CSA Members 2009: Newsletter Archive

Summer Delivery #18

Dear CSA Members,

We will deliver carving pumpkins both this week and next, to save our backs and not overload our truck. If you do not receive one today, don't fear! You will get one next week.

Our final delivery for the Summer/Fall season is Tuesday, October 27th. For those who would like to join us for the extended Fall and Winter seasons, we will include brochures in next week's box. Please email or call us with any questions.

Kabocha is a Japanese squash by origin. A favorite for soups and pies, this squash has a dense flaky texture and sweet flavor. It, like all Winter squash, will improve with storage, but may be eaten sooner:

When kabocha is just harvested, it is still growing. . . First, kabocha is ripened in a warm place (77°F) for 13 days, during which some of the starch converts to carbohydrate content. Then it's transferred to a cool place (50°F) and stored for about a month in order to increase its carbohydrate content. In this way the just-harvested, dry, bland-tasting kabocha is transformed into smooth, sweet kabocha. Fully ripened, succulent kabocha will have reddish-yellow flesh and a hard skin with a dry, corky stem. It reaches the peak of ripeness about 1.5 - 3 months after it's harvested. (wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabocha.)

The Chanterelle mushrooms are a wild mushroom, harvested from forest land here in Lewis County. They should be cooked before eaten. They're heavenly sautéed with a little butter and minced garlic or a thinly sliced shallot, and served over anything (my favorite ways to eat them: sauté first, then: serve over meat, serve with a cream sauce over pasta, scramble into eggs, or eat right out of the pan). Please keep them in the paper bag to store them. They should keep for up to five days in your refrigerator.

Boistfort Valley Farm's gone Year-Round!

See our Winter offerings and sign up now!

Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek, halved lengthwise and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pepper, halved and chopped
• Corn kernels from 3 ears corn
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Fresh beans (see recipe below)
• most of a pint of chopped sungold tomatoes (leave a dozen to eat!)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garnish: 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese

procedure

Sauté leek, garlic and peppers in olive oil until soft. Add corn and cook over medium low heat until warmed through, about five minutes. Add lime juice and continue to cook on low heat. Add warm beans and a splash of leftover bean liquid if available (up to 1/6 cup). Continue cooking, stirring to combine flavors. Toss in chopped tomatoes and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped cilantro and cheese as desired.

Fresh Beans

These fresh beans take only 30-40 minutes cooking time, and do not need to be pre-soaked.

ingredients

• 1.5# beans, shells removed, rinsed thoroughly.
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• Salt to taste
• Accompaniments: warm tortillas, salsa, sour cream or cotija cheese.

procedure

Add beans (without pods) to a medium pot with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add seasonings and salt to taste. Allow to simmer, covered, 30-40 minutes, or until beans are creamy and dissolve easily in your mouth. Drain any excess water if needed. Serve with warm tortillas, salsa, and sour cream or cotija cheese.

Kabocha, Corn, and Coconut Soup

for the soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro stems
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 whole kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk (12 ounces)
• 3 ears of corn, kernels cut off and reserved for relish, cobs halved crosswise
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

for the corn relish

• 4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups corn kernels
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

procedure

Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften and edges are browned, about 4 minutes. Add cilantro stems and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add squash pieces and cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes. Stir in water, coconut milk, corn cobs, salt, and cayenne and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until squash is very tender, about 15 minutes.

Prepare corn relish while soup simmers:

Whisk together lime juice, salt, and sugar in a bowl, then add oil and whisk until combined.

Cook corn kernels in a saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a sieve, then rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Drain well, then transfer to dressing along with cilantro and shallot and toss well to coat.

Gourmet, February 2005

Sautéed Carrots and Fennel

ingredients

• 5 large carrots, cut in half then quartered
• 1 bulb fennel, cored and cut into thin strips
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp fennel seed
• Salt and pepper to taste

procedure

Sauté fennel and fennel seed lightly in butter until fennel is soft. Add carrots and cover. Cook until carrots are just tender, then remove lid and increase heat briefly. Salt and pepper to taste.