Foothill Farm: Locavores CSA - September 23, 2013

What's in the box: Melons - Many watermelons this week the pale ones are Grover Delaney, a few honeydews and some mystery Italian melons, Sweet Corn, Eggplants, Peppers, Tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, Naked Ned Kelly squash, ornamental edible, onions and celeriac:

This week's special gift - Chicas and lots of special treats

Polenta Corn

Celeriac

The unsung prince of fall vegetables. Pare off its warty exterior and you'll uncover the royal vegetable within.

Virtually unknown in the US; however, In Europe, however, celeriac is a historic favorite. The vegetable's most classic employment is in the cold French salad celerie remoulade, in which the root is peeled, grated, "cooked" in lemon juice to lose a bit of its rawness, then dressed with a mustardy mayonnaise.

When peeled, celery root's creamy white flesh resembles that of a turnip and tastes like a subtle blend of celery and parsley. It can be cooked anyway that you cook a potato.

I like it in soup or roasted with a pat of butter.

Celeriac Soup
First remove the tops of the celeriac, wash and chop them. Add them to a quart of chicken broth with a couple of bay leaves

Florianni Red Flint Polenta Corn

3 tablespoons butter

2 leeks, green top removed, roughly chopped

1 onion, roughly diced

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs thyme

½ cup white wine

1 celeriac, peeled, roughly diced

1 potato, peeled, roughly diced

6 cups vegetable stock

1 cup 35% cream

pinch fresh nutmeg

¼ cup sour cream

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds for garnish

salt and pepper

1 T. butter, 2 T. olive oil
1 onion, coarsely diced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup white wine
2 celeriac, peeled, coarsely diced (let these soak in vinegar water for a few minutes)
1 potato peeled, coarsely diced

4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch fresh nutmeg
Chopped cooked bacon as a garnish (or you could use any toasted seeds).

Trying to beat the rain harvesting Cherokee White Flour Corn

Put the butter and olive oil in a pan. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and thyme and stir until the onions are translucent. Add the wine and reduce the liquid by 2/3. Add the diced celeriac and potato, stir. Drain the stock, and add the liquid to the pot and bring up to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer Cook until the celeriac is tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.

Carefully transfer the mixture into a food processor and puree until smooth. Stir in the cream. Season the soup with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Sprinkle with bacon, parsley or toasted seeds and serve.

Just about all done for the season

Corn Chicas
These are sweet corn that have been roasted on the BBQ, cut off the cob and then dried. There's 2 cups in the bag. So, to use them I put them on to soak overnight and then make my stew the next day. You need to use twice as much water to soak them as you use corn. So, 4 cups for the whole bag, 2 cups for 1 cup corn...etc. Try them in a nice pork or chicken stew!

On the farm

Cherokee White Flour Corn

We really had to scurry to get all the corn in before it started raining. Nothing ruins dry corn like rain. One year we rushed to get it out of the field, and it molded in the wheel barrow! So we didn't take any chances with our beautiful crop this year. Leo was looking at my wagon and started laughing...not near big enough to bring in all the corn with. We got it all in and shucked and now it's hanging in the barn to dry.

Many thanks to the Dar Jones (the magnificent) for all tomato and corn seeds this year. Dar assures me that this will be the best flour corn we have ever et.

Will have to be patient and wait for it to finish drying.

For those of you who are on the every other week schedule, this is your last CSA of the season. We've sure enjoyed your company. Thanks for having us in your kitchen.

For those of you who are on the every week schedule, you have a few more boxes coming.

I think the polenta corn will be ready next week! I've already got it off the cob and spending a week in the freezer to thwart any would be bugs that would try to get into the pantry.

Have a great week. And a lovely winter for those of you who are finished.