- p i c k l i s t -
RAINBOW POTATOES - SHALLOTS - CARROTS - SPINACH - MINT - ARUGULA - LEMONGRASS - BROCCOLI - CARMEN PEPPERS (RED, ORANGE, YELLOW) - POBLANO PEPPERS - JALAPENO PEPPERS - GINGER
BREAD SHARE: Winter Squash Quick Bread
In this week of picking and eating, we all get to delight in my (Jenny’s) favorite things. GINGER! LEMONGRASS! SHALLOTS! MINT! SPINACH! ARUGULA! the pick-list of my dreams! To be surrounded in a greenhouse of ginger, or slicing through a field of lemongrass skyrockets your scent buds all the way up to the cosmos- i know all this language for harvesting crops is super flowery, but for this week in CSA eating, you too will be transported to a place of unicorns, rainbows, fairies and warm hugs- because that is the power of these crops in combination. Also, I am grateful this harvest arrived when it did- as the temps have officially dropped and we could all use a little extra warmth from the ginger. Really and truly, I’m pretty sure that at this point in the season, there is no place I’d rather be than in a greenhouse surrounded by ginger plants aka heaven.
In other news, this week we finally head into the sweet potato field for harvest, daily orders for the coop continue to be picked, packed, and delivered and personally I played catch up on my own canning, freezing, and winter readying- the jars are canned and the freezer overfloweth.
PRO-TIPS:
Ginger: For those of you that are not committed to using your ginger THIS WEEK, I beg you to store in a ziplock and freeze asap. The type of ginger we grow is young and does not hold well like the kind you purchase at the grocery store. But read on for my top 2 fave ginger recipes…
Carrot-Ginger Dressing (SMITTENKITCHEN.COM)
(JENNYS NOTE: after 13 years of CSA pick-lists and newsletters, I believe I’ve included this recipe maybe 7 times- maybe more? Can’t help myself, its too good and what we should all be doing with our CSA this week)
This recipe yields 1 to 1 1/4 cups dressing.
The major changes I made to the recipe were to increase the miso and sesame oil because I like it when their flavors are noticeable. This recipe has a real bite to it from the fresh ginger and the shallot. The original recipe suggested a large one, I suggest a more thimble-like small one. If you don’t want as loud of a ginger bite, use one tablespoon instead of two. This will make a lot but I like salads best with a heavy helping of this. You’ll go through it faster than you’d expect.
DRESSING
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons white miso
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
1/4 cup grape seed or another neutral oil
2 tablespoons water
Make the dressing: Whiz the carrots, shallot and ginger in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, then add the miso, vinegar and sesame oil. While the machine running, slowly drizzle in the grape seed oil and the water. Next, Drench all your greens in this salad dressing, maybe even eat it by the spoonful, its soooo good.
Creamed Coconut Spinach (MARTHASTEWART.COM)
(JENNY’S NOTE: the sad truth here is that you do not have enough spinach here to make this recipe, BUT if you have any swiss chard from last week still taking up fridge space, I highly recommend bulking up the recipe with those leftover greens- this recipe is made as much as possible in our house when the spinach and ginger harvest collide)
Servings: 4
3 tablespoons ghee
20 ounces flat-leaf spinach, washed and drained
2 shallots, halved and sliced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced jalapeno chile
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of sugar
1 cup coconut milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Step 1
Heat scant 1 tablespoon ghee in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until just wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain spinach in a sieve, pressing to remove excess liquid. Let cool slightly, then roughly chop.
Step 2
Return pan to medium heat and melt remaining 2 tablespoons ghee. Add shallots, ginger, and jalapeno and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour, cumin, and sugar and cook for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 3
Stir chopped spinach into coconut mixture and season with salt and pepper.
Lemongrass BY SHOSHI PARKS (bonapp)
(JENNY’S NOTE: yes this is a repeat lemongrass write up from the summer CSA but its pretty useful to read up on if you are a newbie CSAer and this is your first experience with lemongrass. If anyone is curious what I will be doing with my lemongrass this week, I intend to add it to a massive batch of bone broth and chop the rest into 2 inch pieces to freeze for later broth/tea/curry/etc…)
As its name suggests, lemongrass is a grass with botanical origins that stretch across South and Southeast Asia, from India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia and the Philippines… Used whole, chopped, or pummeled into a paste, lemongrass adds a light but complex flavor and aroma—simultaneously lemony (hence the name), gingery, and floral—to sauces, soups, and meats.
In some parts of the world, lemongrass is also treasured for its health benefits. When brewed into a tea, the plant is considered an immunity-boosting treatment for a wide variety of ailments including gastrointestinal distress, fever, and asthma.
How can you use it? In South and Southeast Asian cooking, lemongrass commonly conspires with ingredients like garlic, galangal (and/or ginger), cilantro, Thai basil, shallots, lime leaves, and coconut milk to create bold, complex flavors.
To prepare lemongrass, start by peeling the stiff outer leaves away from the stalk to reveal the slightly softer underlayers. Slice the grass in two spots, about half an inch from the root and approximately three inches up, where the whitish color begins to turn green.
The pale lower section of the lemongrass is the meatiest bit. Even so, it must be sli ced thin and then finely chopped, pounded into a paste with a mortar and pestle, grated with a box grater, or tossed in a food processor so that it isn’t too tough to chew. This is frequently how lemongrass is used in Cambodian cooking, Yun says, especially in the preparation of the spice paste kroeung.
Lemongrass is often finely chopped or pounded in order to break down the tough stalks.
But while only the lower bulb of the lemongrass stem is edible, every portion of the stalk has a role to play in the kitchen. The fibrous upper section of the stalk is full of tons of lemony, gingery goodness. To release the flavorful oils, both Yun and Payumo like to bash or flatten the lemongrass stalk with a cleaver or the side of a large knife. Payumo will also sometimes bend the stalk back and forth a few times instead of smashing it to release the oils.
Fresh lemongrass stalks work best in dishes like soups and slow-roasted meats that simmer for long periods of time. In Filipino cuisine it’s commonly stuffed inside whole pigs or chickens and then roasted, Payumo says. Extensive simmering or roasting is also the best use for dry lemongrass, which rehydrates as it cooks. Like with bay leaves, remove the lemongrass stalks from the dish before serving.
How should you store it? If you store it right, lemongrass will pretty much last forever. Wrapped loosely in a towel, the stalks will stay fresh and flavorful for a few weeks in the fridge. Otherwise, they’ll do just fine in the freezer, either uncut or pre-prepped. Try portioning minced, pounded, or grated grass into an empty ice tray for no-fuss future use. Dried and powdered lemongrass should be kept in sealed containers and out of the light.
Now go smash, slice, and pound away. You may not be getting to South or Southeast Asia this year, but with your new lemongrass skills, at least your culinary skills will permit you to imagine.