2026 CSA Season Week Fourteen

September 8, 2026

Welcome to week fourteen of the 2026 CSA season! I hope you all had a nice Labor Day weekend and have been enjoying your CSA shares! We are grateful for the much needed rain we received the past few days. With the cool rainy days, some of the crops slowed down a bit (corn for example) but not to worry…we have sunshine and warm temps in the forecast this week so we expect to see the harvest pick up again.

We have a really beautiful CSA box for you this week and we hope you’re able to try some tasty new recipes.

Half Share – Group B members, this is your week!

As we get ready to say goodbye to the long summer days, are you excited for crisp autumn weather or do you hang onto the sunshine and warm weather as long as possible? Summer is my very favorite season, but I do really enjoy the autumn colors and flavors.

Upcoming Harvest Potluck 🍂🎃🍁

Save The Date ~ Sunday, October 18th (12-3pm)

We hope you can join us on the farm for our annual Harvest Potluck. Whether you’ve been a friend of the farm for several years or are new around here, we look forward to spending the afternoon with you as we celebrate the bountiful harvest together. All are welcome!

We’ll start the afternoon with a Potluck lunch at Noon.

  • Apple Cider Pressing
  • Autumn Walk on the farm
  • Pick out a Jack-O-Lantern

*More details to follow~please keep an eye on the weekly blog and email updates for more information.

Meet farmer Eli-

If you’ve spent much time out here on the farm, you’ve likely already seen or met Eli. This is Eli’s second year working at Winter Green farm and he’s currently an Assistant Harvest Manager. I sat down with Eli for a few minutes last week to listen to some of his story. I asked him how he came into farming and what piqued his interested in agriculture….

Eli says he always had a general interest in plants and animals, even as a young kid growing up in the Bay Area of California. After high school, he studied Political Science for a few years. He explained that while he enjoyed the coursework, overall, it just didn’t feel like a great fit for him. He was realizing he wanted to get out of the classroom and really needed some “hands on” experience in agriculture to decide if it was a field he’d truly want to pursue with his future. With this goal in mind, Eli dropped out of school and immediately began searching opportunities for internships or volunteer farm work. In his online searches, he learned about WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms). For most of 2024, Eli worked (through WWOOF) on several farms througout Oregon and Washington (*pictured below*).

In early 2025, Eli found Winter Green Farm on a list of partner farms with Oregon Farm Corps. Oregon Farm Corps helps to train and equip the next generation of farmers and ranchers through connections to farm apprentices at partner farms. Through this connection, Eli came to Winter Green Farm as an apprentice and worked on the harvest crew. This is his second year at Winter Green Farm.

I asked Eli what his future plans are and he shared that right now he’s working toward farm management. He may go back to school for a degree in agriculture. Eli would also really like to get more experience working with animals -he explained that the favorite farm he worked at while “WWOOFing” was a pig farm. While he doesn’t necessarily see himself becoming a farm business owner, he’s open to that possibility (just much further into his future).

Eli is very dedicated and has a vital role on the farm as the Assistant Harvest Manager. Reliable and focused, he takes pride in helping the harvest team stay organized and running efficiently, even during the busiest days of the season. In addition to supervising, Eli works right alongside our crew to harvest fresh crops and carefully pack CSA boxes. His dedication ensures our community and members receive beautiful, high-quality organic produce every single week. Thank you, Eli, for your hard work and commitment!

What’s in your box this week

  • Cilantro
  • Beets
  • Carrot
  • Cucumber
  • Onions
  • Summer Squash
  • Tomatoes (slicer)
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Lettuce
  • Green pepper

Some Sites Only:

  • Eggplant

*If we aren’t able to get something from the list to your site this week, don’t worry! We’re keeping great notes and we’ll be sure to get your site next time.

Handy Tips:

  • Cucumbers:  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.
  • Summer Squash: To store properly, keep the squash dry and unwashed. Then place in a perforated plastic bag or plastic/paper bag with one end of the bag open, and keep in the crisper drawer in your fridge. Ideal storage temperature is between 45-50 degrees.
  • Carrots: Cut or twist off all the greens from the carrots before storing them in the refrigerator. The greens will draw moisture out of the carrots causing them to become limp and they’ll add moisture to the surrounding space which could also lead to mold. Carrots 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.
  • 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.

What we’re making this week:

  • I made Beet Hash this weekend for Sunday brunch. It was delicious! I recommend garnishing with goat cheese and fresh herbs (like thyme). Let me know what you think.
  • T’hese Oven Roasted Garam Masala Carrots combine a blend of warming spices with bold flavors like ginger and garlic. Try making these as a side dish with oven roasted chicken thighs and white rice for a complete and satisfying meal.
  • The creamy, buttery sauce on this one make Cilantro Lime Chicken a reciple you’ll come back to regularly! Let me know if you try making it and what you think!
  • Stuffed Green Peppers are one of my favorite recipes to make. These are relatively simple to prepare and my kids all love them! You can make these with any color of bell pepper and get creative with the rice and filling. I like to add corn to the filling and I recommend serving these with avocado, lime and your favorite salsa or hot sauce. I hope you enjoy!

The Man Born To Farming

The grower of trees, the gardener, the man born to farming,
whose hands reach into the ground and sprout,
to him the soil is a divine drug. He enters into death
yearly, and comes back rejoicing. He has seen the light lie down
in the dung heap, and rise again in the corn.
His thought passes along the row ends like a mole.
What miraculous seed has he swallowed
that the unending sentence of his love flows out of his mouth
like a vine clinging in the sunlight, and like water
descending in the dark?

–Wendell E. Berry (1934-2026)

(Lane County Farmer’s Market)

Farmer’s Market Update this week!

We hope you’re able to come visit us at one of the Farmer’s Markets this week. We always have an abundance of beautiful produce for you to shop from at our markets.

*Eugene Farm Stand on Wednesdays – 2pm to 6pm. Our Wednesday Farm Stand is located at the Emmaus Lutheran Church (1250 W. 18th Ave) during the Standard Season. We look forward to seeing you there!

*Eugene– Lane County Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, 9am to 2pm (8th and Oak)

*Portland- We’ll be at the King Market on Sundays, 10am to 2pm.

We hope to see you at one of our Farmer’s Markets soon!

CSA Payments:

Here’s your friendly reminder from the farm office that September payments are due!

  • If you’re a CSA member making monthly payments, please submit those September payments, if you haven’t yet done so.
  • For members who are paying in two installments, quick reminder that your second payment was due on August 15th. Please get those payments sent at your earliest convenience, if you haven’t yet.

If you have any questions, need to reschedule a payment or are unable to make a payment, please reach out.  folks@wintergreenfarm.com.

We greatly appreciate you all! Thank you for your support.

Are you going on vacation?

If you’re going on vacation and need to reschedule a CSA pickup or site, just let us know! We’re happy to help make things easier if we can. We do our best to plan ahead as much as possible to avoid any last-minute mistakes, so if you need to change a pickup date or a site, please let us know at least 7 days in advance. 

If you do have to miss a scheduled box, we have a few options:

  • Reschedule for another week – for half share members, it’s easiest to reschedule for a week you wouldn’t normally pick up. For full share members, you can choose a week you will be available to take a double share.
  • Receive up to two vacation coupons that can be redeemed at any of our markets.
  • Donate your share to Food for Lane County.
  • Have a friend pick up your share while you’re gone – we actually don’t need to know about this one! As long as whoever is picking up your box checks off your name, treats the site and other members respectfully, and leaves the tote (just like you would!), you’re good to go!

We are happy to oblige with all of these options, just please make sure to let us know as soon as possible.

I truly appreciate your cooperation and communication so that we can stay organized and make sure everyone gets their CSA shares. Thank you so much!

Thank you for being part of our Winter Green family and for your continued support! I hope you enjoy the beautiful weather and have a wonderful week.

Many blessings,

Summer and your Winter Green farmers