Need new ideas for cooking all that winter squash? Parsnips? Leeks? Katherine Deumling of Cook With What You Have is offering a special cooking class for CSA members. Expand your cooking techniques and think about our beautiful winter veggies in new ways. The class is hands-on and we’ll make four different dishes and talk about a dozen variations of these. We’ll also talk about pantry/kitchen stocking so that you’re prepared to cook a wide variety of things on any given night. Green curry with winter squash, veggie fritters, . . . !

She is offering a special CSA class called – Winter Weeknight Dinners – Saturday, February 27th 3-6pm. Classes are small and interactive and include hands on participation and demonstration. A full meal is served and copies of recipes and additional materials are included. Classes are appropriate for a range of experience levels. Class is $70 per student. Classes are held at 2233 SE Main, Street in inner SE Portland. There are only five spots available to sign up right away if you’re interested. To register or for more info:

Katherine Deumling
503.715.7697
http://www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cook-With-What-You-Have/291859282371
http://cookwithwhatyouhave.wordpress.com/

Join me for a showing of the local movie Ingredients! Our farm is featured in the movie and I’ll be there afterward to talk about local farming & answer questions.

Fri Feb 19th, 6:30-8:30pm at the First Unitarian Church (SE 12th x Main), $5 donation requested
More info available here

This week your share may include…

• Brussel Sprouts, Diablo: These are still a bit small, but worth the work. Take the sprouts off the stalk, peel a few layers off the sprout, then boil or steam until tender. The trick with sprouts is not to over cook them! An al dente sprout is a whole new experience. Try this easy recipe with gnocchi & pesto
• Collards, Bulldog: The spring weather has inspired nice new leaves on the collards.
• Carrots, Sugarsnax: Oh sweet winter carrots!
• Onions, Copra: A long-standing favorite – stores well & good eatin’.
• Peppers, Dried Long Thin Cayenne: We picked the last of the cayenne peppers at the end of the summer and dried them in the squash room so you could enjoy them all winter long.
• Potatoes, Red: These potatoes came from our friends at Mustard Seed Farms.
• Popcorn, Heirloom Early Pink: You can pop the whole cob in the microwave if you want to – just put it in a brown bag, run on high for 1 min, dump out popped kernals, then run for 20 sec intervals until everything has popped, about 3 min. Watch it carefully because the cob can catch on fire. There are almost always a few unpopped kernals at the end, but it makes a nice little bowl of popcorn. Or take kernals off the cob and pop using your preferred method. 
• Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Rudolf: This time of year it is almost impossible to grow regular broccoli, but the purple sprouting types thrive in the late winter/early spring. You can use all of it – florettes, stems & leaves. 
• Winter Squash, Long Island Cheese: This little spaghetti squash has impressed me with it’s sweet nutty flavor. Cut in half & roast in the oven, then peel out long strings and dress it up sweet or savory.
• Winter Squash, Spaghetti Small Wonder: This little spaghetti squash has impressed me with it’s sweet nutty flavor. Cut in half & roast in the oven, then peel out long strings and dress it up sweet or savory.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with winter greens try this great idea for pesto from Katherine Deumling at her new blog Cook With What You Have…

Opinion pieces like this remind us what we’re up against. Please send more emails to your local County Commissioners & Metro reminding them our food comes from all over the region so we need their help to protect farmland in Washington County too! This article also brings home how important it is to support candidates like Rex Burkholder for Metro president because they share our vision for farmland protection and livability.

I liked the comments that SaveTheFarms wrote at the end of the article…
“Government’s Relationship to Business? Politician gets campaign contribution from speculator/developer. Politician decrees that land of speculator/developer shall be urban. Speculator/developer cashes in. Politician gets campaign contribution from speculator/developer . . . or maybe a job upon retirement. Farmland is the local politician’s land bank but he doesn’t have to make any deposits; he just makes withdrawals.”

Kelly Myers blog Front Burner, is one of my favorites! I go there because she has great ideas and recipes. The only problem is that I very often end up adding something new to my wish list. First it was the perfect mandoline. I cook lots of vegetables for a VERY HUNGRY farm crew and this could save some serious prep time. Most recently, I have come to covet a pan I never even knew existed,  la roundeau.

Feb 9th – Hear directly from the policy makers!

The InFARMation (and Beer!) series started last year and has been a huge success. The event takes place the 2nd Tuesday of every month at Roots Organic Brewery. On Feb 9th the Friends of Family Farmers will host what promises to be one of the most interesting events to date. The guests will be Lynn Youngbar from the Oregon Board of Agriculture, Representative Brian Clem, and Steve Cohen, Manager of Food Policy & Programs for the City of Portland. This moderated panel will talk to us about how policy is made in our state and what their experiences have been working within their respective policy-making body.

I look forward to a lively debate about how best to promote good, clean, and fair farming practices & food.