In Your Share (Dec 12th edition)

What beautiful bright sunny cold weather we’ve been having. This is very unusual for December in the Willamette Valley, but I’m not complaining. The record high pressure system sitting on top of the northwest has made for mostly calm days here, but caused some crazy winds in California. More important, the drier weather makes harvesting our winter crops a bit easier. This is the time of year when the mud can develop a certain quicksand like quality and suck your boots off. Happily that has not happened – yet!

This week have another fabulous Recipe Packet from my friend Katherine Deumling at Cook With What You Have. She’s going to continue to provide these through the rest of the winter share so let me know what you think? Download this week’s Recipe Packet HERE

Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!! We’ll see you back at the farm for pickup the first week of January 2012.

This week your share may include…

  • Carrots: These incredibly sweet carrots are one of the highlights of winter.
  • Collards/Brussel Sprout Tops: These are some of our most dependable winter greens. I’m a huge fan of beans and greens no matter what culture they come from. Try  these recipes for Southern Style Black Eye Peas & Greens or Italian White Beans with Greens (the later recipe calls for chard but it works great with the collards!).
  • Celeriac/Celery Root: 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 Celery Remoulade (aka Céleri Rémoulade)
  • Garlic: We want everyone to stay healthy over the holidays so we’re giving out lots of garlic this week!
  • Kohlrabi: In the winter we grow two giant varieties – Kossac and Superschmeltz. Unlike other kohlrabi, these can get BIG and still stay sweet and crunchy. I cut a few bulbs today for a friend who had never tasted kohlrabi and they likened it to jicama – except better!
  • Napa Cabbage: This variety Jazz made incredibly dense heads that are super sweet from all the cold weather. Use it as you would traditional cabbage for slaw or make Kimchi.
  • Onions, Yellow & Red: I think some our our onions got a wee bit cold a few weeks ago and are showing some freeze damage at the tips & shoulder.  If the ones in your share  are starting to have a soft spot on top just cut it off and use the rest of the bulb. To make up for any damage you’ll get LOTS of onions in your share this week!
  • Potatoes: My favorite fingerlings, Austrian Crescent. These great little waxy potatos work well for roasting or boiling.
  • Rutabaga: A few years ago my friend Scott at Nash’s Organic Produce gave me a taste of the rutabaga Gilfeather, and after that I was hooked. No other variety even comes close!  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. Katherine has included several fabulous rutabaga recipes in your packet this week.
  • Winter Squash: A wide variety of squash in the box this week – kabocha, delicata, red kuri and acorn.

Coming soon… sweet winter parsnips and beets!!