Winter CSA Newsletter Week #9, Dec 24 - 30, 2023 “A” week

Microgreens are often called “superfoods” because they have up to 40 times the concentrated nutritional value than the full-grown vegetable. "What are microgreens exactly? They are tiny, immature versions of vegetables, herbs and other plants harvested anywhere from a week to two weeks after germination that tend to be about one to two inches long with the stem and leaves still attached." Univ of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences

Newsletter Table of Contents:

1. This Week’s Shares with Guides & Recipes- VEG, MES, EGG, APPLE

2. Recipes - Vegetable Omelet with Pea Shoots, Microgreen Salad with Apples, Vegan Garam Masala Carrot Soup, Cinnamon Apple Donuts (or muffins!)

3. Field News & Photos from the Week -

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VEG SHARES (see FULL and HALF list for which share has what, how much, along with info, guides, recipes)

FULL SHARE:

CARROTS (1 lb) - Store the roots dry and unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. from our Red Door Farm Guide & Recipes

RUSSET POTATOES-  Fully russeted skin with dry, white flesh perfectly suited for classic baked potatoes. from Mythic Farm Guide & Recipes

YELLOW ONION (1 lb) - Ready to be used now or later, this almost “cured” or dried onion should be stored on your counter or in your pantry out of direct sunlight. If you don’t use it in the next week, it’ll cure more and store longer. from Gwenyn Hill Farm

DAIKON RADISHES (1 lb) - Daikons are generally milder than regular table radishes. Store dry in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for weeks - these are long keepers!. Radishes are also delicious roasted - our favorite way to eat them - because it takes out their heat and makes them sweeter! Try also sliced in rounds or matchsticks with your favorite dip or hummus. Adds crunch and great flavor to any stir fry recipe. Guide & Recipes

APPLE SECONDS  (2 lb mix of Suncrisp & Winecrisp) - Suncrisp - Yellow-green hue, this variety's flesh resists browning when sliced and is dense, firm, and crisp and has high sugar and acidity, creating a sharp, subtly sweet, and tart flavor with floral nuances - even notes of pear and honey. Its taste will mellow and sweeten over time. Good for eating fresh, pies and desserts, apple juice, apple butter, and apple sauce. Stores well. Winecrisp - Rustic red apple. Flavors are rich with a good measure of both sweet and tart described as cider with a hint of lemonade and oranges and some spice. The great crunch and bold flavors, to say nothing of good looks, are a winning combination and and good for fresh eating, baking, or sauce. from Two Onion Farm

LETTUCE MIX MICROGREENS (2 oz) - Add elegance to sandwiches, salads, wraps, soups and entrees by adding these! Packed with nutrients such as folic acid and essential vitamins like C, E, K that the body needs. These crispy greens are often used in salads and as garnishes because they have a slightly sweet, mild taste and a crunchy texture. Tip - add at the end of cooking time or stir in when you remove pan from heat source to keep more of the flavor and texture of the microgreens. And because they’re so delicate and tender, they don’t last a long time so plan to use them within a week or so. Store in their airtight container in the fridge. You may be able to extend their storage time by including a piece of paper towel to absorb moisture in the container with them.

PEA SHOOTS (3 oz) - Pea Shoots are microgreens, or baby pea seedlings, that smell & taste like peas. They are versatile and can be used like fresh salad greens (they pair well with parmesan cheese & lemon!), stir fried lightly, used in sandwiches, on pizza, or as a garnish.  Store in a plastic bag or wrapped in a slightly damp towel for about a up to two weeks.  Guide and Recipes (2 different PDF’s)

HALF SHARE: (see Full VEG Shares above⬆ for info on each item)

RUSSET POTATOES (1 lb)

YELLOW ONION (1 lb) 

DAIKON RADISHES (1 lb)

APPLE SECONDS (1 lb mix of Suncrisp & Winecrisp)

LETTUCE MIX MICROGREENS (2 oz)

PEA SHOOTS (3 oz)

OPTIONAL ITEMS:  for FULL & HALF Shares - choose 1 or 2 of the following:

WINTER SQUASH - 2 Carnival, Spaghetti, Autumn Frost, Long Pie Pumpkin, North Georgia Candy Roaster

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MES SHARES

It's an A1 week so MES is at LEUCC

FULL: 1 ground beef, 1 breakfast sausage, 2 dozen eggs

HALF: 1 ground beef, 1 breakfast sausage, 1 dozen eggs

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EGG SHARE Weekly Shares = 1 Dozen Biweekly Shares = 1 Dozen

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PREPARED FOOD & RECIPES:

Click the link to go to a printable pdf of the recipe.

Vegetable Omelet with Pea Shoots

Microgreen Salad with Apples

Vegan Garam Masala Carrot Soup

Cinnamon Apple Donuts (or muffins!)

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Field News & Photos:

A mix of this and that in this section as we finish the year and

take a planned couple of weeks off from CSA shares.

Haven't Finly, Asher, and Kaya grown into beautiful Border Aussie dogs?

We love seeing these photos of them and hearing about their adventures.

Our 2024 plans include another litter but not until the end of the year.

Puppies take a lot of our emotional energy to support their start as confident and secure. And to support their new owners so that the transition to their forever homes goes smoothly.

It's worth every moment though! We get so much joy and love out of spending time with the pups, and we have made new friends all over the country too.

But we have so many "growing food" plans for 2024 that we want our attention focused on as we go into the summer season. (Don't worry, we'll be sharing them with you in the months to come. 2024 is going to be great!)

That means puppies will just have to wait!

This week with it's warmer temperatures saw Bill and Aidan start up the barrel washer to clean up more rutabagas and salad turnips. We store many of the root vegetables (ones that grow in the ground) unwashed as they soil protects them from being dried out in the cooler. That helps preserve as many nutrients as possible so they really are good food for you! (And us too. ;)

This video shows them rolling around as the water sprays over them. The action of rubbing against each other kinda scrubs them and the water washes the dirt away as they make their way to the other end of the barrel and into the waiting crate.

In Liam's shop, he's been working on finishing up the last of this year's commissioned pieces including a snapper turtle for someone's garden looking out on a lake. He sketches out the shell design before using a plasma cutter to separate the pieces and then welding them back together with the correct curvature.

Watching the pieces come together is such fun!

This ol' truck came together quickly and sold just as quickly at a Christmas market. No surprise that he plans to make more.

And as long as I'm showing creative process photos . . . I might as well include some of my painting. I plan to immerse myself in some fun projects over our next 2 weeks of "CSA vacation". Plus I'll be setting up a month long exhibit in the Spring Green Library's Community Room. (Yikes, I'm a little nervous, and excited too, as this is all new for me - wish me luck!)

This painting started with a blank canvas, and a few paint colors in the blue and green family.

Then I poured them out in a swirly fashion because it felt fun! I "smooshed" all the hues together in the same swirly way by running a spatula over them to create a pattern.

Interestingly paint colors have different densities so some of the pattern is also caused by the heavier ones sinking down through the lighter ones that are rising to the top.

The thinness or thickness of the paint also affects this movement and affects the result.

Although I still have a few minor touch ups to do before it's complete, here's the finished result.

"Cascade"

It wasn't exactly how I pictured it turning out, but the best part of painting for me is learning to let go and accept the result.

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