It’s been a week of good rain. We were lucky to avoid the heaviest hale that hit near Waumandee, and only saw a few of the golf ball size pieces in the lawn that night. We can see the new seedings making beautiful rows of baby vegetables , and so now when things dry out we’ll be ready to get weeding.

Your share includes 2 healthy pounds of asparagus. We’re enjoying big batches of grilled asparagus for the simple preparation and delcious taste of it cooked this way. I even use the george forman grill in the house sometimes when I’m tired and don’t want to worry about lining the spears up crossways on the grill.

Watercress is our wild harvest item from the head of the creek in Yaeger Valley. It has a slightly spicy taste. You can enjoy it with a light vinaigrette as in the Watercress Avocado Salad recipe linked above. Or if you tend to be sensitive to the heat in these greens, you can add a little to a fresh spinach salad to liven up your salad or saute it lightly to mellow out the heat.

We have one of the concrete raised bunker beds fully planted and the second one finally filled with potting soil and ready to be planted. The third is scheduled to be set by the weekend. One of the trial crops going in the deep bunks is sweet potatoes. We will see how that goes, but the carrot crops are all going in these bunks this year.

Other farm happenings include the month long remodeling of the barn. We have our new walk-in cooler/freezer in the barn which is a beautiful site! We have been using 6 chest freezers to accomodate the winter shares and it was a blessing to receive an FSA low interest loan to make our upgrades to the new walk-in cooler/freezer. The old walk-in cooler was purchased used 10 years ago for $600 and served its purpose well. However, the seals and efficiancy of this unit were not the greatest. The old walk-in took new life as a temporary brooder for the meat chicks. Then it took on a new permanent life as the insulation panels within the walls of the chicken coop. Upcycling is only limited by ones imagination!

Other barn improvements include a poured concrete floor in the entire barn and the elimination of the chickens from the barn as we’ve grown to use this space as our packing shed and event space. It’s an exciting evolution and you’ll have to come out and check out our new space. The 3 weddings at the farm this May are breaking this new space in and I think everyone has really enjoyed the new rustic pine board look.

Eat Well. Smile Often.

Your Farmer,

Heather

Print PDF

Since this spring has been a challenge to grow food early, we have decided to add a few value-added items to the spring csa share boxes here and there. Frankly, eating food which has been preserved from last season is how we appreciate the abundance from one season and help carry us through to provide food until the next season. It takes work to put away all of those items that are in abundance when they are here, but it is now that when food is slim that we do appreciate the variety they add to our plates.

The pickled curry cauliflower is the value-added item of the week. It punches a lot of flavor in its bite. I have found that I really like it chopped up a bit and added to a stir-fry. A coconut curry stir-fry would be great with some garlic chives, spinach, pea vines, and the pickled curry cauliflower.

Pea Vines (aka pea shoots): These are the tips of pea plants, generally the top 6″ or less of the plant. The entire cutting of stems, leaves, tendrils are edible. They should be consumed within the first 3 days of receiving them as they don’t last long in the fridge. Nibble on one. It tastes like a fresh pea. Adding them to a stir-fry to lightly cook them is a good way to use them. To make eating easy, snip into smaller bites before adding. They can also be pureed and added to soups, sauces, or made into pesto.

The asparagus has started to emerge. It was nipped by the frost this last Sunday, but I feel confident that we should have a harvest for next week.

Eat Well. Smile Often.

Your Farmer,

Heather

Print PDF

This spring has been a test of patience for sure. We are about 3 weeks behind in the field, but will hopefully be able to make up some of that time with our transplanting. Just the other day, we were pushing hard to get in the first rounds of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, sweet corn, summer squash, and zucchini put in the ground all as transplants. We also have been able to seed peas, beets, salad, spinach, chard, and radishes directly in the garden just this Wednesday. Warmer nights will help move these germination times up and move things along, but we all have felt the irritation with Mother Nature and her psychitzophrenic personality this spring.

This is the first time ever in 10 years of harvesting asparagus that it has yet to pop out of the ground. Perhaps next week we’ll have some…

Otherwise, enjoy a hardy helping of spinach to be eaten either raw or cooked. I have a couple recipe suggestions at the top of the newsletter giving some inspiration on how to use specific seasonal items from the garden.

Eat Well. Smile Often.

Your Farmer,

Heather

Print PDF

OPEN RAIN OR SHINE!

• May: only Fridays 4:30-9pm …opening day is Friday, May 3rd!
• June, July, August: Thursdays 4:30-9pm and Fridays 4:30-9pm
• September: only Fridays 4:30-9pm
• We will only be open for private events in October, no regular pizza nights.
• Private parties and weddings are typically scheduled on Saturday nights.

Things to Know…

1. Picnic-style or take-out pizza is available May-September. All pizzas come in a to-go box. Bring your own picnic gear, including utensils, plates, chairs/blankets.
2. Phone-in orders will only be taken for people who wish to take their pizzas home to eat, and not eat at the farm. No other pizza orders will be taken over the phone. We are a small family operation and are limited in staff, so sorry for any inconvenience.
3. Gluten-free personal size pizzas are available for those with food allergies.
4. A 12″ size pizza may be requested.
5. PAYMENT: Cash or check preferred. We will have a credit card option for the 2013 season.
6. BEVERAGES: Beer, wine, soda, tea, juice, milk, coffee and free well water are available.
7. *NO CARRY-IN ALCOHOL IS ALLOWED PER WISCONSIN STATE LAW.*
8. For large groups over 10 pizza orders or 30+ people, you may want to consider having a private pizza party.

Print PDF

1. Carrots 1.5#
2. Yukon Gold Potatoes 2.5#
3. Beets 2# Beet Risotto
4. Onions, Red
5. Winter Spinach- 6oz
6. Pickled Curry Cauliflower: vinegar, sugar, salt, spices (tangy flavor with curry!)
7. Eggs-1 dozen

Frozen Items:

• Vegetable Stock 1 Qt: water, onions, celery, carrots, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt & pepper
• Spaghetti Sauce 1 Qt:  roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, olive oil, basil, oregano, salt, pepper (I like to add 1 can of tomato paste to deepen the tomato flavor/color and add salt/pepper/garlic to taste. You can also add cooked hamburger &/or spicy pork sausage, red wine, fennel seeds, and italian seasoning for a lovely lasagna or spaghetti base.)
• Soup…End of Season Grab Bag! All vegetarian based. You should receive 2 different soups of the following possbilities: Broccoli Cheese, Spicy Bean Soup/Base for Chili, Roasted Tomato Basil, Tomato Soup, Minestroni Soup, or Carrot Ginger.
• Blueberries 1 pt: whole blueberries, keep frozen until you want to use them. Picked from Cain’s Orchard in Hixton, Wisconsin.
• Raspberries 1 pt (frozen): whole berries, keep frozen until you want to use them.
• Garden Salsa 1 pt: tomato, onions, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, lime, salt, pepper (Put salsa in a colander and strain off extra liquid. Use juice/salsa in your cooking to help flavor items and capture those tomato flavonoids.) Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
• Roasted Asian Broccoli 1 pt: roasted broccoli, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, olive oil, salt, pepper (add to a stir-fry)

Happy First Day of Spring! The winter season has to come to an end sometime, even if we don’t see any signs of it yet. Well, the power of the sun is returning so we do see a little bit of hope that this snow will leave us and the soil will once again warm for planting. Let’s hope this moisture has a chance to soak into the ground and help restock us for another growing season.

I hope everyone is signed up who wanted to be for the upcoming 2013 CSA seasons. We are sold out of spring, summer, and year-round shares. We have less than 5 spots left for the fall and winter shares if anyone wants to reserve their spot for those seasons. We do allow monthly payments if that helps anyone budget paying off those fall/winter shares that are in the future. However, you need to sign up for those seasonal shares now before they are all claimed.

Thanks again for eating your way through the winter season with me. It’s been a great winter of warming soups and hearty dishes. This is the last delivery of the winter CSA. No deliveries occur in the month of April and our spring shares begin the first week of May.  *Please send the memo on to Mother Nature!

Happy Cooking!

Your Farmer,

Heather

Print PDF

1. Carrots 1.5# Roasted Carrots with Mustard
2. Yukon Gold Potatoes 2.5# Jacques Pepin Style
3. Beets 2# Beet Martini (ok…here’s a new way to enjoy beets!)
4. Onions, Red
5. Winter Spinach- 1/2#
6. Pickled Curry Cauliflower: vinegar, sugar, salt, spices (tangy and yellow with curry!)
7. Eggs-1 dozen
8. Raspberry Jam 1 pt: Suncrest Gardens raspberries, sugar, low-sugar pectin (last delivery as this is a bigger size)
9. Pickled Beets 1 pt (canned): beets, vinegar, sugar, spices
10. Dried Roma Tomatoes Double Corn Bread with Mozzarella and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Frozen Items:

• Vegetable Stock 1 Qt: water, onions, celery, carrots, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt & pepper
• Roasted Tomato Basil Soup/Base 1 Qt: roasted tomatoes, onions, vegetable stock, fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme (instead of soup, add 1 can of seasoned tomato paste to this and pour it over cooked pasta of your choice with parmesean cheese and sauteed chicken, optional)
• Butternut Apple Soup 1 Qt: roasted butternut squash, onions, apples, water, vegetable stock, olive oil, ginger, nutmeg, sage, salt, pepper (some like this with croutons or crusty bread and a dash of cream added)
• Strawberries 1 pt: strawberries, sugar (a little less sweet than some batches, add sugar as needed)
• Zucchini 1 Qt: shredded zucchini  Zucchini Raisin Walnut Muffins
• Roasted Asian Broccoli 1 pt: roasted broccoli, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, olive oil, salt, pepper (add to a stir-fry)

The weather couldn’t have spread itself out over a better timeline for me at the farm. I was able to easily drive everywhere I needed to on Monday to transfer freezer items from the root cellar to the barn for the winter shares. A quick run to the local feed store let me stock up on grain for the “girls” in the barn so they’d be happy little egg layers. And we redistributed our stock of vegetable boxes and recycled egg cartons back to the barn for easy access. Planning ahead to get all things done quickly with the van saved me hours of pulling a sled loaded with goods all across the yard for half a day.

Then on Tuesday, we just let the snow come on as I worked in the kitchen in the barn. Ashlan was home with a snow day and he helped caramelize onions, shovel snow, and entertain me with his newly learned magic tricks. Sounds like a good day at home! Ethan had the day at daycare with his younger buddies, but found much joy in shoveling snow until dark after he came home. He really does love moving snow around and it makes me smile to see him helpful while happy. By Tuesday night, the driveway had been plowed thanks to some skid loader help from my dad.

Special Event: Cabin Fever Buster! Dinner on the Farm Saturday, March 9th 5pm

We are plowing extra due to our need for a “parking lot” on Saturday for our next Dinner on the Farm event. Our dinner is nearly sold out this time which is quite exciting. We are featuring some wines from Danzinger Winery during our social mixer time and several delicious cheeses from the region. I can’t tell the dinner’s menu yet, but I promise it is full of the flavors of the season.

How about another “Cook Fearless” tip? I found it a wonderful tip as I had just schooled myself in how to better cut up a whole chicken. You might think that this is something that everyone who raises chickens just simply does wonderfully. It is a learned task, and one that I needed to feel more confident in doing while appreciated the quality of the cuts after I was done. So for anyone looking for assistance, the Cook Fearless website happened to have this as their tip for the month and also recommended the same Gourmet video which demonstrates the best technique. I had also used this video in my schooling for the day last week and found it extremely helpful.

Random Fact: When Julia Child debuted in the early 1960s, shoppers purchased more than half of all retail chickens whole. Now, it’s around 10 percent…”

Learning to cut up a whole chicken can make buying organically raised poultry more economical since you are able to make stock from the carcass, and get all the different cuts for a couple different meals. Simply freeze the cuts and carcass if they are not needed right away. You can always make stock on a rainy day, or cooler day to warm up the house.

Print PDF

1. Carrots 1.5#
2. French Fingerling or Yukon Gold Potatoes 2.5#
3. Beets 2#
4. Onions, Red
5. Winter Spinach- 1/2#
6. Cabbage 2-3# (last for the winter season)
7. Eggs-1 dozen
8. Raspberry Jam 1/2 pt: Suncrest Gardens raspberries, sugar, low-sugar pectin
9. Green Beans 1 pt (canned): green beans, water, garlic, salt

Frozen Items:

• Vegetable Stock 1 Qt: water, onions, celery, carrots, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt & pepper
• Tomato Soup 1 Qt: tomatoes, vegetable stock, onions, carrots, celery, basil, olive oil, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper (This does NOT contain milk or cream. It may be made creamier by adding a little milk/cream, or a dollop of sour cream).
• Broccoli Cheese Soup 1 Qt: broccoli, vegetable stock, cheddar cheese, onions, cream, butter, flour, garlic, salt, white pepper (DON’T BOIL when reheating as cream could curdle!)
• Spaghetti Sauce 1 Qt:  roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, olive oil, basil, oregano, salt, pepper (I like to add 1 can of tomato paste to deepen the tomato flavor/color and add salt/pepper/garlic to taste. You can also add cooked hamburger &/or spicy pork sausage, red wine, fennel seeds, and italian seasoning for a lovely lasagna or spaghetti base.) World’s Best Lasagna -this recipe is where my inspiration starts.
• Pesto (either kale or spinach base) 1/2 pint Baked Pesto Chicken (pesto is also a great pizza sauce, quick sauce over pasta, or added to mayo as a sandwich spread)
• Blueberries 1 pt: whole blueberries, keep frozen until you want to use them. Picked from Cain’s Orchard in Hixton, Wisconsin.
• Rhubarb 1 pt+: chopped rhubarb Blueberry Rhubarb Crumble

The MOSES organic farming conference is in LaCrosse this weekend. I am planning on attending a couple of days. Always lots of inspiration, warm conversations with friends and farmers, and great entertainment and social times before the season really kicks in.

Both boys have been hit by the flu this last week. So sleep has been something of desire, but thankfully simply a mother’s presence seems to make a big difference. I hope you and your families are keeping healthy this winter, or at least keeping your bouts of illness short lived.  Thank goodness for quick meals of soup when time and energy are short!

Print PDF

1. Carrots 1.5#
2. French Fingerling Potatoes 2.5#: Herb Roasted Chickens with Vegetables
3. Beets 2#: Beet Ketchup,  Sweet Potato and Beet Chips
4. Onions, red
5. Spinach: Simple Spinach Salad (see below)
6. Cabbage 2-3#: Sesame and Peanut Noodles,  Tart Apple Slaw
7. Eggs
8. Dried Good Mother Stollard Beans (2 cups): ALWAYS wash beans to remove any stones/grit before cooking.
9. Raspberry Jam 1/2 pt: Suncrest Gardens raspberries, sugar, low-sugar pectin
10. Pickled Beets pt (canned): beets, vinegar, sugar, spices

Frozen Items:

• Vegetable Stock 1 Qt: water, onions, celery, carrots, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt & pepper
• Butternut Apple Soup 1 Qt: roasted butternut squash, onions, water, vegetable stock, apples, olive oil, ginger, nutmeg, sage, salt, white pepper (some like this with croutons, crusty bread, or add a little cream to it)
• Roasted Tomato Basil Soup 1 Qt: roasted tomatoes, onions, vegetable stock, fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme (instead of soup, add 1 can of seasoned tomato paste to this and pour it over bow tie pasta with parmesean cheese, add sauteed chicken if you want).
• Garden Salsa 1 pt: tomato, onions, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, lime, salt, pepper (Put salsa in a colander and strain off extra liquid. We bought avocados at Hyvee this week 5 for $4 and made a guacamole…flash back to summer!)
• Pickles 1 qt bag: cucumbers, onions, vinegar, water, salt, sugar, garlic, cayenne pepper, pickling spice
• Grated Zucchini 1 qt (frozen) Lemon Zuchhini Bars or Bundt Cake
• Strawberry Sauce 1 pt: Suncrest Gardens strawberries, sugar, vanilla extract (Add a little to yogurt, smoothies, pour over pancakes or waffles, or put on ice cream.
• Raspberries 1 pt (frozen): whole berries, keep frozen until you want to use them.

Remember: Pick up TWO BOXES: one frozen, one non-frozen. You may return clean jars to pick-up site for reuse.

The fresh dried beans are a lot different than the beans you buy in the store. They do not take as long to rehydrate as they are only self dried in the field a couple months ago. These in particular are called Good Mother Stallard and are a beautiful mix of red and white. They were a trial crop this year that grew on a trellis. They grew all season long, and I picked the dried beans hanging from the trellis in October. The beans continued to dry as they hung in gunney sacks until this winter.

To get them out of the shells, I literally put on a pair of clean shoes and stomped on them while they were in a big rubbermaid. The chaff was removed by dumping the beans, shucks, and chaff between buckets with a fan blowing. It was quite a process. I felt like a big kid jumping up and down on those beans! And then we are left with these beautiful colored heirloom beans we have today.

The beans are dense, delicious, and a little nutty. They are great prepared as a simple bean dish (recipe below) or as beans and rice to let their flavors stand out. Always wash the beans to remove any stones or grit before using them.

For a small batch for 2, put 1/2 pound of the beans in a pot and cover them well with water. The water should be about 2 inches above the beans. Add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 bay leaf, a pinch of sage, 1 clove of garlic thinly sliced and 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Bring the beans to a boil, then cover them and simmer on the lowest possible heat. Check them every 15 minutes or so, and add more water if necessary. The beans should always be well covered with water. After about an hour or so, begin checking the beans by tasting one to see if the texture is soft. Once they are cooked all the way through, turn off the heat and they are ready to serve.

Winter Spinach! Yeah!! This is our first harvest from the new greenhouse. I expect to have spinach for the rest of the winter CSA shares. My spinach salads have a pretty standard combination: dried fruit, walnuts (toasted if time), feta or other tangy cheese, and sometimes a fresh fruit if I’m going wild such as apples, pears, or mandarin oranges. Here’s a basic vinaigrette recipe that follows. Sometimes I add in raspberry jam instead of the sugar.

Spinach Salad Recipe with Feta and Walnuts

Ingredients

Dressing: 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (cheap kind is fine) 3/4 cup olive oil 1 TBS sugar 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper Salad: 6 cups fresh baby spinach 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 cup crumbled feta 1/4 cup dried fruit like cranberries or raisins

Instructions

Put vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a bottle and shake well to combine. Taste and adjust flavors as necessary.

Toss spinach with nuts, feta and fruit. Give dressing another shake and drizzle over individual servings.

Fearless Cooking Tip of the week:  For those of you looking for some wonderful cooking instruction, I heard about a super helpful website called Cooking Fearless. The author and chef gives a lot of good basic tips for cooking and basic understanding of how to become more proficient in the kitchen. She also has a great video on how to properly hold a knife and how to cut those perfect sticks and cubes of vegetables or diced onions.

An important part of being a CSA member is learning how to cook with your regular supply of vegetables. One tip from “Cooking Fearless” is to have 3 great knives in your kitchen: a chef’s knife, a serrated knife for bread (or tomatoes), and a pairing knife. The other knives are all optional. The big butcher block set is not necessary, except as a good safe storage of these knives I might add. Do not put these knives in the dishwasher even though they say they are dishwasher safe. The detergent acts like little grains of sand that sandblasts the sharp edge off the knife. Simply hand wash, dry, and put away the knives after use. I know that I simply could not do anything in the kitchen without my chef knife!

2013 Winter CSA upcoming delivery dates:

• Feb 20th
• March 6th
• March 20th…final Winter CSA delivery

Happy Cooking from your farmer,

Heather

Eat Well. Smile Often.

Print PDF

1. Carrots 1.5#
2. French Fingerling Potatoes 2.5#
3. Beets 2#
4. Onions
5. Salad Mix- 6oz
6. Cabbage 2-3#
7. Eggs 2 dozen (Extra eggs could be used in the rhubarb bread pudding recipe below, or regular bread pudding is a wonderful old-school treat!) Egg Noodles
8. Dried Roma Tomatoes 1/2 pint  How do I  use Sun-Dried Tomatoes?
9. Raspberry Jam 1/2 pt: Suncrest Gardens raspberries, sugar, low-sugar pectin
10. Green Beans 1 pt (canned): green beans, water, garlic, salt

Frozen Items:

• Vegetable Stock 1 Qt: water, onions, celery, carrots, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt & pepper
• Minestroni Soup 1 Qt: roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, water, vegetable stock, carrots, zucchini, green beans, beans, olive oil, oregano, basil, salt, pepper (Add freshly boiled noodles to this base if you like, with some parmesan cheese. You could also add meat to this if desired. Or turn it into a pasta sauce!)
• Ginger Carrot Soup 1 Qt: carrots, vegetable stock, onion, celery, coconut milk, butter, minced ginger, salt, lemon thyme, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, white pepper, nutmeg
• Sweet corn 1 qt: corn, butter, water, salt, pepper, sugar
• Asian Broccoli 1pt: roasted broccoli, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, pepper, salt (add it to a stir-fry!)
• Blueberries 1 pt: whole blueberries, keep frozen until you want to use them. Picked from Cain’s Orchard in Hixton, Wisconsin.
• Rhubarb 1 pt+: chopped rhubarb Rhubarb Bread Pudding

I’ve made a slight change to the way the winter boxes are packed. I have separated the frozen and non-frozen items into 2 individual boxes. I will be able to better insulate the non-frozen items under the sleeping bag as the pile will be smaller. The frozen items are perfectly fine outside staying frozen. The change also helps me in packing the boxes on two separate days and storing them in different areas at the farm. This means that you will need to remember to get TWO BOXES: one frozen, one non-frozen.

When repackaging the frozen blueberries, the memory of the day we picked them came flooding back. It had been an early spring and a dry summer. The blueberry harvest was abundant and slightly ahead of schedule. Instead of getting in on the end of the harvest which we typically do as a quick gathering before the season ends, we made plans to get there to experience peak season. We picked a day and marked our calendars; we were going no matter what since it takes planning ahead for Jason and I to coordinate such an event during our busy season. What glory it is to see blueberries covering all the bushes and to pick by the handfuls!  This happened to be the only day (it seemed like at least) for rain to come this past summer. So as the boys, Jason, and I picked in the light sprinkles, other people started packing up their cars and leaving the orchard. We nearly had the place to ourselves where just an hour earlier there were hundreds of people and cars there.

The rains continued, harder and the temperatures cooled considerably. We were soaked. Oops, I forgot to pack extra clothes! Rain poured from our elbows. Our buckets were getting heavier with the extra inches of rain in the bottom of them. The boys patience wore thin and they took to the van for a wrestling match over the seats as we vowed to get “just one more bucket!” Picking berries is an slightly addictive pastime for me. Even Jason was ready to throw in the towel as our fingers slowed due to the chill setting in. So in the end, we managed to get 8 gallons of berries picked and packed into freezer bags and stacked in the cooler of ice.

We turned the heater on high and let our clothes dry as we drove to Crystal Cave. The sun came out and all was well. We enjoyed an hour tour of the depths of the cave, mined for gemstones, and enjoyed delicious burgers at a small outdoor cafe in Pepin, WI. What a wonderful day to think back upon. So this is the story of the blueberries that are in your shares this week. They are a treat. Perhaps some of the pleasure of eating foods tucked away for the winter is the warm memories they bring back.

This weekend, Jason and I are packing up the van and heading up to Bayfield for a long weekend stay. We decided that if we were not going to enjoy warmth somewhere else, we would indulge in a true Midwest experience of snow and cold. There is almost guaranteed wonderful cross-country skiing around Bayfield due to the lake effect snowfalls. We also will explore the ice caves by hiking out onto Lake Superior. I’m looking forward to a little escape. The busy activity during the day will make sitting by the fire with a glass of wine at night seem even more wonderful. I’m sure Bayfield is wonderful in a whole different way during the summer, but we’ll enjoy the off-season there and feel like hardy Midwesterners.

2013 Winter CSA delivery dates:

• Feb 6th
• Feb 20th
• March 6th
• March 20th…final Winter CSA delivery

Your Farmer,

Heather

Eat Well. Smile Often.

Print PDF

1. Carrots 1.5#
2. French Fingerling Potatoes 3#
3. Beets 2#
4. Onions
5. Salad Mix-1/2#
6. Cabbage
7. Eggs

Value-Added/Frozen Items:

1. Roasted Vegetable Stock 1 Qt: water, onions, celery, carrots, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt & pepper Couscous with apples, cranberries, and orzo
2. Broccoli Cheese Soup 1 Qt: broccoli, vegetable stock, cheddar cheese, onions, cream, butter, flour, garlic, salt, white pepper (DON’T BOIL when reheating as cream could curdle!)
3. Tomato Soup 1 Qt: tomatoes, vegetable stock, onions, carrots, celery, basil, olive oil, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper (This does NOT contain milk or cream. It may be made creamier by adding a little milk/cream, or a dollop of sour cream).
4. Roasted Spaghetti Sauce  1 Qt: roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, olive oil, basil, oregano, salt, pepper (I love to add 1 can of tomato paste to deepen the tomato flavor/color and add salt/pepper/garlic to taste. You can also add cooked hamburger &/or spicy pork sausage, red wine, fennel seeds, and italian seasoning for a lovely lasagna or spaghetti base.
5. Zucchini 4 cups/1 Qt shredded zucchini: drain off water and use for baking breads, muffins, chocolate chip cookies
6. Pickles 1 qt bag: cucumbers, onions, vinegar, water, salt, sugar, garlic, cayenne pepper, pickling spice
7. Raspberries 1 pt (frozen): whole berries, keep frozen until you want to use them  Raspberry Vanilla Smoothie
8. Strawberry Sauce 1 pt: Suncrest Gardens strawberries, sugar, vanilla extract (Add a little to yogurt, smoothies, pour over pancakes or waffles, or put on ice cream.
9. Raspberry Jam 1/2 pt: Suncrest Gardens raspberries, sugar, low-sugar pectin

Welcome to Suncrest Gardens WINTER CSA! This is our second season delivering winter shares to our membership which now consists of 22 families for the winter, more than double than we had last year. We are now using 6 freezers to store all of the frozen goods for the winter shares and I’m hoping to put in a walk-in freezer this year to alleviate the awkward digging and packing into these chest freezers.

The winter CSA was created from a personal desire to spread out the farm’s workload over the entire year (and to help lessen some of the work from our really busy summer months), and help our families extend their access to local foods nearly all year long. We are able to utilize our wood-fired oven and licensed kitchen to process the abundance of seasonal produce we see during the main harvest season and freeze them for use later in the year. I hate to see anything go to waste, especially after so much labor and love was poured into growing our vegetables. So planting a little extra cushion of vegetables for the CSA gives us some insurance for the regular harvest season as well as gives us bumper crops to process for off-season consumption.

The winter share items reflect what we tend to eat at our house during the winter, and I hope you enjoy them as well. There will be a variety of items in your box including raw storage vegetables, frozen soups, roasted vegetable stock, frozen vegetables and fruit, raspberry jamand eggs. I try to give something with tomatoes every delivery. I also try to make the boxes colorful and flavorful, like a giant vitamin pack bursting with nutrients from the summer sunshine!

Ingredients used to create the soups/stocks/frozen items are listed for each item in the weekly newsblog. Any stock base that was used in making the soups is MSG-Free, Gluten-Free and Vegetarian. Any soups that contain flour will be noted as such and would therefore contain gluten for anyone regulating their gluten intake.

I will have links to recipe ideas following several of the items in your box. You can either use an item as is, or use it as a base for inspiration. The soups may need salt/pepper to taste. I cook using salt for enhancing flavor, but try to keep the sodium levels low. Homemade items will generally have MUCH less sodium than processed items you buy premade at a store. Either use soups as they are or as a base for creating a hardier soup by adding meat and/or other veggies, as the base to a sauce for pasta, or for whatever you may dream up!

Another tip to remember is that the vegetable stocks are not just for creating soups. You can use it to replace water when making rice, risotto, or rehydrating orzo (see recipe link above for a great orzo pasta recipe). Some folks use it to steam their vegetables in place of olive oil or butter when sauteeing. It works wonderful to make a sauce after you make a simple roux out of butter/flour.

The frozen items and stock may go directly into your freezer. Or if you plan to use the items within a week (less days for the zucchini), they may go into your fridge.

The mixed salad greens are from our hoophouse. The salad mix is a hardy group of red and green winter loving lettuces that I selected for hardiness. They have impressed me for sure. The lettuce is covered with an interior plastic tent within the plastic hoophouse tunnel; however, there is no heat added to this tunnel. I only can harvest when temperatures are above freezing in the tunnel. Depending how the winter goes, it looks as if these plants will regenerate quickly from their surviving roots to give a us a really nice late winter/early spring crop.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, please let Heather know.

2013 Winter CSA delivery dates:

• Jan 9th
• Jan 23rd
• Feb 6th
• Feb 20th
• March 6th
• March 20th…final Winter CSA delivery

Your Farmer,

Heather

Eat Well. Smile Often.

Print PDF