Dave's Fifth Inning Stew

David mentioned to me earlier on in the week that WE should make a stew. I agreed, but suggested that HE make the stew. I only gave Dave one rule when preparing this meal: Use as many CSA veggies as possible because the root veggies are starting to pile up, and we need to start making a dent. So, on Wednesday night, as I was snoring through the 5th inning of the Phillies game, Dave slaved away in the kitchen. (Normally, I'd be in the kitchen back-seat driving, but I'm pregnant, and seem to have mellowed out a little in the control-freak department. I did manage to open my eyes long enough for the last few innings and NLCS victory!)

I Want This Book

The Encyclopedia of Pasta, by Oretta Zanina De Vita and translated by Maureen B. Fant. Read about it in the NY Times.

"Through hundreds of descriptions of pasta styles, with explanations of their origins and of how they’re made, the book places pasta in its social and historical context."

I'd like to think that if I had this book, I'd spend all winter reading and making all the recipes.

And that's all I have to say about that.

100 lbs for $100

When we received our CSA newsletter two weeks ago, David got all excited by the following Mountain View Farm offer to their current share-holders:

100 pounds for 100 bucks...

The share will consist of approximately:

25 pounds of Carrots

25 pounds of Sweet Potatoes

25 pounds of Assorted Roots including:

parsnips, rutabagas, radishes, beets, celeriac

10 pounds of Butternut squash

10 pounds of Onions

5 stalks Brussels Sprouts

A dozen Heads of garlic

Kale

Herbs

and maybe more!

Cool right? We thought so...or, at least, Dave thought so, and I thought just enough to say yes. And then, after he wrote out the check for $100 and handed it in to the farm, I thought a little more about this... What does 100 lbs of veggies ALL AT ONCE look like??? The share will be available for pick up right before Thanksgiving, and we need to take it all at once, so I'll be sure to take pictures and post them. I've also been thinking things like 'What will I(we) DO with 100lbs of mainly root vegetables', 'We don't have a root cellar, so how/where will 100lbs of vegetables be stored', and 'I wonder how much I can manage to give away to family over the Thanksgiving holiday'. These are all thoughts I should have had before I said yes to this $1 per pound vegetable overload. I also should have thought about this before I told David that yes, it was fine with me if he picked up 2 sacks of potatoes from the farm stand on rte 9 in Hadley...I just didn't think about the fact that 2 sacks=50 lbs.

Any suggestions for using potatoes are welcome. In fact, any suggestions at all for using 150 lbs of vegetables/storing 150 lbs of vegetables would also be welcome. In the meantime, I'll be researching ways to store everything, and wishing we'd purchased a home with a root cellar...

Oh yeah, and family members, if you're reading this, Dave and I will bring the sides for Thanksgiving dinners!!! Glad you all like vegetables!

My New Logo

I just wanted you to be formally introduced to my new logo. Fancy, right? It's designed by my friend and design-extraordinaire, John Turner of Boy Burns Barn. You'll probably see new little images and bits of flair showing up here and there throughout the site in the near-ish future, so don't freak out and think you're on someone else's A Bushel of What site, okay? Because this is it.

Thanks, John! You now have access to a lifetime supply of whatever preserved goodies you desire and permission to request whatever home-baked goods you'd like, whenever we all get together for a visit. Lucky.

Celeriac, Leek and Apple Soup

I have been receiving Cooking Light magazine for the past few years. While I read all the recipes each month, I am rarely interested enough to make anything from the magazine. October's issue, however, was full of recipes that caught my eye. Pages of stews and soups now have a dog-eared corner, and last night, I gave one recipe a whirl. Of course, I messed with it a little...added something I thought it needed, and skipped a few steps, because seriously, I was not busting out my blender, two extra bowls, and a sieve to make this soup. It's a one-pot mess and that's the way I like it! We had the soup as part of a light dinner last night and I froze the rest for later on in the fall.

Apple Butter

 

This fall, we're tackling a little apple butter project. The goal? Make 75 jars of apple butter by October 17! The reason? Our very good friends are getting married 10/17, and their wedding guests will be receiving jars of apple butter as their party favors. Awesome, right? We're psyched. I'll be sure to post pictures of the apple butter all dressed up for the wedding, but you don't need that right now. What you DO need is the recipe for making apple butter, because apples are in season, and there is no better time then right now to make delicious, spicy, apple butter that you can process in a hot water bath and have for a full year. Our apple butter is a big hit over the holidays, and David's grandmother requests a jar every time we visit her.