In the Standard Box:

Collards   1 bu
Triticale Flour   2 lbs
Red Cabbage   1 hd
Cilantro   1 bu
Broccoli   3 lbs
Baby Leeks   2
Rainbow Chard   1 bu
Carrots   3 lb
Potatoes   2 lb

In the Small Box:

Collards   1 bu
Triticale Flour   2 lb
Cilantro   1 bu
Broccoli   3 lb
Baby Leeks   2
Rainbow Chard   1 bu
Carrots   2 lb

Rainbow Chard

Chard is closely related to beets. Like its cousin, it consists of two edible parts: its meaty dark-green leaves and its large, flat, celery-like stems or ribs, which can be cooked and served like asparagus. Young chard leaves are tender enough to eat raw, or they can be briefly steamed or blanched and used in most preparations that call for spinach. Rich, earthy, slightly salty, and yet bitter, chard makes a delicious, nutritious addition to soups, salads, quiches, and stir-fries.

Chard is one of nature’s nutritional powerhouses—it’s an outstanding source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, and dietary fiber, all for only 35 calories per cup. Research studies have found that its phytonutrients, particularly anthocyanins and carotenoids, may significantly reduce one’s risk of colon cancer.

Chard stems are delicious when braised in broth or other flavored cooking liquid for 20 to 25 minutes; the leaves can be added during the last 10 minutes.

Chard with Raisins and Almonds

¼ cup slivered almonds
2 pounds rainbow chard (or use red-stemmed chard)
½ cup water
½ cup apple juice
½ cup raisins
2 tablespoons butter

In a pan or using your oven broiler, toast the almonds. Wash the chard, but do not dry it. Cut the leaves away from the stems, stack several of them in a neat pile, and roll the leaves up like a cigar. Slice crosswise. Then cut the stems into ½-inch pieces.

In a large pan, cook the chard stems in the water for about 4 minutes; add the leaves and cook until they turn tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the apple juice and raisins, heating them thoroughly.

Top the chard with the butter and almonds, and toss lightly. Serve at once.

— Ruth Charles, Featherstone Farm CSA member, as appears in Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook, by Mi Ae Lipe

Got Carrots?

• Carrots can be roasted or even barbecued.
• Make a savory pudding using cooked carrots, chicken stock, butter, milk, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne, and rice.
• Carrots, of course, are exceptional for juicing. They contain a lot of natural sugar, so be careful if pairing carrots with apple and beet juices to avoid overly sweet concoctions—and massive sugar highs.
• Like potatoes, carrots are the workhorses of the kitchen. Add them to soups, stews, casseroles, steaks, roasts, and a wide variety of other dishes for color, flavor, and nutrients.
• Raw carrots julienned in salads are a delight.
• Carrots are one of the traditional fillings for pasties, those little baked pastry shells filled with beef, potatoes, onions, turnips, or rutabagas.
• Carrot cake is a perennial favorite; use finely shredded carrots with cinnamon, mace, lemon peel, raisins, and chopped nuts.
• Pickled carrots can be quite an unexpected treat. Pickle with dill, mustard, and peppercorns.
• Along with celery and onion, carrots are one of the key ingredients in France’s mirepoix, a flavoring base for all respectable soups and many other dishes. Finely chop all three vegetables, and use twice as much onion as carrot and celery.
• Sometimes the simplest of vegetable dishes are the best. Braise whole baby vegetables like carrots, turnips, fennel, and pearl onions in butter, along with chicken stock, chervil, dill, and fresh shelled peas.
• Culinarily, carrots have a huge affinity for other members of their plant family. Cook them with dill, cumin, parsley, anise, cilantro, parsnips, and fennel.

Halloween Carrot Hands in Hummus

5 long carrots, or long carrot pieces
Pumpkins seeds or almond slices
1 recipe of your favorite hummus (check Nash’s Recipe Blog)
Chili powder or paprika for garnish

Set out your serving bowl, and estimate the length you’ll need the “fingers” to be. Select carrots that are most advantageously bent, and peel them. When peeling, add a flat part for the “nail.”

Fill your serving bowl with hummus and position the fingers. Use a bit of hummus to affix the pumpkin seeds or almond slices for nails. Garnish with chili powder or paprika for contrast, and serve with Triticale-Chia Crackers.

Triticale

Triticale is a whole-grain hybrid made by crossing wheat and rye, preserving the best of both plants and improving on both of its parents. This was first done in Sweden about 100 years ago.

Higher in protein  and containing more minerals and fiber than either wheat or rye, triticale retains the earthy flavor of rye with the softer texture of wheat.

Triticale flour can be used to make yeast breads, but because it is lower in gluten than wheat, the loaf will not rise very high.

Triticale-Chia Crackers

2 cups triticale flour
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup chia seeds
1 tsp. ground black pepper
4 tsp. olive oil
¾ – 1 cup lukewarm water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir the flour, salt, baking powder, chia seeds, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and ¾ cup water. Mix to incorporate all ingredients, adding more water if necessary for dough to hold together. Knead a few times until dough is smooth. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Grease two large cookie sheets or jelly-roll pans. Divide dough in half. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to cover each cookie sheet, rolling dough as thin as possible. Prick dough all over with a fork and cut into desired size with a pizza cutter. Bake for 20 minutes or until crackers are golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool. Break into individual crackers and store in a sealed container.

In the Standard Box:
Corn   4 ears
Young Leeks   1 bu
Cider   1 qt
Brussels Sprouts   1.5 lb
Spinach   1 bu
Red or Green Savoy Cabbage   1 hd
Chioggia Beets   2 lb
Italian Parsley   1 bu
Broccoli   1.5 lb
Celery Root   1

In the Small Box:
Brussels Sprouts   1.5 lb
Bunched Carrots   1 bu
Spinach   1 bu
Red or Green Savoy Cabbage   1 hd
Chioggia Beets    2 lb
Broccoli   1.5 lb
Celery Root   1

Brussels Sprouts are Back!

Brussels sprouts are like little baby cabbages. They are not known for being the world’s most favorite vegetable, perhaps because they produce an offensive odor when overcooked, something you should definitely avoid if you want to enjoy their excellent flavor and get the most out of their powerhouse nutrients. The odor comes from a sulfur-containing compound in the Brussels sprouts that is responsible for some pretty impressive health benefits, including fighting cancer.

About 98% of commercial Brussels sprouts in the US is grown in the coastal region of Monterey in California, and almost all of it is frozen. We are fortunate to have great local sprouts that are fresh and organic.

A 1-cup serving contains staggering amounts of vitamins B6, C, and K, as well as manganese, folate, dietary fiber, copper, potassium, and iron, all for only 56 calories. Like other members of the Brassica family, Brussels sprouts pack huge amounts of phytonutrients that are believed to have considerable anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties.

But it’s those sulfur-containing compounds that make Brussels sprouts unique in nutrient content. They are called sulforaphanes and they are found in many cruciferous veggies, like cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage. They actively fight cancer and help to detoxify the body. It’s one of life’s ironies that something so important for our health should sometimes manifest itself in unpleasant ways. However, if you don’t overcook them, Nash’s organic sprouts taste fantastic even prepared simply.

You can steam them and toss them with olive oil, Parmesan cheese, or butter. You can roast them and quarter them, then toss them like a salad with onions, feta cheese, and balsamic vinegar. You can even keep a bowl in the fridge, seasoned with salt and pepper, to snack on throughout the day – their small bite-sized package makes them perfect for popping in your mouth.

Complementary flavors include apples, bacon, caraway seeds, celery root, chervil, nuts, chives, cumin, dill, garlic, ginger, leeks, lemon, mustard, nutmeg, parsley, potatoes, savory, sesame, paprika, thyme and tarragon.

Fun with Brussels Sprouts!

• Brussels sprouts are often at their best when prepared simply with butter or a little cream. Creamed sprouts make a lovely side dish with hearty meats.
• Very thinly sliced Brussels sprouts add unexpected texture and dimension to soups, combine well with other cooked vegetables such as carrots and beets, and, as a raw vegetable, provide crunch and flavor to salads.
• Brussels sprouts have an incredible affinity with the smoked parts of the pig: bacon, ham, pancetta,
  lardons—they’re all good.
• For something a little different—and for perfectly cooked Brussels sprouts—try oven-roasting them in culinary parchment paper. This method steams them, and you can insert seasonings inside the paper.
• Brussels sprouts can stand up to strong flavors like citrus, mustard, red wine, garlic, celery, pepper, and ginger.

Brussels Sprouts in Honey Butter

1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. water
Red chili flakes
Sea salt

Cut each clean sprout in half. In a small bowl, mix the butter with the honey. Heat a wide, flat skillet on medium heat. Add the honey butter and allow it to bubble and melt. Add the sprouts, tossing to coat them with the butter, then arranging them cut side down in a single layer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes uncovered, until the cut sides turn golden and a little charred. Sprinkle the chili flakes and sea salt to taste over the Brussels sprouts. Stir around so most of them turn over cut side up. Add the water and cook, covered, for another 3 to 5 minutes until they are soft. Serve hot.

— Nithya Das, Foodista.com, as appears in Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook, by Mi Ae Lipe

Chioggia Beets

Chioggia is an actual town in northeast Italy, near Venice, and in the mid-1800s, local farmers there developed a beet that has the most wonderful candy-cane red and white spirals. It also has a mild sweet flavor that lends itself deliciously to salads or crudité. Of course they can be cooked and enjoyed in any way that other beets can, but these guys don’t color everything else in the dish red!

Actually, the colors will fade with heat, but if you want to keep those colors bright when boiling or braising them, toss in a little lemon juice or white vinegar first. Like all your veggies, don’t overcook them to get the maximum health benefits.

Chioggias are rich in fiber, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium and folic acid, an important B vitamin. Betacyanin, the pigment that gives beets their color, is a powerful antioxidant in Chioggias.

Chioggia beets can be roasted, steamed or braised. Roasting will bring out the most flavor, and they can be served cold or hot. They are a great salad beet, whether served alongside greens or as the main ingredient. They pair well with bacon, apples, cheeses (goat cheese, gorgonzola and aged pecorino in particular), cucumbers, hard-cooked eggs, fennel, mustard, oranges, parsley, smoked fish, shallots, and vinegars, especially balsamic.

Chioggia Beets & Goat Cheese on Toast

4-5 beets, drizzled with olive oil, oven-roasted at 350˚ until tender)
5 oz. goat cheese
2 young leeks, well washed
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 pieces whole grain bread

Slice leeks into thin rounds and sauté over medium/medium low heat with a splash of olive oil, small pat of butter and sprinkle of salt and pepper until they are soft and translucent.

Mix 1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves, and a sprinkle of pepper into goat cheese. Stir to soften the cheese.

When beets are cool enough to handle, remove skins and slice very thinly and evenly.

Toast the bread. Cover each slice with sautéed leeks and dot goat cheese evenly on top. Bake 10 minutes at 350° until cheese has softened. Remove from oven and neatly place beet slices on the top, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with remaining teaspoon chopped thyme leaves and heat in oven until warm,  taking care to ensure beets do not dry out. Garnish with a spring of thyme and serve with a green salad.

In the Small Box:

Green Savoy Cabbage   1 hd
Hard Red Wheat Flour   2 lb
Corn   4 ears
Curly Parsley   1 bu
Collards   1 bu
Apple Cider   1 qt
Baby White Turnips   1 bu

In the Standard Box:

Celery Root
Green Tomatoes   2 lb
Arugula   1 bu
Curly Parsley   1 bu
Collards   1 bu
Spinach   1 bu
Baby White Turnips   1 bu
Broccoli   1.5 lb
Bunched Carrots   1 bu
Lacinato Kale   1 bu

Baby White Turnips

Turnips taste earthy, but their baby selves taste sweet and creamy. They are even “cute,” if you can call a vegetable that. They lend themselves to many flavors. Try both the root and the greens in a sauté with lemon, garlic, and Herbes de Provence. Remember—you don’t need to peel these babies!

All turnips are very low in calories, with just 28 calories per 100 g. Nonetheless, they are a very good source of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins (especially C) and dietary fiber. Even the baby ones! Turnips help the body  scavenge harmful free radicals, thus preventing cancers and inflammation, boosting the immune system.

Turnip greens are a storehouse of many vital nutrients, containing several times more than the levels in the roots. They are a good source of vitamins and antioxidants, such as vitamin A, B complex, C, K, carotenoid, xanthin, and lutein, as well as the minerals calcium, copper, iron, potassium, and manganese.

Baby white turnips are also very versatile. Here are some favorite ways to prepare them:

• Young turnips are one of the favored items in raw salads for their sweet taste, complementing cabbage, parsnips, carrots, beets, etc.
• They mix well with other vegetables like kohlrabi, potato, and carrots in stews.
• Diced sautéed baby turnips are delicious with poultry, lamb, pork, etc.
• Mix raw baby turnip slices with olives and cherry tomatoes in a vinaigrette for an appetizer.
• Turnip cubes are great pickled.
• Turnip greens are used like other hearty greens and vegetables, in soups, curries, and stews. Try them in a sauté with garlic, salt and pepper, and a little apple cider vinegar.
• Like all root veggies, turnips are fantastic roasted, as in the recipe below.

Roasted Baby Turnips

1 bunch baby turnips, and chopped into quarters
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Pinch of salt, to taste
Dijon-Shallot Vinaigrette
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, finely minced
Pinch of salt, to taste
1/2 Tbsp. dried tarragon

Preheat oven to 400° F. Toss baby turnips in olive oil and salt. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, or until soft on the inside, with a slightly caramelized exterior.

While turnips are roasting, whisk together the white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, taking care not to add too much at a time. Whisk until emulsified, then whisk in the shallots, salt and tarragon. Toss in the roasted turnips. This is best served at room temperature.

Mexican Grilled Corn

4 ears corn
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 lime, juiced
Red chili powder, to taste
2 limes cut into wedges, for garnish

Remove the husks of the corn but leave the core attached at the end for handling. Grill the corn on a hot grill or cast iron griddle until slightly charred. Turn so it gets cooked evenly all over. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and cilantro together. Grate the Parmesan in another bowl. While the corn is still warm slather with mayonnaise mix. Squeeze lime juice over the corn and shower with Parmesan. Season with chili powder and serve with extra lime wedges.

Green Tomatoes

Don’t know what to do with your green tomatoes, besides frying them? Sauté them with onion and olive oil, season to taste, then toss them with hot pasta and bits of feta cheese.  Or substitute green tomatoes for tomatillos in a salsa recipe. Or put them on a pizza, or a quiche.

Of course, everyone automatically thinks of fried green tomatoes. Here’s an easy version:

Whisk 2 eggs and 1/2 cup milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop 1 cup Nash’s soft white flour onto a plate. Mix 1/2 cup Nash’s cornmeal, 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs and1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper on another plate. Cut your tomatoes into 1/2” slices. Dip them into flour to coat. Then dip them into the milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumb mixture to completely coat.

In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain on paper towels and enjoy.

Collards—More than good for you!

Collards are also known as “non-heading cabbage” or “tree-cabbage” due to cabbage-like leaves that resemble a crown on top of the stem after removal of the leaves (after few harvests) from the bottom part of the stem.

They are a rich source of dietary fibers, vitamin B9, C, A, K and minerals such as iron, calcium, copper, manganese and selenium. 100 g of collard greens contains only 30 calories.  They are especially noted for lowering cholesterol.

The stalks and leaves are edible. Add them to soups, stews and dishes made of various types of vegetables and meat. Fresh leaves can be used in salads and juices.