Subscribers Step Up:  Asian Pear Suggestions
After reading my pronouncement of ignorance about recipes in which Asian Pears are cooked, two subscribers emailed us with suggestions.

From Yehudit Lieberman, a simple and healthy dessert for a cold winter night: " I peel, core, and slice them, put them in a baking pan, sprinkle them with succanat, and bake them at 400 degrees till they can be easily pierced with a fork. Yummy!" 

From Trina De Joya, a traditional Chinese Medicine remedy for lungs/throat/cough, a nice hot tea:  " I don't know if it will actually do anything, but it sure does taste good!  Basically just slice a couple of pears, add a couple of spoonfuls of raw sugar, honey, or a lump of rock sugar, and a spoonful of "fritillary" (found in asian herbal stores).  Add water to stew or steam (i like to stew) for about 20-30min. http://vitalitymagazine.com/article/autumn-is-lung-season/ and http://www.tinyurbankitchen.com/2010/08/fritillaria-chuan-bei-mu.html
 
You can also make the tea without the fritillary:  http://albanacupuncture.com/2011/10/04/steamed-pears-almonds-coug-remedy/
 

In Your Boxes
After thinking that we might have made it past the coldest part of the winter, we got kicked in the teeth Monday night by the coldest night we've had yet.  It was 18 degrees here for several hours -- technically cold enough to destroy citrus fruit as well as most of the leafy vegetables we have growing.  Weather forecasters underestimated the severity of the freeze by almost 10 degrees, giving us a false sense of security.
 At least some of our citrus is located in a warmer microclimate and may have escaped destruction (the mandarins in your boxes today were picked before the freeze).  We will be evaluating their condition over the next week or two.
Meanwhile, many of the vulnerable vegetables had already been damaged by cold weather.  There will be no chard, fennel, or beet greens in your boxes any time soon.  Kale and collards were damaged at least temporarily.  A bigger question will be broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.  Depending on the size of the plant and its stage of growth, these crops can bounce back from getting frozen or they can end up producing unmarketable heads with blackened sections.  The weather following the freeze plays an important role -- an extended wet period like the one forecast for next week can cause damaged heads to rot.
We spend a lot of time planning your CSA boxes -- planting the right amount and variety of crops so that each week we can keep them full, balanced and interesting.  But there is little we can do to control for situations like this, which damage or destroy multiple crops completely.  Mid-winter/early spring is already our most challenging season.
As a subscriber, you are going to see the variation in your boxes reduced for at least the next month.  We still have plenty of crops in storage:  potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash.  We have carrots, leeks, and beets.  Thanks to the dry weather, we have been able to plant lots of spinach this winter, and it will be in your boxes every week, either baby or bunched.  Beyond that, we still don't know.  We will keep you posted.
 

Recipe -- Butternut Waffles
This is based on a recipe my friend Josh, a relatively new subscriber, gave me from a blog appropriately called "The Pumpkin Waffle Blog: the Search for the Perfect Pumpkin Waffle".  You can make a savory version of this recipe by omitting the sugar and sweet spices, and adding 1/2 C. each minced leek and grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese to the egg yolk mixture along with the butter (or possibly instead of the butter). 

Cut 1 butternut squash in half lengthwise and bake until it is soft and browned.  Remove the seeds and skin.  Mash 1 C. of squash.

Brush a waffle iron with oil and turn it on.

Combine 1/4 C. brown sugar and 3 T. cornstarch and mix with a fork.  Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 C. corn flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp. cloves, and 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg.  Sift well to combine.

Separate the yolks and whites of three eggs.  Place the whites in a large bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.  This will take about 2 minutes.

Beat the egg yolks and combine with the squash and 1 C. whole milk.  Whisk to combine, then add 4 T. melted butter.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg yolk mix and stir to combine, then add the egg whites and fold in gently.

Pour the batter into the waffle iron and cook until nicely browned.

Makes 4 large waffles.