Week 23 Share News
Hi everyone. Thanks for bearing with us during our brief hiatus from blogging. We hope you all enjoyed your last few shares. We have been harvesting a lot of peppers lately before the first frosts take them and they have been showing up in quantity in the shares. It is our hope that a) you all love peppers! B) you will preserve them to eat all winter in soups, dips, nachos, and any other dish that could use some peppers. To quickly preserve the peppers, simply cut them up and sautee in some olive oil till cooked through. Season with salt and pepper if desired, but this is not necessary. Cool then place in portioned ziplock bags and freeze. To use again, just thaw and add them to your dish! They are great additions to hummus, pasta, pizza, on top of nachos…really they are quite versatile.
In addition to the different varieties of peppers in the shares, there is a buttercup squash, carrots, chard, kale, daikon radishes and mustard greens. The mustards are good cooked and fresh in salads, as are the daikons. To make quick pickles with the daikons, slice thinly and place in a container and cover in rice vinegar and a teaspoon each of salt and sugar. These are good on sandwiches, salads or as a little snack.
For those unfamiliar with he buttercup squash, the flesh is much denser than others it is really great in soups or curries. This variety is similar to what you might find this time of year at Thai restaurants in pumpkin curry. They are also good for baking. Just cut in half, remove seeds, roast till soft and scoop out pulp and mash and sub for pumpkin purée in baked goods.
We have also been harvesting a lot of winter squash before the frosts come as well to store through the cold months and to distribute to restaurants and winter farm share members. Speaking of, we now have official details. It begins December first and runs through March 25. Shares are dropped off every other week for a total of nine shares and the cost is $275. This is a great way to eat local, fresh produce all year. Shares will contain various greens like kale, collards and chard, winter salad mix, roots such as rutabaga, beets, carrots and turnips, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel’s sprouts, chicories and squash. Eating locally through the winter is a great experience and a way to be more creative in her kitchen. With our mild climate, however, most people are surprised at the variety of food that can be produced through the cold dark months in Oregon.
This field contains the majority of our winter crops that we look forward to harvesting for you. If you would like to sign up, please send a check to Simington Gardens, PO box 425, Aurora, Or, 97002 with your name, e mail and pick up location. All pick up locations will remain the same, though Happy Valley and both the Beaverton and Oregon City markets will not be available. For those who previously picked up at those locations, options include farm pick up or check out the map to see if maybe there is one close by. For instance, West Linn is just a quick trip over the bridge from Oregon City or a drive out to the farm every other week could be a fun, short trip. Please e mail us with any financial concerns you might have if you would like to participate this winter.
We look forward to the winter shares this year. Please pass on this information to people you know that might be interested. Again, thanks as always and please note there are only two more shares after this week. If you have any of our bins or boxes from previous shares please bring them back to your pick up location.
-The Simington Gardens Team
