Hi everyone, Jess here. Well, it’s a couple of weeks before our next “Show” of the Springdell Show and Tell, but our CSA crate contents are almost gone, so I figured I’d check in.
We have so much news! First of all, a hearty congrats to Farmer Jamie Cruz on the birth of her son Briar, a fifth generation farmer. Welcome to the farm family, Briar, we can’t wait to meet you!
With the new addition during this new year, we are also reminded that it’s time to sign up for your CSA! February 23rd is National CSA Sign-Up day, but sign-ups at Springdell are already underway, and many fill up quickly. Not sure about whether a CSA is right for you? Perhaps start with a “single share” or “small share”, which offer a similar variety but in a smaller quantity. The Farm Bucks program is another option as well. Meat subscriptions are also available. Contact Farmer Jamie to request an application today. (Her hands are a little full at the moment, so feel free to contact us here if we can help, too!)
- Springdell Farms Meats (I got Cube Steak, Bacon and Beef Stew Meat)
- Beef Stew with Corn Meal Dumplings
- Meatballs (from ground beef from Meat Subscription)
- Steak and Potatoes (using T-Bone Steak from Meat Subscription)
- Beef Kielbasa with Rotkohl (using Kielbasa from Meat Subscription)
- Ground Beef in Winter Pantry Sauce
- Beef Cube Steak with Mushroom Gravy
- Tully Farms Dairy (Lowfat Milk and Heavy Cream for me)
- Meatballs
- In cereal
- Whipped Cream
- Sneaky Squash Pancakes
- Eggs
- Bean Sprout Omelette
- Meatballs
- Braised Cabbage Wrap
- Carrot Cake (from Inspired Taste)
- Sneaky Squash Pancakes
- Apples
- Braised Sweet and Sour Cabbage (Rotkohl)
- Carrots
- Beef Stew with Corn Meal Dumplings
- Ox Tail Pho
- Carrot Cake
- Parsnips
- Beef Stew with Corn Meal Dumplings
- Potatoes
- Beef Stew with Corn Meal Dumplings
- Cranberries
- Steak and Potatoes with Balsamic Cranberry Pan Sauce
- Cranberry Sauce
- Purple Cabbage
- Braised Sweet and Sour Cabbage
- Maple Syrup from Maple View Sugar Shack, Fultonville NY
- In with the Squash puree
- on Sneaky Squash Pancakes
- Natures Wonder Sprouts – Western, MA
- Bean Sprout Omelette
- Ox Tail Pho
- Snacks for kids
Here’s quick reminder to bring those egg cartons back to the farmstand, or your eggs may end up delivered like this!
I made some oxtail broth using this recipe for an authentic pho broth.
The herbs and spices involved in the broth looked so colorful in the pan, and produced a lovely aroma and flavor.
The oxtail has a distinctive taste and the meat itself is so succulent by the end of the cooking time. My kids were eating up the oxtail, no questions asked.
I’m having trouble remembering back to last week… The carrots, sprouts and apples were a fresh side dish to this succulent meat, but I can’t remember which meat I cooked. Braised short rib, perhaps?
I’ve been really enjoying the dutch oven that Santa brought. The flavors of the beef stew really came together in this pot. With all the soups and the stews, I’m grateful for having frozen some parsley and celery from the fall, the flavors can’t be beat!
The purple carrots turned the stew a deep purple that was off putting to the kids. Luckily the grown-ups didn’t mind, so we had leftovers to enjoy. The cornmeal dumplings sopped up the stew nicely.
I also used the dutch oven to braise the purple cabbage and apples. I always love the sweet and sour flavors with a good Springdell kielbasa.
I had recently received a coupon to join one of those mail-meal delivery services. The coupon came with a sample meal-plan recipe. When I read the recipe, I realized I already had everything I needed to make the sample recipe thanks to my CSA, so I did. It was delicious!
I froze some of the braised cabbage (which thaws nicely) and put some into a wrap with an egg for lunch.
The month of January has been a great time not only to go through the CSA box, but also to pull from the chest freezer and cold storage. This meat loaf was great with squash and green beans.
I tried a new carrot cake recipe and a couple of you asked to come test it, which was awesome. Though this recipe was good, I think the slow cooker carrot cake recipe works better for me. We’ll have another taste test again soon for comparison!
Finally, just a reminder as to a good use for that squash that you may have kicking around. Halve a bunch of it and roast it until tender, puree it up, then add it to whatever works for you! It’s great in pancakes, adds a nice moisture to cakes, and adds some extra nutrition to your pasta sauces. Whatever you don’t use can be frozen until you’re ready. Keep on the lookout for butternut squash scones in the near future!
Squash? What squash? All I see is yummy pasta sauce!
I think that’s about it for this round of CSA cooking. If you have any questions, or have trouble finding a recipe, feel free to drop me a line and I’ll be happy to help as always. Likewise, if you have an idea to share, please feel free to help me by passing it along and I’ll give it a try. Thanks so much for reading, as always, and I hope that you’re new year is going well.