THIS WEEK YOUR BASKET CONTAINS: leeks, garlic, Delicata squash, parsnips, potatoes, BOK CHOY, and kale.

WE HAVE STARTED TAKING DEPOSITS FROM NEW SUBSCRIBERS FOR THE 2024-25 YEAR.  If you have friends or neighbors who may want to subscribe, please have them go to our website for the details.  The bills in your basket this week are the 9^th of ten installments (April & May are covered by the deposit you paid last spring).  We will be asking you your renewal plans in April.

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 the 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.

LAMB CHOPS WITH PARSNIPS

2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 or 2 parsnips (about 1 pound), peeled and sliced 1/3 inch thick

3/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate (6 ounces), thawed

Zest and juice from 1 lemon

2 tablespoons drained prepared horseradish

Salt and freshly ground pepper

8 lamb loin chops, 1 inch thick (2 1/2 pounds)

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the parsnips and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden and tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer the parsnips to a plate.  Add the apple concentrate to the skillet and boil until syrupy and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice, the parsnips and 1 tablespoon of the horseradish. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.  Meanwhile, in another large skillet, heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper, add them to the pan and cook over high heat, turning once, until the meat is cooked but still pink throughout, about 7 minutes.  Transfer the lamb and parsnips to plates. Spoon the sauce over the lamb, top the chops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of horseradish and serve.

Here is a recipe for scorzonera that works equally well for other root vegetables like celeriac, parsnips, turnips or daikon radish:

BATTER FRIED SCORZONERA

4-5 cups cold water            

3 Tbs vinegar

3-4 scorzonera roots

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup ice water

1/2 tsp salt

Canola oil for frying

Place cold water and vinegar in a sauce pan.  Peel the roots and cut into 2-inch chunks.  Place in saucepan and parboil the roots 6-8 minutes.  Drain and pat dry.  In a deep skillet, bring 2 inches of oil up to frying temperature over medium heat.  While the oil is heating, put the flour and salt in a bowl and whisk in the ice water (using ice water helps create a crispier batter when it is fried).  When the oil is hot (a drop of batter will have bubbles form around it and start cooking immediately), dip the scorzonera 4 or 5 pieces at a time into the batter and slip them into the hot oil.  Cook until golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon, drain and keep warm in the oven until all the pieces are cooked.  These can be served alone or with parsley mayonnaise or other dips.  From Down to Earth by Georgeanne Brennan.