Over the years, as we have leaned into Winter growing, Mark and I have made a good intentioned but lofty (maybe unreasonable) goal to grow “something green” to offer the CSA, even in the coldest weeks. Sometimes that something green is purple, and sometimes that green is maroon or pink. We may not be sentimental creatures, but Mark and I really love it when the chicory harvest aligns with Valentine’s Day. Indeed, the crew harvested them today, but heartbreakingly, it looks like less than a quarter of our Winter Chicories survived the January deep freeze and there’s not enough to cover the shares. (Ugh) But, we’re going to make it work to the best of our abilities. Bitter Chicories, while beautiful, are not everyone’s favorite flavor-wise. (If they were, we’d grow enough to have them every week). So, we’re going to make the most of what we lack this year and give our CSA a choice of Cabbage or Chicories this week. We will see if a bit more braising is available tomorrow as well.

Braising Greens are a Wintertime staple for our farm.  A mix of various types of Kale, Collards, typically Chard and a few other odds and ends that put on smaller, sweet little leaves heading into the cold months are a versatile component of many salads, soups, smoothies and frittatas between now and Spring.  And you wouldn’t know it by looking at the pristine basket you see above, but this year’s crop of greens has really taken a hit thanks to the infamous January deep freeze.  By Mark’s estimation, about ¾ of the leaves out there in the Kale, Collards, Cabbage and Brassicas are damaged by at least 10%--which is his way of letting us know the plants are alive but most of the existing growth is toast and that it took a whole lot of fussy harvesting to arrive at this week’s Braising Mix.   What we’ve got looks and tastes fantastic, and the crew has done a phenomenal job of making something beautiful of a harvest day that was otherwise a real pain.  But, it just might be that the plants have given us all they’ve got for now, and we may have to wait and see what these plants give us in terms of flowering Raab by early Springtime.  Thankfully, there we have plenty of lovely Winter vegetables stored up, like Purple Daikon and Autumn Frost Squash, to counteract any dearth and drear. Ditto, seasonal organic citrus that is making its way into the farmstand—Tangerines, Blood Oranges, Meyer Lemons and specialty varieties of Navel Oranges are at their peak.  And after several weeks of patient waiting, I have picked up fresh batch of ferments from Olykraut, so come on by and stock up!

January is winding to an end, and I’m surrounded by telltale signs—the boxes of seed deliveries arriving and piling up in the usual corner of our living room, the stack of filing awaiting me after finishing payroll taxes and last year’s books, and last but certainly not least, some goofy adolescent rooster crows erupting from the chicken yard out back at all hours.  The chicks are growing up, and while we may be tight on eggs this week, by early March, there should be plenty.