This week is a shining example of how CSA or farm membership works. In any given year we have bumper crops of some things and not so much of others. We planned to have frisée this week as we don’t usually have lettuce this late in the year, but we have lettuce after all, so we decided to put both in the share. We also have an abundance of cress, usually only harvested for restaurants, but sales are low so members benefit. And as noted earlier, this was a great onion year, the best we’ve ever had- so enjoy!

In Your Share This Week

Lettuce – Assorted varieties; the final week of lettuce.

Cress – Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled. One of our favorite originals from Wild Garden Seeds, this is a cross between two other types of cress (Persian & Curly). Great in salads; it also makes amazing pesto, or Cressto(!)  Put ~5 loosely packed cups in food processor with garlic, maybe a little parsley and ½ a lemon. Slowly drizzle in ¼ – ½ cup olive oil. Stir in ½ – 1 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese and S&P to taste.

Kohlrabi – Gigante. A Czechoslovakian heirloom bred to be large and tender, OR Green Cabbage – Early Jersey Wakefield

Endive (aka Frisée) – Nina. Another favorite from our friends at Wild Garden Seeds in Philomath. Someone gave them some seeds hoping to have them ‘worked’ or brought back to commercial production. Endive is in the chicory family, which also includes escarole, radicchio, Belgian endive and dandelion greens. Most all chicories can be used interchangeably in recipes. Store unwashed in a perforated plastic bag in the fridge.

Carrots – Shin Kuroda. These don’t look so great this week, but they work very well as cooking carrots. Good for stir frys, soups, casseroles, etc.

Onion – Copra & Redwing – both excellent storage varieties

Sweet Peppers – Assorted varieties

Hot Peppers – Jalapeno, Fish &/or Bulgarian Carrot

Chard – Fordhook Giant, Golden and Rhubarb

Potatoes – Yellow Finn &/or Red Norland

Winter Squash – Sweet Dumpling