This week your basket contains: potatoes, shallots, leeks, celeriac, Brussels sprouts and greens mix (red mustard, tatsoi, red mustard, bok choi and cabbage).

 The billing statements in your baskets today are THE LAST MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS OF THE YEAR, though your baskets will continue coming through the end of May. This is also the time of year we start taking deposits from new subscribers (we will be asking you for renewal plans and deposits starting in April after the final monthly installments in March).  One great way to help us out is to send anyone you know who might be interested in subscribing to our farm (or another farm) to this year’s CSA SHARE FAIR.  About 30 CSA farms that serve Portland and the surrounding metro region will be at HOLLYWOOD FARMERS MARKET SPACE (44^TH & NE HANCOCK) 9:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 11^th.  You can also;   Receive a free copy of Harriet Fasenfest’s “Preserving with Friends” DVD when they sign up for their share that day  Attend a free food preservation workshop by Lucky Larder LLC

  Bring kids to participate in farm themed fun  Enjoy hot food and drink from local vendors.  We have full details on our facebook page or on the web at Portlandcsa.org/events/.  Stop by yourselves just to say hello to us.  If you have a friend who signs up with us, we will thank you with a free bouquet of flowers on the week of your choosing this summer.

When we saw this recipe, we knew we had to pass it along to you for today’s basket.  Let us know what you think.

UTICA GREENS

FOR THE OREGANATO:

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup bread crumbs

½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grate

FOR THE GREENS:

1 1/4 pound greens mix

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 slices prosciutto cut roughly

4 to 6 hot cherry peppers (pickled or fresh), chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup + 2 Tbs Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated,

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, prepare the oreganato: Mix the oil, bread crumbs and cheese until well blended. It should have the texture of moist beach sand. Set aside.  When the water is boiling, blanch the greens until they are nearly limp but still a little firm, about 1 to 2 minutes. Plunge them into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Remove and drain them well in a colander or salad spinner, allowing them to remain moist but not dripping wet. Squeeze just a little of the moisture from them, then chop them into 2-inch pieces. Set aside.  Heat the broiler. Coat a large pan with the olive oil. Over medium heat, sauté the prosciutto, cherry peppers and garlic until the prosciutto is browned and slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. (Lower heat slightly if garlic begins to brown too quickly.) Add the chopped greens to the pan, season with salt and pepper and stir to mix well.  Add 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and 1/2 cup of the oreganato. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently to blend, scraping the bottom of the pan to keep the oreganato from burning. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup oreganato atop the greens. (Save leftover oreganato for use in another greens dish, or add it to baked chicken or shrimp.) Place the pan under the broiler and broil until the top browns, about 2 minutes. Remove from the broiler and sprinkle a bit more cheese on the dish. Serve immediately.

Celeriac, or celery root as it is also known, is a wonderful combination of celery flavor and potato texture.  The leaves, which are very similar to the herb lovage, can be used in soup stock or stews to add a celery flavor. To use the root, it must be peeled first.  Perhaps the easiest way to use celeriac is to grate it after peeling, dressing with mustard vinaigrette and serving cold.  This is the vinaigrette that we use:

VINAIGRETTE

1 clove garlic

1 tsp salt

3 Tbs red wine vinegar

1 tsp wet mustard

5 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

black pepper

Press garlic into the bottom of  your salad bowl.  With a fork, mix well with salt until it forms a paste.  Mix in vinegar and mustard until salt is dissolved.  Whisk in olive oil to make an emulsion.  Add black pepper to taste.  These proportions are in no way set in stone.  You should experiment to find the proportions you prefer.  Also, other spices, herbs and vinegars can be used to vary the dressing.

OUR CHICKENS HAVE STARTED TO LAY EGGS AGAIN. If you are on our egg list from last year, we will try to start giving you eggs again. If you want to be added to or removed from the list, please send us an email!

Our tulips and daffodils are emerging!  We will have $6 bunches available starting in the next few weeks.  Send us an email to order (one time or standing order).  The season usually lasts about 3-4 weeks.