[Week 21] The Sweeter Side of the Farm Share Veg

I have a whole file of recipes dedicated to farm-share baking. Think: sweet potato pie, parsnip cake, zucchini bread, beet brownies, pumpkin loaf, ube cookies, and more.

During cleaning fits and downsizing spells, this file, which is stuffed with newspaper clippings, torn-out magazine pages, printed email newsletters, and more, has nearly landed in the trash many times.

If I’m going to bake, I always think, why not just make the real thing? I mean: What do beets really bring to the brownie table?

But over the weekend I made Cook’s Country’s sweet potato cornbread and now I’m thinking: Maybe a lot?

This recipe not only put to great use the 1.5 lbs. of sweet potatoes I had on hand but also received rave reviews from everyone. Cornbread so often is dry and crumbly, but this one is exceptionally moist. I was expecting the children to say something like: It’s good, but different, and then push their plates away but instead they inhaled their pieces and asked for seconds.

Moreove, it came together relatively easily, calling for microwaving the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes, then mashing and mixing the flesh with all basic ingredients — cornmeal, eggs, milk, etc. Interestingly, the flavor of the sweet potato is indiscernible, but its presence is undeniable thanks to its brilliant orange hue.

Friends, the stash of beets and carrots is growing in my vegetable bins, and I’m feeling inspired. Have you explored the sweeter side of the farm share vegetables? I’d love to hear if you have. Beet brownies, I feel, are in my near future.

Here are two more veggie-loaded treats I love:

Favorite Carrot Cake:

Butternut Squash Pie (a Thanksgiving favorite)

Week 21 Vegetables

This week I’ll shoot to use the broccoli and kale first. I’ll store the sweet potatoes, popcorn, butternut squash, and onions at room temperature. Everything else will go in the fridge and will keep just fine for the week.

Notes from Roxbury Farm:

Popcorn: Place it in a paper bag in a dry spot in your home for a week so it can completely dry out. This will give you better results when you pop it.

• popcorn → See above.

• onions → Onion Recipes

• broccoli → Broccoli Recipes

• kale → Kale Recipes

• sweet potatoes → Sweet Potato Recipes

• butternut squash → Butternut Squash Recipes

• carrots → Carrot Recipes

• daikon radish → Radish Recipes

• turnips → 33