Time saving tip: Since it is a process to render pumpkin, you might as well do a couple pumpkins at the same time. Each pie requires two cups of pumpkin puree (one small pumpkin); extra pumpkin filling can be measured out in 2 cup increments and frozen in ziplocks for future pie making.

Pumpkins come in all sizes, so the yield will vary depending on how big the pumpkins are. I baked one medium sized pumpkin, which made enough to fill two pies and one small pumpkin for an additional pie’s worth. This was the right amount, since I wanted to make two pies right away (a friend joined me for this project and I wanted her to be able to take a pie home) and freeze enough filling to make the annual Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.

Make sure that you select pie-baking pumpkins, as opposed to the pumpkins to pick in the field for carving. Both of my grandmas had disastrous results early in their marriages, making a pie from a field pumpkin as opposed to a pie pumpkin. The best way to ensure that you get the right type is to ask. I’ve also been told that acorn squash can be substituted with identical taste results, and might try that next time.

Rendering a pumpkin adds additional steps to the process of making a pie, but isn’t difficult, so don’t be afraid

Roasting a Pumpkin

Basically, you roast a pumpkin just like you would a squash. Here’s the break-down:

1) Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and fibrous gunk, retaining the seeds if you wish to toast them. If pumpkin is medium to large, cut halves in half, so you have four pieces of pumpkin, which will cook faster than leaving them in big halves.

2) Place pumpkin halves/fourths in a baking dish (9×13 glass cake pans work well), flesh side down, and add an inch or two of water to each pan. Cover pans with foil, to allow pumpkin to steam while baking. Place pumpkin in oven pre-heated to 400 degrees to start and bake for twenty minutes, before checking and reducing heat to 350 degrees until you can easily pierce through skin and flesh of pumpkin. Make sure you bake pumpkin until it’s nice and soft, as the next step involves pureeing it.

3) Allow pumpkin to cool before scooping out the flesh with a spoon; place flesh in blender and puree until smooth, pushing down any chunks to make sure it’s all incorporated. Depending on how much you are rendering, you might want to do it in a couple batches.

4) Divide pureed pumpkin into two cup increments. To store for future use, place pre-measured pumpkin filling in ziplocks and freeze.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

I reduced some of the evaporated milk called for in the recipes I used due to the water content in the freshly made pumpkin puree. I cut back the sugar to total ¾ cup and the pie still seemed plenty sweet.

2 cups fresh pumpkin puree

1 cup sour cream

½ cup evaporated milk (roughly half a can)

½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

½ cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, typically)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk pumpkin, sour cream, evaporated milk, sugars, seasoning and salt. Blend well.

2) Gently pour into prepared pie crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the center is almost set and not jiggly. Cool on a rack until room temperature.

Serves 8-10.

Later in the week, I used the rest of the head to make braised savoy cabbage to accompany salmon. While less glamorous than the risotto, this was another deeply satisfying dish.

Braised Savoy Cabbage

To braise something means to cook slowly with a small amount of liquid in a closed pan. The cabbage is first brought to a high heat, before reducing and cooking in a covered pot. I found this recipe in Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food. This cookbook is filled with lessons and ways of cooking with the seasons, using simple, whole foods. It’s quickly becoming a go-to cookbook as I cook my way through this season’s CSA. I was out of carrots, so I substituted a kohlrabi.

1 medium Savoy Cabbage

Cut the head in half, then into quarters. Cut out the tough core and cut the quarters into thick slices. Season the slices with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Heat in a heavy cast-iron pan:

2 tablespoons olive oil

Add:

1 carrot, peeled and diced small

1 onion, finely diced

1 celery stalk, diced small

Cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes or until soft.

Add:

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon thyme

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt

Cook for another minute and then stir in seasoned cabbage, along with

½ cup white wine, dry or sweet

Cover and cook until wine is mostly gone, about 8 minutes.

Add:

½ cup broth or water

Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cover pot and cook for 15 minutes, until cabbage is tender.

Makes 6 servings.

Option: during last five minutes, add chopped, boiled potatoes

These octopus-like tentracles sprout from the garlic bulb

White Bean and Garlic Scapes Spread

I found this recipe in the New York Times archives. It yields a delightful pale green spread, perfect for dipping veggies or whole wheat crackers in. I also made a sandwich, spreading a layer of the spread and layering it with shredded beets and baby salad greens. The garlic scapes have a milder taste compared to their pungent relative, the garlic clove. Have no fear, you will not scare off your kitchen mate with dark side garlic breath!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

Ground pepper

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

¼ cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Place scapes, lemon juice, salt and pepper in the food processor and blend until finely chopped. Add beans and process to a rough puree.

2. With motor running, drizzle oil and process until fairly smooth. Add more salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Yields: 1 ½ cups

Notes: for dip consistency, thin by adding 2-3 tablespoons of water after olive oil.

Last week, we received:

• green onions
• garlic scapes
• purple kohlrabi
• baby salad greens
• beets
• Savoy cabbage

I will post a couple recipes, highlighting the more unusual veggies of the week: garlic scapes and savoy cabbage.

Having grown up in a vegetarian family, I am well acquainted with a wide-range of vegetables. However, there are some vegetables that I’ve only recently been introduced to. Brussel sprouts are a prime example. I never ate a brussel sprout until my junior year of college (appalling, I now realise).

Other vegetables, like the kohlrabi, just never seem to find their way into the grocery cart, not being a staple vegetable. Until this week, I couldn’t have told you what it was related to or how to prepare it. I must admit, these UFOs — unidentified food objects — make me a little nervous. Afterall, there must be a reason that I was not brought up eating kohlrabi, right? Thankfully, tucked into our box of veggies, I found a newsletter from the farm that included information about this week’s mystery veggie.

These sputnik look-alikes belong to the cabbage family, with a flavor similar to that of a turnip. Both the bulb and greens are edible. Kohlrabi can be sauteed, braised, steamed or eaten raw in salads. Prepare the leaves just like you would cook other greens, like kale or chard.

Kohlrabi with Pea and Sweet Potato

This recipe is adapted from a recipe found in the Mennonite cookbook Simply in Season. I substituted sweet potato for potato, which I thought added a nice sweetness and color to the stew. There were initial concerns that it might be too spicy, but it actually is quite mild yet flavorful, the kind of nourishing food that I could eat every day. Once everything is peeled and chopped, it comes together quickly. I served this stew over brown rice with fresh, chopped parsley and a slice of lime squeezed over each bowl.

Ingredients:

½ cup onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon coriander

2 medium kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 can diced tomatoes, chopped

½ cup water

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar (substitution: 2 drops Stevia)

Kohlrabi leaves, finely chopped

½ cup peas

Directions:

Sauté onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add spices and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, stirring to coat garlic and onions.

Add kohlrabi and potato chunks and stir briefly before adding tomatoes, water, salt and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil then simmer until veggies are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in kohlrabi leaves and simmer for an additional 8-10 minutes.

Finally, add peas and cook until peas are tender.

Serves 4.

Some things are worth waiting for, though. Check out the bounty:

This week’s box includes:

• Spinach
• Leaf lettuce
• Broccoli
• a Red Riot Pepper plant
• Kohlrabi
• Green onions
• Beets and greens
• sprigs of Wild Marjoram

Unpacking a CSA box is a bit like waking up on Christmas morning to find presents under the tree. I’ve always loved the challenge of making meals using the ingredients on hand. This summer, our weekly box of veggies will guide our daily menu.

This year, my mother and I decided to support a local farm and get a weekly box of veggies delivered as part of a Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) share. In an effort to eat local and support sustainable agricultural practices, CSA’s have been sprouting up in the U.S. since the mid 1980’s as people have sought out ways to develop direct, cooperative relationships between producers and consumers. We are getting our share from the Women’s Environmental Institute (WEI), north of the Twin Cities. Each week, our veggies are delivered to our local food coop, where they are stored in the walk-in fridge until we pick them up. I suspect the coop benefits from sharing their fridge space, by members stopping in more frequently to find amicable accompaniments to use their weekly veggie offering with. Bottom line: it’s good for the small farmers, good for the coops, and good for those looking to eat fresh, local veggies.

My plan is the share updates on the contents and uses of the produce we receive each week. I’ve found that many “eat local” advocates tend to live in sunny, year-round growing climates, like California, and while I enjoy reading about their latest finds and recipes inspired by trips to the local farmer’s market, the availability of fruits and vegetables here in Minnesota is on a significantly different growing season. As a result, the focus of this blog will be on Minnesota-centric seasonal eating, as guided by the contents of our CSA box and trips to local farmer’s markets.

What is a CSA?

I found this explanation in the Simply in Season cookbook:

Scores of communities now offer CSAs: Community Supported – or Shared – Agriculture, also called subscription farming. In Japan, such an arrangement is called teikei, sometimes translated as “food with a farmer’s face on it.”

In a CSA, subscribers pay the farmer for a share of the season’s produce. Each week they receive whatever is ripe. If there’s a bumper crop of broccoli, everyone gets extra, but if a late storm destroys the strawberries, well, everyone enjoys plain rhubarb pie. The point is that the farmer doesn’t bear the financial risk alone; a bad year doesn’t mean losing the farm (336).

I like the Japanese translation of food with a farmer’s face on it – something that is not found with a trip to the supermarket. Here is my offering: an exploration and attempt to put a farmer’s face on the meals we create.

Check back for updates throughout the growing season and feel free to share ideas/recipes/comments along this culinary journey.