Potatoes Back on the Plate: CSA Summer – ’15 Week #13 (EO-A)

 In CSA Newsletter

2015 Potato Harvest Coming In

With the first plunk of fresh dug, dirty potatoes onto the wash line, I immediately feel the circularity of the farm season.  Just like hearing the cicadas rev up in the trees in the late summer, the sound, feel, and smell of potatoes in late August is part of how I tell time throughout the year.

The last time I heard that sound, it was May. We were washing and sorting the last of the 2014 harvest.  And now here we are in September, with this year’s potatoes coming in.

We have harvested 13,000 pounds of potatoes so far, and have probably another 8,000 pounds to go. They are a gorgeous crop this year.   We had to laugh at market this weekend, as we usually sell our first potatoes in plastic quarts€¦ but they were mostly too big to fit!

The taste of freshly dug potatoes is something to savor. Potatoes are a wonderful storage crop and we eat them steadily for 9 months of the year. But the longer they are in storage, the more the starches turn into sugar.  And well, I tend to prefer my potatoes without that hint of sugar.

As the main cook in the household, I generally refrain from cooking potatoes during the high season.  Even though we could save some and eat potatoes year round, I like taking a little break from them in the kitchen.

Mike and I tend to disagree on this point€¦ but maybe, just maybe this season he might be convinced of my viewpoint. Last Thursday we took our first bites of the 2015 season crop, and we were both in heaven. I wish I had the vocabulary to describe just how yummy these roasted spuds were! The skins were delicious, the texture of the flesh just right, and not a hint of storage sugar.  And for the first time, Mike gave me his signature shrug indicating that perhaps I might be onto something when it comes to taking a break from potatoes.

Over the weekend we ate them again – this time boiled in salt water, drained, buttered, and spritzed with lime.  The girls gobbled them up right along with us.

Refreshed from a 3 month hiatus, I am now super excited to welcome potatoes back into the pantry and onto the plate.  Freshly dug and delicious.

Enjoy your veggies!

Sincerely,

Cassie, Mike, crew and kiddos

In the Box:

  • Beans, Dragon Tongue
  • Carrots
  • Eggplant, Globe
  • Leek
  • Onion, Sweet White
  • Pepper, Anaheim
  • Pepper, Sweet Red
  • Potato, White
  • Sweet Corn
  • Tomato, Heirloom
  • Tomato, Slicer
  • Watermelon

EOs only:

  • Head Lettuce, either Red Leaf or Multileaf
  • Pepper, Jalapeno

 

Weekly Recipes:

  1. Penne with Green Beans and Tomatoes
  2. Szechuan Eggplant with Chicken and Anaheim Peppers
  3. Bacon, Leek and Gruyere Strata
  4. Black Bean, Shredded Carrot and Anaheim Pepper Burritos
  5. Warm Potato and Goat Cheese Salad
  6. Rice Stuffed Tomatoes
  7. Green Bean and Tomato Salad with Vinaigrette
  8. Eggplant Lettuce Wraps
  9. Carrot Leek Soup
  10. Anaheim Pepper Cream
  11. Chilled Green Bean and Potato Salad
  12. Smoky Vinaigrette
  13. Moroccan Tagine with Carrots, Potatoes, Peppers, and Tomatoes
  14. Orange Scented Pork with Tomatoes and Onions

 

Wednesday, September 2nd” EO Group A