It is conference time for farmers!  I just got back from a quick trip to Idaho to speak at the Grower’s Own organic farming workshop and I’ll be at the Oregon Tilth conference, Organicology, this weekend. We’re also taking the farm crew to the OSU Small Farms conference on March 2nd in Corvallis. I hope to post soon about all the interesting farmers I’ve met and fun things I’ve learned.

Here is the Recipe Packet for this week’s share. I know that the link didn’t work for everyone last week so I’ve tried it a new way this time. Let me know if you have any trouble.

This week your share may include…

Brussel Sprouts: They look a bit rough, but peel a few leaves off  and they’ll be ready to go. The sprouts are really good when roasted. Cut the large ones in half, toss them with a bit of olive oil & sea salt, then put them in a 425 degree oven until they start to get a bit carmelized around the edges – yum! You’ll find more tips and recipes here.

Cabbage: Nice heads of sweet winter cabbage – we picked both Colorsa & Deadon, a beautiful semi-savoyed type with a pretty red blush.

Carrots: What could be better than sweet winter carrots!

Garlic: Some of the cloves are starting to sprout, but the garlic is still tasty and good. I had a chef tell me once that the sprouts made garlic bitter, but then we tasted some together and decided that was just an old wives tale. If some green shoots make it all the way out of the clove, clip them off and use like you would green garlic.

Kale: We’re back to green curly Winterbor this week. This kale has had a hard time of it over the winter and you may see a bit of yellowing on the edges. I’ve been talking to some other kale growers and the folks at OSU to see if we can figure out why this is happening. Usually, Winterbor is one of our most hardy greens so hopefully we can have it looking better soon! I sauteed a bunch recently, and despite it’s imperfections, it cooked up quite nicely.

Leeks: This variety, King Richard, has beautiful long white shanks that are nice and tender. Try them with the recipes for beans or  parsnips that are in your packet.

Onions: Copra yellow onions

Parsnips: They’re back! In your recipe packet there are recipes for parsnips with Potato Gratin or as a Creamy Puree. I’m adding them to soup and roasting them with carrots & onions – yum!

Potatoes: Desiree red potatoes.

Winter Squash: The butternut is back! And we’ll also have a few more Kakai hulless seed pumpkins that have the absolute best tasting SEEDS of any pumpkin I’ve ever grown!!

Coming soon… hopefully some winter beets in the next share!

We will be hiring several Farm Crew members for the 2013 season. We’re looking for folks with farm experience, but all hardworking & motivated individuals will be considered. The Farm Crew is at the heart of the farm and does a little of everything – seeding, weeding, harvesting, etc – plus a lot of hard work! If you’re interested in spending the season on a serious urban farm, then APPLY HERE and join us. Application deadline Feb. 1st 2013.

What a glorious bit of clear weather we’ve been having! It has been nice to be out of the mud during harvest and get a few more outside jobs done on the farm.  We have also been busy planning for the upcoming 2013 summer season, but more on that in another post soon. You can download the Recipe Packet for this week’s share HERE. It includes some great recipes for the brussel sprouts, rutabagas and some of the different winter squash in your share.

This week your share may include…

Black Radish: Your recipe packet has some great suggestions for using these weirdly beautiful black roots. 

Brussel Sprouts: They look a bit rough, but peel a few leaves off  and they’ll be ready to go. The sprouts are really good when roasted. Cut the large ones in half, toss them with a bit of olive oil & sea salt, then put them in a 425 degree oven until they start to get a bit carmelized around the edges – yum! You’ll find more tips and recipes here.

Cabbage: Nice heads of sweet winter cabbage – the variety is Deadon, a beautiful semi-savoyed type with a pretty red blush.

Carrots: What could be better than sweet winter carrots!

Garlic: Some of the cloves are starting to sprout, but the garlic is still tasty and good. I had a chef tell me once that the sprouts made garlic bitter, but then we tasted some together and decided that was just an old wives tale. If some green shoots make it all the way out of the clove, clip them off and use like you would green garlic.

Kale: Beautiful Redbor is in your share this week and it will work just as well as the green for kale chips and my favorite raw kale salad.

Onions: We’ll have both yellow & red onions and this is the last of our Redwing crop for the winter. They traditionally don’t store as well as the yellow Copras do, though we’re always trying new varieties to find one that lasts longer. In 2013, we’re going to trial Red Beret and Red Emperor in our never-ending quest for red onion perfection.

Potatoes: This week we’re mixing it up with some Purple Viking (Mark Bittman’s favorite potato!) and also some Yellow Finn too.

Rutabaga: If you’re tired of hearing me wax poetic about the Gilfeather rutabaga, then you should just stop here because I’m doing it again – shamelessly! I love this thing – there seems to be some confusion about whether it is a rutabaga or a turnip or some cross between the two. I could care less about the genetics, the important thing is the sweet mild flavor which makes it fabulous raw, roasted, boiled or mashed. It is also in the Slow Food Ark of Taste, and by eating it you are helping to preserve this important and tasty variety.

Winter Squash: Several varieties in the mix to choose from including red kuri, hubbards &  kabocha squash. We’ll also have some Kakai hulless seed pumpkins that have the absolute best tasting SEEDS of any pumpkin I’ve ever grown!!

Coming soon… definitely King Richard Leeks and if the good weather continues we may see some Purple Sprouting Broccoli sooner rather than later.

Hope everyone had a nice winter holiday! We have a great share for you this week – the veggies just keep getting sweeter with the cold weather we’ve been having. You can download the Recipe Packet for this week’s share HERE. It includes some fun ideas for the roots, greens & delicata squash.

This week your share may include…

Brussel Sprouts: These look a bit rough, but peel a few leaves off  and they’ll be ready to go. The sprouts are really good when roasted. Cut the large ones in half, toss them with a bit of olive oil & sea salt, then put them in a 425 degree oven until they start to get a bit carmelized around the edges – yum! You’ll find more tips and recipes here.

Cabbage: Nice heads of sweet winter cabbage and lots of recipes in your packet for different things to do with it. This week the variety is Colorosa, a nice semi-savoyed type with a beautiful red blush.

Carrots: What could be better than sweet winter carrots!

Garlic: These garlic heads are small, but tasty.

Kale: Beautiful Redbor is in your share this week and it will work just as well as the green for kale chips and my favorite raw kale salad.

Onions: More  Copras - our stalwart yellow storage variety.

Potatoes: These Desiree red potatoes are good boiled or roasted & they’re high in Vitamin C.

Turnips: We’ll have a mix of Purple Top and Golden Ball turnips in the share and they are both open pollinated varieties.

Winter Squash: Everyone loves Delicata squash so we’re giving it out again. This recipe for squash rings is fabulous and there is another Delicata recipe in your packet. Not that it really needs a recipe, just cut it in half lengthwise and bake in the oven until soft – yum!

Coming soon… We’ll continue to have carrots and you may also see beets, black radish and more Gilfeather Rutabaga in your share next time.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and well organized Fieldwork Coordinator to join our Portland-based farm crew. This person will drive tractors and help coordinate tilling, weeding & irrigation on the farm. Applications are due Jan 11th 2013. More info available HERE.

Responsibilities:

• Work with Owner & Farm Manager to prioritize & schedule fieldwork on the farm
• Drive tractors for field prep, fertilization, tractor-mounted cultivating and seeding cover crop
• Do minor service & maintenance on equipment. Maintain all data and records for equipment
• Schedule, assemble & repair irrigation
• Accountable for quality control, time tracking, and record keeping related to fieldwork on the farm
• Responsible for leading a crew in some of the above jobs
• Work as part of the crew for other jobs on the farm

Responsibilities

• Minimum 2 yrs tractor driving and cultivation experience
• Minimum 2 yrs on farm crew or doing similar hard physical labor
• Some managerial experience and aptitude required
• Disciplined, organized, responsible, independent and positive
• Ability to lift 50lbs
• Clean Drivers License

The farm is a fertile learning ground for those who are willing to work hard. If you are a person with tremendous energy and enthusiasm for farming (and tractors) and if you have the experience we’re looking for, please fill out the Field Coordinator Application Packet.

Delicata Squash Rings
Based on a recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.

2-3 Delicata Squash, 12 – 16 oz ea
olive or vegetable oil
salt & pepper
herbs – optional ie parsley or thyme

I’ve often made these for end of the summer share party and they’re always VERY popular. People often ask if I put sugar on them? Of course the answer is no – who needs sugar when you have such sweet squash! It takes a little longer to flip the squash over, but they taste so good when you get that rich caramel coating glaze on both sides. Serve these as a side dish or add them as an attractive garnish to winter vegetable stews. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Total cooking time under 20 min.

• Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler – this is optional, the Delicata skin is so tender that I often leave it on.
• Slice off the ends, and scoop out the seeds. Cut the squash into rings about 1/3 inch thick.
• Spread the rings out on a well-oiled jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Bake until the bottoms of the rings begin to darken & caramelize, 5-10 min. Pull out the sheets and flip the squash over. Finish cooking until both sides are lightly browned, 5-10 more min.
• Remove to a serving plate and sprinkle with herbs if you want to.
• These are good served hot or at room temperature.

You can download the Recipe Packet for this week’s share HERE. It includes some great ideas for the root veggies and recipes butternut squash.

This week your share may include…

Black Radish: Try the recipe for Black Radish Coins that is in your packet this week. It is based on a tasty dish that John Taboada makes at Navarre.

Brussel Sprouts: These look a bit rough, but just take a few leaves off  and they’ll be ready to go. The sprouts are really good when roasted. Just cut the large ones in half, toss them with a bit of olive oil & sea salt, then put them in a 425 degree oven until they start to get a bit carmelized around the edges – yum! You’ll find more tips and recipes here.

Cabbage: All of the crops in the brassica family (broccoli, collards, turnips etc) are much sweeter in the winter and cabbage is no exception. This red cabbage will be great in the Wintery Cabbage Slaw recipe in this week’s packet.

Carrots: What could be better than sweet winter carrots!

Garlic: These garlic leads are small, but tasty. We’ve included both Persephone & Music varieties in your share this week.

Kale: We have the most beautiful field of green Winterbor kale this season! I think it is one of the best varieties for kale chips and my favorite raw kale salad.

Onions: The variety this week is Copra, our stalwart yellow storage variety.

Potatoes: These russets will make great baked potatoes or latke’s.

Rutagaba: More of the fabulous Gilfeather! 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.

Winter Squash: There are some interesting recipes in your packet this week including several soups and also some salads using the Butternut squash.

Coming soon… The Holidays!! We’re sending you home with some extra veggies this week because we don’t have another CSA pickup until the week of Jan 7th.

You can download the Recipe Packet for this week’s share HERE. It includes some great recipes for beet salad, red onion jam & caldo verde among others.

This week your share may include…

Beets: Looks like we have another great crop of beets this winter! We grow a special variety called Winterkeeper (aka Lutz) which is the only beet I’ve ever found that can withstand the months and months of winter rain here. There is a roasted beet recipe in your packet or try  some of my old favorites at Beets 101.

Cabbage: All of the crops in the brassica family (broccoli, collards, turnips etc) are much sweeter in the winter and cabbage is no exception. This will make a great slaw or there are several recipes for cooked cabbage in your packet.

Carrots: What could be better than sweet winter carrots!

Celeriac: 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 Celeriac Remoulade (aka Céleri Rémoulade)

Collards: In the cooking class that Katherine Deumling did last month at Luscher Farm, we used collards. I started to take the ribs out, then cut one up to taste it and it was so sweet & tender that I passed it around and gave everyone samples! When collards sit on the shelf for awhile, the ribs tend to dry up and become tough. In that case, you should take them out. If collards are kissed by the frost and just picked from the field, then cook the sweet ribs too. Try them in the Simple Garlicky Collards recipe from your packet.

Garlic: Two interesting varieties again this week. Asian Tempest, an asiatic garlic from South Korea, is fiery hot when raw, but mellows with cooking. Chesnok, a Middle Eastern hardneck from Shvelisi Georgia, is nice for baking because it has a very creamy texture.

Onions: The variety this week is Redwing, a great red storage onion variety that we’ll have through the winter.  It should be great in the  onion jam recipes from your packet.

Potatoes: I really like Fingerling potatoes because they are so easy either roasted in chunks or boiled. They’d be great in the Caldo Verde recipe from your packet too.

Turnip: These are the old-fashioned type Purple Top turnips. There may also be some heirloom Golden Ball Turnips in the mix too.

Winter Squash: The spaghetti squash is an interesting variety because when cooked, it comes out of the shell in long strands like spaghetti. You can top it with almost any traditional pasta sauce, or do the simple butter & herb perparation from your packet.

Coming soon… russet baking potatoes & butternut squash!!