The land is covered with snow and cold. The animals are all furry and seem to like the cold, better than the heat. The chickens are not happy; they do not like the snow and stay in their house all day.

Before the cold really sat in we could still harvest the leeks and spinach you received last week in your share,. The leeks did not do very well this year with the early, hard frosts. This is now the end of this years harvest. Part of the garden is already plowed. From now on we will live from the storage vegetables.

This week you will have tatsoi in the share. We ask you to help us clean off the wilted and brown leaves from it. Thank you!!

Ursula has returned from her trip to Germany visiting family and friends and attending the International Biodynamic Farm Women’s Conference. She felt is was inspiring, restful and fun.

We continue to sell pro-rated winter vegetable shares through this winter. If you have friends or family who would be interested in receiving a share of our abundance, please have them contact us. If you are interested in purchasing a case of seconds of the big carrots or beets for juicing or fermenting for $1.00/lb, let us know in advance and we will have it delivered to your site for pick-up.

In The Share
Carrots
Beets
Kohlrabi
Tatsoi
Onions
Turnips
(if we can get into the clamps)
Fermented Veggies


Do you still have raked up leaves? We would take them for bedding for the cows and chickens


Larry's Quote
(from Winona Laduke’s Recovering the Sacred )
“Somewhere between the resilience of communities that have survived through it all, the seeds and the people recover, and biodiversity returns despite the monoculture of colonialism.”


UPCOMING EVENTS

DECEMBER
24th Sing to the Animals 2 pm

Ursula’s Tips
Black Radish My grandmother cut a hole in the radish and put sugar in it. Over night, a nice syrup developed for cough and colds. We like to slice the radish and put honey on it. Then we eat the syrup and radish. My mother also grates the radish finely and mixes it with salt and cream. It is delicious on or with a sandwich. I always cook a few chunks of radish with beans. It helps make the digestion of beans a lot easier.

Fermented Vegetables
This week you will have fermented vegetables in your share They are made from our abundance of summer vegetables. This batch's ingredients are zucchini, carrot, bok choi, radish, peppers, onions and garlic. The fermentation is an easy and ancient way to preserve the raw vegetable. In the process it develops lactic acid, enzymes and vitamins, especially Vitamin C. That makes it a wonderful supplement for the winter months to strengthen the immune system. The health benefits are endless. We call the fermented veggies our health insurance. To use it in your diet, add a little bit to a salad; put it on your cheese or other sandwich; add some to your soup at the end of cooking for flavor. I know some eat it right out of the jar...When you are finished with your jar, please return it to your site for return to the farm.


From Wikipedia

Tatsoi, also called spinach mustard, spoon mustard, or rosette bok choy, is an Asian variety of Brassica rapa, grown for greens. This plant has become popular in North American cuisine as well, and is now grown throughout the world. The plant has dark green spoon-shaped leaves which form a thick rosette. It has a soft creamy texture and has a subtle yet distinctive flavor. It takes 45-50 days to harvest and can withstand temperatures down to –10°C (15°F). Tatsoi can be harvested even from under the snow.

Rutabaga. The rutabaga is an obvious close relative of the turnip, though larger, sweeter and more tan in color. While its origin in uncertain, it is believed to be a hybrid of the turnip and the cabbage, as is the kohlrabi, though selected from different traits.

The rutabaga appeared suddenly in the middle of the 17th century and first became popular in Sweden. In fact, rutabaga comes from the Swedish word rotabagge, meaning "baggy root." Rutabagas are also commonly referred to as Swedes or Swedish turnips. There were among the first vegetables grown by colonist in America as they began farming the untilled land, because the large roots helped break up poor soils. Rutabagas have never enjoyed wide popularity in this country, and have even fallen out of favor in middle Europe, where it was one of few staples available after World War II and was eaten to the point of monotony.

The rutabaga has many virtues worth of discovery by the seasonal eater, however. Available in late fall and winter (with proper storage), it offers versatility and excellent nutrition. Rutabaga is high in carbohydrates, vitamins A and C, and some minerals, particularly calcium. Rutabagas belong to ta handful of cruciferous vegetables believed to be effective in cancer prevention as well.

Cooking Tips
*Scrub rutabagas vigorously with a vegetable brush to remove garden soil. For maximum nutrition, do not peel.
*Rutabagas can be grated raw into salads. Try a winter slaw combining grated rutabaga, celeriac, carrot, Daikon radish or apple with chopped parsley and a lemon/oil dressing.
*Steam 1-inch chunks for 30-35 minutes, or until thoroughly tender. Mash and serve with butter and sprinkling of black pepper. Mash with other vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes. A kids' favorite!
*Boil 1-inch chunks for 20-25 minutes or until thoroughly tender. Add to casseroles or stuffing mixtures.
*Bake 1-inch chunks brushed with butter or oil for 40-50 minutes, or nestled alongside roasting meats.
*Add to a root vegetable bake.
*Grate rutabaga into a fritter batter.
For a fluffy pudding, whisk eggs into mashed rutabagas and bake.

Make rutabaga chips: Deep-fry 1/8-inch-thick slices in very hot vegetable oil until golden brown. Do not crowd pan while frying. Drain on paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper or seasoning of choice and serve. Good for dipping.

Storage Tips
Rutabaga will store adequately at room temperature for up to 1 week, or refrigerated in hydrator drawer for up to 1 month.
For longer term storage, rutabagas may be packed in moist sand and kept in a cool but not freezing location.


Recipes

"You Won't Believe These" Brown-Roasted Rutabaga Wedges from Asparagus to Zucchini

2 Rutabagas
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Sea Salt

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Cut ends off rutabagas and peel them. Use a heave, sharp knife to cut each rutabaga in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 3-4 long wedges. Place wedges in large baking pan and toss with olive oil in coat them well. Spread them out into a single layer and try to keep them from touching one another. Roast in hot oven 20 minutes. Use tongs to turn each wedge over. Roast another 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and toss with balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. Serve hot. This "hot-oven" approach to roasting is credited to cookbook author Barbara Kafka.



Pumpkin soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small leek, finely cut
1 lb squash or pumpkin
1/2 lb potatoes, diced
1 quart vegetable broth
2 teaspoons dried sage
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper

Sautee leeks in oil. Add pumpkin, potatoes, broth. Simmer until done. Puree. Add two-thirds of the sage, milk, salt and pepper. Serve with other third of sage sprinkled on top.