In Your Share (Jan 2nd edition)

Hope everyone had a really nice holiday!

This week you may see some new and interesting kale varieties in your share. We’re working with OSU and several other local farms to trial over a dozen different kale varieties this winter. As our longtime shareholders know, kale is an important staple crop in the winter. In addition to fabulous culinary qualities, we’d like to find some more varieties that have good cold tolerance, disease resistance and good productivity through our (usually) wet winters. I’ve been enjoying the diverse colors and leaf shapes of the different varieties – beautiful and so tasty 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…

  • Carrots: These incredibly sweet carrots are one of the highlights of winter. We grow both Napoli and Bolero though the winter.
  • Garlic: I can’t wait to roast these little heads for dinner later this week!
  • Kale: All different kinds this week including some new varieties we’re growing for a trial with OSU.
  • 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: 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: 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 a few more rutabaga recipes in your packet this week.
  • Winter Squash: These Delicata and Sweet Dumpling squash came from our friends at Sauvie Island Organics. My favorite way to cook Delicata is to cut them crossways, scoop out the seeds and bake the squash rings on an oiled cookie sheet until they’re tender and golden brown.

Coming soon… Winterkeeper Beets : )