Our Suffolk Punch Draft horses are getting a much deserved rest after a very busy CSA season. Their main job these days is hauling wagons of produce up from the garden, when we are getting ready for our bi-weekly Fall CSA harvests. In the Fall CSA  we are featuring lots of greens and even some tomatoes from our hoop house and outdoor peppers! It is hard to believe that we harvested over 4 bushels of peppers on November 1st. Of course, the main stay of the Fall CSA are the storage crops and root vegetables. Rutabaga are a wonderful addition to soups and I am including a soup recipe here for our CSA customers who don’t know what to do with rutabaga, as well as casserole recipe.

RUTABAGA APPLE SOUP

1 medium rutabaga, peeled and chopped into cubes

2 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup chopped green onion

2 apples, peeled and chopped

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup milk or 10% cream

1/4 cup maple syrup or brown sugar

salt and pepper

Cook green onions in butter over low heat until soft ( about three minutes). Add stock, apples, and cubed rutabaga, bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat until very soft (about 35 minutes). Puree in blender or processor in batches, and return to the saucepan. Stir in milk or cream and maple syrup or brown sugar, add more stock if it is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste reheat and enjoy. Like many soups this will taste even better on the day after it is made.

RUTABAGA CASSEROLE – Serves 4

1 rutabaga, peeled and diced (about 4 cups)

1/2 tsp        salt

2 Tbsp        bread crumbs

1/4  cup     heavy cream

1/4 tsp       nutmeg

1/2 tsp       salt

1                 egg

1 tsp          butter, softened

1 Tbsp       butter, diced

Place the diced rutabaga in a large stainless steel saucepan.  Add salt and enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 – 20 minutes or until the rutabagas are soft. Drain and puree in a food processor. In a bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the cream for a few minutes. Stir in the nutmeg, salt and eggs. Then add the pureed rutabagas and mix throughly. Butter a 9″x 9″ baking dish liberally. Transfer the rutabaga mixture to the dish and dot with the diced butter. Bake, uncovered, in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 40 – 45 minutes until browned. Serve with pork, ham or turkey.