I am sad. Only one more Riverview box to come for this year. I will miss the suspense when I see that pile of stacked boxes. What’s inside that will feed my household this week? Will I have something I can turn into company fare? Will I decide to go with tried and true recipes or will I find new inspiration? A bounty of any one thing is truly a gift. It’s why I joined a CSA to begin with, oh, so many years ago.
So grateful to the Swancys for their hard work keeping us fed every week for so much of the year.
Did you see Charlotte and Wes will receive Georgia Organic’s 2020 Land Steward Award at the February annual conference? We are so lucky to be benefiting from all their hard work.
Was very excited to see carrots in this week’s box because I want to make the carrot cake pancake recipe down below. It was demonstrated by Mary Collins-Shepard at the Serenbe Farmers Market this year.
I’m also excited to have arugula again. I’m going to add chopped radish leaves to the arugula and use that the basis for a slightly bitter salad, dressed with good olive oil and fresh lemon juice. I’ve got one tomato left from last week so I’ll finely dice that and sprinkle it on top along with thinly sliced radishes. I’ve got a rich pasta dish to cook for the AJC, so this is the perfect salad to provide a bright contrast.
Loved the big butternut squash and am saving it for a between the winter holidays meal. I was with a friend last night who simply cuts her squash in half and roasts them. Funny. I’ve never tried that! Time to try that simple preparation, I think.
Had company for brunch Sunday and made them sous vide eggs with mashed potatoes. Do you know sous vide cooking? Perfect for when you have a crowd and want to serve eggs, but don’t want to be a short order cook. I boiled Riverview potatoes in the skins, then turned them into mashed potatoes. Then put about 2 inches of mashed potatoes into the bottoms of 1/2 pint canning jars. Topped each with a free range egg, sprinkled on a little salt and pepper, and put on the jar lids. Then you submerge the jars in water that your sous vide machine is circulating and keeping at 145 degrees. In an hour (during which you are doing all the other things you need to do to get ready for your guests), the eggs are cooked and they can sit in that water bath for another hour or more until you’re ready to serve. My husband loved this so much he’s asking me to make more. If you have leftovers, the little jars store perfectly in the refrigerator and then he just heats them up in the microwave. (I’d use a pot of warm water, but that’s just me.)
So I am very glad there are potatoes in today’s box to fill up the potato bin again.
Hoping your plans for Thanksgiving are going well. Enjoy these pancakes in the meantime.
Carrot Cake Pancakes with Honey Butter
For the butter:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup very soft butter
For the batter:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated carrots, about 2 medium
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, lightly drained, or 1 cup grated apple
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
Make the butter: In a small bowl, beat together honey and butter until well blended.
Make the batter: Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl; whisk to blend. In another bowl, beat eggs and buttermilk, then stir in butter and vanilla. Add to flour mixture all at once; stir until just blended. Fold in carrots and pineapple or apple.
Make the pancakes: Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Coat lightly with vegetable oil. Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter onto the hot skillet and spread to about a 5-inch diameter; cook until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip pancakes and cook until bottoms are lightly browned, about 1 minute.
Makes about 12 pancakes.
To serve, spoon honey butter over hot pancakes. Store extra butter in a jar in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.