Carrot Salad with Parsley, Lovage, and Mint

Carrot salad is a winter staple at the farm, a breath of freshness during the cold months. Deborah Madison's recipe from her Local Flavors cookbook is simple and tasty. Lovage is a little like celery. It's leaves look like celery leaves and share a clean pungent taste. Celery can be substituted for lovage in the recipe, the substitution possibilities are endless.


Yield: About 4-6 servings

Ingredients
1 pound carrots
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped lovage
2 tablespoons chopped mint
sea salt and pepper
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Procedure
Peel, then grate the carrots. Toss with the chopped herbs and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the zest, and just enough oil to coat the carrots lightly. Season with pepper and chill before serving if time allows.

Slaw with Sorrel and Lovage

A flavorful slaw with a festive twist...sorrel and lovage!

Yield: About 4 servings

Ingredients
2 cups finely sliced cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup chopped lovage
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon mustard
salt and pepper
about 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Procedure
Toss vegetables in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together lemon juice or vinegar, honey, mustard, and salt and pepper. Taste for flavor, then add olive oil slowly while whisking until it reaches the desired taste or consistency. Pour over the vegetables and mix.

Carrot Information

The rest of the large carrots were harvested this weekend to be carefully stored in our root cellar for use all winter long. We still have two more beds of smaller carrots that we'll harvest later in the season. More on carrots later!

Sunflower Coleslaw

This recipe is from Vegetariana and comes highly recommended from Connie, a garden member.

Ingredients
3 cups thinly shredded white or red cabbage
2 medium carrots, coarsely grated
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup toasted sunflower seeds
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup parsley dressing

Procedure
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Chill before serving.

Parsley Dressing

Yield: About 1 cup

Ingredients
½ cup firmly packed fresh parsley
¼ cup oil (half safflower, half olive recommended)
¼ cup peeled, seeded, and chopped cucumber
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon dried dill
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Procedure
Place all ingredients in the container of a food processor. Process until all that remains of parsley is tiny flakes. Refrigerate the unused portion in an airtight container and use within 2 days.

Cheesy Turnips and Carrots

This recipe comes from CSA garden member Wendy Manganiello. It is a great recipe for vegetables that will be coming into season soon.

Ingredients
3 cups diced peeled turnips
2 cups sliced carrots
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced celery
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Procedure
In a saucepan, combine turnips, carrots, ginger, water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender; drain and reserve liquid. Set vegetables aside. In a skillet, saute onion and celery in butter until tender; stir in flour, pepper and remaining salt. Add milk and the vegetable liquid; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in cheese until melted; stir in the vegetables and heat through.