2024 CSA Week 21

Do you watch Charlotte (formerly Graham) doing her unboxing on Instagram? I knew I would be late picking up my box today and I wanted a sneak peek at what was in store. The box she unpacked had two of the cutest little pumpkins. Turned out my box only had one larger pumpkin, but as I look back, I can’t see that we’ve had pumpkins in our boxes before. Hence, no pumpkin recipes at grassfedcow.com. But our butternut squash recipes could provide lots of inspiration. I was looking forward to two pumpkins … figuring I’d roast one and see if it really was sweet enough to be a “pie” pumpkin, but I’ll just cut this one in half, scoop out the seeds and roast it and see which way the flavor leads me.

We got bok choy this week and I hope you took a good look at the end of your bunch. Ours was a little soft, as sometimes happened, so I cut off and composted the bottom three inches and the rest is nestled in a cotton produce bag until I make the Braised Bok Choy recipe below. It’s probably the most basic of ways to prepare bok choy, separating the green leaves from the white stalks in order to cook them for different lengths of time, and a good reminder of how a simple preparation can be delicious. I don’t have fresh dill on hand, so I’ll use chives instead. I’m serving it with pork and beef meatballs I picked up at Pine Street Market, made I’m sure with Riverview pork. And with some mashed potatoes. Was so glad to see more potatoes in this week’s box.

There are lots of more Asian flavored bok choy recipes on the website if you want to go in that direction.

Some folks find mustard greens a challenge and we got a big bunch today. But they are my favorite. I love the little bit of bite in the flavor and I’m going to make Greens Grilled Cheese from Steven Satterfield’s “Vegetable Revelations.”

It was also interesting to see the apples that were in the box Charlotte unpacked. She knew the names of all the varieties, which can be a challenge for me. I don’t think I had exactly the mix that was in the box she was unloading, and that’s to be expected. I find that the mix of apples makes for great baked apple dishes like the muffins, apple cakes and apple crisps we have on the apple recipes site. Or apple compote is a great way to use up a mix of apples, too. I have some peach cider vinegar from Fresh Press Farms that I had the opportunity to sample for a column and I’m going to use that to make this compote. Unlike apple cider vinegar it really tastes like peaches and I’m looking forward to seeing what it does to the flavor of the compote.

And if you’re in need of inspiration as we keep seeing yellow squash and zucchini in our boxes, maybe try the Crispy Tofu and Zucchini Stir-Fry below?

Braised Bok Choy with Lemon and Dill
From America’s Test Kitchen

1 head bok choy (1 1⁄2 pounds)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, sliced thin
1⁄2 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, divided
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

Cut off bottom 1/2-inch of bok choy base and discard. Rinse bok choy. Cut leafy green portion away from either side of white stalk. Cut stalks crosswise at 45-degree angle into 1-inch-thick slices. Stack greens and cut into 1-inch pieces. Keep stalks and greens separate.

Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add bok choy stems, water, lemon juice, and salt and bring to simmer. Cover, adjust heat to maintain simmer, and cook for 8 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, maintaining simmer and stirring occasionally, until bok choy is lightly glazed and tender when pierced with tip of paring knife and pan is almost dry, 5 to 8 minutes. Add bok choy greens and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted but still bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in half of dill and pepper. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to serving plate, sprinkle with remaining dill, and serve.

Crispy Tofu and Zucchini Stir-Fry
From the Washington Post

Their note: “Doubanjiang, such as the Juan Cheng brand, can also be labeled as broad bean chili sauce or fermented chili bean paste.”

1/2 cup neutral oil, such as vegetable, plus more as needed
One (14- to 16-ounce) package firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into 3/4-inch cube and patted dry
4 spring onions or scallions, white parts cut into 1-inch pieces and green parts thinly sliced for garnish
1 pound summer squash, chopped into roughly 3/4-inch cubes
For the sauce
2 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon cornstarch or potato starch
3 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
One (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, minced or grated
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons doubanjiang (Sichuan chili bean paste, see headnote), chili-garlic sauce, oyster sauce or additional low-sodium soy sauce
Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

Line a large plate or small, rimmed baking sheet with a tea towel.

In a wok or large flat-bottomed skillet over high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the tofu in one layer — you may need to do this in batches — and fry, flipping occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to the prepared plate or baking sheet to drain.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil — reserving it for another use — and return the pan to high heat. Add the white parts of the spring onions or scallions and the zucchini, and stir-fry, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables take on color, about 4 minutes.

Make the sauce: Meanwhile, in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup with a spout, stir together the cold water and cornstarch or potato starch. Stir in the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and the doubanjiang, chili-garlic sauce, oyster sauce or additional soy sauce.

Add the sauce to the wok, and let it come to a boil and thicken, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the tofu until well coated with the sauce. Garnish with the scallion greens and serve, with rice, if desired.