You will have two boxes, one with 5 lbs potatoes, 2 pounds sweet potatoes, sweet dumpling squash, butternut squash and 3 onions. The other with eggs, lettuce, broccoli raab, radishes, & arugula, plus a queensland squash. The gourmets will have parsley, romanesque, & frisee. Its been a great CSA year and hopefully next year will be better yet!

I will have a few things at the North Market for the next two Saturdays, stop buy and say hi

Happy Winter! Sandy

P.S. Clintoville is a full market this Saturday so you can come at the regular time and we'll have a regular stand.

Roasted Root-Vegetable Melange

1/3 cup dried cherries
2/3 cup apple cider

4-6 cups cut up rutabaga, turnip, sweet potato, onions and carrots (can be julienned for extra flair)

Sauce:
1 cup apple cider
¼ cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter

In small bowl microwave cherries and 2/3 cup apple cider for 1 minute or until hot.
Mix cut up vegetables and put in a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
In blender mix sauce ingredients, stir in cherries and pour over vegetables bake 30 minutes.



Roasted Root-Vegetable Melange

1/3 cup dried cherries
2/3 cup apple cider

4-6 cups cut up rutabaga, turnip, sweet potato, onions and carrots (can be julienned for extra flair)

Sauce:
1 cup apple cider
¼ cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter

In small bowl microwave cherries and 2/3 cup apple cider for 1 minute or until hot.
Mix cut up vegetables and put in a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
In blender mix sauce ingredients, stir in cherries and pour over vegetables bake 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie
Always use at least half butternut squash or Uncle David’s Dakota with a pie pumpkin. The Libby’s canned pumpkin is almost all butternut.
Cut squash and pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds (can roast in salt separately), place cut side down in a shallow pan with ½ inch of water. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until soft. Cool and put through a food mill to make extra smooth and to remove skin. Then slowly cook in an iron skillet over medium low heat, to remove as much moisture as possible and to darken the color; stir constantly. If it does not have a really really smooth texture put in blender and through the foley food mill again.
1 ½ cup pumpkin/squash mixture
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 slightly beaten eggs
1 ¾ canned evaporated milk, scalded (can substitute whole milk)

Combine first 7 ingredients. Add eggs, mix and then add milk and mix again. Pour into a pie crust that has been “set” by baking at 450degrees for 2 or 3 minutes. Bake filled pie at 450 degrees for 10 minutes and then 325 degrees for 50 minutes. To test use a butter knife inserted in custard (don’t hit crust) about half way to the center; knife should come out clean. The whole idea of setting the crust and then baking at a high temperature allows you to have a crisp crust which is a real trick with pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Pie
Always use at least half butternut squash or Uncle David’s Dakota with a pie pumpkin. The Libby’s canned pumpkin is almost all butternut.
Cut squash and pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds (can roast in salt separately), place cut side down in a shallow pan with ½ inch of water. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until soft. Cool and put through a food mill to make extra smooth and to remove skin. Then slowly cook in an iron skillet over medium low heat, to remove as much moisture as possible and to darken the color; stir constantly. If it does not have a really really smooth texture put in blender and through the foley food mill again.
1 ½ cup pumpkin/squash mixture
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 slightly beaten eggs
1 ¾ canned evaporated milk, scalded (can substitute whole milk)

Combine first 7 ingredients. Add eggs, mix and then add milk and mix again. Pour into a pie crust that has been “set” by baking at 450degrees for 2 or 3 minutes. Bake filled pie at 450 degrees for 10 minutes and then 325 degrees for 50 minutes. To test use a butter knife inserted in custard (don’t hit crust) about half way to the center; knife should come out clean. The whole idea of setting the crust and then baking at a high temperature allows you to have a crisp crust which is a real trick with pumpkin pie.

There will be pie pumpkin and butternut squash so you can start getting ready for Thanksgiving. Also we'll have a bag of roasting root vegetables great with cider baked until no liquid remains and the vegies are dark brown, mustard greens, radishes,and eggs. See you Sat.

Squash Risotto Recipe
Recipe Source: The Inn Chef : Creative Ingredients, Sensational Flavors by Michael Smith (Callawind Publications)

Classic risotto gets a hearty twist from acorn squash instead of rice, plus onion, garlic, rosemary, and sunflower seeds. Risotto needs constant stirring, so you will get some exercise making this dish.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
• 2 cups of acorn squash 'balls' (use a melon baller or parisienne scoop)
• 2 ounces of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/2 cup of good white wine
• 2-3 cups of rich chicken broth
• 1 Tablespoon of minced rosemary
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup of toasted sunflower seeds
• Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Heat a thick bottomed pot large enough to accommodate almost all of the squash in a single layer. Heat the pot until it is very hot than in quick succession add the olive oil and acorn squash. Stir the squash quickly as it caramelizes and the outside of the balls begin to darken. When they are well toasted reduce the heat to medium and add the onions. Stir for a few minutes as the onion also caramelizes a bit. Add the garlic and stir until it is fully aromatized, a minute more.

Add the white wine and stir as it reduces coating the squash. Reduce the heat to low. Add half of the chicken broth and rosemary and continue stirring as the squash cooks. If needed add more of the chicken broth until the squash is just cooked. Adjust the heat as needed trying to evaporate the liquid and glaze and cook the squash simultaneously.

When the squash is tender (not mushy), add the Parmesan cheese, sunflower seeds, and season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Serve the risotto immediately or hold for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 servings



orzo and cheese baked in acorn squash
Bon Appétit | November 1995
Servings: Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 small acorn squash, halved, seeded
3/4 cup water
1 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta; also called riso)
1 cup low-fat (1%) milk
1/2 cup canned vegetable broth
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Dash of hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400° F. Cut off thin slice from rounded side of each squash half. Arrange squash, open side down, in roasting pan. Add 3/4 cup water to pan. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until squash is tender about 35 minutes. Remove from oven; discard water. Turn squash open side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Maintain oven temperature.
Meanwhile, cook orzo in pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Pour milk and broth into same pot; bring to boil. Add orzo; boil until liquid thickens and orzo is tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Season with hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper.
Divide orzo mixture among squash halves. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Bake until tops begin to brown, about 25 minutes.
Nutritional Information
PER SERVING: calories, 292; total fat, 7 g; saturated fat, 4 g; cholesterol, 19 mg

Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Roasted Acorn Squash Pasta
I learned something last night: Peeling raw acorn squash is not a job that I EVER want to do again. At the moment, I'm willing to accept that I did something wrong. I don't admit this often, so enjoy it while you can.

I cut the squash in half, scooped out the insides, and then sliced it along it's dips (as opposed to its ridges). The problem with acorn squash is that while it is quite possibly one of the cutest and most adorable looking of the squashes, it's a royal pain in the backside to get the peel off of the good stuff when it's not cooked. As I was almost finished getting the blasted peel off of the blasted squash, I realized my melon baller would probably have handled it a lot more gracefully than me and my knife.

Why do my moments of genius always come 10 minutes too late?



Roasted Acorn Squash Pasta

• 1 small acorn squash, peel removed (in whatever manner you prefer) and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 2 small green bell peppers (or 1 large), sliced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp dried rubbed sage
• 6 oz pasta (penne, bow tie, etc)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• ½ cup shredded smoked Gouda
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan
Preheat oven to 450F.

Toss squash, onion and bell peppers in olive oil, sage, salt and pepper. Put on a cookie sheet and bake until everything is getting a beautiful deep golden color, about 20 minutes, stirring half way through.

While the veggies are roasting, cook your pasta to what ever degree of al-dente-ness you prefer.

Toss the veggies, pasta, tomatoes and Gouda together (making sure to leave the most carmelized pieces of onion sticking to the pan, so that when you serve yourself, you can be sure to add them to your bowl. Hey! Cooks get certain privelages).

Serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Beautiful day yesterday and today; I brush hogged the winter squash field and picked the last tiny ugly sunflower seeds to feed to chickens. Things are winding down.

This saturday there will be sweet potatoes, a tiny kale mix for braising(I am saving the new planting of lettuce until Nov 21 as it is growing too slowly), radishes, onion, potatoes, eggs, butternut squash and maybe some other surprises.

See you Sat

You should be able to get most of the ingredients for the potato casserole recipe this Saturday. We'll have 1/2 doz eggs, 1 qt potatoes,the very last of the summer vegies a tomato and a pepper, some really excellent baby mustard greens, a cabbage, some red radishes, a winter squash and maybe a few more things if they grow enough this week. The gourmet share will have baby arugula and cilantro.

We have had a heavy frost each morning and beautiful afternoons. It gets dark so early but I am able to catch up on sleep!

Cabbage and Potato Gratin with Sage
From:
Deborah Madison
Local Flavors
New York, Broadway Books: 2002, page 96

1 pound potatoes
1 ½ pound Savoy or other green cabbage
salt and pepper
4 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons chopped sage
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 1/3 cups milk
3 eggs
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1.Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter 8x12 gratin dish. Bring a gallon of water to a boil while you prepare the vegetables: Peel and slice the potatoes ¼ inch thick; slice the cabbage into 1-inch ribbons.
2.Add 1 Tablespoon salt to the water, add the potatoes and boil until nearly tender, about 6 minutes. Scoop them into a colander, then add the cabbage to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. The water may not return to a boil. Drain, rinse under cool water, then twist in a towel to remove the excess moisture [I spun it in a salad spinner]. Get it as dry as you can. Combine the cabbage and potatoes in a bowl.
3.Melt the butter in a small skillet with the sage and garlic. Cook for about 1 minute without letting the garlic brown. Pour it over the cabbage and potatoes. Toss well, taste for salt, and season with pepper. Transfer to the baking dish.
4.Whisk the remaining ingredients together, pour them over the vegetables, and bake until firm and lightly browned, about 50 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve.

Well we finally had a hard frost (25degrees) Monday morning, and we are enjoying several beautiful dry sunny days this week. The cabbages, broccolis and cauliflower plants are looking very good (although not growing heads yet!) as they are cold hardy and the lettuce is all covered under new frost fabric.

Since we had such a good Kennebec potato harvest we will be able to include a quart of potatoes each week from now on and more butternut squash -- see Beth's easy recipe for cooking. This week there will be tiny tender red cherry radishes, lettuce, potatoes, beets, two butternut squash and we have still have some red tomatoes (picked and stored before frost), onions and green peppers and of course 1/2 doz eggs. Gourmets will have fresh dill and baby turnips.

Here is the slow cooker recipe for butternut squash.

Sweet Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Recipe

Ingredients:
2 butternut squash
1/4 cup margarine or butter (I used butter)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg (I skipped this)
1/4 cup raisins (I skipped this)
Preparation:
Peel squash and remove the seeds. Place the squash in the crock pot or slow cooker, then add remaining ingredients on top.
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours.

I found that there was a lot of liquid after cooking. I drained the squash and added back a little butter and brown sugar.