Fall CSA Box #1

Apparently fall CSA boxes get delivered on Thursday because mine just arrived.  It isn't as big or expensive as the summertime ones, so it isn't quite as intimidating.  Box #1 contains:  apples, 1 head green cabbage, 1 spaghetti squash, Japanese turnips (sigh), red beets, green kale, red thumb fingerling potatoes, rainbow carrots, and leeks.

 

I was already in the process of making a pot of soup to use up some of the stuff in my fridge (especially the homemade broth).  I used curry pumpkin soup as the base recipe, but instead of pumpkin I used some diced butternut squash leftover from when I made the winter cassoulet.  When the new CSA box arrived with leeks inside, I added them too (because I don't really know what else to do with leeks), and then added a hefty spoonful of mashed sweet potatoes that were leftover in my fridge and extra vegetable broth to try to keep the ratios (alliums : orange root veg : liquid) scaled properly.  I'll fix the flavors as needed after blending it all smooth.

[Dumping everything in the soup pot]

[Finished soup.  I ended up adding a pinch of salt, some fresh ground black pepper and less fresh ground white pepper, a teaspoonful of tamarind concentrate, and a heaping scoop (maybe 1/4 cup?) of solid full fat coconut milk and blended it all with an immersion blender.]

The turnip greens, beet greens, and kale have already been washed and added to bags in the freezer for use in breakfast smoothies.  I peeled and sliced the carrots for snacking.  The beets will be boiled and sliced for snacking as well.

 

The Japanese turnips will become Miso-Butter Braised Turnips.  It's a flavor I've tried before but a different recipe.  Still hoping to make a turnip dish that doesn't taste bitter to me, so I'm going to go ahead and make these tonight so they are at optimal freshness.  Since the greens are already spoken for, I will substitute the remaining arugula in my fridge.

 

The spaghetti squash will probably utilize the puck of Beyond Beef in my freezer, some onion and garlic, and any tomato-based sauces leftover in the fridge and, barring that, a jar of marinara.  I might chop and add the remaining spinach in the fridge to the sauce just to use it up and also add some greens.  The spaghetti squash seeds will yet again become snacks. 

 

I'm not sure what to do with the cabbage yet.  It's too big to use up in one meal.  If I go to the grocery store this weekend, I can pick up some wonton wrappers, green onions, a green bell pepper, and some shiitakes and make both chilli-garlic noodles and vegetarian potstickers.  That might be enough to use up the cabbage.  

Not sure what to do with the apples either.  There is still a big container of homemade apple pie filling in the freezer (never made an apple pie before, but Thanksgiving seems a good time to try), but I could always make another big batch of applesauce.  Also considering making a date caramel dipping sauce for eating with raw apples. 

Tonight, even though Sameer is fasting, I'm cooking to use up some things that need to go (and also because it'll yield leftovers we can eat for lunch tomorrow).  I'm doing the miso-butter turnips, the curry squash soup I made this morning, and celery root fritters from the Vedge cookbook.  I also have a bunch more cashew yogurt that needs to be used up, so I might make a double batch of pancakes to freeze for later and possibly some cornbread for eating immediately.