p i c k l i s t
Sweet Onions - Lunch Box Peppers - Bell Peppers - Mint - Spinach - Beets - Lettuce - Buttercup Squash - Sweet Peppers (bell and carmens) - Lettuce - Broccoli Florets - Radishes OR Purple Top Turnips - Heirloom Tomatoes - Poblanos OR LEMON DROP HOT PEPPER
Holy smokes yall we made it to FALL! I took a HUGE sigh of relief on Sunday as we made it through the brunt of the growing season with all of our fingers and toes and health intact. What a Summer of unknowns for everyone. Luckily our food supply is pretty high and constant this time of year. We are still pulling carrots from the earth and we have stacks on stacks of potato bins piled high. I am continually blown away by all that we reap from June-November and you, our sweet CSA fam, get to enjoy the final stretch of the growing season with us. Cheers to all the root vegetables that will be spilling over into your oven and the greens that I will forever suggest bathing in extremely heavy cream or coconut milk from here on out.
HOT TIPS:
Mint! This is one of my all time favorite herbs perking up any meal and beverage. I am a huge fan of chopping said herb into salads or sprinkling it over roasted veggies. However this time of year I hoard mint like crazy to dry- hanging every and all bunch upside down for a few days. Once the herb is nice and dry, I remove the stem and store the leaves in a jar for tea. My hoarding and drying can take my tea drinking through the winter into the beginning of greenhouse season, just in time to see fresh herby green shoots punch out from the garden. Springtime perennial sprouting plants blow my mind E V E R Y T I M E.
BEETS!!: dice and roast asap to enjoy with every meal all week long.
For a more formal recipe see below:
1 cup beets
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chives
2 tablespoons verjus
2 tablespoons mint
2 cups spinach
Chopped lettuce
1/4 cup goat cheese
sea salt to finish
BY KRISTIN CELESTE SHROEGER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARGOUX GIBBONS
Preheat oven to 350°.
Wash and dry produce. Slice 1 cup beets and place in foil. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Seal beets in foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350°. Remove beets from oven and let cool to room temperature, reserving beet oil on foil.
Drain remaining beet oil from foil into a glass jar. Mince 1 tablespoon chives. Stir in verjus and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the jar. Gently stir in chives to the dressing and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Remove mint leaves from stems, mince 2 tablespoons mint and place in a large glass bowl. Remove stems from 2 cups spinach. Add greens and lettuce to the bowl and toss together with mint leaves. Gently stir in 3 tablespoons of dressing and let salad rest for 5 minutes.
Plate 2 salads with 2 heaping cups of greens, 1/2 cup beets and 2 tablespoons goat cheese. Serve salads drizzled with 1 tablespoon dressing and a sprinkle of sea salt.
1¾ oz butter
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup (200 g/6½ oz) basmati rice, rinsed and drained
1⅔ cups (410 ml/13 fl oz) chicken stock
4 cups (160 g/5¼ oz) roughly shredded English spinach leaves, or 1 packet (250 g/8 oz) frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped
1/4 cup (15 g/½ oz) chopped mint
Method
1. Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until it is soft and golden. Add the garlic and cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the rice and stir until it is covered with the butter and onion mixture. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to the boil; reduce the heat to very low and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and most of the stock is absorbed. Take care not to let the rice burn. (If the rice runs out of stock to cook in, just add a little water.)
3. When the rice is cooked, remove the lid and stir in the shredded spinach, in batches. Keep stirring while the spinach cooks-this will only take a few minutes. Cook until any excess liquid has evaporated. Season well with salt and black pepper. Stir in the mint and serve immediately.
PEPPERS
Yall, unless the lunchbox peppers make it into next week, THIS WILL BE THE VERY LAST OF SWEET PEPPERS OF THE SEASON and it's been a damn good run… If it were me, and I was in your kitchen, I would roast and freeze these bad boys for January eating. BUT if you are set on making meals this week, then let's try out the old STUFFED PEPPER recipe, shall we?
NOTES: If you don’t have a grill or grill pan, you can simply toss the pepper halves in oil, salt, and pepper, spread them out on a baking sheet, and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until slightly softened.
⅓ cup French lentils, rinsed¼ cup pitted olives (green or black)¼ cup flat leaf parsley (or mint!), packed½ teaspoon lemon zest1 cup walnut halves1 clove garlic, peeled1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, plus extra2 teaspoons lemon juice1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika1 ½ teaspoons chili powder½ teaspoon dried oregano½ teaspoon ground cumin½ teaspoon ground coriandersea salt & ground black pepper, to tastesweet bell peppersparmesan
Place the lentils in a small saucepan and cover them by about 2 inches with water. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat with the lid on. Bring the lentils to a boil and then simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain lentils and set aside.On your cutting board, chop the olives, parsley, (mint?!) and lemon zest all together, forming a sort of rustic salsa relish. Once the olives are nicely chopped, set the mixture aside in a bowl.
In a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, combine the cooked lentils, walnuts, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, smoked paprika, chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, and lots of salt and pepper. Pulse until you have a coarsely ground mixture that holds together when pinched. It should be slightly paste-y with little chunks of walnut and lentils. Give the crumble a taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.Heat a medium (preferably nonstick) skillet over medium heat. Scrape all of the walnut and lentil crumble into the pan. Break it up with a spatula. Cook the crumble, stirring constantly, until it’s slightly drier and a bit deeper in colour, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the walnut and lentil crumble from the heat and set aside.Cut the sweet bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the ribs and seeds and place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle the peppers with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat the peppers.Preheat the grill to medium-high. Once heated, place the mini peppers--cut side down--onto the grill. Cook until light char marks form on the underside, about 4 minutes. Flip the peppers over and cook for another 4 minutes or so. The peppers should be slightly softened, but still holding their shape. Remove the grilled peppers and place them back on the baking sheet.Arrange the grilled peppers--facing up--on your serving tray. Stuff each grilled pepper half with 2 tablespoons of the spiced walnut and lentil crumble. Top each stuffed pepper with a bit of the olive and parsley mixture. Finish the peppers with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature.