Winter #1 CSA Newsletter Nov 2 - 8, 2025

Stacey Feiner
20 hours ago
11 min read

Growing just never stops on a vegetable farm.

Now's the time of year to plant garlic, so we did. Aidan made a few adjustments to the shoes that mark the rows, and drove the tractor and bags of seed out to the field where we planted it.

Here's to garlic crop 2026!

This week's share

VEG SHARES - Weekly + "B" week for EOW

SPAGHETTI SQUASH - These have a pretty long shelf life - several months if you store them properly in a cool, dark place. Their characteristic “noodle-like” flesh gives them their name. These can be cut in half and steamed upside down in a sheet pan filled with water. To use, cut the squash around the middle (belly button) of the squash. This will ensure you get the longest “noodles.” Guide & Recipes

BUTTERNUT SQUASH (1) - Store this winter squash on your counter or in a cool dark place. The longer you store it, the sweeter it gets. Butternut is a long keeper - in the right conditions, it will still be good in 4 to 6 months! Roast it, bake it, or add it to soup. Remove seeds. Eat the pulp. We use butternut to make pie filling or for pumpkin muffins. After roasting, you can freeze for later use. Roast the seeds too! Guide & Recipes

DELICATA WINTER SQUASHES (2) - Possible different varieties include squashes that are cylindrical or oval shape with cream or copper color and green or yellow stripes.These have thin skin that is edible so there is no need to peel! And they will store for up to 1 to 3 months at room temperature. Great steamed. Cut in half, scoop out seeds, and lay them face-side down in a sheet pan filled with a bit of water. Bake/steam at 375 for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size, until the inside is soft. Or roast the lazy way - put the whole squash in the oven in a shallow pan, on a cookie sheet or sheet pan & roast. Carefully remove from the oven when a fork or knife can easily be inserted, slice in half, and scoop out seeds. Serve in the skin with butter or brown sugar. You can also microwave Delicata for 3 to 5 minutes. Or prepare in a toaster oven @ 425F for 20 to 25 minutes. Guide & Recipes

LETTUCE MIX (¼ lb) - Store in a plastic bag in your fridge. Often considered a “1st Priority Vegetable” with a shorter shelf life than the other vegetables in your share, however if you put a paper or cloth towel in the bag to absorb moisture, our freshly harvested lettuce will often lasts more than a week! Guide & Recipes

SORREL (1 bunch) - Kind of a salad green & kind of a herb and in the same family as rhubarb, sorrel’s astringent citrusy flavor adds a little kick to your meal. And its rich in potassium, vitamins Q, B1, and C. A rule of thumb for using - anywhere you’d add a squeeze or two of lemon, sorrel would be good! When heat is added, sorrel breaks down nicely making it a great thickener for sauces and soups. It’s strong flavor pairs well with fatty meats & fish like salmon, creamy dishes, and cheeses. Great cut into thin strips and mixed with other salad greens to eat fresh. Other ideas include using it in soups, sauces, pesto, salads & dressings, potato toppings, hummus, quiches, omelets, crepe fillings, pizza, pasta dishes. 7 More Recipe Ideas Sorrel will last 1-2 weeks in a plastic bag in your fridge. If you wish to rinse or wash, wait until just before using to prolong shelf life.

GREEN BELL/CARMEN PEPPERS (2) - Store these in the fridge in a plastic bag. Stuff, add to stir fries, egg dishes, soups, tacos & burritos, pizza, etc. or slice for salads, veggie trays, or to snack on. Peppers can also be flash frozen. Just throw them in a Ziploc bag (whole or chopped) and freeze!

JALAPENO PEPPERS (1 pint) - Jalapenos have some heat but of a manageable kind. This variety has a range of pungency, with Scoville heat units of 3,500 to 3,600. Caution: The natural oils from the pepper can get on your hands and burn your skin so it’s recommended to wear gloves when handling and wash them thoroughly before rubbing your eyes! If you like spicy, keep the seeds and ribs when chopping, but if you want 3 the flavor without the burn of the heat, scrape out the seeds and remove the ribs. Store in fridge in a plastic bag. Can be flash frozen whole or chopped. Scoville Heat Units are 2,500 and 8,000.

CELERY (at least 6 ribs or stalks) - Celery is a herbaceous plant, in the same family with parsley, carrots, dill, and fennel. It’s crunchy, juicy, and aromatic, with a grassy, sweet, spicy flavor, and is regarded as a so-called "aromatic" vegetable, like onions and carrots, and is widely used as one of the three components of mirepoix (along with onions and carrots). Celery is also combined with onions and bell peppers to make up the "holy trinity" of Cajun cuisine. These mixtures are generally sautéed or roasted, and form the flavor base of innumerable sauces, soups, stocks, broths, stews, and other dishes. Celery will go limp if it isn't refrigerated. Remove the band holding the bunch together, put in a plastic bag or wrap the bunch loosely in paper towels, and store it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for about a week or so. Alternatively, trim off the very bottom of the ribs and put them in a glass of jar with an inch of water. Store the glass in the refrigerator and replace the water every couple days.

SWISS CHARD (1 bunch) - Put it in a bag to store in the fridge. Use within a week. This crop technically falls into

the category of “First Priority Vegetables” or ones with a short shelf life - use it within the week for maximum efficiency. To revive limp chard, cut a sliver off the bottom of the stems and soak in very cold water for a few minutes. Guide & Recipes

RED RUSSIAN KALE (1 bunch) - Store in a plastic bag (a Debbie Meyer Green bag if you have one) keep it in the fridge. Use within a week. This crop technically falls into the category of “1st Priority veggies” If you can’t use them in the next few days, freeze them you can use the stalks too! Every part of the leaf is edible, though really thick ribs take longer to cook, so they're often discarded. The kale can be cooked whole, cut into thin strips, or chopped, depending on your recipe and use. Store in a plastic bag (a Debbie Meyer Green bag if you have one) keep it in the fridge. Use within a week. This crop technically falls into the category of “1st Priority veggies” to be used in the next week. If you can’t use it in the next few days, consider freezing it. Guide & Recipes

ADIRONDACK BLUE POTATOES (1 lb) - Blue flesh and skin with a slight purple tint. Great flavor, hold color when cooked, and contain lots of healthy anthocyanins. This variety is good for boiling, baking, and mashing, and can be used for brightly coloured salads. Store in a paper bag in your pantry or on the counter for a month. Guide & Recipes

RUSSET POTATOES (1 lb) - Fully russeted skin with dry, white flesh perfectly suited for classic baked potatoes. Guide & Recipes

CARROTS (1 bunch) - Store the roots dry and unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Guide & Recipes

RED BEETS (1 lb) - Store in the fridge in a plastic bag for months. Guide & Recipes

CHIOGGIA BEETS (1 lb) - Pronounced kee-OH-gee-uh after a town in Northern Italy, and also known as “Candy Cane” or “Bullseye”, Chioggia have an especially sweet and mild earthy flavor—and don’t ‘bleed’ as much as regular beets. You can use them just like red beets. Often put in salads to showcase their eye-catching stripes. If boiling, add a little bit of lemon juice or white vinegar to prevent the stripes from fading! Store in the fridge in a plastic bag for months. Guide & Recipes

SUNCHOKES - Also known as Jerusalem Artichokes, sunroots, or earth apples, this is not an artichoke; it's the crisp, delicately sweet tuber of an Italian sunflower. Its texture is crispy, like jicama and water chestnuts, and it has the earthiness of a real artichoke. Sunchokes are edible raw or cooked, including the skins. The thin skin is difficult to peel, and they turn brown/grey quite quickly, so a good scrubbing is a better option. If you peel, to help prevent browning, soak the tubers in a mix of 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or ¼ cup vinegar) and one quart water. Sunchokes can be eaten raw, cooked, baked, pickled, and fermented.

Suggestions for use:

They’re tasty air-fried. Toss them in some olive oil and fry till done.
They go well with artichokes and tomato sauce.
Try them baked with olive oil for 30-40 minutes.
Substitute for water chestnuts in your favorite stir fry recipe.
Add to a vegetable tray as part of a meal, not a whole side dish.
Steam whole sunchokes for 10-15 minutes. Shorten steaming time if cubed or sliced. Serve with butter and a sprinkle of parsley, or a dash of lemon and dusting of nutmeg.
Thinly slice sunchokes and drop into hot oil. Fry chips until lightly browned and drain on a paper bag. Salt and season warm chips to taste.
Or roast with other root vegetables like beets, carrots, or potatoes.

Note*** Sunchokes are known for producing gas because they are high in soluble fiber (inulin). Inulin is a type of starch that although not digestible by humans, acts as a prebiotic in the digestive tract, feeding our beneficial bacteria. It’s become a widely used filler in many foods to bump up the fiber counts. It also increases calcium absorption in the body, and doesn’t spike blood sugar. There are even sweeteners made for diabetics made out of sunchokes. Soluble fiber is good for us, but the side effects (gas) can be unpleasant. Some sources claim that eating a large amount of sunchokes may lead to mild gas for those who are not used to it. They have even been nicknamed, “fartichokes”. However, not everyone reacts to sunchokes. If you have never had any, find out gently by having just a little bit. Good advice is that the most effective approach to avoid side effects is to go light on the sunchokes by adding small amounts to a dish, instead of as a main dish. This gives your digestive system time to build up the right bacteria to deal with the extra inulin. Some suggest to first eat some sunchokes raw, without scrubbing all the dirt off as some of the soil microbes that come with will help aid digestion. Some also believe spring sunchokes are less problematic as the winter frosts naturally break down some of the inulin.

Storage: Because of their thin skin, sunchokes can’t be “cured” for long storage like potatoes can be. Keep them in a bag or container in the fridge and plan to use in about 10 days.

SALAD (Hakurei) TURNIPS (1 bunch) - These popular white golf-ball or smaller size roots are juicy, sweet and less starchy than an average turnip, with a texture that deserves to be eaten raw or barely cooked. Hakurei turnips have the tender, almost creamy texture of a spring radish, but without the sharp heat of a radish, their more mellow turnip flavor shines through.They are crisp and tender. Use them in salads, sandwiches, stir frys, sautes, scrambled eggs or sauces. Remove the edible tops (use in salads or lightly sauteed) and store them separately in a plastic bag in the fridge (or the root will get soft). Best used within 3-4 weeks but will keep a long time! Guide & Recipes

RADISHES with greens (1 bunch) - Separate radish from leaves for storing! Keep the greens in a loosely wrapped plastic bag in the crisper bin of your refrigerator and eat them soon. Store the colorful roots in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a week or so. Eat them raw with a sprinkle of salt, slice into salads or on sandwiches for added crunch, pickle or roast with carrots. Guide & Recipes

FENNEL - Remove the stem and fronds from the white bulb. Store the white bulb in the fridge crisper in a plastic bag. Use within 2 weeks. The fronds have a licorice taste, and can be chopped and frozen for later use in seasoning. The stem is also edible. Chop it up finely for cooking, or flash freeze it. Guide & Recipes

KOREAN MOUNTAIN HARDNECK GARLIC - This full flavor variety is fairly spicy, impossible to ignore and yet, not overwhelming like some varieties. The initial bite is a hot burst, though it soon mellows into a smooth aftertaste. from Little Chet's

YELLOW ONIONS (1 lb) - Store on your counter or in your pantry out of direct sunlight. Onion peels can be put into a freezer bag with other vegetable scraps to make soup stock later, as they are full of antioxidants. To freeze: Cut or slice onions to desired size and place in Ziplock bag. Remove all the air and seal. It helps to freeze them in 2-3 cup increments. These are a good all-around onion, great for cooking and flavoring dishes. By far, they're the most popular onion sold in America and versatile enough for just about anything. Yellow onions are a smart choice for caramelizing, which draws out their natural sweetness.

RED ONIONS (1 lb) - Colorful and spicy-to-mild flavor. Because of their bright color and crispy texture, they're great for salads, salsas, and other fresh recipes. They're also excellent sliced for sandwiches. With cooking, the color fades, but they're still delicious cooked. Store on your counter or in your pantry out of direct sunlight. Onion peels can be put into a freezer bag with other vegetable scraps to make soup stock later, as they are full of antioxidants. To freeze: Cut or slice onions to desired size and place in Ziplock bag. Remove all the air and seal. It helps to freeze them in 2-3 cup increments.

CILANTRO - Snip the bottom of the stems off and keep in the fridge or on the counter in a glass of water, with, or without, an upside down plastic bag over the tops. Refresh water every few days and your herb will last for weeks! For an even more low-maintenance way to store cilantro, give your leaves a wash and thorough dry, then chop them up to freeze in ice cube trays with a little water or oil. Once frozen solid, transfer them to freezer bags and add to sauces, soups and marinades as needed. Or use now in salads, salsas, tacos, slaws, rice, stir fry (sprinkle on as you remove from heat), and pesto.

PARSLEY (1 bunch) - Snip the bottom of the stems off and store on the counter in a glass of water. Or if you plan to use it in the next day or so, you can store the bunch in a plastic bag in the fridge.

DAKOTA BLACK POPCORN (1 lb) - This richly flavored popcorn has a deep purple kernel that pops into a bright white and tender treat. (from Meadowlark Organics)

SMALL RED CAYENNE BEANS (1 lb) - These beans are small, plump, and creamy and are great for soups and stews. We call them the “everything” bean, as they’re a good chili, soup, salad, refried, baked bean. (from Meadowlark Organics)

MES SHARES - Week A1

EGG SHARES - all Weekly & appropriate Biweekly

Recipes:

On the Farm . . .

This weekend - Nov. 8 &9, Liam will be showing his metal sculptures and objects in Booth 34 at the Winter Art Fair Off the Square at Monona Terrace.

Thinking you might like to see some of his process,

I went down to his shop and caught him finishing up making a Christmas leaf ornament and took some photos to share with you.

Enjoy!

Liam heats the metal leaf up in his forge so it's easier to curl the stem

by pounding it as he's doing above.

When the stem is complete, he adds the finish.

First he brushes the leaf with a brass brush to add highlights.

Next he rubs a chunk of beeswax on the leaf which gives the metal a protective coating. Because the leaf is still extremely hot, the wax smokes.

Above Liam shows us the leaf on it's way to the forge to burn off the extra wax.

If he didn't do this, the leaf might otherwise be sticky in spots.

Here he pulls it out to check the progress.

Annnd puts it back in for another minute.

When it's done, he let's it cool down and then adds it to the bucket of finished leaves and starts another.

When the bucket and a tray both filled up, he moved on to work on bird sculptures, dragon lawn ornaments, and long-stemmed roses. He has quite an assortment.