This Week’s Share
- Carrots
- Collard Greens
- Garlic
- Onions, Copra
- Parsnips
- Pie Pumpkins, Baby Bear
- Potatoes
- Shallots
- Turnips, Scarlet Queen
- Winter Squash, Hubbard
We would like to remind you of the changes to all CSA pick-ups for the week of Thanksgiving.
At the Farm: Tuesday, November 25- available for pick-up starting at 4:30pm
SE Ankeny: Tuesday, November 25- 5:00pm-7:00pm
SE Elliot: Tuesday, November 25- 5:30-6:30pm
Friendly House: Tuesday, November 25- 5:00-7:00pm
Ecotrust Building: Wednesday, November 26- available by noon
Metro Building: Wednesday, November 26- available by noon
Portland State Office Building: Wednesday, November 26- available by noon
St John’s: Wednesday, November 26- available for pick-up starting at noon
Recipes
By now you likely have your main dish in order for Thanksgiving Day, but what about all those side dishes to accompany the main attraction? Here are some recipe ideas to assist you while you are creating your beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving feast!
Root Recipes
Here are a few different options for the variety of root crops you will be receiving in your Thanksgiving share this week.
Parsnips and Carrots with Orange Butter
Adapted from UCSC Farm and Garden Field Notes
Note: It is very easy to adjust the size of this recipe to meet your portion requirements, just increase all ingredients to whatever ratio fits your needs.
1 cups water
3 small to medium size parsnips, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into ¼ inch thick pieces
3 medium size carrots, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into ¼ inch thick pieces
1/3 cup fresh orange juice (2-3 oranges juiced)
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest (after acquiring the zest from the orange you can juice it for the orange juice required above)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or non-dairy equivalent
salt (to taste)
In a skillet combine the water, already cut parsnips and carrots, and your desired amount of salt. Simmer the vegetables for 15 minutes, or until they are just tender, and stir in the orange juice. Simmer the mixture for another 5 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Transfer vegetables to bowl using a slotted spoon so that the water drains and remains in the skillet. Boil the liquid remaining in the skillet until it is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the orange zest and butter, stirring until the butter is melted. Spoon the sauce over the vegetables and its ready to serve.
Old Fashioned Root Bake
Adapted from UCSC Farm and Garden CSA Field Notes
This recipe is so easy that you may feel selfish having saved yourself so much time and energy in the kitchen this Thanksgiving, but go on treat yourself and your guests to this delicious and simple dish. It is tasty as-is or complemented well with the addition of some Thanksgiving gravy or cranberry sauce!
Note: You may use any combination of the root crops listed below, or all of them together. You also can choose how much of each to use depending on how much you have or which ones you like the most.
parsnips
carrots
potatoes
turnips
onion
beets (if you have any left)
olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Prepare all of the roots the same way by peeling those you want to peel and cutting them into small cube pieces (even sizes are the best for uniform cooking time). Place the cubed roots into a baking sheet and cover them in salt, olive oil, pepper, and/or any other spices and herbs you want to season them with. Mix it around well so there is oil and spice on everything. Bake at for approximately 40 minutes or until roots are soft when poked with a fork.
Oven-Braised Turnips with Garlic
Adapted from Vegetable Love, by Barbara Kafka
Let your Thanksgiving table shine bright this year, because as the author of Vegetable Love Barbara Kafka says, “This takes turnips from a boring slightly woody vegetable to a star.”
1 pound turnips, trimmed and cut into ½-inch wedges
1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 head of garlic, separated into cloves, smashed and peeled
2 bay leaves, whole leaves broken in half
1 cup beef stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
¼ teaspoon dried thyme (or ¾ teaspoon fresh thyme)
¼ teaspoon rubbed (crumbled) sage (or ¾ teaspoon fresh finely chopped sage)
¼ teaspoon dried oregano (or ¾ teaspoon fresh finely chopped oregano)
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 500˚F. Place the prepared turnips in a roasting pan and coat with oil and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 15 minutes checking once or twice. Flip the turnips and rotate the pan. Add the garlic. Roast for 5 minutes. Flip the turnips and garlic over and rotate the pan. Tuck the bay leaves under the turnips. Add the stock (or broth) and herbs. Roast for 10 minutes. Flip the turnips and garlic over and rotate the pan. Roast for 10 more minutes. The liquid will be mostly absorbed. Remove the bay leaves. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Makes 3 cups.
Squash Recipes
Thanksgiving Squash Muffins
Adapted from Vegetable Love, by Barbara Kafka
1 pound winter squash, this is about ½ of a squash (original recipe calls for Butternut squash, so if you have one use it. Hubbard from this weeks share will work great as well!)
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened (can use butter substitute for vegan)
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (if you don’t have cake flour you can create your own using 1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour with the addition of 4 tablespoons of cornstarch)
1 teaspoon baking soda and
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon allspice
2/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1¼ cups packed brown sugar (only 1 cup if using Butternut squash)
1/3 cup milk (or soy milk for vegan option)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs (1/4 cup applesauce per egg for vegan option)
Scoop out the seeds from the portion of squash you are using. Peel the squash and cut into chunks. Place in a food processor and puree until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the bowl. Allow to cool. (Makes 1 cup puree)
Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour one 12-cup or two 6-cup muffin tins, using 1-tablespoon butter, margarine or shortening and 2 tablespoons flour. Place in the refrigerator until needed.
In a small bowl whisk together the 1½ cups flour, the baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.
Using a mixer set on medium speed beat the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add the squash puree, milk and vanilla. Mix until well combined, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the eggs (or applesauce) one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the dry ingredients by hand until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin(s). Bake for 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Loosen the muffins from the tin(s) while still warm and cool in the tin(s) or on a rack. Serve, or wrap well and freeze. If frozen, defrost and serve at room temperature. Makes 12 muffins.
Winter Squash with Caramelized Onions
Adapted from UCSC Farm and Garden Field Notes
1 winter squash (approximately 2 pounds, your Hubbard from this week’s share is the perfect size), peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup (about 1 ounce) slivered almonds
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup raisins, plumped in warm water and drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place the squash in a baking dish and bake until tender, 50 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and fry until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer the nuts to paper towels and drain.
Add the onions to the oil in the skillet. Cook 8-10 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar and cinnamon, decrease the heat to medium, and continue cooking until the onions turn brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the raisins and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until heated through. Transfer the squash to a warm serving platter. Spread the onion and shallot mixture evenly over the squash, sprinkle with the fried almonds and serve.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Don’t just use those Baby Bear pumpkins as a Thanksgiving table centerpiece (although their beauty merits that honor). Put them to good and tasty use in a homemade pumpkin pie. For this recipe I am including a link to a page I found last year when making my first pumpkin pie from scratch. The directions are very clear and even have a photograph to accompany each step. The pie is delicious! A crust recipe is included below in case you don’t have your own. Click on the link below and scroll down to view the recipe http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/pumpkinpie.php
Homemade Pie Crust
Adapted from the Joy of Cooking
This is a very basic pie crust recipe, and with some trial and error can be perfected to your own tastes. I prefer to use a blend of vegetable shortening and butter, but I encourage you to figure out what works for you. Joy of Cooking also suggests using lard, which I have yet to experiment with, but have been told makes the best flaky pie crust. This recipe yields 2 pie crusts.
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon white sugar or 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup solid vegetable shortening (or ½ cup solid vegetable shortening and 1 stick cold unsalted butter)
1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon ice water (must be ice water, its important!)
Premix the dry ingredients in medium to large bowl. Add the vegetable shortening and/or butter and cut into flour with a pastry cutter or two knives until pea-sized and cornmeal size chunks are achieved.
Add ice water in tablespoon size portions, cutting in to dry ingredients until small balls form. If the balls stick together when pressed its ready, if not add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and for up to 2 days, or crust dough can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 6 months.
After dough has chilled separate into two equal size balls. Flour a large flat surface and roll out each ball into a round large enough to cover a pie pan. Continue to fill with pumpkin pie filling (or other pie filling) as directed.
Collard Greens Recipe
Easy Collard Greens with Shallots
Adapted from www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes
1½ tablespoons olive oil
3-4 shallots, finely chopped
10 leaves collard greens, thick stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add shallots and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Meanwhile, rinse sliced collards under water. Drain but do not dry. Add collards to the skillet with shallots and add salt and pepper. Cover and wilt the collards, stirring occasionally, until bright green and still tender, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
As you get together with friends and family this holiday and give thanks for the bounty that the harvest season has to provide we at Sauvie Island Organics want to give you a BIG THANK YOU for supporting community agriculture. Next week will be the last week of our season together. To sign up for the 2009 season you can go to http://www.sauvieislandorganics.com/join.php, fill out the community farm agreement, pay the deposit and reserve your share of the harvest.