CSA pick up January 13th.

Marc and I are following along cooking with the CSA shares each week.  If you're anything like us, you have a bit of a back stock of beets and maybe a squash or two.  This week, we've made princess potatoes and  the carrot beet salad to use up the beets.  On my to do list tonight, beet chips.  I've been making food in a pot with kale quite a bit which uses up lots of potatoes, kale and I've been adding at least half an orange squash to the pot each time.  I now find that when I make it, the squash is actually the first thing that I see people's forks go for!  With the chicken breast that mixed share members get this week, you can make this chicken squash dish that I just love. It's cold and the days are short.  Our second greenhouse producer is patiently waiting for the days to get longer so that their chard, green onions and herbs grow for us.  This is the time of year to think back to my grandmother who lived her whole life on a farm, and grew up before electricity and running water were available in rural areas.  She and her mother spent the summer canning all of their vegetables, fruits, meats and fish for winter storage.   Every house had a cold store room where potatoes, onions, beets, squash, carrots and cabbage were kept as long as possible to feed the family.  I grew up with a potato bin in our basement cold room.  Each fall we would harvest the garden and store about 300-500 pounds of potatoes for winter use.  We had potatoes in some form for every supper.  Mashed, baked, scalloped, on top of Sheppard's pie.  The same held true for our garden carrots.  We had a big cold area for carrots and onions to use throughout the winter.  The carrots never lasted past Christmas though.   Exotic imports like fresh tomatoes and lettuces were something that we had only on occasion in the winter.  We ate canned tomatoes, and many farm tables had a bowl of canned tomatoes on the table at meal time that you would eat with your meal. I love the challenge of seeing what I can create from the Manitoba produce that we have through the CSA.  So far, Marc and I have been eating well, trying new recipes, and finding ways to make the regular staples in the bags diverse in flavour.   I've tried potato, parsnip, carrot with kale, and beet waffles.  I'm putting basil in every single thing.  Salads, soups, stir fries, scrambled eggs.  I've found out that I LOVE arugula.  I can eat a whole bag of it out of hand in 20 seconds, you can put mass amounts of almost any veggie into an asian noodle soup, and I've learned that I really really like raw shredded beets with a simple vinaigrette and some goat cheese.  And for the first time in many years, I haven't gained weight since the store closed. I'll be sending out a survey in the next few weeks to see how you would like the Winter CSA tweaked.  This was the first year that we did it, so of course, you are our early adopters who can help us make this program better in years to come. All shares to receive the below base Basil, spray free Lettuce, spray free Potatoes, organic Garlic, spray free Frozen Sour Cherries, spray free.  So about a month ago I added 1 cup of frozen sour cherries to a liter of bourbon and let it sit.  I'm not a whisky fan.  Mostly I think it tastes like unpleasant burning.  I think this of all hard liquors.  Steep sour cherries with it though, and you have a beautifully palatable drink that you can sip over ice.  Not into the booze?  Make this compote and serve it over your yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream or just in a bowl on its own. Mixed shares to receive the above base as well as the following Parsnips, organic Sunchokes, Organic Baby Carrots, Organic Chicken Breast, freely run and raised without the use of antibiotics, growth hormones or animal bi product in the feed Berkshire Bacon, freely ranged and raised without the use of antibiotics, growth hormones or animal bi product in the feed.  Berkshire is a heritage breed of hog that is a dark colour, and has flavourful, well marbled meat.  The bacon is excellent. When you have done cooking your bacon, please pour the remaining fat off into a mason jar, let it cool, then store it in your fridge.  Frying or roasting up some potatoes?  That could use a bit of bacon fat.  Toasting up some pumpkin seeds?  That could use a bit of bacon fat.  Sauteeing some garlic and onions for a pasta sauce?  That could use a bit of bacon.  There are a plethora of web sites giving bacon fat recipes. Right now you're thinking.  "But what about my waist line?  My heart health?"  I'm a firm believer that good quality animal fats eaten in moderation are delicious, don't make you fat, and actually are healthful.  4 cups of sauteed shredded cabbage and carrot for dinner is completely unsatisfying. Sautee it in a table spoon of bacon fat though, and I'm completely satisfied with my meal.  Note the portion difference.  4 cups of veg, 1 tbsp pork fat. Produce Plus to receive the above base as well as the following Extra Lettuce, spray free Arugula, spray free Frozen tomatoes, spray free Extra Garlic, spray free Apple Chips, spray free Apple Cider, 2 liters! Pressed by yours truely!  We take Manitoba spray free apples and squish them until they weep cider.  At this time of year, it's the perfect hot beverage. Produce only shares to receive the above base as well as Extra Lettuce, sprayfree Arugula, spray free Extra Garlic, spray free Sunchokes, spray free Baby Carrots, organic Apple Chips, spray free