CSA Week #20: Oct 6-8 | Sauvie Island Organics

In Your Share This Week

Carrots, Shin Kuroda
Celeriac
Escarole/Radicchio
Kale, Rainbow & Red Russian
Leeks
Peppers, sweet mix
Potatoes, Yukon Gems
Winter Squash, Delicata

Crop Notes

Well folks, it is that time of year where we are firmly out of the summer season and settling into the Fall and Winter crops. This will be the last week of sweet peppers- the last remnants of summer…except for a very exciting late-season corn trial that looks to be pretty promising! Look forward to lots of earthy and savory flavors coming up, like shallots, leeks, potatoes, celery root, beets, carrots, and the like. We will also include head lettuce as the weather allows, as well as fresh greens like chicories, kale, chard, cabbage, mustards, and herbs like fennel and parsley.

Also, after 20 weeks of CSA shares…we’ve said lots of what we have to say about the items in the share! Do remember to keep storing your roots and greens in plastic bags in your refrigerator so they retain their moisture. Also, a reminder that potatoes turn green when exposed to sunlight…so be sure to keep them in a cupboard, drawer, box, or basement. And watch out when you go to the grocery store!!! I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve perused the produce section (admittedly a geeky hobby of mine) all over town and seen green potatoes on the display. Aside from looking odd, the green coloration is a signal that the potato is preparing to grow (the green is chlorophyll), but there’s also solanine- a compound that is very bitter and poisonous. Not anything dire, but it can cause gastrointestinal irritation, and if one were able to eat a *copious* amount of bitter potatoes. Small portions of green can be trimmed off. But enough about that…these Yukon Gems are great- mash ’em, boil ’em, fry ’em, steam ’em, roast ’em, bake ’em…its all great!

A Morning of Fun & Learning on the Farm

School is out on Friday, October 9th. Won’t you join the Sauvie Island Center for Family Fun on the Farm Day? This event will take place at our farm, Sauvie Island Organics and the grounds of Howell Territorial Park. The Sauvie Island Center staff will guide you and your family through an exploration of their curriculum, designed for elementary school-aged children, including:

Soil Exploration. Dig in and learn about healthy soil.
Seed to Harvest. Plant, tend and harvest the Grow Lunch Garden.
Healthy Snacks. Taste farm-fresh veggies that you can use to create yummy snacks.
Plant Parts Investigation. Explore the farm and plants we can eat.
Wildlife & Food web. Who else has been foraging on the farm?
Pollination Station. Meet these hard-working farm friends.

The event is free, but pre-registration is requested.

WHAT: Family Fun on the Farm

WHEN: Friday, 10/09 from 10 AM – Noon

WHERE: Sauvie Island Center
13901 NW Howell Park Road
Portland, OR 97231

Apples to Applesauce

Last week it was our pleasure to host a group of volunteers working with Apples to Applesauce , a non-profit who aims to reduce child hunger by turning excess produce that would otherwise be left in the fields into preserved goods that are then distributed to after-school programs and other non-profits. The volunteers waded through a field of beets that we were unable to weed at the right moment- bushwhacking through a rather tall stand of pigweed to glean the beets out from the under-story. Unfortunately, a commercial farm like ourselves cannot harvest such a crop in a financially viable manner, so we are ever grateful that volunteers were able to come extract several hundred pounds of usable food that will go to a good cause!

Meet Your Farmer

Berenice Vasquez

Hometown: Oaxaca, Mexico

Joined SIO Crew: 2010 Mayo. Berenice puede hacer todo de nuestra cosecha y lavada de verduras para la CSA. Antes de llegar en Sauvie Island Organics, ella ya habia hecho poco trabajo de finca alla dande crescia en Oaxaca, México en la finca de su familia. (May 2010. Berenice can harvest and wash all of our vegetables for CSA. Before coming to Sauvie Island Organics, she had already done some farm work at her family’s farm where she grew up in Oaxaca, Mexico.)

Favorite fruit/vegetable: La fruta favorita de Berenice es el durazno y la verdura es la lechuga de mantequilla verde. (Berenice’s favorite fruit is the peach and her favorite vegetable is Green Butterhead Lettuce.)

Favorite part of working on the farm: Le gusta trabajar aqui porque todo la gente trabaja unida y porque son respetuosos. (She loves to work at SIO because all of the people work together and are respectful of each other.)

What she does off the farm: Berenice esta con su familia en su tiempo libre–tiene esposo y una nina de ocho anos. La familia le gusta mucho ir al rio para pescar. (Berenice spends her free time off of the farm with her family–she has a husband and an eight year-old girl. Her family loves to go fishing on the river.)

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