We’re really feeling it now. The share boxes are still full, but more and more of the items resemble the leaves changing colors as they fall off the trees, signaling the coming of winter. These were the days we used to dread, as it meant going back to the supermarkets until the following June. Nowadays, we welcome the winters, knowing that our pantries are full of mason jars containing flavors from throughout the season, the root cellar houses veggies of all types, and the chest freezers and cold storage areas are packed to the gills. Not only this, but the Winter CSA upon us, providing us with fresh and local food until the Springtime rolls back around.
- apples
- Slow Cooker Applesauce
- Apple Roses
- Roasted with Brussels Sprouts
- Honey Crisps enjoyed as-is
- Apple Peel Chips (cores fed to the chickens)
- Slow Cooker Chai Spiced Apple Butter
- Chai Spiced Apple Butter Ice Cream!
- baby spinach
- Enjoyed as-is (Jess’ five year-old loves it right now, so we’re just going with it!)
- quick spinach side salads
- beet greens
- Sautéed with Swiss chard, with Beurre Rouge (see below)
- Sweetened up Sarah’s Morning Smoothies
- Spotted Hound Squash (Jess only)
- acorn squash
- In cold storage
- leeks
- Dairy-Free Potato Leek Soup
- Dark green parts went into a Slow Cooker Chicken Broth
- Look for Sarah’s in tomorrow’s post!
- eggplant
- onions
- Kickin’ Collard Greens
- Onion peels went into Chicken Broth
- Stuffed in the cavity of a Classic Roast Chicken
- kale
- Jess’ Morning Smoothies
- Shared with Sarah’s neighbors
- green peppers
- Brussels sprouts
- Roasted with Apples
- Brussels Sprout Salad
- spaghetti squash (Jess only)
- cranberries
- wax beans (Sarah only)
- Tossed with Amish roll butter and parmesean cheese
- Swiss chard
- Sautéed with Swiss chard, with Beurre Rouge (see below)
- Sautéed to top quesadillas
- collard greens
- Kickin’ Collard Greens
- Stems fed to the chickens
All fruit and veggie scraps composted otherwise noted.
The “RIP” in this photo reminds us that the end of the Summer CSA is nigh, but the fun is not over! This is CSA365, after all!
Here’s a quick word from Jess:
The kids are in school, and I have two hours all to myself. I see laundry in my future, but not before cooking up these beet greens and Swiss chard.
My usual plate to tummy approach with Swiss chard is a butter cream sauce of some sort. It’s my mom’s favorite, so I often make her a plate when she comes for a visit (sometimes she’ll even take it as payment for watching the kids!) A simple reduction of heavy cream butter and a pinch of salt does the trick, but on days I’m feeling gourmet, I’ll whip up a Beurre Blanc, or “White Butter” sauce. This sauce is a classic staple and excellent with just about any CSA veggie, (particularly those you might not be so fond of!) There are many renditions but the basic staple ingredients include white wine, vinegar and/or citrus, shallot and butter. Epicurious has a good recipe with which to start, and from there you can try substituting a bit of lemon or lime juice for the vinegar, reducing or adding more cream to change the consistency, etc. The sauce is also a canvas on which to paint the herb or spice combination of your choosing, or just leave it simple and let the veggies do the talking!
Today I have a bottle of red wine that will be going the way of the dodo before I have a moment to enjoy it, so I’ve decided to try a Beurre Rouge instead. As it’s my first time out of the gate with this sauce, I’ve decided to try Martha Stewart’s recipe.
Here’s the red wine, vinegar and shallot, ready to reduce.
Meanwhile, the chard and beet greens are coarsely chopped and wilting with the help of a bit of chicken stock.
Reduced!
Wilted and tender!
In goes the cold and cubed butter. If things start to go awry, just remove the pan from the heat and keep stirring, adding more butter until the creaminess returns to the sauce.
All went well, but these greens need a little help holding up to the richness of this sauce. They are screaming to me “reheat me at dinnertime and slap a ‘Dellmonico steak on me” and that’s what I’m going to do.
See you tomorrow for the 19th “Show” of the Springdell Show and Tell!