Where are we going next?

(CSA Newsletter: Week 2)

Meet this week’s vegetables:

• Cabbage — The ‘king’ of winter vegetables! The first year we did a winter CSA, we gave out cabbages literally every week. That was a little much (although a few people missed them when they were gone!), so we’ve scaled back on the number of cabbages we give out each winter. But they do remain a staple! One of our favorite quick lunches is fried cabbage and onions with roasted potatoes (and ketchup!).
• Brussels Sprouts
• Celery root — Celery root is — no surprise — a root vegetable very closely related to celery! Trust us, it’s delicious! You can use it any way you would prepare other root vegetables: roasted, added to soups, boiled and mashed with potatoes, etc.
• Parsnips — Another winter staple. Last winter, when our fields froze hard for days on end, the parsnips came through beautifully, causing us to fall in love with this simple root vegetable all over again. They are well suited to roasting or pan frying, both of which bring out the parsnip’s sweetness.
• Beets — Yes, even though it’s warm and sunny out, clearly it’s still winter in CSA land! Beets are another classic winter staple. Roast them with other veggies; steam them and dress in vinegar and oil; or grate, mix with a small amount of flour, and pan fry as thin small beet fritters!
• Russian Banana fingerling potatoes
• Pie pumpkin OR ‘Ambercup’ winter squash — Both of these squashes are well suited for using as the ‘pie pumpkin filling’ in any number of tasty dessert recipes (pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies). They also both make great soups. To cook, simply place whole on a cookie sheet (with a few knife punctures to release steam) and bake until tender all the way through. Remove from oven, cut open and let cool. Once cool, it’s easy to remove seeds and peel off the skin.
• Onions

Since we started Oakhill Organics in 2006, we’ve been on quite the journey. Most of the time, we’ve had a good idea of where we’re headed. We began the farm with a clear vision of a smaller-scale organic vegetable farm that would be big enough to provide our livelihood. We had a clear vision of a year-round CSA and a wonderful community of local eaters.

There have been many such points that have felt clear and sure, and as we’ve achieved each of these individual goals, the farm has grown fuller, clearer and more real than ever before.

We have a thriving CSA here in Yamhill County. We make our living off of our farm. We own prime farmland, on which we live in a house we built. We have water rights. Our vegetables are certified organic. We’ve built appropriate infrastructure to support our farming operation efficiently. These are all goals that have been met in the last five years. It’s been quite an experience, working hard and being blessed along the way with so many fortunate (and sometimes seemingly miraculous) happenings.

And, now we find ourselves at a crossroads. A pause. A turning point.

As of early last summer (2010), we were feeling “done” — perfectly satisfied with what we’d built and ready to coast through the next few decades, sustaining what we’ve started and putting more time and energy into our family.

This quiet, predictable life sounded good — great, even!

The universe, however, had other plans. (I think that perhaps the universe knew that Casey and I would probably become quickly bored!) In late summer, we learned that the 31-acre parcel immediately east of ours was available for sale and priced such that we could afford to purchase it. Clearly, this was an opportunity. An opportunity that was knocking so loudly we had to take our feeling of self-satisfied “doneness” and throw it completely out the window.

And, so we’ve begun a new stretch of our farming journey. This week we will sign the purchase agreement papers for the adjacent parcel and hopefully close within a few months (financing is still up in the air, but we have several leads).

Unlike the first leg of our journey, we’re less sure of where this new development is taking us. Since only thirteen of our current acres is farmable, by adding this parcel, we’ll be essentially tripling our land base.

We’re fairly certain that we don’t want to just triple the size of our current operation. We will definitely expand the CSA somewhat (I think the Newberg folks are pretty excited about our tentatively planned drop in their town!), but we’re also looking at diversifying what we produce. But what will that look like exactly? Organic u-pick berries? Beans? Grains? Livestock? More tree fruit? We’ll have enough land that we could theoretically do all of the above (on some scale).

This new opportunity is both extremely exciting and downright daunting. We know from watching friends that sustainable farm business expansion has to be approached very intentionally and carefully, keeping in mind market demand, infrastructure, labor needs, new needed skills/knowledge, and general sanity preservation.

Fortunately, we are going to continue leasing to the current farmer this year, so we won’t be able to do much of anything until late this season. We have time to think, plan, dream, scheme. We’ve been dreaming big and small, crazy and sane, outrageous and predictable. I’d say that almost every possibility has been discussed at least once, but much of that won’t make it to reality. Or will it? Honestly, we just don’t know.

To that end, we’re curious: what would YOU like us to grow? What is missing from your local food experience? Share your ideas with us! We’re open to any and all suggestions!

… another unknown right now is who will be with us as we venture forth. Our current employee Jeff is moving on this spring to work full-time on the farm he operates with his wife Carri (www.pitchforkandcrow.com), so we’re currently seeking a full-time employee who will hopefully be with us for several years and help be a part of whatever form our expansion takes.

So many unknowns right now! This is definitely a moment in life when Casey and I have to take big deep breaths and remind ourselves that we can only operate and grow this farm one day and one step at a time.

It’s going to be interesting. Thanks for joining us on the continued adventure of local food production! Enjoy this week’s vegetables!

Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla

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Who is Francis K.?

We received a $157 check last week from a mysterious Francis K. from Kent, Washington, and we don’t know whose account to credit it toward! Please contact us and let us know!

This is a good reminder for everyone: if you are sharing a share, please always include your partner’s name in the memo on your check! My brain can’t always remember things if they’re not written down!

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What if I miss pick-up?

A couple people missed the first pick-up last week and are probably wondering: what happens in this event? At this point, we don’t have a system for saving veggies for pick-up later in the week, so unfortunately a missed pick-up is a missed pick-up.

If you know you are running late, you can call us on our cell phone (503-474-7661) and we will bag up a share and leave it outside (please do not do this every week however!). If you know ahead of time that you will miss pick-up (because of a vacation or appointment), you’re welcome to send a friend or neighbor in your place to pick-up!