Winter Welcome: Winter CSA ’12 – Week #1

 In CSA Newsletter

Welcome to the 2012 winter season. It’s as if we can finally exhale. This season was one for the books. A record-breaking drought coupled with record-breaking high temperatures made growing food an extra challenge this year.  But with an excellent set of employees and worker shares, and many long nights moving irrigation, we have made it through to the other side, with some beautiful food as the reward.  Our only scar from the tough summer is small onions, due to a pest outbreak, thrips, that thrived in dry heat.

If you are new to a winter CSA share, your first reaction may be shock at the large amount of vegetables you are bringing back to the kitchen.  Take a deep breath, exhale, and don’t worry. You’ve got lots of time to eat all this food! The beauty of a winter share is that outside of any greens, EVERYTHING in your box stores.  If stored properly (see your member handbook for storage instructions for each individual veggie) many of your root veggies can be stored for months.  Mike and I only jettison root crops stored in our refrigerator when the next group are ready the following season. A carrot harvested in late October can still be edible and tasty in May if stored properly.  My point is, if you don’t finish everything in your box before the next one comes, try not to worry. Things will store, and in January you’ll be happy to have them.

In the spirit of helping you use your veggies, I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite resources with you:

  • Our Website. Over the years we have collected a large number of recipes that use seasonal ingredients. You can search these recipes by vegetable.
  • Martha Stewart’s website. While sometimes Martha leans toward more complex recipes, her site is easy to search and loaded with recipes that utilize seasonal ingredients in simple and delicious ways.
  • Real Simple‘s website. This site is also full of great vegetable recipes and has an interesting search function where you can be pretty specific about the type of meal you are interested in making.
  • The Kitchn. My sister introduced me to this one. So far every dish I’ve made from this site has been one I’ve enjoyed a lot. You can search dishes by season, which is a great function.
  • Paprika. I’m jealous of all you smart phone, ipad folks out there who make use of this app. It basically helps you create your own online cookbook, full of the online recipes that you love. It has a menu planning, grocery list function too. No more losing that great recipe you printed out one night.

Enjoy! Sincerely, Mike, Cassie, Zea, & Edie


In the Box:

  • Acorn Squash
  • Beets
  • Bok Choi
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Butternut Squash
  • Cabbage,Red
  • Carrots
  • Celeriac
  • Delicata Squash
  • Garlic
  • Leeks
  • Onions red and yellow
  • Parsnip
  • Potato, Red
  • Radish,Beauty Heart
  • Spinach
  • Sweet Potato

This Week’s Recipes:

Winter Week #1: Wednesday, Nov. 7th – All REGs & EOs