Welcome to the 2nd week of the Pitchfork & Crow Winter CSA!

Here’s what’s in the share:

• Fingerling Potatoes
  
• Cookin’ Greens Mix – a combo of kales, chard, mustards, and radicchio (note: the raddicchio is from our friends and neighbors at Open Oak Farm!)
  
• Sweet Potatoes
  
• Carrots
  
• Yellow Onion
• Garlic
• Purple Brussels Sprouts
  
• Pie Pumpkin
  
• Dried Plums – We grew ‘em and then we dried ‘em!
  
• Holiday Plum Sauce or Plum Jam
  

We woke up to a half inch of wet valley snow this morning.  The farm was beautiful, covered with a thin blanket of white.  We had to leave early so we didn’t get to enjoy it or even take much of an inventory, but I have a feeling we’ll see snow again before too long.

Late December means some breaks in the farm work for us.  Soon we’ll be deep in seed catalogs and spreadsheets full of 2013 planting dates, but for now we’re catching up and enjoying the break.  The past couple of weeks we’ve been lucky enough to catch up with various farming friends, some of whom we’d not seen since last spring.  They say time flies when you’re having fun – so we must have been having a pretty darn good time this past year, but it would be nice to see these folks more often.  It’s been great catching up with folks, hearing about their seasons and sharing stories from ours.  We learn a lot from other farmers and always look forward to hearing about what they’ve been up to.  We count ourselves lucky to know other local farmers trying to make it in this game!

The holidays are upon us, as you’ve probably noticed.  We’ve finally mailed packages full of winter staple foods to family living far away and even put lights on our gifted sequoia tree.  No, we are not too busy to enjoy a little holiday cheer!  We’re especially looking forward to the winter solstice this week.  We welcome the return of longer days, even if the winter weather is just getting started.

This week’s share will hopefully get you on the way towards a tasty holiday meal!  We hope you all have a fantastic holiday season filled with good people and good food! We’ll see you the first of January with more winter veggies.

Enjoy the vegetables and we’ll see you in two weeks!

Your farmers,

Jeff Bramlett and Carri Heisler

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Here are a few recipes to get you inspired:

Brussels Sprouts for People Who Think They Hate Brussels Sprouts

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, or to taste, preferably freshly grated
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheeseTrim the ends off the Brussels sprouts and remove and discard any discolored outer leaves. If sprouts are large (more than 1 inch in diameter), cut them in quarters lengthwise through the stem end. If smaller, cut them in half.

Bring 2 quarts of water to boil, add salt and the sprouts. Boil the sprouts uncovered until they are just crunchy-tender, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook them. Drain the sprouts well.

Wipe and dry the pot and heat the olive oil in it. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the sprouts and nutmeg and sauté for another minute. Mix in the Parmesan cheese and toss the sprouts until the cheese melts.
From Epicurious by Andrew Weil, M.D., and Rosie Daley, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brussels-Sprouts-for-People-Who-Think-They-Hate-Brussels-Sprouts-358275

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Simply Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2 lb. Brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
~ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Arrange on a large baking sheet and roast until leaves have browned, about 30-40 minutes. Stir once or twice while cooking.

From Culinate via Marissa Lippert, http://www.culinate.com/user/Marissa-RD/recipes/marissas_recipes/simply_roasted_brussels_sprouts

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Pumpkin Puree

For use in pumpkin pie or pumpkin soup etc.

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium pumpkin or 2 small sugar pumpkins (about 8 pounds total)

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with the oil. Remove and discard pumpkin stem. Cut pumpkin in half and scrape out seeds and pulp. Discard pulp and rinse seeds well; set seeds aside to use for Pumpkin Soup.
• Place pumpkin, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Cook until pumpkin is tender (a knife goes through the skin easily), about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on size. Set aside to cool.
• When cool enough to handle, scrape pumpkin flesh from skin and place in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
• Spread pumpkin in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake (anywhere from 350 to 400 degrees will work) until pumpkin is drier and thick, 30 to 40 minutes. When cool, transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.

From Culinate via Keri Fisher, http://www.culinate.com/recipes/collections/Contributors/Keri+Fisher/pumpkin_puree