Hi everyone, Jess here. I am over a week late on our final “Tell” of the summer CSA season, my sincerest apologies, see below for details!
- Apples (2 varieties)
- Applesauce
- Baked Apples with Maple Butter
- Sugar Pumpkin
- Still stored, but I’ll be making a Pumpkin Pie this week.
- Head Lettuce
- Lettuce Wraps
- Salads
- Beets
- Butternut squash
- Stored
- Celery
- Frozen
- Onions
- Stored
- GIANT (yet amazingly tasty) Arugula from Johnny Putt Farm
- Delicious and gone
- Served with Slow Cooker Asian short Ribs (wilted into the sauce)
I decided to try a recipe for cabbage roll casserole, which was basically the regular recipe for cabbage rolls in a different form. I adapted this recipe from Taste of Home.
I shredded one of those small frost harvest cabbages into a 9×13 baking dish. Meanwhile I browned a pound of ground beef with a small onion and garlic clove, stirred in a cup of cooked rice, some thin snips of fresh sage and thyme, a dash of cayenne and pinch of salt. As Nan was eating over, I subbed my quart of jarred tomatoes for 2 cans of Campbell’s tomato soup (blasphemy, I know-Nan’s original recipe also in the comments). Once everything was in the pan and incorporated I poured it over the cabbage and sprinkled on some mozzarella and crumbled Springdell bacon bits. Similar to lasagna, I cooked at 375 for 45 minutes covered and took the foil off for the last 10-20 minutes to melt and brown the cheese. Nan and Glen (not a fan of cabbage) both had seconds. Success, and so much easier than the traditional cabbage roll!
It’s a little messy, but I loved the texture and flavor! I may not make the traditional cabbage rolls again for a while now that I know this corner cutting method!
I thawed the last of the asparagus from the chest freezer and roasted up some bacon wrapped asparagus for a treat this week. Crispy and crunchy in all the right places, this was a wonderful way to enjoy the last of the spring harvest.
It has been quite the couple of weeks since our last “Show” of the Summer CSA Season! On Saturday the 28th, we had a fabulous time at the Springdell Annual Halloween Bash and I was most grateful that many of you stopped by the canning swap as well! We enjoyed freshly made mint lemonade, samples of tomato jam, jalapeño and thai pepper jellies, pickled beets and goat cheese. I’ll be posting the canning recipes very soon!
On Sunday as I was typing up the canning recipes, the power went out and didn’t come back on until Friday. This of course put a damper on what was happening (or not happening) in the kitchen for the rest of the week. Though we lost most of the food in the fridge (including the last of my beloved cranberry sauce, sweet kraut and refrigerator pickles), we were able to get the chest freezer working on the generator. I will say there was a panic that I was going to lose my entire winter stockpile and am most grateful that we were able to save it (especially my meat subscription and my fish filets!) As a birthday present, my Uncle Harry had recently given me about 50 pounds of pollock that he had caught, which I promptly skinned and froze.
As Nan is in a wheelchair at this point, we moved into a handicap accessible room in a hotel for a couple of days, and we ate about a year’s worth of takeout food. My other half valiantly stayed home cuddling with the dog and keeping the generator going. A lesson was reinforced for me over the week: I have many friends that opt not to choose the CSA lifestyle because they feel it is “too expensive”. Over the 5 days without power however, I noticed my food budget was more than quadruple what I would have spent cooking food from the farm stand.
It was great to see all of the food that was saved for winter use. Sometimes we become overwhelmed with the CSA bounty in the summer, but when one learns to preserve things while they are in peak season, one can eat like royalty year-round!
This weekend my family was busy! We had a karate tournament, and several days worth of theatre productions. By the time Sunday rolled around I was able to get back into the kitchen, cooking up some goodies.
Here you see some of that lovely pollock from Uncle Harry’s catch, along with mashed potatoes, applesauce and arugula.
Behold the slow cooker short rib! I think if you have the time and patience to braise one, it’s even more succulent, but the slow cooker works too. The marinade I used was based on this recipe by Damn Delicious.
The remaining micro arugula made a great accompaniment with the rib, wilted directly into the marinade.
Baked apples in maple butter are a fabulous and easy dessert when you don’t have the time for a full-on pie.
Photo by Jamie Cruz
Finally, as we prepare for the Winter CSA season, let’s wish members of our farm family Samuel, Jonathan and Marlon farewell until next year as they return to Jamaica. A heartfelt thanks for your hard work over the summer season. We look forward to seeing you again in the spring!
That’s about it from me for the moment! I look forward to starting the winter CSA with you on the 18th. Meanwhile you’ll get one more email from me about the canning swap. Take care and thank you for reading!