Welcome to week 4 of our Winter Season.  We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week-- some of our turkeys clocked in at over 29 lbs! Plenty of leftovers for pot pies, sandwiches, casseroles and more. If you have any favorite Thanksgiving Leftover recipes, please share them on our Facebook page so your fellow Forkers can try them out!

Now that we're into December, we're going to every other week. So after this week, your next pick up won't be until the week of December 17th. Please be sure to check our Winter Locations Page on the website for more information about all the dates and locations for your Winter Share.

Later on this week, keep an eye out for some more great recipes to showcase some of our early Winter bounty, and information on Holiday Orders.  

Now that the temperatures are dropping, we'll try to make your pick up experience as speedy as we can!

We have a pretty incredible community at Fresh Fork, and my team and I can't tell you how much we appreciate your patience and gratitude at the stops. We know it's getting chilly, so we'll keep the line scootin' on up as quickly as we can. And a big shout out to the Forkers bringing hot cocoa to our Greeters-- they really appreciate the warm up!

 In slightly warmer news, though, we're expecting a pretty temperate week and weekend, maybe with some sunshine peeking through. 

This is a great first course or even a meatless entree, and both parts can be easily pre-made and stored in the fridge, and then plated in seconds. 

First Part: Beets.

To roast your beets, preheat your oven to 450. Trim off the greens and tops (reserve for other uses-- like sauteing or juicing) and scrub the skins with a designated veggie sponge or brush. Tear off as many squares of aluminum foil as you have beets (each square big enough to wrap the beet.) Place each beet on its aluminum foil sheet, and drizzle with oil and a crack of salt and pepper. Wrap the beets, place on a baking pan, and roast until fork-tender (about 45-1hr depending on the size.)

Once they're cool enough to handle, unwrap the beets and scrape off the skin. Store as is, or cut up however you'd like, sealed tightly for up to a week in the fridge. 

Part Two: Ricotta.

First, you have to start with good milk. Our Guernsey Whole Milk is perfect for this, but Snowville would work great, too. You'll need:

• 1/2 gallon of whole milk
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1/4 tsp salt
  

Use a large, heavy bottomed pan, like an enameled cast-iron pot. Before you even turn on the heat, take 1 big ice cube, and let it melt in the pan and leave the water in there. This cools the bottom and prevents milk from scorching it. Next add in the milk and the lemon juice, and stir once or twice to combine, but don't touch the bottom of the pan with the spoon. Turn the heat to low, and use a thermometer (cheese thermometer or candy thermometer would work fine), and heat it slowly till it reaches 175 degrees (45-60min.) Stir occasionally, but again make sure not to touch the bottom of the pan to prevent scorching. 

Once it hits 175, turn up the gas and watch the pot till it gets to 205 degrees. Don't stir it at all during this time, which might seem long but should take less than 5 minutes. The milk shouldn't reach boiling, but look like it's just about to. Turn off the heat, and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Now, you're going to separate your curds and whey (the cloudy, protein-liquid that has separated from the curds.) Put a fine mesh strainer, lined with a double layer of cheesecloth, over a glass bowl or jar. Scoop out the curds with a slotted spoon onto the cheesecloth, and let it drain. Sprinkle your salt on the cheese curds (now Ricotta!), and store in the fridge for up to a week. The whey can be used in smoothies, to thicken up soup, or in baking recipes instead of milk or water.

Part Three: Making the salad.

Cut up your beets into the desired shape-- quartered like a pear looks really nice. Put a dollop of ricotta in the center of the plate, and add the beets to the top and around the side of the cheese. Use a little finishing oil, some salt and pepper, and that's it! You can add some nuts, citrus fruit, baby greens or anything else you have a taste for, but these simple, fresh ingredients taste great on their own. 

As long as you cut all the veggies to appx the same size, add in whatever you have on hand, and the more colors the better for you. Try carrots, red onions, butternut or delicata squash, turnips, rutabaga and shallots. 

Ingredients

3# of Parsnips, peeled and sliced into 1/2" pieces
2 tbsps sunflower oil

3 sprigs Rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Turn oven to 375. Toss the parsnips, and whatever other vegetable you're using, in the oil, salt and pepper. Spread them out onto one or two rimmed baking sheets, so they all have enough room for the hot air to circulate. Nestle the rosemary among the vegetables. Roast for 30 minutes in total-- toss them around once or twice during the roasting to prevent sticking. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice. 

The trick to making these chips or crackers is having a really sharp mandolin or vegetable slicer. They're a great alternative to fried potato chips, for those avoiding gluten, or those trying to add more vegetables to their routine.

Ingredients

2 Parsnips
2 Beets

2 Turnips

2 Sweet Potatoes

2 tbsp oil

Sea salt and Freshly cracked pepper

First, turn your oven to 350. Then, wash and scrub or peel all the vegetables. Using your mandolin or vegetable peeler, slice them on a diagonal into extremely thin strips. Lay them out between sheets of paper towel or a dishtowel to help dry them out. In a big bowl, toss all the "chips" with the oil, salt and pepper, and lay them in a single layer on two baking sheets. Roast them for 20 minutes, turning once, keeping an eye on them so they don't burn. Let them cool and crisp on a cooling rack