CSA is Back!!

Summer has arrived!  Yesterday was our first beach day of the summer then on the way home from the beach we popped in to pick up our first CSA box of the summer.  Yippee!!!  Now that I am a CSA veteran, I kind of know what to expect of my summer boxes, lettuce and radishes dominate the first few harvests.

We got some small beets in this first box and the white radish they gave us last year.

Our CSA farm has a thing for radish, we get so so many throughout the summer.  I will again search for interesting radish recipes.

Now I am not complaining, but I was a bit disappointed that the summer started with the darn kohlrabi.  My summer challenge is to find a good recipe for the kohlrabi, I never really found one last year.  Our CSA lady suggested making them like french fries for the kids, but I am guessing my kids might not be fooled, maybe I'll give it  a try any how.  Get ready for luscious veggie pics all summer long!!

Blue Hubbard Squash Pie

Here it is as promised... the Blue Hubbard Squash Pie!  Easy as pie!  Each time I make a pie I think, that really was easy as pie.  A truer saying couldn't exist, pies are really so simple to make.  My dad is a the pie master.  He usually makes a big batch of pumpkin and sweet potato pies each Fall.  He also use to turn out quite a few blackberry pies, I have more bad memories of those.  He would send my brother, sister and I out into wild blackberry fields with 10 gallon buckets, in the Texas heat.  Yea, 10 gallon buckets, like the ones paint or dry wall mud come in.  He would then spend a whole weekend making pies and jam.  It makes me laugh now to see blackberries in the grocery store for $5 a pint.  The thought of paying for blackberries is funny to me.  

For this pie I used a basic pumpkin pie recipe and just substituted the squash.  I made one with half-and-half and one with soy milk for my little allergy boy.  He gets a whole pie.  Well this is actually a test pie to see if all my non-dairy friends are lying to me about how soy milk is so replaceable with real milk.  I can't seem to tell the difference too much with the soy.  The dairy pie has a slightly more creamy consistency and a barely noticeable richer taste.  The flavor of the pie is of course quite similar to pumpkin, but the squash has a much more subtle flavor. All in all a decent way to use up a huge squash.

Blue Hubbard Squash Pie 

Pie Crust - I used Pillsbury prepared crust, you can obviously do one from scratch too. 

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of ground cloves

Pinch of salt

2 cups fresh squash puree 

2 cups half-and-half, whole milk or soy milk (dairy free option!)

To prepare the squash; peel and cut into small cubes.  Boil the cubes till fork tender.  Cool and puree in a food processor.

Pre-bake the crust, 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  Mix all the ingredients well.  Place pie shells on a cookie sheet.  Fill hot pie shells with pie mix.  Cover crust with tin foil to avoid too much browning.  Bake for 50-60 minutes at 375 until firm but still jiggles in the center.  The squash seemed to need to bake longer than a standard pumpkin pie, it was very shaky after 40-50 minutes.  Remove the tin foil from the crust for the last 10-15 minutes to complete the browning.  Cool pies on cooling rack and serve warm or chilled with whipped cream. 

Out-take (below):  The pie the cat ate.  Those are little tongue marks on the corner of that pie.  Last year she stepped in a pumpkin pie, maybe she should permanently move to the neighbor's.  Grrr.

Blue Hubbard Squash

We smashed it!  It was a ceremonious event on Thanksgiving Day.  The whole gang went out in the street and we smashed it.  I appeared to be the only way to break into the darn thing after reading such scary reviews of carving the Hubbard. The most common way of getting into a Blue Hubbard Squash is smashing it in the driveway.  After doing this I must say, it really was not necessary.  It didn't seem any tougher than a pumpkin.  We could have carved it in a civilized fashion, but what would have been the fun in that?  My husband also gave it a little more air than maybe necessary, but again, there is the fun.  So here is how we spent half-time on Thanksgiving Day.

There were many more pieces than this after the bomb like explosion. I had to rinse it well as it had bits of gravel and dirt all through it.  Sigh.  The first batch of Hubbard squash I cooked was on Thanksgiving.  I just roasted cubes of it in olive oil, salt, pepper and a little brown sugar.  It was good, nothing great, kind of like all winter squashes.

It was almost artistic with the grey was against the bright orange.

After whittling away at it, this is the result.  Lots and lots of squash.  What to do with it all?  Everything I have read about the Hubbard says just cook it like any other winter squash, just cook a lot of it.  Think I'll make a pie, stay tuned.

Jack O'Lantern Fun

I finally found a good use for all the excess CSA veggies.  Radishes are great in pumpkin carving and we finally found a good use for kale.  I saw the butternut squash ghosts in Martha Stewart's Halloween Magazine and loved them.  Got so many great compliments on the squash from trick or treating parents.  We had a fabulous Halloween and the whole family had a blast decorating the pumpkins.  Here are the highlights:

There is a hole in here!  We had to do some creative carving to cover the bad spots where the dang squirrels ate my pumpkin.  This big pumpkin has been sitting in the yard all month and the squirrels went to town on it.

We didn't even hollow out the little one, just stuck stuff all over him.  The pineapple top was my husband's idea.  Found use for all those darn white radish - buck teeth!  I also have a lot of old jalapeños from my salsa canning event, they made great noses and eyes. 

The oldest boy made this one all by himself.  What an artist we have on our hands.

You know as much as I really don't want to like Martha Stewart (not really sure why I want to hate her, it just seems like I should), but the lady really does come up with cool stuff (or her people do, whatever).  Loved these squash ghosts.  They look great at night.  

Fun with pumpkin guts and the aftermath.  We didn't even bother with newspaper, just swept and mopped it all up after.  

We lit the big guy's pipe and used some kale to make the little patch mustache to cover the squirrel damage.

BOO!

CSA Season Ends

So sad.  We picked up the last box for the CSA season on Tuesday.  The last few boxes were packed full of winter squash and potatoes that I am storing in the basement.  Properly stored the squash and potatoes should get us through the rest of the year pretty easily.  I loved being apart of the CSA.  We will definitely do it again next year.  It might not be for everyone, getting a huge box of random vegetables every week can be a bit overwhelming, but if you really like to cook and have the time to put into using all the veggies I highly recommend the CSA.  It was cheaper than shopping weekly at the farmers market and I like getting things I would not buy on my own.  Pushes you out of your regular food routine.  Till next June when the boxes start coming again, guess we are back to grocery store produce.

Lots of dirty root veggie. Perfect for basement storage

The last box did not disappoint.  They really saved the best and strangest for last - we got a Blue Hubbard Squash.  It is the ugliest thing you ever saw and all the preparation instructions suggest you smash it open in your driveway.  It will keep for a long time, so I am not cooking it yet, but will share with my blog world the process and out come when we finally do crack that baby open.

Just to reference the size, you can see it is about as big as the cat.

Goodbye CSA!  Till Next year :-(

I can CAN!

Ok, not that Can Can.  But what fun!

This kind of can.  Why is canning if you use jars?

What an adventure!  I had big plans to take beautiful pictures of the whole process, but I literally ended up with with too many pots on the stove and the camera was lost in the mess for a good portion of the event.  Those food shows on TV are like Vickie Secret's models, they set unrealistic expectations for the average person.  My kitchen could not look anything less like a TV show kitchen during this process, it was mad chaos!  When the Food Network folks finally give me my own show they will have to hire twice as many production assistants than their other shows, I am messy in the kitchen.  Anyway, the canning was a success:  I can CAN!   Here is the story and some recipes.

There it is; everything I need to create and can four different condiments.  Wait... something is missing....

OK, now we are ready to can!

The challenge was to can condiments:  salsa, zucchini/pepper relish, pickled radish and sweet pepper relish.  I started with my tried and true salsa.  It really was the same old recipe, just added some vinegar and cooked it for 20 minutes.  Tastes great!  While the salsa was cooking I started the zucchini/pepper relish and sweet pepper relish.  I have to go an a small tangent here to share my new found love of the Cuisinart.  At the risk of sounding ignorant, I had no idea what all those crazy attachments were for and have only used my Cuisinart with the blade that chops. I only own it because it is somehow a required item on all wedding registries so I got it as a wedding gift years ago. The slicer and shredder are pure brilliance!  I had no idea the Cuisinart could do all this and since it has the safety locks I could let me 3 year old son help me by pushing the button.  Pure joy for a small boy to watch a whole zucchini shredded to bits in a matter of seconds (I sort of thought it was cool too).  

Sorry for the diversion, but I am really excited about the Cuisinart.

After shredding a lot of zucchini and a variety of peppers, I started slicing radishes.  I hand sliced way too many radish.  I never would have had enough jars for all the radish I sliced and was not sure how well the pickled radish will taste, so I only sealed about 6 jars of radish.  Once I made the pickling juice it only filled one jar, I hadn't planned for that, so I had to make a bigger batch to complete the task.  All in all, I was able to create all four condiments and they all came out pretty good. And most importantly all my little lids popped shut - no botulism here!

Salsa 

Source - my own version.  The quantities may vary.  I didn't really measure this, just kind of threw stuff in until it looked and tasted great. 

INGREDIENTS

14 Large Ripe Tomatoes - skinned, de-seeded and chopped small

1 Large White Onion - chopped
5 Large Tomitillo - chopped 

6 Jalepenos - chopped small
1 Green Bell Pepper - chopped  

1 Cup Fresh Cilantro - chopped 

Juice from one Lime 

4 Cloves Crushed Garlic 

1 Tablespoon of Salt 

1/3 Cup Vinegar 

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Don't actually bring it to a boil.  Pour the hot salsa into warm jars and complete the canning process.

First I had to parboil the tomatoes then peel and de-seed them.  Such a simple process; drop whole tomatoes into boiling water for 2 minutes, remove and place tomatoes into a bowl of ice water for a few minutes.  Once you remove them from the ice water the skin just falls right off.  Cut and remove all the seeds and water so you only have tomato meat left.

Zucchini Pepper Relish 
Source:  What's Cooking Havre Boucher Cookbook.  A community cookbook put together by the Volunteer Fire Department in the small rural Nova Scotia town that my mother-in-law grew up in and still lives.  Small town full of truly amazing home cooks.

INGREDIENTS

10 cups shredded zucchini
4 cups chopped onion
4 tablespoons salt
3 each red and green peppers seeded and finely chopped
2 yellow peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon each ground turmeric, celery seed, ground nutmeg, mustard powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Note:  I shredded everything, nothing was chopped, we were just having too much fun with the Cuisinart.  I also did not salt the zucchini first.  I can see how competing this process would make a less water relish than I got.

Combine zucchini, onion, salt and peppers.  Let stand for 1 1/2 hours.  Drain and rinse with cold water. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine all ingredients in a preserving kettle or Dutch oven; simmer, just below boiling point, for about 30-40 minutes.  Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

Shredding frenzy!

Shredded the peppers too!

Sweet Pepper Relish 
I used the same recipe as the zucchini relish, just added jalapeños and a bit less sugar.

Pickled Radish 
Source: Ugh!  I can't remember or find it again.  It was on another blog.  Radish recipes are generally not too common, so not sure why I can't find it again. Anyway, this recipe came from a great blog about canning.

INGREDIENTS
13 Radish - very thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon coriander seed
1/4 whole peppercorn
1 bay leaf

Combine all ingredients except the radish in a small saucepan and bring to a boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Fill jars with sliced radish then top the radish with the pickling juice.  Complete canning.

Soooo many radish! 

They are really pretty though.

CANNING

Here is the actual process and turns out it is very simple. Wash and sterilize all the cans and lids.  I used the dishwasher for this as it completes two tasks - sterilizes and keeps the jars warm till canning time.  When the contents are complete, simply fill the warm jars with the warm ingredients leaving an inch or so at the top.  Wipe the top clean.  Place the brand new can lid with seal on top, then screw on the ring, not really tight.  Submerge closed jars into a pot of rapidly boiling water.  Must have at least 2 inches of water over the top of the jar.  Boil jars for the amount of time directed on each recipe.  I boiled all 3 recipes for 20-30 minutes each.  Remove jars from boiling water, place on cooling rack or dish towels and wait to hear the "pop" of each jar sealing as it cools.  Screw the lids on tight now.  Let cool for 12 hours on the racks then store and use as you would grocery store purchased jars.  It was ridiculously easy!

Please don't take my word as the hard fast rules of canning.  Botulism scares me so I don't want to be responsible for any canning mishaps.  Check out the following link for a more detailed explanation of the canning process.  

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_home.html

I can CAN - so can YOU!

Canning is Cool!

At least that is what all the blogs are trying to convince me.  My CSA wraps up in a few weeks and the final boxes feel like an inventory reduction sale with loads of zucchini, peppers and radishes.  Currently there are 10 zucchini in my kitchen and I have already made 5 batches of zucchini bread.  I am not sure the exact measurement of a peck, but my crisper drawer is giving Peter Pipper a run for his money on peppers.  Here is the challenge I have given myself, for no other reason than to make my own life more difficult, make and can condiments.  My list of homemade condiments includes: salsa, pickled radish, zucchini relish and sweet pepper relish.  Should be interesting.  I have been studying recipes on-line and in books for the2 days, just have to make one last grocery run to get all the necessary items, then the canning marathon begins!  I will chronicle the chaos in a future blog post.  Yikes.

Please feel free to share any canning ideas or recipes that might help with my surplus.

CSA - Eggplant and Zucchini Parmesan

Eggplant and Zucchini Parmesan

I have made eggplant parm maybe two times from scratch.  It is kind of like child birth; you forget how painful it is which is why you are dumb enough do it again and mid way through you think, why on earth did I do this again!?!  It is a very hot, messy, and time consuming task to bread and fry all those eggplant rounds. Of course when it comes bubbly hot out of the oven your labor of love is just perfect and you are so pleased you think - hey, I could do that again.  I have heard people talk of buying pre-cooked frozen eggplant slices.  I have searched the frozen food department high and low looking, but have yet to find such an item.  I think it is just a mystical dream product, and since no one I know will admit to actually using them, I still can't find them.

With this recipe I used both eggplant and zucchini to create a mixed parm casserole.  And I will admit my cheat;  I used a jar of sauce for this one.  I often make my own sauce, but also keep jars of good sauce on hand; Classico or Paul Newman's.  It was excellent with the jar sauce!  The big leaves of basil layered in were  perfection.


Eggplant and Zucchini Parmesan
Source:  variation on a recipe in  How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

1 medium eggplant
1 large zucchini
Vegetable oil for frying
Flour for dredging - about 1 cup
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups grated mozzarella
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 dozen fresh basil leaves

Peel the eggplant and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Salt it if you like.

Side note on Salting Eggplant:  I have been salting eggplants lately, it does seem to make them sweeter and less rubbery when cooked.  I have seen a few ways to do it.  I use to lay the eggplant in single layers on cookie sheets then salt, but they sit in the water that comes out then.  This time I layered them in a colander so the water sort of ran out.  I left them salted in the colander for about 1/2 hour then rinsed them and patted dry with paper towels.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Heat about 3-4 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat.  You can use olive oil for better quality.  I find since this process uses so much oil and you really just want to get a crisp fry that vegetable oil is a more economical choice for this process.  Just my opinion.

Use shallow bowls or plates to create a dipping line.  You need 2 plates; plate of flour and plate of egg/milk slightly beaten.  Dip eggplant and zucchini in flour then egg/milk then flour again and drop into the hot oil.  Fry a few minutes each side till golden brown then place on paper lined plate to drain/cool.  You will have to fry the eggplant and zucchini rounds in batches.  This takes a bit of time, but it is the process.

Once all the eggplant and zucchini are fried it is time to prepare the baking dish.  I use a glass baking dish 9X13.  Spoon about 3/4 cup of sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Layer the eggplant on the bottom.  Top with 1/2 the cheese then some sauce and finally top with whole fresh basil leaves.  Now add a layer of zucchini, again top with cheese, sauce, basil then top the whole thing with fresh grated Parmesan. 

Bake 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbling.  Serve hot or at room temp.  Uses leftovers for Eggplant Parm Sandwiches.  Delicious!

  Salted the eggplant in a colander so the water could properly drain.  Layered them with lots of salt.

I had a huge light green zucchini so I sliced it up and made it with the eggplant.  Nice addition.

Frying them up in the pan!  It really takes a while when you can only fit 4 at a time.

 Resting and waiting for their turn in the parm pan!

 

 Ready for the oven!

CSA Update

I have lost track of what week of the CSA we are in, must be more than 1/2 way through the 20 weeks.  I have loved being in the CSA!  It is like Christmas every Tuesday afternoon. Each week we get to experience which foods are in the prime of their harvest and then watch them go out of season based on the abundance in the weekly box.  I have learned about new vegetables I would never buy or even find at my local grocery store.  My husband has enjoyed the CSA as well, but is getting a bit tired of the camera being filled with pictures of vegetables.  They are just so beautiful I can't help but take pictures!  Here is a bit a pictorial summary of the past few CSA weeks.  

Tomato madness!!  We were over run for a few weeks with our own plants, the neighbor's gifts and the CSA box.  I froze a bunch for winter stews, chili and pasta sauce.

A gift from Tony, my Italian neighbor.  Lots of Roma and cherry tomatoes.  It is amazing the harvest this man can reap from the tiny little yard he has.

Another beautiful box of freshness!

White radish.  Who knew!?!  Sort of like a mix between a radish and a turnip.  We used them in the first crock pot stew of the Fall season.  I still have a few.  Not sure what else to do.  When I googled it I got a lot of Chinese recipes.

Sooooo many peppers in the past few weeks.  Had stuffed peppers for a dinner party when the Canadians were visiting then I just chopped and froze a dozen.  I chopped them into strips and put them in freezer bags, figure I can grab and go with them all winter.

A bunch of big tomatoes.

We got a few cantaloupe this summer.  A fun treat!

Isn't that just pretty!?!

I know I really got carried away with the pictures.  They kind of all look the same, but the colors and freshness is just amazing each week.

Jumbo beets.  Had to place an apple for comparison.

See the crazy Kohlrabbi?  Green and purple this week.

I grow lots of herbs in the summer, but I just loved getting big bunches every week.  You can never have enough basil in your life.