• Radishes
• Green onions
• Shallots
• Braising mix
• Spinach or chard
• Herb (watercress, parsley or thyme)
• Leeks

This week the weather finally turned. The warmth shifted for the plants as well and finally we have vegetables growing not just hanging out in suspended animation. We have our first nice harvest in weeks and will give you enough veggies to fill your bellies. Radishes that we seeded in late December are ready for harvest. They are not the ones I thought I was planting but we still enjoy them nonetheless. Jo W. will be happy as they are the French breakfast type that I grow at her request. There are a few crops – like a whole bed of kale that we were never able to harvest for a myriad of reasons (bugs, poor growth, planted too late in the season to come into winter thriving etc.) that are going straight to bolting. We will get 1-2 harvests off of 100 feet of planted space. This is such a bummer, but the life of the farmer goes on. This year has been a real testament to the CSA motto. When the farmers suffer crop loss the entire CSA membership gets less. We appreciate you hanging in there with us.

The farmland issues continue to blaze ahead and are coming at us from all parts of government. The legislature, the governor and Washington County commissioners. It is enough to be a full time job and one that I do not relish. There are at least two very important action items this week that we need your help with.

1. If you have not signed the petition to modify Senate Bill 4 please do so. Here is the link and a very good summary of what happened this week as the bill passed out of committee and took the form of SB 4A.

https://chng.it/GJnNMN7WSg

I spent part of my day yesterday at an infuriating “community listening session” sponsored by our State Senator Janeen Sollman who blithered on for 40 minutes before she took a total of 3 questions. There was no opportunity to be heard and she talked to us about her accomplishments while working to take rural land into the UGB.

2. Washington County Commissioners need to hear from you. Ordinance 882 would send  a road going across highly sensitive drainages to the Tualatin RIver and it would facilitate the creation of more roads across rural lands connected to this one in the future.  Please take action today as they are counting the number of responses they get, urge the commissioners to REJECT ORD. 882 OUTRIGHT.

• Commissioner Treece expressed that having folks in Person to testify makes a huge difference. If you can, please consider testifying in person on March 21st at 6:30PM. The more folks that testify in person and ask the commission to vote NO on 882, the higher chance we have at getting them to fail it.
•  Please forward the action alert as widely as possible. The county tracks how many people write in in support and opposition to ordinances. This Metric is important to Chair Harrington.
  • https://friendsoforegon.salsalabs.org/washingtoncountyord882/index.html 
• Submit personalized testimony: you can send personalized emails as testimony about how this ordinance will impact you in particular. These have more impact than generic emails created through the link.  

I will personally attend the Washington County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday. If any of you  can make it to that meeting that live in Washington County that would be super. One of the few people that spoke at Senator Sollman’s “listening session” was a CSA member of our neighbor Aaron Nichols and she was very impactful. We appreciate you taking time from your busy schedules to weigh in on issues that impact our ability to grow food and preserve farmland for the future. This is not simply about our farm’s viability but about the future of food production in the Willamette Valley. Once farmland is paved over it is destroyed forever.

Here are  some recipes to enjoy this week:

Radish Leaf Soup recipe

Easy Spinach Salad with Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette – Eating Bird Food

20 Green Onion Recipes to Use Up a Bunch – A Couple Cooks

From NYT:

• Kale or spinach
• Parsley, chervil or watercress
• Young fennel and it’s fronds
• Onions
• Green onions
• Eggs!! 

These past  weeks have been a wild ride. Low temps at night in the teens and the days barely making it out of the 30s. The cold,wind and snow damaged our seedlings like never before. We lost a good portion of our peppers and even some peas. This added to poor germination in cold, wet soils and pressure from birds, cutworms and rodents make  us want to throw up our hands!.The beginning of March has felt more like January and our veggies selection reflects that. A whole bed of arugula and cilantro eaten by birds, three beds of root crops growing moss instead of sprouting and the list goes on. Our sprouting broccoli and cauliflower that we count on at this time of year are devastated by cold and finished off by our greedy goats. Thus, you are getting eggs! In all our years we have never given our eggs, but lucky for us our chickens are happy with the increasing day length and are laying like gangbusters. If you have never bought our eggs you are getting a real treat. There is nothing like a farm fresh egg, where chickens eat real food and make dark orange yolks full of Omega 3.

We have two more weeks of harvest after today, fingers crossed for warmer growing days ahead. I keep planting but trust me, the battle is not one yet won. We are balancing between the end of winter and start of our regular season with quick growing crops and summer favorites. Honestly at this point anything that will grow is great. We are eating parsley pesto and kale salad when we have enough to spare and parts of old squash. We have never felt so vegetable poor. I will have to resort to eating chickweed soon. Here are some recipes I found for this abundant weed for those interested in trying:

With the cold weather I did get to play with clay. I quickly glazed up all that I had made in early February last Thursday and had it on display at the Share Fair in Portland last weekend. I went crazy with latte cups and saucers. Luna has pushed me to make the perfect cup to display her latte art and there are some winners (and losers).  I will have out the new supply today and over the next few weeks. I am making one last push to create before I am all consumed by farming. I have a few special orders I am working on and excited to craft. Now is the time to let me know if there is anything special you want.

With the legislature back in session there are many bills of interest. I spent several hours on Thursday talking with community members and our local legislators about Senate Bill 4. A horrid piece of legislation that aims to take designated farmland that we fought for in 2014 and turn it into shovel ready land for semiconductors. I am deeply dismayed that our two local reps: Senator Janeen Sollman and Representative Nathan Sosa are supporting this effort. It is deeply troubling and frankly infuriating that they need reminding again about the value of farmland to produce food and agricultural crops in this most fertile valley. Once it is paved over it is forever lost. I will be asking you to write letters and sign on to a pledge in the next week. I will provide you with details, please be ready and act quickly. I sat by on the sidelines, thinking this would go away and it has not. It will not be an easy fight with federal money tempting people to throw away 50 years of land use laws.

Our pruning party was canceled last weekend due to cold temps and so much snow. We hope you will consider joining us next Saturday 3/11 from 9 – 4 to prune our orchard and tidy up the farm. Here is the list of what to bring:

What to bring to the pruning party March 11, 2023

This is a pruning party so please bring as much of the following as you can:

If you have pruning implements, please bring them along (label them with your name).

·         Clippers

·          Loppers

·          hand saw

·          Gloves

·          Chainsaws

·         orchard ladders

·         bring snacks for you to eat and a bottle of water

  We would love to have anyone interested in helping prune the orchard and blueberries join us for as many hours as they can on that day. 3/11/2023 from 9 – 4.. We welcome you to bring potential members as this is a good introduction to our community.

This is not an event for little ones as branches fall in all directions. If kids do come, it is good to have a dedicated adult to keep them safe.. If you don’t want to climb trees, not to worry, there is tons of other work to do (hauling branches, pulling up t-tape water systems and pruning blueberries).

I will make some food to share and would welcome any potluck items you want to bring.

Lastly, before I let you go please do sign up for the 2023 main season. We are working as hard as possible to grow food and we need your support. Despite all the challenges we hope you will support our efforts and continue in April 2023. Details can be found here:

Leave us a $100 deposit and your spot will be saved:

Two great recipes to use your young fennel and the fronds:

https://www.seriouseats.com/vegetable-scrap-fennel-frond-pesto

https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/fennel-fronds-recipes/

Using herbs to make delicious stews:

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/walnut_parsley_pesto/

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/vegetable-stew-recipes

Use those green onions and eggs:

https://www.food.com/recipe/cheesy-scrambled-eggs-with-green-onions-374963

https://www.thehongkongcookery.com/2021/05/grandmas-spring-onion-egg-pancakes.html

• Braising mix
• Leeks
• Onions
• Microgreens 
• Herb or cooking celery

Winter is hard. No matter how you think you have planned for feeding people something always happens. The underground vermin are eating every last plant. We have no radicchio left in the field. The Overwintering cauliflower we had so carefully covered during the cold snap in January looks devastated by the 24 degrees we got this past week. It is supposed to tolerate the teens.

We covered the veggies in our main winter greenhouse and harvested some leaves but without warm days they are growing as one would expect in the winter – slowly. So today we have leaves from our different crops in a braising mix. We have our alliums (leeks and shallots and  onions) and some sprouts. I just ordered some medium to grow the sprouts that are not soil for next time. Until then just pull out all the sprouts and rinse or cut the roots and enjoy them as a garnish or microgreen salad.

We are working on our subscriptions for summer share and anxious to hear from each of you about your intentions. It is always helpful to have you sign up early. I will be heading to Portland for the Share Fair on 2/26/23 where I will be talking about our CSA and hoping to find new members to join our farm. This has never produced many subscribers but I enjoy being there and talking with other farmers and people interested in eating the freshest, best tasting vegetables. Please spread the word and stop by and see me! CSA Share Fair | Pacific NW CSA

I am off in about 10 days to Miami to spend some time with my sister at a book arts fair: Tropic Bound . It will be an opportunity for her to exhibit her book Owed to the Mountain Owed To The Mountain Deluxe Box – Diane Jacobs. You can see it by clicking the link and see it on exhibit at the Portland Airport thru June. I am hopeful Luna, Juve and Kody can find veggies to share with you on 2/19 our next harvest.

If you have not marked your calendar for the pruning party now is the time! February 25th from 10-3 we will be out in the orchard getting it into shape for the upcoming year. Come see the twig weaving we are doing to add character to the secret garden and around Luna’s cabin. More to come once we have pruned the orchard. No experience needed and plenty of jobs stacking branches and pruning trees that do not require climbing into trees. There are also climbing into trees type jobs so up to you.

What to bring to the pruning party February 25, 2023 (10:00-4:00)

This is a pruning party so please bring as much of the following as you can:

If you have pruning implements, please bring them along (label them with your name).

·         Clippers

·          Loppers

·          hand saw

·          Gloves

·          Chainsaws

·         orchard ladders

·         bring snacks for you to eat and a bottle of water

  We would love to have anyone interested in helping prune the orchard and blueberries join us for as many hours as they can on that day. 2/25/2022 from 10 – 4.. We welcome you to bring potential members as this is a good introduction to our community.

This is not an event for little ones as branches fall in all directions. If kids do come, it is good to have a dedicated adult to keep them safe.. If you don’t want to climb trees, not to worry, there is tons of other work to do (hauling branches, pulling up t-tape water systems and pruning blueberries).

I am totally into Gregory Gourdet and have been cooking from his book Everyone’s Table. This is not the exact recipe I cooked last night but it would use your onions and greens and be delicious:

Curry Spice Cod with Lemon, Ginger, Bitter Greens, Olive Oil Smashed Potatoes

Recipe by Gregory Gourdet of Departure in Portland

What you’ll need:

For the spice mix:

1 tablespoon whole coriander

1 tablespoon whole cumin

1 tablespoon turmeric

For the potatoes:

1 pound soft skin potatoes such as Yukon gold or red

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

12 cloves garlic, rough chopped

8 ounces good olive oil

sea salt

course ground black pepper

For the cod and radicchio:

2 small heads radicchio, rinsed, chopped

2 5 ounce cod filets

1/2 small jalapeno, red or green, sliced

1 ounce knob ginger (abour 3-4 inches long) peeled and sliced thin

olive oil

kosher salt

1 lemon, sliced

picked cilantro leaves for garnish

How to make it:

Toast spices in a dry hot pan until fragrant and grind in coffee or spice grinder until course.

Rinse potatoes and place in a small pot of water. Simmer whole with half chopped garlic until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well. Slowly sauté onions and remaining garlic in 2 ounces of olive oil and a large pinch of salt. Cook until lightly caramelized and tender.  Add remaining olive oil and heat to simmer and infuse onion flavors. Smash warm potatoes until creamy with caramelized onions and olive oil and plenty of sea salt and pepper to season.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a sauté pan, add sliced chilies and a pinch of salt. Over medium high heat, quickly sauté radicchio, season with salt.

Meanwhile, season cod gently with salt and spice mix. (Note: You won’t use all the spice mix.) Sauté cod in olive oil over medium high heat until just bright white and lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Add ginger to pan, sauté briefly, flip fish over and continue to cook fish through until just opaque in center.  Squeeze fresh lemon juice over fish.  

To plate, place warm potatoes on a plate, place radicchio besides. Rest cod next to potatoes and spoon pan juices all around.

Some recipes to enjoy this week:

Braised Collard Greens with Bacon Recipe | Kelsey Nixon | Food Network

Quick-Braised Greens and Beans With Bacon Recipe – NYT Cooking

Collard Greens With Bacon Recipe

• Shallots
• Green onions
• Cabbage
• Chard or kale
• Winter squash
• Parsley, watercress or chervil
• Salad mix
• Arugula and radish sprouts

We have been working slowly to get the old debris cleared and the soil ready for spring crops. Some of our fall planted crops are finally producing and will grace your tables this week. The small romaine called “Little Gem” is just that, a sturdy, crunchy leaf that somehow survived the flood in greenhouse #2. Salad mix is always a lot of work. Each leaf has to be harvested individually. I will head out shortly to harvest the remaining mustard, spinach and kale leaves to add to your mix. I included a few tender fennel fronds that add an unusual texture and licorice hint. My favorite salad dressing is always a hit or try a citrus flavored one (recipe below)

  Here are some before and after photos:

It is time to sign-up for the 2023 season. Please do so soon in order for us to reserve your spot. Let friends and family know we are open. We start the regular season on 4/16/23.

Mark your calendars for the Pruning party on February 25th. We had such a blast last year, no experience needed just the desire to learn and have fun. There are plenty of tasks so no need to climb trees or ladders if that is not your cup of tea. Last year our stick gatherers did a phenomenal job and the orchard debris could be chipped in no time the following week.

Here are some recipes to enjoy:

Cabbage and White Beans with Chili & Garlic — Eat Winter Vegetables

Roasted Winter Squash and Leek Bread Pudding

Winter Squash and Peanut Stew

Delicata Eggs in a Basket — Eat Winter Vegetables

12 Recipes with Sprouts, How to eat Sprouts Ideas

• Winter squash Tetsukabuto –
• Leeks (very short greens due to goat and sheep pruning)
• Onions or shallots
• Walnuts
• Herb (cilantro or thyme)
• Radicchio  “Sile Tardivo”

We had our first really long break from harvesting since April. The week prior to Christmas was packed with activity and then Covid entered our house on 12/24 so all plans for family gatherings were suspended. Juve and I miraculously did not get it but isolated to be safe. Everyone is well now and we are very fortunate that the cases were mild.

While on quarantine I worked in my ceramics studio as quickly as I could and here is what I produced:

Most of what you see here is for sale in the barn today. I am excited to make more work and will make you a special piece if you don’t see something that you want or want more of what you do see. Check out my new latte cups:

I am happy to make more as they are already gone. Note the saucer in the far cup is a better size and will be what I make in the future.

Weather events happened around 12/23 as well. We had lots of damage to our crops from a river running through our main winter planted greenhouse (and washing away some of our seedlings) to goats and sheep munching everything in the field that was not under cover. Now we are regrouping and looking at what can be salvaged and how to move forward.

We are planning for the future. We are cleaning greenhouses and starting to seed some very early crops for the greenhouse.  We have scheduled our annual pruning party for Saturday 2/25/23. We start early (9:00) and finish by 4:00. Please mark your calendars. Last year it was a blast (maybe because it was our first event on the farm since Covid) but it was a stand out. Everyone learned something, a ton of work got done and in the end our orchard got a great makeover. More details to come as the time approaches.

The share this week is our last radicchio. We harvested it before the gophers could pull it under and have been forcing it in our storage room. We have some of our prize Kabocha – Tetsukabuto. Harvested in September and curing in our storage room since then. We made a delicious soup from it last night.

Tetsukabuto and Sile Tardivo

 Here are some recipes  as well as the one we made last night:

13 Delicious Kabocha Squash Recipes To Make This SeasonCut any leftover squash into thin slices and make this stir fry for a quick and protein-rich weeknight dinner. Seasoned with a sweet and spicy sauce called gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste), it is not-your-typical-stir-fry but a bold and robust meal to serve with steamed rice.. You could use ground chicken or ground turkey.www.justonecookbook.com

I used the radicchio in the salad, it was so delicious. Here are some recipes as it can be cooked as well. I found this nice article about it written some years ago by an Italian journalist with some great photos. I guess they do not have gophers in their fields as it would not stand here at our place. https://www.sicilianicreativiincucina.it/il-radicchio-rosso-tardivo-di-treviso-igp/?lang=en

Recipes I found:

• Shallot braid
• Sile tardivo ( forced radicchio) 
• Cabbage
• Leeks
• Celery or celeriac 
• Herb ( parsley or cilantro or thyme)
• Radicchio
• Potatoes
• Winter squash

This is the final harvest of 2022. The winter share will continue thru March of next year. We continue to try and stay ahead of the rodent and other pest pressure. Those buggers pulled down and ate over half the bed of Sile Tardivo. This is the special new radicchio that I have been forcing in water over the last month. We tried it last night for the first time and it is delicious, sweet and tender. I am disappointed I won’t have it for everyone. Fortunately I planted a second variety. Juvencio and I harvested it yesterday and put it in water. It will rest there for another 4 weeks in the dark and we will offer it in late January.

We offer up the last celeriac and potatoes. We hope to have more greens as the winter wears on, again the pest pressure has been unbearable making it impossible to give the greens we have planted. As we work to nurture our soil and reduce tillage we hope this will strengthen our plants and make them more resistant to pests. I also plan to plant more perennial flowers to support beneficial bugs year round to feast on the pests. If ever you doubt how hard it is to farm we will be happy to show you around the challenges.

The farmers do occasionally get a break. Juvencio had an amazing trip to Honduras. He enjoyed family and friends and time in the warmth of the sun.

Luna, Kody, Diego and I went north to see Jacob and Courtney. We had a great time playing in feet of snow, dog sledding, and seeing the northern lights.

We hope you and your family enjoy the holidays and have an amazing new year. We look forward to providing fresh produce to your and those you care about in 2023. More news soon-

Happy New Year!!

Recipes to enjoy:

Treviso Salad with Orange Vinaigrette:

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/treviso-salad-with-orange-vinaigrette-and-manchego

Another amazing Radicchio salad from Nostrana:

Simple cabbage salad with parsley:

https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/7935110/simple-cabbage-salad/?printview

From Sue: Radicchio and Fennel risotto

1 head trevisio,  cored/thinly sliced

1/2 c chopped onion

1/2 c chopped fennel (my addition)

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 c  white wine

2 quarts warm broth

1 1/2 c Arborio rice

1/2 c grated cheese

S&p to taste,  butter to taste

Sauté onions in a few Tbsp EVOO until soft,  then add chopped fennel and garlic and sauté five minutes more.  Stir in rice,  when it starts crAckling add the wine.

Stir well,  and once absorbed start adding ladlefuls of warm broth.  About 10 minutes in,  add radicchio.  When rice is cooked to all dente, stir in cheese,  a few tbsp of butter,  and serve

• Radicchio mix
• Onions
• Celeriac
• Thyme or cilantro
• Winter squash
• Elephant garlic
• Fennel
• Lettuce 
• Kohlrabi
• potatoes

We got the harvest done a day early as it is forecast to be 35 degrees all day tomorrow. We hope you enjoy winter veggies because that is what we have. All delicious roasted. After harvest today I roasted the onions, potatoes, winter squash and garlic and made a radicchio salad. All so sweet and caramelized – YUM!

Juvencio is still in Honduras enjoying family and friends and looking at land for coffee and cacao planting. We don’t have enough to farm here. He wants to expand to the tropics. They had a grand party for his dad’s 95th birthday.

Luna, Kody, Diego and I take off to visit Jacob and Courtney in Homer Alaska on Wednesday. We will head to Fairbanks to see the Northern lights and ride sled dogs and fish for winter king salmon. I am so looking forward to the trip.

It is the season of giving and if you are looking for great organizations doing good work check out the Give Guide from the Willamette; https://giveguide.org/. Virginia Garcia is there among other non-profits so give often and give a lot. 

I have some ceramics in the barn still available after the post Thanksgiving sale – check them out tomorrow. I have been making more but with the trip I don’t think they will be glazed before christmas. They will be available after the new year. I am always happy to take commissions so reach out and ask.

Here are some recipes to make this week:

Roasted vegetables :

Roasted Kohlrabi and Butternut Squash

Author: Gourmet, November 2006.

Recipe type: Side Dish

You may have noticed the exotic looking vegetables available now from North Star Orchards, the kohlrabi. They are available in green and purple and are sold with the leaves (which can be cooked as a green) and resemble a somewhat flattened baseball. They are a root vegetable of real versatility, and here are two recipes that use kohlrabi and other fall vegetables and fruits available at the Farmers Market. These recipes come from Epicurious.com and were originally published in Gourmet Magazine. Cooks’ note: Kohlrabi and butternut squash can be cut 1 day ahead and chilled in separate sealed plastic bags.

Ingredients

• 4 medium kohlrabi (2¼ lb with greens or 1¾ lb without)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2½ lb butternut squash
• Special equipment: a 17- by 12- by 1-inch shallow heavy baking pan

Instructions

1. Put the oven rack just below middle position and put the baking pan on the rack, then preheat the oven to 450°F. (If roasting vegetables along with turkey, preheat the pan for 15 minutes while turkey roasts, then roast vegetables underneath the turkey.)
2. Trim and peel kohlrabi, then cut into ¾-inch pieces. Toss kohlrabi with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Transfer kohlrabi to a preheated pan in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, peel butternut squash, then quarter lengthwise, seed, and cut into ¾-inch pieces. Toss squash with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper in the same bowl.
4. Stir kohlrabi, turn it, then push it to one side of the pan.
5. Add squash to opposite side of pan and roast, stirring and turning squash over halfway through roasting, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes total (after squash is added).
6. Toss vegetables to combine and transfer to a dish.

Fennel and Celeriac Salad:

https://food52.com/recipes/35736-a-winter-salad-of-fennel-celery-root-lemon-and-pecorino

Or try:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/gravadlax-celeriac-fennel-salad

Or this one that uses radicchio as well:

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fennel-and-celery-root-salad

• Celery
• Parsley
• Thyme
• Salad mix (lettuce, spinach and radicchio)
• Winter squash
• Pie pumpkin
• Shallot braids
• Brussels sprouts or cabbage
• Green peppers 
• Green tomatoes
• Leeks
• Fennel

We hope you enjoy the bounty of the harvest. We harvested after 3:30 yesterday and got as much done as we could before it was pitch black. It is currently 28 degrees here and we have to wait until it defrosts to finish up the harvest and display.

We wish you all a great week and hope that celebration includes time with family and those you love.

Here are a few recipes to consider:

Great Salads:

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/celery-grilled-grape-and-mushroom-salad

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/big-italian-salad

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/mixed-greens-and-herb-salad-figs-and-walnuts

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/omas-green-mountain-salad

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/celery-fennel-salad

Try this with your shallots:

https://food52.com/recipes/84162-miso-butter-onions-recipe

Desserts that include some Pumpkin or squash or apple:

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pumpkin-cheesecake-gingersnap-crust

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/bas-best-apple-pie

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/saffron-milk-cake

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/best-pumpkin-pie

• Radicchio
• Potatoes
• Green tomatoes
• Green peppers 
• Hot peppers
• Cabbage or cauliflower
• Red radish
• Cilantro or dill
• Onions or shallots
• Broccoli

Ok, so this is your chance to make the green tomato spice cake-it is really good! Also make those fried green tomatoes. The red radish is great in salad with your radicchio. Roasting veggies makes them all taste better! Roast cabbage in wedges, roast those shallots and onions, crinkle cut your potatoes and roast those as well.

Enjoy your veggies this week. Next Sunday is the Thanksgiving Harvest. This is an add on to the winter share. Please let me know ASAP if you want in and are not yet signed-up. The cost is $40 and paid up front.

I am almost ready to put my glazed ceramics in the kiln. I am excited to show you all what a few hours in my clay studio can produce. I can’t wait to turn focus there for a few months so I can take a break from farming and doctoring and create. I will have the load out for display and purchase on November 20th. If you want a holiday wreath come see me at the Beaverton Farmers Market on 11/19 from 8:30 – 1:30. We will have tons of bird feeds and a few dried wreaths and swags for sale.

Today is Juivencio’s last harvest until Mid December he leaves for three weeks to Honduras this week. I will miss him so much. Hoping for the best trip ever.

Green tomato spice cake

(Lyn’s notes: I added ½ teaspoon ground cloves and 1 teaspoon ground ginger and I skipped the raisins and added 1 cup brown sugar and ½ cup white)

Ingredients

4 cups chopped green tomatoes

1 tablespoon salt

½ cup butter

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped walnuts

Place chopped tomatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Place in a colander, rinse with cold water and drain.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until creamy.

Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add raisins and nuts to the dry mixture; add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Dough will be very stiff. Mix well.

Add drained tomatoes and mix well. Pour into the prepared 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Here is a green tomato jam you can make: check out urbancowgirllife.com she has a great recipe but will not let me link.

Recipes for green peppers – get into it and cook with what you have:

• Radicchio 
• Onions
• Cilantro or thyme or parsley
• Broccoli
• Green peppers
• Hot peppers
• Green tomatoes ( recipe below!)
• Collards or cabbage or cauliflower (choose 1))
• Celeriac

The farm held up to the first real rainstorm. The atmospheric river passed us bye. We raced out yesterday in a break from the rain to harvest your radicchio and cauliflower. There is much to do to prepare for the first frost. We will be out at first light finishing the pepper harvest and gathering every last green tomato. 

I am busy making holiday wreaths, the last of the fall wreaths, bird feeders and trying to get my ceramics glazed! Oh yeah planting bulbs and veggies in the hoop houses and outside all before Thanksgiving. Juvencio takes off for Honduras on 11/16 and will not return until 12/7 so he is racing to get as much done as he can before our little farm rests on it’s achievements so far. NO more time to  write, time for action!

Remember to VOTE! Drop your ballots by 8 PM on November 8th, better yet do it today.

Democracy and the planet are at stake every time. We have 2 CSA members up for election this week! We wish all the best to Nathan Sosa and Lisa Reynolds. See me on instagram supporting our State Senator Janeen Sollman: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ckdv0RXr9V-/

This variety can be bitter, soak in ice water bath and make plenty of tasty dressing, add your blue cheese and delish!!

Here is a recipe for a radicchio caesar:

Try this delicious spice cake:

Green tomato spice cake

Ingredients

4 cups chopped green tomatoes

1 tablespoon salt

½ cup butter

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped walnuts

Place chopped tomatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Place in a colander, rinse with cold water and drain.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until creamy.

Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add raisins and nuts to the dry mixture; add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Dough will be very stiff. Mix well.

Add drained tomatoes and mix well. Pour into the prepared 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Pasta with Radicchio,  gorgonzola and hazelnuts (or walnuts)

1 pound penne, cascareli, or other larger pasta

1 c. roughly chopped hazelnuts (or walnuts)

1/4 c EVOO

1 1/2 lbs radicchio cut into 1” ribbons

6 oz crumbled gorgonzola

1/2 c chopped italian parsley

Salt, pepper

grated parmesan for serving—optional

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil,  add the pasta and cook per instructions until al dente.  Drain,  reserving 1 1/2 c of the pasta water

Heat a dry 12” skillet over medium heat and gently toast the nuts.  Remove and set aside and wipe out pan

Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium heat.  Add the radicchio and cook until it begins to wilt—about 4-5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the gorgonzola and 1/2 c pasta water,  stir well and simmer for a few minutes to make a sauce.  Add the pasta to the skillet and toss,  coating the pasta.  Stir in the parsley and nuts,  and toss again to combine.  Serve with grated parmesan if desired.

GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY

1 pound green tomatoes, chopped

½ medium white onion, chopped

½ cup golden raisins

1 cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup apple cider vinegar

combine in a nonreactive pan and simmer 30 minutes or until thick.