Week 14: Your CSA Box

It was a rainy harvest today, but very productive! Here's what is in your box & a couple of ideas of how to use it:

Red & Green Romaine Lettuce

Ground Cherries - Pictured here, these are a sweet delicacy of summer. In the same family as a tomatillo, you simply remove the husk (pinch at bottom) and fruit will peek through. Then, eat the center cherry -- orange color is ripe, and green-ish needs more time to ripen. Some describe ground cherries (or husk cherries) as somewhere between a pineapple and tomato in flavor. We can barely get them into a recipe (they are a favorite for snacking!), but if you can, use them to create a simple salsa for pork or as an addition to your salad. Enjoy!

Green Peppers

Beets

Hakeuri Turnips

Russett Potatoes

Chard (see earlier blog posts for great ideas)

Butternut Squash - These will keep for months if stored in a cool spot. This is a great recipe for Southeast Asian Squash Curry that we enjoyed this week with our squash (use your chard in place of the spinach for a CSA box meal).

Broccoli

Greens Beans (Haricot Vert or Romano/Italian Flat) - Romanos are wide and flat. Also known as Italian Green Beans, these are a little meatier than regular green beans. Use them the same way you would any other green bean or try them tossed w/ olive oil and garlic roasted in a 450 deg. oven for 15-20 min. turning once.

The Haricot Verts are long, skinny and also known as “French green beans.” When lightly cooked, haricot verts are tender, crispy, and very tasty, with a hint of sweetness. Briefly blanch them and add them to salads or as a side dish.

Chives w/flowers - Use chives as normal (sprinkle on your baked russet potatoes!). The flowers are also edible and can be sprinkled on salads or used as a garnish.

Eggplant (small amount) - We just wanted to make sure you had a chance to try eggplant before the end of our season. It was a rough year for eggplant at all of the Prairie Crossing Farms. We love eggplant grilled with garlic olive oil on a sandwich with goat cheese & tomato.