Wow it's hard to believe, but this is the 25th week (last week) of our CSA year! Today you will be receiving eggs, winter squash, potatoes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, cardoon, fennel and celeriac! Now I know everyone is going what is cardoon and celeriac??? So here is some information from my favorite book "From Asparagus to Zucchini" a guide to cooking farm fresh seasonal produce.

CELERIAC
Celeriac, also known as celery root, has an obvious but unusual kinship to the common celery. Its stalks & foliage are similar to those of celery and are edible. However, the celeriac is cultivated for its edible bulbous root crown. Celeriac's growing season is very long.
Celeriac is very popular in Europe, particularly in Germany & France where our commonly known stalk-type celery is rarely used. Actually celeriac was not uncommon in American cooking back in the 1800s.
Do not be put off by the celery root's rough exterior. Inside, a surprisingly delicious and versatile vegetable waits to be added to your culinary repertoire. Celeriac has an excellent crisp texture raw or cooked, and super-concentrated celery flavor, enhancing its usefulness as both vegetable & seasoning. Celeriac is high in carbohydrates, vitamin C, phosphorus, and potassium.
COOKING TIPS:

Slice off stalks at the root crown. Soak the root in warm water to loosen dirt in the crevices, then scrub thoroughly with a stiff vegetable brush. If exterior is too tough, peel with a sharp knife.
Peeled celeriac will darken when exposed to air. To retard darkening, toss with lemon juice or keep in water. Lemon juice can also be added to cooking water.

Parboil peeled celeriac whole for 20-30 minutes 1/2" to 1/4" slices for 5-8 minutes.
Bake celeriac in its skin at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Peel & prepare as needed.
For extra celery flavor, use instead of common celery in soups, casseroles, stir-fries, etc. Use stalks & leaves for seasoning.

Try celeriac in hardy winter soups & stews, or puree for a flavorful, creamy soup base.
Boil & mash celeriac with potatoes.

Now on to Cardoon. This one is a very different thing, and maybe not for everyone, but it will be fun to at least read about and give it a whirl!!!! There are several different web sites with information and recipes, so just click on the highlighted words, Cardoon. This is the first year we've grown this, don't know if we'll do it again, but every year you just have to try something "new" and see what it's like and how it grows. Cardoon may not be the best choice for our zone as it takes a longer growing season and you don't harvest till it gets cooler, like now, but it doesn't like frost. So most years we probably wouldn't be able to raise this. So give it a try this may be the only time you'll every see this!

Enjoy this last week, hopefully everything was good and you had a good experience maybe even tried things you'd never had before. Hopefully we'll see you again next year.

SWEET POTATOES
The sweet potato is one of only a few cultivated vegetable crops that originated in the Americas. The wild sweet potato has been traced back to Peru as early as 8000 B.C. Early Native American tribes relied on both wild and, later cultivated varieties of sweet potatoes. Christopher Columbus introduced this versatile and nutritious storage crop to Europe.

Sweet potatoes are often erroneously referred to as "yams", a family of starchy tuberous roots originating in West Africa. The sweet potato is neither a potato or a yam but a rooted tuber and member of the morning glory family.

COOKING TIPS:
To bake: Scrub the skin and cut away any damaged areas. Place them whole or halved in a pan (or with a pan underneath to catch caramelizing drips) and bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until the centers are soft when a knife is inserted. Hint: To bring out maximum sweetness, place sweet potatoes into a cold oven and then turn on heat, thus maximizing the time for the starches to be transformed to sugar before high temperature denatures the enzymes responsible for this process. Serve plain or with butter mashed into the soft inside, like any baked potato. Skins can be eaten if clean.

To steam: Place scrubbed & quartered sweet potato chunks in a steamer over boiling water and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Let them cool enough to remove peels. To serve round discs, cook sweet potatoes whole, then peel and slice into rounds. Serve plain or drizzled with a toppings: sweet (butter and a tad of maple syrup), tangy (Lime) or spicy (a red pepper or ginger sauce).

Try adding well-cooked sweet potato to your usual mashed potatoes; blend thoroughly.

STORAGE TIPS:
Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, well ventilated place for up to several weeks. Do not store in plastic or refrigerate. Temperatures below 50 degrees will result in off-flavors, and excess moisture will encourage sweet potatoes to rot or sprout prematurely. Do not scrub clean or wash until just before preparation. Excess dirt may be removed without water prior to storing.

The above information came from my "From Asparagus to Zucchini" a guide to cooking farm fresh seasonal produce book!

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, have had computer issues!:( Any way we've been busy, dehydrating apples, picking winter squash, gourds and pumpkins! I think Greg has finally cleaned out the patch and hauled it all in. We've also started digging sweet potatoes! So this week be looking for cameo apples, sweet potatoes, winter squash, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs and the full shares will get some okra.

I know a lot of people like to fix their winter squash with butter and brown sugar, but I like to put diced onions and peppers, cheese, salt & pepper! The other day I used blue cheese and that was soooo good! :) Greg doesn't like onions & peppers or blue cheese, so I just used Cheddar cheese on his. Winter squash is an excellent source of both vitamin A & potassium. It provides notable amounts of vitamin C, calcium & fiber, and it is fair in protein and carbohydrates. Store at room temperature for at least a month. Store for several months in a dry & cool (50-55 degrees) but not cold location. Cooking tips: 1 pound trimmed squash equals 2 cups cooked squash. Boil or steam 1 1/2- 2" chunks for 15-20 minutes or until tender. You may peel before or after; it's easier to peel after cooking, but it must cool first. Puree cooked squash for a creamy soup, or add uncooked chunks to hearty soups and stews. Butternut makes an excellent "pumpkin" pie, also bread. Try spaghetti squash served hot with butter and Parmesan cheese or your favorite tomato sauce. Acorn squash is famous baked face up with melted butter & brown sugar or maple syrup. Cook squash chunks alongside roasting meats. Add small amounts of squash to yeast breads, quick breads, muffins, cookies, or pancake batter to add color, moisture, and sweetness.