CSA week 12
/We’re at that point of the season where we’ve clearly crested the peak and begun the steady descent into the fall. The garden has shrunk significantly, much of it having been put into cover crop. The Summer share has ended and the full share members have only three weeks of pick-ups remaining. The greenhouse is being slowly transitioned from tomatoes to winter greens one bed at a time. We’re scheduling our last few major harvests of winter squash, potatoes, leeks, carrots, beets, and cabbage. School has started back up and the farmers’ markets have slowed. There are faint shades of yellow amongst the trees on Hosac Mountain as the colors of fall are on their way. We’ve been cleaning out the storage rooms making space for all the produce that will be filling them up and slowly distributed throughout the winter. Our resident bees will be packing up, soon to be transported back to their winter home for safe keeping. The pastures have put on significant growth with recent rains, but the rate of growth is slowing. The animals are looking forward to the end of harvest season, when we turn them loose on the gardens to clean up any scraps or seconds and extend their grazing season on some of the cover crops. With all of this, we as the farmers fall into a slower rhythm as well. It feels like we’re just waking up out of the blur that was another busy summer gone by. We begin daydreaming of late fall and winter activities. Plans to spend more meaningful time with friends and family. Anticipating that time to rest, recover, and plan for the next year.
In the share:
Brussels
Sungolds
Broccoli
Rutabaga
Hot Peppers
Bok Choi
Cippolinis
Potatoes
Ingredients
1 red bell pepper diced
1 small eggplant diced
1 small zucchini diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
21 jumbo pasta shells we use DeLallo and I always cook a few extra in case they break
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
Chopped fresh basil for garnish, if desired
Got a fun idea for a vegetable loaded easy meal from someone at the market last week:
Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Shells
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the diced red pepper, eggplant, and zucchini on a large baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender, stirring once. Remove from oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F.
Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and place the shells on large plate or cutting board so they are not touching. This will prevent them from sticking together.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, spinach, roasted veggies, basil, and oregano. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
Pour 1 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of the roasted veggie ricotta mixture, and place in the baking dish.
Cover shells with the remaining sauce and sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top begins to brown and the sauce begins the bubble, another 10-15 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired, and serve warm.
Note-For easier filling, fill a gallon ziplock bag with the roasted veggie ricotta filling and cut a hole off the corner of the bag. Pipe the filling into the shells. The stuffed shells freeze well. I like to bake the pan, let them cool, and then put them in a freezer container. Reheat when ready to eat!