The “Tell” – Downtime Between CSAs


Hello everyone, Jess and Sarah here.  We hope you’ve enjoyed these past few weeks in between the Summer and Winter CSAs.  We’ve enjoyed digging through the pantries and chest freezers, as well as partaking in some of the deliciousness available at the farm stand.  

We wanted to start out by reminding folks about a couple of fun things going on in the ‘Dell tomorrow (Saturday, November 19th):

  • The food and clothing drive is happening at Springdell! If you are part of the Winter CSA and on your way to the farm stand, toss some of those gently used clothes into your trunk and bring them along. You can also swing by the grocery store for some canned goods, any of these donations are welcome and appreciated.  
  • Jordan Brothers Seafood will be at the Dell during Winter CSA pickup as well.  Take something delectable home to supplement your CSA goodies!
  • If you have not brought back your CSA crate(s) and recyclables from the summer, tomorrow is the day to do it, so toss these into your trunk as well!
  • Springdell has a selection of everything you’ll need to make Thanksgiving a local one, so place your orders at the farm stand Saturday!

Moving on from announcements, let’s take a look in Jess’ kitchen!

img_0671

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sage and Apples were a lovely addition to this Springdell pork chop, applesauce and mashed potatoes.

img_0700

The sprouts not enjoyed the night before wound up on an asiago cheese toasted roll along with a slice of sharp cheddar and some balsamic marinated kale.  There’s a fried egg under there somewhere.

img_0703

Speaking of Springdell eggs, there are a couple in this Tofu Pad Thai.  Keep your eyes open for the spaghetti squash version, a favorite around these parts.  

img_0727

What to do with all of those lovely potatoes?  Scalloped potatoes is quicker, tastier, and easier to make than it looks!

img_0728

As a busy mom, I love to cook things in bulk wherever possible and save myself some time later on.  Tonight was no exception as I used some of my kitchen time to boil up potatoes for mashing, as well as for a dish I’ll be enjoying for tomorrow’s Meatless Monday Dinner.  I also steamed up some hard boiled eggs using a method brought to my attention by fellow Springdellian Dawn DeMeo.  They came out absolutely perfect using this method!

img_0729

Here are some delicious scalloped potatoes, with roasted purple carrots from the community garden and a slow cooked Springdell country pork rib.

img_0730

This is the sour cream and butter mixture that tops the Hungarian Potato and Egg Casserole.  

img_0733Not much to look at, but it was quite yummy and the recipe is quite flexible!

img_0788

Roasted Delicata Squash with Streusel was a hit at the church potluck this past Sunday.

img_0813

This is a chicken pot pie before I put the crust on. Complete with Springdell chicken breast, potatoes, carrots from the root cellar (aka the sandbox in my mudroom) and snap peas from the chest freezer.   

img_0762

A photo of a recent Potato Leek Soup mid-process, this time with blue potatoes.

img_0764

Here I tapped into the chest freezer and pantry for a burrito filling.  Black beans, corn, tomatoes, chili powder and cumin were great with the addition of some cubes of roasted butternut squash.  

img_0736

It’s hard to see the yummy eggplant under all of this cheese, but it was there and enjoyed for a quick and easy eggplant parmesan.  The chest freezer sure comes in handy!

img_0645

Caramelized Onion and Apple Mini Tarts were a great addit

img_0694

Here are those shrunken apple heads after a couple of weeks of drying.  Such a fun Halloween addition!

img_0433

Pork chop, mashed potatoes, sautéed apples and sage.  Yup, it’s been a great few weeks!

Let’s take at look at what has been cooking in Sarah’s kitchen:

image

November was my meat share pick-up! I’m looking forward to making short work of these cuts!

image

This is a seared porterhouse steak from my meat share, with crispy leeks to go on top. Around the steak you can see some twice baked potatoes. Yes, it was a GOOD night!

image

The homemade pumpkin granola I made was a delicious breakfast (and some snacks) with yogurt. I spent a relaxing weekend breakfast browsing through a new cookbook.

 

image

Maple roasted brussels sprouts.

 

image

Some leftover sprouts made a great lunch the next day with toast and some poached eggs.

 

image

Pancakes slathered with apple butter, and Ben’s Maple Syrup. Rounded out with a side of Springdell bacon.

 

image

Bringing the savory side to my pancakes, these potato and leek pancakes were a welcome departure from the norm!

 

image

BBQ Springdell Country ribs and rice with a salad and glazed carrots.  The meat was just falling off the bone.

 

image

Sunday’s Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie was a simple and tasty treat! It is quite a shift from my scratch baking, but I just had to try it.   

 

image

Gluten free pumpkin bread was awesome toasted up on the flat top with some cream cheese for breakfast.

 

image

A simple Delicata Squash. sliced with some melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon makes a great side dish.

 

image

My youngest son requested more of these twice baked potatoes for dinner, who can say no to that?

image

Breakfast Sausage from my meat share, a nice Springdell egg white scramble, and that second loaf of pumpkin bread was breakfast for dinner this week.

 There have been quite a few updates to the Veggie-Scope over the break:

  • Summer Squash
  • Patty Pan Squash
  • Cantaloupe
  • Shallots
  • Collard Greens

Thanks for tuning in for this long wrap up post covering our break between shares.  Tomorrow is the first pick-up for the Springdell Winter Share, we are so excited here at CSA365, and I’m sure you are too!  See you all tomorrow.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *