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Young napa cabbage unharmed by the snow and freezing.
THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:
• “Red Norland” Potatoes
• Garlic
• Sweet Carrots
• Turnips
• Tatsoi
• Fresh Thyme
NEXT WEEK WILL BE ANOTHER DOUBLE-WEEK PICKUP FOR WEEKEND PEOPLE. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY PICKUP WILL BE AS USUAL FOR BOTH DEC. 14-15 AND DEC. 21-22. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY PEOPLE WILL PICK UP THEIR “DOUBLE” SHARE ON DEC. 18-19.
THERE WILL BE NO PICKUP ON DEC. 25-26.
It’s been two weeks now since the snow and big freeze. Luckily we had snow to insulate the plants. But even at that, any plant parts above the ground were frozen and killed off. The cabbages (because we planted an earlier variety than we normally do because of our shortened summer) are fried. The core is still alive, but the leaves are all burned from frostbite. Here is the Lacinato Kale patch and the Swiss Chard: you can see that the large leaves are all brown and dead, but luckily the core and growing point of the plants are alive and they will regrow. We don’t know how long that will take.
Amazingly, the leafy plants that survived are the smallest—the ones we thought would be most tender, including the tatsoi, bok choi, and radicchio and lettuces. The arugula and mustard greens will be back soon, but the “hardy” greens (kale and chard) will take some time to come back.
So what do we have left? We have plenty of different squashes, and we believe that we have enough carrots to last through the winter. There are also lots of turnips and celery root, and beets, although the beets are small. We have onions and garlic. We have thyme, parsley, and cutting celery.
We’re giving you two types of squash, because there are no greens, and because they are tasty! This week, we’re using the kabocha/buttercup type, which is good in soup, cut into chunks and roasted, or puréed. It’s also delicious in baked goods—even better than pumpkin. We’re also using the acorn squashes, because they are good as a simple dinner dish. Cut it in half, and bake it either with butter, sugar, and cinnamon, or use a savory filling.
We’re doing a variety of turnips now. The Japanese turnips are amazing and tender, but we tried to use them up before the freeze because they are much more delicate. The hardy turnips include the standard “Purple Top”, but also the heirloom “Scarlet Round”, “Gold Ball”, and “White Egg”. They are all tasty, and good roasted, or mashed with potatoes, or used in a gratin with or without the potatoes. Try them in soup or sautéed in butter too.
If you get a chance, try and watch this Dr. Oz video on GMO foods. It’s in 3 parts, and they’re about 5 minutes each. Pass it on to your friends and family. Everyone should know about the GMO problem, and Dr. Oz makes it palatable and non-offensive.
Whistling Train Farm 