Fall/Winter CSA-Week 3 and Autumn Vegetable Burgers

Today my trip into St Catharines scored big for Joey.

My friend Tiffany picks fruit that would otherwise be wasted and donates it to worthwhile and helpful organizations.

Joey is pleased no doubt that Tiffany is fond of him as well.  Today I picked up some donated pears for Joey which he thoroughly enjoyed for his dinner.

Todays's CSA baskets mark my 33rd week in a row of doing baskets on Tuesdays. My immense gratitude to all who have taken part, and especially those folks who have been along for the entire time.

If you aren't in my CSA I am often able to do extra baskets and bring them into town as I did today, so please get in touch if you feel you might be interested.

There are 12 weeks to go in this session and lots of food in the garden still, with the greenhouses growing nicely too.

The baskets today were pretty full.

They included onions, squash, carrots, peppers (both hot and sweet), and green tomatoes.

Also radishes. The ones pictured below are Watermelon Radishes and are gorgeous when cut open.

The herbs I added today were parsley, leaf celery and oregano.

Then came a good helping of greens such as chards, kales, or mustard greens.

On the top a bag of lettuces and I'm sure the baskets contained something else too!

I used the following recipe as a guide, but made a few substitutions based on what I had on hand. And what I had on hand you will  also find in you baskets. 

This recipe is from Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian", a wonderful cookbook. I've noted my substitutions in brackets.

Enjoy!

Spicy Autumn Vegetable Burger Makes: 4 to 6 servings Time: 30 minutes with cooked beans and kale Here's a burger flecked with bits of green and orange vegetables, with both creamy and chewy textures. It's also a handy way to use leftover greens like kale, chard, cabbage, or spinach. If you don't have any handy, just cook and shock them according to the directions on page 241 of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. It will add only a few minutes to the recipe. Serve these on a crusty roll with barbecue sauce or your favorite condiment. Vegan if you use the oil. 2 cups cooked kale or other winter green, like collards, turnip or mustard greens, or broccoli raab (about 8 ounces raw) 2 cups cooked or canned cannellini or other beans, drained well (I used kidney) 4 or 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter 1 medium sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and grated (about 1 cup) I used grated carrots and added chopped onions too) Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup Fresh Bread Crumbs (page 804 of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian) or panko 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (left out) 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (left out) Pinch cayenne, or to taste A little all-purpose flour, if needed, for binding 1. Squeeze all the water out of the kale and finely chop it. Put the cannellini beans in a large bowl and mash them roughly. Stir in the greens with a fork. 2. Put 2 tablespoons of the oil or butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot or the butter is melted, add the sweet potato and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to soften and color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs and remaining spices and cook and stir for another minute or so. 3. Stir the sweet potato mixture into the bean mixture with a fork, mixing until well blended. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes if you can before shaping it into patties. If it seems too wet, stir in a little flour to help bind it. Taste and adjust the seasoning. (You can make the burger mixture up to several hours in advance. Just cover tightly and refrigerate, then bring everything back to room temperature before cooking.) Wipe out the skillet. 4. Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 patties. Put 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter or oil in the skillet and turn the heat to medium. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, carefully slide the burgers into the pan. Cook until nicely browned on one side, about 5 minutes; turn carefully and cook on the other side until firm and browned, adding the remaining butter or oil if necessary. 5. Serve on plates with your favorite accompaniments or on buns with the usual burger fixings. Or cool and refrigerate or freeze for later use.