THIS WEEK YOUR BASKET CONTAINS: leeks, potatoes, bok choy, parsnips, collards, and celery (half shares) OR Florence fennel (full shares)

WE HAVE STARTED TAKING DEPOSITS FROM NEW SUBSCRIBERS FOR THE 2024-25 YEAR.  Thank you to those of you who have recommended us. If you have friends or neighbors who may want to subscribe, please have them go to our website for the details.  Another option for people to find us (or a different CSA farm) is to attend the CSA SHARE FAIR at The REDD (831 SE Salmon St) on Sunday March 3^rd from 10:00 to 1:00. Come say “Hi”, and take in one or more cooking demonstrations, and the kids’ activities!

Our friends at KENAI RED FISH COMPANY are offering our CSA members 25% off their entire online fish market.  From March 1 to March 26^th order online (kenairedfc.com) and use the code PR25 at checkout to get your discount.  This is a great way to fill your freezer with great fish.

TULIP AND DAFFODIL BOUQUETS WILL BE READY SOON. Polly will make you a gorgeous bunch for only $10.  Email to order.

We are always experimenting with crops and varieties that will produce for us at this time of year.  One way we do this is to plant a crop that we usually grow outdoors in a hoop house. We have to play around with the timing of seeding and transplanting and ways of caring for them to see how they respond.  Two things we’ve been working on in this way are Florence fennel and celery.  Thus far the celery has been more of a success than the fennel, but we are getting better with both of them.  Neither crop liked the temperatures in teens in January (who did!) but with a bit of extra covering both made it through.  In fact, the celery this week is from the same plants we have harvested from two or three times since fall!  The celery will be best in cooked dishes.  We also anticipate having one more harvest of celery in the next few weeks.

The recipe below is infinitely adaptable to whichever vegetables you have on hand and can be spiced in any way that strikes your fancy.

WYNELLE’S POT PIE

CRUST

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 cup butter

3 Tbs. ice water

1/2 tsp. salt

FILLING

1 large onion, chopped

3 Tbs. veg. Oil

2 carrots, diced

1 potato diced

1/2 tsp. Paprika

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. Marjoram

1 parsnip, diced                   

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup peas or beans

1/2 cup corn

salt and pepper

2/3 cup bread crumbs

ROUX

2 Tbs. Butter

2 Tbs. unbleached flour

1 cup milk

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

2 cups grated cheddar

To make the crust, sift flour into mixing bowl, cut in butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Sprinkle ice water over flour a little at a time, turning the dough until a ball forms.  Add a little more water if dough fails to come together.  Roll out and place the dough in a 10-inch pie pan.  To make the filling, sauté onions in oil until soft.  Add carrots, potatoes, parsnip, paprika, basil and marjoram.  Cook covered for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in mushrooms, peas and corn.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to cook about 5 or 10 minutes.  To make the roux, melt the butter.  Add the flour and stir constantly on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.  Whisk in the milk, mustard and nutmeg.  Continue to stir on low heat until mixture is thickened but do not let it boil.  Remove from heat and whisk in grated cheese.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  To assemble the pie, spoon the drained vegetable into the pie crust, pour the roux over the vegetable filling.  Sprinkle on the bread crumbs and, if you like, a few pinches of grated cheddar.  Bake for 40 minutes.    Adapted from Sundays at the Moosewood Restaurant