It’s packing day! Tomorrow, Chris and Nicole begin their epic move to Idaho.

Baldy In Idaho by Wilson Pollock

While the DH and I are feeling a little frazzled, the younguns seem to be managing with perfect aplomb. They’ve obviously been reading their Seneca:

“The world you see, nature’s greatest and most glorious creation, and the human mind which gazes and wonders at it, and is the most splendid part of it, these are our own everlasting possessions and will remain with us as long as we ourselves remain. So, eager and upright, let us hasten with bold steps wherever circumstances take us, and let us journey through any countries whatever: there can be no place of exile within the world since nothing within the world is alien to men.”

Or perhaps they’re channeling their inner Willie Nelson:

At any rate, we’re staying positive and trusting in the good Lord to bring them safely to their new abode.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not smite you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and for evermore.  (Psalm 121)

A few weeks ago, while in an unusually adventurous mood, I signed up to receive a biweekly CSA (community supported agriculture) garden share. All I have to do is toddle over to the pick-up spot handily located on my north country campus, and voilà,  a nice bag of fruit and veg awaits.

For those of us not naturally inclined toward healthy eating, CSAs can pose a significant challenge: what IS that green leafy veg or strangely shaped root-thingy? Since Field Goods provides a handy list of its bag contents, I have been spared the guessing game, though it hasn’t been easy figuring out what to do with exotics like kale, delicata squash and fennel.  Thank goodness for the internet, which provided some tasty recipes that even I could prepare.

So far, I’ve had great success with roasted delicata squash. It’s a truth universally acknowledged that all vegetables taste better when roasted. Acorn and butternut squashes tend to be extremely difficult to chop up, but delicata is smaller and the skins less thick, so it’s easy to handle.

Just wash it, trim the ends, slice it down the middle length-wise, scoop out the seeds, and slice the halves into quarter inch half-moons. Then slice a red onion the same way (I used a yellow one and it was fine). Toss together with about 1.5 T of olive oil, 1 T of honey,  and seasonings of your choosing, depending on whether you want it sweet or tangy. Preheat the oven to 400 and place the squash on a foil-lined baking pan (spray the foil or add a little olive oil). Then cook until the squash is soft and browned (about half an hour). It’s yummy!

Someone else’s roasted delicata squash

Recipes for roasted delicata abound, so I advise looking around to find one with the seasonings that appeal to you.

I’m probably proudest of myself for using up a nice large fennel bulb and a huge celeriac in a single meal! Last night I made fennel-celeriac soup and it was super easy and very tasty.

Photo from the blog Feasting at Home

I found the photo and the recipe here. I reduced and modified it a bit. First you chop your fennel, celeriac and a small onion. Then you cook the onion in olive oil for about 10 minutes, add the fennel and cook for few more minutes (about 15). Then add the celeriac and about 4 cups of vegetable broth. To this I added a generous splash of white wine and about half a cup of water. Season to taste (in my case, pepper but no salt) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the veg is soft (about half an hour). Using an immersion blender or regular blender, mix until smooth. Add a dollop of sour cream and serve with hot rolls. This soup makes a perfect fall dinner.

Even the DH got into the game. When we received some pears that would not ripen, he roasted them with walnuts and cinnamon-sugar topping. Delicious!

Someone else’s baked pears, but you get the idea.

After decades of cooking the same old dinners, I’m ready to try new things. I am not interested in becoming a gourmet, I’m just desperate for change. When I go searching for recipes on the internet, I look for (1) something that will not take much time to prepare, (2) something that is easy to make correctly, and (3) something that uses fresh ingredients (not canned soups or prepackaged mixes). Given the recent food-poisoning incidents associated with imported or mass-handled produce, I like buying locally grown fruit and veg. The CSA allows me to believe that I know how my food was grown and handled. It’s a lovely fiction 🙂

I’m off to work at the Fall Bazaar at our church. Have a great weekend and eat healthily!