2024 CSA Season Week Seventeen

October 1, 2024

We’ve made it to October! There’s just a few weeks left in the Standard Season, and we’re making every one of them count! We hope you’re all as excited for autumn crops as we are. We would love to see what you’re doing for the fall season!

Have you finalized everything on your account lately?

It’s October, which means it’s time for final monthly payments! October invoices went out a couple weeks back, and overdue invoices were sent out again last week. If you are a little behind on payments and have questions about catching up, please let me know as soon as possible so we don’t need to pause your shares. Now is the time to make sure there are no loose ends on your account!

Making sure your share is fully paid for helps support the farm and keeps our operations going smoothly. We appreciate each and every one of you!

We offer the following payment options for your convenience:

Check: We’re happy to accept checks for payment to avoid the credit card transaction fee. (We actually prefer it, as it saves us the fee too!) If you’d like to send post-dated checks so you don’t have to remember to make additional payments, you’re more than welcome to! We’ll lock them away in our safe, so they’ll always be secure.

While mailing a check is the most secure way to make sure we receive your payment, if you choose to pay at one of our markets, please make sure your payment is contained in a sealed envelope with your name and “CSA” clearly written on the front. Please do not leave a check at your pickup site.

Credit Card: We’re happy to offer online payment options through our website, wintergreenfarm.com. After logging into your account, you can find your invoice in the “Orders” tab. When you check out, you can choose any of the payment plan options mentioned above. There is a credit card transaction fee of a little over 3%, as that’s what we get charged to process online payments. (This fee is added to all online payments, so if you’re paying by check, please feel free to subtract the fee from the total.)

Please note that we are unable to take any credit card payments over the phone, as we’re no longer set up to do so. Thank you for understanding!

Cash: While cash is definitely the least secure way to pay, we are happy to accept cash as payment for your share. If you choose to pay cash, please make sure to contain it in a sealed envelope with your name and “CSA” clearly written on the front if you pay at a market, or included in a note or letter if you send it by mail. Please do not leave cash or payment of any kind at your pickup site.

You can mail checks to:

Winter Green Farm 89762 Poodle Creek Road

Noti, OR 97461

If you are in need of financial assistance to help with your share, please contact the farm at folks@wintergreenfarm.com.

There’s only a few more weeks at the Eugene Farm Stand!

Have you checked out our farm stand at the Emmaus Church in Eugene on Wednesdays? If you haven’t, you still have time! You can find us on 18th and Polk from 2pm to 6pm, where we will be showing off our autumn crop for your dining pleasure! Say hello to Shannon and Sarah (sometimes even Chris!) and check out what the Eugene Farm Stand has to offer. But hurry! We’re only there for three more weeks!

Come see us at the farm for the Harvest Potluck!

On Saturday, October 19th, come out to the farm and meet your Winter Green farmers! We’ll have pumpkins, apple cider, farm tours, and a scavenger hunt for the kiddos. Bring your favorite dish, and come out and say hello! Bring the family, tell your friends, and come have fun! It’s an open house, so you don’t have to be a CSA member to come out and see us!

We’ll be here rain or shine, so if it looks like rain, bring coats, boots, and umbrellas because it can get wet and muddy! 

Winter Green Farm Harvest Potluck
89762 Poodle Creek Road
Noti, OR 97461

Saturday, October 19, 2024
12pm to 4pm in the afternoon


We are so excited to show you around!

Not ready to be done with Winter Green veggies? Join us for the Extended Season!

As most of you know, the Standard Season goes through mid-October, but that doesn’t mean our CSA season is done! For the last five weeks, we switch to the Extended Season, and we fill the shares with as many root veggies, greens, squash, pears, and apples (and more!) as we can. The Extended Season will continue until the week before Thanksgiving, and man, oh, man do we fill those boxes up! If you’d like to join us for the gorgeous autumn bounty, we still have spots available!

Please note, all deliveries switch to Friday-Saturday-Sunday for the Extended Season, and will begin a full week after the Standard Season ends. If you’re in Eugene, all residential sites will switch to Friday, but the Lane County Farmers’ Market will remain the same on Saturday. The Eugene Farm Stand will close after October 16, and those Extended Season pickups will switch to a Friday residential site, the LCFM, or out here at the farm. For those in Portland, all Extended Season pickups will be at the King Market on Sundays, so the last day for residential sites in Portland will be October 16th. If you pickup on the coast, Florence and Mapleton sites will remain the same, though unfortunately, we aren’t able to offer the Extended Season for the Coos Bay or Reedsport sites.

If you have any questions about the Extended Season, or you’d like to join us, shoot me an email at folks@wintergreenfarm.com, and we’ll get you set up!

We have pears again this week!

We’ve partnered with the wonderful people at Mt. Hood Organic Farms to provide you with pears , and then apples, over these last four weeks of the Standard 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!

What’s in your box this week:

  • Lettuce
  • Kale
  • Celeriac
  • Carrots
  • Peppers
  • Delicata Squash
  • Onions
  • Pears

Handy Tips:

  • Celeriac: Celeriac will store for up to a month in your refrigerator in a plastic bag. When ready to use, slice off the green stalks at the root crown. Then soak the root in warm water to loosen the earth between the roots and scrub well with a brush. Peel the skin off the roots before preparing (top and peeled portions are a tasty addition to soup stocks). Try celeriac raw, grated into salads, or in any recipe that calls for celery. Celeriac can also be boiled or steamed. Peel, slice, and boil celeriac for 5 to 10 minutes or boil whole for 20 to 30 minutes. Mash and top with butter. It tastes incredible with potatoes!
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Pears: Pears are best enjoyed within a few days of becoming ripe. Fresh pears will ripen from the inside out, so if your pears are soft on the outside, you may have waited too long. Store unripe pears at room temperature until they ripen. You can store them next to bananas or avocados or in a paper bag to ripen them faster. Ripe pears can be stored in the refrigerator at 35 to 45 degrees. You can also freeze or dry your pears to enjoy them after the season ends.

What We’re Making This Week:

Whether you’re gearing up for the harvest, celebrating Samhain, or decorating for Halloween, we hope your October brings you fun memories and lots of delicious food!

Many blessings,

Chelsea and your Winter Green farmers