Week #10 - What's in the box - This week's focus - Butternut squash

It's Week #10 and we are at the end of August - Wow, this summer has flown by! This is the time of year in which you can spend picking produce pretty much on a full time basis and still have more to pick when you are done!

Given the heat and the excess flies - we've been bringing the veggies inside the house to store and keep cool. Good thing we have a big house as they have almost taken over most of the living room!

What's in the box this week:
Onions
Potatoes
Cucumber
Zucchini
Herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley, chives)
Assorted peppers - Jalepeno pepper (green, tear drop shape) or Banana pepper (yellow, spear shaped) or Cherry Red Hot (small round red) or Chile peppers (round, thin) or Habeneros (small crumpled green)
Tomatoes - both cherry and regular size
Assorted melons - Honey Dew melon (white/green, smooth and round) or Cantaloupe (white/green, rough exterior, round)
Assorted Squash - Butternut squash (long neck, round base, yellow/green) or Patty Pan squash (orange/yellow, looks like a bit like a small pumpkin)
Swiss Chard
Kohlrabi
Leeks


This week's focus - Butternut Squash

Butternut squash also known in Australia and New Zealand as butternut pumpkin, is a type of winter squash. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer. It grows on a vine.

Butternut squash is a fruit that can be roasted, toasted, puréed for soups, or mashed and used in casseroles, breads, and muffins.

It is a good source of fibre, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, and potassium. It is also an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin E.
The fruit is prepared by removing the skin, stalk and seeds, which are not usually eaten or cooked. However, the seeds are edible, either raw or roasted and the skin is also edible and softens when roasted. One of the most common ways to prepare butternut squash is roasting. To do this, the squash is cut in half lengthwise, lightly brushed with cooking oil, and placed cut side down on a baking sheet. It is then baked for 45 minutes or until it is softened. Once roasted, it can be eaten in a variety of ways as outlined above.

PAUL'S FAMOUS BUTTERNUT SOUP (serves 6 as a starter)

1 fresh butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups of chicken stock
Half a cup cream
1 tsp curry powder (as hot as you like)
A squirt of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and black pepper

1. Toss the chopped onion and garlic in a pot and sauté, don't burn or caramelise. They must be translucent but still white.
2. Add the peeled butternut and chicken stock and bring to the boil.
3. When the butternut is soft, mash (as in MASH, don't liquidise or pulverise!).
4. Add the other ingredients and stir.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Week #9 - What's in the Box - This Week's Focus - Tomatoes - Summer's Heavenly Fruit

It's Week #9 of our CSA share and the boxes of goodies are getting downright heavy! They are packed full with tomatoes, squash, melons and corn! (along with other goodies) Most of the plants have re-bounded fairly well from the storm a few weeks ago and our re-seeded greens (lettuce/spinach) should be ready shortly.

As mentioned last week, our turkeys are ready this week. So if you are looking for a tasty turkey for your Thanksgiving meal, just let us know. We have them frozen and ready for you! (reserve early as we sell out!) This year our turkeys range from 14-19 llbs and we are again selling them for $2.99/llb.

As usual we have zucchini to spare (there is already some in everyone's box), so short of dropping it on people's doorsteps, ringing the bell and running away.... we will bring some to the pick up times and if you want more - feel free to grab some.

The squash that you will find in your boxes will keep for a fairly long time so feel free to save them if you aren't ready to eat right away.

What's in the box this week:
Onions
Potatoes
Cucumber
Zucchini
Herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley, chives)
Assorted peppers - Jalepeno pepper (green, tear drop shape) or Banana pepper (yellow, spear shaped) or Cherry Red Hot (small round red) or Chile peppers (round, thin)
Tomatoes - both cherry and regular size
Assorted melons - Honey Dew melon (white/green, smooth and round) or Cantaloupe (white/green, rough exterior, round)
Corn
Cabbage (purple) - please soak your cabbage in water.
Carrots
Assorted Squash - Butternut squash (long neck, round base, yellow/green) or Patty Pan squash (orange/yellow, looks like a bit like a small pumpkin)
Swiss Chard
This week's focus - Tomatoes - Summer's Heavenly Fruit!

That's right, did you know that tomatoes are actually a fruit and not a vegetable? To me it doesn't matter how you categorize it, they are delicious! There is nothing better than a garden fresh tomato, sliced thickly and eaten with a bit of salt and mayo.... but that being said ... there are hundreds of other yummy ways to use and consume tomatoes! Put them in a salad, make salsa or fresh soup, make tomato sauce or paste, put them in a sandwich (wonderful with avocado!), use them in pasta sauces, on a pizza, grill them, roast them with basil and olive oil, mix them with sweet corn, garlic and vinegar for a wonderful salad, skewer the cherry tomatoes with a toothpick and cube of cheese for a quick appetizer.... I could go on! Whatever way you like your tomatoes... enjoy them!

Week #8 - What's in the Box - This week's focus - Honeydew Melon!

It's Week #8 and we are feeling a lot better as plants are bouncing back from the hail and the cooler weather is helping us all cope a bit better!

We were very worried about our melons and whether they would survive the hailstorm, however you will find a slightly dented but otherwise yummy honey dew melon in the box - with cantaloupe to follow next week.

The tomatoes are ready as well! They suffered more damage than we thought but they taste wonderful even though some of them look a bit damaged.

Also wanted to mention that our turkeys will be ready on August 20th if you are interested in ordering any?

What's in the box this week:
Swiss Chard
Beans
Kohlrabi
Onions and Leeks
Potatoes
Cucumber
Zucchini
Herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley)
Radishes
Jalepeno pepper (green) and/or Banana pepper (yellow)
Parsnips
Turnip (put extra in Dana's box ;)
Tomatoes - both cherry and regular size
Honey Dew melon

This week's focus - Honey Dew Melon:

Honeydew melon is a variety of Muskmelon that originated in France and is considered the sweetest of all melons.

Storage:
Uncut Honeydew melon can be kept at room temperature for two to four days or until ripe. Ripe Honeydews can be refrigerated for an additional 5 days. Cut melons should be placed in a covered container and refrigerated for no more than three days. Keep in mind that Honeydws have a strong odor that will saturate other foods.

Preparation

Wash honeydew in warm soapy water prior to cutting to eliminate impurities on the rind that could be transferred from the knife to the melon's flesh. Next, slice the Honeydew in half and remove the seeds and strings. Melons can be cut into halves, quarters, wedges, cubes, or scooped into balls with a melon baller. Most melons will benefit from a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to enhance the flavor and served at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Week #7 - What's in the Box..... this week - re-planting and re-framing!

Week #7 of our CSA finds us re-planting and re-framing.... with the hail damage last week, we have re-seeded some greens in hopes that we can quickly regain some of what is lost. Our seedlings are already up and we are watching them carefully and cheering them along.

In the re-framing department....we've taken the hail damaged green tomatoes that were scattered all around (don't worry there is still plenty good ones on the plants!) and turned it into Green Tomato Salsa (or Hail Salsa as I'm calling it!). As Florence said... if the world hands you lemons... make some lemonade! We made salsa instead!

There was enough to share with everyone, so you will all find a small sampling of Hail Salsa in your box today. I did not pressure can this (its so yummy - you need to eat right away) so please store in the fridge until you eat it.

What's in the box this week:
Carrots
Swiss Chard
Beans
Kohlrabi
Onions and Leeks
Potatoes
Cabbage
Cucumber or Zucchini
Herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley, oregano, chives)
Radishes
Kale
Jalepeno pepper
Parsnips
Beets
Hail Salsa

Thought I would include the recipe for the "Hail Salsa" I used... so you know what's in it and in the event you ever find yourself with an excess of green tomatoes.

Makes about 3 pints

Recipe may be doubled; increase cooking time by 10-15 minutes

Salsas are quite forgiving, so don't be afraid to adapt this recipe to what your end-of-the-season garden or farmers' market has to offer. Any type of tomato can be used, and you can mix and match varieties. Paste, or plum, tomatoes will require less cooking time since they're meatier and have less juice.

A touch of red on a few of the tomatoes is fine, as long as they're still very hard. Fully ripe tomatoes, though, will give your relish a completely different flavor and consistency. Partially green sweet red peppers can also be used, and you can adjust the amount of jalapeno peppers to suit your taste, or leave them out entirely.

2 lb. green tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 lb. white or yellow onions, chopped

3/4 lb. sweet red peppers, cored and chopped

1/2 lb. tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith, cored and chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup 5% acidic organic raw apple cider vinegar (or less, see note below)*(I used about 50% of the recommended amount as I wasn't canning it)

1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt

4 jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded if desired, and finely chopped

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

Combine the tomatoes, onions, peppers, apples, garlic, vinegar, and salt in a large, nonreactive pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about an hour.

Stir in the jalapenos, cilantro, and cumin and simmer for 5 more minutes. Carefully purée the mixture using a stick immersion blender or in a traditional counter top blender, in batches if necessary, until still somewhat chunky. Do not overmix; you don't want it smooth.

This green tomato relish will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

If canning, return the puréed relish to a boil, then ladle the hot mixture into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. Store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

Hope you are able to "re-frame" your challenges into something tasty!