2017 CSA Week 15

Good evening fellow CSA members,
I can't believe we are three-fourths through our season. We've even got a little nod toward fall coming in our shares this week...

Produce	Storage	Longevity
cantaloupe	peeled and sliced, in fridge, or unpeeled	enjoy as soon as possible
tomatoes	room temperature	about a week
eggplant	unwashed, in fridge, wrapped in a paper towel in crisper	5-7 days
bell pepper	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
cucumber	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
spaghetti squash	room temperature	2-4 weeks

We'll start to see more fall and winter squash in our shares toward the end of the season (and into the winter share season, if you choose to continue).

I just bought a new cookbook (woohoo!) specifically for crockpot recipes. I am always looking for ways to cook and eat at home more (without the hassle) and thought 1400 slow cooker recipes might help me out.

I'll share with you the recipe I made tonight (with SHF steaks and peppers), as well as another I thought might be good for the peppers and other produce this week. You can visit some previous posts to see what we've done with eggplant and spaghetti squash in the past. (Even my husband likes eggplant parmesan, so I'm excited for that!)

Slow-Cooked Round Steak
Kathy Lapp - Halifax, PA
4-6 servings
15 minutes prep, 4-5 hours cooking
Ideal slow cooker size : 4 quart

1 3/4 lb round steak
1/4 cup flour
2 onions, sliced thickly
1 green pepper, sliced in strips
10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup

Cut steak into serving-size pieces. Dredge in flour. Brown in nonstick skillet. Place browned steak in slow cooker. Top with onion and pepper slices. Pour soup over all, making sure steak pieces are covered. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours.

Variations: Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to flour in step 1. If you like a lot of gravy, add a second can of soup to step 3.

Fix it and Forget it Big Cookbook, page 226

My variations: I didn't cut up or brown the steak. (We're looking for SUPER EASY here!) I only used one onion and three peppers. I added a second can of soup and five diced potatoes. It was yummy. The gravy especially!

I haven't tried this one yet, but it's on my list. You could use several of this week's ingredients in it. Feel free to sub fresh tomatoes or eggplant in. You could even use the spaghetti squash in place of the macaroni. (page 101 of the same cookbook)

Pizza in a bowl
Laurie Sylvester - Ridgely, MD
6 servings
10 minutes prep, 5-6 hours cooking
Ideal slow cooker size: 3 1/2 quart

26 oz jar marinara sauce
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
4 oz pepperoni, sliced or diced
1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 large bell pepper, diced
1 large red onion, chopped
1 cup water
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 cup dry macaroni
shredded mozzarella

Combine all ingredients, except cheese, in cooker. Cover. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Ladle into soup bowls. Sprinkle with cheese.

I'm sure you've gotten notifications through facebook or email about the upcoming events: Farm to Fork to Film that SHF is doing in conjunction with The Lavender Farm at Woodstock in Somerset and the Fall Harvest Celebration at the farm. Please consider attending both as your schedule permits.

Many of us are fans of Wendell Berry. I'll leave you now with the trailer from the film, Look and See, that will be screened at the first event. It gave me chills.