Boxing Day, September 30 & October 7

Dear John,

I’m posting the plans for the past two weeks, and then going to figure out what to make for dinner tonight by planning for the coming week. Whirlwind time indeed!

Currently here

  • Bartlett Pears
  • Kiwiberries
  • Banana Peppers
  • Broccoli Rabe
  • Green Acorn Squash
  • Green Romaine Lettuce
  • White Cauliflower

Expecting soon

  • Asian Pears
  • Empire Apples
  • Kiwiberries
  • Beauregard Sweet Potatoes
  • Fennel
  • Green Romaine Lettuce
  • Green Zucchini
  • Habanada Peppers

Community Produce

  • Sweet potatoes
  • Potatoes
  • Zucchini
  • Onion
  • Pears
  • Oranges

Things in the fridge

  • Sunchokes
  • Muscadines
  • Heirloom tomato, red tomato
  • Cucumber
  • Peppers
  • Fennel stems
  • Greens: Lettuce, Bok Choy
  • Leeks
  • Onions
  • Beets
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Apples
  • Oranges
  • Kiwiberries

Expected at the Garden

  • Collards
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Tomatillos enough for one batch of salsa
  • Parsley that should be left for the swallowtails
  • Eggplant
  • Radish
  • Assorted non-spicy peppers
  • Hoping for Bundles of Dahlias

Open Preserves

  • Fridge still organized!
  • Fridge still not inventoried!
  • Fig jam
  • Preserved eggplant
  • Pickled banana peppers
  • Pickled fennel
  • Pickled peach
  • Fermenting curdito again

Pantry Beans

  • Yellow Split Pea
  • Split Red Lentil
  • Black Caviar Lentil
  • Garbanzo Bean
  • Buckeye Bean
  • Black Calypso
  • Good Mother Stallard
  • Pinto Bean
  • Christmas Lima
  • California Corona
  • Royal Corona
  • And maybe one more on the shelf?

Cook something. Somehow. Somewhen. Again.

  • I bought pomegranate from the grocery store so we can make the roasted cauliflower and pomegranate dish from Ottolenghini.
  • Okay, but also, I’m cooking the calypso beans and there’s a recipe in the Q1 Rancho Gordo Newsletter for Calypso Beans and Caulifower. Hmmm… maybe freeze some beans? Maybe buy some frozen cauliflower?
  • We still need to make the leek soup. Maybe try this one with the calypso beans?
  • Remember the brussel sprouts roasted with grapes that the one friend of a friend introduced us to back when we lived in the apartment? I’m thinking of that, but finishing off the muscadines and using the broccoli rabe.
  • Sweet potato with celery salad!
  • Pickle the banana peppers! Use them the next time we have cauliflower.
  • I’m getting better about making a quick salad for dinner. If the dressing is premade and toppings prepped, washing the lettuce when we’re home is the biggest step. Let’s keep that going.
  • Feel like I’d love to use the zucchini and potatoes together. Smitten’s focaccia is tempting! And poison for you. (BUT THE TEMPTATION.) No? This isn’t time with your travel? Fine. Can we buy the fancy cheeses and make this project of a meal? (Or maybe I make the focaccia for my lunches.)
  • Not sure how we want to use the habanadas this go round.

Love,

Sarah

Boxing Day, November 4

Smaller CSA share coming to you for Fall 2021.

Hi John,

Yesterday I called you from the garden. Should we try to find row cover before the forecast freeze? Went to the closest plant store, they don’t carry it. Decided that we have enough going on in the next few weeks that maybe it doesn’t make sense to put in more effort and extend our work. Sorry summer plants.

So we’re saying goodbye to the tomatoes and eggplant. Been separating basil seeds at the dinner table. We picked the first fall radish and the pink bulb feels like magic.

In This Week’s Box

  • Asian Pears
  • Empire Apples
  • Garden Gem Tomatoes
  • Green Acorn Squash
  • Mixed Carmen Italian Peppers
  • Pink Celery
  • Red Leaf Lettuce

Garden Potential

  • Starfish pepper
  • Deciding how long to wait on the final jalapenos
  • Lombok peppers
  • Volunbeans for drying
  • Final tomato, possibly to ripen on counter
  • First radish, when we want it

Still in the Fridge

  • Apples: Who even is able to identify the apples filling the fruit drawer?
  • Bartlett Pears, Asian Pears, Bosc Pears
  • Greens: Savoy Cabbage, Dandelion, Spinach
  • Herbs: Fennel tops
  • Leeks
  • Celery
  • Peppers: Yummy, Lombok, Starfish, Banana, Jalapeno, Carmen, Cubanelle
  • Kohlrabi
  • Baby Hakurei Turnips
  • Carrots
  • Red beets
  • Squash: Delicata, Red Kabocha, Spaghetti, Robins Koginut
  • Garlic
  • Sweet onions
  • Potatoes: Blue, Sweet
  • Ginger
  • Sunchokes

Open Preserves

  • Preserved eggplant
  • Dill pickle juice
  • Lacto-fermented green cherry tomatoes
  • Lacto-fermented blueberry jalapeno hot sauce
  • Lacto-fermented habanda jalapeno hot sauce
  • Pickled red onion
  • Pickled banana peppers with oregano, basil, and black pepper
  • Plain pickled banana peppers
  • Radish kimchi
  • Sunchoke relish
  • Green tomato chutney
  • Sour cherry chutney
  • Freedom berry jam
  • Apple sauce
  • Apple butter
  • Quince jelly
  • Probably still more uninventoried

New Menu Suggestions

  • Quiche? On the one hand, I like the idea of an eggy dish that has leftovers. Shredded beets and goat cheese? It’ll all be pink. Sliced tomatoes, sauteed peppers, and cheddar cheese?
  • Nominating this acorn squash for being stuffed come Thanksgiving.
  • Celery or cabbage salad with chickpeas, a garlic anchovy dressing, croutons for me
  • Celery and apple salad. (There’s a celery, apple, peanut salad in Six Seasons that we haven’t tried yet. It also uses medium-hot chilies. The star peppers could be fun.)
  • Cabbage fried rice

Reminders of Meals Already Brainstormed

  • Pizza with delicata squash slices
  • Soup: Ginger, apple, squash OR leek and potato
  • Dandelion greens with beans and fennel (I have now cooked the beans. We just have to cook the meal.)
  • Stuffed spaghetti squash
  • Kohlrabi, apple, ginger salad
  • Pickle the banana peppers already

Love,

Sarah