This week your basket contains: potatoes, acorn squash, salad mix (spinach, and radicchio), cabbage, PARSNIPS, CELERY, shallots, parsley, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and pie pumpkins.

THIS IS YOUR THANKSGIVING DOUBLE BASKET.  We will skip delivery next Friday, Nov. 23^rd and resume normal delivery on November 30^th.  Unfortunately, one item that won’t be showing up for your holiday (at least from us) is Brussels sprouts.  We are a bit confused as to why, but our sprouts just have not developed enough to harvest despite overall good sized plants.  We assume they will be ready next month and into the New Year. We hope you all have a great holiday!

As many of you know, Polly makes and sells dried flower wreaths and bird feeders (shaped like faces and animals) made from sunflower heads and other goodies the birds love to eat.  She and our friend Lyn Jacobs are holding a gift sale at La Finquita del Buho 7960 NW Dick Road Hillsboro 97124 (Lyn’s farm) on Friday Nov. 23^rd 11 AM to 4 PM. They’ll have baked goodies and hot drinks for you as you peruse the array of handmade gifts (including Lyn’s pottery).

Pumpkins can be used just the same way as acorn squash and vice versa. The pumpkins in your basket are one of several varieties we grow which were developed specifically for eating.  They are sweet and have thick flesh relatively free from strings.  To make your own pumpkin puree, you can cut off the skin of the pumpkin as if you were peeling an orange. Then, halve the pumpkin and scrape out the seeds and pulp. After this, cut the flesh into 1½ -2-in. chunks and steam until soft. Press through a strainer or puree in a food mill. Pumpkin chunks can also be microwaved in a covered container in about 8 minutes. Use the puree for pies or in other recipes. It can be frozen and used later. There are also other pumpkin and squash recipes on our website.

CURRIED PUMPKIN SOUP

1 large onion, diced

¼ c. butter

1 tsp. curry powder

2 ½ c. chicken broth

3 c. pumpkin puree

½ tsp. salt

2 c. half-and-half

sour cream (optional)

fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute diced onions in butter until softened.  Sprinkle in curry powder.  Pour mixture into blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Return to saucepan and add chicken broth, pumpkin, salt and half-and-half.  Heat through over medium heat.  Do not bring to a boil or soup will curdle.  Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and chopped parsley, if desired.  Serves 4-6.  From Portland’s Palate.

Parsnips, a wonderful root vegetable, are used in many of the same ways as carrots. Roasting them brings out their sweet, earthy flavor. We chop them into slices and put them around a roasting chicken with small potatoes, carrots and onions.  Baste them as you would the chicken. They can also be boiled and mashed with potatoes.

ROOT VEGETABLE, WHITE BEAN AND BREAD CRUMB GRATIN

½ cup finely chopped onion

2 medium cloves garlic, divided

2 sage leaves

2 tsp. tomato paste

2 cups cooked white beans, cooking liquid reserved, or 1 can (15 ounces) white beans, rinsed and drained

Salt and pepper

1 large parsnip, woody core removed, or 2 small ones

1 large carrot or 2 small ones

⅓ cup toasted breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, sauté the onion in 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil over moderate heat until golden. Mince the garlic and add half of it to the onions, reserving the rest. Cook and stir for one minute, then add the sage and tomato paste. Mix the tomato paste into the onion mixture and sauté for two more minutes, scraping up any brown bits that accumulate on the bottom of the pan. Add the beans and ½ to ¾ cup of their reserved cooking liquid. (If using canned beans, substitute water for the cooking liquid.) The mixture should be somewhat soupy. Season with salt and pepper. Partly cover the pot and let the beans simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the parsnip and carrot and cut each into ½-inch pieces. Steam the parsnip until tender, about 5 minutes, then steam the carrot until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the vegetables to the bean mixture and simmer 2 minutes longer. Add more bean broth or water if necessary. Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining garlic and the parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Lightly oil an 8-by-10-inch baking dish or gratin dish. Turn out the bean and vegetable mixture into the pan. Sprinkle the seasoned breadcrumbs over the beans and vegetables and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the gratin begins to bubble. Serve warm. By Kelly Myers on culminate.com

If you have a celeriac in your fridge, we have a great recipe on our web site called Double Celery Turkey Salad that is perfect for Thanksgiving leftovers.  If you don’t use all your celery in stuffing, this is a great soup.

SQUASH CORNBREAD

¾ cup yellow cornmeal

¾ cup flour

4 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. allspice

½ tsp. salt

½ cup soft butter

¼ cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 ½ tsp. lemon juice

1 cup pureed cooked winter squash

¼ cup milk

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, spices and salt.  Cream butter, add sugar and beat until light.  Add eggs, lemon juice, squash and milk.  Beat together, then gradually add dry ingredients until well combined.  Pour batter into a buttered, medium-sized loaf pan.  Bake in a pre-heated 350⁰ oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean.  Cool in pan for ten minutes, remove and cool on rack.  From The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash.

Shallots are a mild onion relative that pack more of a flavor punch because they contain more flavonoids and phenols than other members of the onion family.  When sautéed shallots impart a more creamy texture than onion and can almost disappear into the other ingredients without losing their flavor. They are especially good in stuffing.

We are pleased to have a salad mix for you today.  Radicchio is beautiful and tasty with a touch of bitterness.  Soaking the greens in cold (or iced) water for 5 to 15 minutes will help reduce the bitterness if you want.  Like other crops, the recent frosts have made both the spinach and radicchio sweeter.  This recipe is a great way to serve the mix.  It can be enhanced with just about anything that strikes your fancy like dried cranberries or toasted walnuts.

HEARTY GREEN SALAD WITH MANCHEGO

1/4 cup good-quality balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup good-quality sherry vinegar

1 shallot, chopped

3/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups Manchego, finely grated and divided

1 pinch salt, plus more to taste 

In a large bowl, add the balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar, and chopped shallot. Break the shallot up into pieces so that all of that oniony flavor gets into the vinegar. Let it sit for 1 hour and then strain out the shallots. Add the olive oil to the strained vinegars and whisk. Using your hands, toss greens with the dressing until evenly coated. Add 1 cup of finely grated Manchego, salt, and toss again.  To serve, top the salad in a serving bowl with the remaining 1/2 cup grated Manchego or distribute salad and Manchego among 4 to 8 bowls or plates.  Adapted from TORO BRAVO by John Gorman and Liz Crain

CURRIED CAULIFLOWER AND POTATOES

2 green chiles, seeded and cut into long slivers

½ inch piece of ginger, julienned

1 tsp. cumin seeds

½ tsp. black mustard seed

4 Tbsp. ghee or a mixture of vegetable oil and butter

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into spears

1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets

2 medium red or green tomatoes, quartered

½ tsp. turmeric

2 tsp. ground coriander

½ tsp. garam masala

1 tsp.; brown sugar

1 ¼ tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro or parsley

Lime or lemon wedges

Combine chiles, ginger, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds in a small bowl.  Heat the ghee or oil-butter mixture in a large nonstick saucepan over moderate heat.  When it is hot, but not smoking, pour in combined seasonings and fry until mustard seeds begin to pop.  Drop in potatoes and cauliflower and stirfry for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables pick up a few brown spots.  Add the tomatoes, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, brown sugar, salt and half of the fresh herb.  Stir well, cover and gently cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. You may want to sprinkle a few tablespoons of water over the vegetables if they begin to stick.  Stir gently to avoid mashing or breaking them.  Serve garnished with remaining fresh herb and lime or lemon.  Serves 5 or 6. From The Best of Lord Krishna’s Cuisine by Yamuna Devi.