Share Notes Jan. 2 2025
CSA members, welcome to your final Fall season harvest! It’s a big one, and for that we are so excited. Usually the season tapers in and tapers back out, with all the abundance concentrated in the middle. But this season’s end, we’re delighting in packing up a dense, full box on the final week. The 2024 fall season has been our joy. Providing for our community with abundant harvests through amicable weather conditions has not been taken for granted here by us and our farmhands, and we hope you have likewise appreciated the abundance and incredible diversity this fall season was able to give you. We hope you’ve loved your CSA experience this Fall.
Here’s your vegetable line-up:
- Carrots – For all the shares! Mixed bunches for all.
- Broccoli – Enough for everybody this week. Remember, any that you received with long stems, the stems are also edible and sweet!
- Cauliflower – All shares are receiving a head of cauliflower. Best cauliflower season we’ve ever had!
- Radish – Daikon radishes for everyone, and one beautiful Watermelon radish for all the regular shares. These should all be fairly spicy, but weather often dictates that. Enjoy them atop a salad or dip slices in melted butter, or pickle them!
- Cabbage – Nice dense cabbages for everyone. Time for delicious crunchy salads and slaws. Toss in your radishes, salad turnips, and broccoli stems!
- Turnips – For everyone! Large shares received Purple top, Regular received Scarlet Queen- these are both traditional southern cooking turnips, great roasted or sauteed. Mini shares received our white Hakurei turnips. These are a Japanese salad turnip and they are eaten raw. Turnips are high in vitamins, particularly vitamin C, so eat those veggies!
- Brussels Sprouts – for all the large shares. We often don’t get a good crop out of our brussels sprouts, though we plant them year on year. They want long, cool growing conditions, not too hot, not too cold, and definitely not too wet. Well, this fall provided! We’re so glad to send you a few.
- Beets – For Large and Regular shares (Regular shares, double check your pink, rosy roots that you got this week in addition to your beets. Those are Scarlet Queen Turnips, don’t confuse them!) Beets are excellent roasted. Scrub them up really well, drizzle with oil and wrap in foil, and roast in a hot oven, 400 degrees, until fork tender. Then scrape off the loosened peel using the edge of a spoon or butter knife. Toss with butter, or a yummy orange and maple glaze you can whip up on the stovetop while they’re cooking. We also have a lovely beet and walnut hummus we love to make when beets are fresh. It turns a gorgeous magenta color and is scrumptious. We make it a few times a year and gorge ourselves, it’s so delicious.
- Kale – Regular shares received Winterbor kale, bagged because the leaves are a bit too small to bunch. Large shares received Red Russian, and Mini shares received Lacinato kale.
- Our kale this week was used in meal-prep. We sauteed it with a ton of mushroom and garlic, and now each morning a big scoop is going into our veggie egg scrambles. We made a simple soup last week with Italian sausage, onion, garlic, and loads and loads of kale, finished with heavy cream and parmesan. It was fast to get on the table, and served with a side salad and crusty bread, it was oh-so-satisfying. Perfect for the chilly days we’ve got ahead.
Veggie Storage tips:
- Everything wants to be washed well before cooking, but keep the dirt on till then, to prevent faster spoilage.
- Everything wants to be stored in your fridge. Seal them up in a bag or container to retain moisture for longest storage life.
- Roots will store best when severed from their tops, and stored separately (remember the tops are edible, too!)
We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this week. Tag us on Instagram or Facebook, showing us how you’ve used your CSA share.
Your farmers, Jess & Justin
Regular Share
Regular Share to row left to right: Winterbor Kale, 1 daikon radish, carrots, broccoli. Across the bottom: cabbage, 1 watermelon radish, beets, scarlet queen turnips, and cauliflower.
Large Share
Large Share left to right: Red Russian Kale, brussels sprouts, carrots, and broccoli. Across the bottom: cabbage, 2 daikon radishes, beets, purple top turnips, and cauliflower.
Mini Share
