Saturday, October 12, 2013

CSA Week 19 and apples, apples, apples!


Here we are, finally caught up and its Week 19 with Geauga Family Farms CSA Summer Program.

If you're interested in a 6 week Winter Share, they're taking applications until October 18th.  

Count me IN!! Yay!

Here is the nice bag I picked up this morning... 


New to me this week is an amazing Buttercrunch type lettuce..Its so beautiful, tender, and tastes so good. 
This is my most favorite lettuce of the year.. its that magnificent.  

Also, I got 2 beautiful heads of fennel. Yum!
 Many folks in this area also call it Anise but its truly Florence Fennel or Finocchio.
It has a slight anise or fennel flavor and is often used in tomato sauces or other dishes with Italian sausage. 

 That Black Beauty eggplant might pair well with the fennel & the 2 heads of garlic we got this week.
You know.. I dont know if thats a Black Beauty eggplant or not.. but it is black & it is a beauty!

I also got some larger potatoes this week.  We've really enjoyed each & every type of potatoes we've been getting.  M'honey discovered he really does like the fingerling potatoes.  He never knew it before. Yay! 

The sweet potatoes are filling out & will grace our Thanksgiving table if I dont eat them before then.. Its really not that far away..  I would imagine I'm going to eat that Butternut squash before long too.
The great news is that both store very well in cool storage. So do those onions.. 
I've got quite a few onions still.. Thank God for Geauga Family Farms! ♥


I've already sliced up the leeks and they're waiting for a moment of need.. I've found if I dont clean them up immediately, I'll let them sit in the frig and pass them by when I could be using them. 
The things I learn.

The peppers I plan to add to a couple other packages of peppers and make pickled peppers. 
I've decided in my old age, I really like pickled peppers! Funny how my tastes change over the years.. 

And Apples... And Apples.. And Apples... 

I've been getting a bag of apples with my share every week..  
And we have a love affair with Apples.. 
They're just so different at the orchards than what you can find in the grocery store.. 

These are the first Northern Spy apples that I bought last week to make Apple Butter!
Im told  I make the BEST apple butter "so & so" has ever had.. including their mama's. Thats pretty high praise!  Thanks All!  My recipe is HERE!


These are mostly apples that I've been getting in my CSA Share..
 They're going to be apples that are going into my dehydrator!!
I've got to get to that this week!  Wish me luck!


I've got apples in my refrigerator crisper too..  This is a combination of Cardinals & the Esopus Spitzenburg apples we picked up today..  I only got a half-peck of them since I've got so many others..  sigh..
The Esopus Spitzenburg is my VERY MOST FAVORITE apple of all..  Its spicy and tart.. Yum! 
It is also reputed to be Thomas Jefferson's most favorite apple. My hero!  ♥


 And I've got apples in the basement..  These are the Macouns (McCoon) & Cardinal's.. Yum
Good tasting eating & pie apples. Actually, these are good for anything.. They're tart, crisp, & really tasty!

Im also experimenting with making homemade Apple Cider Vinegar..  I hate throwing anything out if it could possibly have a good use.  I hope these really work out for me.  All the instructions I read said to put a breathable cloth/paper towel over the cores, peels, & water.. so I did on 2 of these half gallon jars.  The third half gallon jar I decided to use an airlock that I use in kraut fermenting to see how it worked. It may make the most awesome apple cider vinegar.. or it may be a big flop... Like I said.. Its an experiment. ;)  


 And this is my last batch of apples sitting in my sink at this very moment..  Its 2 or 3 more batches of Northern Spy Crock Pot Apple Butter.  M'honey decided he wanted me to make a few more to give away at Christmas time.  The owner of The Apple Patch said he had some seconds he'd be happy to sell us for a deal if we were interested...  a half bushel for $2.00!  Oh yeah!  Thats my PRICE! Whoohoo! 

I guess I better get in the kitchen & get my Crock Pot ready to go for the first batch tonight...  
Sweet Dreams.. that smell like apple pie... all night long...  

 



No comments:

Post a Comment