Happy spring everyone!? Is it too soon to think that we may get out of this winter without the usual bitter cold snap and extreme weather event or two? 65 degrees tomorrow and another downright reasonable 10 day forecast…what more can you ask for? You’re welcome, I just sealed the deal for an epic weather swing next week to 20 below.
On this first day of spring, I’ll be meeting with a couple hundred of my closest friends at the Northeast Organic Farming Association Winter Conference. Not only do I expect it to be fruitful personally as I always learn a few tricks of the trade, but it will be fruitful for you all as well! I will be restocking the root cellar with veggies from the best local organic farmers around (not named Paul) to complement our greens from the tunnel….including potatoes, yellow onions, golden beets, and that delicious garlic I keep getting hounded about. PLUS kohlrabi. Stick with me here (or skip straight to ordering fantastic local goodies in the middle of January).
Maybe because I don’t grow a lot of it and thus it’s not a staple in our house , I always forget how good kohlrabi is. I was reminded yesterday while shredding some to cook with my go to quick meal of greens, winter squash and Short Creek sausage. I had a raw slice of kohlrabi leftover and asked Paddy Rose if she wanted to try it and she agreed. I asked her if she liked it and she said nodded. Pause. All is normal so far as she is pretty good about trying something once and always claims to like it.
I then asked if she wanted more and she said yes. Wait, what!? I can’t remember the last time I heard yes as a response to any question posed to her, especially one about food. Later at dinner, while we were eating a delicious meal of shredded beef tacos made with a Potter Hill london broil roast (beef plug there – available on website as well – so good), she spontaneously asked for some kohlrabi! My favorite part about kohlrabi is the texture – it’s got the crunch of a carrot without any of the graininess. I think I finally pinned down the flavor after far too much thinking on the subject. Although they are not in the least bit related, I think it has a nice sweet, mild snap pea flavor. Go ahead, try some. They are as ugly as they are good! How about that for a pitch?
Veggie Ordering and Pickup Procedures: Put your veggie orders in online before 8pm Sunday. The website is a little buggy so if you don’t see a wide variety of items or you see items out of stock, try refreshing your browser. Also confirm on checkout that you have the correct number of each item in your cart. The two pickup windows are working well, so we’ll keep it going. Choose your pickup window while checking out online: 1230-2pm and 4-5pm Monday on the farm at 64 Potter Hill Rd in Grafton. Pickups are in the long white garage on the left across from the beat up tan and red barn at the crest of the hill.
