Week 8 of CSA

It was a crisp morning on the farm today, which helped us wrap our heads around the fact that this is the last week of the Summer Share. There was the slightest hint of fall in the air, and we’re starting to talk about where we’re going to store the winter squash this year while it cures. “Curing” refers to the process that dries out the squash slightly, while also turning starches into sugars. This leads to sweeter squash with a longer shelf-life. Other storage crops, like onions, potatoes, and garlic, go through a similar process.

Now that we are entering the thick of nightshade season, I wanted to share a few storage tips! Tomatoes and husk cherries are best stored out of the fridge, while peppers, eggplant, and tomatillos are happy refrigerated. Peppers and eggplant are happy to be kept in plastic bags, but tomatoes last longer in an open container. We are working with farmers to move away from plastic bags for tomatoes, but if you do receive tomatoes in plastic, it’s best to transfer them into a different container as soon as you get your veggies home.

Cabbage Radish Slaw with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE SLAW

• ½ small head green cabbage
• ½ small head savoy cabbage
• 1 medium watermelon radish or 1 bunch red radishes
• 2 poblano chilies
  

FOR THE CILANTRO-LIME VINAIGRETTE

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, more
  to taste
• ½ cup minced fresh cilantro
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 3 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Step 1: Remove tough outer leaves of cabbage halves and core halves. Using a food processor, a mandoline or a knife, shred cabbage as finely as possible.
Step 2: Peel radish and cut into matchsticks, then cut matchsticks in half. Alternatively, trim radishes and roughly chop. Stem chilies and deseed them, then chop in pieces smaller than a dime. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Set aside.
Step 3: Make vinaigrette. In small bowl, whisk together all ingredients except oil. Let cilantro steep in mixture for a few minutes, then whisk in the oil in a steady stream to emulsify.
Step 4: Taste and add more lime juice, salt or pepper if needed. Pour over slaw and blend well. Serve.

(from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1012466-cabbage-radish-slaw-with-cilantro-lime-vinaigrette)

Roasted Green Beans with Beets, Walnuts, and Feta

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
• 1 pound fresh beets, trimmed, peeled, and cut into thin wedges
• 1/2 cup sliced shallots, onions, or scallions
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup broken walnuts
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (2 ounces)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a large roasting pan combine green beans, beets, and shallots. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
3. Roast, uncovered, for 45 to 50 minutes or until beans and beets are tender, stirring once or twice and adding walnuts during the last 10 to 15 minutes of roasting.
4. To serve, transfer roasted vegetables to a serving platter. Sprinkle with cheese.
   

VARIATIONS: Out of walnuts? Try slivered almonds or coarsely chopped hazelnuts (filberts). Not feeling feta? Use crumbled goat cheese (chevre) or shredded sharp cheddar cheese instead.

(from https://www.bhg.com/recipe/roasted-green-beans-with-beets-feta-and-walnuts/)

And one more recipe that, if you like soup as much as I do, will help you put some of those greens you’ve been getting to use!

Anna Thomas’ Green Soup

Serves: 4 to 6

Photo by Mark Weinberg

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch chard or spinach
• 1 bunch kale
• 4 to 5 green onions, sliced, white and green parts
• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1 medium potato
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 splash Marsala or dry sherry (optional)
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic (or garlic scapes), finely chopped
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the greens thoroughly, trim off their stems, and slice the leaves. Combine the chard or spinach, kale, green onions, and cilantro in a large soup pot with 3 cups water and a teaspoon of salt. Peel the potato, or just scrub it well if you prefer, cut it into small pieces, and add it to the pot. Bring the water a boil, turn down the flame to low, cover the pot, and let the soup simmer for about half an hour.
2. Meanwhile, chop the onion, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, and cook the onion with a small sprinkle of salt over medium flame until it is golden brown and soft. This will take up to half an hour. Don’t hurry; give it a stir once in a while, and let the slow cooking develop the onion’s sweetness. If you like, you can deglaze the pan at the end with a bit of Marsala or sherry — not required, but a nice touch.
3. Add the caramelized onion to the soup. Put the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in the pan and stir the chopped garlic in it for just a couple of minutes, until it sizzles and smells great. Add the garlic to the pot and simmer the soup for 10 minutes more.
4. Add enough of the broth to make the soup a soup — it should pour easily from the ladle and puree it in the blender, in batches, or use an immersion blender. Don’t overprocess, potatoes can turn gummy if you work them too much.
5. Return the soup to the pot, bring it back to a simmer, and taste. Add a pinch more salt if needed, grind in a little black pepper, and add a pinch of cayenne and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir well and taste again. Now use your taste buds — correct the seasoning to your taste with a drop more lemon juice or another pinch of salt, and then serve big steaming bowls of green soup. Garnish with a thin drizzle of fruity olive oil.
6. Author Notes: This is an excellent recipe, but also a template. You could use any greens and any herbs. Instead of the potato, Thomas has bolstered the broth with arborio rice, yams, sautéed mushrooms, or squash. The caramelized onions are key for filling out the flavor of the soup, but there’s no reason you couldn’t use shallots or leeks instead. It’s good for dinner parties, for brown bag lunches, and for dinners alone with a fridge of greens you don’t know what to do with. Thomas has also used the soup to comfort very sick friends, who said it restored their appetite and brought them back to life a bit. Recipe from https://food52.com/recipes/31438-anna-thomas-green-soup.