Microgreens Signup, Fall Festival, & Squash & Sweet Potato Bisque Recipe
#63: Fall Happenings @ Featherstone Garden
Welcome to Featherstone’s Garden Happenings Newsletter. Each week we will share a rotating variety of garden updates: from heirloom seasonal produce features, to farm fresh subscriptions, plant-centered recipes, community partners, and more. As a subscriber, you will be the first to know about our Garden Happenings. If you’re not a newsletter subscriber but would like to be, click below to signup.
Upcoming: Fall Harvest Fest
By Renee S.
Each year, our community partner, Motor City Grounds Crew, throws a fall harvest festival at the MorningSide Community Campus for our community. It will be a day filled with fun activities; roasting campfire s’mores, indulging in cider and doughnuts, music, and pumpkin painting. This year, Annie and I will be contributing homemade caramel apples, worms in dirt (pudding cups), and more.
We hope to see you there!
When?: Sat, October 22, 2022, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM EDT
Where?: 4143 Barham Street Detroit, MI 48224 (map it!)
Our Microgreens Subscription Goes LIVE this Week!
It’s not too late to subscribe for 6-weeks of our organically grown Microgreens! To further get into the benefits of introducing these baby plants into your diet— their nutrition is so concentrated that microgreens are 4-40 times more nutrient-dense than their mature counterparts (think: salad/braising greens), so consuming a fraction of the amount of greens will get you a maximum amount of nutrients. They’re also fun to consume! Each week, these babies are harvested and packaged the morning of pickup or delivery for our subscribers, so freshness is always a guarantee.
A few simple ways to incorporate microgreens into your meals: sprinkle them on top of salads, tacos, stir-fry bowls, or your favorite winter soups and stews (such as the soup recipe we’re sharing in this week’s newsletter 😋). If you’re on the go, toss a handful of microgreens in a ziplock bag, add a dash of salt & pepper and enjoy them as a mid-day snack!
Expanded delivery radius: MorningSide, East English Village, West Village (new!), Indian Village (new!), Grosse Pointe Park, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge.
Pickup & Delivery Options:
DELIVERY: Wednesday 4:00-7:00pm
Delivery is available for:
MorningSide, East English Village, West Village, Indian Village, Grosse Pointe Park, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge.
PICK UP: Wednesdays between 8:30am-5:30 pm
➞ Featherstone Garden’s Nursery (map it!)
1021 Manistique St., Detroit
*Additional pickup location TBD!
Roasted Squash, Pepper & Sweet Potato Bisque w/ Crispy Cabbage
By Renee S.
For this recipe, I’m using squash, sweet potatoes and peppers because that’s what I had in my fridge. If you want to simplify the ingredients list, you can do a combined 3 lbs. of squash and sweet potatoes and leave out the peppers. It will be just as good and eliminate an extra step.
Prep note: This soup is meant to be an ultra creamy bisque, which requires a quality/high powered blender. I’m using this blendtec, which I highly recommend for anyone looking to invest in a high-quality and versatile blender.
Recipe: Roasted Squash, Pepper & Sweet Potato Bisque w/ Crispy Cabbage
Yields: 3 Quarts (approx.)
Ingredients:
1 lb. butternut squash (about 1 squash), cut in half lengthwise and seeds scooped out
1 lb. sweet potatoes (about 2-3 smallish potatoes), peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1 lb. assorted peppers, cut in strips with seeds removed
1/2 of a head of cabbage (I’m using purple, but go with your color of choice), cut in approx. 1/2-inch thick slices
1 can (14oz.) full fat coconut milk
4-5 cups of water (depending on how thick you like your soup)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil (or other oil of choice)
1 tablespoon of butter (or sub coconut oil for vegan soup)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground curry
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of salt, plus more to taste
Garnish: toasted pepita seeds (I like toasting mine in truffled olive oil..this is optional but recommended!)
Directions:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Peel sweet potatoes and cut in half lengthwise; cut butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds (keep skin on). Evenly coat the sweet potatoes and squash with olive oil (about 2 tablespoon, or more if necessary), sprinkle generously with sea salt and pepper, place cut-side down on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes.
After putting your sweet pots & squash in the oven, cut your peppers into strips with seeds removed. In a bowl, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on peppers and toss to coat evenly, season generously with salt and pepper (at least 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Set aside this pan until you have 30 minutes left on your kitchen timer, then place on the bottom rack.
Step 2
In a large pot on medium-high, heat up 1 tablespoon butter (or coconut oil for vegan), onions and garlic, season with salt & pepper (about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper), cook until translucent and slightly caramelized (about 6-8 minutes). Once onions and garlic are soft and deepen in color, add coconut milk, 4 cups water, brown sugar and spices (curry, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne). Bring to a light boil, then turn down and simmer for at least 20 minutes. (Tip: remember, this base will be blended with all the veggies so the flavor will be robust, and that’s how it should be!)
Step 3
Once your veggies are finished roasting and your coconut broth is done simmering, allow everything to cool down before blending so it’s easier to handle. Once cooled down, remove the skin from butternut squash, then cut squash and potatoes into smaller chunks. Depending on the size of your blender, you’ll most likely need to blend in batches. While blending each batch: taste, and add more salt, pepper, and/or spices to suit your preferences, and add more water if the consistency seems too thick. I added an additional 1-2 cups of water while blending.
Step 4
Pan-fry your cabbage: Cut head of cabbage in (approx.) 1/2” thick slices (about 2 round slices per serving). In a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan, heat up about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once hot, place cabbage down, season with salt & pepper and allow it to cook, undisturbed, for about 6-8 minutes on each side on medium heat. It should be crispy and caramelized on the outsides, and tender on the inside.
To Serve
Sprinkle a spoonful of toasted pepita seeds and/or Featherstone microgreens(!) on top of your soup & serve with a side of crispy, tender cabbage for a warming and satiating meal.
Enjoy!
This recipe was originally published on Renee’s Woodbine Street Kitchen newsletter. Subscribe here for more seasonal recipe content.
Reminder: Kitties in Need of a Home
In search of a home for these sweet calico kitties! They’ve been hanging around the farm for the last few months and we’re hoping to get them adopted or setup with a foster home before the cold season hits. Keeping them together as a pair is preferred! If you or anyone you know is looking for a couple of sweet feline friends, please reach out to Annie (annie@featherstonegarden.com).
Thanks for reading!
For more about our garden, check out our website and follow us on instagram (@featherstone.garden). Feel free to email us or comment below with any questions or suggestions.
Have a great week,
Annie, Aaron, Renee + Chili & Bean (our farm cats ₍˄·͈༝·͈˄₎◞ ₍˄·͈༝·͈˄₎◞)
