Fall #2/10: First Frost! Daikon, Red Kuri & Green Kabocha
We woke up to our first frost of the season this morning. Fortunately, it was a light one, but it was still enough to cover much of the farm in a layer of tiny ice crystals that delayed our field start by a couple of hours. Some plants don’t tolerate frost at all, others happen to improve in flavor and quality, and some fall somewhere in between. Those middle-road crops are still fully harvestable and edible if we allow the leaves and roots to thaw before we pick them, but they’re also the ones that we’re going to make sure we tend to before cold temps roll through again overnight. Frost me twice, shame on me. So once things thawed, the crew brought in a big round of Broccoli from our second rotation, and they’re assembling a really flavorful mix of Stir Fry Greens from the field. I thought that the first round of Daikon Radishes would make a nice complement, so we’ll start digging those, pull a handful of Scallions, and a few heads of lettuce that appear to be the right size. Mind you, all of these things are still growing in the open field. Our greenhouses have just been cleared of the last Summer crops with the intention of filling them with overwintering greens in the coming week. And we picked the last of the Lunchbox Peppers ahead of the frost too, thank goodness! Pulling up tomato plants and trellises means that we’ve picked a hefty round of nice big Green Tomatoes this week. Green Tomatoes have an array of uses beyond the traditional but tasty breading and frying. Green Tomatoes will eventually ripen on the counter, but you can toss them in a paper sack with an apple or banana if you want to coax the process along more quickly.
The CSA will have a choice of two favorites on the squash front this week --Red Kuri and Green Kabocha. The color and flavor of each squash shines in both savory and sweet applications. So, whether you want to make a tasty Fall dessert or get spicy, you'll be in good shape. Kuri is a Japanese hubbard type squash that imparts the most a bold deep orange color whatever you're baking or cooking up. As I've mentioned before, this teardrop shaped gourd really flourishes in my favorite squash soup recipe, and Kuri Squash Curry is also an obvious bet, for the sake of flavor and wordplay if nothing else. Don’t sleep on Green Kabocha though. I’m pretty sure I share this article every year, but it really drives home the nature of Kabocha’s versatility—The Gary Oldman of Winter Squash. (That guy is still winning awards years later, so the comparison still stands). Dark green on the outside, and somewhat golden on the inside, Kabocha literally translates into "pumpkin" in Japanese, and it is a variety that many chefs turn to when composing their menus and cookbooks.
Many Thanks,
Katie
IN THE FARMSHARES THIS WEEK:
Broccoli
Lunchbox Sweet Peppers and/or Scallions
Stir Fry Greens Mix
Daikon
Lettuce (Large Shares)
Red Kuri or Kabocha Squash
BONUS: Green Tomatoes
RECIPES & SEASONAL TIPS
STEAMED KABOCHA SQUASH WITH SOY-GINGER DRESSING - Sohla El-Waylly
ANCHO & MAPLE ROASTED RED KURI SQUASH - Feasting at Home
VEGAN BROCCOLI SOUP - Love & Lemons
BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP - 101 Cookbooks
STEAMED RADISH RICE (Mu-bap) - Maangchi
KABOCHA NO NIMONO (Japanese Simmered Squash) - Caroline’s Cooking
SHREDDED CHICKEN & BROCCOLI WITH DAIKON FRIED RICE- Inspiralized
BROCCOLI CHEDDAR BEANS - Avocado Skillet
MUSTARD GREEN PESTO PASTA WITH CHICKPEAS & PANKO BREADCRUMBS - Oh My Veggies
WARM FARRO & MUSTARD GREENS SALAD WITH MAPLE-ROASTED ACORN SQUASH - Food52
ANDREA NGUYEN’S UMAMI GARLIC NOODLES WITH MUSTARD GREENS - Melissa Clark
COCONUT SAAG - Priya Krishna
SOUTH INDIAN GREEN TOMATO DAL - Holy Cow Vegan
10 TASTY GREEN TOMATO RECIPES - A Couple Cooks
QUICK PICKLED GREEN TOMATOES- Farm to Jar
