This week’s box included: assortment of peppers, tomatoes, okra, delicata squash, garlic, spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes
Conne’s on vacation this week — and what a beautiful weather week to be out chillaxing! In her place are a few comments on this week’s box. Check out our recipe index for storage instructions and hundreds of recipes curated by Conne over the years.
Winter squash is getting into gear! Generally these babies are renown for their ability to keep for very long periods of time. No need to finish them all in one week, though this week’s spaghetti squashes are an exception. Eat those this week. The blemishes on the outside are a sign that these won’t last as long.
I hear from others that spaghetti squash is one of their family’s favorites. It’s easy to prep. Cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and the loose fibers, give them a light coat of oil and place cut side down in a 350-degree oven until soft. Fork the flesh out of the shell, toss with butter, salt, and pepper, maybe some parmesan. Once the squash is cooked, you could use it in any saucy recipe. Add tomato sauce and it’s a veggie-centric spaghettic dinner. I think we’ll try it with curry sauce and sauted onions, peppers, and loose sausage this week. Check out our full spaghetti squash recipe list; another 14 recipe ideas await.
Other squash waiting for attention? The acorn squash is just plain good cut in half, seeds removed, toss some butter and brown sugar in the well and roast it open side up until tender. Don’t bother peeling this one. Those ribs will cause you fits and it’s not necessary. Serve with the skin on. It’s easy to scoop the cooked squash out of the shell.
Delicata squash is another of the early winter squashes. It’s the yellow squash with green stripes. Their usual shape is elongated. Lately ours have been more round. Of all the winter squash, this one has the most tender skin. You can eat it! Cut in half, scoop the seeds out, and cut into slices for stir fry or roast it in the over using one of the two methods suggested above. Delicatas are usually the squash family members with the shortest shelf life, so enjoy them now. Here’s a few recipes from Conne:
Delicata Squash Soup: This recipe plays up their delicate nutty flavor.
Stuffed Delicatas: Also delicious, a favorite of Ed and Linda.
Butternut (or Dellicata) Salad with Dates: An uncooked recipe, with some more ideas from Conne. Risotto, yes.
One last recipe I’d like to try this week is pimento cheese. I wasn’t born in the South, but I think if I was, it would have been pimento cheese that I grew up on instead of those Midwestern sandwiches made with American cheese slices slathered with Miracle Whip. It wasn’t a far jump to fall in love with pimento cheese once memories of green olives stuffed with pimentos waned.
We received a pretty red pepper in our box this week — an inspiration to reach out to Annie (the pre-pandemic Rogue Baker of Grant Park) for her excellent pimento cheese recipe. With thanks to Annie, here it is.
Pimento Cheese & Crackers
makes 3 cups
12 oz whipped cream cheese
4 oz cheddar cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
1 medium-sized red pepper
1/8 to 1/4 teasp Tabasco sauce
Course salt and freshly ground pepper
Roast pepper on the grill until outside is semi-charred. Alternatively, you can roast it in the flame of your gas stove. Once all sides are somewhat charred, pop the pepper into a paper sack, roll it shut, and let it steam. When cool, remove the charred portion of the skin, stem, seeds, and interior ribs under lightly running cool water, then drain on paper towels or a colander. NOTE: This is a chore that’s best accomplished in batch. Roast ALL of your peppers. After processing freeze small portions on parchment paper or in a muffin tin; remove to a storage bin/bag and you’ll have small bits of roasted peppers all winter long for beans, soups, enchiladas, burritos, eggs, etc.
Coarsely chop peeled pepper. Process the cream cheese, cheddar cheese and Tabasco (or Siracha) in a food processor or mixer until combined. Fold in chopped peppers. Salt & pepper to taste.
Serve with crackers or raw veggie sticks … or top English muffin halves and broil until melted. Or use in any other creative ideas for this versatile dip/spread.
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Finally, a note on 2021 apple crop: Charlotte reports that the north Georgia apple crop was a casualty of the late freeze that also dealt the farm’s blueberry crop a fatal blow. North Georgia apple barns are importing apples from Pennsylvania and Virginia as a result. Riverview isn’t keen on putting imported apples into CSA boxes when you could go to the grocery store and purchase the same thing. And that’s not what the CSA is all about. Riverview’s goal is to bring you sustainable and organic produce grown locally by family farms. The farm will be scrambling to find alternatives that fit this goal. If you have any opinions on this, feel free to share them!