Broccoli!

Did you know that when you are eating broccoli you are eating the immature flower buds? Some people are pretty amazed at this fact and have never realized that these “heads’ grow out of the center of the plant. Once the “main crop”, the large center head, is harvested smaller sprouts grow out of the sides of the plant. The leaves are also edible. In fact at our preschool gardens the children love eating the buds as soon as they appear and when they are gone, they continue eating the leaves down to nothing, and this is raw!!

You may be familiar with the term “cruciferous” by now, since so many crops that you get here are a part of this group of vegetables. Broccoli is one of them. These plants are categorized by their flowers composed of 4 petals making a cross. You may have also heard the term “brassicas” and this is the same group but the name is in reference to their botanical name. Anyhow kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, mustard, bok choy, mizuna, radish, daikon, and turnips are all in this group. None of them like the heat of Chico summers but fortunately they do love our winters and only get sweeter with the chill! Thanks to this group of plants we get our harvest season extended through the year. Because of this, the rest of this year and the beginning of next year will be heavy on this super vitamin packed food. This is the season that a lot of our immunities run low, so it is no wonder that what is seasonally available to us at this time is also so filled with nutrients (including the Vitamin C rich fruits like citrus and kiwis)!

Most people probably already incorporate steamed broccoli into their meals, but here’s some tips to make it less mundane. Unless you like your broccoli gushy, try steaming them just long enough for them to change color. It doesn’t take long to see them turn from dark green to a bright apple green, which is a sign that they are cooked to a crunchy perfection. When you see this change you know that they will still have that crunch that many folks prefer, especially kids. To change it up a bit, try adding something flavorful to the water bath like lemon slices or herbs (thyme, lemon thyme, sage, bay or mint). Another “change-up” might be to flavor butter or olive oil that you would add on top. Take a slab of butter and either melt it in a pan or let it soften up in a bowl near the stove. Take some herbs, as mentioned above, and/or pressed garlic and mush them into the butter. For olive oil you can warm it on low heat or put the herbs in a bottle with the oil and let it sit for a week or two before using it. (Note that this is a good addition to potatoes as well!)

Folks are probably starting to think about the big family meal(s) that they will be sharing next week. Please let Lee know if you need to make any arrangements as far as pick up goes. Maybe you will be out of town next Wednesday. If so we will try to accommodate. If you need an earlier pick up or if you have a friend who will pick up in your place, let us know. If you want to donate your box to the 6th St Teen Center, we will bring it over. Just give Lee a call and let him know.

We wanted to give you a heads up on what you might expect so that you can plan accordingly. An assortment of herbs will be available: sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley and cilantro. These are imperative to stuffing and gravy. When cooking turkeys in the past I have filled the cavity with 2 halves of an orange (for moisture) and bunches of whole herbs and peeled cloves of garlic (to infuse the meat with flavor). In addition I would slide in slivers of garlic inside the skin.

Winter squash will also be offered next week. Baked, it makes a great side dish, but don’t be limited there. As I wrote in an earlier issue, the canned pumpkin pie industry often times uses other winter squashes for their canned pumpkin. To make your own puree for pie, roast halved squash(es) in the oven at 425 degrees until the meat is soft. The trick is to not use any liquid while cooking because you want it packed with flavor and not to be runny. Once it cools scoop out the soft flesh and puree it in a processor. If you only have a blender then do it in small batches so that you don’t have to add liquid to make it effective. If it is more watery than what you are used to then let it sit in a colander for a couple of hours or overnight to drain or cook it down in an open pot. Use the end product in place of the canned stuff. MMMM!

Some other side dishes you can contribute to your feast may contain carrots, beets, Asian greens, broccoli, persimmons, feijoas and/or celeriac. Celeriac is a hearty vegetable to surprise your family and friends with. Roast it and mash in with your potatoes.

When planning your dishes don’t forget some of the other great locally grown seasonally available foods. Walnuts and pecans…how plentiful they are right now and FREE if you have the inclination! They are all around town as street trees, volunteer trees and of course orchards and farmers’ market. Try a nut crust instead of a wheat crust this year! Persimmons: I bet your neighbor has much more than they can use and would be happy to share, just ask and make a new friend. Just remember the flat bottom ones (fuyu) can be eaten hard while the teardrop shaped ones (hachiya) need to be soft and can be slurped or baked. Not only are they good for dessert but imagine them in sliced in a salad or chunks in a stuffing! Of course you know that potatoes can be grown in Chico, but did you know that we are lucky to have one or two farmers in town that grow sweet potatoes!?!? They ought to be available this weekend at the farmers’ market, but also try Chico Natural and S&S.

Have you checked out the GRUB website recently? It has been revamped and is much more user friendly thanks to GRUB Co-op member, Tim! The newsletters will now be available on line and we will be printing less on paper. We will be continuing to add past newsletters, as well.