Welcome to the first week of Autumn CSA! If you are just joining us, we are delighted to be able to provide veggies to you this fall. If you are continuing on from the summer, thank you for your full-season support!
Mid-season is a great time to refresh ourselves on how to store produce. We talked a little bit about the nightshade family (tomatoes and peppers) last week, but let’s dive a little deeper into it this week. If you want an easy printable chard with tips and tricks, check out this website.
Vegetables to store outside the fridge:
- Basil
- Tomatoes (lose or in cardboard, not in plastic!)
- Winter Squash
- Cured Garlic
- Cured Onions
Vegetables to keep in a jar of water:
- Basil
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Parsley
- You can also do this with chard or kale if they start to wilt!
Vegetables to store in a plastic bag in the fridge (these will all wilt/go soft if exposed to fridge air):
- Chard
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Summer Squash
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
Other tips from the experts:
- Wrap celery and broccoli with tin foil to make them last weeks!
- Greens like to be in plastic with a paper towel, or in a closed container with a drain tray
- Cut off the tops of all radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, rutabaga, parsnips, etc. right away as soon as you get home
- Invest in a Food Saver Vacuum Sealer and containers if you want to chop up your peppers, carrots, beets, summer squash, celery, potatoes, kohlrabi, etc. ahead of time to be ready to throw in a quick dinner dish (Please note – we are not paid to market these products, they have just worked great for us personally). Chopped up veggies will stay good for weeks and it really saves a lot of time during weekday meal prep.
- If anything goes bad in your fridge, take it out immediately, as mold spores will spread to other vegetables and fruits.
Please always ask if you have questions about a certain vegetable, whether it be how to store it, how to cook it, or ideas on how to get your kids to eat it. In the meantime, here are some recipe ideas for this week:
Garlicky Roasted Beets, Leeks, and Eggplant
This is a simple dish, but I really like the way this combination fits so well together!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 bunch leeks, halved, washed well and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 1 bunch beets, washed and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 eggplant, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil (or heavy duty aluminum foil spayed with cooking oil spray).
- Combine the leeks, beets, eggplant and garlic on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir well.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Then, remove from the oven and stir well. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.
Chickpea Soup with Swiss Chard
INGREDIENTS
- 6 cups drained and rinsed canned chickpeas (three 19-ounce cans)
- 3 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock, more if needed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- Pinch dried red-pepper flakes
- 1 cup canned tomatoes in thick puree, chopped
- 1/2 cup tubetti or other small macaroni
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 pound Swiss chard, tough stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Puree half of the chickpeas with 1 1/2 cups of the broth in a blender or food processor. In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth, the pureed chickpeas, whole chickpeas, bay leaf, red-pepper flakes, tomatoes, tubetti, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
Add the Swiss chard to the pot. Simmer until the chard is tender and the pasta is done, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the black pepper. If the soup thickens too much on standing, stir in more broth or water.