CSA Week 4

Vegetable List

Oh BOY! Beets!
Cabbage
Swiss Chard
Mediterranean & Barbarella Eggplant
Hatch Green Chiles
Cucumborama
Orion Fennel
Lacinato Kale
White Russian Kale
Kossak Kohlrabi
Muir Head Lettuce
New Red Fire Lettuce
Sungolds
Some kind of Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
PYO Herbs
PYO Flowers

Notes from the Farm

Well this will teach you for joining a CSA... holy smokes... the garden turned, as it turns out.
I knew it was coming... I could smell it... Feel it in the air. It's been too good of a season for this to not be problematically productive, and now you've got some eating to do.
Fennel is amazing. It is not an entry level vegetable, and it takes a little work to not make it dominate a whole dish. Caramelize it the way you would onions... it's the sweetest caramelized-onion proxy you'l ever eat. Also great, cut like onion and roasted with baby potatoes in the oven.
Kohlrabi is the sweetest, juiciest, broccoli stem ever. Once peeled, it has such great flesh, crisp like an apple, spicy like cabbage, juicy like jicama. I always eat it raw, sliced with lime juice and salt, but you can do so much with it... shaved in salads, grated and made into slaw or fritters, cubed and roasted with other root-adjacent veggies. It's so good.
Beet Carpaccio with greens and goat cheese might be my favorite dish... ever. Look it up, trust me. Or beets grated, raw and made into a salad or taco topping... something about the grating process breaks down the oxalic acid and unlocks the sweetness without having to cook them. Also roasted... ok, I'll say it here, just roast everything. The first member to tell me about their roasted Fennel, Kohlrabi, Beet & Zucchini dish with a creamy roasted Hatch Chile drizzle on a bed of massaged/marinated kale salad is getting a free prize... it'll be a good prize too.
I mean, it goes on and on... the eggplants don't need to be peeled or salted... they just need olive oil and love...
And grill your cabbages, for the love of everything holy, just give it a go...
When the farm tips over, and the food comes, it's hard for me not to get excited about the opportunities all you all provide for me with this whole farm life... You make this possible for us. Thank you.


Recipes

Roasted Cabbage Wedges

1 tablespoon plus 2 more tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds
Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Place 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds, in a single layer on sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons oil.
Season with coarse salt and ground pepper and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds. Roast until cabbage is tender and edges are golden, 40 to 45 minutes.


Roasted Eggplant Sandwich with Soy-Lime Glaze
2 medium eggplants (1 ½ pounds total), stems trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch rounds (about 12 slices)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
5 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
2 radishes, julienned
1 mini cucumber, thinly sliced
1 loaf soft French bread
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves or small sprigs
Sprinkle eggplant slices generously with salt; arrange on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Let stand 30 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels. In a bowl, stir together soy sauce, lime juice, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and garlic.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange eggplant in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush both sides of eggplant with oil. Roast, flipping halfway, until golden brown and very tender, about 30 minutes. Brush both sides of eggplant with soy mixture; continue roasting until caramelized, 7 to 10 minutes more.
Meanwhile, toss together carrot, radishes, cucumber, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 4 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar.
Slice bread into quarters and halve lengthwise. Spread mayonnaise on cut sides and top with roasted eggplant, pickled vegetables, jalapeño, and cilantro. Serve immediately.


Eggplant, Pistachio, and Pomegranate Pizza
1/3 recipe Basic Pizza Dough, or 3/4 pound store-bought dough
1 to 2 small eggplants, thinly sliced lengthwise into 6 strips
Extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt
Red-pepper flakes
½ cup salted pistachios, chopped
⅓ cup crumbled feta
⅓ cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 pomegranate)
¼ cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Form dough (as directed in Basic Pizza Dough recipe) in a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Arrange eggplant lengthwise on dough, 3 slices side-by-side on top half, 3 on bottom half; press into dough. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt and red-pepper flakes.
Bake until cooked through and crust is golden on edges and bottom, about 18 minutes.
Using a metal spatula, slide pie onto a cutting board. Sprinkle with pistachios, feta, pomegranate seeds, and cilantro. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.
Beet Hash with Eggs1 pound beets, peeled and diced
½ pound Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and diced
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 large eggs
In a high-sided skillet, cover beets and potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Season with salt and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain and wipe out skillet.
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add boiled beets and potatoes and cook until potatoes begin to turn golden, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add onion, and cook, stirring, until tender, about 4 minutes. Adjust seasoning and stir in parsley.
Make four wide wells in the hash. Crack one egg into each and season egg with salt. Cook until whites set but yolks are still runny, 5 to 6 minutes.