A Side of Grace

Friends, believe it or not, Thanksgiving is upon us. As holidays go, there are no higher stakes. There is so much pressure around this one meal! So, we don’t know who needs to hear this but YOU GOT THIS. The key lies in outlining your meal in advance and prepping as much as possible ahead of time. And if those plans don’t pan out, we suggest serving yourself something we all need more of these days: grace. After what we have all been through together in the past year or two, we could all use an extra helping of grace.

As for what pairs well with grace? How about anything in this week’s basket! 

From Love Light Farm, we have fresh fennel which begs to be shaved on the mandoline with some red onion and celery then tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, and thick shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese. Serve this on its own as a side dish or mound a big pile of it over a bed of our Stone Hollow Farmstead fresh greens for a really delicious and special salad. The peppery zing of this salad would be excellent with a thick piece of grilled halibut or grouper — something that can stand up to their assertive flavors.

Farmer Hamm comes through this week with two varieties of cabbage. ‘Sturdy’ is the word that comes to mind when thinking about this vegetable which is also forgiving in its ‘shelf life’. You can set aside these two cabbages for a Thanksgiving side dish if you are so inclined. We like these two options for turkey-day side dishes: Food52’s Thanksgiving Cabbage and The Kitchn’s Thanksgiving Slaw.

From Clayton Farms, we have Gold Rush Apples and sweet potatoes. This variety of apple was originally bred to be especially disease-resistant, giving it a long life in the refrigerator, if they even last that long! They are sweet and juicy and we wouldn’t blame you if you polished one off before you even get the box home from the Farmstand today!

The sweet potatoes are a natural for your Thanksgiving spread, but if you want to enjoy them before then, why not try your hand at roasting some fries, a la this New York Times recipe whose spices are slightly sophisticated and downright yummy.

We are so grateful for each and every one of you, our CSA members, and promise to say an extra Thanksgiving prayer for you and yours.