First Winter CSA Share! (Week of Oct 29th, 2018)

Welcome to the first Winter CSA pickup of the season! When most people think of fall color they think of leaves turning vibrant red and yellow on deciduous trees around town. That is one of my favorite things about this time of year, but what we have for you this week is just as beautiful, and certainly tastier… lovely golden sweet peppers, rainbow lacinato kale, and the VERY pink Watermelon Radish aka Red Meat, Rose Heart, Stargazer. This radish is an heirloom Chinese Daikon. The round roots are cousin to the turnip and about the same size. Their unassuming greenish white exterior hides a beautiful and shocking pink interior. The flavor is a little bit spicy, peppery, crisp and faintly sweet. They can be eaten raw, diced and roasted with other root veggies or made into beautiful radish pickles.

Lots more great winter veggies to come this season so let your friends know that they can still sign up for our Winter Spring CSA Share which is starting THIS WEEK!

Amazing recipes for Watermelon Radish and everything else in your share are available to members at Cook With What You Have. If you joined our Winter CSA you will find your password in the member email. Enjoy 24/7 access to recipe inspiration!

This week your share may include…

  • Arugula: Beautiful little bunches!
  • Fennel Bulbs: When the bulbs are sliced raw into salads the fresh anise flavor stands out. The longer the bulbs are cooked, the more subtle the flavor becomes. Try them sautéd with onions and greens or make this Soffrito.
  • Lacinato Rainbow Kale: This beautiful, diverse & tasty kale is from a cross of Lacinato x Redbor hybrid kale. Bred & selected by Frank Morton, seed breeding rock star at Wild Garden Seeds, we’re excited to be growing this diverse population again. It includes the leaf qualities that Lacinato is loved for, overlain with hues of red, purple, and blue-green. In addition to great flavor, we also appreciate that it is more vigorous and cold hardy than most strains of Lacinato. OSSI (Open Source Seed Initiative) Pledged Variety.
  • Garlic: More often than not, dinner at our house starts with some onions & garlic sautéd in olive oil and then we decide what direction to go from there… maybe roast some some peppers and put that over pasta, or cook up a big bunch of greens and put poached eggs on top. So many delicious options!
  • Leeks: These lovely King Richard leeks have beautiful long white shanks. When chopped and sautéed they add a sweet rich onion-like flavor to any number of dishes. One of my favorite ways to feature them is this Leek Galette.
  • Lettuce Heads: These butterhead varieties make a scrumptious salad!
  • Sweet Peppers: A mix of Stocky Red Roasters, Gatherer’s Gold with a few Jimmy Nardello’s mixed in. This will be the last of the sweet peppers for the season. I’m always amazed when they make it until November, but we’ve had a beautiful fall this year!
  • Potatoes: We’ve been growing this variety of ‘Austrian Crescent’ potatoes for many years. A golden crescent-shaped fingerling with a waxy firm texture, it is delicious for salads or roasting. Also known as Kipfel — German for croissant : )
  • Watermelon Radish: Love this!
  • Winter Squash: These Gill’s Golden Pipin squash were developed locally in the mid 1900’s and remain a favorite today. They have a small acorn type shape, beautiful golden color and rich sweet flavor.
  • Hakurei Turnips: Japanese salad turnips are mild enough for, well – salad! The tops make really good cooking greens too.

Coming soon… The Thanksgiving Share!!