Live Earth Farm Winter Share Newsletter

Greetings from Farmer Tom
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Colorful Winter Veggies Eating locally grown, in-season vegetables and fruits takes on a whole new meaning in the winter. One becomes a lot more aware of the crops we take for granted year round but which may not necessarily be grown in our bio-region. Cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, peppers and eggplant often travel long distances to make it to a grocery shelf near you. Even leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach and arugula may be difficult to get in the middle of winter, as although we are blessed with great weather here in California, crops are all growing very slowly. The short days and the cold nights reduce the uptake of nutrients and bring the activity of soil microorganisms almost to a halt.

It may be a challenge to prepare meals with winter crops, not only do they take a little more time to prepare but you have to become a bit of an adventurer by preparing larger portions that last for several meals. Pruned Pear Tree Winter shares are mostly about greens, and although you might feel overwhelmed by them they are the most flavorful and nutritious at this time of year, packed with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. I love kale; right now the leaves have turned almost red from the frost, but if you try them slightly steamed or even raw you'll be surprised at how mild and sweet they are. The cold converts a lot of the starches into sugars, which in turn helps the plant fend off heavy frosts. Both green and red cabbage, another versatile easy to use winter crop, will be abundant for the next two months.Although grated raw into a salad is popular, I still like to make my mother's favorite recipe, a kind of sweet-and-sour red cabbage. Otherwise, just stir-fry, sauté, or chop them into a soup. The cauliflower we planted in September is all maturing, so right now we have an abundance of white cauliflower. Each share should receive at least one or two of each. We also have some purple cauliflower, but I’m not sure yet how much. Hopefully enough so that some of the shares, if not all, will have purple cauliflower as well.

Since our selection is more limited, and since you will only be receiving a share every other week for the rest of the winter share season, I am planning to increase the quantity of each item in order to carry you through until the next fresh batch arrives. Make sure you take the extra steps to prep and store certain items in order to preserve their freshness, i.e. always take the tops of the carrots and separate the leaves from the beets [don’t pitch those beet greens!! They’re good as chard! – Debbie]. This way the roots will stay crisp much longer.

Much of what happens on the farm now is critical for the growing season ahead. Currently we are pruning the pear trees, the first seedlings of broccoli are emerging in the greenhouse, and most of the machinery is parked and waiting to get overhauled and repaired. Seeds are being ordered, and the bare-root raspberry plants and pear trees which are now arriving will be planted into already prepared and mulched beds. If we get a few more days of nice weather the garlic, onions, and strawberries will get a quick weeding. Now is a good time to weed since they are all just emerging and still small. Lettuce Under Row Cover

A small patch of lettuce is growing nicely under the protection of a row cover blanket which keeps the hard rains and frost from damaging the tender leaves. In the February, they should be big enough to make a nice salad. Earlier plantings of broccoli are also starting to mature, and by March who knows... bon appetìt for now!

<back to top>