2023 CSA Season Week Thirteen

August 29, 2023

Welcome to the end of August! We are so close to fall, and this week, we’re getting a hint of it. Do you like summer or fall more? I love the crisp, cool mornings of autumn, so I can’t wait, but I know there are a lot of people who love the heat. Whichever season you prefer, we hope you’re enjoying the last vestiges of summer.

Special Announcements

I am back in the country, so vacation requests and schedule changes will be processed for the remainder of the season. Please do remember we still require at least seven days’ notice to make any changes, as we do so much in advance. If you aren’t able to pick up your share, you can either take a credit to your account toward next season’s share, or donate your share to Food for Lane County.

We did have an issue with some strawberry pints going missing from a purchased flat last week, so I wanted to take a moment to offer a friendly reminder to only take food from your own share, and only take extras that you have purchased if they have your name on them. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to offer free extras at the pickup sites, so all flats or extras with the deliveries have been purchased in advance, and taking from a flat you didn’t pay for is stealing from another member. Our program works on the honor system, so we appreciate all of your cooperation and understanding on this sensitive matter.

September balance dues will be going out this week!

We’re getting closer to the end of the season, but we do still have quite a few accounts with outstanding payments. Emails for September payments will be going out this week, so if you receive one and believe you have already paid, please reach out to me at [email protected]. You’re welcome to pay online by logging into your website account, or by sending a check to Winter Green Farm.

Winter Green Farm

89762 Poodle Creek Road

Noti, OR 97461

Are you interested in Winter Green Farm’s Lamb shares?

All of our sheep are hair sheep, Katahdin and Katahdin Dorper crosses. Hair sheep shed their fleeces in the spring and they do not produce lanolin, which gives lamb its traditional musky flavor. Our lamb meat is milder than traditional lamb, tender and delicious. All of our flock is grass-fed and finished. This makes their meat high in omega fatty acids and since they are not given grain, their meat is healthier for you.

All of our lambs are born in February through the beginning of April, on pasture. This is one month later than traditional lambing season, however we believe the warmer longer days are easier on the lambs and it gives the mothers plenty of grass to grow strong healthy lambs. All of our lambs are left with their mothers and left to naturally wean. We find this less stressful on the youngsters and keeps them growing. We typically move our sheep every 3-5 days during the spring and summer months. This allows them to eat tender grasses and forbes that are higher in protein through the spring and summer months. During the fall and winter our sheep’s diet consists of certified organic hay grown on our farm, and is also supplemented with organic alfalfa.

All of our lambs are slaughtered on farm, which means you buy a live share of the animal. 4-star Meat Company in Eugene butchers our animals. They slaughter the animal on farm and then hang them for 7-10 days prior to cutting the animal. They will contact you for cutting instructions. An average hanging weight of one of our lambs is 50lbs. The cost is $6.50/lb. hanging weight plus the cut and wrap fee which is typically $100.00/animal. We do offer a discount for folks interested in more than one animal, which is $6.00/lb. hanging weight.

If you’re interested in purchasing a share of lamb this year, you can fill out the request form here.

The That’s My Farmer dinner is right around the corner!

The annual That’s My Farmer dinner will be on Monday, October 2, hosted at Party Downtown! Funds raised through That’s My Farmer go toward the low income fund, which helps your local farmers each year. Reservations are due by September 22. If you’re interested in signing up, please email me at [email protected] and I will send you the signup form. This is a separate entity, so I can answer basic questions, but most of the information will be on the form, or you can contact That’s My Farmer to answer your questions.

My trip in South Africa was amazing!

I’ve had quite a few people asking about my trip and hoping to see pictures, so I thought I’d share a few. We spent a couple weeks in Ingwelala, which is a nature preserve outside of Hoedspruit. We have family friends that own part of the reserve, so we were lucky enough to go on safari and see so many animals up close. We spent the majority of the time in the game viewer, driving around the many acres of property and seeing as many animals as we could. There was a lot of wind while we were there, so it drove some of the herds together to protect against the predators they could no longer smell or hear due to the weather, so the numbers we saw were amazing!

Some of the highlights:

We had a couple hyenas that liked to hang out in camp with us (yikes!). We came across zebra in droves, a huge breeding herd of elephants, tons of baboons running across the road, monkeys running along our fence, an African Wild Cat coming onto the patio to say hello, a swarm of banded mongoose that came into camp to see what they could find, and so many giraffes that were majestic as they surrounded us. On our second night, there was a male lion hanging out not six feet from us on the side of the road, and a few days later, he and his pride made a kill, so we got to see them up close for a full day. There wasn’t a single day we didn’t see an elephant, and in the evening, we went to see a hippo who liked to roll around in the water and essentially perform. It was an amazing vacation, and I have so many more pictures than I’m able to share! Thank you all who reached out and wished us the best!

What’s in your share this week:

  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Tomatoes
  • Lettuce
  • Collard Greens
  • Onion

Some sites only:

  • Strawberries
  • Peppers
  • Eggplant
  • Broccoli

We aren’t always able to harvest our veggies in equal share, but don’t worry! We’re keeping excellent notes. If we aren’t able to get you something this time, we’ll do our best to get them to you next time.

Handy Tips:

  • Peppers: Peppers will stay fresh in the hydrator drawer of your refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks. For the highest nutrition, eat peppers raw. Slice or dice them for pasta or green salads, thinly slice them for sandwiches, or cut them lengthwise for dipping. Add peppers to omelets, stir-fries, quiches, sauces, curries, and stews. Peppers taste great in Indian, Italian, Mexican, or Thai food, as well as any other ethnic dishes. Roasted peppers are especially tasty. Place peppers under the broiler until the skins have evenly blackened. Place the peppers in a brown bag, fold the top, and allow the peppers to steam for 10 to 15 minutes. When they’re cool, peel off the skins and add them to your recipe.

What We’re Making This Week:

  • Looking for a recipe to please your guests? This Mexican Layered Salad is a wonderful addition to your table.
  • Are you interested in an Italian dish with peppers at the forefront? Try this Peperonata recipe with sweet peppers!
  • We’re (finally!) heading into cooler weather, which means…you guessed it…soup! I’m so excited that I’m going to throw in this Potato and Broccoli Soup recipe even though we’re still (technically) in summer. Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite dish, especially with Winter Green veggies? Send us a picture or a recipe! We would love to share it with the rest of the group. We hope you’re all having a wonderful week and wrapping up the summer season in style.

Many blessings,

Chelsea and your Winter Green farmers