First Frost & Flavors of Fall
The first frost of the season has arrived!
If you have a garden, you know it’s time to say farewell to summer crops like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, which do not like cold. The cooler temperatures of autumn are, however, ideal for lots of greens such as arugula, cabbage, and yokattana -- cooler-weather crops that do best at the beginning and end of the growing season. CSA members are seeing this shift happening now in their weekly shares.
Here is a round-up of some of our favorite fall crops, along with storage tips and recipe ideas to help you make the most of your CSA bounty or wherever you get your fall vegetables!
Black Futsu Squash
Besides looking lovely on your table (it *is* decorative gourd season, after all), this deep orange-fleshed squash has a sweet nutty flavor reminiscent of hazelnuts. Plus, unlike some squash like acorn that have tough skins, the skin of the Black Futsu is tender enough to eat!
To store: Keep on your counter in a cool spot. Use within 2 weeks.
To prepare: Halve and scoop seeds. From here, slice it into quarters or slices, rub with a little butter or oil, and sprinkle with salt and/or any spices you like (try coriander and ginger, or some cayenne for a kick). Bake at 350 until fork-tender. Or, cut squash into cubes to simmer in your favorite coconut milk-based curry or sausage-and-kale stew. Get more recipe ideas from one of PFP’s interns in her blog post Nosh on Squash!
Bok Choy
This mild-tasting green is closely related to napa cabbage, choy sum and turnips, and slightly more distantly related to cabbage, collards, kale. It’s generally not bitter or spicy, but rather tender and very mild with watery crunch.
To store: Keep in the fridge in a crisper drawer or ventilated bag to keep in some moisture. Use within a week.
To prepare: These are a nice addition to brothy ramen or miso-based soups. The fat ribs are best tossed into the soup or fry-pan first, with the darker leaves to follow. Try this mushroom miso soup with grilled bok choy.
Chinese (or Napa) Cabbage
You may have seen Chinese or Napa cabbage before… but did you know it also comes in *purple*? The flavor is the same (mildly cabbage-y and sweet) but this variety does wonderful things when combined with acid such as rice vinegar or lemon juice. Watch the leaves change from dark purple to bright pink before your eyes!
To store: Keep in the fridge in a crisper drawer or ventilated bag to keep in some moisture. Can keep for 1-2 weeks.
To prepare: Chinese cabbage is very versatile. Enjoy it raw in a slaw, stuff the leaves to make cabbage rolls, stir-fry it or make it into stuffing for home-made dumplings. Try a stir fry with onions, ginger, garlic, mushrooms and eggs over rice, or get tips on how to make a stir-fry without a recipe. Like its cousin bok choy, chinese cabbage is also nice addition to brothy ramen or miso-based soups.
Dandelion Greens
These dark leafy greens have that bitter edge and velvety-crunchy texture of their cousins escarole and radicchio. Dandelions can be eaten raw in salads or cooked. Their bitter crunch is best balanced by other punchy flavors: garlic and lemon, anchovy, parmesan, black and red pepper are all great pairings.
To store: Keep in the fridge in a crisper drawer or ventilated bag to keep in some moisture. Use within a week.
To prepare: Try these dandelion greens with a fried egg and anchovy dressing or use in place of escarole in your favorite soup.
Kohlrabi
Another cabbage-collard relative, this close cousin of broccoli tastes essentially like a big round broccoli stem: mildly sweet, mildly vegetal, and delightfully crunchy.
To store: Keep in the fridge in a crisper drawer or ventilated bag to keep in some moisture. Can keep for a month or more.
To prepare: Carefully remove the tough outer skin with a sharp knife (it is too thick to use a vegetable peeler). From here you’ve got options. Slice into wedges or matchsticks and snack as you would on an apple or carrot sticks. Cube and roast with potatoes, carrots, celeriac or your favorite root vegetables. Or shred them to make kohlrabi fritters (or these ones without flour).
Violet, Scarlet & Hakurei Turnips
This rainbow of turnips can be eaten raw in salads (or like apples, if you’re a farmer!) or cooked. Simply simply cube and roast with your favorite vegetables and spices (have you tried turnips and butternut squash roasted with cumin, coriander and nutmeg?) or see more ideas below.
To store: If your turnips come with greens, cut the greens and store in the fridge in a crisper drawer or ventilated bag to keep in some moisture. Use leaves within a week. Roots can keep for up to a month.
To prepare: Slice thinly and wrap in a pie crust with herbs and goat cheese to make a turnip galette. Saute simply with garlic and oil, then add in their greens (if you get them bunched) at the end. This buttered turnip puree pairs nicely with pork or a roast. Turnips, potatoes and celeriac cut into even sizes and roasted along with a chicken are a savory and tender treat.
Watermelon Radish
The watermelon radish is the diva of winter vegetables. Her pale green exterior is hiding a hot pink inside. You won’t see much of her before winter, but there’s a good chance she’ll pop up in CSA shares at least once before the end of the season. (Note: winter shares become available later this month!) Like kohlrabi, watermelon radishes can be sliced and eaten raw, much as you would carrot sticks. They make a stunning addition to a raw vegetable plate.
To store: Keep in the fridge in a crisper drawer or ventilated bag to keep in some moisture. Can keep for a month or more.
To prepare: Peel the light green skin with a vegetable peeler. Slice for raw snacking or into a ginger carrot salad, shred into slaws (perhaps with carrots, red onion and your purple napa cabbage?), or cube and roast with red and gold beets.
Yokattana
Sometimes called vitamin greens or komatsuna by mistake, yokattana -- like many of its cousins -- is an easy substitute for either. The thinner ribs of yokattana make it easier to cook evenly than its cousin bok choy, and the flavor is slightly richer than that of a bok choy.
To store: Keep in the fridge in a crisper drawer or ventilated bag to keep in some moisture. Use within a week.
To prepare: Use yokattana in any recipes that call for bok choy. Stir fry with turnips, garlic and soy sauce and serve with rice. Or add to your favorite miso soup recipe. Because of its rich “dark green” flavor, yokattana can also substitute for dandelion greens, kale or collards in soups and stews.
How are you enjoying your vegetables this month? Send us your recipes! Email shareinfo @farmproject . org