This week your basket contains: Potatoes, braising leeks, PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI, Delicata squash, parsnips or rutabaga, and cooking greens (bok choy, Swiss chard, and cabbage)

GARDEN STARTS are also getting ready.  You can purchase them for delivery with your veggies from our online store (PumpkinRidgeGardens.square.site).  Right now we have limited quantities of arugula, Asian greens, chard/kale mix, lettuce, peas, spinach and sweet peas available.  We will update our stock as more items are ready, so check back often.  Please note that the web site says that these starts are available for pick up, but WE WILL DELIVER THEM TO YOU unless you insist on coming to the farm for them!

This soup works well with any squash

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND YUKON GOLD GRATIN

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

4 c. thinly sliced onions

1 ¼ lb. butternut squash

1 ¼ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes

1 c. half-and-half

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

2 c. fresh sourdough breadcrumbs

2c. grated gruyere cheese

1 ½ Tbsp. fresh sage

Peel seed and slice squash into ¼-inch thick slices. Peel and cut potatoes into ¼-inch thick slices. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet and add onions. Cook over medium-high heat until deeply caramelized, 20 to 30 minutes. Lay alternate layers of squash and potatoes in baking dish. Layer onions on top. Mix half-and-half, salt and pepper and pour over onions. Cover tightly with foil and bake 90 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix breadcrumbs, cheese and sage in medium bowl. Sprinkle over gratin. Bake uncovered until top is golden brown and crisp, about 30 minutes. Serves 8.

We love it when the purple sprouting broccoli (and raab) really starts producing well.  These are two of our favorite ways to eat it.

ITALIAN SAUTÉED BROCCOLI WITH GARLIC

1Tbs. olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 bunch thin broccoli spears

½ cup chicken broth

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

4 tsp. lemon juice or 2 lemon wedges

Heat oil in nonstick skillet, add garlic and sauté briefly (don’t let garlic brown).  Add trimmed broccoli spears and sauté 2 minutes to coat with oil.  Add chicken broth, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes; simmer over low heat until tender, about 20 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice or serve with lemon wedges.  From Foodday.

PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI SALAD

1lb purple sprouting broccoli

1 yellow onion

2 Tbs.  olive oil

1 Tbs. lemon juice

grated Parmesan cheese

salt & pepper

Blanch purple sprouting broccoli in salted boiling water for 30 second to 1 minute.  Refresh immediately in ice water that you have prepared ahead of time.  Slice yellow onion into half moons, saute in olive oil until clear (5 minutes over medium heat).  Remove from heat, add refreshed broccoli, mix, season with salt and pepper.  Add fresh lemon juice, mix in Parmesan and serve.  You can add cooked pasta such as penne or orchiette to make into a main course dish.

Roasting brings out the flavor of any root vegetables you have. Either surround a chicken with them to roast, or roast them alone with olive oil (1/4 c. olive oil for a casserole), garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Potatoes are ideal for this. Beets should be roasted separately if you don’t want them to color the other veggies.  Allow at least an hour at 350 degrees for most vegetables to soften and turn golden. Leeks should be added 15 minutes after the other veggies.  When you take the veggies out of the oven, they can be tossed with 4-5 Tbs of Balsamic vinegar.  Leftover roasted vegetables can be pureed with some stock and stuffing or bread to make a hearty soup.