What's in the First Winter CSA Basket...

• Winter Carrots - a true labor of love at this time of year, but worth the effort! 
• Leeks
• Red Beets - our storage variety, acclaimed for it's high brix (sugar) content even after months in storage
• Bulk Kale - a mix of our various lacinato types
• Curly Parsley
• Storage Kohlrabi - ugly as all get out until you peel it, but crispy-juicy-perfect on the inside
• Parsnips
• Costarossa Radicchio - a new winter variety we trialed this year, with great results. Planted way back in August, this plant has weathered ALL the weather we've had since then and still came out of the field looking beautiful! Not overly bitter. Try the radicchio "Caesar" recipe below if you still need convincing.
• Hakurei Turnips - also on the ugly side, especially the tops, but a welcome fresh addition to January salads
• Delicata Squash

Winter CSA shares are often a mix of striking beauty and blatant unattractiveness. Exhibit A: bright, lofty bunches of green parsley nestled next to wine-red radicchio juxtaposed with gnarly, discolored storage kohlrabi. It's a lesson in trusting that there's good inside, even when things are looking really ugly. That might be a helpful message for all of us these days as our country roils.

Kicking off the winter season, I wanted to share a couple of of my favorite winter recipes that might come in handy for two of the more controversial vegetables in your tote this week: radicchio and beets. These are deeply flavorful, satisfying winter meals that err almost completely on the side of pure plant - which can be hard to do in the more produce-scarce winter months. I crave these two salads regularly in the winter and trust that it's my body telling me what it needs to get through winter feeling happy.

Carrot and Beet Slaw with Pistachio Butter and Raisins - This is a recipe from Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden. I highly recommend owning this cookbook if you like to eat seasonally. It's often my go-to any time of the year, but especially in the winter. McFadden helps you turn things like parsnips, beets and kohlrabi into culinary wonderment.

Radicchio "Caesar" from Tasty n Sons - Apparently people line up on the sidewalk in Portland and wait for two hours to get an order of this salad. If you have some sourdough from Farmstead Bread, it makes the best homemade croutons. We've been making this weekly and can't seem to grow tired of it. 

Have fun with your first installment of January produce, and thanks for being part of our winter season!