(CSA Newsletter: Week 43)
Meet this week’s vegetables:
(Yes, this photo was taken during the day — but it’s a dark, dreary, wet November and apparently the flash was necessary!)
- Winter salad mix — A repeat of last week’s great salad mix: all of our favorite winter-y fresh eating greens, plus some of the remaining tender lettuce.
- Sweet peppers — Yes, this is the last of this year’s sweet peppers. After last week’s cold snap (two nights under 20°!), the pepper plants are finally very very very dead. They had an amazing fall run though!
- Brussels sprouts OR Cabbage — Your choice between little brassica heads or big brassica heads!
- Swiss chard OR fennel bulb — Cooking greens or tasty fennel bulb. Try adding chopped fennel bulb to a roasted root vegetable dish!
- Celery root — See the recipes in this week’s newsletter for celery root ideas.
- Leeks — See the recipes in this week’s newsletter for leek ideas.
- Garlic — A must-have for cold weather cooking! Add whole, peeled cloves to a roasted root vegetable dish; or, mince finely and add to everything!
We only have two more weeks of CSA shares this year before we take our winter break. In some ways, it’s hard to believe that we’re nearing the end of our fifth season as a farm. In other ways, it feels like this year has been longer than most.
Not surprising to the parents in the crowd, our sense of time and perspective has shifted dramatically since having Rusty almost one year ago (his birthday is coming up on December 11!). It’s a funny paradoxical new position — we look at Rusty and wonder how in the world our baby grew into a toddler so quickly, and yet we can’t believe that he hasn’t even been with us a year yet!
In our minds, his life on the farm looms large — every little nook and cranny of our fields and house now has an association and memory with Rusty. And, I know that as we start walking through his second year of life, the seasons will bring similar reminiscences every day …
“Do you remember last spring, when Rusty sat up for the first time and we hung out under the walnut tree on the blanket?” “Do you remember last summer, when Rusty ate his first raspberry?” “Do you remember last fall, when Rusty crawled around in the dirt while Casey harvested sweet potatoes?”
Yes, it has been a season to remember forever. Past seasons are memorable for their trials, extreme weather events, and hard work … this year will stand out for different reasons. Not to say that this year didn’t contain trials, extreme weather events, or hard work — but each day also contained little joys as Rusty showed us our farm with his brand-new eyes.
So, two more weeks, and then 2010’s season is over, and Rusty will finish his first year on the farm as well.
In the next few weeks, I’ll try to cover all the last minute business details of this year and prepare for you the 2011 CSA start (which is two weeks earlier next year! Only a four week break for all of us!). In the meantime, enjoy this week’s vegetables!
Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla
