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Dear Common Thread Winter CSA Members,
Wow, it got really cold this past week. Several different nights were forecast to be in the low 20s and then got down to 13, 10 and 8 for us. This is unusually cold for this time of year - probably due to the polar vortex, just like last winter. Some of the crops in the box this week are "frost-kissed". The kale stems are a bit soft, but the leaves, the part you actually eat, are fine. The chard stems, leeks and brussel sprouts are a little softer than normal so it would be good to eat these sooner rather than later, or to blanch and freeze them if you won't be cooking them soon. The storage crops (roots, cabbage, winter squash, etc.) have been in good storage conditions and will continue to store fine.
You can see in the pictures above how we do the fresh harvest. A few crops, like kale, leeks and brussel sprouts can get quite cold before they need protection - the ones we harvested this week didn't have any covers although we've covered some for later boxes. Other crops like lettuce, chard, bok choi, turnips, and scallions do okay below freezing when covered with low metal hoops, row cover and greenhouse plastic held down with soil bags. We just have to pick them when there is a thaw. We have spinach and kale under bigger tunnels for later in the season for when it might thaw inside the tunnel but not outside of it.
You will be receiving an Ultra Butternut squash or a Long Island Cheese pumpkin this afternoon. These are both great for baking. Just cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and bake cut side down on baking sheets until you can stick a fork in them. They are great for pies, bread, pancakes, soup. Any that you have leftover can be put into pint containers and frozen for later baking projects. I like to pull them out of the freezer later in the winter to add to pancake and waffle batter (winter squash puree is also a great sub for zucchini in chocolate zucchini cake--click the preceding link and scroll down for the recipe).
Cabbage is the most amazing green because unlike all the other greens that need to be harvested fresh, it does just fine for months in storage. We eat a lot of coleslaw and add cabbage to stir-fries and soups. Sauerkraut is also great.
We are handing out a lot of leeks today - we have a lot left and aren't sure how much longer they'll hold up to the cold. Leeks can be subbed for onions in many recipes. They are great in soups. My favorite thing to do with leeks is to roast them with other vegetables because the rings get all crispy and soft and delicious and add so much flavor and texture to roasted vegetables.
Rutabagas are traditional for Thanksgiving. I often mash them half and half with potatoes, which can pass for mashed potatoes with the kids (who may be rutabaga-averse) but has a bit more flavor and nutrition. They are also great cut into chunks and roasted.
Here are the recipes from Syracuse University students Lynsey, Rob, Megan, and Alexis:
Have a happy thanksgiving!
Yours in the Fields,
Wendy and Asher
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