winter CSA, week 4

[cellio]

Today's themes: (1) giant squash! and (2) how am I going to use all those greens while they're still good?

• two three bunches arugula (two different farms, one labeled hydroponic -- turns out one bag had two bunches)
• one bunch endive
• six Rome apples
• one stripetti squash (this type is new to me)
• five parsnips
• three fingerling sweet potatoes
• two bulbs garlic
• three medium-large shallots
• two green meat radishes (these are new to me)
• dozen free-range eggs
• jar pumpkin butter

I'm glad to get parsnips; I quite like them as part of a roasted-vegetable mix. And the eggs are well-timed; I was just about to have to buy more. (I did have to buy more carrots, so I have some to roast with the parsnips.)

We're not keeping up with the apples, largely because both our workplaces get fruit deliveries so we're not taking them for lunch. Plus we got inundated with desserts (baking season, I guess), so I haven't been making cobblers. It's time to change that; I like cobbler. :-) We've had some baked apples, and apples are one of the things I stuff squash with, and there was an apple-beet salad that I'll make again with the last beets. I have a recipe for a soup with (butternut) squash and apples that sounds good. I can always make applesauce, though Dani doesn't like it as much as I do. I welcome any other non-dessert suggestions. (Desserts I've got plenty of.)

I need to figure out how to divide and conquer the squash. We can't eat all of it at once; would unused portions keep better raw (carve off a meal's worth and cook that) or cooked (cook the whole thing and then store)?

I also welcome suggestions for arugula and endive. Salad, yes, and I understand that arugula works well in pasta. Do they stir-fry or saute well? Does either work well in soups?

So far I like having a farm share. I think we're eating better, I'm learning to use new-to-me produce, and we might even be saving a little money, surprising as that seems. We signed up for the spring CSA (weekly, eight weeks). We're undecided about summer; a summer share might produce more greens and zucchini than we're prepared to absorb. On the other hand, the summer share has options for both small and standard boxes and for weekly and biweekly pickups; a biweekly small box is a possibility. We'll decide later.

Random question: what makes brown eggs more or less brown? There's noticeable variation in this dozen and it got me wondering.

Comments

[cellio]

Thanks for the tips!

[sine_nomine]

My pleasure! I love learning what all you get. Around here I have only seen summer CSAs. Given my dietary restrictions I suspect a winter one would actually be more suited to me.