The nice thing about working outside a lot is that even on a day that seems to be a bad weather day, there are often many small pockets of sunny nice weather, and if one is out and about all day long, one can enjoy the whole spectrum of what all weather there is. Today we watched the sun come shining up against a solid blue black sky, ominous, but the rain swept through at a brisk clip and left us with a wet clear bright morning, not too cold. There were showers, the light did change a few more times. Just as we finished the morning harvest, the sky darkened yet again and we thought we saw lightning, and then we were sure we heard thunder. We drove back to the home field and unloaded the truck just in time for more thunder and hail. The hail showered on past in a few minutes and we could walk in for lunch without getting wet. Off and on like that all day, so that a person couldn’t really say what kind of a day it was after all. It was every kind of day.

Celeriac is also called Celery Root. It is a different plant than regular celery, but closely related with similar flavors. You can add it to soups and stews, both the root and the celery like fronds. The outer hairy skin needs to be peeled away and the inner white flesh can be eaten, sliced raw, or roasted with other roots.

Lentil and Celeriac Salad - Bon Apetite, May 1994
1 pound celeriac 1 cup lentils 6 T. olive oil 3 T. white wine vinegar 1 1/2 tsp. Minced garlic 1 tsp. Minced fresh rosemary large pinch of ground nutmeg salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese Cook celeriac in boiling water until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel. Cut celeriac into 1/4 inch cubes to yield 1 1/2 – 2 cups. Cook lentils in boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to the bite, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Whisk oil, vinegar, garlic, rosemary and nutmeg in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and stir in cheese. Mix celeriac, lentils and dressing in bowl. Four servings.

I just found a new recipe for spaghetti squash and I am so excited about it that I want to share it with you, even though I don’t have any more of that type of squash to share with you. Maybe you still have your spaghetti squash from a few weeks ago and you can try it. I found it in a cookbook called Eating Well In Season, The farmers market cookbook, by Jessie Price and the Editors of Eating Well


Celeriac and Apple Salad – Victory Garden Cookbook
1 pound whole celeriac
1/2 cup orange juice
3 firm tart apples
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
salt and freshly ground pepper
Peel and cut celeriac into matchstick pieces. Toss with orange juice until coated. Peel, core and chop apples; mix with celeriac. Marinate 10 minutes, turning often, then strain, reserving juices. Place mayonnaise in large bowl and, little by little, add orange juice marinade until thinned to the point where it coats a spoon thickly. Beat smooth and combine with the drained celeriac, apples, celery, and nuts. Marinate 2 hours, season with salt and pepper, and serve. Makes 5 cups.

Spaghetti Squash and Pork Stir Fry
3 pounds spaghetti squash
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
5 medium scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp asian red chili sauce, (sriracha)

Pre heat oven to 350. Cut squash in half, scoop out and discard seeds. Place each half, cut side down, on a baking sheet Bake until the squash is tender, about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 min. then shred the flesh with a fork into a bowl.
Slice pork into thin rounds; cut each round into matchsticks. Heat a large wok over medium high heat. Swirl in oil, then add scallions, garlic, ginger, and salt; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the pork; cook, stirring constantly, until just cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Add the squash threads and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chile sauce; cook stirring constantly until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
Makes four servings.
Serve with jasmine rice.