This week your basket contains: rainbow carrots, collards, kale, cucumbers, KABOCHA WINTER SQUASH, onions, CELERIAC, eggplant, and sweet peppers.PUMPKIN PICK-UP WEEKEND IS THIS WEEKEND!  October 19^th and 20^th (11:00 to 3:00) are set aside for you to come out to the farm to choose your carving pumpkin (included as part of your subscription), tour the gardens, press apples for cider, have a potluck lunch and socialize with other subscribers.  We will be making pizza including our signature PUMPKIN PIE PIZZA (a perennial favorite).  We look forward to seeing you then.

While our chickens are not laying (they are growing new feathers) we do NOT need any more egg cartons.  Please do not include them in your empty basket.  We will let you know when we need more.  Thank you. 

Celeriac, or celery root as it is also known, is a wonderful combination of celery flavor and potato texture.  The leaves, which are very similar to the herb lovage, can be used in soup stock or stews to add a celery flavor. To use the root, it must be peeled first.  Perhaps the easiest way to use celeriac is to grate it after peeling, dressing with mustard vinaigrette and serving cold.

CHICKEN TAGINE WITH SWEET POTATOES AND CELERIAC

3 Lbs. chicken thighs

salt and freshly ground pepper

½ Tbs. ground cumin

3 Tbs. butter

1 large onion thinly sliced

2/3 cup raisins

pinch of saffron threads, crumbled

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 Lb. sweet potatoes or Kabocha squash peeled and cubed (1/2 inch)

1 celeriac peeled and cubed (1/2 inch)

1 Tbs. honey

Rub chicken pieces with salt, pepper and cumin.  If time allows, let stand for 1 to 2 hours.  Covering the chicken and refrigerating overnight would be best.  When ready to prepare the dish, heat the butter in a large casserole or Dutch oven and cook chicken in batches until golden on all sides.  Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add raisins, saffron, cinnamon and ginger and cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Pour 2 cups water into the casserole.  Cover and cook the chicken for 30 minutes over low heat.  Add the sweet potatoes or squash and the celeriac along with additional salt and pepper.  Simmer the stew, covered 20 minutes.  Carefully stir in the honey, taking care not to mash the vegetables.  Serves 4-6.  Adapted from Fooday

Kabocha squash is our favorite squash.  Its dry sweet flesh is very similar to sweet potato.  This is our favorite way to cook it.  After removing the seeds, cut the halves into thin wedges either with the skin on or off.   Sprinkle them with olive oil, salt, and black pepper.  Bake in a hot oven (400⁰) until browned on one side.  Turn the wedges over to brown evenly.  You can eat them hot, let them cool as a snack or use them as the basis for a pureed squash soup.

As we head into fall and winter, we are pleased to have an abundance of greens.  This is my favorite greens dish.

SOUTHERN MIXED GREENS

3 lbs greens coarsely chopped

2 ham hocks

1 qt. water

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 med. onion chopped fine

2 Tbs red wine vinegar

black pepper

Trim fat from ham hocks and set aside.  Put ham hocks in heavy saucepan and cover with water.  Add red pepper flakes and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 45 minutes.  Render some of the pork fat in a skillet, add onions and cook slowly until they begin to brown.  Drain and add to ham hock broth.  Simmer until meat begins to fall from bones.  Stir in the greens, cover and cook about 30 minutes stirring and lifting the greens occasionally.  Add vinegar and pepper to taste.  Put meat and greens on a serving plate and serve pot liquor in separate small bowls.  We use the nitrite-free ham hocks from New Seasons. We have also substituted smoked extra firm tofu for the ham hock with good results (you need to use olive oil to replace the ham fat) when we wanted a vegetarian alternative. From Winter Harvest Cookbook by Lane Morgan