2024 CSA Season Week Six

July 16, 2024

Can you believe it’s already week six?! We’re well into July, and the season is going strong. We have a beautiful box planned for you all this week, and we hope you’re just as excited as we are!

Special Announcements:

Our season is well under way, and for the most part, it’s all going smooth! I do want to touch on a couple house-keeping issues, just as a quick, friendly reminder as all of our schedules get busy. Please remember to check your name off the list, so we know you got your share! If your name is not on the list, please do not take a box. Give the farm a call or shoot me an email, and I’ll get back to you during our next business hours. Likewise, if you scheduled a double share to make up for a vacation box and there is not a note to take two boxes next to your name, please only take the one box. I try really hard to get all of the double shares on the schedule, but since it’s done manually, it can occasionally be missed. We do only pack for the names on the list, so please help us make sure everyone gets their share. We appreciate you all so much!

We have blueberries this week!

This year, we’ve partnered with Upriver Organics for the two weeks we’re offering blueberries! Upriver Organics is located up McKenzie Highway in Leaburg. They offer blueberries by the pint, as a u-pick, or even frozen! But that’s not all. Upriver Organics offers all sorts of veggies throughout the year, and has over 250 varieties of the 50 crops they offer. If you like their berries this week, you can find them at the Lane County Farmers’ Market in Eugene on Saturdays, or contact them directly through their website.

As of right now, we aren’t offering extra flats of blueberries through the CSA. If you’re looking for a flat of blueberries, please contact Upriver Organics directly. We DO hope to have strawberry flats later in the season!

Make sure you let us know in advance if you’re going on vacation!

We know the season is during the summer and we all like to go on vacation when it’s warm! We’re happy to accommodate you by either rescheduling your share, offering a double share the following week, issuing a credit for the 2024 season, or donating your share to Food for Lane County.  

(Please note: we are only able to make these changes with at least 7 days notice. If you pick up on Friday and want to change to Tuesday earlier that week, you’ll need to let me know 7 days before that TUESDAY, so we have time to make the changes.)  

Chris and Shannon harvesting onions

Give your site host a call if you can’t pick up your share that day! 

If you’re unable to pick up your share the day of delivery, you will need to contact your site host to see if they are able to hold it for you. Your site hosts are under no obligation to hold your shares! The pickup deadline for residential deliveries is 7:00pm. After that delivery window passes, the leftover shares will become theirs to either eat or give away. They do not come back to the farm, and we are unable to replace missed boxes. 

Please make sure you contact your site host if you’re unable to pick up your share on delivery day. Our office is usually closed or we’re out on the farm during those pickup windows, so we will not be able to help with missed pickups the day of delivery. 

Let the farm know as soon as possible if you miss a market box! 

If you pick up at the markets, missed shares do come back to the farm. However, we only hold them until the next packing day (Tuesday or Friday), so we’ll need to know by 10am the day before (Monday or Thursday) in order to send them to another site or hold them until your next delivery. Any boxes left after those deadlines get donated to Food for Lane County. 

Have you checked out our farmers’ markets lately?

Didn’t get everything you were hoping for in your CSA share this week? Come check out our farmers’ markets! Let the vendor know you’re a CSA member, and you’ll get 10% off your purchase! You can find us in Eugene on Wednesdays at the Eugene Farm Stand at 18th and Polk, and on Saturdays at the Lane County Farmers’ Market. In Portland, you can find us at the King Farmers’ Market on Sundays. We would love to see you!

Say hi to Kate at the Lane County Farmers’ Market!

Meet your farmers: Meet Kate!

The lovely Kate is our Market Harvest Manager here at the farm, though you might know her from the Lane County Farmers’ Market on Saturdays in Eugene! Kate has a great eye for photography, and you’ll see a lot of her pictures on our social media!

Fun facts about Kate:

  • Season on the farm: 4th!
  • Astrological Sign: Cancer
  • Favorite vegetable: Carrots
  • What she hopes to learn at the farm: Tractor driving

For fun, Kate loves to hike, to forage for mushrooms, and to hang out with her cow and her dog. The coolest places she’s ever been are the the Steens Mountain and Hart Mountain hot springs. They’re also two of her favorite places!

What’s in your box this week:

  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries
  • Onion
  • Collard Greens
  • Cauliflower
  • Napa Cabbage
  • Beets

Handy Tips:

  • Blueberries: Do NOT rinse blueberries before you’re ready to eat them. They have a natural coating that protects them from decay. They will keep well in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can freeze them on a cookie sheet and store them in Ziploc bags or sealable containers. Fresh or frozen berries can be used to make cakes, breads, and muffins, as well as added to yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream, and smoothies.
  • Strawberries: Rinse strawberries just before eating to clean off any grit that may still be on the berries from the field. To freeze them, spread them out on a cookie sheet and place them in the freezer. Once frozen, store them in a Ziploc bag or plastic container until ready to use.
  • Collard Greens: Just prior to use, swish Collard leaves in a basin of lukewarm water. After any grit has settled, lift leaves out carefully. Additional rounds of washing may be necessary.
    Store preferably unwashed, wrapped in a damp towel or plastic bag in hydrator drawer of refrigerator. Best used fresh, but may last for up to one week if properly stored. Keep moist.
    Collards can be cooked or eaten raw as a wrap for stir-fries and salads.
  • Cauliflower: Cauliflower is best eaten soon after it’s harvested, but it will keep for one to two weeks in the refrigerator if you wrap it loosely in plastic. Remove the outer leaves, rinse, and trim off any blemishes or brown spots. To cook florets, steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Overcooking will result in a strong odor and flavor. Stir-fry the florets with other veggies, add to Indian or Asian curries, top steamed heads with lemon and butter or parmesan cheese, or serve raw with dip.
  • Napa Cabbage: Napa Cabbage is cleverly packaged. Just stick dry, unwashed cabbage in the fridge. The outer leaves may eventually get floppy, but you can remove and discard them to reveal fresh, inner leaves. Cabbage can keep for a month, but once it’s cut, it needs to be stored in a plastic bag. Rinse the cabbage under cold running water just before use. Peel away outer leaves (if necessary) and cut cabbage in half through the stem end. Lay flat and quarter it, again through the stem end. Balance each section upright and slice away the triangular core exposed at the base. Then, chop, sliver, or grate the quarters. Use raw cabbage to make coleslaw or sauerkraut. Stir-fry or braise until slightly browned. Use steamed or boiled cabbage leaves to wrap rice or meat fillings.
  • Beets: To keep roots and greens fresh, remove the beet greens, wash and store in a refrigerated plastic bag. Store the unwashed roots in an unsealed plastic bag in your vegetable drawer. Beet roots will last up to two weeks; the greens will need to be used within a few days after harvesting. Beet greens are a delicious and healthy vegetable on their own. You can steam or saute them like spinach or use raw in salads. They are also great lightly stir-fried. Beets do not need to be peeled; just scrub them clean before using (there are many trace minerals just below the skin). Skins can be slipped off after cooking. Beets are delicious raw or cooked. Try them grated raw on sandwiches and salads. They can be steamed, roasted, or cooked in soup or stew.

What we’re making this week:

  • I don’t know about you, but the weeks we get blueberries are some of my favorite! Couple them with summer squash like this Blueberry Zucchini Bread, and it’s perfect!
  • Do you ever get the hankering for something different? This Kung Pao Cauliflower might just do the trick!
  • This Mediterranean dish with Napa Cabbage is called Shakshouka. Are you brave enough to try something new?

This summer is already going fast, but the good news is that will will bring plenty of delicious veggies your way! We are so excited to be tagging along on your food journey with you this year, and we can’t tell you how much we appreciate all of you!

Many blessings,

Chelsea and your Winter Green farmers