Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 21: November 1, 2007
To return to the 2007 Harvest Guide page, click here
Greetings, Spoutwood Farm friends! Welcome to the twenty-first week of our CSA Harvest season: the next-to-last harvest of this CSA season! Although it’s still warmer than usual, on average, for the time of year, we did have a couple of nights of frost in this last week, and our gardens are showing the effects. In a heroic effort, Rob and Lucy were able to “rescue” a fair number of (mostly green) tomatoes and sweet bell peppers; alas, the Anaheims succumbed to the frost, which also finished off the broccoli. But most of the greens were unfazed, and the root vegetables, of course, were unaffected by the frost (unless you count turnip greens, which got “nipped”).
Now that we’ve had our first frost, I think we can safely say that Autumn is really here! Any warm weather we get after this will count as “Indian Summer,” traditionally defined as a warm period after the first frost. Opinions differ on the origin of the term, but our agricultural forebears used it much as the First Nations People must have done: to help them get in the last of their crops, comfortably. We hope you enjoy both Autumn and Indian Summer, as well as the selection of vegetables – mostly our own, but a few from Tuscarora Organic Co-op – offered this week.
Please feel free to drop us a line if you discover a new recipe, have any cooking tips, or would like to share your favorite way to eat the veggies from our harvest - email us and we’ll share with everyone else! You might also want to post these to our interactive web presence at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spoutwoodcsa. There you can post messages that all members can read, add photos of your favorite Spoutwood memories, and otherwise contribute to our CSA community here at Spoutwood Farm. Enjoy!
Shareholders – if you have not worked your hours (or all of them) yet for this season: Please be aware that you need to either work them soon (we only have two more weeks, and we could certainly use the help “putting the garden to bed” for the Winter) or “buy out” of them by paying the appropriate sum. Please contact Rob ASAP! If you have worked your hours but are willing to help out, we do have some funds available to pay a few farm helpers to get things ready for the end of the season. Again, please contact Rob at (717) 235-6610 as soon as possible. Thanks!
Tomatoes: This is really and truly the last week for tomatoes, which were hit hard by this past week’s frost. But we’ve already enjoyed them for longer than most seasons! Let the green ones ripen on the window-sill, or look up recipes for fried green tomatoes, green tomato relish or chutney, etc.
Peppers: The last week for sweet bell peppers, rescued just in the nick of time from the frost.
Kale: Our pot-herb of the week, kale is excellent in all the usual ways, and for all the usual reasons. You know all this by now, so I’ll just say “enjoy”!
Mustard Greens: A spicy, peppery green that can be eaten on its own or mixed with other greens. Most people prefer mustard cooked, but Rob swears by peanut butter and mustard-green sandwiches! May also be used in a salad (in small doses, for most of us).
Sweet Potatoes: Not really potatoes, these delectable tubers – most famous for their appearance on the Thanksgiving table -- are the subject of this week’s Vegetable of the Week.
Cabbage and Cauliflower: Benefit from an “either-or” of these two delicious, extremely nutritious cruciferous veggies, close cousins in the produce world. Some will get small heads of cauliflower, others regular, Savoy, or Chinese cabbage.
Lettuce: We had very little lettuce left, and what we did have got pretty well “zapped” by the frost, so our lettuce this week is from Tuscarora Organic Co-Op.
Spinach: Another popular cool-weather crop. Unfortunately, our spinach succumbed to a combination of drought and weed pressure, so these tender leaves are also from Tuscarora.
Mizuna: An Asian green whose name always makes me (Tom) want to say “Gesundheit”! A mild mustard-like green, excellent in both salads and stir-fries. Be sure to pick over these greens, as a few unauthorized garden plants may be lurking in the bundles.
Parsley: The classic standby for garnishes and a key ingredient in the French bouquet garni, the herb bundle used to flavor soups and stocks, parsely also finds a home in salads, pesto, and much more.
Mint: Mint tea is often associated (in its iced form) with summer, but as hot tea it is just as lovely on a crisp Autumn day or evening. May also be used to flavor apple jelly to create the “mint jelly” that is the classic accompaniment to a roast leg of lamb, or anything else you may desire.
Bread: For those with bread shares, our wonderful Atwater bread this week is TBA.
SWEET POTATO SOUP
2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg ) yellow sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 cups (1 liter) water
1 to 3 cups (240 to 729 ml) water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 dashes ground cinnamon
2 dashes ground nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (60 ml) black raisins
1/4 cup (60 ml) toasted chopped pecans
Combine the sweet potatoes, onion and the 4 cups (1 liter) of water in a 10 to 12-quart (10 to 12 liter) stockpot. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork. Cool briefly.
Spoon the cooked potatoes, onions, and the cooking liquid into a food processor in batches and process until smooth and creamy. Return the soup to the stockpot.
Add additional water to create the desired thickness. Then stir in salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper and heat to serving temperature.
Pour the soup into serving bowls and garnish with raisins and chopped pecans. Makes 6 servings
SWEET SURPRISE
Purée cooked sweet potatoes with bananas, maple syrup and cinnamon. Top with chopped walnuts.
SUNNY SWEET POTATO SALAD
1 1/2 lbs. (675 g) yellow sweet potatoes
Water
1 large or 2 medium broccoli crowns
2 C. (480 ml) cooked beans, drained (pinto, kidney, or white)
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 C. (60 ml) chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 T. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch or two of cayenne pepper (optional)
Peel sweet potatoes and cut them into slices 3/4-inch (1.5 cm) thick. Place them in a 2-quart (2 liter) saucepan with about 1/2-inch (1 cm) of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and steam them until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cut them into bite-size pieces and put them into a large bowl.
Cut broccoli into florets and steam in a separate saucepan until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer them to the bowl with the sweet potatoes.
Add the beans along with the chopped tomato, cilantro, olive oil, and lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
If desired, add a touch of spice with a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. Makes 4 to 5 servings.
Waldorf Salad
1 medium sweet potato
1 sweet red apple, diced
1 pear, diced
1 stalk celery
1/4 C. (60 ml) raw pine nuts
2 to 3 T. Vegenaise or mayonnaise
Peel the sweet potato and slice it 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick. Put 1-inch (2.5 cm) of water into a 2-quart (2 liter) saucepan and place a metal steamer insert inside. Arrange the sweet potato slices in the steamer and steam until soft, about 7 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove the potato slices from the saucepan and cool.
Chop the potatoes and put them into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well to distribute the Vegenaise or mayonnaise evenly. Makes 2 to 3 servings.
SWEET POTATO FRITATTA
Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato
1 sweet, mild onion, such as Maui or Vidalia
1 green bell pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup sliced, julienned country ham (or sautéed Portobello mushrooms)
1 tablespoon butter
6 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Peel sweet potato; cut into 1/4-inch cubes. Blanch sweet potato cubes in boiling, salted water until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside. Chop onion and green pepper. Heat oil in omelet pan; sauté onion and bell pepper tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in cooked sweet potatoes and ham. Sauté 1 minute. Add butter to omelet pan. Beat eggs and season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs into omelet pan and stir with a fork. Cover pan and cook about 3 minutes to set egg. Uncover and place pan under hot broiler until top of frittata is firm, about 1 minute. Loosen with a rubber spatula and slide onto serving plate. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Farm Based Education Symposium: From November 8th - 10th, Rob, Lucy, and Tom will all be attending the 3rd annual Educational Farm Symposium, held this year at Shelburne Farms in Vermont. The Symposium is a project of the Farm Based Education Association, whose mission is to inspire, nurture and promote farm based education. As many of you know, we are working on developing educational programs at Spoutwood, and are looking forward to this opportunity to network with and learn from others in the growing – and exciting! – field of farm-based education.
We would be particularly grateful for a strong turn-out of shareholders on Thursday the 8th of November, our last Harvest of the season, since the staff will be away, and consequently harvest that day will be headed up by brave and experienced volunteers among our shareholders. We have the utmost confidence in them, but nonetheless they will need all your help and support!
Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes were actually born in Mexico, Central, and South America, as well as the West Indies. Their botanical name, Ipomoca batata, was derived from the American Indians of Louisiana who were growing them in native gardens as early as 1540. The Indians referred to sweet potatoes as batatas.
Nutrition:
Sweet potatoes are one of those foods to pack when you plan to be stranded on a desert island: They are low in sodium, cholesterol and fat. They are high in fiber, potassium, protein, Vitamin C, A and B6, plus, iron! Sweet potatoes are full of antioxidants and though they taste sweet, they don’t tax the system with sugars. They are known as ant diabetic food.
History:
Sweet potatoes are native to Central America and are one of the oldest vegetables known to man. They have been consumed since prehistoric times as evidenced by sweet potato relics dating back 10,000 years that have been discovered in Peruvian caves.
Christopher Columbus brought sweet potatoes to Europe after his first voyage to the New World in 1492. By the 16th century, they were brought to the Philippines by Spanish explorers and to Africa, India, Indonesia and southern Asia by the Portuguese. Around this same time, sweet potatoes began to be cultivated in the southern United States, where they still remain a staple food in the traditional cuisine. There are two major varieties of sweet potatoes, the yellow, drier, more mealy kind with lighter beige colored skins, and the orange, more moist, sweeter ones with reddish skins that are usually called "yams." True yams, however, are nothing like the sweet potato, but are a tuber native to Africa, very starchy, not very sweet, and grow as large as 100 pounds.
Sweet potatoes are a featured food in many Asian and Latin American cultures. Today, the main commercial producers of sweet potatoes include China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, India and Uganda.
Storage:
Sweet potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark and well-ventilated place, where they will keep fresh for up to ten days. They should be stored loose and not kept in a plastic bag. Keep them away from exposure to sunlight or temperatures above 60°F (about 15°C) since this will cause them to sprout or ferment. Uncooked sweet potatoes should not be kept in the refrigerator.
Tips for Preparing Sweet Potatoes:
If you purchase organically grown sweet potatoes, you can eat the entire tuber, flesh and skin. Yet, if you buy conventionally grown ones, you should peel them before eating since sometimes the skin is treated with dye or wax; if preparing the sweet potato whole, just peel it after cooking.
As the flesh of sweet potatoes will darken upon contact with the air, you should cook them immediately after peeling and/or cutting them. If this is not possible, to prevent oxidation, keep them in a bowl covered completely with water until you are ready to cook them.
Serving Ideas:
To Bake: Simply scrub the skins clean, place the sweet potatoes on a baking pan, and put them in a 425 oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Large ones may take a bit longer. Test for doneness by squeezing the skins. They should give easily and feel soft. Sweet potatoes are so delicious just as they are, they really don't need any extra toppings. The edible skins can be a little dry and tough after baking. If you want them to be softer, bake the sweet potatoes in aluminum foil with the shiny side of the foil inside.
Another way to bake sweet potatoes is to peel them and slice them about 1/4" thick. Brush them with a little canola oil and put them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake at 400 for about 30 to 35 minutes. Test for doneness with a fork. They should pierce easily.
Desserts made with sweet potatoes are an autumn favorite but can be enjoyed year round. Try making sweet potato pie, bread, muffins or pudding.
Baked sweet potatoes are delicious even when served cold and therefore make a great food to pack in to-go lunches.
To Steam: You can choose to peel them or not. Slice the sweet potatoes about 1/2" thick and put them into a steamer basket (either metal or bamboo) over a pot of water. Cover, and turn heat to high, bringing the water below to a boil. Keep the water boiling for about 7 to 10 minutes and fork test for doneness. They should pierce easily, and the skins will be very tender. You can also cube the sweet potatoes before steaming if you plan to use them in a casserole. (Steam cubed sweet potatoes, tofu, and broccoli. Mix in raisins and serve hot or cold with a curried vinaigrette dressing.)
To Sauté: Peel the sweet potatoes, and shred them on the coarse grater or in the food processor. Sauté them in a combination of canola oil and little water over high heat, tossing frequently until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Raw: Sweet potatoes, both the yellow and the orange varieties, can be shredded and added to salads for an additional boost of beta carotene. They can also be juiced or added to raw soups. Bright yellow or orange shredded sweet potatoes make the perfect garnish to a raw soup or salad topping.
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