2021 CSA Season Week Eighteen

October 5, 2021

Welcome to Week Eighteen of the 2021 CSA season! We’re getting closer to the end with only next week left of the Standard Season, and we can’t thank you enough for bringing us along on your food journey this year. We hope you’ve enjoyed the veggies as much as we have, and you’ve made some delicious meals to share with your loved ones over the last several weeks.

Special Announcements:

There’s only one week left of the Standard Season! For those signed up for the Late Season or our 12-week Half-Share program, you will continue on through the middle of November, but for the rest, we’re excited to send out as many veggies as we can harvest for you in these last two boxes. Our Wednesday farm stand in Eugene will also end next Wednesday, October 13, so if you like to shop there, come say hello to Shannon and get what you need. If you can’t make it, don’t worry! We’ll still be at the weekend farmers markets. On Saturdays in Eugene, you can find us at the Lane County Farmer’s Market into November. Or, if you’re in Portland, you can find us at the Hollywood Market on Saturdays and the King’s Market on Sundays. Don’t forget to return your boxes!

Payment statements have gone out over the last two weeks for those that haven’t made arrangements to settle up their accounts. Though I’ve heard from many of you, if you’re one we still haven’t received payment from or made arrangements with, your deliveries may be suspended until we have. If your name is not on the list this week and you think it should be, please reach out to the farm either by email ([email protected]) or by phone (541-935-1920) to make arrangements and get your deliveries back on track.

Balance statements will also be going out this week for any monthly payment arrangements that haven’t been settled. Many of the final payments will be processed October 1, but we will be notifying those we don’t already have payment for so you can make arrangements. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we sort through the remaining financial knots this season. We appreciate it.

The 2021 CSA Late Season is coming right up! For those of you continuing on with us into November, please note that deliveries will be cut down to once a week. If you’re currently a Tuesday or Wednesday delivery and aren’t sure what your new delivery day or site will be, please reach out to me here at the farm and I’ll be happy to get you sorted out. For those of you that aren’t signed up for the Late Share this year, but want to be, keep it in mind for next season! We’ll be letting you know when signups for the 2022 CSA season will be available around the first of the year, so don’t delete the newsletters after the season ends!

We’re at the end of the season, and most of us have gotten into the habit of picking up their shares on time. But we’re still getting a handful each week that forget or miss their pickup for one reason or another. Please remember that if you pick up at a residential site, you’ll need to get your share before that pickup window expires, typically at 7:00pm. After that deadline, the share is forfeited and is open to the site host to either be claimed or donated. Our site hosts are all volunteers and have graciously donated their porches and driveways, so we ask that you please respect the pickup windows. If you know you won’t be able to pick up your share on time, give your site host a call before the pickup window expires to see if you can make arrangements.

If you pickup at a market and miss your pickup, you can call your site host the day of to make arrangements, or give the farm a call the next business day to get it rerouted. Please keep in mind, for market or farm shares, we only hold missed boxes until the next packing day (Tuesday or Friday) so get ahold of us as quickly as possible, or we might not be able to get you your box.

If you’re going on vacation, please let us know as soon as you can! You can fill out a vacation request form on our website to make arrangements to either take a credit that week toward the 2022 CSA season, or to give your box as a tax-deductible donation to Food for Lane County. Please keep in mind that we do require 7 days notice to make these changes.

We have apples!

We’ve partnered with Mt. Hood Organic Farms to bring you apples these next two weeks! Mt. Hood Organic Farms is located at the base of Mt. Hood in the Upper Hood River Valley. They’ve been around since the turn of the century, and their gorgeous grounds are perfect for both growing fruit and hosting beautiful wedding venues. Their pear and apple orchards boast near one hundred different varieties, and we’re so thrilled we get to offer you a taste of their magnificent, organic, biodynamic produce. If you’d like to know more, visit their website to learn more about their awesome operation!

Don’t forget your pumpkins!

As a treat for our CSA members, we’re offering the chance to pick up a pumpkin here at the farm. They will be on a first come, first serve basis, so don’t wait! While we aren’t limiting the number of pumpkins you’re allowed to take, please do be courteous to other members and try not to take more than your share. However, we do want to make sure the kiddos get their pumpkins, so if you have more than one child who wants a jack-o-lantern this year, please let them each choose one! The pumpkins are in the field below the barns (next to the sheep, in front of the greenhouse area), and you’re welcome to come out to pick one up any day, any time before dark.

What’s going on at the farm:

The boxes over the next two weeks or so will be very fall-ish! We’re working hard to harvest all the root vegetables we can get out of the ground so we can replant those fields with grass for the cows before the weather turns too cold to do so. We’re hoping Mother Nature decides to cooperate!

On a side-note, AC decided I was an honorary farmer instead of just a writer for joining the crew while they packed the potatoes last week. I’m not sure I’m qualified for that yet, but I’ll take what I can get! This crew really is filled with amazing people to work with. Our 2021 harvest crew will be hard to beat. Hopefully we’ll see them all next year!

Photo of woman taken by Agung Pratamah.

“Much rain in October, much wind in December.”

“A warm October means a cold February.”

-October proverbs

This is the time of year when the leaves begin to change and the earth shows us just how beautiful it is to let go. It’s time to plant your pumpkins for next Halloween, and is the perfect time to plant garlic or flower bulbs for the following spring. On October 8, look to the sky around nightfall and early evening, and you’ll be able to view the Draconid Meteor Shower. It will be in the north, just above the Big Dipper, which sits in the northwest. You’ll want to catch this one quick though, as its show will be short-lived. Then, on October 11, we will observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day to celebrate the history and cultures of the native tribes of America, in lieu of Columbus Day.

Just for fun, other fun holidays in the month of October include:

  • October 4 – International Ships-in-Bottles Day
  • October 6 – National Noodle Day
  • October 9 – Leif Eriksson Day (Viking explorer who “discovered” the Americas 1,000 years ago)
  • October 16 – National Fossil Day
  • October 24 – United Nations Day
  • October 24-November 11 – World Origami Days
  • October 25 – Frankenstein Friday
  • October 31 – Halloween (also called All Hallows’ Eve or Samhain)

What’s in your box this week:

  • Yellow finn potatoes
  • Apples
  • Turnips
  • Cauliflower
  • Acorn Squash
  • Delicata Squash
  • Parsnips
  • Carrots
  • Leeks
  • Onion
  • Peppers
  • Tomatoes

Some sites only:

  • Eggplant

We aren’t always able to harvest our veggies in equal share, but I promise, we’re doing our best! We’re keeping detailed notes for each delivery, and working hard to make sure we get you all the veggies we promised this season. If you don’t get something this time and your site hasn’t reached its number, we’ll do our best to get you next time.

Handy Tips:

  • Apples: Apples are an incredibly versatile fruit. They can be eaten plain, made into juice or sauce, or turned into ciders, vinegars, or alcohols. They can be dried and saved for later, or baked into your favorite treats. Apples can be stored at room temperature for a short amount of time, but check on them frequently to make sure they haven’t begun to rot. For the best results, sprinkle your apples with water, place them in a perforated plastic bag, and then store them in the coldest part of your refrigerator. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.
  • Parsnips: Parsnips will store well for several weeks, unwashed in a plastic bag in your refrigerator. When you’re ready to use them, scrub them under running water (no need to peel). Parsnips have a naturally sweet flavor that is brought out by roasting. Parsnips taste wonderful in curries with ginger or you can try them in soups and stew with squash. Try adding sage, leeks, onions, or greens to accent the sugars. Grate them raw into salads or mix with potatoes for pancakes or hash browns. For a delicious snack, try parsnips cut into sticks and fried like French Fries in olive oil until golden. Add a pinch of salt or soy sauce for flavor. Or you can bake the sticks at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet until tender-firm. Parsnips are delicious cut into chunks and baked with other root vegetables, or basted around a roast. Boil or steam, then top with butter or mash like potatoes.

What we’re making:

  • Chris swears by these yellow finn potatoes, and says they’re just like Yukon Golds (maybe better?). Why not give this Yellow Finn Potato Poutine a try?
  • I can’t tell you how excited I am for apples this week. Especially because that means I can make this Easy Cinnamon Apple Crisp!
  • There are many soups you can try this fall, so why not give this Cauliflower Soup a go?
  • Tomatoes have been plentiful this year, and we’ve given you a lot of them. If you’re wondering what to do with the tomatoes you’ll get this week, why not try this Tomato Chicken?

One of our members made these delicious treats. Here’s what she said:

“The first one is a lovely delicata soup. I roasted the seeds from the squash for garnish with a mildly spicy rub!  Here is the recipe I used: https://themovementmenu.com/the-best-delicata-squash-soup/.


The second is a recipe I’ve been playing around with for about 2 years now. I usually substitute 2/3 of the flour with things like lentil flour and flax meal. I also use partial palm flour sometimes. I substituted Winter Green Farm zucchinis for the banana’s earlier this summer and this version is half bananas and half roasted delicata! Here is the recipe I’ve been playing with: https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/chocolate-tahini-banana-bread.”

What are you making? Send us an email at [email protected] or tag us on social media, and you might see it on the blog! You can find us on Instagram (@wintergreenfarm.com) or Facebook (Winter Green Farm). We’d love to see what you’re making!

Fall is in full force these last few weeks, with sun, rain, and everything in between. In true Oregon fashion, you need a coat in the morning, then a t-shirt in the afternoon, but our veggies are loving the change. We hope you’re enjoying the changing seasons as much as we are and making as many delicious meals as you can.

Many blessings,

Chelsea, Linda, and your Winter Green farmers