What To Expect / Last Fall Share

Full Shares: Winter Squash, Carrots, Onions, Potatoes, Lettuce, Tat Soi, Beets & Greens, Parsnips, Baby Turnips, Radicchio, Daikon Radish, Escarole or Endive, Mizuna

Half Shares: Winter Squash, Onions, Potatoes, Tat Soi, Beets & Greens, Daikon Radish, Parsnips, Escarole, Endive, Mizuna

This is the 8th and final week for CGB and Heaven Harvest's first ever fall share. Thanks so much to everyone involved! Please consider becoming a shareholder in future CSA shares!

Tatsoi!

What is Tatsoi?

It is a dark green Asian variety of Brassica rapa, also called spinach mustard, spoon mustard, or rosette bok choy. The plant has dark green spoon-shaped leaves which form a thick rosette. It has a soft creamy texture and a subtle yet distinctive flavour similar to a mild mustard green and bok choi.

Tatsoi is generally eaten raw, but may be added to soups at the end of the cooking period. When added to other greens it enhances the flavor and nutritional value.

Should be stored in the fridge in a temperature range between 32-75 F. Tatsoi is very perishable and has a short storage life.

Try it like this:

Tatsoi and Warm Scallop Salad with Spicy Pecan Praline

(recipe courtesy of epicurious.com)

Ingredients (yield 6 servings)

Praline

• 1/3 cup pecans, chopped fine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons sugar

Scallop & Tatsoi

• 3/4 pound sea scallops
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 large firm-ripe avocado (preferably California)
• 7 cups tatsoi or baby spinach leaves, washed well and spun dry

Make Praline
In a bowl stir together pecans, salt, and cayenne. In a dry small heavy skillet or saucepan cook sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork, until melted and cook, without stirring, swirling skillet or pan, until a golden caramel. Add pecan mixture and stir to coat nuts with caramel. Spoon praline onto a sheet of foil and cool. Transfer praline to a cutting board and chop fine. Praline can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container.

Method

Remove tough muscle from side of each scallop if necessary and halve any large scallops. On a sheet of wax paper combine flour, salt, cumin, and cayenne and dip flat sides of each scallop into mixture to coat, knocking off excess. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté scallops, flat sides down, until golden and just cooked through, about 2 minutes on each flat side. Remove skillet from heat and cool scallops slightly.

In a large bowl whisk together lemon juice , extra-virgin olive oil, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste until emulsified. Peel and pit avocado and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Cut wedges in half crosswise and add to dressing. Add scallops with any liquid remaining in skillet, tatsoi and praline and gently toss to coat.

Buon Appetito!

What To Expect

Full Shares: Lettuce, Chinese Cabbage, Tat Soi, Radishes, Broccoli, Mizuna, Winter Squash, Onions, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Apples

Half Shares: Lettuce, Chinese Cabbage, Tat Soi, Broccoli, Mizuna, Onions, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Apples

*Please Note: There is one week left in the fall share. The last pickup is Thursday, November 19.

Pears, pears pears

This is a great time for pears! Juicy and delicious they're perfect from appetizer to dessert.

Slice a few of the hard juicy ones and serve with gorgonzola and a drizzle of honey, as a quick appetizer. Then roast some others in the oven with a duck leg, orange juice, evoo and rosemary for a sumptuos entree. Dessert is open. Caramelized in a pan and served warm with vanilla ice cream is real fast or make this new cake:

Maple Pear Upside-Down Cake

(recipe courtesy of Mark Bittman, The NYTimes)

Ingredients (yield 8 to 10 servings)

• 11 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 to 4 pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk

Method

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small pan over medium heat; add maple syrup and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes; remove from heat and set aside. When mixture has cooled a bit, pour it into a 9-inch baking pan and arrange pear slices in an overlapping circle on top.

2. With a handheld or standing mixer, beat remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, one egg at a time, continuing to mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with milk; do not overmix. Carefully spread batter over pears, using a spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed. Bake until top of cake is golden brown and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 45 to 50 minutes; a toothpick inserted into center should come out clean. Let cake cool for 5 minutes.

4. Run a knife around edge of pan; put a plate on top of cake and carefully flip it so plate is on bottom and pan is on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Buon Appetito!

What To Expect & Winter CSA Details

What To Expect:

Full Shares: Red Potatoes, Onions, Spinach, Bok Choy, Lettuce, Green Cabbage, Apples, Pears, Broccoli, Fennel

Half Shares: Red Potatoes, Onions, Spinach, Bok Choy, Mizuna, Lettuce, Apples, Pears

Winter CSA Details:

Since our Summer and Fall CSA's worked so well, Crunchy Granola Baby has again teamed up with Heaven's Harvest Farm in New Braintree to offer local North Shore residents the opportunity to become shareholders in a Winter CSA.

Details:

• Full Winter Share is $585 or 2 equal payments of $292.50
• Half Winter Shares $425 0r 2 equal payments of $212.50
• The season runs for 13 weeks, and is broken up into two sessions: First Session (6 wks) runs from Dec. 3 through Jan. 28. Second Session (7 wks) runs from Feb. 4 through March 18. Produce is delivered every Thursday to Crunchy Granola Baby, and shareholders then stop by CGB and pick up their share between 3 and 6:30PM.

Want To Become A ShareHolder?

• Register at Crunchy Granola Baby as soon as possible, no later than Nov. 25.
• Checks (either the full payment or initial half payment, with second half payment due at start of second session) should be made out to Heavens Harvest Farm and dropped off (or mailed) to Crunchy Granola Baby. Please include: Name, Address, Phone and Email.

Questions? Contact CGB at 978.741.0800 or crunchygranolababy@verizon.net

Mizuna

Don't know what to do with that wonderful Mizuna we just got?

It's really a bitter green very similar to Rucola (arugula). It can be eaten raw or cooked, although I highly reccomend it raw for it's crisp bite. You can simply eat it as a salad by tossing it in a lemon & extra-virgin olive oil vinaigrette or make a scrumptious BLT...PMT :)

Either way it's always delicious. Buon Appetito!

Pancetta, Mizuna, and Tomato Sandwiches with Green Garlic Aïoli

(Bon Appétit | August 2006)

(photo by Maren Caruso, courtesy of epicurious.com) Ingredients (makes 6 servings) Aïoli 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbs chopped green garlic or 1 regular garlic clove, blanched in boiling water for 2 min to soften its bite. 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or medium coarse sea salt, grey salt (any good salt) 3/4 cup mayonnaise, divided 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice Sandwiches 2 (3-ounce) packages thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon; about 30 slices) 12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices brioche or egg bread, lightly toasted (AJ's is great) 1 large bunch mizuna from our CSA (or arugula), torn into 2-inch pieces 3 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds Method For aioli: Blend olive oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel in processor until garlic is minced. Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and blend well. Transfer to small bowl; whisk in remaining mayonnaise and lemon juice. Do ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. For sandwiches: Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange pancetta slices in single layer on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Place toast on work surface. Spread with aioli. Divide mizuna among 6 toast slices; top with tomatoes, then pancetta, dividing equally. Top with remaining 6 toast slices, aioli side down. Cut each sandwich in half and serve. Buon Appetito!