Week 24!
What’s that Furry Thing in my Tote?!!
Never fear, it won’t bite. Those two scruffy balls with the green flattops are celeriac (also known as celery root). Like most of the more unusual veggies we grow, this one is highly popular in Europe, and especially in Germany and France where our more commonly-used stalk celery (a close cousin to celeriac) is rarely used.
Your great-great-grandparents might have known how to cook with celeriac, though. It was a common staple in American kitchens back in the 1800s, before modern-day refrigeration. The winning trait, above all (because we know this veggie isn’t going to win the pageant on looks alone), was the fact that celeriac is a great storage crop and will keep either in the ground or in a root cellar all winter long.
The fact that we all have refrigerators now shouldn’t preclude celeriac from our kitchens. Beneath that rough exterior is a surprisingly tender, creamy-crisp, delicious vegetable with a sweet-nutty-celery-like flavor. You may want to hang on to your celeriac until next week and use it in your stuffing, or boil and mash it with your potatoes on Turkey/Tofurkey/Turducken Day.
Here are a few cooking and storage tips:
- Peel your celeriac with a sharp knife (note that peeled celeriac will darken when exposed to air after awhile, but you can prevent this by tossing with lemon juice or keeping it in water until cooking).
- Boil, steam, roast, bake or eat raw as celeriac sticks dipped in your favorite creamy dressing.
- Store in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to a month, and probably longer (we’ve had celeriac in our fridge all winter with no problem).
- Check out these recipes on our website (and there are many more on www.epicurious.com): http://www.valleyflorafarm.com/recipe_search/results/celeriac
EVERYONE PLEASE READ THIS!
For Thanksgiving, next week…..
All Harvest Baskets will be delivered on WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21st!
These are the specific times for pickup at each location on Wednesday, November 21st:
Valley Flora: unchanged – 9 am to 5 pm
Coos Bay: unchanged – 12 pm to 3 pm
Bandon: Wednesday, 11/21, starting at 12 noon (no end time)
PortOrford: Wednesday, 11/21, starting at 10 am (all day)
If you will be out of town for the holiday and need to make special arrangements with us, we must hear from you by this Friday, November 16th.
We are happy to hold your tote in our walk-in cooler and you can pick it up upon your return. Please email us:
- Your name
- Your pickup location
- The date you plan to pick up your Harvest Basket at the farm.
NO EGGS the Week of Thanksgiving: Egg Share members, please remember that there is no delivery of eggs the week of Thanksgiving. Candace will have them for sale at the Langlois Market and her other usual outlets. Or you can special order eggs from her for that week if you contact her directly: www.imachickenrancher.com
Last Farmstand This Saturday, 10-2!
This is it! The last farmstand of the year! Come and stock up on all kinds of Fall storage crops (squash, carrots, Brussels sprouts, celeriac, potatoes, radishes, turnips.....), plus the last of the tomatoes, sweet peppers, Abby's Greens and more!
Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm. See you there!
Do You Think Stuffing is Bland? Boring? Dull? Spice it up with some Cranky Baby!
If you secretly think Grandma's stuffing could use a little kick, then Cranky Baby Hot Sauce is just what the doctor ordered! Homegrown and handcrafted at the farm, just slip a bottle in your pocket or purse for Thanksgiving dinner and discretely dispense to taste. Available by the bottle, half case, or case:
- $5/bottle (5 oz)
- $27/half case (6 bottles)
- $48/case (12 bottles)
To order, please email us your: name, pickup location, and the quantity of bottles you would like. We’ll deliver to your pickup site.
This Week’s Squash: Acorn or Butternut Squash & Pie Pumpkins
A few reasons why these squash, this week:
- The pie pumpkins are intended to inspire you to make your own homemade pumpkin pie for next week’s feast. Don’t forget the whipped cream!
- The butternut squash aren’t going to keep for too many weeks longer, so we’re hoping you will put them to immediate use.
- If you’re not getting butternut, you’re getting acorn – because we ran out of butternut. :)
In your share this week:
- Red onions
- Red cabbage
- Carrots
- Pac Choi
- Celeriac
- Radishes
- Head lettuce
- Pie Pumpkins
On Rotation:
This means that some pickup locations will receive it this week, others next week – or in a future week.
- Acorn & Butternut squash
The Valley Flora Crystal Ball: What MIGHT be in your Share Next week for Thanksgiving:
Remember, no promises!
- Shallots
- Brussels sprouts
- Carrots
- Celery
- Lettuce
- Parsnips
- Potatoes
- Hakurei turnips
- Sunshine squash
- Fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, sage)
Recipes Galore
Please note: all of our produce is field-rinsed, not washed. We recommend you wash all of your produce before eating it.
For recipes and ideas, check out these links:
http://www.valleyflorafarm.com/forum/4
Our own collection of recipes, where you can contribute and share your favorites
http://www.valleyflorafarm.com/content/recipe-searcher
Our website’s recipe “search engine,” where you can hunt down recipes by ingredient
A vast collection of recipes, searchable by one or multiple ingredients
http://info2.farmfreshtoyou.com/index.php?cmd=RE
A storehouse of recipes, searchable by ingredient
http://helsingfarmcsa.com/recipes.php
A Washington farm that has a good collection of seasonal recipes
