Our favorite spot on the Willamette River reveals its stark simple beauty this time of year.
[Disclaimer: I wrote this newsletter yesterday (Sunday), when the sun continued to hide behind fog. Today (Monday), it came out, and how wonderful that sunshine felt. Regardless, these words about winter continue to ring true …]
Perhaps the locals prefer me not to share the news, but did you know that the sun has blessed the Oregon coast with its presence these last few weeks of winter? Casey’s family live in Lincoln City (where Casey grew up), and when we visited for Christmas, what a surprise to find ourselves bathed in the warm glow of the sun!
Meanwhile, here in the valley, January weather continues to prevail. The sun broke through a few miraculous afternoons in the last few weeks, but for the most part fog and 38° highs have defined this winter for us.
The family soaked in some needed sunshine at the beach this weekend.
Growing weary of the same cold grayness, our family took a quick get away this last weekend to surf and enjoy the beach at Otter Rock (and camp in a yurt at Beverly Beach). Two days of sun filled our souls, and we returned home to the persistent fog and 38° with warmer hearts.
On Sunday, we ventured back out into that winter weather to see what we could see in the fields. Carrying some of that coastal sun inside us, we saw beauty in places we might easily have missed just a few days prior (when winter felt wearing rather than restful). However, in spite of the rejuvenation we experienced at the beach, we still yearn for another turning in the season! We feel ready for a return of more reliable vibrant colors in our landscape. The seasonal fog feels like a dampening of everything. For a time, this provides some forced sense of mental and physical rest. But having had that glimpse of the sun’s power, we say “hello sun! Come back anytime!”
In the meantime, we want to share some of the winter beauty with you. Dull though the colors may be amid the landscape of fog and soil, here lie the seeds of the next season. Life energy vibrates here still, palpable amidst the winter quiet. Waiting, waiting, soon to burst.
First: how we lured the children out of the warm house for our walk — by providing them cushy accomodations in the "chariot" (bike trailer we use as a stroller for getting around the farm). I love spying on their selected reading materials.
Many crops continue to grow — albeit very slowly — in these dark Oregon winter days. Our garlic has steadily grown since its planting last fall. Note the lack of weeds plus signs of earthworm activity (little air holes pushing through soil surface) — both phenomena bring smiles to our faces this time of year.
Having spent our early adult years in Bellingham, Washington (the raspberry growing capital of the country), Casey and I feel deep fondness for raspberries. This winter, the crew spent some major time cleaning up our two year-old canes.
Pasture establishment, we have learned, takes time. In one of our fields, red clover has grown abundantly the last two years — so much so that the clover plants and its resulting straw inhibited the growth of other species. Here Casey pulled aside the thick clover "mulch" to check on the activity below.
Another crop that continues to grow on these dreary days — chives! Casey has loaded the fields with alliums for harvest in the spring and early summer.
Speaking of alliums, winter brings us many pleasures, including leeks' savory flavor. Mmmmmmm ...
Farmer Casey checks out the chard planting. These plants survived the cold and should produce plenty of tasty new leaves in a few weeks/months.
The children explore the bright world of a new greenhouse we built out of old irrigation pipe (plus new poly). When winter feels long and dreary, we can certainly help those plants along!
Hopefully you too can see the beauty in all that green, brown, and gray. The fog may be a fixture of this winter, but it too will lift.
As a reminder of those powerful life forces vibrating on our life, Sunday evening blessed us with a profound treat. We’d watched two of our cows closely all day, as they neared the end of their pregnancies. Both showed signs of nearing the end — swelling udders, etc. We went to check on Annie again just before dark, as she seemed to be in active labor. Her water broke just before we arrived, and her contractions seemed to pick up in intensity. We decided to wait and watch, doing so as the sun set and the fog rolled back in. In spite of the 36° weather, we stayed and waited with her as she worked hard, eventually lying down. By flashlight we watched as she pushed our her calf — only her second, both born here on our farm.
Meet Pele, daughter of a volcano (Rusty named the bull who sired her "Cegro Negro" — his riff on the volcano named "Cerro Negro").
Many cows have birthed here now, but somehow Casey and I had never seen a calving (most often we arrive to find a calf with mother — which represents a very healthy easy birth!). All of us who watched, including our kids and Sarah, walked out of that dark field with more than a bit of awe. Annie stayed behind, licking her calf. I don’t know if our children will remember this moment, given how early it comes in their lives, but I imagine there will be more for them to experience. I’m sure I will never forget the miracle that arrived at the end of “yet another” dreary foggy valley winter day. Life surprises and delights.
Enjoy this week’s vegetables!
Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla
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Katie’s favorite chopped salad: We like to roast vegetables and make stews. We eat these things daily in the winter since the veggies are so well suited to those preparations. However, sometimes I like to mix it up and make what I call a “chopped salad.” Basically, this is a big mix of roots/greens put through the food processor and then stirred up with a dressing. I love that I can make a big batch of this and then store it in the fridge for eating at later meals (hard to do with most other “salads”). I use all kinds of veggies for this: cabbage, kale, rutabaga, turnips, carrots, kohlrabi, sunchokes, and more. Sometimes I add chopped nuts too. For a dressing, I just make a quick dressing using whatever yummy combination of vinegars and oils that we have in the house — olive oil + apple cider vinegar, for example. I use our handheld blender to mix the dressing, which allows me to puree some garlic too and create a nice emulsion. I mix it all up by hand, and it is delicious!!!
Meet this week’s vegetables:
- Salad mix — This is a mix of our hardiest salad greens, including plenty of chicories. Our favorite chicory is the yellow and red one, called Castelfranco. The variety we grow is actually one we saved after a hard cold spell a few years back. It continues to prove it’s cold hardiness. It survived the cold weather out here! Woo hoo! People who are new to chicories often find them to be bitter compared to sweet summer lettuces. True enough, but honestly Casey and I have genuinely grown to love these winter salads more than sweet summer ones. We love the toothsome quality of the leaves and the strong flavor. It’s helpful to actually dress the salad in the traditional way — i.e. make a dressing and then toss the leaves before serving. Creamy sweet dressings are useful for folks still acquiring the taste for the winter salads. We often use this salad mix as a base for a “Big Green Salad,” which is what we call it when we pile toppings on top of salad to make it a meal. We add meat, hard boiled eggs, nuts, and dried fruit. Delicious and a treat this time of year.
- Kohlrabi — Yes, these are big! And delicious! We prefer our kohlrabi raw — sometimes when it gets cooked, the texture can go from smooth and crunchy (similar to jicama) to woodier. This doesn’t always happen, so it must depend on the cooking method. I’m not sure what alchemy changes it, but I just stick to eating it raw. I peel it (carefully!) with a big knife. That sounds crazy, but I just cut a kolrabi into big chunks and then put them flat side down on a cutting board and use the knife to chop off the skin. I’ve found it’s too tough on the outside for me to use other peeling methods. Then I’ll cut the kohlrabi into sticks for dipping (the kids love it like this!), or I’ll put smaller pieces into the food processor to make into a “chopped salad” (see my “recipe” above!).
- Beets
- Rutabaga — Rutabaga is one of those veggies people love to make fun of. It sure has a fun name to say and has fallen out of favor in the last century or so. But, trust me, this is a great root vegetable. It is similar to the turnip but without any of that spicy bitterness that people associate (and often love) about the turnip. Rutabagas are very mild and smooth in flavor. After peeling, I add them to just about anything — stews or roasted root dishes. They’re also great boiled and then mashed (with other veggies or flavors for more complexity). And they’re great in chopped salad!
- Carrots — Last week, I suggested that this vegetable needs little introduction, but I did want to make one important note: for best enjoyment, peel your carrots. We didn’t for years. Not sure why not, except that we didn’t really see the point. But we eventually figured it out — as part of their natural defense mechanisms against pests (yes, vegetables have immune systems), carrots grow a bitter-ish layer on the outside. Peel it off, and you are left with a super sweet vegetable that transcends its earthy origins. I like to use my peeler to remove any blemishes too while I’m at my cutting board. I just go a bit “deeper” with the peeler on those spots. Our family is in love with carrots these days. Dottie especially. She’ll eat all the carrots on her plate and then ask us for “more” (pointing at our plates).
- Pumpkin — If you didn’t try my suggestions for last week‘s pumpkin, give it a try this week! That muffin recipe is really out-of-this-world.
- Onions — The start of every good dish is chopped onion sauteed in butter! (At least, this is true in our house!)
- Garlic
