Friday marked a seasonal milestone, gorgeous weather and all. Our youngest chickens, the ones who arrived here last September when they were barely a day old, have graduated from the brooding house and are now scratching, pecking and clucking around out in the field. David, Kelly and Mark were tasked with catching and moving all 250 birds, and I just heard that they found five tiny pullet eggs in their nest boxes today. So, it sounds like we got them settled into their new digs just in the nick of time. Phew! You’re still welcome to walk out and visit the chickens if you’d like, but you’ll want to bundle up, wear shoes that can get muddy and mind the active electric fence that surrounds their yard when you do.

The hens aren’t the only ones making moves this week. As I type, Mark is shuttling about a year’s worth of potting mix toward our propagation houses, one giant pallet at a time. And from the looks of all of the crop planning schedules and spreadsheets on this desktop, a whole lot of seeds are about to hit the soil. EEEK! It is very exciting…and a little overwhelming, if I’m being honest. March is going to come roaring in like a lion— I can feel it in my chilly little bones.

Speaking of cold little things, remember back in August and September when I told you that in February, we’d all be extra thankful that we’d stashed away a few tomatoes? Well, seeing as February is on its way out, this seems like as good a week as any to bust out a bit of something bright and tasty for the sake of morale. They are an easy treat for a simple baked pasta like this, or roasted with onions for bruschetta like this.

Also, we’re 99% sure that this is the last week that we will have Winter Squash in quantity for the CSA this season. Go ahead and dry your tears with a Delicata Squash—or better yet, make one big beautiful pot of Celery Root and Squash Soup.

Thank You,
Katie

IN THIS WEEK’S FARMSHARES:

• Celery Root or Parsnips

• Onions

• Winter Squash

• Frozen Tomatoes

• Apples or Pears
  

AT THE FARMSTAND THIS WEEK

RECIPES & SEASONAL TIPS

EASY INSTANT POT APPLESAUCE
Pinch of Yum

• 7–8 apples

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 1/2 cup water

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

BAKED FETA DIP WITH SPICY TOMATOES & HONEY
Melissa Clark

• 1 (8- to 10-ounce) brick or slice of feta

• 1½ cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes

• 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped (drained and rinsed) pitted olives or capers (optional)

• ¼ to ½ teaspoon Urfa or Aleppo pepper, or crushed red-pepper flakes

• Fine sea salt, as needed

• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

• ½ to 1teaspoon honey

• Torn mint or basil (or a combination), for garnish

• Sliced baguette, pita bread or crackers, for serving

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

SQUASH & BLACK-EYED PEA COCONUT CURRY
Meera Sodha

• 2 1/2 pounds acorn squash, cut into 3/4-inch wedges

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 1 tablespoon garam masala

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

• 1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

• 1 serrano chile, halved lengthwise, stem attached

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

• 2 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges

• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

ROASTED TOMATO SALSA
Heidi Swanson, 101 Cookbooks

• 2 pounds Roma tomatoes (or similar), cut in half lengthwise

• 1 medium white onion, cut into six wedges

• 1 large garlic clove, halved

• a couple pinches of finely ground sea salt

• 2-3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 medium dried guajillo chile pepper, soaked in boiling water until softened, and then drained

• 1 -2 chipotles in adobo sauce (canned)

• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

PASTA WITH WINTER SQUASH & TOMATOES
Mark Bittman

• Salt and pepper

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic

• ¼ cup sliced shallots

• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

• 2 cups chopped tomatoes

• 1½ to 2pounds peeled, cubed or shredded butternut or other winter squash, about 5 cups

• ½ pound cut pasta, like ziti or penne

• Freshly chopped parsley or Parmesan for garnish.

CONTINUE TO RECIPE