CSA Week #10

• Lettuce
• Carrots
• Zucchini
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Strawberies
• New potatoes
• Cucumbers

Some sites only:

• Eggplant
• Peppers
• Green beans

Veggie Storage and Preparation Tips:

PEPPERS: Some of you will be getting peppers in your box this week, and don’t worry, for those of you who didn’t get them, you will be getting them within the next few weeks, as the plants are just now beginning to ripen. The variety is called “Tollis” and it is a sweet open-pollinated pepper that will turn red if you set it aside on your counter in a paper bag for a few days. (We recommend doing this, as they get a little sweeter)

NEW POTATOES: New Potatoes have not been in the ground long enough for their skins to cure, so they are very fragile. You will get a mixed bag with the varieties “Colorado Rose” and “German butterball” We did wash your potatoes for you, so you will need to keep them in the refrigerator and be sure to eat them soon. No need to peel them, as many of the nutrients are close to the skin.

New Potatoes are can be prepared in a number of ways. You can boil or steam them, roast them with other root veggies, or sauté them with some onions for breakfast home fries.

GREEN BEANS: Fresh green beans taste best when eaten soon after harvesting.  They will stay fresh for up to one week refrigerated in a plastic bag.

Remove stem end and cook whole; beans will retain more nutrients if un-cut. To cook beans, simmer in boiling water for 5-10 minutes.  Watch for the beans to brighten in color and become tender but not soft.  Cook less for chilled bean salads to maintain crispness.

Green beans taste incredible when served with simple ingredients.  Try them with a little lemon, butter, salt and pepper or with onion in warm dill vinaigrette.  For an unusual flavor, serve them with green onions, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

Recipes!

CSA member Vjera Thompson sent in this recipe. She wrote, “I substituted grated carrots and squash for the corn and tomatoes and it was still really good!  I also increased the lemon juice to up the zip a bit.  It’s also good cold with everything mixed together.”  It sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it myself, thanks for the recipe Vjera!

Warm Quinoa Salad with Herb Green Sauce from ohsheglows.com

Here’s some more recipe ideas:

Dilled Potato and Pickled Cucumber Salad from smittenkitchen.com 

Broccoli Pesto & Fusilli Pasta from 101cookbooks.com

Meet Your Farmer!

This week I would like to re-introduce you to Winter Green Farm’s CSA office coordinator Linda Davies! I’m sure many of you have had the pleasure of speaking with Linda when you call the office and know first-hand what a positive, helpful, and overall wonderful woman we have as the voice of our CSA. 

Linda was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Arizona when she was six, then back to New York when she was thirteen. Linda has been working on the farm for nine seasons now! Before she came to us she was a server at Café Zenon in Eugene. She keeps track of so much information on a day-to-day basis here at the farm it’s incredible.  She takes care of all your CSA needs as well as marketing the CSA and getting the word out about all our programs, as well as holding responsibilities in other areas of the farm, like our grass-fed beef, pesto, farm supply ordering and organization, and much more!

 She is incredibly reliable, an efficient multi-tasker, well organized, and she maintains a genuine positive attitude all day long with everyone she speaks with (I have had the honor of sharing an office space with her these past few years so all of these are first-hand observations!)

I also have the pleasure of calling her my mother-in-law and I’m excited to share with you how she answered the questions in our “Meet Your Farmer” questionnaire, so you can all get to know this lady better!

What are your hobbies/interests?

Gardening! I discovered a passion for growing things, flowers and food, when I moved to Oregon. I love the magic of watching a seed go into the earth and unfold into a plant or flower. I love being outside tending the earth.  I also love to do crafts, sew, tend the bees and create herbal medicines. I enjoy time walking on the beach and love to play games with friends. My new favorite pastime is playing with my first grandbaby Ella Mae.

What is your favorite vegetable and your favorite way to prepare it?

It’s hard to choose! I love to eat Sungold tomatoes and snap peas fresh off the vine. I love fresh carrots and berries of all kinds and Beets! Steamed and tossed with Feta and hazelnuts.

What is a dream or aspiration of yours?

To have my own business, possibly running a retreat or small B&B and to grow more herbs and create remedies or sell herb starts. I would like to do more traveling.

If you could meet anyone from the past or present who would it be?

Again, hard to choose! I would love to spend time with Ina May Gaskin from The Farm in Tennessee. I would love to gather with Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi and hear all their truths first hand. It would be great to see Bob Marley perform live, and it would be great to see my mom again!

Read any good books lately? What are you reading right now?

I read The Healing by Jonathan Odell and the new Barbara Kingsolver called Flight Behavior. I am about to read The Biology of Belief, recommended by my friend Lucas.

Who is someone who has inspired you in your life?

My mother. No matter how hard our lives got she always tried to find the bright side and a way to laugh. Also my children. Watching them learn and grow and try new things inspired me to do the same.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Thailand, Hawaii, Italy, Greece, San Blas Islands, Iceland….

Anything else you wish to share with the world? (You have an audience!)

You’ve got to live it…or live with it! Hugs and laughter, universal language and some of the best remedies.