Fight Off The Winter Lethargy

There’s just something about Winter.  With the exception of Christmas shopping, everything just seems to slow to a crawl.  Getting anything done just seems to take a bit more effort.  No doubt, the cold weather, overcast skies, and shortened days are at play here.  Our plants are telling us to slow down.  Those above ground, if they can survive the freeze, are growing at a barely discernible pace.  Those below the ground, well, they may as well be bears hibernating for the winter.  As humans, we don’t have the luxury of sleeping through the season.  We must do our best to fight the urge and do what must be done.  We must squeeze in some last minute plantings, harvest our fall crops and get them to market, and finally, tighten up crop plans for the coming year.  As for those plans, you can count on us to deliver a great variety of unique and colorful crops.  Among them, multicolor potatoes, carrots, beets, and cauliflower. Oh, and let us not forget those specialty melons, those wonderfully fragrant and delicious melons.  Yum, I can almost taste them! 

Hey, look at me, not even Winter Solstice yet and I’m already pining for Summer!

Butternut Squash Soup

It's bone chilling cold outside and you have literally tons of butternut squash lying around.  What to do?  Cozy up with a warm bowl of butternut squash soup that's what!

Mash It Up

Hey Everyone.  This week we are finally harvesting our new crop of German Butterballs.  German Butterballs are the best mashing potatoes ever.  They are creamy and deep yellow inside.  If you have ever had a Yukon Gold, Butterballs are a lot like those, but better!  And we have them just in time for Thanksgiving.  

This week I picked a recipe for mashed potatoes, but kicked up a notch with dijon mustard.  It is a really great recipe so give it a shot this year at your holiday table.

Dijon Mashed Potatoes*

Ingrediants

• 1 pound german butterball potatoes
• Salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Fill a large sauce pan about halfway, with warm water. Bring to a simmer. Peel and slice potatoes, and add them to the simmering water. Add a few pinches of salt, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Check the potatoes with a knife. If the knife has some resistance, continue simmering the potatoes until the knife comfortably slides through the potatoes. When the potatoes have cooked through about 15 minutes, drain them in a large colander. Add them back to the saucepan. To the saucepan, add the milk and butter, followed by a the nutmeg. Mash potatoes until smooth. Stir in dijon mustard. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste.

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This is the last recipe before Thanksgiving, so we want to wish everyone a fun and safe holiday.  Take some time to enjoy family and fresh produce!

*Copyright Food Network

Rainbow Carrots!

Hey everyone.  This year at Weiser Farms we have really beautiful rainbow carrots.  We have them in red, white, orange, yellow, and purple.  They not only look awesome but taste really good.  So this week's recipe for Thanksgiving is for carrots.  Carrots are a staple at Thanksgiving and this recipe lets them take center stage in this yummy side dish.  The recipe calls for Cippolini Onions, but if you can't find those you could always substitute it with a regular sweet onion.  

Roasted Rainbow Carrots and Cippolini Onions*

Ingredients

• 1 pound cippolini onions, ends trimmed and peeled, halve larger onions
• 2 pounds baby rainbow carrots
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

 On a sheet tray, toss onions and carrots with oil, butter, wine, and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until golden and caramelized, about 25 to 30 minutes. Toss in a shallow serving bowl and garnish with parsley.

*copyright  Food Network

Squash it

Hey everyone.  When I think of Fall and Thanksgiving, the first thing that comes to my mind is Butternut squash.  It is the color of falling leaves and will brighten up any Thanksgiving table.  Did you know you can use it as a substitute for pumpkin?  It's true.  If you are tried of buying canned pumpkin for your pies, this year try Butternut squash instead.  You won't be sorry.

Consider this recipe for your Thanksgiving meal this year:

Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallot Soup

Ingredients

• 4  cups  (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 4  large shallots, peeled and halved
• 1  (1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 1/2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2  tablespoons  (1-inch) slices fresh chives
• Cracked black pepper (optional)

Preparation 

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a roasting pan or jelly-roll pan; toss well. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Cool 10 minutes.

3. Place half of squash mixture and half of broth in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan. Repeat procedure with remaining squash mixture and broth. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with chives and pepper, if desired.