WELCOME

This week, Janit has arranged for the Wednesday delivery to include: red leaf lettuce, a big, delicious cheese pumpkin (save in a cool spot or wash and bake and freeze pureed pulp for pies; make soup and roasted pumpkin seeds for now;) PA bok choi, hardy kiwi berries (the Aloha Annie variety, (farmer says Ripe when Wrinkled and Squishy--handle gently! Use squished ones in smoothies--super nutritious!), sweet potatoes (for budget reasons, we accepted ones with spots that need to be cut off; store in a cool dry place and cut when you are ready to use them, and from elsewhere, New Zealand apples, cranberries, CA cauliflower and carrots; tomatoes of some sort and Peruvian bananas.The extra fruit shares may includegreen seedless grapes (a bit of "ambering" only makes them sweeter!,) Bartlett pears, a pomegranate, Valencia oranges and plums--a hard autumn variety that are juicy inside now!.

SO...let's start with the pumpkin - I slice it in half (stem to bottom) and scoop out the stringy stuff and seeds. Place each half (cut side down) on a dish (I use a stoneware jellyroll pan with 1 inch sides) and bake at 350 degrees until done. How long? Depends on the size of the pumpkin. It will be done when the skin is darker, and shiny and you can slice into it with a knife as if you are cutting into butter. Let this cool. Now it will be easy to scoop out the insides. Next you need to mash the cooked pulp (minus the skin). I have done this in a Food Mill but I like doing it in the food processor the best - very fast. Then measure out the pulp and freeze. The amount of each bag depends on what I am going to cook - I take my favorite pumpkin recipes (muffins and pie) and pre-measure the amounts I need for each recipe, then freeze and label for future use.

Bok Choi is one of my favorite veges. I use it in a quick stir fry! Start by cooking 1 pkg. of spaghetti pasta (I often use Italian pasta rather than Chinese pasta for this dish). While the pasta is cooking, Wash and Chop the Bok Choi. You will also want to chop an onion, mince a clove of garlic, and about 1-2 tbsp. ginger root - and perhaps some mushrooms. Into a measuring cup add 1/4 cup Soy Sauce, 1/4 cup water, 1 tbsp. Sesame Oil. Heat your wok and add Canola Oil (about 2-3 tbsp.) Then toss in the garlic and ginger. Almost immediately add the onion and bok choi. Stir and toss the mixture constantly for 2-3 minutes until everything is hot and nearly cooked through. Now add the soy sauce mixture in your meauring cup. Toss veges in the liquid and turn off the Wok. When you drain your spaghetti, toss it in 1 tbsp sesame oil. Then mix with the veges. Dinner is served!