This is one of my personal favorite soups, I used to make homemade bread bowls to serve it in… but times have changed and we try really hard to avoid those extra carbs.(But, it’s absolutely delicious that way!) It’s the perfect meal to make when Kenny brings fresh cut broccoli and cauliflower inside. Hope you enjoy as much as we do.
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 med red bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large carrots, sliced
1-quart chicken broth or stock
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
salt and pepper, to taste
** Cheese Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk or half ‘n half
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. cheese. Grate hard cheeses; cube soft cheeses. Use your favorite. Me, I like Havarti, gruyere, and extra sharp cheddar. And sometimes gouda. (And sometimes Velveeta, but I’ll deny it fervently if confronted.)
Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, red pepper, carrots and garlic. Sautee until soft, about 6 minutes.
Add chicken broth and broccoli and cauliflower. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and cover, simmering for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. In a small pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour to butter and stir until a thick paste forms. Add milk a little at a time, stirring completely after each addition. When all milk is incorporated, allow mixture to heat to bubbling, stirring frequently. Keep an eye on it – don’t walk away. When the mixture is nice and thick and hot. Begin adding the cheese, about one cup at a time (don’t measure it, just throw in a handful), stirring continuously. When the cheese is melted, remove pot from heat.
Add cheese sauce to the soup and stir until completely incorporated. Taste, and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary.
Tags: broccoli, candy onion, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cheese, chicken broth, Garlic, red bell pepper
It’s Fall, and the produce has changed but for the better… Broccoli and cabbage will be ready this week for harvesting. It’s time for all the great fall squashes ~ acorn, butternut, kabocha (aka buttercup) and spaghetti. Sweet potatoes are available along with apples! Apples available this week… Gala, Mutzu and Golden Delicious.
Kenny still has tomatoes… Heirlooms, red and cherry tomatoes! We’ll also have… green beans, kale, potatoes, zucchini, patty pans, summer squash, cucumbers, eggplants, okra, bell peppers, jalapenos and cayenne peppers.
Don’t forget to place your order for our “Baskets of the Week”, I need all orders by noon Friday. They have continued to be beautiful with all the fall veggies, however, this is the last week to pick one up.
The chickens are laying and we should have plenty available for purchase. Be sure and pre-order yours for pick up, like with all good things they sell out early too.
Just a reminder, we have our homemade preserved items available each week. We are bringing our entire line this week… jellies, jams, pickles, relishes, jalapenos, dilly beans, beets, salsa, paste sauce and chili base. If you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out. Please remember if you don’t see what you’re looking for on the table… just ask.
This is our last weekend at the New Albany Farmer’s Market so make sure you come see us,
Val & Kenny
In case you haven’t already heard, Kenny and I have some bittersweet news to share…. we’re finally retiring. It’s hard to put my feelings into words, but we want to sincerely thank you all for supporting our small family business over the years. We couldn’t have, and wouldn’t have done this for so long without our farmers market community of customers. We appreciate the friendships we’ve made over the years and hope to keep in touch with everyone. But all good things must come to an end and it’s time for us to enjoy so much needed down time, together! Thank you for your business and your endless support.
Val & Kenny
Fall is almost here… but the weather this week wasn’t feeling much like fall. Produce has changed but for the better… Broccoli and cabbage will be ready this week for harvesting (looks like broccoli is a bit small, but we’ll have a few.) and it’s time for all the great fall squashes ~ acorn, butternut, kabocha (aka buttercup) and spaghetti. Sweet potatoes are available along with apples! Apples available this week… Gala, Mutzu and a few Golden Delicious for our baskets.
Kenny still has tomatoes… Heirlooms, red and cherry tomatoes! We’ll also have… green beans, kale, potatoes, zucchini, patty pans, summer squash, cucumbers, eggplants, bell peppers, jalapenos, cayenne and poblanos.
Don’t forget to place your order for our “Baskets of the Week”, I need all orders by noon Friday. They have continued to be beautiful with all the fall veggies, however, they will be available for only two more weeks .
The chickens are laying and we should have plenty available for purchase. Be sure and pre-order yours for pick up, like with all good things they sell out early too.
Just a reminder, we have our homemade preserved items available each week. We have been busy the last two weeks canning tomatoes, our homemade pasta sauce and chili base is now available. If you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out. Please remember if you don’t see what you’re looking for on the table… just ask.
Have a great week and we hope to see you Saturday,
Val & Kenny
This recipe is incredibly easy to pull together, and although it takes about an hour to make, most of that is hands-off baking time, and there’s only about 5 minutes’ worth of prepping and chopping. Simply slice the squash in half, scoop the seeds, and pop it in the oven for 20 minutes to soften up. While it’s baking, chop an apple and mix it with nuts, butter, lemon and sugar. Finally, brush the squash with melted butter and spices, stuff it, and toss it back in the oven to roast to golden perfection. Enjoy!
1 acorn squash, halved and seeds scooped out
1 tart apple (I used a Mutzu), peeled, cored and chopped
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons melted butter, divided
3 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon coarse salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Pinch of nutmeg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place squash cut side down in a baking dish. Pour in enough boiling water to reach a ½-inch depth. Bake for 20 minutes. Discard water and flip squash over to be cut side up. Leave the oven on.
While squash is baking, combine chopped apple in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of melted butter, the lemon juice, zest, walnuts and brown sugar. In another small bowl, combine cinnamon, salt, cayenne and nutmeg.
Brush squash with remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon mixture to cover (you may not use it all). Fill the squash halves with the apple mixture and sprinkle with additional cinnamon mixture. Pour ½ cup water in the bottom of the baking dish (to prevent the juices that ooze out from burning and sticking).
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the apples are tender and everything is golden brown. Serve immediately, drizzled with any pan juices.
Tags: acorn squash, brown sugar, butter, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon zest, mutzu apple, nutmeg, walnuts
Fall is almost here… and the weather this week was feeling much like fall. Produce has changed but for the better… Broccoli and cabbage might be ready this week for harvesting (looking more like next week) and it’s time for all the great fall squashes ~ acorn, butternut, kabocha (aka buttercup) and spaghetti. Sweet potatoes are available along with apples! Apples available this week… Gala and Mutzu.
Kenny still has tomatoes… Heirlooms, red and cherry tomatoes! We’ll also have… green beans, kale, potatoes, beets, zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapenos and eggplants.
Don’t forget to place your order for our “Baskets of the Week”, I need all orders by noon Friday. They have continued to be beautiful with all the fall veggies, however, if you wish to discontinue your baskets for the season just let me know.
The chickens are laying and we should have plenty available for purchase. Be sure and pre-order yours for pick up, like with all good things they sell out early too.
Just a reminder, we have our homemade preserved items available each week. I also harvested this week… Chamborchin grapes and made several batches of awesome grape jelly and jam. If you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out. Please remember if you don’t see what you’re looking for on the table… just ask.
Have a great week and we hope to see you Saturday,
Val & Kenny
As summer comes to a close, squash once again makes its grand appearance at the farmer’s market. And, if you ask me, it’s never too early to get back into squash season.
Sweet, hearty winter squashes are my favorite because they’re so versatile – they’re great in soups, hashes, and especially curries. Even better, they’re easy to prepare simply by roasting.
For this recipe, I used a buttercup squash. This is a kind of winter squash originating from South America that is deep orange or green on the outside and yellow-orange on the inside – much like an acorn squash, only a tad larger and shaped with a flat bottom. When roasted, the skin of buttercup squash becomes tender enough to eat. In fact, I highly recommend it. It adds a subtle, earthy flavor as well as an extra boost in both vitamins and fiber.
A generous dash of curry powder and a sprinkling of brown sugar will have you dreaming of fall with this delicious appetizer or as part of a hearty vegetarian spread.
Perfectly seasoned with a warm curry and a touch of sweet brown sugar, this appetizer has layer upon layer of flavor.
1 buttercup squash
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (you may need more or less, depending on the size of your squash)
2 teaspoons curry powder (to taste)
1 teaspoon brown sugar (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Scrub the outside of the buttercup squash. With a large, sharp knife, carefully cut through the squash from the top down. (It helps to rock the knife back and forth as you apply firm pressure). Scoop out the seeds from the center of the squash with a spoon.
Lay the squash halves skin-side up and slice it into wedges.
Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle them with melted coconut oil, salt, pepper and curry and dust with brown sugar. Place a small amount of curry and brown sugar on the side for later.
Place in oven for 15 minutes. Gently turn wedges over, sprinkling with extra curry powder and brown sugar. Return to oven for 10-15 minutes.
Let cool and serve. Great garnished with an aged cheese, but also delicious as is!
** recipe adapted from the Grapevine
Tags: brown sugar, buttercup squash, coconut oil, curry powder, salt & pepper
Back at the market this weekend…sweet corn and home-grown tomatoes…heirlooms as well as Kenny’s red ones.
We will have kale for your greens this week, also… green beans, red potatoes, beets, okra, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant and a variety of peppers. Winter squashes and sweet potatoes will now be available. Turnip for some of Kenny’s other goodies.
Apples are ready for picking… Galas’ are ready! We will also have some Asian pears available, at least for our baskets. We are still hoping for another pick of table grapes, just not sure which ones will still be producing. Mutzu apples are ready to pick, hoping I can get that done by Friday.
We now offer our “Baskets of the Week” every Saturday. If you are in need or want one please email me by noon Friday, val@russellveggies.com. The prices remain the same as in past years…$16 for the small ones and $32 for the half bushel size. It takes lots of planning to make these happen, they are done fresh Saturday morning and are pre-order only. Please remember that pre-orders should be picked up by 11:00.
We will have more of our homemade goodies along with Kenny’s Grilling Planks and Blackening Spice. If you don’t see something… just ask, we don’t have enough table space!
Don’t forget to pick up your farm-fresh, free-range eggs while available, just a reminder that we sell out early.
Have a great week and we will see you on Saturday,
Val & Kenny
What is a Thai eggplant? It’s a dinky little eggplant, and if you lop off the top and quarter them, they make a great ingredient in many dishes. Try this simple and delicious Thai eggplant recipe.
8-10 THAI EGGPLANT (quartered)
1½ cup ONION (chopped)
1 cup RED BELL PEPPER (chopped)
4 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped)
1 Tbsp GINGER (finely chopped)
1 tsp CHILI PEPPERS (finely chopped)
1 Tbsp Lime zest
1-2 Tbsp OLIVE OR COCONUT OIL
1 14 oz CAN COCONUT MILK
**2 tsp CORIANDER POWDER
**2 tsp CHILI POWDER
**1 tsp TURMERIC
½ cup THAI BASIL
1-2 Tbsp LIME JUICE
SALT to taste
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. I use coconut oil in this recipe, but substitute olive oil if you like. When oil is heated, add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, ginger, lime zest, and hot peppers. Add as much or little hot pepper as your taste buds desire.
Sauté these ingredients for 2-3 minutes and then stir in the coriander, turmeric, chili powder, and salt. Continue sautéing 1-2 minutes and then add the quartered Thai eggplant.
When the eggplant is cooked, turn off the heat and add chopped Thai basil and lime juice. Serve over jasmine rice.
** I used 1½ Tablespoons of curry seasoning that I received from India, in place of the above spices.
Tags: chili pepper, chili powder, coconut milk, coconut oil, corriander powder, Garlic, ginger, lime juice, lime zest, onion, red bell pepper, thai basil, Thai eggplant, tumeric
Back at the market this weekend…sweet corn and home-grown tomatoes…heirlooms as well as red, yellow & cherry tomatoes.
We will have plenty of kale for your greens this week. Also… green beans, new potatoes, beets, okra, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant. Kenny will be bringing more small candy onions and a wide variety of peppers. Winter squashes and sweet potatoes are slowly making their way onto the tables.
Apples are ready for picking… Galas’ are ready! We will also have some Asian pears available for a week or so. We’re hoping to have one more pick of table grapes, just not sure which ones will still be producing. Mutzu apples are still a few weeks from being ready to pick.
We now offer our “Baskets of the Week” every Saturday. If you are in need or want one please email me by noon Friday, val@russellveggies.com. The prices remain the same as in past years…$16 for the small ones and $32 for the half bushel size. It takes lots of planning to make these happen, they are done fresh Saturday morning and are pre-order only. Please remember that pre-orders should be picked up by 11:00.
We will have more of our homemade goodies along with Kenny’s Grilling Planks and Blackening Spice. If you don’t see something… just ask, we don’t have enough table space!
Don’t forget to pick up your farm-fresh, free-range eggs while available, just a reminder that we sell out early.
Have a great week and we will see you on Saturday,
Val & Kenny
