Fall 2016 Week 8 (November 22)

Happy Thanksgiving members!  Besides the obvious brussels sprout side dish, try mashed turnips (alone or mixed in with potatoes), Swiss chard gratin, and a fennel pear stuffing I often use fennel in place of sausage since it has the same flavor as the anise in sausage.  And since we have been getting lots of cabbage, here’s a recipe that I know will be great because I’ve learned that cabbage with a mustard sauce is a good thing. Also, since we didn’t get a big pie-full amount of one fruit, I’ll be making tarts instead of pie.  They’re somehow fancier and use much less fruit.

 

Small: baby fennel, rutabaga, turnips, daikon radishes, swiss chard, napa cabbage, baby purple daikon radishes, romain (x2), ornamental cabbage, broccoli, onions, shallot, fuji apples, asian pears, brussels sprouts, watermelon radish, spinach.

Medium add: spinach, ornamental cabbage, romain, brussels sprouts, granny smith apples.

Fall 2016 Week 7 (Nov 15th)

David included a few special items before this first frost, some beautiful cherry tomatoes for Mediums and Bianca Rose eggplants for Small shares.  I know we get lots of radishes (the watermelon and purple daikon being mildest and best raw), so most of us have experimented, but in case you haven’t, David says to cook with them like you would turnips. Roast them or braise them in stew.  Here’s a warm, colorful salad that uses radish and fennel, pretty enough for a holiday table. This salad looks like a refreshing side, using napa cabbage, bak choi, and asian pear.

 

Small: korean purple daikon, daikon radish, broccoli, mizuna, spinach, fennel, swiss chard, collard greens, small napa cabbage, bianca rose eggplant, spanish black radish, shallot, onion, garlic, watermelon radish, asian pears.

Medium add: spinach, baby bak choi, cherry tomatoes, extra large napa cabbage.

Cabbage and Fennel

This Fall season is the first time I remember getting fennel from David in 6 years as part of his CSA!  It is a treat and somehow it’s building up in my fridge. I think the small ones were daunting, but I trimmed the root away and used the greens in a tea with some mint from the back yard.  I’ve collected a few recipes that will make fennel a treat to use.  Here’s a cou cous side dish that also uses cabbage.  Risotto, warm salad that also uses carrots and mizuna, and an Asian salad that uses daikon and mizuna.

I’ve been waiting months to make kimchi, so I was so glad to see that giant napa cabbage in this week’s box.  It’s an acquired taste, but one foodies have grown to love.  I like making it myself because I can change the recipe to suit my family and it tastes much better than even the stuff from the Korean market.

First off, I use this recipe (halved for this week’s giant 4 pound cabbage) and make changes like chopping the cabbage into bite size pieces rather than leaving in big long quarters.  I half the amount of red pepper powder for the kids and leave out the fish products all together. I also half the salt and don’t bother doing the rinsing step.

1) Remove a couple of outer layers and toss chopped cabbage with salt and leave to wilt for a few hours, tossing every once in a while.

2) Make slurry with water, rice flour, and sugar and boil.

3 )Mix slurry with julienned daikon and carrot, minced onion, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and green onion.

4) Pour over cabbage and mix well, my hands now smell, in a good way.

5) Pack into glass jars pushing down and adding remaining juices to remove air bubbles and cover contents in liquid for anaerobic fermentation. Fold a rinsed outer leaf so it covers the top and holds the kimchi under the liquid and screw top on tightly.

6) Storing on a tray is a good idea as it comes alive and bubbles and drips.  Burp the lid a few times a day, leaving kimchi at room temperature for 1-3 days or put it right into the fridge to tang up more slowly.

I hope some of you try making kimchi, it’s so healthy and flavorful.  It’s great in fried rice, as a topping and eating with some rice and sea weed is a simple, common meal in Korea. Here are many more ideas.

 

Fall Week 4 (Oct 25th)

Small: collard greens, spinach, broccolini, Mizuno greens, spinach, swiss chard, romain (x2), daikon radish, black spanish radish, boo choi, white onion, shallot, Japanese eggplant, baby fennel, asian pears, watermelon radish.

Medium add: baby fennel, spinach, purple and yellow was beans, daikon radish, salad mix, romain (regular, butter, and miniature) black Spanish radish, bok choi.

I’d never seen baby fennel until last week. I just treated it like an herb, fronds in tuna salad, they can also be made into tea.  And last night the fennel went into my boy’s birthday cippino, adding the fronds later for some color.  Asian pears are such a treat. Plain is great, but you could try a slaw or a tart.