This week your basket contains: rainbow carrots, sweet peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, red onions, garlic, winter squash and COLLARDS.

 WE HAVE TWO SMALL SWEATSHIRTS THAT WERE LEFT ON PUMPKIN PICK-UP WEEKEND.  Just drop us an email to identify yours, and we can deliver it to you with your veggies next week.

November is here, and that means that THANKSGIVING will be here sooner than you think.  As we do every year, we will be delivering a DOUBLE BASKET to you on November 22^nd. We will skip delivery November 29^th, and resume normal delivery on Dec. 6^th.  We will post this information to our web site along with our December delivery schedule for your convenience.

We love collard greens, and think that it is better (and better for you) than kale is.  You can use collards in place of kale in just about any recipe, it just takes a bit more time to cook. This is a great recipe to try.

COLLARD GREEN GRATIN

4 oz. very thinly sliced country ham or prosciutto

1 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 cup finely grated Parmesan, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 bunches collard greens (about 1 lb.), center ribs and stems removed

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Pre-reheat oven to 325°. Place ham on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until crisp, 20–25 minutes; let cool and break into pieces.  Combine breadcrumbs and 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium skillet; toast over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, 10–15 minutes. Remove from heat and add thyme and ¼ cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Mix in ham and set aside.  Cook collard greens in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain, transfer to a bowl of ice water, and let cool. Drain and squeeze dry with paper towels. Coarsely chop greens and place in a large bowl.  Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened and golden, 15–20 minutes. Transfer to bowl with greens; set aside. Reserve saucepan.  Increase oven temperature to 400°. Melt butter in reserved saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth and very pale brown, about 4 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk, ½-cupful at a time; add nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until thickened, 5–8 minutes. Whisk in remaining ¾ cup Parmesan. Add béchamel to collard green mixture and mix to combine; season with salt and pepper.  Transfer collard green mixture to a 10” cast-iron skillet or 9” pie dish and top with breadcrumb mixture; place pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until gratin is bubbling, 15–20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

WINTER SQUASH AND GRUYERE GRATIN

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock or broth

1 winter squash

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 medium leek or onion chopped

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon sugar

4 ounces grated Gruyère cheese

1 baguette cut into 8 small slices & toasted

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese

8 basil leaves, shredded

Preheat the oven to 400°. Halve the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the squash, cut side up, in a baking pan. Season with 1/2 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper and cover tightly with foil. Bake for about 1 hour, until the squash are tender but not mushy. Let cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the leek, olive oil and 2 teaspoons of water. Cover and cook over moderately low heat until the leek is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Uncover and stir in the wine. Increase the heat to high and boil until the liquid is reduced to approximately 3 tablespoons, about 3 minutes. Stir in the stock, milk, sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Using a big spoon, scoop the flesh from the squash in large pieces. Place in a medium bowl.  To assemble the gratin, preheat the oven to 400°. Bring the leek mixture to a boil. Spoon half of the squash into a 6- to 8-cup casserole. Ladle half of the leek mixture over the top and cover with half of the toast and half of the Gruyère. Repeat the layers with the remaining squash, leek mixture, toast and Gruyère. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake the gratin for 30 minutes, or until the top is browned and bubbly. Garnish with the basil and serve.  Make Ahead: The recipe can be prepared up to assembling the gratin 3 hours ahead. Set aside at room temperature.  From Food and Wine  Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes, The Best Squash Casserole Recipes  Published November 1993