This week we are harvesting:

• Carrots – everyone will get a bunch!
• Parsnips (more information below)
• Spinach, Chickweed, some Kale & Asian Collards
• Braising Mix
• Salad Mix
• Cilantro & Parsley
• Sweet Potatoes (see more recipes below)

Parsnips

Refrigerate unwashed parsnips in a loosely-wrapped or perforated plastic bag. Stored in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, they can keep up to two weeks or more. Parsnips are fantastic roasted, steamed, or added to soups. They pair well with carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.  Over-wintered parsnips harvested in the spring have a fully developed, super sweet flavor.

Recipes of the Week

Don’s Sweet Potato Appetizer:

Thinly slice raw sweet potatoes (very thin!), layer on any tender green that is in season, and then top with goat cheese (he suggests Celebrity Dairy’s Apricot spread). Very delicious!

And this one from Sybil:

BAKED SWEET POTATOES WITH MARINATED FETA AND BLACK OLIVES
Diana Henry

Serves 4

4 medium sweet potatoes
olive oil
black pepper
4.5 oz kalmata olives, roughly chopped
a bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

FOR THE FETA
7oz of feta cheese, roughly broken up
1/5 Tbs of fennel seeds
1 medium red chili, deseeded and cut into very fine slivers
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
extra virgin olive oil

Mix the feta with the other ingredients and just enough oil to moisten it. Cover and set in a cool place or refrigerate over night.

Bake the sweet potatoes in their skins in an oven preheated to 350. Takes about 50 mins. Check to make sure the insides are tender.

Split the cooked potatoes lengthwise. Sprinkle with a little olive oil and freshly ground pepper, and fill with the marinated feta. Divide the cilantro and olives evenly among the potatoes.

This week’s harvest:

• Beets, Carrots, and Radishes
• Spinach
• Braising Mix and Salad Mix
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Sweet Potatoes

Savory Oven Pancake

Preheat oven to 400F. While oven heats, place 1 Tbs Butter in a 9-inch pie pan in oven to melt. Swirl pan to grease bottom and sides.

Steam lightly on stove top 2/3 cup any seasonal vegetable, or use leftover cooked vegetables (e.g. carrots, broccoli, onions, roasted sweet potatoes, etc.) Chopped fresh (or dried) herbs, such as parsley, savory or thyme, are also good additions.

Mix until smooth: ¾ Cup Milk, 2/3 Cup flour, 2 eggs, ¼ tsp salt. Pour over vegetables.

Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Optional: sprinkle crumbled or shredded cheese on top.

Sausage and Greens Soup

Brown ½ pound sausage (Okfuskee, Circle Acres, etc.) in soup pot and drain all but a spoonful of fat. Remove meat and put aside.

Saute 1 Cup onion, leeks, green onions, or chives (chopped) and garlic to taste in reserved fat until soft. Return sausage to soup pot.

Add 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, 1 cup sweet potatoes or potatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are soft, 10-15 minutes.

Add 1-3 cups greens (fresh spinach, kale, chard, lambs quarters, or any mix thereof) and chopped fresh parsley to taste. For a little tang, add 1 Tbs of apple cider vinegar with the greens. Cook until tender (just a minute for spinach, a few extra for tougher greens).

This week we are harvesting:

• Salad Mix (now featuring over a dozen ingredients: arugula, spinach, 3 mild mustards, 3 medium spicy mustards, baby chard, wild chickweed, and several varieties of lettuce)
• Salad Turnips
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Braising Mix
• Baby Pac Choi/Bok Choy
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Sweet Potatoes (Store at room temperature for longest shelf life, or cook and freeze for later use.)

Try a savory roasted roots quesadilla with your veggies from this week’s share. Chop sweet potatoes, carrots, and turnips into bite-sized pieces, toss in olive oil,  salt, and your favorite seasonings ( we love herbs de provence and rosemary). Spread on a baking sheet and roast at 375 for 30 to 45 minutes or until tender.  Lightly sautee chopped garlic, then add coarsely chopped braising greens, sprinkly with water, cover and cook until greens are blanched (they will turn vibrant green). Place tortilla in hot skillet, layer on vegetables and greens, some Celebrity Dairy cheese and fry until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

This week we are harvesting:

• Salad Mix (now featuring over a dozen ingredients: arugula, spinach, 3 mild mustards, 3 medium spicy mustards, baby chard, wild chickweed, and several varieties of lettuce)
• Salad Turnips
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Braising Mix
• Baby Pac Choi/Bok Choy (recipe)
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Sweet Potatoes (Store at room temperature for longest shelf life, plus here’s an easy recipe!)

This week we are, despite inhospitably cold weather, harvesting for you:

• limited amounts of Braising Mix, Kale, Carrots, Turnips, & Spinach
• Salad Mix
• Sunchokes
• Parsley & Cilantro
• and stored from the fall we have garlic and sweet potatoes

I encourage you to grab Sunchokes this week, especially if you have not tried them. This will be the last of them until Autumn! They are delicious raw on salads, or try cooking them any way you would a potato. They are fantastic mashed with garlic and butter, tossed in oil and salt and roasted, pan fried with greens, or thrown into soups.

Make something warm and sweet with all those sweet potatoes!

Caribbean Banana Bread

We’re so glad to be back into CSA season! Below you will find our harvest list for Tuesday, February 9th and some very tasty recipes to get you started. Enjoy!

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It is time for our final CSA harvest of the season! We hope that you all have enjoyed it as much as we have.  We will pick back up again in late February. In the meantime, you can find our produce each Saturday at the Durham Farmers’ Market, at Chatham Marketplace, and in some delicious dishes over at Angelina’s Kitchen. (more…)

The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s annual conference was held this past weekend in Black Mountain, NC. A few of us were fortunate to attend and take part in the inspiring events of the weekend. And, our very own Doug Jones was named Farmer of the Year! We congratulate him and thank him for all his hard work and dedication.

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Harvest list for Tuesday, December 8:

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Savor the season delicious, nutritious, preserved goodies!

Even as the CSA is approaching its end for the season, you can enjoy your veggies for months to come with a quick, easy and nutitious way to preserve your veggies through salt-brine fermentation.

One of my favorite additions to any meal is a big forkfull of home made Kim Chee. (more…)