CSA 2011 - Week 11

In your share this week:
1 lb green and purple beans
2-3 Delicata winter squash
1 small pie pumpkin (New England Pie)
2 lbs potatoes (yukons and ADK reds)
1 head garlic
handfull of shallots
1 large hunk (5-7lbs) of soup pumpkin (Rouge Vif d'Etampes)
yellow and orange carrots
lettuce and baby chard mix
1 large crown broccoli
1/4 lb genovese basil
red and cippolini onions
cukes - slicers and picklers

Flowers: red and copper amaranth, multi-colored celosia, gomphrena, a few crooked zinnias
Herbs: thyme, sage, dill umbels (flowers), thai and lemon basil.

Please be sure to give your produce an extra rinse this week. With all of the recent rain and wind, many plants were knocked over and subjected to a thorough coating of mud-- thank goodness that's about the extent of the damage from T.S. Irene.

PUMPKINS! Fall is here! I broke into the wool hat collection tonight, not going to lie. Some notes about the different winter squash:

Pumpkins are indeed winter squash, and members of the enormous Cucurbita "family" (really a genus.) The different squash-family veggies that GPF offers are from a variety of the 6 cucurbita species-- and I'm of the mind that knowing the species (each species can embrace up to a few hundred different varieties) helps us to know how to cook them better. Mmm. It all comes back to eating, doesn't it?

Of the squash offered here at the farm, here are the Genus species (Genus species, variety name):
Cucurbita moschata: Butternut
Cucurbita pepo: Delicata, Yellow Crookneck [Summer squash] and New England Pie (also in this family: Acorn]
Cucurbita maxima: Rouge Vif d'Etampes (also in this family: Hubbard, buttercup/Turk's Turban-types)
And of course, the trusty old cukes: Cucurbita sativus.

Because your squash have not been "cured" for long (left in the sun to let the skins thicken and harden) I'd encourage you to save a step of potentially hazardous knife wielding and just eat the skins. They cook down easily, and I have not found that they deter from the silky smooth flesh.
Here's a rough recipe for a delicious, creamy treat good for these cool nights:

Slow and Easy Cindella Pumpkin Risotto
4-5 lbs Rouge Vif d'Etampes/Cinderella Pumpkin cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 cups short-grain rice (arborio is ideal, I used brown)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 shallots, chopped finely
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup dry red wine
Salt, pepper, chopped sage, thyme, rosemary to taste

In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium-high. Add cubed squash and cover, stirring often. Let cook for approx. 10 mins.

In a medium to large-sized pot, melt butter and gently fry rice in melted butter until the rice becomes fragrant and begins to turn (about 5 mins.) Add stock, onions, garlic and bring to low boil; cover and let cook. As stock begins to cook off, reduce heat and simmer low, adding cream. Be careful not to let boil. As rice softens and liquids cook off, add wine, S&P, and chopped herbs. When rice is al-dente, add pan-roasted squash. Serve hot. Total cooking time: approx 45 min-1hr.

This stands up very well to re-heating, gently fried the next day as a patty, or with grated parm and a simple greens salad. Feels like fall!