Category Archives: CSADist

ginger-with-stalk

2016 CSA Fall October 15

2016 CSA Fall October 15

  • Anaheim peppers
  • Padron peppers
  • Serrano peppers
  • Jalapeno peppers
  • Bell Peppers
  • Eggplant Medley
  • Watermelon
  • Baby Ginger
  • Tatsoi Greens
  • Tomatoes (pick from set)
  • Epazote
  • Papalo

2016 CSA Fall October 15:  Yes, there is a watermelon in your CSA share this week!  We could not believe it when we came across them as we thought that they had all been ruined by weather and wildlife. Just had to share of the few we found as killing frost fast approaches.

Many people are familiar with stuffed bell peppers or filling jalapenos with cheese but i wanted to share a favorite of Michael’s: the Pepper Dog. He cuts a half circle around the top of an Anaheim and then a long slit down the middle, forming a tall “T”, scoops the seeds out, stuffs it with cheese and then wraps it in bacon. This is grilled until the bacon is crisp and served on a bun with tomato and a touch of barbeque sauce. We used to make them at the City Market years ago and they were very popular. Chefs and enterprising folks have picked up the idea and now the Pepper Dog can be found states away. Another meal idea nice with these cool evenings is a soup made from your butternut. Just puree your roasted squash and serve with a bit of tomato and cheese. For a bit of exotic, south of the border flavor to experiment with, we included epazote and papalo. They are both digestive, gastro-intestinal supporters and papalo is well known as an aid to liver disorders.  To your health and your pleasure! Have a great week

 

Butternut Harvest

2016 CSA Fall October 8

2016 CSA Fall October 8

  • Bell Peppers
  • Eggplant Medley
  • Yukon Gold Potatoes
  • Baby Ginger
  • Butternut Squash
  • Tomatoes (pick from set)
  • Cucumber
  • Patty Pan Squash
  • Baby Arugula 8×8
  • Hatch type green chilies

2016 CSA Fall October 8:

Ginger-  Make a wonderful cold weather tea with baby ginger leaf steeped in almost boiling water sweetened with honey.

Butternut

Butternut

Winter Squash- Butternut squash this week! In the same family as pumpkin, is often times used in recipes in its place. So if you have recipes you like that call for pumpkin, try this as a substitute.  My favorite “pumpkin pie” is made with butternut instead. Butternut squash lends itself delicious for both sweet and savory dishes.  Used as an ingredient in homemade pasta, for stuffing, or cubed to be roasted, in soups, muffins and breads. If a savory soup or roast is on your mind, consider using  Poultry herbs chopped finely in your dish.  It is easy to cut in half, scoop out the seeds and roast in a bit of water for half an hour… then you can flip it over and dress with pumpkin spices, some fresh grated baby ginger, butter and brown sugar for a decadent treat.  Or stuff with savory greens, herbs, cheese or rice blend and bake the halves for about ½ an hour at 400f.  For a delicious pie, use 1 ½ cups of cooked/pureed squash, 1 cup of sugar/light brown sugar, 3 eggs, ¾ cup evaporated milk or half and half, dash each of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger (insert some fresh grated baby ginger), salt, 2 tbs flour, 1 tbs of melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla combined and poured into a 9” pie crust, and if you like, garnish with pecans (i also like to add crushed pecans into the crust). Bake @350 for 45-50 minutes (or until the top of the pie is set) and allow to cool before cutting.  Yum! Just a quick note on the baby ginger, since you are getting some every week: We wanted to suggest that if it is more than you can use fresh, store it in the freezer and just grate it into your teacup or recipe frozen, it will taste just like it is fresh!

Delicata

2016 CSA Fall October 1st

2016 CSA Fall October 1st

  • Bell Peppers
  • Eggplant Medley
  • Yukon Gold Potatoes
  • Baby Ginger
  • Thai Basil with flowers
  • Delicata Squash
  • Tomatoes (pick from set)
  • Cucumber
  • Patty Pan Squash
  • Baby Arugula 8×8
  • Hatch type green chilies

Delicata squash this week! So versatile and the skin is so thin, you can eat that too.  We cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, (roast seeds for a bonus treat) and bake on a pan with about ½ an inch of water for about half an hour @350. They can also be stuffed and baked…we like to use the toasted seeds as a garnish.  Consider using greens, cheese, and herbs for a yummy stuffing combo. For a quick dish, we like to roast the halves and then garnish with pumpkin and Indian spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, and cardamom.  Simply with brown sugar and butter makes for a nice desert with the custard-like consistency when cooked.

This week we have been enjoying eggplant lasagna-style, substituting the pasta sheets with slices of eggplant instead. Did you know that that you can also dry sliced eggplant and store it like pasta?

To the right is a photo of Chef Anderson’s mixed drinks with Thai Basil. Have you ever tried Thai Basil in an iced coffee? Make a simple syrup of sugar and water and steep your leaves as it cools. Use the syrup in your coffee drink. Hope you get inspired this week! Enjoy!