CSA Week 10
We're officially half way through the season! Thanks to those of you who filled out our anonymous one question survey last week. Here's the link again so that maybe a few more of you could give it a go... wink wink...
Before I move onto this week, a word about last week. The large shares were supposed to get escarole and we totally forgot to harvest it, so we're going to include it this week; as a result the large shares might feel a bit larger than usual.
This week I'm going to get into some storage tips. You'll be getting freshly dug yucca root and this crop is always tricky for most people. First and foremost, please store it in the fridge, preferably in a sealed container or bag. Yucca that you buy in the store is most often imported and in order to preserve it the roots are typically dipped in wax; that is why you see yucca out at room temperature. When the root is fresh it will spoil very fast. Also of importance, yucca contains tiny traces of cyanide! Don't panic, read this brief article in the Mother Nature Network blog and keep in mind we are working with the sweet yucca variety, not the bitter one that contains even more cyanide. It's safe to eat as long as it is processed correctly, which basically means it should be peeled and boiled twice. Just peel and cut up your yucca root, bring to a boil and then discard that water only to refill the pot and boil again until a fork easily pierces through it (like boiled potatoes!). I highly suggest doing this process as soon as you take your share home; you can then store the boiled yucca in the fridge for a few more days until you decide what to do with it. My ultimate favorite thing to do with it is baked yucca wedges.
Here's my recipe for crispy baked yucca wedges:
1.Peel your root(s) and chop the long pieces into roughly 3 inch pieces. Put them in a pot and cover with water and bring to a boil. Dump that water out, refill the pot to cover the pieces and boil until you can poke the yucca with a fork easily.
2. After training the pieces, you'll notice they naturally break apart into wedges. Go ahead and separate or cut your pieces into quarter wedges. Smaller and bigger wedges are ok too. Put the wedges on a big flat baking tray and drizzle generously with olive oil or other oil. Turn the wedges around to coat with oil and arrange them so that they are not touching. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Bake at about 375 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the yucca wedges turn golden and crispy.
4. Eat immediately, preferably dipped in something... ketchup? Maybe not. Mojo or garlic mayo? Definitely. Anything garlicky will be great!
You're also going to receive galangal root and lemongrass. These two ingredients are the key to most Thai and Vietnamese broths. The BBC has a food section on it's website and they collected over a dozen recipes for galangal, check it out. You'll be able to store it in the fridge for about a week, preferably in a sealed container or bag. Lemongrass keeps for a longer period of time and it can be simply boiled in water to make a heart worming tea sweetened with honey or a refreshing cold tea on a hot day.
Lastly, a word about the baby greens in the share this week. They are a mix of arugula, mizuna and mustard for the most part. These baby greens are spicy so they work well with cheese and fruit. I even read somewhere that they are good with a warm dressing in order to soften the leaves a bit. Our baby greens are washed once so they are ready to eat and keep in mind they are best eaten within 3 to 4 days.
The full contents of the shares this week:
Small Shares:
Spicy salad mix from our fields
Heirloom cherry tomatoes from Verde Farm
Cooking greens; your choice from kale, chard or collards from Verde Farm and French Farm
Yucca root from LNB Groves
Navel oranges from Unlce Matt’s
Galangal and lemongrass from our fields
Large Shares:
Spicy salad mix from our fields
Heirloom cherry tomatoes from Verde Farm
Cooking greens; your choice from kale, chard or collards from Verde Farm and French Farm
Yucca root from LNB Groves
Navel oranges from Unlce Matt’s
Galangal and lemongrass from our fields
Escarole from our fields
Minutina from our fields
Extra tomatoes
Extra oranges