I don't know if you needed a pick me up today, but I sure did. And as a pleasant surprise, it came in the form of some gorgeous weather and a field of Purple Sprouting Broccoli. It was super sweet to sneak a snack of this morning, and I just know that you're going to love it too--stem, leaf and all, raw, roasted, steamed or otherwise. It is just too good for its own good.

We're getting ready for some true Winter weather this week. Precipitation? We'll wait and see (and hope not), but at the very least, we know that some very cold days and hard nights of frost are likely ahead of us. We've got plenty of plants to harvest, tuck under cover or roll the dice with.

The clearer skies have allowed the ground to dry up a little bit in the field--just enough for us to drive a tractor out into the beds so that Blake and Erica could make one more go at gathering Parsnips and Carrots for this week. Meanwhile, Mark is also got something special up his sleeve--a really stunning Wintry Salad Mix that is a little different than our typical blend. This mix is made up of Baby Romaine, Frisee and the prettiest leaves of Radicchio in variegated shades of pink. It is swoonworthy stuff. Bitter, bold and floral in appearance, these greens are a flavorful counterpoint to the loads sweet squash, fruits and roots that we've been serving up on our tables since November. Those beautiful bitter leaves, when dressed in the raw with citrus (like the Salad I prepared last night for our family) or anchovy, or even a bit of pear and cheese, make for really special seasonal meal. Forget professing your love with flowers...say it with salad!

XOXO,
Katie

Mark and Blake are starting February with a soggy and gray harvest day, but the end result is anything but dismal--feast your eyes on that Braising Mix.

If you've ever wondered, or were afraid to ask, Braising Mix is blend of our hardiest overwintering greens that, because they're sturdy, are often used for cooking. But, you don't have to limit their preparation to braising. They can just as easily be chopped up and eaten raw, or wilted, steamed, sauteed or blended into a smoothie. Whatever floats your boat. In our case, it is a mix of different types of Kale, Collards, Chard, and sometimes tiny Brussels Sprout or Cabbage Leaves too. This Summer, when you see our great big rows of Kale out in the field, you might keep this week's Winter share in mind. The plants that we're harvesting from are the very same ones that produced nice big leaves for bunching last Summer and Fall; however, the leaves that we're harvesting now are much smaller and sweeter thanks to the cool temps. They're a welcome treat this time of year too. We're doing a nice big harvest for the Winter CSA this week, and in a few more, we might see some regrowth and bits of flowering "raab."

This week's offerings are quintessentially Winter. Cabbages, Fingerling Potatoes, Leeks and Rutabagas are solid Winter staples, and they push those comfort food buttons in a big way with minimal effort.