This week your basket contains: Potatoes, leeks, TETSUKABUTO SQUASH, micro greens, celeriac, and cooking greens (mustard greens, bok choy, & cabbage)

The bills in your basket this week are the FINAL MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS OF THE 2021-22 YEAR which continues through late May.  We have also included renewal forms.  There is high interest in our subscriptions this year (earlier than we are used to), so it would be helpful to us to hear your plans now so we can get people signed up now while they are enthusiastic and before they decide to try a different farm.  We will bill for deposits in April and payment will be due by May 15^th.

Tetsukabuto is a relatively new (to us) variety of winter squash that we absolutely love both as farmers and cooks.  This Japanese squash produces large, flavorful squash in good quantities per plant.  They also keep amazingly well, helping us have squash for you well into March.  In the kitchen, it is very flavorful and versatile.  It works well baked, mashed, or in a recipe like this leek soup.

SQUASH  LEEK SOUP

Here is a wonderfully simple recipe that marries the flavors of leeks and squash. It makes a rich but low-calorie soup that warms you up on wet fall days.  Bake a winter squash (butternut, acorn or Delicata) when the flesh is tender, scoop it out and set aside.  Sauté one large or two small leeks in a little olive oil until translucent and tender.  At the same time bring four cups of stock (vegetable or chicken) or water to a boil.  Add the leeks and the flesh of the squash to the stock; season with herbs (salt, pepper, bay, thyme, dill or any combination) and bring to a boil again.  Take the soup off the heat and allow it to cool a bit.  Puree the soup in a blender and serve with sour cream or yogurt garnish. 

Many people are aware that a rice substitute can be made from cauliflower (you can find a simple process in the recipe section of our web site).  What you might not know is that you can do the same with celeriac!  We tried it recently as a “Spanish Rice” dish and it came out very well.  Below is how we did it, though it can be modified to your tastes or whims. Here is a picture of how ours came out.

CELERIAC SPANISH RICE

1 celeriac, cubed

¼ cup tomato sauce

2 Tbs olive oil

1 leek

1 cup sweet peppers

¼ cup white wine

Salt & pepper

Microgreens for garnish

Pulse celeriac in a food processor until you achieve a breadcrumb-like texture.  Chop the leek, separating the whiter portion from the greener portion.  In a heavy skillet heat the olive oil until it starts to shimmer then add the whiter leeks and sauté until they start to soften.  Add the celeriac and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the celeriac starts to brown.  Use the white wine to deglaze the pan, add the tomato sauce, green portion of leek, and sweet peppers (we use peppers we froze in the summer).  Cook until peppers and leeks are just tender. Add salt & pepper to taste, and adjust the moisture content with more white wine, water, or  stock to your preference.  Serve & top with microgreens garnish.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING

4 large egg whites

4 large eggs

1 cup skim milk

2 Tbs. Dijon Mustard

1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

4 cups whole grain bread cut into 1” cubes

5 cups chopped greens, wilted

1 cup diced ham

¾ cup shredded Gruyere

To wilt the greens rinse thoroughly in cold water.  Transfer into a large microwaveable bowl with a cover.  Microwave on high 2-3 minutes until greens are wilted.  Squeeze out any excess moisture before using greens in recipe. Preheat oven to 375^o.  Grease an 11 x 8 inch baking dish or 2 qt. casserole.  Whisk together egg whites, eggs and milk in a medium bowl.  Add mustard, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss bread cubes, ham and wilted greens together in a large bowl, add egg mixture and stir well to coat the bread.  Transfer to baking dish and push down to compact.  Cover with foil.  Bake until custard has set; 40-45 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with Gruyere and continue baking until the pudding is puffed and golden on top; 15-20 minutes.  Adapted from Eating Well April/May 2006.