2024 CSA Season Week Fifteen

September 17, 2024

Welcome to Week Fifteen and the last few official days of summer! We hope you’ve been enjoying this season as much as we have. We’re working hard here at the farm as we transition from summer to autumn crops, and we can’t wait to share them with you.

Our strawberries are officially done for the season!

Over the last few weeks, we’ve asked our CSA members to let us know if they’re interested in strawberry flats, and we’ve officially sold all the flats we will have for the season! Thank you to everyone who purchased one. We appreciate your patience this season as we tried to navigate the finicky Oregon weather.

A note to all members:

A huge thank you to all our members who have respected the purchases of your fellow members this season! We did have an incident last week of a strawberry pint being pilfered from someone’s flat, but we’re hoping we won’t have any trouble this week. Please help us be able to offer extras when we have them by only taking your own share and any flats or extras that have your name on them. Remember, we will NEVER have extras at the sites that are for everybody to take. Any extras we are able to offer to everybody will be included in your share. Our CSA operates on the honor system, and we are so grateful to all of you for helping us keep the season going!

Chris, Porter, and Alden on the carrot harvester

What’s Going on at the Farm:

The Overbaugh boys were hard at work this weekend, harvesting over 20,000 lbs. of carrots! They spent all day out on the tractors before moving to the barrel washer to get them all cleaned up and ready for the shares and the markets.

The rest of our crew is working hard to transition into our autumn crops, and you’ll notice the the acorn squash in your shares this week! Yes, the corn, strawberries, and tomatoes are phasing out, but winter squash, root veggies, as well as pears and apples from Mt. Hood Organics are right around the corner!

The Extended Season is right around the corner!

For those of you on the Extended Season program (either 24 weeks or 12 weeks), keep an eye on your emails in the next week or so. The Standard Season ends the week of October 14, and the following week, the Extended Season begins! All Portland shares will shift to Sundays at the King Market, and Eugene shares will shift to a Friday residential site or Saturdays at the Lane County Farmers’ Market. I will be sending out emails with updated delivery schedules and pickup info, and at that time, we’ll touch base about where you would like to pickup your share for the last five weeks of the Extended Season. We hope you’re as excited as we are for the rest of the season!

For everybody, we’re sending out account statements for some of our members that are overdue, and October statements for monthly payment plans will go out this week as well. If you have an issue with making a payment that we should know about, shoot me an email! We want to make this season as enjoyable as possible for everyone, and we do still have some Financial Assistance available for those in need. We’re also happy to set you up on a payment plan if you need it. You can reach me by email at folks@wintergreenfarm.com or by phone at 541-935-1920 during business hours.

What’s in your box this week:

  • Carrots
  • Potatoes
  • Leeks
  • Cucumbers
  • Cilantro
  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • Peppers
  • Acorn Squash

Luckily, we’ll be able to get everything to everyone for our Tuesday/Wednesday delivery!

Handy Tips:

  • Carrots: Cut or twist carrot tops off before storing in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. They will keep for several weeks. Clean the carrots well before eating by scrubbing with a vegetable brush under running water. Do not peel unless the carrots are damaged, as much of the nutrients are very close to the skin. Eat carrots raw in sticks, rounds, julienned, or grated. You can also add slices or chunks to soups, stews, or casseroles. Carrots are also delicious lightly steamed or sautéed, and garnished with butter or olive oil and fresh herbs. Try them grated with oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  • Leeks: Place dry, unwashed leeks in a plastic bag and store them in a drawer of your refrigerator. Leeks will store well for up to two weeks.To clean leeks for cooking, trim the roots, remove the green tops (which can be used in soup stock) and peel off the outer leaf layer, removing any hidden dirt. Cut leeks in half lengthwise and chop. Most recipes only use the white portion. Leeks can be substituted for any recipe calling for onions. They develop the best flavor when cooked or sautéed slowly.
  • Cucumber: Cucumbers are best when eaten fresh, but they will keep for up to a week in a drawer of your refrigerator. Cut or peeled cucumbers will stay fresh for only a few days. Wash your cucumbers well before using. Peeling is optional for organic cucumbers. Try peeling the skins in alternating strips for a decorative effect. You can cut them into spears and serve them with dip, put the slices on sandwiches, or marinate the slices for cold cucumber salad.
  • 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.
  • Tomatoes: Do not refrigerate tomatoes! You can place them out of the sun at room temperature. Some of our tomatoes are a day or two from being fully ripe, but will be perfect with a little patience. To remove tomato skins, place the whole tomato in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, dip in cold water, and remove skins. Tomatoes can be frozen whole. Core tomatoes, then place them on a cookie sheet, and freeze them. When they’re solid, place them in a freezer bag and replace them in the freezer. Remove as many tomatoes as you need at the time. Thawed tomatoes are good for cooking and pureed dishes. Salsas, sauces, and purees also freeze well.
  • Winter Squash: Store winter squash in a cool, dry, dark place with good ventilation. They should keep for up to a month or more, depending on the variety. You can also incorporate winter quash into a beautiful arrangement for your fall table. They won’t keep quite as long at room temperature, but if they are sitting on your table, you might be inspired to eat them quickly. Once squash has been cut, you can wrap the pieces in plastic and store them in the refrigerator for five to seven days. To bake winter squash, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and pulp, then place the halves on a baking dish filled with a half-inch of water, cut-side down. You can also bake without the water, just lightly grease a baking sheet or use parchment paper. Bake squash at 350 degrees until halves are completely soft and just starting to collapse. This could take 45 minutes to an hour, sometimes more, depending on the size of the squash. Remove squash from the oven, fill with butter, seasoning, or filling, and serve them in the shell. Winter squash can also be substituted in baked goods. Try using it instead of pumpkin or sweet potatoes in dessert recipes. While the oven is hot, try roasting the seeds after mixing them with a little oil and seasoning of your choice.

What we’re making this week:

  • I love when potatoes show up in our shares, and one of my favorite potato recipes is for Hasselback Potatoes!

No matter how you choose to celebrate the changing season, we hope you all do it with good food, good laughs, and good company this week. We are so grateful to be able to tag along on this food journey with you this year.

Many blessings,

Chelsea and your Winter Green farmers