2022 CSA Season Week Twenty-One

October 28, 2022

Welcome to Week Twenty-One of the 2022 CSA Season! We are so excited to have you with us for the Extended Season this year. We’ve made it to Week Two! The rain is coming out to greet us this week, and we hope you’re all staying warm and dry, spending time with you’re loved ones, and cooking up some delicious meals!

Special Announcements:

Yesterday, my brain was on autopilot, trying to finish up all the last-minute details for the Extended Season, and I sent the estimate email to everybody. Half Share members, I’m so sorry for the confusion! You do not have a pickup this week, but you will have one next week! If you need another schedule, shoot me an email at [email protected] and I’ll get you another one. If you’re ever wondering, regularly scheduled half-share deliveries on on the even weeks in the Extended Season (Weeks 20, 22, and 24). If I accidentally go on autopilot again for Week 23, you’ll know it’s my error, not yours!

Let me know about vacation and site changes!

Are you going on vacation or unable to pick up your share in the next couple weeks? Let me know as soon as you know! We do still require a full week’s notice to make changes. With the season coming to a close in the next few weeks, there isn’t a lot of time left. We want to help you make sure you get your veggies! You can fill out a vacation request or send me an email and I will adjust your account.

If you picked up at the Eugene Farm Stand during the Standard Season and have not responded to my Extended Season email with a new pickup site, your shares will be delivered to the Lane County Farmers’ Market on Saturday. If you would like to change that site for Week 22, please let me know by end of day on Monday, October 31.

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to see us last weekend!

Our Harvest Potluck this year was wet and rainy, but boy did we have fun! We had hay rides, face painting, pumpkins, and lots of good food! We can’t tell you how much we appreciate everyone who came out. It was wonderful to meet those I haven’t met, and great to see those I have! We hope to see you all again next spring for our 2023 Season Celebration!

Happy 50th Birthday, Chris!

A wonderful Happy Birthday to Chris, our fearless leader! He turned 50 this week! Chris first started at Winter Green Farm in 1995 when the farm was owned the Vias and the Grays. A few years later, in 1999, he met his future-wife, Shannon, on the farm, and the two married in 2003. These days, Chris and Shannon live and work on Winter Green Farm, which they purchased a few years ago. Along with their two boys, Alden and Porter, Chris and Shannon run the farm, raise sheep, and spend their time growing vegetables for all of you! We are so excited to wish Chris a Happy Birthday this week, and we hope there are many more wonderful years to come!

These are the Last Pears of the Season!

We’ve partnered with the wonderful people at Mt. Hood Organic Farms to provide you with pears , and then apples, over these next five weeks of the Extended CSA Season. 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!

Happy All Hallows Eve!

This Monday is Halloween, and we’re all familiar with the costumed tiny humans roaming about, asking us all for candy. If you’re like me, you’ll get to be out in the rain this weekend, laughing right along with them to the cheery sounds of “Trick or Treat!” But did you know that Halloween is actually dIerived from the Pagan holiday Samhain (pronounced SOW-wen)? Samhain was originally a Celtic fire festival that celebrated the end of the harvest and the beginning of the “dark half” of the year. The ancient Celts believed the veil between the worlds was thinnest during Samhain, and the spirits on the other side were free to walk the earth. This day, later to be called All Hallow’s Eve and then Halloween, was said to be good for communing with the dead and divining the future, but it could be dangerous, too. Malevolent spirits could come through the veil and damage the crops, so one did their best not to anger the spirits. Turnips and pumpkins would be hollowed out to warn away evil spirits and protect those who dwelled inside the houses (sound familiar?) The holiday was celebrated by festivals and feasts complete with huge bonfires to mark the event.

The day after Halloween, on November 1, is considered in many cultures and religions to be the Day of the Dead. The Catholics call the day All Saints’ Day, but for many hispanic cultures, and Mexican culture in particular, the day after the veil is lifted between the worlds in referred to as el Dia de los Muertos. In these cultures, the holiday is used to welcome the souls of their families back for a brief reunion. Many would go to their loved ones’ graves or set up an offering at home, where they would have food, drink, and celebrate the time they can connect with those they have lost. The offerings have photos of the dead, as well as their favorite food or drink, candles, and calacas or calaveras, what many english-speaking cultures know as “sugar skulls.” It is said the gates of Heaven open at midnight on October 31 and remain open for twenty-four hours. The bright petals of the marigold flower act as a guide and a bridge between the living and the dead who traverse beyond the veil.

No matter how you celebrate, we wish you all a great holiday!

Interested in joining us for the 2023 CSA Season?

We are making a list of current CSA members who would like to join us for the 2023 season! If you’re interested, send me an email or reply to this newsletter to let me know and I’ll add you to the list. If you would like to change your share type or delivery site for next year, please note that in the email, otherwise I will go ahead and reserve your spot for the same share as this year. More information will go out after this season, and then again after the new year as next season gets closer.

Still on the fence? Keep an eye on your email! I’ll continue to send out the weekly newsletter through this season and into the off season, which will contain information you’ll need to know regarding next season. We would love to have you with us again next year!

What’s in Your Box This Week:

  • Delicata squash
  • Green cabbage
  • Leeks
  • Carrots
  • Purple-top Turnips
  • Cauliflower
  • Pak Choi
  • Pears
  • Kale

We weren’t able to harvest the Romanesco this week, but we should have some for you by the end of the season (fingers crossed!).

What We’re Making This Week:

  • Leeks can be substituted in just about any recipe that calls for onions, but this Buttery Sauteed Leek with Bacon recipe showcases them on purpose, in all their glory.

What Are You Making?

Last weekend, I made this Rustic Onion Tart with Apple and Gruyere Cheese for the potluck, and it actually turned out delicious! I was a little skeptical about mixing onions with apples, but it worked out well! What are you making? Send me a picture and you might see it on the blog or our social media! We would love to see what you’re cooking up!

We’ve only got three weeks left in the season, and we hope you’re all enjoying autumn as much as we are! We’re so grateful to be able to tag along on this food journey with you this year, and we can’t wait for you to enjoy all your Winter Green veggies this weekend!

Many blessings,

Chelsea and your Winter Green farmers