In Your Share (Jan 16th edition)

Will we have a snow day this week? Seems we’ll just have to wait and see. We’re headed out to harvest on Grand Island and things look good there. It’ll be chilly, but the ground isn’t frozen so we should be able to get the harvest in.

As many of you know, this cold weather make for super sweet veggies. This happens because when it gets cold, starches in the plant are broken up into smaller sugar molecules. This acts as a kind of antifreeze which protects the cells from damage during freezing weather. The good news for us is that it tastes good too!

You can download your Recipe Packet HERE.  These are written by my friend Katherine Deumling at Cook With What You Have. She’s going to continue to provide them through the rest of the winter share so let me know what you think?

This week your share may include…

  • Beets: We’re happy to see these delicious red beets back in the share. There are quite a few recipes in the packet this week. You can also check out my Beets 101 post for a few more ideas including my tried and true (and easy too!) Raw Beet and Apple Salad.
  • Carrots: These incredibly sweet carrots are one of the highlights of winter. We grow both Napoli and Bolero though the winter.
  • Collards: They are looking beautiful with purple and red highlights on the leaves. This is another veggie that sweetens up considerably in the winter.
  • 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. I can’t believe that we still have Napa mid-January. I have heard from some folks “enough already!” and we promise to plant a little less next year. You’ll also be getting a break soon – it can’t last forever : )
  • Garlic: I can’t wait to roast these little heads for dinner later this week! Some of the heads are starting to sprout. This doesn’t change the flavor, and you can even use the green part when it comes out the top. But it does mean that you should use them up asap! Try roasting or saute a big batch and freeze them.
  • Onions, Yellow: These Copra onions have great eating quality and they are our longest lasting onion in storage.
  • Parsnips: Some great ideas for these in your recipe packet.
  • Potatoes: A few different varieties this week – some purple and also some small russets. The later will make great mini-baked potatoes!
  • Rosemary: This fall we harvested quite a bit of rosemary and dried it so we’d have some through the winter. Wonderful with potatoes and other roasted rood veggies.
  • 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 a few more rutabaga recipes in your packet this week.

Coming soon… Brussel Sprouts : )