Greetings CSA Members! Hope you are all doing a good job staying warm!
We’ll get right to it. Here’s what you can expect in your CSA delivery this week:
- Dried Shiitake Mushrooms New!
- Fingerling Potatoes
- Bonbon Buttercup Squash New!
- White Daikon Radishes New!
- Parsnips
- Baby Orange Carrots
- Rutabagas
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Yellow Storage Onion
- Red Onions
- Dried Basil New!
Again, a bit of a wintry lineup with plenty of roasty, toasty, tasty root vegetables!
And, since we have them on hand, we couldn’t resist getting our members one last taste of shiitakes before the end of the CSA season (and to your benefit: since they’re dehydrated, you can hang onto them for as long as you like, even for a special occasion later in winter!)
We’re also excited to share a delicious new squash variety with you this week: a bonbon buttercup squash. This type has very smooth, fine-grained yellow flesh, quite a bit like a paler butternut, and is quite sweet. We hope you enjoy it.
And we’ll also be getting you a little taste of the summer we’ve preserved over the past couple months: dried basil! Make it last over the winter on pastas, on pizzas, or anything else you may want to try it with over the cold months!
And we have another new item for you…
White Daikon Radishes | Explanation and Tips
You’ve gotten purple daikons in your CSA so far this year…but you have yet to experience our white (or icicle type) daikon radishes!
Not all of them are nearly as large as the one pictured, but this can give you a good idea of how large these root vegetables can get.
So, how do you use them? You can use them a lot like all the other winter radishes and similar root vegetables you’ve received in past shares. These have a slightly lighter and crunchier texture than purple daikons, and for that reason, these guys are a great addition to short-term frying preparations: like Asian stir fries for example, a a popular dish that you’ll find these daikons in.
Again, like our other winter radish crops, slicing them raw for salads adds a bit of interesting spice, while roasting them up makes them as mild and tame as a turnip. As you can probably tell, the name “icicle” for these types of radishes refers to their very long and pointed shape. When eaten raw, their flavor is anything but cold or cool…these daikons can be spicy!
Over the years working at various organic farms around the country and growing these, they seem to be a popular addition to homemade juices (you know, of the ilk for “juice fasts” and that require a juicer). They’re crispy flesh and spiciness is a great addition to fruit and vegetable blends; some have claimed daikon radishes are great for the liver, though I don’t have any knowledge or sources to personally back that up. (They’re probably mildly detoxifying to some extent, at least, like a lot of veggies…)
Are you familiar with white daikons and have recipes to share? We’d love to hear them!
Feel free to email us your own recipes and ideas – we’ll happily credit you and share them. | jupiterridgefarm@gmail.com
That about wraps it up for the second to last week of CSA, leading up to Thanksgiving! It seems like our CSA season really has gone by fast.
It’s our pleasure to bring you these goodies leading up to the holiday. And don’t forget: on the very last CSA delivery next weekend, we’ll be delivering you a DOUBLE share, straight to your doorstep, and with tons of good stuff!
Until next time!
Warmest Regards,
Adrian & Will | Jupiter Ridge Farm