This week’s box included: spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, apples, green tomatoes, red tomatoes, beets, harkurai turnips, garlic, Italian peppers, and a bag of either cornmeal (it’s very finely ground), grits (white corn & gritty, of course), or polenta (probably marked with a label, yellow corn). You can see a photo that can help with identification on our Facebook page or check out our weekly video on Instagram.
Need storage instructions? Visit our fruit & veggie home pages. Click on the pic and a new page opens with storage instructions and a list of recipes curated by Conne over the years.
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Farewell to the surprise of the Tuesday afternoon veggie (and often fruit) boxes. Farewell to weekly egg deliveries. Farewell to another year of delicious food from Riverview Farms and their friends.
Thank you to the Swancys and all the people who make their CSA program possible. We are grateful.
I think I’m not alone in being delighted that there were enough bulbs of garlic to share here at the end of the season, and I am so excited to receive beets. And our box contained a bag of cornmeal – which I am probably going to consume entirely next week in Thanksgiving meal preparation – while others received grits. Whichever you received, you will never get fresher grains. Again, we are so lucky.
If you still have some greens in the refrigerator, please try the fall harvest salad below from Cook’s Warehouse. The vinaigrette and the spiced pecans are worth making even if you use them in something other than this salad. And if you don’t have greens, just make it without!
Speaking of things you may have from previous boxes – if there are Riverview potatoes and carrots in your kitchen, the sheet pan minestrone is wonderful. I’ve become a fan of refrigerated filled pasta. My husband loves it and will gladly consume vegetables when there’s filled pasta on the same plate. Plus we got lots of tomatoes this week and you’ll want to use them in this dish.
More ideas for beets, for spaghetti squash and for grits and cornmeal are available on the Riverview website. Enjoy!
Fall Harvest Salad
From Cook’s Warehouse
1/4 cup pecans
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
flaky sea salt
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
6 cups arugula or shredded kale
2 apples, thinly sliced
1 avocado, diced
arils from 1 pomegranate
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Apple Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple butter (optional)
2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
kosher salt and black pepper
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
On the prepared baking sheet, toss together the pecans, pumpkin seeds, maple, cayenne, and cinnamon. Arrange in a single layer. Lay the prosciutto flat around the nuts. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the nuts are toasted and the prosciutto is crisp. Watch both closely. Sprinkle the nuts with sea salt.
Meanwhile, in a large salad bowl, combine the arugula, apples, avocado, and pomegranate arils.
To Make Vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake. Taste and adjust as needed.
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad, tossing to combine. Top the salad with toasted nuts, prosciutto, and feta. Eat and enjoy!
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Sheet pan minestrone
Adapted from Hetty Lui McKinnon and “To Vegetables, With Love.”
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 red onion, halved and peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 celery sticks, trimmed and sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
3 cups diced fresh tomatoes
2 (15 ounce) cans of beans such as chickpeas or cannellini beans, drained (or 1 of each)
1/2 pound stuffed pasta such as tortellini or ravioli
1 teaspoon dried oregano or basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili/pepper flakes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast (to serve, optional)
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Place the potatoes, carrots, red onion, celery and garlic onto a sheet pan or into a large baking dish. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Carefully remove the sheet pan or dish from the oven and add the tomatoes, green beans, beans, stuffed pasta, dried oregano or basil, and red chili/pepper flakes. Drizzle with more olive oil and season again with more salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
Reduce the oven to 400˚ degrees. Return sheet pan to the oven and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is jammy.
Remove from the oven, give it a final season of salt and pepper and drizzle the vinegar over the top and give it a quick toss. Scatter over the parmesan or nutritional yeast, if using, and then drizzle with a bit more olive oil.
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