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Hi there! 

Welcome to the first week of the Winter Share 2015-16! 

This is going to be a really exciting season, filled with delicious foods all grown and made within 75 miles of your home.

If you're new to the program, welcome! If you're returning from a previous share,
welcome back

This is your weekly (or share-weekly) newsletter: every week when there is a pick up, you'll be receiving one of these in your inboxes around noon on Tuesday. We'll tell you about all our upcoming events, any reminders about the program, as well as the bag contents, recipes, and stories from some of the farmers and producers who made your food.

In case you haven't signed up for the Share yet:

We are packing about 50 extra bags on the trucks this week for people late to the party. 

Just bring a check and you can sign up on the spot! And if you know someone else who wants in, just send them this link and they can get going right away. 

Our white trucks with the bright graffiti on the sides drive around within 75 miles of Cleveland to gather up all the delicious food for your shares. 


First things first: here are some important details about the Winter Share. 

Pick ups are every week for the first three weeks and then every other week after that.

For the first three weeks of the Winter Share (November 4th - 21st) you'll pick up your bag every week. 

Thanksgiving is the first off-week of the Winter Share (Thanksgiving pick ups are that week, but no Winter Bag.) 

After that, we'll alternate on and off weeks for a total of 15 pick ups. Christmas is during an off-week, but there IS a pick up on New Year's. 

You can take 4 weeks vacation from the share.

Have a sunny holiday destination in mind this year? Great! You can take up to 4 weeks off from the share and receive a bag's worth of credit for each week you're out to use once you're back towards the purchase of more good food. You just have to tell us by Saturday night the week before you're gone. More info here

If you have an allergy or food restriction, please tell your Greeter when you pick up.

If you notified us that you have a restriction or an allergy, it is in our system, but to ensure that you don't get what you cannot eat, and you happen to see it listed in the Bag Contents that week, just let your Greeter know and they will make a substitution. 

This does not mean that just because you don't like Brussels Sprouts you can have a substitution: we're trying to be flexible to accommodate JUST restrictions and allergies. If you know you and your family will absolutely truly NOT eat those sprouts, try swapping with someone in line who might love them. 

Some days and times are different from the Summer Share.

You should have received by now your "Welcome to Winter, Fresh Forker!" email with all of the stops. If you haven't yet or you accidentally deleted it, click below for your stop's information. 

WEDNESDAY

American Greetings (AG Employees Only) 1:30-2:00 pm
Brecksville 3:00-6:30 pm
Solon 3:00-6:30 pm
Lakewood 3:00-6:30 pm
Akron 3:00-6:00 pm

THURSDAY

Westlake 3:00-6:30 pm
Beachwood 3:00-6:30 pm
Strongsville 3:00-6:30 pm

FRIDAY

Middleburg Heights 3:00-6:30 pm
Cleveland Heights 3:00-6:30 pm
Hudson 3:00-6:30 pm

SATURDAY

Tremont 10 am- 2:00 pm
Rocky River 10am - 12:00pm
Mentor 10am-12:00 pm
Copley/Fairlawn 10am-12:00 pm

Special Orders must be placed by Midnight on Tuesday of the Share Week.

Especially if there is something you know you need-- extra eggs for baking, a whole chicken for the in-laws coming over, etc. -- please place a Special Order. It's really easy, and when you get to the Greeter table to pick up your bag, just let your Greeter know about your order. Click here for more details. 

We have a Winter Vegetarian Pilot Program Starting this year.

We've invited some of our Summer Share 2015 Vegetarian and Vegan members to help us begin a trial for a Vegetarian Winter Share this year: we're figuring it out week-by-week based on produce availability, and we really appreciate your patience and feedback as we go! 

Winter Vegetarian Customers-- you'll be picking up an orange or khaki colored bag at the back of the truck (unless the Greeter lets you know they've run out of your color but you have the right bag.) 

Also for our Winter Veggie Customers-- you can still pick up at any stop that's convenient for you: we will always pack some extra veggie bags on each truck. But because it's a really small pilot group, if you find another stop is consistently more convenient for you, please write to us and we'll update your home location preference. 

We're there snow or shine, but the weather might cause a change in the bag contents. 

Except in extreme circumstances and to ensure the safety of our staff and subscribers, we will always be at the stop regardless of weather. Sometimes we have delays due to weather, the roads, or issues at the farms or with the trucks (they take a beating over the season!) and we'll do our best to inform you of any changes to our timing via email or social media. Follow us on Facebook to get the updates. 

If you miss your stop, head to another one.

Sometimes it's weather, school pick ups, work, or whatever that might cause you to miss your stop. Don't panic, just click here to check out the list of all our Winter Stops.

Remember, that unless you've placed a Special Order, you can pick up at any of our stops and you do not need to let us know ahead of time.

Tremont is the last pick up of the week, so if you're going to miss that one, best bet is to ask a friend or neighbor to pick up for you.

Winter Share Expectations


So, Winter in Ohio-- pretty cold and snowy, right? Seems impossible that there is anything that could be growing. But if it's out there, we have found it (like the pigs above rooting around for roots), and you will see it in your bags!

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For the first three months of the share, November till January, you'll see a lot of cold-hardy vegetables (kale, Brussels sprouts, chard, spinach), storage and root crops (parsnips, rutabagas, potatoes, carrots, winter squashes, onions and apples), some pantry staples (cheeses, eggs, a variety of dried beans and fresh pastas.) In each Omnivore bag, you'll also have a large cut (or grind) of meat (pork shoulder roast, tenderloin, beef pot roast, a whole chicken.) 

For the Vegetarian Pilot subscribers, we'll have a large prepared entrée (veggie lasagna, quiche, etc) or a selection of meat-free items (eggs, cheese, pasta, beans, canned items.) 

The bags at the beginning of the Season are the biggest you'll likely see the whole share because of the weather and availability, so this will be perfect for all your holiday entertaining and out-of-town guests!

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From January through March, it gets a lot colder and not much is growing. We will still regularly feature root and storage crops, but you'll also see more prepared foods (ravioli, maybe quiche here or there), some flash-frozen Summer produce (berries, tomatoes, corn, green beans), and pantry staples (eggs, tomato sauce, canned peaches, etc) as well as your meats. The bags will be smaller now than they were a few months ago, but it all comes out even by the end of the season.





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For the last few weeks of the share, April and the beginning of May, what you'll see really depends on the weather. We'll have some hoop-house and hydroponic greens available to us (spinach, baby lettuce, chard) as well as some early risers, like sweet carrots & curly kale, and by the Spring we'll even have some basil, spring garlic, and beets. We'll fill in the rest of the bags with more delicious meats and produce that we put up during the warmer months.


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Head to our website to see all the bags from last year's season. We want you to love eating locally, all year round, so don't hesitate to contact us if you need any help.

Featured Product
 BEEF BROTH BONES

We have about twenty 5lbs bags of Beef Broth Bones for sale!  Bone Broth is all the Paleo rage these days, and you can easily make it at home with local stuff! 



THANKSGIVING ORDERING 


It's November, everyone! And at Fresh Fork Market, that means in less than a month we have the biggest Holiday of the year coming up-- Thanksgiving!

Why not celebrate all we have to be thankful for this year with an all-local feast? Click here, pay your $25 deposit, and your order is in! We'll send you a payment confirmation soon to take care of the rest of the bill.

Click here to learn more about our offerings this year, and forward to your friends!

What's in the Bag 
Winter Share 2015-16: Bag Contents Week 1

BAG CONTENTS MIGHT SHIFT

Omnivore 

Whole Chicken
Sweet Potatoes -  4 lbs
Spinach - 1/2 lb
Kohlrabi - 1 ct
Parsley - 1 bunch
Rutabaga - 1 (very large) 
Cauliflower - 1 head
Broccoli - 1 head
Brussel Sprouts - 1 stalk
Onion - 1 ct
Shallot - 1 ct
Carrots - 1 lb
Apples - quarter peck
Exotic Radish Bouquet: 1 black Spanish radish, 1 french breakfast, and 1 watermelon radish












Vegetarian Pilot    

Stuffed Green Peppers Entrée*
Sweet Potatoes  - 4 lbs
Spinach -  1/2 lb
Kohlrabi - 1 ct
Parsley - 1 bunch
Rhutabaga - 1 (very large)
Cauliflower - 1 head
Broccoli - 1 head
Brussel Sprouts - 1 stalk
Onion - 1 ct
Shallot - 1 ct
Carrots - 1 lb
Apples - quarter peck
Exotic Radish Bouquet: 1 black Spanish radish, 1 french breakfast, and 1 watermelon radish


* Vegetarian stuffed green peppers filled with beans, mozzarella, wild rice and fresh herb blend, on a bed of eggplant and tomato sauce. Fully cooked and frozen, only needs reheating.  


What's Cooking? 
Recipes featuring this week's bag contents
Bag contents in recipe: Radishes
Honey Roasted Radishes

If you're not a fan of the peppery bite of radishes, roasting them will mellow them out significantly. These radishes were tossed in honey vinaigrette and roasted at a high heat. They would pair well (and look beautiful) with the wilted radish greens.

Click Here for Recipe
Bag Contents in Recipe: Cauliflower
Whole Roasted Cauliflower

This elegant (and easy!) cauliflower preparation is a great alternative for any vegan or vegetarian guests at your holidays feasts.

 Click Here for Recipe
Bag Contents in Recipe: Whole Chicken


Easy Roast Chicken
Bag Contents in Recipe: Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Onion

Smokey Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup
Bag Contents in Recipe: Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Bag Contents in Recipe: Brussels Sprouts

Braised Brussels Sprouts, Two Ways
Links to More Recipes






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We'll pro-rate your subscription for the remainder of the season. 


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