Greetings CSA Members,

Saturday night brought both the howling of our neighboring coyotes and our first frost. Brian, Walter, and Errol had covered those crops most susceptible to frost damage with row covers. It is tedious work to lay these “blankets” on rows and rows of vegetables, but it is also very satisfying to know that the tender peppers and baby greens will endure until the next threat of a freeze. I decided to include a photograph which paints a very different picture from the complaints of the lack of rain, the images of the hard-working Denison Farm Team, or the wildlife who receives a free CSA lunch! Here are four members of the team as they finish up harvesting sweet potatoes for the day – still clowning, still smiling!

Three weeks of CSA boxes left for the 2010 season.

Enjoy your share - Justine

Sweet Potatoes (Farmer John’s Cookbook

The sweet potato is a member of the morning glory family and has its origins in the American West Indies. These lush, veining plants spend the summer collecting and funneling energy into their roots, culminating in a fall crop of beautiful, bronze tubers. The sweet potato’s rich and creamy orange flesh and earthy, sweet flavor is incredibly versatile, lending itself to both sweet and savory dishes.

Storage: Keep unwashed sweet potatoes in a cool, dark place, such as a loosely closed paper bag in a cupboard or cool basement, and use them within a two to three months. Do not store in the refrigerator; cold temperatures can darken sweet potatoes and adversely affect their taste.

Handling: Scrub sweet potatoes gently before cooking. Peeling is a matter of preference. If you will be puréeing or mashing sweet potatoes, bake or boil them whole and then remove the skins.

Sweet Potato, Broccoli, and Tomato Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes

2 cups cooked or canned garbanzo beans, drained

1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water

3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cubed

1 medium head broccoli, cut into large chunks (about 2 cups)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, stock, and sweet potatoes. Simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Add the broccoli, cover, and simmer until the sweet potatoes and broccoli are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet Potato Flan (Martha Stewart)

2 sweet potatoes

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

5 large whole eggs

2 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups milk, scalded

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, and roast until very soft, about 1 hour. Allow to cool. Peel off skin, and discard. Place sweet potatoes in the bowl of a food processor, and puree until completely smooth. Measure 1 1/2 cups puree, reserving any excess for another use. This step may be done a day in advance.

Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Combine 1 cup sugar and the water in a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Brush down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent crystallization. Increase heat to medium-high; boil, without stirring, until the syrup turns a deep amber, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour caramel into a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Holding the pan with pot holders, swirl to coat bottom and halfway up sides of dish.

In a large bowl, combine sweet-potato puree, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, allspice, cinnamon, salt, eggs, and egg yolks. Mix in vanilla and scalded milk (pass the mixture through a fine sieve). Pour into caramel-lined pan, and cover with foil. Set in a roasting pan, and pour boiling water into the roasting pan halfway up sides of flan dish.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until center of flan is nearly set: A thin bladed knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Let cool to room temperature, and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

To unmold, run a sharp knife carefully around flan, and cover with a serving plate; invert quickly. Remove pan; serve.

Fried Green Tomato BLT (Epicurious)

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

18 1/8-inch-thick slices pancetta (Italian bacon cured in salt)

18 1/4-inch-thick slices green tomatoes (about 6 tomatoes)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

3 large eggs, beaten to blend

1 cup olive oil

6 1/4-inch-thick slices red tomatoes (about 2 tomatoes)

6 1/4-inch-thick slices yellow tomatoes (about 2 tomatoes)

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced arugula

Puree basil, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, lemon juice, and mustard in processor until smooth. Transfer to small bowl; mix in remaining 1 cup mayonnaise and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange pancetta in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Cook until pancetta is just crisp, about 15 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Reduce oven temperature to 200°F.

Sprinkle all green tomato slices with salt and pepper. Place 1/2 cup flour in shallow bowl. Mix remaining 1/2 cup flour with cornmeal in another shallow bowl to blend. Working with 1 green tomato slice at a time, coat with flour, then egg, then flour-cornmeal mixture. Transfer to baking sheet. Line second baking sheet with paper towels. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry green tomatoes until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer to prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Keep warm in oven.

Sprinkle red and yellow tomatoes with salt and pepper. Place 1 fried green tomato slice on each of 6 plates. Spread each with 1 teaspoon basil mayonnaise, then top with 2 tablespoons arugula, 1 slice pancetta, 1 slice red tomato, another fried green tomato, 1 slice yellow tomato, pancetta, and another 2 tablespoons arugula. Spoon 1 teaspoon mayonnaise over arugula, then top with remaining fried green tomatoes. Spoon 1 teaspoon mayonnaise atop green tomato. Finish with remaining pancetta and serve.

This week in your share, you will most likely find: Carrots, Beets, Radishes, Broccoli or Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes, Chinese Cabbage, Bok Choi, or Broccoli Raab, Green Tomatoes, and Lettuce or Spinach

Sweet and Sour Chinese Cabbage

4 tablespoons canola oil

1 head chinese cabbage, rinsed, drained, shredded

4 scallions, sliced

1 cup shredded carrots

(optional: Broccoli, Cauliflower, or Bok Choi – sliced thinly)

Sauce:

6 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add canola oil. Cook the Chinese Cabbage, Carrots and Scallions until tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, mix together the sugar, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce. Once sugar dissolves, add to cabbage, mix well and serve.

Green Tomato Pie

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup butter-flavored shortening (recommended: Crisco)

1/2 cup cold water

Sift together flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder into a bowl. Cut shortening into flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork until mixture resembles cornmeal. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cold water, then add remaining

1/4 cup and mix until combined. Cover dough and allow it to rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Divide dough in half. Place on lightly floured board and pat out.

Using a rolling pin, roll out 1 piece of dough to the size of a 9-inch pie pan. Put crust in pan and trim off excess dough around the edge. Roll out second ball of dough for pie crust top.

Filling:

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons tapioca flour

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup raisins

5 green tomatoes, or enough to fill pie crust, thinly sliced

Glaze: 1 slightly beaten egg white and Sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix sugar, tapioca, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and raisins in a large bowl. Lay tomato slices in pie crust.

Sprinkle mixture over tomatoes. (Overlapping will occur but tomatoes will shrink in size when baked.) Gently lay top pie crust over filling, tucking in the extra crust around the edges. Pinch dough with fingers or butter knife to seal edges. Using a knife, make 4 to 6 slits in top of crust to allow steam to escape. Brush top with egg white and sprinkle with a little sugar to give your crust a shine.

Place pie in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F. and continue to bake for 20 more minutes.

Cool on wire rack.

Sweet Potato Pancakes
Makes about twenty 3 1/2- to 4-inch pancakes

6 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and grated

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced or finely chopped

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Combine the sweet potatoes and onion in a large bowl. Add the flour, eggs, and olive oil; mix well. Stir in the milk, salt, and pepper.

Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Test the heat by dropping a small amount of batter in the pan—if the oil immediately bubbles up around the batter, it has reached the proper temperature. Be careful not to let the oil overheat and smoke.

Using a ladle, 1/2 cup measuring cup, or large spoon, drop the pancake batter into the hot oil and then lightly press it into a pancake shape with a spatula. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes, then flip them and cook until brown on the other side, 5 minutes.

Remove pancakes and drain