CSA 2013 Week 17

A box fit for a feast…a Thanksgiving feast, that is.
John has put a lot of thought this year into what will go in the box to help make your feast perfect. We hope you think so, too.

Small shares get:
Kale
Rutabaga
Celeriac
Garlic
Carrots
Yellow Potato
Yellow onion
Parsley and a a herb bundle of sage, rosemary and thyme (for stuffing/dressing, and to put Simon and Garfunkel in your head)
Leeks
Mediums can add:
Extra Leeks
Cheddar cauliflower
Confection Squash
Large add:
Red Cabbage
Shallots
Extra carrots
Curly kale
And to help you set up for an amazing feast, here are some suggested recipes.From fine cooking, put the rutabaga and the celeriac to use with Fine Cooking’s recipe for a mash:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/celery-root-rutabaga-mash.aspx?nterms=53286

Who doesn’t want a bit of green in their Thanksgiving feast? Especially if Turkeys are not invited? Here’s a great recipe for a kale salad from Smitten Kitchen. If you want to Thank-it-up, try switching the raisins for cranberries. You can also substitute the walnuts for another nut if that’s your preference. This is a proven tasty dish and the kale variety called for is the one you will find in your box.http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/08/kale-salad-with-pecorino-and-walnuts/

If you’re making dressing this year, or turkey soup (or any soup!) we recommend you keep the tops on the celeriac. It’s a variety that has good tops to use as a substitute for celery when cooking. Try a bite first to make sure you agree, but we think you will!
And if you didn’t before, you can look back to our previous notes for ideas on throwing kale in with mashed potatoes, making potato leek soup (always a good transition food after a feast).
Medium and large share holders, the confection squash is a beautiful, bright, sweeter squash that we hope will compliment whatever you’re doing, whether as a side dish or a pie.
And Fine Cooking is known for its Thanksgiving editions so if you want more recipe ideas, search their site. I once spent an American Thanksgiving with friends who made the magazine’s whole spread one year. It’s the most full I have ever been.

As you each gear up to celebrate gratitude, and we hit the second to last CSA share for the year, we wish to extend to you all our gratitude for supporting the farm and the hands that grow it. In fact, we’ve even stuffed the boxes a little extra full this week to express our thanks. If you have joined a CSA then we expect that you know how hard it is for small, sustainable farmers in today’s market. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do if it wasn’t for you.

Happy Thanksgiving!