CSA Share Notes:

The first week of the winter season!  And harvested right in the nick of time, right before a big frost knocks it all back.

We had a lot of frost damage 2 or 3 weeks ago, (remember when it was 80 degrees right before it was 23!? That is a massive shock to the plants without time to adapt) We don’t always know how things will recover right away but have to wait and see.  For example, the broccoli was hit really hard, the Swiss chard was totally taken out. But we have lots of other new young plantings of things that did great through the frost, and are doing well now and coming along nicely. We hoped to have lots more for you this first week, but alas! We think we’ll have several additional new crops ready by the time we hit our 3rd winter harvest.

Winter season will deliver approximately every other week until the Spring season begins delivering sometime in April. As we mentioned before, the winter season’s harvest schedule can be very unpredictable as the variables of hard frosts, low light conditions, cloudy days, and heavy rains can stretch things out in Jan through March. We can grow a very nice garden in winter but the rate at which it progresses can often be slow. And then in late March/early April with warming temps and longer days, things often pick up and we sometimes have to harvest back to back weeks! So set your expectations accordingly and come along for the ride with us.

In short: Be flexible! Nature calls the shots around here and we follow her lead.

By the way, Spring season registration will launch soon, (we normally launch Jan. 1 but we’re just super behind schedule with holidays, and tax prep, and a week long camping vacation, and oh yeah- the 4 month old baby!) so if you want to reserve your spot for the spring season you can do that in just a couple more days.  We expect it to fill up and have a waiting list.

Now on to this week’s vegetable line up:

• Green Garlic — Both Large and Regular shares received this tasty crop. Use them like green onions to top a dish with mild garlic flavor, or cook them like leeks into any dish that calls for garlic. (Use at least triple what you would use for cloves of garlic as their flavor is much more mild.) They’re heavenly.
• Broccoli — Enough broccoli for everyone this week! We are not sure if our plants in the field will recover from this big freeze to provide you with more florets, but we’re quite hopeful.
• Carrots — Both share sizes received our sweet, colorful, crunchy carrots.
• Lettuce — Large shares received 2 heads of summer crisp lettuce, both a red and a green.
• Kohlrabi — Regular shares received this bulbous crop. It’s excellent peeled and sliced, sprinkled with a little lemon or salt. It’s also fantastic in a cream soup, or in a broccoli salad
• Cauliflower — Large shares received cauliflower, and it’s the best cauliflower we’ve grown! We’re so happy to share it with you. Excellent roasted or made into a delicious chickpea curry.
• Arugula— Regular shares received our first cutting of super tender and delicious arugula. This is a peppery leaf excellent in a salad. If you find the flavor stronger than you prefer, you can mix it with spinach, lettuce, baby kale, or any other salad green you prefer, although this young cutting is quite mild.
• Radish — Large shares received a mixed bunch of french breakfast radishes and easter egg radishes. Enjoy every color! Did you know the tops are also edible? You can braise or sauté them, or eat them fresh.

Veggie Storage tips:

Almost everything you received today will keep longest stored in the fridge sealed up in produce bags. Remove all the roots from their tops. The leaves suck nutrients and moisture from the roots if they’re kept intact so store the greens separately, and this will keep the roots from getting rubbery.  Everything will need a thorough washing before cooking, but leave the dirt on until you’re ready to use them to prevent spoilage.

We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this week. Send us a note or post a comment of how you’ve used your CSA share.

Your farmers, Jess & Justin

Regular

Regular Share-rows, left to right:   kohlrabi, broccoli, arugula (2nd row)  green garlic, carrots.

Large

Large Share-rows, left to right: cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, (2nd row)  green garlic, carrots, and 2 lettuces, a red oak leaf and a green bibb.