The 2010 -2011 Winter CSA is Beginning!

Hello all,

Greetings and here we go! Yes, the winter CSA is starting this Wednesday, December 1st. We still have PLENTY of winter shares available – tell your friends, family, and, depending on you persuasion, your enemies. We think that the winter share is going to extra great this year with all of the new flexibility that we’ve worked into it. If you liked the One Bag Side this year at the farm you’ll probably like the winter CSA. It will be set up much the same way. I am going to start with the nuts and bolts of the winter CSA so they don't get lost in the shuffle. Please read them....

NUTS AND BOLTS

* Distribution is at the farm.

* Distributions are every other Wednesday, and supply 2 weeks worth of food.

* Main distribution days are: 12/1, 12/15, 12/29, 1/19, 2/2, 2/16 & 3/2

* Distribution is from 2-6 pm on the main distribution days.

* If you have purchased a pre-boxed share you may pick up you share from 9-5, Thurs, Fri, & Sat following the main day.

* There are 7 distributions and a share pays for 6, so choose the 6 dates that work best for you. No need to tell us which distribution you are going to miss. We hope this accommodates your winter travel plans and a snow date. You may certainly come to all 7 distributions, it just costs more.

FUN STUFF:

*We will always have eggs available for purchase at distribution. You can buy as many as you could possibly use – we have lots. Eggs store easily for 2 weeks, so buy a 2 week supply. The chickens are happy in their light filled greenhouse out on one of the oat and pea pastures. We leave the door of the chicken greenhouse open all the time, so they go in and out all winter. The greenhouse is cozy with lots of loose hay covering the floor and mounded up the sidewalls. We need egg cartons – bring them on over, we’ll take all you’ve got.

*We will have soup chickens for sale at this Wednesday’s distribution. They are $8/bird. Use these only in soup bird recipes. They are not tender roasters, but they do make fantastic soup, coq-au-vin, and chicken fricassee. These birds were layer chickens from last year.

* In addition to the winter squash in the CSA share, we will also have winter squash for sale at a $1/pound.

High Point Farms will be at the main distribution days with a variety of grass-fed meat for sale.

VEGGIES:

For the first distribution we will have the shed divided into 2 One-Bag-Sides. So, you will be able to fill 2 grocery bags - one from either side of the shed. To standardize the bag size we will supply the grocery bags. There will also be several itemized things.

Here’s the list: potatoes, carrots, onions, leeks, winter squash, celery, head lettuce, radicchio, endive, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, turnips, rutabagas, celeriac, beets, diakon, kale, spinach, collards, parsnips, kohlrabi, parsley, garlic

Member Recipes:

Baked Butternut Squash–and–Cheese Polenta

• Recipe by Anna Thomas

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Anna Thomas's 1970s book, The Vegetarian Epicure, is iconic; updated in the '90s and rechristened The New Vegetarian Epicure, it focuses on recipes for entertaining. One of her latest dishes is this crusty baked polenta, swirled with mashedbutternut squash and smoked Gouda cheese.

See our wine pairings below

Buzz up!

© Quentin Bacon

Baked Butternut Squash–and–Cheese Polenta

• ACTIVE: 45 MIN
• TOTAL TIME: 2 HRS 15 MIN PLUS 3 HR CHILLING
• SERVINGS: 8

• MAKE-AHEAD
• VEGETARIAN

INGREDIENTS

1. One 2-pound butternut squash—peeled, seeded and sliced 1 inch thick
2. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
3. 1/3 cup pine nuts
4. 1 large onion, finely chopped
5. 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
6. Salt and freshly ground pepper
7. 6 cups water
8. 2 cups coarse polenta
9. Unsalted butter
10. 4 ounces smoked Gouda, shredded (1 cup)
11. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Arrange the squash on a large oiled baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until tender. Transfer the squash to a bowl and mash coarsely. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups.) Spread the pine nuts on a pie plate and toast in the oven for 4 minutes, until golden. Coarsely chop the nuts.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and sage and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, 25 minutes; add a few tablespoons of water if the onion looks dry.
3. In a saucepan, bring the 6 cups of water to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook over very low heat, stirring frequently, until tender, about 35 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter along with the mashed squash, pine nuts, onion, Gouda and half of the grated Parmigiano cheese. Pour the hot polenta into a buttered large cast-iron skillet. Flatten the top of the polenta slightly without spreading it to the edges; refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
4. Rub the surface of the polenta with softened butter and sprinkle with the remaining grated Parmigiano cheese. Bake in a 375° oven for 1 hour, until the top and side are lightly browned and crisp. Let stand for 20 minutes before cutting it into wedges.

SERVE WITH

Sautéed mushrooms, braised greens or tomato sauce.

--
Evangeline Sarat and Paul Martin
Sweet Land Farm CSA
www.sweetlandfarm.org
607.387.3702
"Growing good food for a better home on earth."

OK, See you at the farm!

Evangeline