Strawberries In January So remember way back in May when you came out to the farm and picked so many deliciously juicy strawberries?  Can’t you just taste them?  Well if you froze a bunch, then yes you can.  For many years now I have made morning smoothies and now I am spoiled because I no longer have to buy frozen organic strawberries.  But just like you I do have to think ahead and sometimes (like in the middle of summer when strawberries are abundant) it is hard to think about those cold days in January, but think ahead you must!  Last year I played with leaving the green tops on my smoothie strawberries and it worked perfectly fine.  One less step and it is best not to wash them because it degrades your berries in the freezer.  I love smoothies made with freshly squeezed OJ, but this morning I opted to take advantage of those delicious navels from Twin Girls that are in our box.  Rather than juicing, because that is such a waste with navels, I peeled then put the entire orange in the blender (I used 3 oranges and one mandarin), added my frozen Eatwell strawberries, a few big spoons of plain homemade yogurt, a glug or two of flax oil, one scoop of whey protein powder and a cup of water.  Ran the blender for a couple of minutes; it definitely takes longer when using an orange rather than orange juice.  This made us a full blender, enough for 4 to 5 people.  What a refreshing way to start a day!

Since I am still enjoying the memory of our Thanksgiving AND we have butternut squash in the box this week I wanted to share one of the two squash recipes we made.  Yes, we had two squash dishes and they were both fantastic and when I have a chance I will post the recipe for the second one on the blog and FB

Roasted Squash with Date Relish and Pumpkin Seeds 1/3 cup shelled raw Pumpkin Seeds 1 tsp. plus ¾ cup EVO Salt (like Celtic Sea Salt) 4 lbs. Squash, halved through root end and seeded 1 Tbsp. fresh Thyme leaves Freshly ground Black Pepper ¼ cup (or more) fresh Lemon juice ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf Parsley 1 bunch Arugula (ends trimmed).  You might like to wilt the arugula a bit. 1 cup Dates pitted, thinly sliced lengthwise 2 oz. Parmesan, cut into ¼” cubes (about 1/3 cup; optional) Toast pumpkin seeds, either carefully in a pan or less carefully in the oven at 375 for about 7 minutes.  Toss seeds with 1 tsp. EVO and a pinch of salt.  Cool, chop coarsely. Preheat oven to 425.  Place squash; cut side down, on a cutting board.  Using a sharp knife, carefully peel.  Cut lengthwise into ¾” thick wedges.  Place squash, ¼ cup oil and thyme in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper, toss to coat.  Divide squash between 2 large rimmed baking sheets in a single layer.  Roast squash, rotating sheets halfway through, until tender when pierced with a fork, 25-30 minutes; set aside. Mix remaining ½ cup oil, ¼ cup lemon juice, and parsley in a medium bowl.  Season dressing with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice, if desired.  Season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.  Add dates and Parmesan, if using, to remaining dressing in bowl for date relish. Arrange greens on a large platter; top with warm squash.  Spoon date relish over; garnish with pumpkin seeds.

There are over 500 recipes on the blog eatwell.com you can easily search them. The results will include stories about that particular vegetable. I will post some links on the blog with relevant recipes this week. Have a wonderful week.... Lorraine