This Weeks Veggies
Fennel
Spinach
Tomatoes
Turnips
Cipollini Onions
Lettuce
Bunching Onions
Decorative Squash
Farm Life
Are you noticing the gradual shift to fall vegetables in your share? The classic summer vegetables are being replaced by cooler season crops. In fact, this is the last of the tomatoes. You’ll not see them again until next summer.
Now that the rains have begun, you’ll notice that your leafy green vegetables need a more thorough washing before you use them. This is because the rain splashes mud on to the leaves. I do rinse the lettuce after harvest but others, like the spinach, rot more quickly if placed in a plastic bag while they are still wet.
I’ve included decorative squash in this week’s share. They are actually edible squashes and pumpkins that did not ripen before the first frost. I thought they were too cute to throw in the compost pile so have included them for your fall table centerpiece.
The past week has included a lot of “seat time” for me. This farming expression means time spent on the tractor. I have been ripping, disking, and tilling. The remains of the melon crop have been turned in and new beds prepared for planting garlic on the 25th. I’ve also done quit a bit of tractor work in the “Back Forty”. This area was not used this year because of the Canadian Thistle infestation. We will spend the next two years getting the thistle under control so that we can grow crops on it in the future.
Featured Veggie of the Week
Did you know that some European ethnic groups carved turnips instead of pumpkins for Fall Festivals? The turnips were scraped out to create a hollow shell. Designs were then carved into the turnip just like we do pumpkins today. People carried the turnips with a lit candle inside as though it were a lantern. If you scrape carefully, you can actually get the walls of the turnip thin enough for the light to shine through. The effect is quite lovely, it looks like you are carrying a small moon in your hands.
Of course, the real beauty in a turnip is in the eating of it. And, they are good for you too. Turnips are low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. They are also a good source of Riboflavin, Magnesium, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Folate, Calcium, Iron and Manganese.
Though they are most frequently prepared like mashed potatoes, they are also great roasted. Or, try this recipe for Chicken with Turnips and Dried Cherries from JustVegetablesRecipes.com.
http://www.justvegetablerecipes.com/veg-0011650.html
Don’t forget that the greens are edible as well. Here’s a link to a recipe for Turnip Greens from Epicurious.com. This recipe calls for bacon rather than the traditional salt pork or ham hocks.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/LEON-ONEALS-TURNIP-GREENS-108862
