Two of the main vegetables that have been on rotation in my kitchen for the past 3 weeks, have been Kohlrabi and Butternut Squash.  I can’t resist buying a squash every time I go to the market, with this wonderful fall weather – and Kohlrabi has been a consistent staple in my (and yours too, I’m sure) CSA basket for the past few weeks.

So, I found this nice little recipe that includes BOTH of these fall favorites!  I just might have to make this one for Thanksgiving – it’s definitely “guest-worthy!”

Ingredients:

• 2 medium kohlrabi (1 1/4 lb with greens or  3/4 lb without)
• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lb butternut squash
• Shallow heavy baking pan

Preparation:

Put oven rack just below middle position and put baking pan on rack, then preheat oven to 450°F. (If roasting vegetables along with turkey, preheat pan for 15 minutes while turkey roasts, then roast vegetables underneath turkey.)

Trim and peel kohlrabi, then cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Toss kohlrabi with 1/2 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a bowl. Transfer kohlrabi to preheated pan in oven and roast 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel butternut squash, then quarter lengthwise, seed, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Toss squash with remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper in same bowl.

Stir kohlrabi, turning it, then push it to one side of pan.

Add squash to opposite side of pan and roast, stirring and turning squash over halfway through roasting, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes total (after squash is added).

Toss vegetables to combine and transfer to a dish.

Cooks’ note:  Kohlrabi and butternut squash can be cut 1 day ahead and chilled in separate sealed plastic bags.

Recipe found here:  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Kohlrabi-and-Butternut-Squash-236414

Thanks to all who came out for the Fall Planting Party at Tant Hill Farm this past Sunday!  It was great fun!

Gina said that, all total, we got over 600 plants in the ground!   How great is it to know that we will be enjoying those salad greens in just a few weeks?  Grow, baby, grow!

After planting, we enjoyed some fantastic Pie Slingers Pizza, farm fresh greens, homemade tea, and s’mores galore, all while being entertained by the very talented Amy and Bruce!

We finished out the night with a large (incredibly large, actually) bonfire.

Roasting marshmallows became a full-contact sport… this little guy spent most of the night on his stomach…

A HUGE thanks to Mark and Gina for hosting such a wonderful night for us co-growers and lovers of all things local!

I don’t know about you, but I sure do love knowing my farmers!

Hello Co-Growers!

You are invited to join us  for a…

Tant Hill Farm – Fall Planting Party

Sunday, October, 21st

Planting:  3:30-5:30 pm

Pizza, Bonfire, & Music:  5:30-8:30 pm

Bring your favorite drink, we will have the ice and cups.

If you want to bring the kids remember this is a farm and because this is a last minute attempt to pull this off we don’t have events that will keep them occupied, so it will be on you.

Feel free to come for the planting at 3:30pm and stay all evening, or just come for the pizza and bonfire if that works better for you!

We hope you can make it given this last minute invite. Sometimes these impromptu occasions turn out the best!

DIRECTIONS:

We are about 30 minutes from St Elmo straight down Hwy 193 at

Tant Hill Farm

3698 Hwy 337

LaFayette, GA

It is a straight shot south of St Elmo. You will turn right at the third traffic light ( not including flashing yellow). From that light our driveway is 3.4 miles on the right. When you come in follow the driveway off to the right and park in the front.

We’d like to order the pizza from Lupi’s on Saturday so that we can bake it fresh on Sunday so please let us know as soon as you can by RSVPing to info@tanthillfarm.com , or by giving us a call. 423-637-9793

Hope to see you on Sunday!

All the best,

Mark and Gina

I get so excited every time I see kale in my CSA basket!  I especially love the Red Russian Kale that we received this week!

Here is my most favorite Kale recipe, though I can’t claim any credit – it was created by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks.  I love just about every recipe in her cookbook:  Super Natural Every Day.

Kale Salad

By:  Heidi Swanson

1/3 cup – extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp – toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp – shoyu, tamari, or soy sauce (I use soy sauce)

3 1/2 lightly packed cups – chopped kale, stems trimmed, large ribs removed

1 1/2 cups – unsweetened large-flake coconut (I use this, from Greenlife or Earth Fare)

2 cups of cooked farro or other whole grain (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce.  Put the kale and coconut in a large bowl and toss well with about 2/3 of the olive oil mixture.

Spread the kale evenly across a baking sheet.  Bake for 12-18 minutes, until the coconut is deeply golden brown, tossing once or twice along the way.  

Remove from the oven and transfer the kale mixture to a medium bowl, toss with additional olive oil mixture, if desired.  Place the farro or whole grain on a serving platter and top with the tossed kale.  Serve warm.

It’s delicious!  And heats up well for lunch the next day!  

Gaining Ground launched a Local Recipe Food Challenge during the month of August on their Facebook page.  This deliciously local recipe was submitted by one of our Battleground CSA members.

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, and Pine Nuts:

• 1 large Spaghetti Squash
• 1 cup of tAnt Hill Farm’s Matts Wild Cherry Tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup of tAnt Hill Farm’s Volunteer Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes, or Taxi Tomatoes, thinly sliced
• ½ cup of backyard Fresh Basil, chopped
• ¼ cup of Pine Nuts
• 1 cup of Zucchini, diced
• ½ cup of Red Onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp. of BeginAgin Farm’s Garlic, chopped
• 4 Tbsp. of Parmesan Cheese
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Optional Meat Addition:  Link 41 “Finn” Sausage, browned and diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut Spaghetti Squash in half lengthwise, and remove seeds.  Place both halves, cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet.  Add ¼ cup of water to the pan.  Bake at 375 degrees until squash is soft when pressed (40 min-1 hour).

While squash is baking, sauté red onion, zucchini, garlic and pine nuts with a teaspoon of olive oil over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine sautéed onion, zucchini, garlic, pine nuts with tomatoes and basil.  Add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Add in browned local sausage, if using.

Remove spaghetti squash from oven and scrape with a fork to form strands, while it is still warm.  Add spaghetti squash to the large bowl of ingredients and stir to combine.

Place all contents in a casserole dish.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and place under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese and slightly brown the veggies.

Garnish with fresh local basil and enjoy!

Fresh green beans are so delicious!  Once you’ve had them, it’s hard to go back to canned green beans – and certainly not store-bought ones!  The trick is boiling them for a few minutes, and then giving them an icy cold bath (also called “blanching”) to keep them from continuing to cook.

Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic and Walnuts:

• 1 pound of farm-fresh green beans
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup of walnuts, chopped
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Boil water in a heavy saucepan.  Add green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Drain beans in a colander and place the colander in a large bowl that has been filled with ice and cold water.  Be sure that all green beans begin to cool down immediately.

Heat olive oil a skillet over medium high heat.  Add garlic and saute till slightly brown.  Add green beans and walnuts and continue cooking until beans are warm and crisp – 5-7 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.

There is really nothing better than warm zucchini bread, fresh out of the oven.  And when you are up to your nose in this beloved summer squash, it’s a great way to put them to good use!

Enjoy alongside your morning omelet, or with a scoop of fresh whipped cream after dinner!

Delicious Zucchini Bread:

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups of whole wheat or plain flour
• 2 cups zucchini, grated
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

In a large bowl, beat eggs.  Add oil and vanilla.  Stir in sugar until dissolved.  Add cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Stir in flour one cup at a time.  Add grated zucchini.  Fold in walnuts.

Pour batter into 2 oiled and floured loaf pans.  Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Let cool in pan covered with a dish towel for 10 minutes to retain the moisture.

Invert onto a rack or plate to cool completely.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been pretty excited about the HUGE garlic bulbs that we’ve been enjoying, courtesy of our CSA basket!  This is a great way to use those garlic cloves for a light and delicious snack!

Hummus is very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Folate, and a very good source of Manganese.  Add that to the fact that it tastes delicious when paired with farm-fresh veggies – and I’m sold!

Garlic-y Hummus and Veggies:

• 6 cloves of local Garlic
• 1/3 cup of Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste) – Found at Bi-Lo, next to the peanut butter, or at Greenlife
• 1 can/15 oz. of drained organic Garbanzo Beans – also called Chickpeas
• 6 Tbsp of 2 Lemon Juice (2 fresh lemons)
• 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp of fresh Parsley
• Salt to taste
• Dash of paprika

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse till thoroughly blended.

Enjoy with freshly cut Cucumbers, Carrots, Matt’s Wild Cherry Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, or Whole-wheat Pita Chips.  Hummus is also delicious as a base for wraps and sandwiches.  Use in place of mayo for a low-calorie alternative!

Eggplant can be tricky to cook with, don’t you agree?  You can only make Eggplant Parmesan so many times!  This recipe led me to a whole nother way of thinking about eggplants… you’ve heard of Kale Chips, well, enter Eggplant Chips!

Flounder with Eggplant Chips and Bell Pepper Sauce:

• 4 flounder (or other white fish) fillets
• 1 small eggplant
• 2 large bell peppers, diced
• 1 jalapeno or habenero pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 tsp garlic
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium high heat.  Saute peppers and garlic until peppers are tender.  Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside, but keep warm.

Turn on broiler.  Rinse fish and pat dry.  Season fish with salt and pepper and place, skin side down, on a sturdy baking pan.  Drizzle fish with remaining olive oil.

Cut eggplant (skin on) into very slender 1/8 inch slices – using a mandolin is even better!   Layer eggplant slices over fish.  Place pan under broiler until fish is cooked through.  Remove from oven and cover with Bell Pepper Sauce.  Serve warm with green beans and a glass of white wine!