THIS WEEK YOUR BASKET CONTAINS: leeks, potatoes, bok choy OR mustard greens, winter squash, celeriac, garlic, and salad mix (spinach, endive, claytonia, and watercress)

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. 

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 at an inflection point both in terms of the weather and in the crops we have for you.  Most of our winter crops (squash, garlic etc) are finished as of this week or in a week or two.  On the other hand, things like spinach and endive are just coming into their own.  We’ve even started harvesting the first purple sprouting broccoli which we will be coming handing out as we can.  When you get your raab or  purple sprouting broccoli, remember that all parts, stems, leaves and buds, are used together. The salad mix has a couple of things that have been slowly growing during the winter and are just starting to produce.  Claytonia, also known as miner’s lettuce, has rounded, light green leaves that are tender and buttery while watercress is darker in color and we left it mostly in rosettes.  The peppery flavor of watercress is one of Polly’s favorite springtime treats. 

The recipe below is great for a stir fry with bok choy.

THAI PEANUT SAUCE

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy or tamari sauce

1 tablespoon sherry, optional

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a small bowl, blend peanut butter, water, soy sauce, sherry, lemon juice, and brown sugar. You can heat the peanut butter in the microwave prior to adding other ingredients to “liquefy” it. It blends much easier that way. You can marinate tofu in 1/2 the peanut sauce over night. Cut the tofu into thin strips length wise and then in half width wise. This coats the tofu nicely for pan searing the next night. Reserve the other 1/2 the marinade to pour over the stir fry.

In the recipe below, we use a couple of the tomatoes we froze whole in the summer.  It is a great dish for a chilly day.

SQUASH AND BLACK-EYED PEA COCONUT CURRY

2 ½ lb. winter squash, cut into ¾ in. wedges

2 Tbsp avocado oil

1 Tbsp. garam masala

1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 serrano chile, halved

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 15 oz can of black-eyed peas

2 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 15 oz can coconut milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine squash, avocado oil, garam masala, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Toss to coat; arrange in a single layer on a foil lined baking tray. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add mustard seeds. When seeds begin to pop, add onion and serrano (or 1/8 tsp cayenne). Cook, stirring, until onion is softened and golden. Add garlic and cook about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in black-eyed peas and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are jammy around the edges, about 3 minutes. Stir in turmeric, then coconut milk, and season with salt and pepper. Add roasted squash and fold to coat with curry. Cover and let simmer 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6. From Food and Wine March 2018.