| STAY IN TOUCH THIS WEEK’S RECIPES · Fresh Tuna Salad in an Avocado ADD-ON SPECIALS LOCAL ORGANIC YOUNG GINGER (4 OZ) ADD-ON GROCERY LIST FALL PRODUCE GUIDE Our free downloadable seasonal produce guide gives you special storage and cooking tips so you know exactly what to do with the produce in your box. You’ll also meet the people who grow your food and find some of our favorite fall recipes! Click Here to Download | NOTES & NEWS It would be an understatement to say that it’s been an eventful week here at Boston Organics. Last weekend, one lucky member of the Boston Organics Community hosted an interactive dinner party with Chef Ryan Redmond of Field to Fork that featured some of our finest seasonal produce. You can read about the event and see what was on the menu in our latest blog post. This weekend, we cosponsored the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival in Roxbury! Thousands of people came from all over New England for two days of lectures, exhibitions, demos, and samples. We enjoyed running into some familiar members of the Boston Organics Community and were elated to see so much interest in healthy, plant-based food. The Squash of the Week This week, we’re continuing to celebrate Fair Trade Month and Non-GMO Month and looking forward to Halloween! While the plump orange squash in some of this week’s boxes may look like a traditional pumpkin, it’s actually an organic red kuri squash from Harlow Farm. One of our newest organic farm partners, Harlow Farm is a third generation family farm on the banks of the Connecticut River in southeastern Vermont. The flesh of their red kuri squash has a rich, chestnut-like flavor. While you can certainly take a sharp knife to the hard outer shell of a red kuri squash, it’s much easier to peel after it’s been roasted for a short time. Place the whole squash on a baking sheet in a 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Then, cut into quarters, remove the seeds and roast for another 40 minutes. We have loads of recipes for you to make with hard-rind squashes that are easily adapted for the red kuri, but we recently came across this recipe from Alice Waters that is well worth a try if you are lucky enough to find one in your box this week! It’s Wise to Try Young Ginger If you enjoy cooking with really fresh, vibrant flavors we suggest you order some organic young ginger from Old Friends Farm! Unlike the fibrous texture typically associated with ginger, young ginger is smooth and juicy. Its thin outer skin means no peeling is required, and the delicate texture and flavor makes young ginger ideal for pickling, candying or stir-frying. Most American-grown ginger is grown in Hawaii and shipped across the country, but young ginger is much less durable and is generally only found from a local grower. Lucky for us, Old Friends Farm (Amherst, MA) recently became one of the first farms to grow ginger commercially in New England. You can get their young ginger with your next delivery by ordering now. Once it arrives, we recommend storing your young ginger in a waxed paper bag or sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Any ginger you don’t plan to use immediately can be frozen in an air-tight container or freezer bag. If you still have any cranberries leftover from last week, we recommend you try this recipe for Candied Young Ginger and Cranberries. News from the Farm Unfortunately, last week’s heavy rains were disastrous for our organic cranberry growers on the Cape. As a result, this week may be the final week for Massachusetts-grown organic cranberries. Fortunately, our prodigious produce purchasing team has found an organic cranberry grower in Quebec that will be able to fulfill all of your cranberry cravings between now and Thanksgiving. Atlas Farm also experienced a setback this week: an aphid infestation took out Gideon’s entire Brussels sprout crop. Fortunately, the rest of his fields were unaffected and he managed to harvest plenty of beets, carrots, potatoes, celeriac, and sweet potatoes for us in spite of the rain. Atlas Farm is also bringing us some of their spectacular Boston Bibb lettuce later in the week. The smooth, buttery leaves of Bibb lettuce are a fantastic addition to salads, especially alongside the local organic alfalfa sprouts from Jonathan’s Sprouts. As always, if there is ever anything missing from your order or if there is a quality issue, please let us know. You can quickly report any produce issues via our online form, which makes it easier for us to make sure you’re getting the best possible service we can provide. We won’t keep you — looks like you have a lot of cooking (and eating) to do! Enjoy your produce and have a delicious week! Thanks! The Perfect Pear Timing is everything when eating a pear. Eat one before it’s ripe and it will be crunchy but devoid of flavor. Eat one past its peak and the mushy texture will ruin the whole experience. The traditional “pear-shaped” European varieties (Bosc, D’Anjou, Bartlett) get mealy when they are left to ripen on the tree. Therefore, pears are picked at a “mature” state and it is often up to the consumer to let them ripen properly. Leave firm unripe pears on a counter top or place them in a paper bag with other pears, apples or bananas to increase the rate of ripening. Pears ripen from the inside out, so if a pear is soft it’s already past its prime. The best test is to gently squeeze the neck of a European pear. A little give indicates that the pear is ripe and ready to eat. You can refrigerate a ripe pear for up to five days, but we advise against placing an unripe pear in the fridge as this will ultimately weaken its flavor. Asian pears are round and do not need to ripen the same way. Whether you’re eating it like an apple, slicing it into a salad, or poaching it in red wine, Asian pears should be eaten when they are firm and crisp. Dogma Box Update:
TIPS Storage Tips! We often hand out these bags with add-ons and welcome packets. You can also ask for two of our biodegradable produce bags with your delivery. If you get some from us, we encourage you to reuse them for fresh greens, corn, broccoli, and any veggies that you’ve cut open and want to save. For produce storage tips, recipes and more, check out the Produce Info, Tips and Recipes section of our website. No-Lists! What To Do With Your Bin! If you have more than one bin, don’t forget that they easily stack inside of one another to make them easier to carry and store. If you live in a multi-unit building, be sure to leave your tag on your box so that we can keep track of whether or not we picked up your bin! Thanks! RECIPES We’re constantly adding new recipes to our website to help you folks cook through your produce. Head over to the Produce Info, Tips and Recipes section of our website and browse for recipes by produce item. The collection of recipes grows every week! And, we are always looking for recipes and cooking tips to share. Please email your favorite recipes to us at [email protected], or feel free to post them on our Facebook Page. (For those that submit a recipe/tip, you may find a surprise in your delivery!). Fresh Tuna Salad in an Avocado 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil1 tablespoon fennel seeds1 tablespoon black peppercornsOne 3/4-pound tuna steak, cut 1 inch thickSalt1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise2 anchovy fillets, minced2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped1 garlic clove, minced2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice2 celery ribs, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick1 small red onion, finely diced1/3 cup pitted oil-cured black olives, chopped4 Hass avocados, halved and pittedPea shoots or alfalfa sprouts In a medium saucepan, combine the olive oil, fennel seeds and peppercorns and bring to a simmer over moderately low heat. Season the tuna with salt and add it to the saucepan. Simmer the tuna steak over low heat, turning once, until barely pink in the center, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and scrape off the fennel and peppercorns. Strain and reserve the oil.Meanwhile, in a large bowl, blend the mayonnaise with the minced anchovies, capers, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the fresh lemon juice. Stir the celery, onion and olives into the dressing. Using a fork, break the tuna into 1-inch pieces, then fold into the dressing. Season with salt. Set 2 avocado halves on each of 4 plates, skin side down. Drizzle the avocado flesh with some of the reserved spice-infused olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the tuna salad into the center of each avocado half. Top the tuna salad with the pea shoots or alfalfa sprouts and serve. Adapted from Food & Wine Print This Recipe! · Candied Young Ginger and Cranberries 1/2 pound young ginger 2 cups fresh cranberriesWater1 cup sugar, plus extra sugar for coating1 cup honey (or just use 2 cups sugar total)Salt, a pinch6 pods green cardamom, optional 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional; only add if you want to preserve the ginger in syrup and keep it from crystallizing) Scrub any dirt off the young ginger. Using a mandoline, vegetable peeler or very sharp knife, cut the ginger into 1/8-inch coins (no need to peel young ginger!). Put the ginger in saucepan, cover with the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer at least 15 minutes, until tender. Remove the ginger with a mesh strainer or slotted spoon, reserving the water. Add the sugar, honey and cream of tartar (if using) and pinch of salt to the reserved water, stirring over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add ginger slices and cook over medium-high heat until the syrup’s temperature approaches (but stays just under) 225 degrees F (about the consistency of thin honey). Add the cranberries and remove from the heat and let stand for at least an hour and up to overnight. Transfer the ginger and cranberries with a slotted spoon to a wire rack or large mesh strainer set over a tray, letting them dry in a warm place until no longer very moist. Reserve the ginger syrup for use in drinks. Toss the dried fruit in granulated sugar, shaking off the excess sugar (which is now ginger-flavored and also worth reserving). Crystallized ginger can be stored in an air-tight container for several months, but you’ll probably gobble it up and chop it up to mix into baked goods long before then. If pieces are still too moist, they can be further dried in a 170-degree oven before storing. Adapted from NPR’s Kitchen Window Print This Recipe! · Alice Waters Red Kuri Squash Soup 1 1/2 pounds red kuri or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (3 cups)1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped1 bay leaf1 medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into thin wedges1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzlingSalt and freshly ground black pepper1 tablespoon unsalted butter Chopped toasted pecans and small marjoram leaves, for garnish Red-orange kuri squash has a pumpkin shape, but no ridges. Its flavor is sweet and nutty, reminiscent of chestnuts. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a large saucepan, combine the cubed squash with the chopped onion, bay leaf and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.Meanwhile, on a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the fennel wedges with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss well. Roast for about 25 minutes, until the fennel is tender and starting to brown. Discard the bay leaf from the soup. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the saucepan and warm over low heat. Stir in the butter and season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the roasted fennel, pecans, marjoram leaves and a drizzle of olive oil. Adapted from Food & Wine Print This Recipe! · Risotto with Winter Squash, Leeks and Basil 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided4 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled winter squash3 cups 1/2-inch-wide slices leeks (white and pale green parts only)1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme2 cups arborio rice6 cups vegetable broth1 cup chopped fresh basil 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add squash and sauté until beginning to soften and brown around edges, about 5 minutes. Transfer squash to medium bowl.Reduce heat to medium; add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, leeks, and thyme to same pot and stir until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir 1 minute. Add 1 cup broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes. Add remaining broth by 1/2 cupfuls, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Return squash to pot. Continue to cook until rice is just tender but still very creamy, stirring gently and often, about 10 minutes longer (about 25 minutes total cooking time). Remove from heat. Stir in basil and 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl and serve with additional Parmesan cheese. Adapted from Epicurious Print This Recipe! · |
