In Your Share This Week
- Cabbage, Savoy
- Carrots, Boleros
- Beets, Chioggia
- Kohlrabi, Azur Star
- Lettuce
- Onions, Yellow Storage
- Pie Pumpkin
Crop Notes
Beets, Chioggia: We had a wonderful bounty of our Italian heirloom Chioggia beets, so we’re excited to feature these festive beets in the share. You’ll see that they have a nice bright pink skin, and stunning pink and white rings on the interior. The vibrancy fades when cooked or canned (the canning lesson I learned the hard way- good flavor but rather visually unappealing). Use them the same way you would a red beet…but they wont stain everything in sight like a red beet will.
Cabbage, Savoy: We increased the spacing of our cabbages in the field, and have seen sMaShInG results! Many of our cabbages up to twice the size of what we were producing in the past, hence the half cabbages this season. These savoy were absolutely stunning in the field and a good deal were over 6# a piece! Savoy is a little more delicate than other cabbages, meaning it cooks up faster- so be careful not to overdo it. All of the crinkly textured leaves are great for holding lots and lots of yummy dressing as well…
Kohlrabi: This purple variety is such a treat to look at, the color of the skins is just mesmerizing. This type is meant to be harvested on the smaller side and the tops looked nice so we included those too as a little bonus. You can peel these if you like, but I’ve often found that on these smaller varieties the skins are generally thin enough that you don’t have to.
Lettuce: We highly suspect this is the very last lettuce distribution of 2015. Cool nights and continual dampness on the island are making it difficult to grow heads of sufficient size and without too much yellowing/bug damage/molds/mildews and all the other fun rainy season maladies that Portlanders know all too well. These heads are on the smaller size, and do plan to peel off some of the outermost leaves.
Pie Pumpkin: We included some festive Pie Pumpkin just in time for Halloween! These little pumpkins look super cute on your table or doorstep, but they taste even better- so enjoy having them around for decoration but definitely dont miss out on the eating part. Pie pumpkins are less stringy than Jack-o-lantern pumpkins that are used for carving and they generally have thicker walls and a smaller cavity (in proportion to the size of the squash). I was just informed by my Mom that you can even ‘bake’ a pie pumpkin in a crock pot…its insanely easy. Pumpkin puree freezes really well so you can store it away for later pie-making adventures (tip: most pumpkin pie recipes call for 2c puree, so thats a good amount to pack into a tupperware or bag). I also enjoy pumpkin curry this time of year, as well as pumpkin muffins, cookies, and savory treats like gnocchi or pumpkin-filled ravioli.
The last week of CSA pick up is the week of November 16. This will be a double share to stock you up for Thanksgiving. If you do not want the bounty to end in just a few weeks, join us for the Winter season!
We are excited to be offering a Winter Share again this season. As farmers we love all the roots, squashes, cabbages and hardy greens of the Winter. Please join us if you do too! We are selling a limited number of shares (about 50), so don’t miss the chance to continue to eat locally & deliciously from December 2015 to March 2016.
Number of Deliveries: 8 (Two deliveries a month December-March)
Price: $640 (one share size)
The Bounty: beets, braising greens, cabbage, carrots, celeriac, chicories, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, parsnips, potatoes, pie pumpkins, radish, rutabaga, turnips, shallots & numerous varieties of winter squash (butternut, delicata, acorn & kabocha varieties)
Quantity: approximately 30 pounds per delivery, most of the crops can store for many weeks in your refrigerator or root cellar.
- December 3 & 17
- January 7 & 21
- February 4 & 18
- March 3 & 17
Delivery locations:
- SE: Grand Central Bakery @2230 SE Hawthorne
- NP: New American Restaurant @2103 N Killingsworth
- NW: Kobos Coffee @2355 NW Vaughn St
- SW: Hillsdale Food Front @6344 SW Capitol Highway
- The Farm: 13615 NW Howell Park Rd
Checks can be mailed to: SIO, 20233 NW Sauvie Island Rd. Portland, OR 97231