Winter CSA 1st Box

“Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.”
-Mary Ellen Chase (1887-1973)

Happy Holidays from all of us at the Valley Roots Food Hub and the SLV Local Food Coalition!

These food are the essence of eating locally in the middle of a Colorado winter.  We hope you enjoy preparing and eating these foods as much as we have enjoyed bringing them all together.

The 2nd Winter CSA box will be delivered to pick up locations on Januray 20th.  What's in the 2nd box?  Similar, as these boxes are composed of Colorado winter storage and indoor cultivated foods, yet we will have some different items such as Colorado apples, a refill on Colorado sunflower oil, and much more.

Here's the box:

Spring Mix Heads Brightwater Farms, Monte Vista, CO                     1 clamshell
Portabella Mushrooms Colorado Mushroom Farm, Alamosa, CO           2 caps
Crimini Mushrooms Colorado Mushroom Farm                                  8 oz
Potatoes, Organic YellowWhite Rock Specialties, Mosva, CO             3 pounds
Potatoes, Jones Organics Medley, COG Jones Organics, Hooper, CO   2 pounds
Winter Squash Variety, COG Antonio Garcia, Alamosa, CO               4 pound
Garlic Absmeier High Alitude Garlic, Alamosa, CO                            1 pound
Carrots, Bangor Juicing/Storage, COG Southern CO Farms, Center, CO 4 pounds
Onions, Sweet Spanish Yellow Pondersoa Partnerships, Center, CO        4 pounds
Beets, Chioggia, COG White Mountain Farm, Mosca, CO                    2 pounds
Beets, Red, COG White Mountain Farm, Mosca, CO                         2 pounds
Poinsettia Mt Princeton Greenhouses, Nathrop, CO                            1 4.5" pot
Tomato, Arbason Slicer, Three Guys Farms, Monte Vista                    0.5 pound
Tomato, Heirloom, Aunt Ruby's Green Three Guys Farms, Monte Vista 0.5 pound

From Megumi's Kitchen:

CARROT SOUP

I recently served this soup at one of my cooking gigs. People loved it — even the ones who do not like carrots!   It’s simple, easy, and quick. A secret is to sauté and cook carrots throughly before adding milk.

2 medium size carrots (peeled, sliced thin)
1 small onion
3 cups of milk (or half and half)
approx 3 table spoons of butter
3 tablespoon flour  
salt & pepper
soup stock or bouillon cube
bayleaf
finely chopped parsley (optional)

- slice onions thin and sauté in butter (or vegetable oil) on low heat until it starts to turn slightly brown
- add more butter and thinly sliced carrots. continue sautéing until the carrot change the color to bright orange. season lightly with salt.
- pour in soup stock (or water & bouillon cube) just enough to cover the carrots.  cook until the carrots are soft.
- once the carrots are cooked well, mash the onion/carrot mixture directly in the pot with a potato masher. (or run it through the blender)
- add flour and cook a few minutes constantly stirring. add milk in a few intervals
- add bayleaf and cook a few more minutes.
- season with salt and pepper to your liking. adjust the thickness by adding more milk if desired. garnish with finely chopped parsley right before serving.



ABC JUICE
“A” is for apple. “B” is for beet. “C” is for carrot.  some celery and fresh ginger are good with it too.  juice them all… it’s pretty in color and yummy like a fruit smoothy!


4 CARROT SALADS
A) mayo with mustard
very standard carrot salad.  only thing that might be unusual is a few drops of dijon mustard in the dressing

carrots (julienned thin and massaged with little salt, or shredded)
mayonnaise
lemon juice
plain yogurt (optional)
salt & pepper
mustard (optional, just a few drops)
raisins (soak in small amount of warm water. use the water in the dressing)

B) mayo with pineapple
obviously pineapple is not local. but it is really good in carrot salad.

carrots (julienned thin and massaged with little salt, or shredded)
mayonnaise
salt & pepper
canned crushed pineapple

C) Thai style carrot salad — "som tam karo"
my favorite way to eat lots of carrots.

2 carrots (julienned thin or shredded)
3 garlic cloves
lime juice (about 1 lime)
approx 1 tablespoon sugar (start with small amount)
salt
dash of fish sauce (optional)
cilantro leaves

in a small bowl, place julienned carrot as well as peeled and quartered garlic cloves.  sprinkle with a little salt.  with a mortar (or big spoon, ladle etc) pound the mix lightly until the carrot softens a bit and the garlic is smashed in smaller pieces.  add lime juice and sugar. taste and adjust the sugar amount to your liking.  mix in the cilantro leaves. sprinkle fish sauce if you’d like. mix well. taste again and adjust to your liking.

D) Namasu — a Japanese new year’s celebration “salad"
I introduced this recipe this summer when daikon was in the CSA box. Now is more appropriate time to fix it because this dish is a “must have” for the new year celebration in many Japanese household. Carrot’s red and daikon’s white give festive look.  I’ve never substituted daikon with other veggies. But I’d imagine it would work with other radish or jicama.

carrots (julienned match stick thick)
equal amount of daikon (julienned match stick thick)
pinch of salt
approx 1 cup rice vinegar (enough to cover the carrots and daikon)
1-2 tablespoon sugar   
1 dried red chili (whole, optional)
yuzu citrus peel (optional… hard to get in the US)

massage the julienne carrots and daikon with small amount of salt lightly. add sugar to vinegar and heat until the sugar resolves. add the red chili. taste and add more sugar if desired. place the carrot-daikon mix into a bowl. pour the vinegar mix over. add yuzu peel. let is sit in a refrigerator or a cool room over night.  It is good for about a week.


SLV CARROT MUFFIN
this is my SLV signature muffin. SLV carrots are so juicy and sweet. the flour comes from Mountain Mama Milling, the eggs from Ab Yoder’s family farm, and vegetable oil from Colorado Mills.  I know grapes grow in the area. does anyone make raisins in SLV?

2 small carrots fine grated
1 small carrot shredded
2 eggs
150cc (app. 5 oz or slightly more than half a cup) CM Sunflower Oil (or any other vegetable oil)
3/4 cup suger

1.5 cups Mountain Mama whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

raisins
walnut pieces
rum (optional)

- grease the muffin pan with butter or oil and sprinkle flour to coat the pan. dust off the excess flour.
- pre-heat the oven at 350F
- in a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. set aside.
- grate 2 carrots with the fine cheese grater. set aside. shred 1 small carrot and set aside.
- In a bigger bowl, mix 2 eggs and sugar well. add the oil and mix well with a whisk (not whip).  add grated carrots mix well. and then add shredded carrots.
- pour in the dry ingredients at once. mix with a spatula just enough (but not too much) till dry spots disappear.  add in raisins, walnut and rum as you like.
- pour the batter into the muffin pan and bake for approx 20 minutes.

make 6 big muffins.