Hi Reader,

Do you prep for a power outage every time a snow storm, or any major storm, is in the forecast?

My mom does.

She always asks me if I have water and food the next blizzard. Yes, mom, I do. 😇

Speaking of power outages, farm member, Gwyn, was carefully watching where to walk when she picked up her winter veggie share at the farm last week. Checking that we had a safe path for our farm pick up members brought me out of the farmhouse to see her.

"I'm ready for spring!" she said as we chatted about the ice and cold this winter.

No wonder, since the storm last Monday caused her to lose power for a short while.

That definitely changes the cooking plan. Roasting all her vegetables together on a sheet tray last week turned out so amazing and delicious she was planning to do it again but couldn't use her oven.

Right on the spot we brain stormed some ideas.

Since her range still worked she had plenty of options but for imitating roasting in the oven I suggested using a dutch oven on the range which creates a mini "oven-like" cooking environment.

At least with vegetables you can eat a lot of them raw. But from my experience eating cold raw, vegetables by candle light gets dull pretty quick.

Shredded salads to the rescue!

I discovered shredded salads when I was looking up what to do with all the spring radishes I was getting in my farm delivery box. Slicing and eating wasn't super exciting after the first bunch or two.

In fact this technique can be used on most winter root vegetables, Turnips, radish, carrots, kohlrabi, rutabaga, parsnips, onion could all be shredded.

You know what? You already have a shredded salad in your tool box, you just haven't thought of it this way: coleslaw!

What to do:

Take almost any firm vegetable and use the standard holes on a box grater if you are out of power - or a shredding disc in a food processor all the other days of the year. Add a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper. Herbs like parsley and cilantro are great added in as well. I personally like to add a little hot pepper flake and toasted sesame oil for an asian twist. Now you have a flavorful, easy to chew and digest option.

In fact, shredding vegetables like these and the ones that really have to be cooked, like potatoes and sweet potatoes, make them quicker to cook in a pan. We love pan frying shredded sweet potatoes like hashbrowns.

Having a well stocked pantry and fresh farm vegetables is a key part of your emergency preparedness plan. Ideas, recipes and plans for using them is crucial in the worst of times and just makes life easier in the best of times.

Want to start a power outage recipe collection? Here's one to get you started: Thai Radish Salad. Our winter share members are really enjoying winter radishes, especially the bright pink flesh of the watermelon radish. It's so beautiful in a shredded salad.

Hey, here's an idea! If you send me your favorite power outage friendly recipes, we'll compile them into a Recipe e-book to share.

Veggie Shortage in PA

The deep of winter is when the local veggies are starting to get low. In the "olden days" you would have started to worry about the "starving time" when potatoes and squash in storage weren't lasting, the basket of onions was getting mushy and there isn't yet enough warmth or sunlight to grow greens in the "sun" room.

Winter veggie shares for our members are getting a little light on vegetables because the local farmers are running out of quality storage vegetables. Even the farmer's with greenhouses in Lancaster are out of greens.

Stomping the snow off his boots, Farmer Reuben confessed to me that he said "no" to buying green zucchini and napa cabbage that a the Lancaster co-op is bringing in from Florida - cuz that's not local.

But he did say YES! to local ginger from Wonder Garden in Hellertown. Farmer Mei actually grows organic ginger in Hellertown! We've been trying to get connected for a couple years and we were finally able to order her products. In addition to FRESH GINGER we are trying her ginger powder, apple ginger butter and marmalade.

With only two more deliveries of vegetables in February, the variety is minimal: carrots, potatoes, garlic, winter radish, mushrooms, along with a few onions and dandelion greens. We located parsnips for you to try, though! Gwyn told me she likes parsnips so I hope she grabs a couple bunches when she customizes her delivery.

To fill out the winter shares we are allowing you to see what our new "market boxes" are like. This time you can swap veggies around for eggs, bread, cheese and apples.

Signs of Spring = New Calf Born!

The cows are eating dry hay on snow covered ground as they wait for the green grass of April. The first farm baby was born on Sunday this week, which is one of the beginnings of our spring on the farm. Chores will slowly increase as animals are born and we start planting seeds in our heated green house.

But what's wrong with this new momma cow? In this video I show off the new calf and explain a strange anomaly of his mother.

​
If you listened all the way to the end of the video you got to see my smile! I should smile in the videos more often because the thumbnails never have a nice visual when I'm just talking.

And I mentioned artisan cheese shares, market boxes for spring and summer and the last of the veggie shares that we are selling this year.

Here's how you can get the LAST VEGGIE SHARES we are offering for 2022.

That’s right. You can only get a veggie share for 2022 if you order by January 31.

Find out What Size Share Should I Get with this helpful free guide. Showing pictures of the different sizes with descriptions and questions to ask, this guide will point you to the right decision for YOU! ​
​

Is the Farm Share CSA for 2022 CLOSED?

No. We still have shares for sale but they are structured differently, not limited to just vegetables, and simpler to sign up and join. You’ll find out more about our Market Box Shares very soon.

Ready?

1. Decide your share size and how often to receive it.
2. Choose the pick up location that fits your life.
3. Pay for your downpayment (25%).

Don't miss out on the Veggie Shares your friends have been telling you about.

We'll keep farming for you!

Reuben and Tessa DeMaster
​Willow Haven Farm​
​Directions to the farm​

P.S. Online FARM STAND is open. We deliver on Wednesdays. We don't have many winter veggies but plenty of meats, cheeses, eggs, pantry items and bread will be stocked on our online store.​ Try out new local GINGER products.

​Head on over to Farm Stand to make your order. ​

• order by Monday 10 pm each week
• low minimum order = $30!
• home delivery on Wednesday afternoons ($7)
• farm pick up Wednesday after noon is FREE
• More Details:
  • Weekly specials are featured in our Farm Stand emails - JOIN​
  • Ever need to change or add to your order?
    • Email me to delete your first order.
    • Create a new order with everything you want.
  • Your credit card is not charged until all orders are finalized by the farm the following Tuesday.

Are you new? More info about our farm:

WINTER MARKET BOX: Get all the details on our website before you make your purchase. See the winter market box options here.

SUMMER SHARES: ​Get the six question guide Is a Farm Share CSA Right for You Guide to find out if our Farm Share CSA will fit into your life and your goals. YES! SEND ME THE GUIDE.

FARM STORY VIDEOS: The Willow Haven Farm YouTube channel has fun, informative, and educational videos of our farm life and what organic farming looks like here. Check out it out here >>> VIDEOS!

​
​Thinking of unsubscribing? current CSA members need to stay connected to our emails but you can limit them to just vital information about your membership by clicking here. ​