Will we have a snow day this week? Seems we’ll just have to wait and see. We’re headed out to harvest on Grand Island and things look good there. It’ll be chilly, but the ground isn’t frozen so we should be able to get the harvest in.

As many of you know, this cold weather make for super sweet veggies. This happens because when it gets cold, starches in the plant are broken up into smaller sugar molecules. This acts as a kind of antifreeze which protects the cells from damage during freezing weather. The good news for us is that it tastes good too!

You can download your Recipe Packet HERE.  These are written by my friend Katherine Deumling at Cook With What You Have. She’s going to continue to provide them through the rest of the winter share so let me know what you think?

This week your share may include…

• Beets: We’re happy to see these delicious red beets back in the share. There are quite a few recipes in the packet this week. You can also check out my Beets 101 post for a few more ideas including my tried and true (and easy too!) Raw Beet and Apple Salad.
• Carrots: These incredibly sweet carrots are one of the highlights of winter. We grow both Napoli and Bolero though the winter.
• Collards: They are looking beautiful with purple and red highlights on the leaves. This is another veggie that sweetens up considerably in the winter.
• Napa Cabbage: This variety Jazz made incredibly dense heads that are super sweet from all the cold weather. Use it as you would traditional cabbage for slaw or make Kimchi. I can’t believe that we still have Napa mid-January. I have heard from some folks “enough already!” and we promise to plant a little less next year. You’ll also be getting a break soon – it can’t last forever : )
• Garlic: I can’t wait to roast these little heads for dinner later this week! Some of the heads are starting to sprout. This doesn’t change the flavor, and you can even use the green part when it comes out the top. But it does mean that you should use them up asap! Try roasting or saute a big batch and freeze them.
• Onions, Yellow: These Copra onions have great eating quality and they are our longest lasting onion in storage.
• Parsnips: Some great ideas for these in your recipe packet.
• Potatoes: A few different varieties this week – some purple and also some small russets. The later will make great mini-baked potatoes!
• Rosemary: This fall we harvested quite a bit of rosemary and dried it so we’d have some through the winter. Wonderful with potatoes and other roasted rood veggies.
• Rutabaga: A few years ago my friend Scott at Nash’s Organic Produce gave me a taste of the rutabaga Gilfeather, and after that I was hooked. No other variety even comes close!  This variety is so good it has been included in the Slow Food US Ark of Taste, a catalog of over 200 delicious foods in danger of extinction. Help us protect and promote these foods by eating them. Katherine has included a few more rutabaga recipes in your packet this week.

Coming soon… Brussel Sprouts : )

Hope everyone had a really nice holiday!

This week you may see some new and interesting kale varieties in your share. We’re working with OSU and several other local farms to trial over a dozen different kale varieties this winter. As our longtime shareholders know, kale is an important staple crop in the winter. In addition to fabulous culinary qualities, we’d like to find some more varieties that have good cold tolerance, disease resistance and good productivity through our (usually) wet winters. I’ve been enjoying the diverse colors and leaf shapes of the different varieties – beautiful and so tasty too!

You can download your Recipe Packet HERE.  These are written by my friend Katherine Deumling at Cook With What You Have. She’s going to continue to provide them through the rest of the winter share so let me know what you think?

This week your share may include…

• Carrots: These incredibly sweet carrots are one of the highlights of winter. We grow both Napoli and Bolero though the winter.
• Garlic: I can’t wait to roast these little heads for dinner later this week!
• Kale: All different kinds this week including some new varieties we’re growing for a trial with OSU.
• Napa Cabbage: This variety Jazz made incredibly dense heads that are super sweet from all the cold weather. Use it as you would traditional cabbage for slaw or make Kimchi.
• Onions, Yellow: These Copra onions have great eating quality and they are our longest lasting onion in storage.
• Parsnips: Some great ideas for these in your recipe packet.
• Potatoes: My favorite fingerlings, Austrian Crescent. These great little waxy potatos work well for roasting or boiling.
• Rutabaga: A few years ago my friend Scott at Nash’s Organic Produce gave me a taste of the rutabaga Gilfeather, and after that I was hooked. No other variety even comes close!  This variety is so good it has been included in the Slow Food US Ark of Taste, a catalog of over 200 delicious foods in danger of extinction. Help us protect and promote these foods by eating them. Katherine has included a few more rutabaga recipes in your packet this week.
• Winter Squash: These Delicata and Sweet Dumpling squash came from our friends at Sauvie Island Organics. My favorite way to cook Delicata is to cut them crossways, scoop out the seeds and bake the squash rings on an oiled cookie sheet until they’re tender and golden brown.

Coming soon… Winterkeeper Beets : )

What beautiful bright sunny cold weather we’ve been having. This is very unusual for December in the Willamette Valley, but I’m not complaining. The record high pressure system sitting on top of the northwest has made for mostly calm days here, but caused some crazy winds in California. More important, the drier weather makes harvesting our winter crops a bit easier. This is the time of year when the mud can develop a certain quicksand like quality and suck your boots off. Happily that has not happened – yet!

This week have another fabulous Recipe Packet from my friend Katherine Deumling at Cook With What You Have. She’s going to continue to provide these through the rest of the winter share so let me know what you think? Download this week’s Recipe Packet HERE

Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!! We’ll see you back at the farm for pickup the first week of January 2012.

This week your share may include…

• Carrots: These incredibly sweet carrots are one of the highlights of winter.
• Collards/Brussel Sprout Tops: These are some of our most dependable winter greens. I’m a huge fan of beans and greens no matter what culture they come from. Try  these recipes for Southern Style Black Eye Peas & Greens or Italian White Beans with Greens (the later recipe calls for chard but it works great with the collards!).
• Celeriac/Celery Root: An ugly gnarly root with a lovely delicate celery flavor. This is an entertaining article about celeriac (though he doesn’t have very nice things to say about celery) and it includes a great recipe for Celery Remoulade (aka Céleri Rémoulade)
• Garlic: We want everyone to stay healthy over the holidays so we’re giving out lots of garlic this week!
• Kohlrabi: In the winter we grow two giant varieties – Kossac and Superschmeltz. Unlike other kohlrabi, these can get BIG and still stay sweet and crunchy. I cut a few bulbs today for a friend who had never tasted kohlrabi and they likened it to jicama – except better!
• Napa Cabbage: This variety Jazz made incredibly dense heads that are super sweet from all the cold weather. Use it as you would traditional cabbage for slaw or make Kimchi.
• Onions, Yellow & Red: I think some our our onions got a wee bit cold a few weeks ago and are showing some freeze damage at the tips & shoulder.  If the ones in your share  are starting to have a soft spot on top just cut it off and use the rest of the bulb. To make up for any damage you’ll get LOTS of onions in your share this week!
• Potatoes: My favorite fingerlings, Austrian Crescent. These great little waxy potatos work well for roasting or boiling.
• Rutabaga: A few years ago my friend Scott at Nash’s Organic Produce gave me a taste of the rutabaga Gilfeather, and after that I was hooked. No other variety even comes close!  This variety is so good it has been included in the Slow Food US Ark of Taste, a catalog of over 200 delicious foods in danger of extinction. Help us protect and promote these foods by eating them. Katherine has included several fabulous rutabaga recipes in your packet this week.
• Winter Squash: A wide variety of squash in the box this week – kabocha, delicata, red kuri and acorn.

Coming soon… sweet winter parsnips and beets!!

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving! Eric & I spent the weekend down at Grand Island working on the weeds. We also had some of our neighbors over for pie & cookies which was fun.

We have started planning for next season which means evaluating how crops did this year and pouring over seed catalogs. Everyone on the crew gets involved to talk about what worked and what didn’t, decide on amy changes to the plan and choose new varieties. We really appreciate all of our summer members who filled out the survey as this also informs our plans for next season as we work to make the farm better every year!

This week have another fabulous Recipe Packet from my friend Katherine Deumling at Cook With What You Have. She’s going to continue to provide these through the rest of the winter share so let me know what you think? Download this week’s Recipe Packet HERE.

This week your share may include…

• Cauliflower or Broccoli: Your choice of cauliflower or broccoli. The white cauliflower variety is Candid Charm and the green ones are called Panther. The broccoli variety is Arcadia.
  
• Celeriac/Celery Root: An ugly gnarly root with a lovely delicate celery flavor. This is an entertaining article about celeriac (though he doesn’t have very nice things to say about celery) and it includes a great recipe for Celery Remoulade (aka Céleri Rémoulade)
• Onions, Yellow & Red: I think some our our onions got a wee bit cold a few weeks ago and are showing some freeze damage at the tips & shoulder.  If the ones in your share  are starting to have a soft spot on top just cut it off and use the rest of the bulb. To make up for any damage you’ll get LOTS of onions in your share this week!
• Kale: Toscano, Toscano Rainbow & Redbor. All of these are great sauteed but my favorite recipe is still the Raw Kale Salad with Lemon & Parmesan/Pecorino. You can find a new variation here that includes pine nuts but I still usually make the original version with breadcrumbs.
• Kohlrabi: In the winter we grow two giant varieties – Kossac and Superschmeltz. Unlike other kohlrabi, these can get BIG and still stay sweet and crunchy. I cut a few bulbs today for a friend who had never tasted kohlrabi and they likened it to jicama – except better!
• Parsley: When we are blessed with these big beautiful bunches of flat leaf Italian parsley I treat it less like an herb and more like greens ie. chard, spinach, kale. I often chop up some of the greens and saute them as soon as I get home. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week and they’re ready to add to pasta, soup or eggs at any time. This makes the fit in the fridge much better too! Check out the recipes that Katherine included in your Recipe Packet this week too.
• Black Spanish Radish: This is a very distant cousin to the more familiar french breakfast radish. You certainly can’t see the similarities, but you can taste them in the peppery bite of both varieties. That said, usually the black radish doesn’t have as much heat as a regular radish. I most often eat this radish raw grated or julienned into a salad. It can stand alone or works well combined with other more traditional slaw ingredients like cabbage or carrots. This rant from Hedonia is entertaining and includes a recipe. There are more links to recipes at Mariquita Farm.
• Purple Top Turnips: These are the old-fashioned turnips. They are bigger than the japanese salad turnips we grow in the summer and this time of year – after a few frosts – their sweetness really shines through.

Coming soon… Collard Greens bigger than your head!!

I am very excited to announce our new partnership with my friend Katherine Deumling from Cook With What You Have. Starting this week, she is going to provide cooking tips, notes and recipes for everything in your CSA box! I originally met Katherine because she was on the Slow Food Portland steering committee they year I was selected to go to the Terra Madre conference in Turin Italy. What an amazing experience! I have been a Slow Food member and advocate ever since. It was also the start of a lasting friendship with Katherine. I have posted several times about her classes and often link to recipes on her blog. When she offered this option for our CSA members I couldn’t resist. I’ll continue my usual blog posts, but Katherine’s packet will provide you with a whole new level of inspiration for cooking all those beautiful vegetables!

Download your NEW Recipe Packet here!

This week your share may include…

• Cauliflower or Broccoli: Your choice of cauliflower or broccoli. The white cauliflower variety is Candid Charm and the green ones are called Panther. The broccoli variety is Arcadia.
• Cabbage: These nice big heads are really sweet & tender so they’ll make a great slaw. Try grating some kohlrabi, celeriac or rutabaga in with it too. I also think that on a cold fall evening there is not much better than braised cabbage. Try this recipe for cabbage with onion & poached egg inspired by Cathy Whims at Nostrana.
• Celeriac/Celery Root: An ugly gnarly root with a lovely delicate celery flavor. This is an entertaining article about celeriac (though he doesn’t have very nice things to say about celery) and it includes a great recipe for Celery Remoulade (Céleri Rémoulade)
• Celery: I love home grown celery. It is not quite as tender as the pampered ones grown down south, but it has much better flavor. It will make a fabulous Thanksgiving stuffing and also be a great addition to turkey soup. The variety is Utah Improved, which we like because it’s tasty, productive, and open pollinated too.
• Onions, Candy: Most sweet onions (ie. Maui & Walla Walla’s) do not last very long in storage. Candy is the exception to that rule so now we can enjoy beautiful sweet yellow onions well into December.
• Kohlrabi: In the winter we grow two giant varieties – Kossac and Superschmeltz. Unlike other kohlrabi, these can get BIG and still stay sweet and crunchy. I cut a few bulbs today for a friend who had never tasted kohlrabi and they likened it to jicama – except better!
• Parsley: When we are blessed with these big beautiful bunches of flat leaf Italian parsley I treat it less like an herb and more like greens ie. chard, spinach, kale. I often chop up some of the greens and saute them as soon as I get home. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week and they’re ready to add to pasta, soup or eggs at any time. This makes the fit in the fridge much better too!
• Rutabaga: This year the only variety we are growing is Gilfeather because it is so much better than any of the others we’ve tried! It is part of the Slow Food Ark of Taste, which catalogs delicious foods in danger of extinction. Mr. Gilfeather, the breeder, called it a turnip, but the lumpy root and coarse greens place it firmly in the rutabaga camp. Rave reviews and a recipe here.
• Winter Squash: We’ll have mostly Acorn squash but there may be a few Pie Pumpkins available too.

Coming soon… Kale!!

Welcome to the first week of the 2011-2012 Winter CSA!

It seems remarkably balmy still for November. I’ve been plowing with the horses down at the Grand Island farm in order to get more fields ready for springtime. The horses are lighter on the ground, so we can work them even when it is too wet for the tractor. This is nice because it means that we can get fieldwork done later into the fall (like now!) and earlier in the spring.

This week your share may include…

• Beets: These big beautiful beets are an incredible winter variety called, not suprizingly, Winterkeeper. The greens on them are still very nice to be sure to use those too. If you’re looking for simple tips and recipes then read this post I wrote a few years ago called Beets 101.
• Cauliflower or Broccoli: Your choice of happy heads of cauliflower or beautiful broccoli. This cauliflower is so tender it makes for perfected roasted florettes. Cut into bite sized pieces, toss with olive oil & salt, put on a jelly roll pan directly under the broiler. Keep your eye on it and shake the pan a few times to keep them from sticking. Pull them out when the edges just start to carmelize – easy, fast & yum! One of my favorite dishes is Gino’s Cauliflower Pasta. Often recipes suggest parboiling cauliflower first, but I have found that is not necessary with these heads and it can turn them to mush. The white cauliflower variety is Candid Charm and the green ones are called Panther. The broccoli variety is Arcadia.
• Cabbage: These nice big heads are really sweet & tender so they’ll make a great salad or slaw. That said, on a cold fall evening there is nothing better than braised cabbage. Try this recipe for cabbage with onion & poached egg inspired by Cathy Whims at Nostrana.
• Chard: Various greens are a staple during the winter. The Swiss Chard is not as winter hardy as some of the other types, but we should be able to enjoy it well into December. Provided the winter is not too harsh, we’ll also probably be able to pick some when it warms up in the spring too. Cook chard (and beet greens) just like you would spinach. I sauteed some last weekend with those beautiful red onions and then added them a fritatta which was fabulous. Also, if you haven’t tried my grandmothers Chard Bisque I highly recommend it!
• Celery: I love home grown celery. It is not quite as tender as the pampered ones grown down south, but it has much better flavor. We’ll have some more at the next pickup too because I think it is a necessary ingredient in the traditional Thanksgiving stuffing.
• Onions, Red Tropea: This sweet red Italian onion aka Rossa Lunga di Tropea has a slightly elongated shape. This onion variety is originally from Calabria – the region in southern Italy where my husbands family also came from : )
• Parsley: When we are blessed with these big beautiful bunches of flat leaf Italian parsley I treat it less like an herb and more like greens ie. chard, spinach, kale. I often chop up greens and saute them as soon as I get home. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week and they’re ready to add to pasta, soup or eggs at any time. This makes the fit in the fridge much better too!
• Peppers, Gypsy: Better late than never – this will be the last week of peppers – hip hip hooray that they finally ripened!!
• Peppers, Jimmy Nardello: This is NOT a hot pepper. It is a traditional frying pepper that is usually ripened to red, but it these little green ones are good too.

Coming soon… Beautiful Winter Greens!!

Gino’s Cauliflower Pasta