In an ideal winter, we have enough citrus trees and varieties to last from November through April..  It is cold enough to store the ripe fruit on the trees and harvest just what we need for your CSA boxes.  Unfortunately, reality sometimes wrecks our plans -- like in 2010 when it got too cold and most of our citrus froze on the trees in December.  So when forecasters started talking about damaging cold arriving this past weekend, we got busy picking as much fruit as we could.

Normally, we put 2 or 3 pounds of oranges in your boxes.  This week you are getting more than that -- a combination of mandarins and navel oranges.  For better or worse, we have lots of citrus in the cooler now.  We still aren't sure whether or not the citrus that is still on the trees was damaged by the cold or not, and whether this may end up being one of our shorter citrus seasons.  In the meantime, get it while it's good.

Continuing on a similar subject, the cold mornings are impinging on our ability to harvest vegetables in the field.  Multiple mornings since New Year's Day, we have had to wait until noon for broccoli, kale, cabbage and other vegetables to thaw out before we could pick them -- the stems are rock hard when they are frozen solid.  Other produce has been damaged. 

There's a Savoy Cabbage in your box today; it has crinkly leaves that make it fluffier when shredded and tossed in a salad.  Cabbage is one of the most cold-tolerant crops we grow.  It is also one of the most versatile winter vegetables around.   You can use it as the basis for a salad, top a sandwich with it, stir fry it until just tender, or sautee it until it's soft.  And unlike many leafy greens, you can use some today, some on the weekend, and if there's any left, it will still be fine next week.  Store cabbage in the fridge, and once it's cut keep it in a plastic bag.

It's the time of year that our own Apples and those from our neighbors at Coco Ranch are gone, so we will be putting the high quality fruit from Cuyama Valley Orchards in your boxes.  The farm is roughly the same size as Terra Firma, although they grow only apples.  If you want to read more about them, here's a link to a detailed article.

Recipe:  Warm Collard-Cabbage Salad
Some folks might eat raw collard salad, but this is a nice twist on sauteed greens that combines it with crunchy raw cabbage.

Combine 2 T. cider vinegar, 2 T. navel or mandarin orange juice, 2 t. whole grain mustard, 2 T. olive oil with salt and pepper to taste.

Finely shred savoy cabbage to make 3 C. and toss with the dressing. 

Remove the stems from 1 bunch of collard greens and then chop the greens roughly.  Mince 1 clove of garlic.

Heat another 3 T. olive oil in a skillet or wok, then add the garlic and the greens.  Saute until the greens are completely tender.  Add the marinated cabbage and toss to coat the collards with dressing.  You don't want to cook the cabbage, just warm it.

Top with toasted walnuts.  Or if you're feeling decadent, some crispy chopped bacon.