Final Harvest
Like much of the world, we have been plunged into darkness and cold for the next few months of winter. The harvest is over and our final haul consisted of a few remaining ears of blue clarage corn, a sugar pie pumpkin, and a lone spaghetti squash.
All were delicious and fun to cook with the squash being dressed in a spicy alfredo sauce, the pumpkin becoming a spiced trifle with nutmeg cream at Thanksgiving, and the corn going to the birds. We do our best not to waste anything around here.
Parsnips, a collaboration with Melissa Clark
The very final crop was a half row of turga parsnips. I was so proud of these and they were the very easiest crop of the season – just plant and forget them until the first couple of frosts roll through. They get even sweeter with those first few icy nights.
A few years ago, a dear friend of mine in New York got me hooked on Melissa Clark from the New York Times. Her recipes are classically perfect and incorporate a variety of my favorite vegetables. She shows up in our meals at least once each week. Last week, her recipe for Pasta with Parsnips and Bacon showed up in my inbox. I couldn’t help but think that Ms. Clark was spying on me.
With all the ingredients at hand, I roasted the parsnips, filling the house with the most amazing fragrance. Combining them with the leeks, bacon, pasta, parmesan, and cream was the perfect marriage. I highly recommend trying it out for yourself and there’s a video with Melissa Clark on the recipe link above that walks you through the steps.
It was a triumphant end to the harvest season, and the beginning of a time to regroup and collect one’s wits before spring. I hope everyone has a chance to read, be inspired, and find a few recipes or projects that bring you joy.