picture above: Naomi preparing new beds for winter vegetables in a hoophouse.
Welcome to our first winter season for our Community Supported Agriculture program! We've got 2 great employees working with us this winter, Clare and Naomi, who will be growing the vegetables, harvesting, washing veggies (in the COLD water and weather!), tending to the livestock, and helping us get started with the spring crops in the new year. Winter is never a down time; we always fill the short days with plenty to do. I love the flavors of the vegetables throughout the year, but the winter vegetables have such great flavor and I love the juicy crunch of the winter radishes and carrots.
From the farmer's kitchen We're thinking about sweet, aromatic fennel slow cooked with some greens and crunchy salads this week after all the rich foods from Thanksgiving. Fennel adds depth, freshness, and a sweet flavor to greens like cabbage. It is also very good for digestion. Or put sautéed onions and fennel in your Italian dishes. It cooks similarly to onions, having a similar texture. We like to slice onions and fennel and sauté or roast, adding some diced garlic about halfway through cooking. It is also wonderful in salads, but I recommend slow cooking it with onions when you are trying it for the first time. From Healthline.com "All parts of the fennel plant are rich in powerful antioxidants like chlorogenic acid, limonene, and quercetin — all of which may benefit health."
Your farmers, Marie (and William) + Naomi and Clare
