CSA shares make great holiday gifts!

*by Owl's Nest Market CSA member Denise Graveline

It's winter and it's tough to imagine a full season of fresh, locally produced vegetables and herbs coming your way. But now's the time to subscribe to a community-supported agriculture (CSA) share--not just for yourself, but for these people on your gifting list. You can wait until early 2017 to sign up, but if you want to make your gift recipients happy, sign up someone you love now. These folks are secretly hoping you'll take the hint:

• The chef, or the wannabe chef: What cook--pro or self-proclaimed--wouldn't want a fresh weekly supply of vegetables, including "baby" versions of bok choi or cabbage, and more? The professional chef or the big-time home cook will love learning about different vegetables, and appreciate the local origin.
• The new vegan or vegetarian: Changing your diet's a big deal. Help the new vegan or vegetarian with a regular supply of new opportunities for flavor and variety in that diet. That works even if you just want your diet to include more vegetables. Don't forget to give this gift to the mom or dad with teens who've decided to go veggie or vegan, too.
• The bargain hunting college and beyond crowd: If you love a group of young professionals or college kids trying to stretch a dollar, the gift of fresh vegetables for several months of the year will make you the secret hero of the millennial set...and they can totally get behind the organic practices and locavore focus of a CSA.
• The person worried about food contamination scares: We all should be in this group, but if someone on your gift list wants to know where her food comes from, there's no better option than a CSA share. She can talk to the farmers, visit the farm, and understand just how her vegetables were prepared. No supermarket gift card is offering that.
• The environmentalist: Owl's Nest Farm uses organic practices with its vegetables, flowers, herbs, and fruit--often, something as simple as a row cover prevents damage from insects easier than a pesticide, and with healthier results for you and for the planet. Your share travels less far than the produce in the grocery store, saving on fossil fuels. And what better way to say, "I'm with you on saving the planet?"
• The step-counter: If your giftee just got a Fitbit or other step-counter, CSAs can help them reach their daily step goals. Owl's Nest Farm gives me the option of five pickup locations for the share, as well as the option to shop my share at a nearby farmers' market. I chose to walk to Petworth Community Market--a mile from my house--so that every pickup at the farmers' market means getting in two pleasant miles on Saturday mornings in spring, summer, and fall.
• The soulful teen: The teenager who wants to give back to the community and the planet can get behind a new responsibility, managing a share and learning how to clean, store, and cook the fresh vegetables in the bargain. And she can volunteer at the farm, too.
• The family with kids: Getting kids to eat their vegetables gets easier when you can make a game out of the choices available and new options on the plate. Make the weekly share something the whole family looks forward to.
• The one-stop-shopper: No question, vegetables are the stars at Owl's Nest Farm. But the lush fresh herbs, bouquets of heirloom flowers, and fruits like their spectacular strawberries or fragrant melons round out the share, and make the farm CSA an easy way to cover many bases.
• The grill master: From herbs to put under those charred meats (I love Owl's Nest rosemary and oregano for this purpose), to vegetables to grill for sides, get your grill master's game on with an ever-changing array of vegetable options.
• The pickler and preserver: A CSA share will put the pickler and preserver through their paces throughout the season. From baby cucumbers to green tomato chutney, kimchi, and preserved or pickled peppers, tomatoes, and more, the CSA has you covered.

Not sure how your gift recipient will deal with a big onslaught of vegetables? Owl's Nest offers half shares as well as full shares. Or, offer to split a share with your giftee. You can learn together about the vegetables and compare notes on recipes.

Learn about all the options here, or sign up today.

Sharing the CSA love

We're spending the off-season dreaming and scheming, and today, we're looking at our CSA member survey comments. It may be cold outside, but you all warmed our hearts!

• "Thank you all for your hard work. Really enjoyed it."
• We loved the CSA, and want to get more involved next year.
• "Veggies are awesome!"
• "it was a great experience this year. i was always impressed by the amount or quality of the food."
• "You guys rock!!"
• CSA pickups were "easy, friendly, and a highlight of the week!"
• "Looking forward to next year!"
• Can't wait to start back up again next year!

What I'm making for Thanksgiving from my Owl's Nest Farm CSA haul

by Owl's Nest Farm Market CSA member Denise Graveline

I just finished my Thanksgiving shopping at Whole Foods, where I got my local turkey; lots of fruit; baking ingredients; dairy; and a loaf of bread. What I didn't get: Vegetables. That's because I have a fridge, freezer, and countertop loaded with vegetables from Owl's Nest Farm CSA, and I'm going to be using up some of my CSA vegetables for Thanksgiving. I'm especially thankful this year that we have a big feast scheduled right after the last farmers market.

Here's what I'm using from the CSA and the recipes I'm using:

• Rosemary: I'm tempted to toss aside my normal orange-bourbon turkey recipe, tried and true, for this orange rosemary roasted turkey, because Owl's Nest rosemary is one of my favorite purchases--and this recipe has it right, the house will smell amazing. I'm also going to make ice cream, and this recipe for strawberry-rosemary-balsamic vinegar ice cream also benefits from the farm rosemary, which is infused in the cream to add flavor.
• Sweet potatoes: New on my holiday table this year will be Bobby Flay's maple-chipotle sweet potatoes. Overnight guests also will get sweet potatoes in this spicy hash, made with sweet potatoes, black beans, and eggs, all on a sheet pan.
• Potatoes and turnips: A simple potato gratin was on my list, because I have a pile of potatoes from the farm, but I may get fancier and make scalloped potatoes, and layer in some purple-top turnips and caramelized onions.
• Spinach and greens: I never liked creamed spinach until I tried Laurie Colwin's recipe for creamed spinach, which has a kick from a small amount of jalapeno. Guests ask for seconds and thirds, so I'm making a bigger batch this year. (Colwin got the recipe from a woman in Texas, and wrote, "It was so good it made me want to sit up and beg like a dog.") You can use any kind of tender cooked greens in this, so it works if you've got farm tatsoi, chard, spinach, and more. Spinach can be difficult to grow, but the farm's late-harvest spinach did well and is perfect for this dish.
• Green tomatoes: I love the green tomatoes, so I've made this Indian-inspired green tomato and apple chutney, which will be part of the spread of cheeses, meats, breads, and fruit we'll be snacking on while the turkey cooks.
• Squash: For an easy lunch during the holiday weekend, I'm looking to these squash toasts with ricotta and cider vinegar. I've already roasted some of the great winter squash from the farm and set it aside for this purpose.

Here's hoping your Thanksgiving is filled with farm bounty, family, and friends.