Daikon
Cauliflower or broccoli
Salad mix (arugula, spinach, radicchio and lettuce)
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cucumbers
Hot peppers
Tomatoes
Green peppers
Leeks
Celeriac
Onions
Garlic
Herb (cilantro, parsley or thyme or sage)
In the winter I take a break from writing. I will provide recipes and brief farm news and will spend my Sundays in my ceramics studios! I am also going to blend up my fermented Hot Sauce! Happy day light savings, I got my extra hour.
Winter Vegetable Harvest Schedule:
November 1, 15
December 13, 20
January 24
February 21
March 7, 21 (subject to charge)
Recipes to try
Fermented Hot Sauce
Holly Hutchason, Pacific NW CSA Coalition
Fermentation is one of the oldest food preservation techniques. Naturally occurring healthy bacteria (the most common is lactobacillus) break down carbohydrates and sugars in vegetables, converting them into acid. The acidic environment and the lack of oxygen prevents harmful bacteria from growing. Simultaneously, the process creates tangy, savory flavors. This is a fun recipe because it’s all to taste - you get to decide along the way how you want it to go. Consider it more of a guide than a recipe!
1. Prep the chilis
● You can use any chilis, or a blend of whatever is available. If you use hotter chilis, you will get hotter sauce.
● 1 pound of peppers will yield about 1.5 - 2 cups of hot sauce, depending on what else you put in.
● Cut off the stems and any not-quite-fresh bits.
● A lot of the capsaicin (what makes chilis hot) is in the veins (the pith that connects the seeds). If you want a mild sauce, remove them. If you want it spicy, leave them all in. Removing the seeds is up to you. Faster to leave them in, and if you don’t like them you can strain them out after fermentation.
● Optional: you can add other vegetables to enhance the flavor: carrots for sweetness, onions for umami, garlic to ward off vampires. Sweet peppers too!
● Chop everything into 1 inch chunks. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
● Put the vegetables in a jar big enough so they sit about 2 inches below the top.
2. Make the brine.
● You need a 3% brine. Don’t eyeball this part - weigh your ingredients. For every 100 grams of water, use 3 grams of salt. Don’t waste your fancy sel gris on this - good old table salt is great. You need enough brine to cover the chilis by one inch.
● For a pound of vegetables, you’ll want about two cups of water (480 g water, 15 grams salt).
● Whisk the water and salt together until the salt dissolves.
3. Ferment!
● Pour the brine over the vegetables. You want to make sure the vegetables are covered completely.
● Weight the vegetables so they stay covered: the easiest way is to open a ziploc baggie, put water in it, and press it over the top of the vegetables, smooshing out the air bubbles.
● Put the jar in a cool dark place for at least a week. Check on it every so often to make sure the chilis are still submerged. You might see bubbles forming, that’s great! It’s carbon dioxide, and means the bacteria are doing their job.
● Fermentation is the most active in the first 1-2 weeks, but you can go as long as you want - even several months. You can taste it along the way to see how it changes. Once it reaches a taste you like, you can put it in the fridge to slow it way down.
4. Blend and season
● Strain and reserve the brine.
● Put all the vegetables in a blender, blend to the desired texture. You can strain it to get the seeds out if you want.
● To make it thinner add some brine or 1-3 T vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar).
● Optional: add herbs like oregano or cilantro, and spices like cayenne or chipotle.
● Add salt to taste.
● Funnel into clean glass jars or woozy bottles, and store in the fridge. WIll be good for 1 - 2 years. If it molds or smells weird, toss it.
9 recipes to enjoy with winter veggies from Delish:
Daikon radish recipe:
https://www.pnwcsa.org/recipe-list/daikon-radish-%26-pork-bings-with-orange-dipping-sauce
PNWCSA guide to Celeriac:
https://www.pnwcsa.org/vegetable-list/celeriac
Celeriac and Chorizo Soup from Olive:
Miso Dressing:
This dressing is best to make a day ahead of time to allow the garlic and onion to mellow out. If making a day of, make it a few hours ahead of use.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup oil of choice (olive or hazelnut are good options)
1/4 cup miso
2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/4 of a small onion, grated
1/8 cup rice vinegar
juice from 1/2 of a lemon
DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients into a container or blender. Shake or blend to emulsify. Taste, and adjust to preference. Water can be added to thin the dressing.
Nearly Retro Cabbage Soup
Makes about 8 bowlfuls (about 2 1/2 quarts)
This girl is a rebel: both chunky and funky when compared to the classic. No fad diet or body shame here.
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 medium head green cabbage, quartered (core intact)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped 2 celery stalks, sliced 1/2-inch-thick
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces Brussels sprouts, halved (or quartered if large)
1 cup dried butter beans, soaked overnight
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon coconut aminos, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
1) Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over high heat until very hot (it will smoke). Sear cabbage in batches until it’s a deep caramel color on both sides (about 10 minutes total). Transfer cabbage to a cutting board to cool for 5 minutes; season generously with salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper). Reserve oil and pan.
2) While cabbage cools, reduce heat to medium-low and add onion, celery, garlic, and ginger to pot; season generously with salt (about 1 teaspoon). Cook, stirring often, until vegetables have softened (about 10 minutes). While vegetables cook, slice away the core of cabbage and cut into 2-inch pieces. Stir tomato paste into a pot with vegetables. Add carrots, Brussels sprouts, beans, tomatoes, reserved cabbage, and 6 cups (1 1/2 quarts) water; season generously with salt (about 2 teaspoons). Cover and bring to a boil.
3) Reduce heat to slowly simmer soup, covered and without stirring, until cabbage and beans are tender (about 1 hour). Stir in coconut aminos and lemon juice. Season soup with salt, coconut aminos, and lemon juice to taste.
Excerpted from Soup Club: 80 Cozy Recipes for Plant-Based Soups and Stews to Share by Caroline Wright (Andrews McMeel, November 2021).