>THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• “Festival” Winter Squash
• “Purple Viking” Potatoes
• Beets (Red, Gold, and “Chioggia” candy-striped)
• Purple Cabbage
• Green Onions
• Mizuna
• Arugula
• Mustard Greens
Coming Soon:
Lettuces
Radicchio
Spinach
Welcome to our Winter Season! I’ve tried to link directly to the posts containing recipes for cooking greens and squash, but haven’t figured it out, so if you want to see a lot of recipes, see the list of posts on the right of this page, and click on those links.
There are a lot of yummy recipes in that post, but our favorite way to cook a “Festival” is just to slice it in half (more chopping and rocking than slicing, really), scoop out the seeds, rub a little olive oil on the cut sides and inside, and place the halves cut-side down on a cookie sheet. Bake it at 350° for about 1/2 hour, or 40 minutes, until a fork will slide into the flesh easily. Then a little salt and pepper, and/or butter and my kids will ask for seconds and thirds. They’re just sweet enough to not need anything extra. Of course, they’re also delicious stuffed with a savory mess as well.
“Purple Viking” potatoes are one of my favorites. Not only are they pretty with their purple and pink splashed skin, and striking white flesh, but they are delicious and good for just about everything. They bake, steam, and roast well. They’re great fried up for breakfast. What more can I say—admire them and then devour.
Beets, oh beets. I’m putting together a separate post on beet recipes, because it’s one of the top vegetables I get asked “what do I do with this?” Basically though, I generally roast them. Cut them into chunks (smaller pieces will cook faster). Preheat your oven to 400°. Put the chunks in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper (and rosemary, thyme, or whatever else you like), and put in the oven. Stir them around after about 15 minutes and again in another 15 minutes. Take them out when they’re tender. You can roast beets alone or with other roots. They take longer than potatoes, so if you want to do them together, cut the potatoes into bigger pieces.
I think everyone probably is aware of arugula these days—the slightly spicy, bitter, nutty salad green. There is a recipe in the Summer Week 20 post for a tasty salad, but it’s also good with blue cheese and pears, or nuts and apples.
Mizuna is very mild, better for salad or wilting simply than as a cooking green. I like to make a bed of mizuna on my plate and place a chunk of grilled/broiled meat or salmon on top. That way it gently steams and wilts and soaks up juices too.
Mustard Greens are spicy, and I know they’re not everyone’s favorite. But the purple ones are so pretty, and they’re good for you. Try any of the recipes in the Cooking Greens post, or top with strong cheese, if you like it—like parmesan, romano, or fontina.
The last minute frost hurt the Swiss Chard pretty badly, so we’ll have to save that for next week or the week after. Hopefully the really cold weather will hold off for a bit, since it does make things harder for us, harvest-wise. And it makes for a late start in the mornings, which makes us late for everything. Please have patience on those frosty mornings.
Whistling Train Farm 
>SELF-CRUSTING VEGETABLE QUICHEHi Eaters,I have really enjoyed getting to know the odder members of the vegetable kingdom this summer/fall. It took some research in older cookbooks to know what to do with some of it, but here’s a favorite use for every vegetable, no matter what.Self-Crusting Vegetable QuicheSelf-crusting quiches are made without pastry crusts but form their own firm outer layers as they cook. For best results use these pointers:1. Use a metal pie plate or quiche pan with a solid (not push-out) base.2. Lightly grease the pan.3. Take care not to overmix the egg mixture when flour is added; it may not form two layers as it cooks.4. Bake at a high temperature so the crust browns well.5. Leave to stand 5 mins. after removing from the oven before turning out.Ingredients:These can vary A LOT depending on what you have available. You need about 2 cups cooked vegetables and 1 cup cheese, cooked meat, beans, lentils or tofu. These proportions are flexible. Here’s a sample quiche:1 onion, chopped2 garlic cloves1 Tbsp butter3 eggs3/4 tsp salt1 cup milk1/2 cup self-raising flour (it has baking powder in it)2 cooked potatoes, cubed1 cup drained, cooked and chopped asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli or any other softer vegetable. I use grated, sauteed kohlrabi for part of every quiche.1 cup grated cheeseCook the chopped onion and garlic in butter until tender. Cool. Stir in the eggs, salt and milk, and beat with fork until mixed. Pour this into a large bowl containing the flour, and stir with fork just until flour is moistened. Add the potatoes, vegetables and cheese, and stir a bit with the fork. Pour into a prepared pan. Garnish with a sliced tomato, or thinly sliced red and green peppers. Bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until browned and set in the center. Thanks to Alison Holst, a New Zealand cookbook writer for the easily flustered home cook.
>we love the variety of seasonal veggies right here in our city we make soup twice a week it keeps you warm & healthy keep on growing thanks k&t
>Andrea, thanks for the recipe! I’m going to try it too!Shelley