WORLD PEAS The Pod Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter World PEAS CSA is a program of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project

October 22, 2013 End of Season Survey In your share: It is that time of year and our farmers are wrapping things up on their fields and Carnival or Acorn Squash•Mustard sowing their cover crops. It’s been an interesting season at World PEAS- our farmers Greens•Leeks•Carrots•Fingerling had a tough wet spring, but our warm and mild fall has meant high yields this Potatoes•Jerusalem •Bosc September and October. Your patience and understanding for substitutions when Pears•Local Honey we have had to is wonderful and we’ve been so happy to hear your comments and Also in Large Shares: feedback throughout the season. Arugula In order to better serve you in future years, we’d like to ask you to take 5-10 minutes Crop information: to complete a brief survey on your experience with World PEAS. Thank you in Jerusalem Artichokes advance for providing important feedback to help us enhance our program. The survey can be accessed at the following link: http://survey.constantcontact.com/ survey/a07e8e58b7yhn1uku99/start Thank You For Sharing This Season with Us! The are beginning to fall and the air is crisp- October almost over and our season has come to a close. It’s hard to believe that 20 weeks have already gone by- the crazy first Thursday delivery day when our truck broke down seems like ages ago. We have so enjoyed sharing this season with you and have been overwhelmed by the support of shareholders to help out our team (by volunteering, sharing recipes, offering to help us with our deliveries when our truck died, and just being fantastic). We wanted to start off by offering a heartfelt THANK YOU to each and every one of you The Jerusalem (also known as a for joining us for the 2013 World PEAS CSA season. sunchoke) is not an actually artichoke, but rather is the edible, starchy root of the Over cups of warm apple cider or while cooking up some root vegetable stew, our North American sunflower. These knobby CSA team has been reflecting on the impact of your participation this season. Since little roots look a bit similar to , but summer is often the time families go on vacation, many of you had at least one week the light brown skin can be tinged with that you chose to donate your World PEAS share. Over the 20 weeks of the season, yellow, red, or purple, depending on the your generosity provided the equivalent of over 140 shares to under-resourced soil where they are grown. They are nutty, mothers and children at the Lowell WIC office. That’s close to 1000 pounds of produce crunchy and have a taste that is slightly donated! And many of you offered financial contributions to support our SNAP CSA reminiscent of artichokes. The name shares. This summer, we have offered over 375 subsidized small shares to individuals, comes from the Italian ‘girasole articiocco,’ families, and an emergency homeless shelter. We also partnered with a new senior or Sunflower artichoke. Mispronunciation service agency, Springwell, to provide fresh produce to be delivered to 85 homebound in English accounts for the development of elders in the Merrimack Valley area. the modern name. Though Jerusalem artichokes are available In order to fill your shares each week, we purchase thousands of pounds of produce year round, they are best when harvested from our program farmers, thus supporting their small farm businesses. This year, we after a light frost. Use sunchokes like welcomed twelve new program farmers, and welcomed back 2 farmers who took last potatoes- they are delicious baked, boiled, season off from farming. Many of our farmers had very successful growing seasons steamed, fried, and stewed. Do watch and surpassed their original goals for sales to World PEAS- some almost doubling their them closely when cooking, however, as expected income from our food hub. This income will help our farmers make further they cook more quickly than potatoes. investments in their farm for future years and enhance the vitality of their business. Handling: Handle with care as Jerusalem artichokes can bruise easily. These tubers So thank you for joining us for a season of firsts and for supporting immigrant, refugee, can be eaten raw or cooked. Scrub the and beginning farmers in the greater Boston area! We hope to see you next season tubers prior to use, and peel if desired (registration will begin soon)! (it is not necessary). If eating cooked, it is far easier to peel after steaming or microwaving. Storage: Store in the vegetable drawer of your fridge, wrapped in paper towel and sealed in plastic bag. Raw sunchokes can be stored up to 3 weeks. Leek, Potato, and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup From Food52 Freezing: Freezing is not Ingredients recommended, as the texture does not 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 sprigs thyme hold up well. 2 leeks 1 tablespoon white wine - optional 1 onion 5 cups vegetable stock or water Leeks 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced ¼ teaspoon white pepper or black 3 sun chokes, peeled and diced salt 1 bay olive oil for garnish Directions Put the olive oil in a medium pot on a medium low heat. Add the vegetables and the herbs and saute for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and water or broth and bring to boil. Add salt and white pepper and lower the heat to low. Cover with a lid and cook for 40 minutes. Let the soup cool down for at least 10 minutes, then remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Adjust seasoning to taste then puree the soup with a hand blander until it is smooth (or any other blender, in batches if necessary). Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper. Pasta with Caramelized Onions & Mustard Greens From Martha Stewart Leeks are a member of the onion Ingredients 4 cups chicken broth (preferably family and have a subtle, sweet flavor 1 tablespoon olive oil homemade) or water and a delightful color and have long 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Salt and freshly ground pepper been treasured in and the 4 medium onions, peeled and cut into 1 pound fettuccine Mediterranean. Thought to be native to the Mediterranean area and Asia, 1/4-inch-thick rings 1 head mustard greens, washed, with tough leeks have been cultivated for more 1 teaspoon ribs removed and leaves torn into pieces than 3,000 years and have long been Directions popular in Europe. After the children Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions of Israel left Egypt, leeks were one of and sugar and cook, stirring once or twice, until well browned, about 10 minutes. Turn heat the foods mentioned in the book of to low; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove half Numbers in the Bible as being greatly the onions and set aside. Add broth or water to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook over high missed. In , the leek is known heat, scraping bottom of pan, for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. as poireau, which interestingly enough Spice Roasted Pears & Winter Squash is also a derogatory term meaning From Honest Cooking “simpleton.” European chefs call leeks 4 sprigs fresh thyme, de-stemmed Ingredients “poor man’s asparagus.” Asparagus is 1 lemon, ½ for juice and whole rind actually a distant relative of the leek, 2 pears, firm and ripe, cored and halved for roasting residing in the same Lily family as 1 acorn or carnival squash, cleaned and cut in 1″ slices 2 tbs. olive oil onions. ½ onion, sliced salt and black pepper to taste, about 2 tsp. ground ginger Handling: Leeks must be very well 1 tsp salt. ½ tsp. pepper ½ tsp. ground cardamom parchment paper washed before use; they almost always Directions contain a good amount of grit. Trim Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Gently toss all ingredients together. Lay out squash, off the root end and trim any hard onion and lemon on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 40 green leaves. Make a long vertical slit minutes. Lay pears, skin side down, on a separate parchment lined baking sheet and place in through the center of the leek, starting the oven 15 minutes AFTER the squash, so to be removed at the same time. Take out both about one inch from the root end and baking sheets and check that squash is tender and slightly browned and pears are slightly cutting all the way to the green end. wilted. Serve together & enjoy! Storing: Leeks will last up to 2 weeks if refrigerated with the roots attached Pan Fried Jerusalem Artichokes (aka Sunchokes) From Honest Cooking and unwashed. Wrap lightly in plastic Ingredients to avoid spreading aromas. 3 tablespoons coarsely torn fresh sage leaves, 3 tablespoons butter, divided divided Freezing: To freeze leeks, cut into slices 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or whole lengths. Seal in airtight bags, 1 pound sunchokes, scrubbed, cut crosswise 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley freeze, and use within three months. into 1/4-inch-thick rounds To preserve flavor, do not thaw before Directions cooking further. Use frozen leeks for Melt 1 tbspn butter with olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sunckoes soup within three months. and half of sage. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown and just beginning to soften, turning often, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sunchokes to shallow serving bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sage to skillet; fry until sage darkens and begins to crisp, about 30 seconds. Add lemon juice; simmer 1 minute. Pour lemon-sage butter over sunchokes in bowl, tossing to coat. Season with S&P & sprinkle with parsley.

World PEAS Coop | 155 Merrimack St., 3rd Floor, Lowell, Mass. 01852 | (978)654-6745 | www.nesfp.org

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