To store: Cut off the stalks where they emerge from the bulb. If you want to use the feathery foliage as an herb, place the dry stalks upright in a glass filled with two inches of water. Cover the glass loosely with a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator for a few days. The unwashed bulb may be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator drawer for 2 weeks or more.

To prep: Remove the tip base of the white bulb. Cut off the stalks. Chop or mince the stems and leaves for garnish or seasoning.

To freeze: Not worth it. It becomes mushy after it thaws.

Fennel serving suggestions from Mi Ae Lipe’s Bounty from the Box

Complementary Herbs, Seasonings, and Foods

Apples, bacon, bay, beans, butter, celery, celery root, cheese (Parmesan), chicken, cream, duck, eggs, fennel seeds, eggs, fish, garlic, ginger, green olives, ham, juniper, lemon, olives, olive oil, onions, oranges, pancetta, parsley, pasta, pastis, pork, potatoes, prosciutto, rice, risotto, sausage, saffron, shellfish, shrimp, star anise, thyme, turkey, tomatoes, veal.

Serving Suggestions

• Raw fennel thinly sliced and served with fruity, peppery olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and sea salt is a traditional snack in Italy. Thinly sliced raw leeks, shavings of Parmesan cheese, olives, and orange sections also make excellent company.
• Serve raw or lightly steamed on a plate with a variety of dipping sauces: , mayonnaise, melted butter, salad dressing. A favorite with children.
• Combine fennel with shrimp in a creamy risotto.
• Combine plenty of finely chopped fennel leaves, seeds, or pollen when making your own Italian sausages or sausage dishes. Looking for a dessert idea? Try slicing fennel into long strips and pairing it with soft goat cheese, figs, and vin santo (an Italian dessert wine).
• Wrap raw fennel slices in prosciutto; pair slices with smoked salmon; or serve iced raw fennel slices with generous shavings of Parmesan cheese. All make lovely appetizers.
• Fennel’s strong character mellows with cooking and braising. Stir-fry or sauté slices to add to other vegetables in poultry stuffings or for baking inside a whole fish.
• Deep-fried fennel makes for a surprise vegetable that is nutty and sweet; it’s especially good with tomatoes and grilled fish Fennel and fish have an affinity for each other; they are divine in that quintessential French fish stew, bouillabaisse, combined with saffron, orange peel, and plenty of garlic.
• Combine with cream and potatoes to make a delicious, filling soup. Braise or roast the quartered wedges and serve as a distinctive vegetable side dish, a change from the usual carrots or potatoes.
• Cooked fennel, combined with potato and run through a food processor, makes a surprisingly tasty Hungarian bread. Add fennel seeds as well for an extra burst of fennel flavor.
• Pan-fry fennel, potatoes, and bacon for a tasty hash.

Vegetable CSA Harvest List

Every week, we include this section which includes what we think will be coming out of our fields and hoop houses for Wednesday pick up. Keep in mind, that we send this email on Sunday and we harvest Monday & Tuesday for our Wednesday CSA. Sometimes we are spot on, but other times, we discover that we have more of something else and substitute that. Also, because we have a market style CSA, this isn’t a guarantee of 1 of all these things for everyone. Instead, this will be the variety of what will hopefully (fingers crossed) have for you to choose from this week.)

Our foundation vegetables this week will include: we have decided that choosing foundations by Sunday usually leaves us all disappointed. It is really hard to know until we harvest what we actually have in the fields. Instead, we are pivoting to just making sure that the list is adequate. But, here is a hint, the recipes will usually reflect what we *think* we might have quite a bit of 

Harvest List will probably include:

Meat CSA

Recipe Corner

Every week I try to send along a few recipes that utilize the meats and vegetables in your CSA share. Check out the recipes below for some inspiration! These are some of Cami’s favorite recipes for this time of year.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium head of napa cabbage, thinly sliced
4 oz. blue cheese crumbles
1/4 white onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. sea salt
pinch black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Thinly slice cabbage and onion.
2. Mince garlic.
3. Layer napa cabbage, onions, and blue cheese in a serving bowl and chill until serving.
4. Whisk together garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, celery seed, sea salt, and pepper until emulsified.
5. Toss dressing with cabbage and chill for 5-10 minutes before serving.