This week your basket contains: carrots, pumpkins, onions, beets, potatoes, January King cabbage, celeriac, garlic, and leeks

We are always happy when we start harvesting the January King type cabbages.  Not only are they beautiful (the purple wrapper leaves develop in cold weather), they have wonderful flavor too.  While this recipe calls for kale, cabbage would make a good substitute.

RICE, BEET AND KALE SALAD WITH CIDER DRESSING

1 lb beets, halved

⅔ cup uncooked black rice (sometimes called “forbidden rice”)

1 ⅓ cup water

½ cup pecans, roughly chopped

2 cups packed, shredded raw kale

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons cold-pressed flaxseed oil OR extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme (whole, not ground)

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

Ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add beets to a sheet of parchment-lined foil. Crunch into a ball. Roast for 1 1/2 hours, until tender. Cool until comfortable to handle. Cut beets into bite-sized pieces or wedges. Add to a large bowl.  In a medium pot, add rice and 1 1/3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 40 to 45 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add to beets, along with kale and pecans.  In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients or shake in a jar. Add to salad. Toss to combine, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (overnight is best). Before serving, taste and adjusting seasoning if desired. This salad will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.  Tip:  If you can’t find black rice, try wild rice (cook according to wild rice package directions). This would be fabulous with a little goat’s milk feta, chevre or thick yogurt on top. From The New York Times Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Pumpkins, when you get right down to it, are just winter squash with another name.  They can be used in any recipe you would use winter squash for.  You can find other pumpkin recipes on our web site under the recipe tab.  In this recipe we recommend substituting finely chopped celeriac for the celery called for.

ELEGANT STUFFED PUMPKIN

1  pumpkin

2 to 3 cups brown rice, cooked

2 cups crumbled dry whole wheat bread (or part corn bread or other bread)

1 onion, chopped

1/2 to 1 cup chopped celery and leaves

2 apples (tart and unpeeled), chopped

1 cup roasted chestnuts or a handful of cashew nuts, cut in half

Herbs: Sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, and paprika to taste

1 to 2 cups vegetable stock

1/4 to 1/2 cup butter, melted, or safflower oil

Soy sauce or salt to taste

Cut off top of pumpkin to make a lid. Remove the seeds and scrape out any stringy pulp.   Combine brown rice, bread, onion, celery, apples, chestnuts or cashews, and herbs in a large mixing bowl and mix well with hands. Add stock and butter, and mix well, adding soy sauce and salt if desired. Stuffing should be moist but not wet. Pack loosely into pumpkin, replace lid, and bake on oiled cookie sheet for 1-1/2 hours or more at 325 degrees F. It is done when a fork pushes easily through the pumpkin. Transfer to a casserole dish and serve at the table, scooping out some of the tender pumpkin flesh with each serving of stuffing. You may eat the skin too. (If you have too much stuffing for your pumpkin, place extra in an oiled casserole, cover, and bake for 1 hour.) Yield: 5 servings Recipe Source: The Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook by Lucy Moll

CZECH FRIED CELERIAC

2 large celeriacs

1/4 cup vinegar

2/3 cup flour

1 egg lightly beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup canola oil for frying

Clean and peel celeriac: slice into pieces about 3/4 inch thick.  Simmer in salted water with vinegar 2 to 5 minutes.  Drain and pat dry.  Dip in flour, egg, and then bread crumbs.  Meanwhile, heat oil, then fry celeriac until golden brown.  Serve warm.  From The Cook’s Garden seed catalog.