Farm Notes
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have been busy bees getting Thanksgiving boxes prepared for you today. There is no need for you to bring a bag or box to take your items home as each box is in an actual box. You’d only need an extra bag if you wish to purchase any extras from our Farm Stand. Be sure to check below in the Veggie Tips section for information on how to store your Winter Storage and Fall Greens boxes.
We will also have bulk sweet potatoes available for sale: 40 lbs for $40.
Looking for a gift idea for this holiday season? The Organic Farming Unit is now offering gift certificates that can be used for any UK CSA program: the Farm Stand and/or the 2018 CSA share. Gift certificates can be purchased in person today at the Thanksgiving Box delivery on campus from 4-6pm, direct from the farm, or by email. Email ordered gift certificates can be delivered via campus mail or by post for $1.50 S&H fee.
Share the gift of fresh, local and delicious food with friends, family and coworkers!
If you have any questions, you can talk to us at distribution or send us an email, uk.csa@uky.edu.
What’s in Your Share
In the Winter Storage Box you’ll receive:
+ White and (mostly) Purple Potatoes
+ Pumpkin
+ Butternut Squash
+ Acorn Squash
+ Sweet Dumpling Squash (Delicata and Jester)
+ Sweet Potatoes
+ Carrots
+ Beets
+ Baby Ginger
+ Brussels Sprouts
+ Garlic
+ Mixed Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme and Sage)
In the Fall Greens Box you’ll receive:
+ Romaine Lettuce Heads
+ Spinach
+ Kale
+ Brussels Sprouts
+ Romanesco Cauliflower
+ Celery
+ Baby Ginger
+ Turmeric
+ Garlic
+ Assorted Winter Squash
+ Mixed Herbs (Sage and one of Mint, Chives or Oregano)
Farm Stand
The CSA Farm Stand will be set up at the campus location only from 4-6pm. This is a first-come, first-serve basis. We accept cash or check only please.
Items Available for Purchase this Week:
+ Romaine Lettuce Heads: $3
+ Spinach: $8/1 lb. bag
+ Kale: $3
+ Romanesco Cauliflower: $3
+ Celery: $3
+ Baby Ginger: $5/carton
+ Turmeric: $3/carton
+ Garlic: $1.50/bulb
+ Mixed Herbs: $2/bunch
+ Cabbage: $3
+ Broccoli: $2
+ Brussels Sprouts: $3.50/stalk
+ Carrots: $2/lb.
+ Beets: $3/lb.
+ Sweet Potatoes: $2.50/lb.
+ Microgreens: $2/1 oz. bag
+ Peashoots: $2/1 oz. bag
Vegetable Tips
+ Winter Squash can be either stored in a cool, dry place or in the refrigerator. It will last for several weeks. If you don’t use it up in a thanksgiving dish, you can always bake it in the oven and freeze for a later use. Check out our Preservation Tab for more information on baking and freezing winter squash.
+ Root crops such as beets and carrots can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator in the crisper drawer. These veggies will last several weeks.
+ The potatoes can also be stored in the refrigerator until used completely. Otherwise, they can generally be stored in a cool, dark, dry place.
+ To make it easier to store, the brussels sprouts can be popped off the stalk in placed in plastic bags and stored in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
+ Sweet potatoes can be stored in the paper bags in a cool, dry, dark place such as a pantry.
+ The greens like the Romaine Lettuce and the Kale can be stored in a plastic bag or just in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
+ Romanesco cauliflower can also be stored in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
+ Due to the high winds last Saturday, the row cover on the celery blew off. Normally, the celery can be stored for several weeks in the refrigerator. You will want to use this celery sooner rather than later.
+ The spinach will keep just fine in the plastic bag in the refrigerator. Although it has already been washed once, it may need another rinse in case there is any mud still on the leaves.
+ Both the ginger and turmeric will store for a few weeks in the refrigerator. You may freeze whole and just grate off whatever you need to make it last longer.
+ The herbs can be placed in a cup of water in the refrigerator to maximize their storage life.
Recipes
This year most of the potatoes you are receiving in the Winter Storage Box are purple. Purple potatoes can be used in a variety of ways. You can still mash them, or they can be roasted or sliced thinly and fried. Just because they are purple, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them in any of your favorite potato recipes.
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Roasted Vegan Thanksgiving Vegetable Bowl
Ingredients:
Sweet Roasted Squash and Carrots:
1 large carrot, peel, quarter and cut into 2″ long pieces
½ medium acorn squash, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar (plus a little extra)
pinch of salt
black pepper, to taste
Roasted Garlic Broccoli:
1 1/2-2 cup broccoli florets (cut large) (or romanesco cauliflower instead)
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tbsp olive oil
pinch salt
black pepper, to taste
Roasted Brussels Sprouts:
1½ cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
½ tbsp olive oil
1 tsp brown sugar
pinch salt
black pepper, to taste
Mashed Creamer Potatoes:
1.5 lb bag of The Little Potato Company’s Baby Boomer potatoes (or whatever potatoes you have on hand)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp vegan butter
¼ tsp salt
pinch each of dried thyme and oregano
Easy Vegan Gravy:
1 tbsp vegan butter (or olive oil)
2 tbsp flour
¼ tsp each of onion powder, thyme, and oregano
1 cup vegetable broth
Other:
1 can cranberry sauce
¼ cup chopped pecans
Directions:
Roasted Veggies:
Preheat oven to 425F. Prepare a nice BIG baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, mix carrots and acorn squash with olive oil, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Spread both the carrots and the squash out on your baking sheet. Next, mix halved Brussels sprouts (same bowl!) with brown sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper, then spread them out on the same baking sheet. Finally, mix the broccoli with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, making sure to really massage the garlic into the heads of the broccoli. Spread the broccoli on the baking sheet and pop everything in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes. About halfway through the cooking time, flip and stir everything on the baking sheet and sprinkle everything with ¼ cup of chopped pecans, and top the squash with and extra sprinkle of brown sugar.
Mashed Creamer Potatoes:
While everything is baking you can boil your potatoes on one element and make the gravy on another. Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes (until fork tender) before mashing them with vegetable broth, vegan butter (like Earth Balance or another vegan margarine), salt, dried thyme and oregano.
Easy Vegan Gravy:
In a small saucepan heat vegan butter over medium heat. Once hot, whisk in the flour, salt, thyme, and oregano, and mix well. Cook for 1 minute before slowly whisking in the veggie broth (you may find you need a little more or less depending on your preferred consistency.) Simmer for 3-5 minutes until thick, adjusting the consistency with extra vegetable broth as needed.
Notes:
Serve with cranberry sauce. Top mashed potatoes and/or roasted veggies with gravy
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Winter Squash can be used in a variety of ways. Try stuffing it with different ingredients such as sausage and apples or you can cut it into chunks and roast it with other veggies in the oven. You can slice the delicata, jester and acorn squash into rings and roast in the oven to make a delicious appetizer for your Thanksgiving meal. In addition to using the squash in your actual meal, you can also use it in different baked goods like pumpkin pie, cookies and muffins.
Roasted Acorn Squash with Orange-Cranberry Glaze
From Mollie Katzen’s The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without
Ingredients:
2 acorn squash, seeded and cut into quarters
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (strained)
1 tsp finely minced orange zest
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp light-colored honey
1 1/2 tsp dried cranberries
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking tray with foil and brush with olive oil. Brush cut surfaces with oil as well, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange the squash, one cut-side down, on the tray and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the squash so the other cut side is now facedown and roast for about 15 minutes longer or until fork-tender. Remove tray from oven and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch with 2 Tbs of the orange juice and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining orange juice, along with the zest, vinegar and honey; whisk to combine. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking, for about 5 minutes, or until thick and shiny. (The mixture will turn from milky orange to a translucent glaze.) Remove from the heat and stir in the cranberries. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. To serve, arrange the squash wedges on a platter and drizzle with the glaze, about 2 Tbs per piece.
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Pumpkin (or any Winter Squash) Walnut Cookies
Recipe from The Practical Produce Cookbook by Ray and Elsie Hoover
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg or ginger
1/2 cup soft butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed pumpkin (or any winter squash)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Stir in pumpkin and vanilla. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375F for 12-14 minutes.
Variation:
Add 1 cup chocolate chips instead of walnuts or delete both and frost with a pumpkin frosting.
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Fresh Ginger Cranberry Relish
Ingredients:
1 large navel orange
1 medium lemon
2 packages (12 oz. each) fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed
1 cup sugar
1/3 to 1/2 cup coarsely chopped ginger root
Directions:
Cut unpeeled orange and lemon into wedges; remove any seeds. Transfer orange and lemon to a food processor; add remaining ingredients. Pulse until chopped. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate, covered, overnight.
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Turmeric can be added to many dishes to add a peppery flavor and bright color. Try it steeped in teas, added to smoothies, grated and added to dishes like stir fries, marinades, soups, stews or sauces. You can even make cock tails out of it. Let us know how you enjoyed your turmeric this Thanksgiving and share a photo of your dish with us @ukcsa on Instagram!
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