Tag Archives: Brussels Sprouts

Winter CSA Box 1, November 2022

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Welcome to the first month of the Winter CSA Season! Thank you for choosing local and organic.

Farm polar bear, Chester, wandering the fields around the chickens after a light dusting of snow. Chester keeps everyone safe on the farm!

Things have been busy busy busy this fall! The farm crew has been working hard filling up the root cellar with all the produce that will feed the CSA members through the winter and be sold to local restaurants and grocery stores. Our final full crew work day culminated in a party where we honored Dave our farm manager, who has been working at the Food Farm for 30 years! Thank you for being a great leader Dave!

I took the liberty of wearing my Halloween costume to the party, because I felt it was appropriate to what we do at the farm. Can you tell which vegetable I am? If you’re confused, just look at the skirt and ignore the rest. You’ll be getting this vegetable in next month’s CSA box!

In your share this month:

Beets – Brussels Sprouts – Red Cabbage – Carrots – Celery – Fresh Herbs – Onion – Red Potatoes – Yellow Potatoes – Delicata Squash – Kabocha Squash

On our last full crew work day last Friday, we moved the chickens into their winter home. The girls would get too cold out in the field during the deep winter, so they are moved to an indoor barn area to keep warm. You may wonder how we move 100 chickens from a wide open field to another area of the farm. In the evening all the chickens go into their coop for protection (the metal structure pictured above). Little do the chickens know that their house is actually a trailer on wheels that can be pulled by tractor to a new location. Once the the coop is moved close to the chickens’ winter home, we get them into the building by forming a long line of farm crew, family members and volunteers, and we commence the biannual chicken hugging. Janaki hands each person two chickens which are held in a “bear” hug and walked to the barn where they are loving deposited into their winter coop. As we move them, Farmer John serenades them with a special song he wrote for the occasion!

Balsamic-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2-3 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1.5 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • .5 Tbsp. (or more) honey
  • 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or .5 and a pinch tsp. Morton kosher salt
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, finely grated
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved, quartered if large
  • Flaky sea salt (as garnish)

Instructions

  1. Place a rimmed baking sheet on middle rack in oven; preheat oven to 425°. Stir together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, and garlic in a medium bowl; season with freshly cracked black pepper. Taste mixture and add more honey if needed. Add Brussels sprouts along with any loose leaves; toss to coat.
  2. Carefully remove baking sheet from oven. Using tongs, arrange brussels sprouts cut side down on baking sheet. Roast until deeply browned underneath and tender, 25–30 minutes. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Based off recipe from Bon Appétit.

Stuffed Delicata Squash with Quinoa, Cranberry and Pistaschio.

Ingredients

Squash

  • Delicata squash, sliced in half lengthwise and seeds removed (recipe for 3, but make as many or few as you like or have, adjust the stuffing quantity accordingly)
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons thyme, fresh or dried (try substituting with rosemary from your CSA box!)

Quinoa Stuffing

  • 1 cup dried quinoa, rinsed well
  • 1 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup pistachios
  • 1 shallot, finely diced (try substituting with onion from your box!)
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
  2. Prep and roast the squash: Wash and dry squash. Slice each squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds. The seeds should come out easily by scraping the inside of the squash with a spoon. Lightly brush the inside of each squash with a little oil or maple syrup. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and herbs. Place on baking sheet cut side up. Bake in oven for 35 – 40 minutes, or until squash is tender and pierces easily with a fork.
  3. Quinoa Stuffing: In a medium pot, add quinoa and water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lid, fluff a fork and let set 10 minutes. Add pistachios, cranberries, shallots, salt, pepper. Toss well to combine.
  4. Assemble: Scoop quinoa into squash halves, place back in the oven for 10 minutes to warm if needed, and serve.

Recipe from The Simple Veganista

Pictures from Harvesting

In preparation for this Winter season.

Cabbage
Winter Squash
Onions drying
The carrot harvester in action

For the farm crew,

Starr

First 2020 Winter Share, November

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Welcome to the first 2020/2021 Winter share. Thanks for choosing our vegetables to grace your tables this fall… winter… spring… the season we call winter tends to drag itself out, doesn’t it? Each month, I hope that you will see your winter share as a re-setting of sorts for yourself and anyone you share food with as you get replenished with winter staples.

If this is your first time getting a CSA share with us- a special welcome! In times of uncertainty, thank you for plugging into something local. If this is your twentieth share with us, or some number in between, thank you for coming back for more. And, if you had a summer share with us… you can go ahead and use that one last carrot you’ve been hoarding–I speak from experience.

The end of last season’s Winter share felt smothered in uncertainty. The start of this one feels similar. We are facing a long winter with more uncertainty. In the midst of all the challenge and trouble, I hope you can find ways to lean into any and all of the things that feel positive and bring you joy. Maybe finding new ways to use your CSA share, or creative ways to share food with others in a safe way will be a focus this season.

Trepidation, shaken, not stirred, seems to be on the drink menu for our country, and world, this year. I’m not a linguist, but trepidation has always felt like a word of movement to me. I suppose one could sit in trepidation, though I think of it pairing with “walking forward in -” or “moving through with -“.

Whatever comes in these winter months, I hope that in moving forward, with whichever emotions we bring, we can work in our own day-to-days to bring healing and to make manifest a world with more possibility for everyone.

For the farm crew,

Karin

In your share this month:
Brussels Sprouts – Beets – Green Cabbage – Carrots – Celery* – Delicata and Kabocha Winter Squash – Onions – Red and Yellow Potatoes – Turnips

A note on the celery in today’s share: this crop was one of the things that we harvested half-frozen in the snow a few weeks ago, and it was the least able to cope with that kind of abuse. It’s not in great shape and we debated not sending it at all, but in the end decided that we would let members make the call of whether they can use it or not. It wouldn’t fit in the regular boxes, so look for the gray harvest bins nearby. This is a new-ish crop for us, and when it works well the flavor is amazing so we hope it’s worth your patience at times like this when it’s below our normal quality standards.

Brussels Sprouts – From the Crowded Kitchen

  • 3 ½ lbs. brussels sprouts, peeled
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tbsp fine kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper

Maple Mustard Dressing:

  • 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ⅛ tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. 
  2. Wash and thoroughly dry brussels sprouts. To prep brussels sprouts, slice off the woody, tough stem, then use your hands to peel off the leaves. You may have to trim the steam again as you work towards the interior. See blog posts for photo tutorial! 
  3. Toss leaves with olive oil, salt and pepper and transfer to 2 large sheet pans. Roast for 30-35 minutes total, stirring well half way through cook time and again at 25 minutes. For even cooking, switch bottom and top trays halfway through cooking. Keep a close eye on the oven as oven times may differ. 
  4. Meanwhile, whisk together all dressing ingredients until smooth. 
  5. Remove brussels sprouts from oven, transfer to a large bowl and toss with dressing. Serve warm. 

Lemon Tahini Dressing for roasted veggies (or whatever!)

  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 juice and zest of lemon
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ~¼ cup hot water
  • ¼ cup parsley minced

In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice/zest, garlic, and salt. Slowly add in the hot water until desired consistency is reached. Stir in parsley and toss on roasted vegetables!

Last Summer CSA, Week 18

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As I look back over this farm season, I am reminded of how challenging it has been. There was not enough rain, then too much at once, then hail, then not enough rain again. It hasn’t been an easy year on the vegetables = not an easy year on the farmers.

Obviously, out there in the world there has been a huge amount of difficulty and unpredictability that has affected all of us. So much rubber seems to be meeting the road at once and it stinks. I practically have to hold my nose while listening to the news.

I think a lot of us have been thinking about food, how we get it, and how much of it we keep on hand at any one time during these past several months. Or any shopping and consuming really; I’ve learned about myself that I ran way more petty errands than I needed to in the “before times”.

For me, preparing food has been a nice diversion from other parts of life that feel more unsure, and more stressful. It’s been nice to sometimes, not always, have a meditative approach to cooking and baking to go along with the sometimes meditative aspects of farming. I’ve been lucky to be on both sides for a while now.

I hope that for you, getting your CSA share each week has been a positive point of structure and rhythm, even as normal rhythms get canceled, changed or postponed. We are glad you chose our CSA, and want to hear what you thought about it on the end of season survey! We’re always fine-tuning things to most closely match what has been working best for our members.

If you are also a member of our Winter Share, then we’ll “see” you in a few weeks. (A few weeks that is a blur of harvest activity around the farm!). If you just get our Summer Shares, we hope you have a good fall and winter, and look forward to connecting again in the spring.
Either way, we hope your dinner table continues to be a center for you in these un-centering times.

Thank you for participating with us in this crazy, messy, tasty thing we call life.

For the farm crew,

Karin

In your share this week:
Brussels Sprouts – Carrots – Celery – Cilantro – Cucumber – Garlic – Greens Mix – Kale – Lettuce – Onions – Sweet and Hot Peppers – French Fingerling Potatoes – Delicata Squash – Tomatoes

Roasted & Stuffed Squash

From No Crumbs Left

For the Squash:
Delicata squash
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil

For the Ground Sirloin Filling:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 ½ – 3 cups sliced brown mushrooms
1 ½ pounds ground sirloin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
¼ tsp cayenne
2 generous handfuls spinach, chopped (could use greens mix!)

Preheat oven to 400. Peel and cut the squash into 1” thick rounds.  
Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a large sheet pan, lined with parchment paper.  Cook until soft but not mushy, about 55 minutes, flipping halfway through.
While the squash is cooking, make the filling:
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions for 3 minutes then add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds, stirring. Add the mushrooms and cook, covered for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the ground sirloin and cook over high heat, about 6 minutes (or until meat is no longer pink), breaking up clumps with a wooden spoon.  

Add the salt, pepper and cayenne. Then add the spinach and cook for about 2 minutes.
Remove the squash from the oven and place on plates. Top with the meat mixture and serve.

Dijon-Braised Brussels Sprouts

1 pound brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 to 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon smooth dijon mustard (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Trim sprouts and halve lengthwise. In a large, heavy 12-inch skillet heat butter and oil over moderate heat. Arrange halved sprouts in skillet, cut sides down, in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook sprouts, without turning until undersides are golden brown, about 5 minutes. [Updated to note: If your sprouts don’t fit in one layer, don’t fret! Brown them in batches, then add them all back to the pan, spreading them as flat as possible, before continuing with the shallots, wine, etc.]

Add the shallots, wine and stock and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low (for a gentle simmer), cover the pot with a lid (foil works too, if your skillet lacks a lid) and cook the sprouts until they are tender can be pierced easily with the tip of a paring knife, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the lid, and scoop out brussels (leaving the sauce behind). Add cream and simmer for two to three minutes, until slightly thickened. Whisk in mustard. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary with more salt, pepper or Dijon. Pour sauce over brussels, sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve immediately.

Summer CSA, Week 18

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Well folks this is it. Your final Summer CSA box of 2019. To wrap this season up and to prepare ourselves for the next I wanted give you all a little quiz.

The only rule – No looking back at old newsletter posts or scrolling to the bottom for the answer. Just give it a solid guess. We are all winners when we eat Food Farm produce.

Okay now on to the guessing game. Below is a list of the different vegetables that have appeared in your CSA box throughout the summer.

Which vegetables have appeared the most and how many times did they appear in your CSA box? Rate the top 5!

The answer will be below so you are only cheating yourself if you scroll to the bottom now before attempting to play the game.

  • Radishes – Beets – Head Lettuce – Broccoli – Turnips – Carrots – Swiss Chard – Napa Cabbage – Pac Choi – Greens Mix – Cilantro – Beans – Green Cabbage – Red Cabbage – Green Onion – Kale – Dill – Rutabaga – Zucchini – Potatoes – Lettuce Mix – Cauliflower – Tomatoes – Celery – Peppers – Garlic – Basil – Snap Peas – Rhubarb – Spinach – Cucumber – Onions – Thyme – Oregano – Winter Squash – Parsley – Leeks

Winter is coming and there is a hell of a lot of work left to do. Thankfully there is sunshine on the horizon this week. We could all you a good dose of vitamin D to boost our harvesting spirits.

Fun fact the month of September only saw 7 days with no rain for the twin ports region. Let’s hope October can at least get into the double digits.

So should I get on with it and just tell you the answer already? I did have to look back at the newsletter archives to obtain the stats. It was joyful to watch each box grow from week to week as more food becomes plentiful and ready to harvest.

Without further ado:

First place goes to the Food Farm mascot. The greatest vegetable on earth. The tastiest creature to come out of the ground: The Carrot

The carrot appeared a whopping 15 out of 18 times.

Second place goes to my favorite summer food. A cool refreshment after a scorching hot day. The Cucumber appeared in your CSA box 13 out of 18 times. You can thank Sam next time you see him for diligently caring for them all summer.

Third place belongs to an underdog. A sweet snappy snack to go with every meal. The Peppers, who I lumped together because it’s my quiz and I make the rules. Usually sweet but sometimes spicy, Peppers appeared 11 times this summer.

Fourth place you would have thought higher on the list, but they are late bloomers. Perfect sliced with mayo and bread. The Tomato appeared 10 times.

And last but certainly not least Fifth place goes to the leader in the winter months. The one with their own room in the root cellar. Eaten best as crispy hash browns, The Potato, appeared 9 times this summer.

Regardless of correct answers congratulations you’ve won! And we hope you continue to win for years to come! Thank you for supporting The Food Farm. Thank you for eating that giant list of vegetables. Thank you for finding creative things to do with greens mix.

From a farm crew off finding the joy,

Tiffany

In your box:

Brussels Sprouts, Northeaster Pole Beans, Carrots, Celery, Garlic, Greens Mix, Onions, Oregano, Peppers, French Fingerling Potatoes, Rutabaga, Spinach, Delicata and Acorn Squash, Tomatoes

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

  • 3/4 lb brussels sprouts
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic-sliced very thin
  • Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place Brussel sprouts on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Scatter sliced garlic across pan. Grate Parmesan cheese over Brussel sprouts. Bake 20 minutes or until sprouts are golden brown and crispy at edges.

Harvest Moon Kale Ceaser Salad

  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 1/2 tbsp tamari
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp paprika
  • 1 delicata squash
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 bunch kale (or greens mix!)
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large apple
  • 2 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 325. Place pecans on baking sheet and roast for 7 minutes. Place nuts in bowl. Toss nuts with tamari, cinnamon and paprika. Set aside.

Increase heat to 400. Slice delicata into half moons. Place on parchment paper covered pan and bake 20 minutes.

Meanwhile de-stem kale. Rip into bite sized pieces. Squeeze half lemon over kale and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pinch of salt. Massage kale in hands until kale is tender. About 2 minutes.

Slice apples and toss in with other half of lemon juice.

Combine everything into serving bowl, drizzle with mustard and maple syrup and eat!