2017 CSA ~ Week 2
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Just a reminder for members who are receiving the Half Shares…..you will still be receiving the Blog post on Tuesday’s, even it is not your week to pick up your share! If you are receiving the 10 weeks of delivery, you should have received your first share last week, and then every other week until mid October. If you are receiving the 12 weeks of delivery, you will receive your first share this week, and then every other week until the week before Thanksgiving. If you have any questions about when to pick up your veggies, please do get in touch with the farm office.
WHAT’S IN YOUR SHARE THIS WEEK:
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Turnips
- Strawberries
- Kale
Some Sites Only
- Radishes
- Fennel
- Carrots
RECIPES:
Raw Kale, Grapefruit & Toasted Hazelnut Salad
Tuscan Kale w/Almonds, Plums & Goat Cheese
Roasted Beet Sandwiches w/Ginger, Fennel & Goat Cheese
Grilled Kale, Salad Turnips & Scallions
MEMBER RECIPE SHARING:
Fellow member Lisa Plumb shared one of her favorite salad dressing recipes! She would love some new ones, so if you have a favorite, please share!
Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, honey, mustard, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper….enjoy!
Rain (reyn) : noun 1. moisture condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops “the rain had not stopped for days and days”
That pretty much sums up the last week here on the farm, and I’m sure in your backyard as well…..sometimes the rain was coming down so hard that we wondered if it was ever going to stop! Of course, the order for the rain gear for the new crew members was delayed, but we were able to round-up some suitable wear for them. Not quite the auspicious start to the CSA season that we had been imagining! Just another very clear reminder that we farmers are not in charge…no matter what our best laid plans may be, Mother Nature will always have the last word. Rather than mope about and feel all gloom and doom, we try to think on the positive side….with so much rain, no need for irrigation! We welcomed another pair of hands (albeit a bit muddy) in the harvest, as Kiegan was able to join us. All of the vehicles got a good wash off, as did the buildings and driveways. The creek is fuller, so when we do get back to irrigation, that will be a comfort. There’s always a silver lining, if you look hard enough….
FARMER OF THE WEEK:
This week I would like to feature Jabrila Via as our farmer of the week. Gabriela has been growing her roots at Winter Green Farm for 33 years, but has been farming much longer. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and came to Oregon as a young women to become part of the Alpha Farm in Deadwood. From there, she went on the Bear Creek Farm, also in Deadwood, and met Wali. They homesteaded there, while raising their two daughters, Kachina and Noora. In 1984 they moved over to Winter Green Farm, to team up with Jack and MaryJo, raising medicinal herbs and wholesale crops to sell to the burgeoning Organically Grown Co., a local organic wholesale distributor. In 1991 they began the CSA, which Jabrila continued to manage until this year.
She put her heart and soul into growing and delivering the finest organic vegetables possible. Jabrila also made sure that we took care of those in need in the community, establishing the donated shares to Womenspace Transitional Program, so women and children of abuse would be sure to eat well while finding their footing in a safe community. She ran, and still will be involved when available, the Education Program on the farm, offering Field Trips on a sliding scale to schools and groups, so our children can visit a farm and see where their food comes from. Even though the farm kept her very busy, she found time to be involved in the schools and community. While we are all very happy for her new path and journey, she will be sorely missed in our day to day tasks on the farm. We wish her well and hope that all of her dreams come true. Jabrila would like to share her thoughts with you….
Dearest Friends,
“After so much rain it’s beginning to feel like spring. Tractor drivers have been busy, the greenhouse is emptying out to the fields, ready for planting. The crew has returned for another season and there are calves running around the pastures.
For 25 years I have been managing the propagation greenhouse and the CSA, or Community Farm, as we use to call it. Working with the crew in the fields and pack out, doing deliveries, planning, and guiding field trips have all been a huge part of my life. And now I’m moving on from this work to other adventures in life. I will stay living on the farm, as it is my home, and l imagine I might just have to go work with the crew at times, I will miss them.
I want to thank you all for being a part of the work. We grow your food and you help us
get food to people who otherwise would not. Through the Winter Green Farm financial assistance program, and contributions to Woman’s Space Transitional Program, we together have fed a lot of people and it truly makes a difference in their lives.
Thank you for supporting our educational program. Through the years we have had many, many schools and programs come to the farm on field trips. It is a joy and important to teach others where their food comes from, and share the connection with nature that teaches us ways of farming in balance with the earth.
With the farm in the very good hands of Chris and Shannon, I’ll move on to more time with my children and grandchildren, my garden and horses, and trips to the wilderness, which just makes me so full and happy.
I will be doing some advocacy work for the wild, wilderness and wildlife as they need voices to help in their protection. Also some work with Immigration issues, caring for our brothers and sisters.
Life is amazing and I am so thankful for the privilege of farming for nearly 40 years with so many wonderful people. Thank you all for being apart of it.”
See you around,
Jabrila
We hope you all have a wonderful week ahead, and of course, enjoy your veggies!
Linda and all of the Winter Green Farmers