Newsletter #14-09

We sure know how to have fun. We were cleaning leeks on a Sunday afternoon in parkas and toques. Then it got worse. Monday it rained, with  snow in the forecast for later in the week. No matter how unpleasant it gets, we still need to harvest all the vegetables still in the ground.

This week we give you 4 pounds of white potatoes.  We couldn’t find certified organic white seed potatoes anywhere this spring. Finally, in July a farmer friend came through for us and gave us some potato seed. Hence you are getting new potatoes in October. I call them tater gems. You will have some of the tiniest potatoes on the planet.  They are considered a delicacy.  My favorite way to cook them is to soak them in water to get the dirt off, rinse them and drop them into salted boiling water.  Then drain and brown them in butter and add your favorite herb.

Potatoes are a very healthy food. With the exception of vitamin A, white potatoes have just about every nutrient. One baked potato offers about 20 percent of the daily recommended amount of vitamin B6, which is good news for your heart. They are also very high in potassium, beating other potassium-rich foods. They are a good source of iron and copper, too. In fact, a potato a day is good for your heart, promoting normal blood-pressure levels.

Even your focaccia this week has potatoes in it, blue potatoes, that is. The blue color comes from the presence of anthocyanin, which is an antioxidant.

The cool summer has been good for crucifers. This week you are getting three kinds of cabbage, green, red and flowering cabbage or kale. There is no better use for raw cabbage than in a crunchy coleslaw. Shred green and red cabbage to make a colorful salad.  Make this at least a day ahead so it can marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

For about 20 years, we’ve known that many phytonutrients work as antioxidants to disarm free radicals before they can damage DNA, cell membranes and fat-containing molecules such as cholesterol. Now, new research is revealing that phytonutrients in crucifers, such as cabbage, work at a much deeper level. These compounds actually signal our genes to increase production of enzymes involved in detoxification, the cleansing process through which our bodies eliminate harmful compounds.  The red color in  cabbage adds the additional benefit of flavonoids. Red cabbage grows more slowly and is usually smaller and not quite as tender as the green variety.

The flowering cabbage or kale is edible but not as tasty as other cabbage. Use it creatively to garnish your Thanksgiving meal.

The celery did not finish large this year. The stalks are still small but very tasty for cooking. Celery leaves do not stay fresh long but turn yellow after it is picked. That is why you always buy your celery in the supermarket with the leaves cut off. Here you are getting a lot of leaves to use in soups. Use it in your turkey stuffing. If you can’t use it all now, freeze it for future use.

Add chopped celery to your favorite tuna fish or chicken salad recipe.

Use celery leaves in salads.

Braise chopped celery, radicchio and onions and serve topped with walnuts and your favorite soft cheese.

Next time you are making fresh squeezed carrot juice give it a unique taste dimension by adding some celery to it.

Add celery leaves and sliced celery stalks to soups, stews, casseroles, and healthy stir fries.

We have included sage in your tub again so that you can add it to your turkey stuffing