WEEK 24: What’s in the box this week?
Carrots | Potato | Butternut Squash | Copra Onion | Brussels Sprouts

This is the last CSA share of 2008 regular season.
We held a celebration feast for our farm crew, friends and families this weekend to mark the end of another great season. After the party, Nigel said “I’m glad the party’s over. I liked it and it was fun, but now I am relieved that it’s over. And I feel sad, too.” Which just about sums up my feelings about our whole farm season. I’m sad to see our crew go for the winter. Colin and I will keep bunching carrots and kales for market for another two months just by our lonesomes. There is enough work for two, but not four or six or ten. I’m sad because I will miss the friendship and conversations that happen while we work. When we set out to complete the days harvest and projects, we accomplish those things, but something else is happening also. We are learning about each other and how we experience the world around us. We are making friends. Our produce is certified organic so that you know it is safe to eat, and you know that we are taking good care of the land. But there is no certification to show you all the ways that we are taking care of each other each day. And that is what I will miss the most about working with our crew.

Please at least try your Brussels sprouts before you say you don’t like them. Brussels Sprouts is almost like a curse word to many people, uttered with a certain tone that reveals more than clearly a person’s feelings about them. Many vegetables have gotten a bad reputation based on some unfortunate childhood experiences with not so fresh or overcooked specimens. Brussels sprouts grown in the Great Northwest, harvested after a few frosts this time of year are tender, sweet and simply delicious. We are serving them to you on the stalk in your shares so that you can see how they grow, partially, and so that we don’t have to use any packaging as we would if we had broken them off the stem. When you are ready to try them, break them off the stem, and peel off any yellow or brown bits from each one. They look like tiny little cabbages, and that is just what they are called in Spanish- “colitas”- little cabbages. You can soak them in warm salt water for a bit to float out any field pests (aphids). Then you can steam or boil them, but not too long, just until the green brightens up a bit. About five minutes is plenty of time. Enjoy with butter and salt and pepper.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon- Victory Garden Cookbook

1 pound Brussels sprouts 2-3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped bacon salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped onions

Trim and wash sprouts; steam or blanch until just tender. Cook bacon until crisp; drain on paper towel; discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. Cook onions in the fat until wilted and slightly brown. Add sprouts and reheat, adding 2-3 tablespoons of butter, if desired. Add bacon bits and salt and pepper to taste. Four servings.

Pasta e Zucca (Pasta with Pumpkin or Squash) – Naples a table, Arthur Schwarz

2 pounds butternut or acorn squash, or pie pumpkin 1/3 cup olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, smashed 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste 1/3 cup finely cut parsley
1/2 pound spaghetti, broken into 1 1/2 inch or slightly longer lengths, or pasta mista, tubette, ditali, or ditalini
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

For easiest peeling and dicing, cut the squash crosswise into 3/4 inch slices. Peel the slices and discard the seeds and fibrous interior. Now cut the squash into 3/4 inch cubes. If using pumpkin, cut it into wedges, discard the seeds, then peel the wedges and cube the pulp. In three quart saucepan, over low heat, combine the oil and garlic and cook the garlic until it is soft and barely coloring on both sides, pressing it into the oil a few times to release its flavor. Remove the garlic. Add the cubed squash or pumpkin and the red pepper. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the salt. Increase the heat to midium-high and sauté the squash until it is soft and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. If using pumpkin it will take 25 minutes to get to the same semi-cooked state. Add 5-6 cups of water and a teaspoon of the salt. Raise heat, cover the pot, and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in pasta, re-cover pot, and when the water returns to a boil, uncover and cook the pasta until cooked to your taste. While the pasta cooks, stir it frequently and mash some of the squash cubes with the back of a wooden spoon to thicken the dish. Taste for salt and correct if necessary. Adjust consistency by adding more water if you like. It can be soupy, thick, or almost dry; depending on your taste. Stir in the parsley and serve hot. Pass the parmigiano.
Those were some seriously wordy instructions, obviously not mine, Arthur’s. When I make this recipe, I use stock, not water, and add chopped garlic at the end instead of all that business about taking it out.