Clockwise: Purple daikon radish, Watermelon radish, Beets, Turnips, Kohlrabi, Winter Sweet winter squash, New puppy Finn “helping” to pack Winter CSA shares
Dear Winter CSA Members,
It may not feel like it, but… spring is right around the corner! J
The February box includes the following items: apples (Cortland, Gala, Mutsu), winter squash (Butternut, Winter Sweet), potatoes (mix of red skinned, white, all red), sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, beets, radish (watermelon, purple daikon), turnips, kohlrabi, kalettes, red cabbage, greens (kale, bok choi, or spinach), popcorn, hot peppers, and JAM!
If you are having trouble identifying any of the veggies in your box, please reference the blog. I have posted some pictures of root veggies that I hope will be helpful. As always, if you are stumped in identifying something, or need recipe ideas, do not hesitate to contact us…text, email, phone…all methods will work.
Remember, correct storage is the key to using your Winter CSA share to its full potential. Please let us know if have storage questions or problems with your veggies.
February is the final month of the Still Life Farm Winter CSA. I would say, given the fact that this was an overly-difficult growing season (drought, loss of all stone fruit and numerous other crops, etc.), that Winter CSA 2016-17 was a resounding success! I have to be completely honest, there were times over this past growing season that I doubted that farming was the correct career choice for me…a few moments found me wracking my brain, asking myself why I thought it was a good idea to marry a farmer. Then I remembered that I married my husband because he is AWESOME! And, I decided to go all in with farming because I’m crazy, and I love being challenged every day, and because GOOD FOOD IS WORTH IT. This was a rough year, but we made it through, because that is what farmers do, because nothing is more important than good food and those you share it with.
That being said, we should definitely celebrate the highlights of this year. Did you all notice that we had garlic in every single box?!!! This year’s crop of garlic was kick @$$ and a huge victory for me and Curt! Storage fennel…how cool was that!? Brussel sprouts that stored through the January share box. Very successful harvests of sweet potatoes and winter squash. Our delicious Still Life Farm carrots! Kalettes! And most importantly, quality greens in every month’s box throughout the entirety of the Winter CSA. A rocky, tumultuous year may have led to one of the most successful Still Life Farm Winter CSA seasons to date, AND made us appreciate the good points all the more!
So, a gigantic THANK YOU to all of our wonderful CSA members. You make it possible for me and Curt to “keep crazy and farm on”. You make it possible to support local business and economy. You make it possible to protect our environment and be good stewards of the land. You make it possible to have access to good food! So, thank you, our wonderful CSA members. Which brings me to my next point…JAM!
You will be receiving jam in the February box. This is our way of thanking you for being part of the CSA this year. Every summer I freeze pounds and pounds of fruit, so that in the winter (when I actually have spare time), I can turn the fruit into jam. I shamelessly recruit friends and family to help me crank out multiple batches. Hopefully you all enjoy the jam and it sweetens the last few weeks of winter for you. Thank you for being part of the Still Life Farm Winter CSA!
Warm weather will be here before you know it and it will be time to think about Stillman’s Summer CSA…and tomatoes and peaches! To sign up for Summer CSA visit “www.stillmansfarm.com”.
Recipe Ideas:
If you visit our website, StillLifeFarm.com, and go to the “Blog” page, you will find links to both our blog and our recipe exchange. There are lots of wonderful recipes posted, and you have the ability to contribute your own favorites. Check out “The CSA Box” on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thecsabox) where fellow CSA member, Pam, posts her favorite dishes made with ingredients from the box. Another creative favorite is “Nothing Beets Fresh” (http://www.nothingbeetsfresh.com/), a blog contributed by CSA member, Ellen. Lots of good ideas, love your food!
Braised Red Cabbage
½ red onion, sliced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small head red cabbage (about 2 lbs)
1 large tart apple, diced ½-inch
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ cup dark brown sugar
In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, gently cook the onions in vegetable oil until translucent, 5 mins. Add the cabbage, apple, vinegar, and brown sugar, and cook over medium heat until the cabbage is wilted, about 10 mins. Cover, lower heat, and cook gently until the cabbage is very tender, about 45 mins, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
Kohlrabi Slaw
3 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Coarse salt (like kosher or sea)
Pepper
Shred 1-2 kohlrabi and 4 carrots (play around with your mandolin slicer; you can get some great textures). Mix together dressing and fold into shredded veggies. *Feel free to add other cool veggies, like purple daikon and/or watermelon radish.
Please return all of your empty boxes, either at Winter CSA pick-up or at any Still Life Farm/Stillman’s Farm farmers markets or CSA pick-ups. We can also reuse the jam jars.
Be on the lookout for an email about early registration for next season’s Still Life Farm Winter CSA….we usually offer an early registration discount!
Love your food,
Halley Terry Stillman
stilllifefarm 