Welcome to the first winter CSA distribution.  The winter CSA is a bit of a different beast for all of us - as a shareholder, you're taking home all the veggies you see on the stands and don't have to worry about choosing your favorites; as farmers, we're working slower with numb fingers and chilly wind on our faces, dreaming of hot chocolate rather than a cool swimming pool.  We quickly fill our walk-in coolers to the point that they're solid cubes, with no chance of walking anywhere inside them.  They become more like "look-in" coolers until Saturday morning when all of the contents get unloaded for the day's distribution.

For those of you who are veteran winter shareholders, you know that the first distribution tends to be the largest.  For the newbies, bring lots of bags and boxes!  Tender greens such as broccoli raab, salad turnips and bok choy tend to withstand our late October light frosts and make it onto the stand for our first distribution.  By the second and third pickups, you'll start to see less greens and more roots, particularly with the third.  Carrots, beets and winter squash will be in all three pickups; other roots like parsnips, purple top turnips or celeriac will appear in one or two pickups.  You'll be weighing a lot of what you bring home, and with limited scales it will take a little longer to pack up your share than during the summer.  And it's wise to set aside some time to break down your share once you get home - wash and trim the greens, even blanch and freeze them if you know you won't eat them in the coming week, plan a strategic menu for your haul, and set aside crops like potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash and alliums for a cool, dark dry spot in your house. 

Dan, Janelle, Naomi & Anna trying to stay warm as they pack lettuce in the wash station.

I love the festivity of the winter shares, as we prepare to come together for all the holidays that November, December and January bring.  And although it can be a bit overwhelming, I love the bounty that a good season will bring in this time of year.  This sort of food security, from the farm to our homes and our food access partners and recipients, is the best sort of final act of the season.

Next season's garlic seed being planted last week.

Enjoy the harvest!

Erinn, for the farm staff