Week 16: The Final Share of 2012

Seda and Scott during the pre-frost Squash Harvest.

I'm not going to go overboard on the sentiment here (mostly because, at this point in the season, I'm a little too tired to go overboard on anything) but it has been a really great season.

We've expanded a lot. We had a wonderful time at our workdays in the spring getting to know new and returning members. And we grew a lot of vegetables. We still have some kinks to work out (as the L'Anse members can attest), but overall I would say that things are working. Members will be receiving an opinion survey regarding the CSA in the next couple weeks so that you can let us know if you think it's working too.

But first you'll get your last share of vegetables, which will include: 2 Winter Squash, Onion, Lettuce, Scallions, 2 Celeriac, 3 pounds Carrots, up to 2 pounds of Beets, Kale, 2 Stalks Brussels Sprouts, Swiss Chard, Parsley or Sorrel, and Kohlrabi or Cabbage. 

Once again the double share is a big one, but it is full of things that are easy to store. Many of the items in this week's share were also in last week's share. Check out last week's post for additional tips and recipes. 

Winter Squash: This week members will have a choice of two squash from a selection of Acorn, Spaghetti, Red Kuri, Nutty Delica, Buttercup, or Baby Blue Hubbard squash. They're all good keepers which will hold for several weeks on the kitchen counter or even longer in a cold dark closet.

Behind the pumpkin is a Nutty Delica squash. If you
get one of these save it for several weeks to
enjoy it at its sweetest.

Celeriac: Also called celery root, celeriac is a dense and knobbly root vegetable with a nutty celery flavor. This is the first year we grew them and it went pretty well, they taste fantastic, but they didn't achieve the size we were hoping for. Next year we will start them earlier and hopefully they will be bigger. With leaves removed, celeriac will keep for about two weeks in the crisper. When you are ready to use it, peel and chop, then add it to a stew, roast it with other root vegetables, or try it in the recipe below.

Celeriac pictured with its celery like leaves.

Brussels Sprouts: These are on the stalk so they will keep for at least a week in the fridge, but their flavor is best right away. If you think you don't like Brussels Sprouts, roast them as described in this post below the photo of Brussels Sprouts. Yum.

Brussels Sprouts on the stalks from last week's share.

Kohlrabi or Cabbage: Whichever you choose, this will keep well for about three weeks in the refrigerator. You can also easily ferment either to make sauerkraut or kimchi. This recipe from pickyourown.org gives you a run down of the basic method for fermenting at home, though you'll obviously need to adjust the quantities.

Pilaf with Celeriac and Split Peas

This recipe makes a healthy quantity of pilaf. In our house this is a main dish, and even then we have plenty of leftovers. If you want to serve it as a side dish you may want to split the recipe in half. It works well with lentils in place of the split peas too. Don't replace the brown rice with white because it will overcook before the peas are done.

• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Cups Brown Rice
• 1 Cup Split Peas
• 1 Large Onion, diced
• 2 Small Celeriac, diced small (about 1 cup)
• 5 Cups Water or Stock
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Melt the butter in a two quart sauce pan over medium/low heat. 

Add butter, peas, and onion to the melted butter. Stir to coat with butter. Continue stirring until the rice takes on a nutty aroma, about three minutes.

Add the celeriac, water or stock, and salt. Turn the heat to high and heat until it comes to a boil.

Once boiling, turn the heat to simmer, cover the pot, and simmer until the rice and peas are tender, 30 - 45 minutes.

Pilaf for dinner. Dinner time is after dark these days, so
the lighting is a little harsh but the flavor is still good.