November Winter CSA

Winter is here and so is the start of our CSA!

After a long, glorious, and warm fall, winter really feels like it is starting in earnest. The smell of woodsmoke wafts around the farm in the mornings and evenings, Customer Appreciation Day has come and gone, and we are harvesting our first real harvest of Siberian Kale.

As farmers we LOVE the long daylight hours and warm temps of the summer, but right now the shortening days and cooler temps really lend themselves to the necessary introspection and improvement thought experiments on the farm. For the next few months, instead of being outside planting/seeding/weeding/harvesting every moment of every day, we start to really process the last year and look forward into the next. That means meeting in the morning while it is still pretty chilly to go over last year’s numbers, plan out the crop maps for next year, review our hiring goals, or other such necessary tasks. After this, we reward ourselves by going outside and getting back to the planting/seeding/weeding/harvesting.

Winter is the time to slow down a bit and that includes food. This time of year I find myself starting to use my oven more. Bread baking season opens and I find myself craving and cooking meals that are rich and filling. The Winter CSA is so perfect for this. Potatoes, winter squash, and beets. Whole chickens, chuck roasts, and broth. The combination of these ingredients with a little time (or not, depends on the week), but certainly some attention means nourishment from Central Oregon to warm and fuel you while you live and enjoy Central Oregon. How great is that!

Now through the May CSA, we are going to wind our way through eating Central Oregon style in the winter. Each month you will get an email like this from us with some news of the farm, recipe inspiration, a heads up on any events that we think you might be interested in, and so much more.

Please let us know if you have any questions and we will see you on Thursday in Sisters and Bend or Friday (11-5) and Saturday (9-3) at the Farm Store!

~ Alison and the Farm Crew

Heads Up About the Potatoes

Ah, potatoes. The Rainshadow staple. As some of you have learned over the years, potatoes are very susceptible to pests, both above and below ground. This is partly due to Central Oregon over growing a monoculture of potatoes over 50 years ago. We have a 9 year rotation on our potatoes, so they are not growing on the same ground year after year. We also cultivate varieties with disease resistance and only plant what we need for our members. This year was a particularly difficult potato year, because of the extreme heat at their tuber set and then losing irrigation altogether on two separate occasions for over a week. The heat and water stress was very hard on them. The potatoes are pretty ugly this year with skin problems. Our favorite Huckleberry Golds are particularly cratered and we need to eat them first since those spots are prone to rot. The potatoes are fine to eat. You can peel away anything funky and I’m very sorry for the inconvenience. They are still delicious and plentiful and I appreciate you enjoying them despite their imperfections.

~ Sarahlee

Pick Up Reminder

Don’t forget that we do the Central Oregon triangle on the first Thursday of the month and timing is everything.

We will be:

• In Sisters near the Fir Street Park: 3-3:15 pm
• In Bend at the Deschutes County Main Services building parking lot (1300 NW Wall St): 4:30-5:30 pm. Look for the black truck and trailer in the Northeast corner.
• If you signed up for a Farm Store pick up, we will see you Friday (11-5) or Saturday (9-3) at the Farm Store, 71290 Holmes Rd.

If you can’t make your Thursday Sisters or Bend pick up LET US KNOW! You are always welcome to come pick up on Friday or Saturday following the first Thursday of the month at the Farm Store. If that doesn’t work, please reach out and we can work towards finding an alternative day at the Farm Store any Friday or Saturday of the CSA month!

Psst, last call on our Early Bird Summer CSA sign up special

I know we are about to start the Winter CSA, but Early Bird Summer CSA deal will be expiring on 11/11 and we don’t want you to miss it. You can check out more information HERE and then put down your first month’s deposit. Then you don’t pay again until the last week of June 1, 2024. Easy peezy! Don’t forget, that if you sign up for your Summer CSA by November 11, then you and 1 guest get to join us for an exclusive dinner on the farm. And, if you use coupon code 25earlybirdsummer you will save $50.

We’ve changed our Add-On ordering!

Check out our new Add-On page! This page will be growing as the CSA continues. This month only, frozen cranberries, $3.50/lb. These are certified organic and sourced from Azure Standard. Order for pick up with your CSA and take that to-do right off your Thanksgiving shopping list!

You can also shop around for frozen beef and pork by the cut, pickles and hot sauces, and grains. No eggs yet, the ladies are on their winter break!

Veggie CSA

Siberian Kale
Potatoes
Carrots
Mixed Winter Squash

Cabbage
Garlic
Hot & Sweet Peppers

It’s a meat trifecta today for the our Large Share members. Small shares get another tour de beef!

1 chicken

1 quart lard

1 whole roasting chicken
1 quart lard

2 chuck roast
+/- ground pork

A bit of inspiration

Here are a few recipes that feature meats and vegetables you’ll find in your Winter CSA this month!

Whole Roast Chicken with Carrots

adapted from Saratoga Farmers Market

Ingredients

Whole chicken
2 Tbls melted butter or lard
Salt and pepper
1 large yellow onion*, thickly sliced

4 carrots* cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bulb of garlic*, split into cloves
Olive oil or lard

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Remove chicken from refrigerator and allow to warm to ambient temperature.
3. Remove any leftover pin feathers, rinse, and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken and add and cut in half whole lemon if you are feeling inspired. Brush the outside of the chicken with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the breasts loosely with aluminum foil to prevent the meat from overcooking. Place the onions, carrots, and whole garlic cloves in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
4. Roast the chicken covered, breast up for 30 minutes per pound. The juices will run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest. If the carrots aren’t tender, continue roasting until tender.

After you use your chicken, don’t forget to turn it into broth. HERE is a great recipe for that!

Winter Squash Purée

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

Whole Winter squash like pumpkins, North Georgia candy roasters, or the ancient squash

Instructions

1. Select a couple of small sized pumpkins. Cut the pumpkin in half. Using a spoon or a scoop, scrape out the seeds and pulp from the center. You don’t have to be too thorough with this. (If you end up with a large pumpkin, just put the whole thing in your oven and remove the skin and seeds after it has cooked all the way through and cooled down.)
2. Place the pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet and roast in a 350°F oven until the pumpkin is fork-tender, 45 minutes or more depending on the size of your squash. They should be nice and light golden brown when done.
3. Peel off the skin from the pumpkin pieces. If you have a food processor, throw in a few chunks at a time. A blender will work, too, if you add a little water. Or you can simply mash it up with a potato masher, or move it through a potato ricer, or process it through a food mill.
4. Pulse the pumpkin until smooth. If it looks too dry, add in a few tablespoons of water during the pulsing to give it the needed moisture. (If you add too much water you can always strain it over cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer to get rid of some of the liquid.)
5. Dump the pureed goodness into a bowl, and continue pureeing until all the pumpkin is done.
6. You can either use this immediately in whatever pumpkin recipe you’d like or store it in the freezer for later use.
7. To store in the freezer, spoon about 1 cupful of pumpkin into each plastic storage bag. Seal the bag with just a tiny bit of an opening remaining, then use your hands to flatten out the pumpkin inside the bag and push out the air. Store them in the freezer until you need them. Keep in mind that a can of pumpkin purée is roughly 1.5 cups.

HERE are 21 Sweet and Savory Recipes using pumpkin purée courtesy of Eating Well!