CSA Members 2006: Newsletter Archive

Dear CSA Members,

With the cool weather, I am tempted to send you all a bunch of soup recipes and warm hats. It seems that the hot summer weather passed so quickly! This is the best time of year for hearty vegetables, despite the changing weather, and there is never a shortage of new things to try.

Speaking of which, we have a few new vegetables in the boxes today. The corn has ripened, and we are searching through the elk-trompled rows to find you the perfect tasty ears. Elk have a habit of taking more than their share (I suppose that, at their size, no one will argue with them), so what we usually find is a beautiful, sweet yellow ear of corn with one huge bite out of the top. We did harvest enough to share with you today, so put on a pot of water, steam for 5 minutes, and enjoy!

We are harvesting our first celery this week. We started the celery seeds earlier this season to encourage an early crop, but despite their warm greenhouse environment, they refused to grow quickly. Our second planting (a month later) has nearly caught up with them. We hope to share them all before they freeze in the field.

When we first arrived in the Boistfort Valley, our apple trees were a tangled mess. They hadn't been pruned for a few years, and were full of water shoots (the branches that grow straight up). Mike carefully pruned out the dead wood and the extra branches, and we now have a small orchard of lovely productive trees (and entitling him to the self proclaimed 'Big Kaprunah' award). These first apples are sweet and crisp, and great for pies.

Stay warm and dry and enjoy your vegetables!

PROVENCAL TOMATO SOUP WITH RICE

ingredients

• 2 lb tomatoes
• 2 medium onions, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise (2 cups)
• 1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 (3- by 1-inch) strips fresh orange zest, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• Scant 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 Turkish bay leaf or 1/4 California
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch crumbled saffron threads
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

procedure

Cut a shallow X in bottom of each tomato with a sharp paring knife. Blanch tomatoes in batches of 2 or 3 in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling water 10 seconds, transferring with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking.

Peel tomatoes, then halve crosswise. Squeeze halves gently, cut sides down, over a sieve set over a bowl to extract seeds and juices, then press on seeds and discard them. Reserve juice and tomatoes.

Cook onions, carrot, celery, garlic, zest, thyme, red-pepper flakes, fennel seeds, and bay leaf in oil in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes with reserved juice, tomato paste, water, chicken broth, salt, pepper, saffron, and 1 teaspoon sugar, then simmer, uncovered, stirring and breaking up tomatoes with a spoon occasionally, 20 minutes. Stir in rice and simmer, uncovered, until rice is tender, 10 to 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf and stir in parsley, basil, and sugar and salt to taste.

Gourmet, September 2006

Kale With Sautéed Apple And Onion

ingredients

• 1 medium apple
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch wedges
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 lb kale, tough stems and ribs removed and leaves coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup water

procedure

Peel, quarter, and core apple, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges. Heat oil in a 5-quart pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add apple and curry powder and sauté, stirring, until apple is almost tender, about 2 minutes.

Add kale and water and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender and most of liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Gourmet, December 2000