In Your Share This Week
- Cabbage, red
- Carrots
- Kale
- Onions, red
- Parsnips
- Radicchio
- Rutabagas
- Thyme
- Winter Squash, Butternut
- Winter Squash, Pumpkin
Crop Notes
Kale: This is a blend of kales sourced from Wild Garden Seed that is a genetic rainbow of Red Russian type kales that have historically done very well throughout the winter long after all the other kales have withered away from the cold. With the cold weather, we have seen the leaves all darken from plain green to a beautiful rich reddish-purple color. Enjoy!
Rutabaga: I always think of rutabaga as one of those weird looking vegetables (along with kohlrabi and celeriac) that are really tasty, but less common in our modern diets. An interesting aside is that in the British Isles, rutabagas have been the longstanding vegetable of choice for Halloween-time vegetable carving to ward of evil spirits. We grow a variety called ‘Joan’ that is thought to have originated in Russia or Scandinavia, and came to the United States by way of England around the early 1800’s. It has a nice mild flavor and good texture, just trim the top and the roots off before using…peeling is a matter of personal choice on this one!
Thyme: I love thyme on just about everything, especially in savory winter soups. We made little bundles for the share this week (which Rhiannon and Tabitha harvested and felt particularly satisfied with…thanks ladies!). While its a lot more thyme than you’ll need at once, its one of the easiest herbs to dry so you can have it around for as long as you need it. It generally dries out quite well just left out on the countertop, but you can also hang it upside down to dry it. To use, you can either strip the leaves off of the stem, or if you’re roasting/simmering/stewing just toss a whole sprig in and then fish it back out before serving.
Winter Squash, Pumpkin: These squash are a pie pumpkin- which means the flesh is a little drier and less stringy than a jack-o-lantern type. You can find lots of recipes on the internet involving ways to stuff and bake the squash whole, which makes for a great presentation (or sometimes a good Julia Child story moment in the event that the walls give way and soup goes all over your kitchen). You can also cube the pumpkin with skins and all for use in curry or soup.
All of us here at Sauvie Island Organics
wish you and your family a very Happy New Year
We look forward to nourishing you in 2016!
