CSA WEEK #24: Nov 3-5 | Sauvie Island Organics

In Your Share This Week

Carrots
Celeriac
Kale, Red Ursa
Leeks
Radicchio
Shallot, Eds Red
Winter Squash, Acorn

A Few Reminders

Next week (Nov. 9-13) is the last week for salad shares.
Two weeks from now (Nov. 16-20) is the very last week of the regular CSA season! This is a double share to help bulk you up for Thanksgiving and send you off with some nice storage veggies. More details will follow, but we would like to remind everyone that you may not receive a vacation makeup during that week, so make sure to use it beforehand.
We are offering a Winter CSA again this year! Sign-ups are happening now and we have limited space available so contact us soon for more details, or to join us!

Stock up Your Pantry

Bulk sales are now available for carrots, beets and onions. Want to stock your pantry, juice or can we are offering 10 pound boxes of carrots, beets and onions. Email us at csa@sauvieislandorganics.com to place your order.

Beets, red- $20/box
Beets, golden & Chioggia- $24/box
Carrots, orange- $20/box
Onion, red & yellow- $14/box

Crop Notes

Carrots: We sure do love carrots! We’ve been featuring them in the share regularly because they’re so versatile both raw and cooked. Carrots grow really well for us here on the farm, and this Fall we’ve been pulling some whoppers out of the fields…plenty of carrots weighing in at a pound a piece!!! This time of year is also great for carrots because the cooler weather and cold nights stimulate the roots to sweeten up even more. Essentially the plant is creating its own natural ‘antifreeze’ by converting starches into sugar. Yum!

Celeriac: Maybe we should have put this in the Halloween share since it looks like an alien sea creature? An interesting fact for such a funky looking vegetable with pale coloring, is that its a total vitamin powerhouse with loads of vitamins B and K!

Kale, Red Ursa: This late-season picking of kale is also really pretty since the leaves of this particular variety get lacier as the plants get older. I love the fine texture and frilly leaves…its almost like a different plant compared to what it started off as earlier this summer!

Leeks: I’m going to admit that I couldn’t think of anything particularly interesting to say about leeks that hasn’t already been mentioned, so I thought I’d take a ramble through internet-land to get some inspiration. In addition to some growing and cooking information, it turns out that leeks were a part of humanity’s diet in Egypt and Mesopotamia since the second millennium BCE. Also, leeks have made some interesting cultural appearances over time- as a national emblem of Wales, on military helmets as identifiers, on certain vintages of British pound coins, on the coronation gown of Elizabeth II, mentioned in Shakespeare plays, featured in internet memes based on Japanese anime, and even in pokémon. Well played, leek.

Radicchio: I think radicchio is one of the most beautiful leafy crops- the white veins are such a beautiful contrast to the rich maroon color of the leaves! Radicchio heads tend to have a thinner texture than some of the other heartier chicories, so I find that the cooking time is a little less than, say, an escarole. I can’t wait to see what delicious recipes Katherine features with radicchio, but a favorite of mine is to cut it into wedges or quarters, brush or drizzle it liberally with olive oil and salt, a squeeze of lemon, and sear it (like *seriously* hot) in a pan or on the grill. The grill is good because my insistence on using olive oil for such a high-heat application leads to a good deal of smoke…but it tastes so good!

Shallot, Ed’s Red: We procured the seeds for this Open Pollinated (OP) shallot from Uprising Seeds out of Washington. Most shallots are hybrid varieties, so its somewhat less common to find OP varieties. This is a red dutch-style shallot that looks somewhat like a squatter, smaller red onion and has a nice mellow flavor. We like the festive color too!

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