neighbors Nic and Sara of Loma Farm, English walnuts from our friend Todd Springer of Gray's Fruit Farm on Old Mission, sliced Spygold apples from our friend Gene of Garthe Orchard in Northport, and gorgeous pomegranate seeds from our 24-hour pal, Fred Meijer. Toss with a lemon-olive oil-tarragon dressing.
Mashed potatoes with garlic- need I say more?
B&B (Beets & Brussels)- beets chopped and roasted, B-sprouts sliced in half or left whole and roasted. Tossed together with a light vinaigrette, served warm.
Tomato Tart from Kate Fiebing: (something like this recipe) her own garden's sungold cherry tomatoes, roasted and frozen back in August, brought out to share in the cold and grey of November! A savory pastry-crusted delight.
Panade with kale, tomatoes, and gruyere from Barbara Piskor- a savory "bread pudding" in a shallow baking pan. Yum!  Try panade with any combo of veggies you happen to have on hand.
Cornbread we made here, sourdough from Nic, and fruit-nut nearly-journey-bread from Nic.
Pumpkin, Pecan, Apple, and Chocolate pies from Barb Ferrarese and Kate Fiebing- drowned in Shetler's whipped cream of course.