CSA Newsletter - Summer - Week 15

Hello!

As you can see from today’s box, we are still straddling the seasons. It was quite chilly this morning, wonderfully warm and sunny mid-day, and now pouring down rain. A little something for everyone, I suppose. We are so happy to have a little moisture come our way and especially happy that it didn’t start until after work!

WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
Carrots
beets or chard
storage onions
shallot
sweet peppers
dill
potatoes-”Wild Blue”
lemon cucumbers
lettuce
winter squash- “spaghetti”
red tomato or sungolds

ELABORATIONS: (see below for a pic of the potentially unfamiliar items in today’s box)
We’ve managed to eke out a few more tomatoes and the peppers have decided to finally put on a show. This is probably it for cucumbers and fresh herbs.
How to cook any winter squash: There are probably a million ways to cook a squash, but the easiest, fool proof, applicable to any variety method is to cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, bake cut side down in a shallow baking dish with about an inch of water in the bottom. Bake at 400 until the outer skin pierces easily with a fork. The one exception to the “skin test” is spaghetti. The rind is quite tough on these, so you’ll have to flip one over and poke the flesh to see if it is done. Most squash take anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on size and variety. With most squash, you don’t eat the skin due to the fibrous texture, however delicata and butternut have thinner, more palatable skins.
Spaghetti squash: As mentioned in the email I sent last week, don’t eat your winter squash yet! They will sweeten and develop better flavor if they can sit around for a few weeks. This variety is most noted for it’s texture. When cooked, you scrape the flesh out with a fork into stringy stands and use it instead of spaghetti (hence the name.) It is somewhat sweet and has a subtle flavor. It is more a vehicle for a sauce, than a stand-alone side dish.
”Wild Blue” potato: This was an accident. We ordered one type and got this instead. They are an odd-looking spud but are quite delicious. The flesh is purple, and the texture is in the middle of the flaky/waxy scale. I cubed and pan-fried them and wished I had made more. They were soooo good! I’m not sure we will have quite enough for the weekend folks, so we may have to delight you with something else.
Shallot: We may have handed these out once already, but I wanted to take a moment to describe them. They are like a complex and sophisticated onion. They have a more distinctive and buttery flavor. They make a great base for a soup and can be crushed or minced like garlic in a vinegarette style dressing.

(L to R) spaghetti squash, shallot, “Wild Blue” potato

That’s all for today…
Jen