If there are leftovers (or in case this is pertinent to others reading) my current favorite use for spaghetti squash is as a base for beef pot roast or stew. The flavors really complement each other...

Oooh, I love that idea as a base for stew. I just happen to have a lamb stew simmering on the stove right now...I think I'll scrap the usual brown-wild rice blend, and go for the squash! Thanks for the tip!

My delivery from two weeks ago:



Carrots, parsnips, celery, kale, fennel, tomato, cabbage, pears, watermelon, basil, raspberries, assorted peppers, garlic, cipollini onions, ground lamb, ground beef, and chuck roast.

We get another delivery tonight.

I made a kale and potato soup that turned out really well. I also did some nice roasted root vegetables with the rest of the carrots, parsnips, fennel, onions, garlic, and some kohlrabi from the farmers market.

Delivery from 10/07/08.



Squash (that I need to ID), rutabaga, red onion, purple potatoes (more than shown in the picutre), apples (more than show in the picture), pears (more than shown in the picture), spinach, beets, radishes, leeks, celaric, brocoli, lettuce and a leg of lamb.

I'm really excited about the leg of lamb. I have never cooked one before, and at her prices, it's one expensive piece of meat. I'm not yet sure what I am going to do with it.

A couple of close ups:

Brandon, I love your pics!

The squash is delicata. It's a hard/winter squash, but it cooks almost like a summer squash. You do not need to peel. Slice and roast works well.

I have no idea your long term plans, but purple potatoes are especially good keepers.

Thanks for the ID on the squash.

I'm not sure what I will do with all of the purple potatoes, though I did find a recipe for a purple potato gratin that looks pretty good.

Homegrown Wisconsin Delivery #9 of 10



--A nice variety of peppers
--eggs
--head of broccoli
--one turnip
--bunch of arugula
--a few small parsnips
--large head of green cabbage
--large bag of carrots (we've received a lot of excellent carrots this year)
--one beautiful butternut squash
--one acorn squash
--a variety of sweet potatoes (unknown varieties)
--daikon radish (oddly seems to be cut in half. I guess there wasn't enough for everyone)

Overall, a nice early fall box. The single turnip and the small parsnips are a bit annoying since there's not enough volume there do make a single dish. In the newsletter, they recommend a root-vegetable gratin, which sounds like a nice idea.

One more delivery. I'm hoping for some Brussels sprouts.

Best,
Michael

Michael - I have been doing a lot of roasted root vegetables with what has been showing up in my box. Last week I did some carrots, the turnip/rutabaga, and some potatoes. A little bit of sugar, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and a good amount of butter. I just love roasted vegetables. Earlier I did pretty much the same prep with parsnips, carrots, potatoes, and some onions.

There is a Vietnamese grocery store up here that sells sandwiches that they bring up from Chicago. The place in Chicago makes their own pickled carrots and daikon radish that they put on their sandwiches. It's so good. Sorry, your daikon made me think of that.

brandon_w wrote:Michael - I have been doing a lot of roasted root vegetables with what has been showing up in my box. Last week I did some carrots, the turnip/rutabaga, and some potatoes. A little bit of sugar, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and a good amount of butter. I just love roasted vegetables. Earlier I did pretty much the same prep with parsnips, carrots, potatoes, and some onions.

There is a Vietnamese grocery store up here that sells sandwiches that they bring up from Chicago. The place in Chicago makes their own pickled carrots and daikon radish that they put on their sandwiches. It's so good. Sorry, your daikon made me think of that.

Thanks Brandon. I'm right there with you. I pretty much roast every veggie that comes through my door and I think my wife is getting a bit sick of it. I'm gonna try and get a little more creative with it this time.

This is the second time we got a daikon. Last time it wound up braised with chicken thighs (I think). I like the texture and mild sweetness from braised daikons. Pickling sounds like a nice change of pace. Maybe I'll put half of it through the mandoline and pickle the thin slices.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:

brandon_w wrote:Michael - I have been doing a lot of roasted root vegetables with what has been showing up in my box. Last week I did some carrots, the turnip/rutabaga, and some potatoes. A little bit of sugar, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and a good amount of butter. I just love roasted vegetables. Earlier I did pretty much the same prep with parsnips, carrots, potatoes, and some onions.

There is a Vietnamese grocery store up here that sells sandwiches that they bring up from Chicago. The place in Chicago makes their own pickled carrots and daikon radish that they put on their sandwiches. It's so good. Sorry, your daikon made me think of that.

Thanks Brandon. I'm right there with you. I pretty much roast every veggie that comes through my door and I think my wife is getting a bit sick of it. I'm gonna try and get a little more creative with it this time.

This is the second time we got a daikon. Last time it wound up braised with chicken thighs (I think). I like the texture and mild sweetness from braised daikons. Pickling sounds like a nice change of pace. Maybe I'll put half of it through the mandoline and pickle the thin slices.

Best,
Michael

I used to be right there with both of you, but lately I've taken to steaming rather than roasting my root veggies and winter squashes. I have found that steaming really preserves the essence of the vegetable. It's also quite flexible. I keep the cooked stuff in the fridge, then reheat in the nuker and mash various combinations of carrots, squash, potato, turnip, parsnip, etc. with various combinations of flavorings, including brown sugar, honey, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, buttermilk, truffle salt, apple cider, and whatever else is lying around and looks like it might be good.

I agree with Kenny that mashing is a good thing and a good way to combine misc. root veg. You can also use potatoes to stretch or contour the mash. The other thing is, things like parsnips and turnips and carrots, last a real long time in the fridge. Just pile up those parsnips until you need them. They should be just fine for a good while.

Last night was our second to last delivery. I had to work late so a friend picked it up for me, because of the long day that I had, I didn't feel like taking a picture.

In the delivery though we recieved some ground beef, lamb shanks, lamb chops, lettuce, nappa valley cabbage, onion, two eggplants, an assortment of peppers, parsley, broccoli, a pumpkin (a small pie making one), acorn squash, spinach, apples, and pears. I think that is everything. A very nice delivery, and I am sad that next week is the last one.

Homegrown Wisconsin Delivery #10 of 10

I'm a little late on this report, sorry.

Here's the final delivery:



--A variety of potatoes
--Some sweet potatoes of various size
--A few red onions
--A bag of spinach
--Carrots (I've been very happy with the quality of carrots received)
--1 pie pumpkin (I'm planning on making a pumpkin-apple galette today)
--2 delicata squash. These are wonderful. They roast up fast and they're flavorful and sweet. It's a shame we don't see more of these in markets.
--Apples (a variety)
--Eggs
--1/2 oz. of marijuana. Or maybe it's just dried mint.

Overall, I was very pleased with this CSA. The 1/2 share kept the two of us well-stocked with produce which I supplemented with trips to farmers markets for staples that I was low on and fruit and berries (which I eat a lot of).

Here's the full set of photos (minus one delivery and plus a couple extra food photos).

My winter share (three monthly deliveries) starts next week.

Homegrown Wisconsin is taking signups for the 2009 season. I highly recommend it.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:--2 delicata squash. These are wonderful. They roast up fast and they're flavorful and sweet. It's a shame we don't see more of these in markets.

My wife is especially keen on delicatas too. They are infinitely easier to deal with than other hard squashes. Just slice in chunks, no peeling required, the seeding is easy. You can also eat that skin, unlike other winter squash. The difference is that delicatas will not last nearly as long as other winter squash. They are a fall squash for sure.

As to seeing them in the markets, they're pretty common. I know Nichols and Farmer Vicki's Genesis Growers* both carried, and I would expect Vicki still has some at her Green City stand.

*The Hungry Hound featured Vicki the other night. Video here

Vital Information wrote:They are infinitely easier to deal with than other hard squashes. Just slice in chunks, no peeling required, the seeding is easy. You can also eat that skin, unlike other winter squash.

Now you tell me, Rob! I spent a half an hour or more peeling two delicatas yesterday...

Looks like HGW was a success. Thanks for all the great reports! I am thinking of joining for June. Has anyone tried others? Is this the best one in the Chicago area? How strict are they on the "sustainablilty" of thier farms? If I am going directly to the farmer, I would like to do the most good, both for the planet and my palette.

I am thinking of joining a CSA for summer 2009, too, before the rates go up (must deliver to Oak Park). However, there are only 2 of us and my husband is not that adventurous of a veggie eater. Will a whole share be too much? I don't have a lot of room (or time) to freeze/can/preserve.

Thanks,
Katie

Cheesehead wrote:I am thinking of joining a CSA for summer 2009, too, before the rates go up (must deliver to Oak Park). However, there are only 2 of us and my husband is not that adventurous of a veggie eater. Will a whole share be too much? I don't have a lot of room (or time) to freeze/can/preserve.

Thanks,
Katie

In a word, yes. A whole share works for 2 only if you're okay with eating veggies almost all the time. If you've got one person who's not that into it, I think you'll have a lot of waste. Is a half-share an option?

I was looking at Angelic Organics but they don't have a half-share. Does anyone have a recommendation for a CSA that delivers half-shares to Oak Park?

Here is a good list of links that may be of help:

http://www.thelandconnection.org/local_ ... sumers.cfm

Genesis Growers has a pick up in Oak Park and offers a "medium" share option, which is good for 2-3 people (in addition to a "large" share, which is good for 4-5 people). We had a medium share last year for a family of 2 adults, a toddler and a newborn and it was just about the right amount for us, although I would not put either of the two adults in our family in your husband's category. We had some excess in weeks where we traveled, ate out more than usual, or where boxes were really big (as in much of August and September), but did a pretty good job freezing it (much as baby food), giving extra away to friends, or otherwise making use of it.

A few friends of LTH over at The Local Beet have put together a fantastic list of CSA's for 2009. I highly recommend checking it out:

2009 CSA Guide, by Michael Morowitz

=R=

I split a share from Sweet Earth Organic Farm this summer and have decided to try a different CSA next year. Sweet Earth seems to be a very small operation. There is no one in charge of communications and the farmer (understandably) doesn't have much time for it. On one hand, you're helping a small farmer directly, on the other it became a burden on me toward the end of the summer because of the lack of communication.

At the beginning of the year, there was a late start due to weather (completely understandable), but little communication about what was happening, when the shares would start, the day of the week and location they would be available. After that rocky start, there were weeks where the farmer had to be late with a delivery and we weren't informed--I drove to pick up the share and found nothing there. The CSA became somewhat more responsive over the course of the summer, but it was really frustrating.

The quality and variety of the vegetables was somewhat variable as well. One week when the farmer missed a delivery, the next week was a double share, but it seemed like half of that share was left over from the week before because we got some rotted cauliflower.

I think we're going to try Home Grown Wisconsin this year. They're pricier, but it seems like people have had a good experience.

What I've learned from this thread so far is that my household is not well suited for enrollment in a CSA, given it's just the two of us, and Sweet Baboo is allergic to most fruits and avoidant of most vegetables. I've concluded my money's better spent visiting the nearby farmers' markets. My sister who lives 15 minutes away is CSA-curious and it might be worthwhile for the two of us to go in together on one, but that's the only way I can see it being worth the cost for us, right now anyway.

I'm not a CSA member, but I enjoyed this thread last year, so I hope it is resurrected this season. I don't partake in CSA's because I enjoy immensely shopping the farmers markets, tasting everyone's wares, and compiling my own weekly bounty. Here's today's:



Blue Marble whole milk and drinkable yogurt. One pint of strawberries from Green Acres and one pint from Mick Klug - Mick's being sweeter and sturdier (to be used in dessert), and GA's being more acidic and delicate (to be used in a caprese salad). Eggs, basil and asparagus from a farm in Michigan whose name I forgot. Wild ferns and French shallots from Green Acres.

2009 Home Grown Wisconsin half-share, 1/10:







Lettuce, spinach, rhubarb, green garlic, mint, asparagus, strawberries, white buttons.

We too got our first delivery of the season today from Home Grown Wisconsin. For dinner tonight, we made a big salad with the red leaf and romaine lettuces we received in our box. I made a vinaigrette out of xvoo, champagne vinegar, and touches of miso, avocado, honey and dijon mustard. I also finely grated one bulb of the green garlic from our box into into it. I could not believe how tender, supple and tasty the lettuces were and the green garlic was so aromatic, I could smell it in the car all the way home from the pick-up point. Great stuff!

=R=

Also got my first shipment from HGW. Started with strawberries, almonds, and balsamic vinegar. Then braised a pork hock with red wine, the button mushrooms, and the green garlic.

We will be eating great salads for the next few days.

I made a vinaigrette out of xvoo, champagne vinegar, and touches of miso, avocado, honey and dijon mustard. I also finely grated one bulb of the green garlic from our box into into it. I could not believe how tender, supple and tasty the lettuces were and the green garlic was so aromatic, I could smell it in the car all the way home from the pick-up point.

I get an HGA half share. This salad sounds great--I think a rough version of this will be dinner tonight.
What's everyone doing with their strawberries and rhubarb? (I like msmre's idea but I was thinking more along the lines of a crisp or something)

I'm splitting a HGW halfshare with my brother. I've got a lot of salad in my immediate future...

Not that I'm proud of this, but the closest I've gotten to rhubarb before was in a Baker's Square. I considered just chopping it up and cooking it down into a compote or something similar to top ice cream. But, with no ice cream and a Googler's need for instant gratification, I decided that wouldn't do. So, I made the crumble bar recipe that came in the newsletter. I ended up with not enough rhubarb (again, I'm splitting a half share) so I added some of the strawberries, but was still well under the amount called for in the recipe. Oh, and I added some of the fresh mint! I couldn't believe they didn't suggest that in the recipe, seemed (and tasted) like a natural addition. I pulled them out after the advised 25 mins and though the crumble part had browned nicely, the fruit part was very liquidy like a loose cobbler, which was surprising since I used less fruit than called for. I ended up popping them in for another 10-15 minutes which did the trick. Next time, if there is a next time, I would cut back on the sugar; mine came out too sweet, but I only had dark brown sugar in the house so maybe that's why?

I definitely feel like I'm fumbling my way through new ingredients and recipes and techniques and pairings, but that's exactly what I was hoping for. I can already tell I'm going to come out of this with a lot of knowledge and appreciation that I didn't have before. And salads. Lots of salads.