CSA Pickups -- Week 30

Roots Farm CSA Week 30: November 16

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This Week:
-Peppers: Carmen, Islander, Lipstick, Green & Colored Bells
-Nadia Eggplant
-Lettuce: Greenleaf & Redleaf
-Champion Collards
-Happy Rich Broccoli Raab
-Beans: Gold of Bacau & Northeaster
-Snow Crown Cauliflower
-Easter Egg Radishes
-Beauregard Sweet Potatoes
-Cilantro

In the Field . . .
The food continues to flourish. Carrots are beginning to size up; chard is reaching for the sky; the strawberries are digging in their roots. It’s beautiful out there. The cover crops are a vibrant green, nicely contrasting with the yellow and red leaves on the trees in the treeline. The weather is doing its beautiful Southern thing of blessing us with periods of warmth. It’s good out there.

Bon Voyage . . .
Well, the eggplant have finally given up. This is the last week you’ll see them, so load up now, because it’ll be 8 more months or so until they appear again. Love it while it lasts. And speaking of things coming to an end, you’ve only got ONE MORE WEEK of CSA pickups before we’re done for the season! Say it ain’t so! Well, at least in this format, it is. We’ll be offering CSA-type baskets through Athens Locally Grown online for the rest of the winter, so if you still haven’t had enough, we’ve got you covered. Just look under “Mixed Veggies” and you’ll find our baskets, ready for in-town pickups on Thursdays at Ben’s Bikes, aka Athens Locally Grown. http://www.athens.locallygrown.net/ I’ll send you another reminder about this next week . . .

New This Week
We’ve got sweet potatoes coming out! Yay! I know several of you have asked about them, so here they are, ready for your Thanksgiving delight. Also, we’ve got greenleaf and redleaf lettuces in the basket. They’re beautiful and frilly and I’m pretty excited about them. Hope you like ‘em. And beans. Our experimental fall planting of pole beans has been a real success. Late season beans for your feasting. Enjoy!

Cauliflower
Well the cauliflower has really been performing for us this year. How exciting! Our best year ever for it. With that in mind, here are some cauliflower tips for ya. Storage: wrap cauliflower loosely in plastic and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to a week but will taste sweetest if used within a few days. Prep: trim off any leaves and any brown spots caused by sun exposure. Rinse the cauliflower and cut out the cone-shaped core using a paring knife. Break into florets. Usage: cauliflower is good raw, steamed, sauteed, marinated, roasted, curried, in pastas, salads, stews, soups, and more! Here are some recipe ideas for you . . .

RECIPES

Roasted Spiced Cauliflower
¼ cup canola oil
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large head cauliflower (~3lbs), cut into florets
salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a large sheet pan or large shallow roasting pan with oil. Combine the oil with the spices in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the cauliflower and toss to coat. Spread the cauliflower on the prepared pan in a single layer. Roast for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the florets are tender-crisp and browned. To serve, mound the florets on a serving platter and sprinkle with salt to taste. Makes 2-4 servings. From Serving Up the Harvest.

Baked Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce & Feta
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6-8 plum tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried oregano
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium to large cauliflower (3-4 lbs), cut into florets
strained fresh juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup grated or crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large heavy skillet, heat 2-3 Tbsp olive oil and saute onion and garlic over medium-low heat until slightly wilted. Add tomatoes, cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, salt, and pepper; simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Toss in cauliflower, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. In a medium-large baking pan, preferably glass or clay, pour in cauliflower and tomato sauce. Pour remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil and lemon juice over mixture. Toss in pan to combine. Sprinkle with crumbled feta. Place pan in oven and turn heat down to 350 degrees. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until cauliflower is soft and feta melted. Add a little water during baking, if necessary. Makes 4-6 servings. From The Food & Wine of Greece.

Curried Cauliflower
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp sea salt
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ cup water
2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
½ tsp curry powder

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds. As soon as they start to pop, stir in the turmeric and salt. Add the cauliflower; mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, coriander, and curry. Adjust the heat to low and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Makes 4-5 servings. From Farmer John’s Cookbook.

Cauliflower Potato Curry
2 Tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp each: curry powder, turmeric, cumin, dried thyme
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
⅔ cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups cubed waxy potatoes
1 cup vegetable stock or water
2 cups chopped cauliflower
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 slices fresh gingerroot
¼ lb fresh beans, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt & freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in deep skillet. Stir in dry spices. Add onion and garlic; cook over medium heat until tender. Add potatoes and stock, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Stir in cauliflower, carrot, and ginger. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Stir in beans. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove cover; continue to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over rice and top with green onion. Makes 4 servings. From the From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook.