Dear Common Thread Winter CSA Share Members, 

The first winter share box is today!  The vegetable list is on our website on the what's in page.  We also have a few hardy herbs left in the field that are open for pick your own for anyone who wants to come by when it isn't too dark or snowy.

We have quite a lot of hardy vegetables from the fields in this box.  As the weather gets colder, a great proportion of the box will be storage crops. 

The winter share boxes are planned to last for about 2 weeks so proper storage of your vegetables is important.  In general:

• Greens will last in plastic bags in the refrigerator for about a week.  Cooking greens can also be easily frozen for later.  Just steam them for a few minutes, cool and put in ziploc bags in the freezer.
• Roots will last in plastic bags in the refrigerator for months
• Winter squash should be kept dry and above 50 degrees and will keep a few weeks to a few months, depending on the variety (Acorn isn't a storage squash, Butternut is, with the rest somewhere in the middle).  Squash also freezes well when cooked and mashed.
• Onions should be kept in a dry place.  They will keep several weeks on the counter.  For longer storage should be kept in a cool place (but not freezing).  We've been having some issues with rot in our onions this year.  We try hard to make sure that the ones in your box are sound but some of them might get soft after a week or two.  If you notice the tops starting to get soft, those are the ones to use first.  Sometimes the top needs to be cut out, or a layer of the onion needs to be removed to used the rest.
• Potatoes should be kept in a dry, dark place.  They will start to sprout after a couple weeks in warm temperatures, so if you want to store them longer than that, they should be kept in a cool place (35-50 degrees).  It is important that they be in the dark so they don't turn green and become unhealthy to eat.
• Cabbages will last quite a long time in the refrigerator and can also be made into sauerkraut which will keep a long time.

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 large potatoes, peeled

1 large onion

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and seeded

Olive oil cooking spray [I prefer to substitute melted butter, everything's better with butter.]

DIRECTIONS

• Heat the oven to 375 F. Coat a deep 7- or 8-inch round springform pan with cooking spray [butter].
• In a small bowl, mix together the thyme, oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Set Aside.
• Use a mandolin or food processor to slice the potatoes, onion and squash as paper thin as possible. Keep the vegetables in separate piles.
• Arrange a single layer of potato slices, slightly overlapping, over the bottom of the prepared pan. Spritz with cooking spray [brush with butter, then sprinkle a pinch of the seasoning blend over them. No need to season heavily.
• Top the potatoes with a few onion slices. The onion will break into thin rounds. This is fine. You don't need a full layer, just a scattering of slices. Top the onions with a single layer of butternut squash slices, slightly overlapping. Use your hand to gently, but firmly compress the layers. Spritz the squash slices with cooking spray [brush with butter], then sprinkle a pinch of seasoning over them.
• Repeat the layering and compressing in this manner, starting with the potatoes and continuing until the layers reach the top of the pan. You should use all of the potatoes and onion, but may have some squash left. Spritz the top with cooking spray [brush with butter], then sprinkle a bit more seasoning over the top.

Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned, the sides have pulled away from the pan and a knife inserted at the center passes easily through the vegetables to the bottom.   

Remove the sides of the pan and let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Option: Tip with buttered bread crumbs or gruyere cheese, broil 3-4 minutes to brown/melt  

We're lucky that four students from Syracuse University have offered to find recipes for our newsletters as part of their class project.  The students are Lynsey Cooper, Alexis Lisser, Rob Swanda, and Megan Bradley.  Their contributions are below: