Small and ugly on the outside, Gold Beets have a sweet, slightly less-earthy flavor than their red sisters. The color is fantastic, and they don't bleed staining red juice all over the place. We especially like them just baked. Simply rub trimmed (not peeled) beets with olive or vegetable oil and place them in a casserole dish with 1/2 inch of water. Cover and bake in a 400 degree oven for about an hour. The beets are ready when they can easily be penetrated with a paring knife. Cool slightly and slip the peel off. We slip the peel off under running water; it saves on burning the fingers. Eat and enjoy.
Brussels Sprouts often garner looks of disdain, with memories of childhood dinners ruined by the funny little cabbages. But wait! Brussels sprouts harvested after a hard frost are an entirely different vegetable than the specimens from the coast of California. Try them! To prepare for cooking, pare off the tough bottom part of the sprout stem. Steaming works well, and is more forgiving than boiling, but don’t overcook them! Sprouts are best when tender but not mushy. Our favorite, albeit unconventional, preparation follows.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1 lb Brussels sprouts
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Preheat the oven 400 degrees. Mix Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for about 40 minutes, shaking occasionally, until crisp on the outside but still tender inside. Sprinkle with even more salt, and serve.
Romanesco broccoli —sort of like a chartreuse, conical cauliflower—always elicits lots of interest when people see it for the first time. We love the nutty flavor and smooth texture of it lightly cooked. The season for this gourmet treat is pretty short in the Upper Midwest, and we've gotten kind of stuck on the following preparation, which we use for almost all of the romanesco we harvest for ourselves.
Romanesco with Dried Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives
1-1/2 lbs Romanesco Broccoli
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/4 dried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp capers
10 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
2 pinches cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Break florets off of the romanesco head, and boil until al dente (about 3 minutes) - do not overcook! Drain. Heat olive oil and simmer garlic in oil until it just turns golden. Set aside. In a fresh bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add garlic, mix well, and toss in the romanesco. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm.
We took a four week break from Carrots to let them size up out in the field, and it seems to have paid off! Everybody on the farm has been gobbling these orange beauties almost constantly since we picked them late last week.
We think of Carola Potatoes as farmer-friendly Yukon Golds, since they aren't as susceptible to the same various physiological disorders but has a flavor and texture that is just as good or better
We harvest Rosemary from our greenhouse all winter. If the stems are soft, you can chop them right along with the leaves; if they are woody, strip the leaves before using.
Round, off-white, and kind of ugly, Celeriac is exactly the same species as celery, and actually a more ancient form. Selected for its swollen root instead of its fleshy stems, it has all of the same flavor compounds as celery, with an additional earthy note. We use it most often in soups and roasted vegetables, or mashed with potatoes, as follows:
Celeriac and Potato Puree
2 lbs potatoes, cubed
1lb Celeriac, peeled, and cubed
1 teaspoon rosemary, minced
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup cream or milk
1/4 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375. Boil potatoes and celeriac together in a large pot, until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and put on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes (this dries the potatoes and celeriac out). Melt the butter and add the rosemary to it. After the potatoes and celeriac are baked mash them with the butter (or pass through a potato ricer). Add the stock and cream, stir, season with salt and pepper.
On our farm, harvest of the long, white daikon radish signifies the change from early fall to late fall. Widely grown and universally eaten in Japan, daikon radish is known for being a digestive stimulant. We like it sliced and served raw alongside almost any meal; it makes an especially good foil for salty meats.
Easy-to-peel Rocambole Garlic is a staple for warding off the first colds of winter!
This week's Winter Greens Mix is a simple mix of endive, escarole, and lettuce. It will hold up quite nicely to a sturdy dressing, such as ranch, blue cheese, or the following. Avocados are actually in season right now, and it is well worth making the most of them!
Avocado Goddess Dressing
1 ripe avocado, seeded
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
pepper
dash of cayenne
Scoop the avocado out and mash with a fork. Add other ingredients and continue to macerate until you have a salad dressing consistency.
With a slightly sweet flavor and fine texture, Shallots make a great addition to salad dressings, or other minimally-cooked uses; they are also great where you want to add some extra-special onion flavor.
Among our favorite winter squash, Heart of Gold Squash lends itself very well to baking as you would an acorn squash.
With bright pink skin, Scarlet Turnips have a sweeter, less earthy flavor than a regular turnip. Great in soups, stews, and roasted vegetables, we also enjoy scarlet turnips served raw. Ours got a little bit big this year, but don't be afraid: the flavor is still quite nice.
With a green shoulders, white bottoms, and a little bit of pink blush at the tail, Beauty Heart Radishes may not look like much. But when you cut them open, you will discover a fantastic, sweet pink flesh. We eat these sliced and served. They do have a touch of spice, but most of that is in the peel, so you can leave that or take it off, as you like.
