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End of the 2009 Season!

Well folks this week is it for this year! Hard to believe that it has come around so fast. I guess it’s a sign of growing older…We are grateful to all of our CSA members for your support especially to those of you who did a working share and helped with the harvest.

Thanks also to those of you who took the time to fill out our CSA survey for this season. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Your comments will help us plan for next season. We expect to be planting more of our tomatoes in the hoop houses to try and guard against future blight! Our winners of the flat of raspberries are Tuesday: Andrew Martins and Saturday: Derek and Dayna Cartier.

Just a note about pop corn. We have had fun with our mini blue popcorn this year for the cuteness factor, but it is also good to pop. Both of our popcorn varieties should the husked to air dry until the end of November. Then you can remove some kennels and try popping them. If the popcorn is dry enough it should pop and you can remove the rest and put them in an airtight jar for future use. If it doesn’t pop wait a while longer and try again.

I thought I would add in some celeriac recipes for the the end of the season. It is a very tasty vegetable that many of us are unfamiliar with and it looks so ugly that we are reluctant to use it. However, it is worth the trouble for the taste.

Celeriac, Carrot and Parsnip Crumble
Serves 4
Ingredients:
· 300g carrots chopped into chunks
· 500g peeled and cubed mixed parsnips and celeriac
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
· 40g plain flour
· 40g butter
· 400 ml milk
· 1 tbsp chopped parsley
· 1 tbsp heavy cream
· 1 tbsp horseradish
· 50g grated mature cheddar
· 50g whole meal breadcrumbs
· Sea salt and black pepper
· Some grated nutmeg

1. Heat the oven to 350Deg F. Heat a frying pan; add the olive oil and sauté carrots, parsnip, celeriac and onion for 4-5 minutes, until starting to soften. Season with sea salt, black pepper and some grated nutmeg.
2. Place in an ovenproof dish.
3. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and mix together and cook the mixture for 1 minute. Do not brown. Remove from the heat, pour in the milk and whisk the mixture until smooth. Place back on the heat and slowly bring to the boil, whisking constantly until just boiling. Simmer for 1 minute and remove from the heat.
4. Add the horseradish, thick cream, season well and pour over the vegetable mixtures.
5. Mix together the cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the vegetables. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes so the vegetables are cooked and the topping is golden brown.

Celeriac Soup
Serves 2-3
· 1 celeriac
· 1 medium onion
· 1 pint vegetable stock
· 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
· Handful of fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, thyme leaves, sage, chives)
· 1 dried bay leaf
· Salt & pepper to taste
· 50ml double cream (optional)

Method
1. Peel the celeriac and chop into cubes. Peel the onion and slice finely.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the celeriac and onion. Stir to coat with oil. Sauté gently for 10 minutes.
3. Add the stock and bay leaf. Simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes, until the celeriac is soft (this depends on the size of your cubes!).
4. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
5. Add the fresh herbs and then liquidize, until smooth.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Stir in the cream, if using.

Celeriac and Potato Mash

Using celeriac with the potatoes makes a nice change from ‘just’ mashed spud. Celeriac is a useful source of winter vitamins and minerals and the garlic is a known immune system booster. This is a lovely side dish, if you fancy trying something a little different.
Servers 4

Ingredients:

1 medium celeriac
3 medium potatoes
3 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
25g butter
50ml milk
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
Salt & pepper to taste

Optional: 50g Cheddar, grated

Method:
  1. Peel the celeriac and chop into 2 cm chunks.
  2. Peel the potatoes and chop into 2 cm chunks.
  3. Boil the celeriac and the potatoes together for 15 minutes, or until soft.
  4. Drain and keep to one side.
  5. Heat the oil and butter in the potato pan. Add the garlic and sauté gently until soft.
  6. Add the milk, salt, pepper and mustard and mix well.
  7. Return the potatoes and to the pan and mash well until smooth.
  8. Add the Cheddar, if using, and mix well.

Celeriac and Apple
Serves 2

1lb celeriac peeled and cut into large chunks
2 apples cored and sliced into chunks the same size as the celeriac chunks
Finely chopped shallots or a medium onion, finely diced
½ pt cider
Herbs (bay leaves with either sage or rosemary or thyme)
2oz butter OR a spoonful of heavy cream

Method:
  • Melt an ounce of butter in a pan, add the shallots or onion and fry these for a couple of minutes, then add the celeriac and apple and cook for a couple more minutes.
  • Add the cider and herbs
  • Bring to the boil and either simmer on a very low heat, or put in the oven at 350 F for 40 minutes. It cooks quicker on top of the stove. It is ready when the celeriac is soft and the apples are not quite disintegrated so they still hold a bit of shape.
  • Remove the veg and apples and reduce the liquid
  • Add a couple of ounces of butter or a spoonful of thick cream
This is very nice as a meal on its own with a couscous and a bit of gruyere grated on top, or with smoked fish, or with pork or chicken.