2015 CSA Week 16
September 16, 20152015 CSA week 16 September 16th
In The Box
cucumber
eggplant or summer squash
roma tomatoes
charentais or butterscotch melon
gypsy peppers
baby fennel
new potatoes
green and gold acorn squash
Hello,
I am officially spread too thin. WIth farm transition year two still kicking our rears and two guys quitting unexpectedly to go help with the early wine grape harvest it has been an insane couple of weeks. The farm continues its transition into fall production with a new list of tasks relative to getting the summer crop ground put to bed for the winter and the fall and winter crops taken care of. The transition (yes that’s the 3rd time I’ve used the word ‘transition’ in this paragraph but it speaks well to the state of things right now) is well refelcted in the boxes this week with both melons and winter squash present. The melons are either a french charentais type (ribbed, netted skin) or a butterscotch melon (smooth green/grey to yellow) The charentais It is a small variety of melon, similar in flesh to cantaloupes, but with a more fragrant smell. It was developed in western France around 1920 as a more refined cantaloupe. Some think the butterscotch melons have a taste reminiscent of butterscotch, hence the name. The flesh is green near the rind, orange in the middle. The green part is not only edible, but sweet. The pepper is Antohi Romanian gypsy pepper. It is amazing how seeds travel the world with people.
This sweet pepper came to the US with Jan Antohi, an acrobat who defected here from Romanian in 1991.
The yellow acorn squash is an heirloom from the Gill Brothers Seed Company of Oregon. Gills Golden Pippin is probably the best tasting of all acorns; the bright yellow, small acorn-shaped fruit have a sweet flesh that’s very flavorful!
Enjoy,
Dave
RECIPES
Roast Squash Appetizers
1 acorn squash
1-2 T mascapone cheese
4-6 sage leaves, chopped
2 portabella mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 sour baguette, refreshed in the oven and then sliced into thin rounds
chives, chopped
Heat the oven to 400. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise, and put cut side down on some parchment on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven until very soft and caramelized, 45-60 minutes. Cool and scoop out the seeds and strings. Then scoop out the flesh and mash it together in a small bowl. Add a little salt, the mascarpone, and the sage.
Taste for seasoning. While the squash roasts, roast the portabella caps. Discard the stems, and drizzle some olive oil, some salt, and some of the garlic on the gill side of each portabella cap. Roast those in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until very soft. When cool, cut into small wedges. Spread a little roasted squash on a crostini, top it with a wedge or two of mushroom, finish with a little chive sprinkle, and serve.
Polenta Stuffed Squash
You can turn this into a complete meal by serving this over a legume salad. Yum!
1 acorn squash, halved
2 c milk
1/2 c polenta
butter
1/2 lb mushrooms, quartered
3 T tarragon leaves, chopped
1/2 lemon
3 T marscapone
sprouts for garnish
Put the squash cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast at 400 until the squash is soft all the way through, about an hour. Scoop out the seeds and strings. In a small saucepan heat the milk with some salt. Add the polenta slowly, whisking constantly, and cook until it thickens up, about 15 minutes. In a small skillet melt a tablespoon or two of butter and sauté the mushrooms with some salt until softened. Add the tarragon, juice from half a lemon, and the mascarpone. Stir well and then incorporate everything into the polenta. Stir and taste again to make sure you like it. Scoop the polenta into the squash and serve everything warm, topped with some sprouts tossed in oil and a little lemon.
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