We’ve had quite a few cold & sunny days the last few weeks. This is perfect weather for sweetening up the winter crops like chicory and cabbage. When the temperatures drop, many hardy vegetables convert the starches in their cells to simple sugars. This acts as an antifreeze protecting the plants so that they aren’t damaged by cold weather. It also makes them extra sweet & tasty!

Here are some highlights from today’s CSA box…

• We are so lucky to be able to grow these amazing winter cabbages!! I know that some people think of cabbage as a boring vegetable, but there are only a few exceptional varieties that will grow for us in the winter and be ready to harvest in February & March. Early in my farming career, we had to order the seeds from Europe! American seed companies thought the market was too small so they decided not to carry them. Happily, that has changed and with so much interest in winter farming many of our favorite seed companies keep them in stock. For our shareholders, lots of recipes for cabbage – including Caldo Verde – at Cook With What You Have.
• The Rosso di Lucca dry beans in your share this week are a beautiful rosy red, oblong bean with dark stripes and speckles. Said by growers in Italy to have a rich delicious flavor, pairing well with other strong flavors such as garlic, sage and rich fruity olive oil. Seed Ambassador Kayla Preece collected this variety in 2006 from Agricultori Custodi, a seed preservation group in Tuscany, Italy. They are also in the Slow Food arc of Taste! They’re versatile and delicious in anything from Red Beans & Rice to Pasta e Fagioli.
• The Sugarloaf Chicory is sweetened by the frost! Try it in this Hearty Salad or carmelized with beans or greens. Want to learn more about all things chicory? Check out this Radicchio Zine (PDF) from our friends at the Culinary Breeding Network. It includes much history, trivia and my favorite radicchio salad recipe Insalata Nostrana (pg 20).

Does this sound delicious, but you’re not a shareholder? That’s an easy problem to solve! Come on board for our amazing Winter/Spring CSA on a prorated basis at one of our two pickup locations (SE Portland or Lake Oswego) and take home fresh, local, sustainably-farmed produce like this every other week!

Its been a foggy January week! The ground is still pretty wet, but we appreciate that it hasn’t been raining much as that makes it easier to harvest all those delicious root crops.

Here are some highlights from today’s CSA box:

• The jewel toned winter radishes (pic above) are beautiful & tasty. You’ll find a mix in your share that may include purple bravo, red watermelon radish, and the green & white alpine variety. They are not as hot as spring radishes and the bright color makes them fun to use raw in salad or with dip. They’re also good roasted. Lots of recipes at Cook With What You Have, where shareholders have a free membership.
• The Marinanta is a variegata di chioggia chicory head with beautiful color that can be used for salad, or sautéed. Try it carmelized with beans or greens. Want to learn more about all things chicory? Check out this Radicchio Zine (PDF) from our friends at the Culinary Breeding Network. It includes much history, trivia and my favorite radicchio salad recipe Insalata Nostrana (pg 20).

Does this sound delicious, but you’re not a shareholder? That’s an easy problem to solve! Come on board for our amazing Winter/Spring CSA on a prorated basis at one of our two pickup locations (SE Portland or Lake Oswego) and take home fresh, local, sustainably-farmed produce like this every other week!

Happy New Year! Hope you had a wonderful holiday. It was fun to have the snow, but I’m glad things thawed out a bit this week so we could harvest. Often after all the festivities it’s nice to fill up your fridge with some delicious local veggies so we’re happy to help you do that this week.
Here are some highlights from today’s CSA box…

• The Sugarloaf Chicory is related to radicchio, but the flavor is more sweet & mild. I often use it for salad, or sauté it with then combine with beans or greens. Want to learn more about all things chicory? Check out this Radicchio Zine (PDF) from our friends at the Culinary Breeding Network. It includes much history, trivia and my favorite radicchio salad recipe Insalata Nostrana (pg 20). You can also buy an original adorable paper copy here.
• So excited to try the Jachob’s Cattle heirloom dry beans in some of the new recipes that – for our shareholder members – are in their special pack of recipes from CWWYH. They’ll make a delicious Chile or Ribollita or combine nicely with any of the greens.
• The Marina di Chioggia winter squash is a lumpy looking Italian heirloom with dense delicious sweet flavor. It is traditionally served in roasted wedges as street food in the Chioggia region near Venice. Since it is slightly dry, it also makes amazing gnocchi or can be put into ravioli. I often just roast it and it is tasty that way too.

Does this sound delicious, but you’re not a shareholder? That’s an easy problem to solve! Come on board for our amazing Winter/Spring CSA on a prorated basis at one of our two pickup locations (SE Portland or Lake Oswego) and take home fresh, local, sustainably-farmed produce like this every other week!

Hope you had a delicious holiday! More tasty treats in the share this week. Here are some highlights from today’s CSA box. Shareholders can leverage their membership with free access to glorious recipes for all these veggies at Cook With What You Have.

• Love those Leeks! This King Richard variety has long self-blanching shanks which is tender and delicious. Sauté them in butter or olive oil and use in any dish that calls for onions. Or feature them in a dish like Leeks Vinaigrette or Leek Galette. Even the less tender dark green tops are still delicious in soup stock.
• Celeriac aka Celery Root is a gnarly looking root with a mild celery flavor. It is traditionally used in this french Remoulade and make a delicious addition to soups or stews.
• Chioggia Radicchio is the first of our early red chicories. Slightly more bitter than the escarole at the last pickup, but still balanced with a delicious nutty sweetness. Try Katherine’s Radicchio & Fennel Salad with Orange or if you’re a shareholder, check out the more than 3 dozen recipes for chicory at Cook With What You Have.
• Gills Golden Pippin Squash is a great mid-century variety developed here in Portland by the Gills Brothers Seed Co. It is related to acorn squash but these smaller & sweeter – the perfect single serving size! Just cut them in half and roast them.
• Aji Hot Peppers are native to Bolivia with mid-range heat and top notch flavor. Put a whole pepper in a pot of beans or soup. Or grind them up for a rich citrusy seasoning – think red pepper flakes – except these are orange and more flavorful!

Did I mention that if you’re not a shareholder, you can still take home fresh, sustainably farmed veggies like these even though the season’s started?

Does this sound delicious, but you’re not a shareholder? That’s an easy problem to solve! Come on board for our amazing Winter/Spring CSA on a prorated basis at one of our two pickup locations (SE Portland or Lake Oswego) and take home fresh, local, sustainably-farmed produce like this every other week!

It’s the first pickup of this Winter CSA season! The weather has turned a little wintery this week and we all broke out our serious raingear for this first winter harvest.

The beets & fennel love this weather and you’ll find big beautiful tasty bulbs in your share. With every nip of frost they just keep getting sweeter and sweeter! Leeks are also happy as the temperatures drop and they don’t mind the rain at all. The long shanks of this variety – King Richard – are self-blanching. Use the tender fat white part at the the root end in any dish that calls for onions. The darker green part on top is not quite as tender but will make a terrific addition to soup stock.

By the way, if you didn’t sign up in time for the first pickup, no worries: join us on a prorated basis for our 11 remaining pickups!

Highlights from the CSA box this week, along with recipes from Cook With What You Have, where our shareholders have access to tons of great techniques, recipes, and inspiration for all our veggies:

• So many creative and delicious ways to use the Winter Squash
• Fabulous Fennel Favorites
• Lotsa Leek Recipes
• And amazing recipes for Collard Greens including one of my all time faves with Pickled Apples & Walnuts

Does this sound delicious, but you’re not a shareholder? That’s an easy problem to solve! Come on board for our amazing Winter/Spring CSA on a prorated basis at one of our two pickup locations (SE Portland or Lake Oswego) and take home fresh, local, sustainably-farmed produce like this every other week!

Delicious fall veggies this week! I’m excited about sautéing some leeks for soup and roasting root veggies. We’ve been busy at the farm this week with lots of harvesting for the CSA share and we’re also finishing up our garlic planting.

Garlic is a crop that grows in the ground for up to 10 months! We break the heads apart and plant the individual cloves in Sept & Oct. Then it grows slowly through the winter, poking their little green tops out in the springtime. In April or May we harvest garlic scapes and green garlic. Then after much weeding & watering, we harvest the full size bulbs for storage in July. We’ll have garlic in the share next week and you’ll also get lots of garlic if you join our Winter CSA.

Speaking of which, it starts in two weeks and runs from Nov 2nd – April 12th! The pickups are twice a month on Tuesday from 5-7pm. Curious about what veggies you’ll get? Click here to see what has been included in our past winter shares. Or better yet, simply sign up here:

Highlights from the CSA box this week…

• So many different things to do with Beets!
• More than 40 recipes use Hakurei Salad Turnips on the Cook With What You Have website.
• And lotsa Leek recipes

Does this sound delicious, but you’re not a shareholder? That’s an easy problem to solve! Come on board for our amazing Winter/Spring CSA – just about to start! – at one of our two pickup locations (SE Portland or Lake Oswego) and take home fresh, local, sustainably-farmed produce like this every other week!

I love this time of year! The transition from summer to fall makes for some delicious menu combinations. It is fun to have tomatoes & sweet peppers alongside winter squash & fingerling potatoes. Next wee well probably start harvesting our fall King Richard leeks. This scrumptious seasonal change also signals the transition from the summer to our Winter CSA Share – hope you can join us!!

The Winter CSA season runs from Nov 2nd – April 12th. The pickups are twice a month on Tuesday from 5-7pm at my house. Curious about what veggies you’ll get? Click here to see what has been included in our past winter shares.

Highlights from the CSA box this week…

• So many different things to do with Mizuna!
• More than 40 recipes use Hakurei Salad Turnips on the Cook With What You Have website.

You’ll find one or more of these varieties of Sweet Pepper in your share this week:

• Jimmy Nardello is a long skinny red pepper that looks like a giant cayenne, but is actually a very SWEET Italian frying pepper.
• Petit Marseillais are a beautiful orange pepper from the south of France with thin wavy walls and a citrusy flavor. They can sometimes have a bit of heat.
• Liebesapfel & Doe Hill are red & yellow pimento type peppers. They are short and squat with deep ruffled lobes and thick sweet flesh.

Does this sound delicious, but you’re not a shareholder? That’s an easy problem to solve! Come on board for our amazing Winter/Spring CSA – just about to start – at one of our two pickup locations (SE Portland or Lake Oswego) and take home fresh, local, sustainably-farmed produce like this every week!

The fall rains have begun! That means that tomatoes & basil are winding down and fall crops are coming on strong. It also means that it’s time to sign up for your Winter CSA Share!!

If you want to freeze or can some extra tomato sauce for the winter then you can pre-order Napoli Roma Tomatoes and pick it up next Tuesday Oct 5th.

Highlights from the CSA box this week…

• So many different things to do with Chard!
• More than 53 recipes use Basil on the Cook With What You Have website.
• Sweet pepper 1! Jimmy Nardello is a long skinny red pepper that looks like a giant cayenne, but is actually a very SWEET Italian frying pepper.
• Sweet pepper 2! Petit Marseillais are a beautiful orange pepper from the south of France with thin wavy walls and a citrusy flavor. They can sometimes have a bit of heat.
• Sweet pepper 3! Glow is a lot like an orange bell pepper except it tastes even sweeter and has pointy end.
• Sweet pepper 4! Liebesapfel & Doe Hill are red & yellow pimento type peppers. They are short and squat with deep ruffled lobes and thick sweet flesh.

Not a shareholder? Come on board for our amazing Winter/Spring CSA – just about to start – at one of our two pickup locations (SE Portland or Lake Oswego) and take home fresh, local, sustainably-farmed produce like this every week!