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Season Package Shares close soon, final Winter Shares delivered this week

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Season Package Shares close soon, final Winter Shares delivered this week
Reminders & Announcements
  • We are delivering the final Winter Produce and Egg Shares to members today (Tuesday) and Thursday.
    • Note: Winter Produce Shares are in two containers this week. Please take one (1) wax box and one brown bag (1) per Winter Produce Share.
  • Please return wax CSA boxes you may have so we can continue to reuse.
  • Full-Season (Spring, Summer & Fall) Farm Shares are nearly sold out! We have only a few full-season farm shares left, as our hoophouses are nearly planted to the for families this spring, summer and fall. Make sure to reserve your share of the harvest! The deadline is this Friday so don't delay tojoin us for a journey of seasonal eating. Spring deliveries begin the week of April 29th.
This Week's Produce Harvest:
  • Winter Spinach
  • Carrots
  • Onions
  • White Button Mushrooms - River Valley Ranch, Burlington, WI
  • Russet Potatoes - from Igl Farms, Antigo, WI
  • Tomatoes (frozen)
  • Multi-color Sweet Bell Peppers (frozen)
  • Lunchbox Sweet Peppers (frozen)
  • Green Beans, Asparagus or Broccoli (frozen)
  • Tart Cherries (frozen, pitted) - from Mick Klug Farm, St. Joseph, MI
*All items are grown / produced by our farm unless otherwise indicated.
Farm Photo Journal
As we wrap up our winter season, we'd like to warmly thank our winter share members for joining us! We appreciate your support and braving the wind, snow, rain, ice and sleet to pick up your food year-round. Farming in the winter keeps us connected to the changing weather, to our farm fields, to our team and to our members! We welcome your Winter Share feedback in a brief (four question) survey. Your feedback allows us to continue to improve our winter shares and winter farming for you.
While we distribute the final winter shares, our work is increasingly focused on growing spring and summer crops. Our friends from Earnest Earth Farms in Chicago (which includes a former Prairie Wind crew member, Sarah W.) joined us to plant the first of the hoophouse baby bok choy and swiss chard plants. Our joy in getting our hands dirty is easy to see!
The transplants start in the greenhouse where Tyler and Mark are diligently seeding everything from early spring lettuces to mid-summer onions to late-summer tomatoes to fall ginger (seen above). 
We are increasing our grafted tomato project that started two years ago. After sending leaf tissue samples to the plant lab at the University of Illinois last season, it was determined that the grafted tomatoes contained significantly more nutrients vs. their un-grafted counterparts due to their strong root stock. Grafting is a very precise (and nerve racking!) process as one must slice each specimen and carefully reconnect the pieces of the plant. We know this work is worth the delicious, nutrient-filled tomatoes that result.
The seeded radishes, turnips and arugula have sprouted in the hoophouse and the team carefully weeds these delicate crops to ensure that we're staying proactive with weed control. This early weeding allows our crops more access to light, nutrients and water, and enables an easier harvest later this month.
The young spring chickens are home!
Finally, our new flock of chickens arrived to the farm and they are enjoying their new home! They first got acquainted with the inside of their coop, and once comfortable, we opened the doors to give them access to the outdoors. Now, they roam freely between the two locations to enjoy the sunshine and blue skies above.

We hope you're able to enjoy the sunshine and the last bounty of the winter season.

Your farmers, 
Jeff, Jen and the Prairie Wind farm crew
Notes from the Farm Kitchen


Tart Cherries Three Ways
Here are three simple ways to use a bounty of frozen sweet cherries:

  • Use a dehydrator to make dried cherries. The flavor is outstanding and they are delicious when added to simple salad with goat cheese and almonds.
  • Make a drink. A sour cherry infused vodka is a delicious gift and beautiful in your cabinet. Here's a cherry infused vodka recipe in case you still have cherries around from the previous winter shares!
  • Cook down into a simple compote or sauce. Oftentimes I clean out my freezer by combining cooking down all of my frozen fruit into one compote. Here's quick recipe with great ideas for using on yogurt, cakes and even as a pork tenderloin marinade. 



Winter Spinach, Sweet Pepper and Mushroom Hash
5 strips of bacon sliced into 1/2" - 1" pieces
2 large russet potatoes diced into pieces, about 1/2"
1 medium onion about 3/4 cup chopped small
1 package frozen, chopped bell pepper
4 ounces white button mushrooms sliced
1 handful of spinach, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper divided
 
Eggs cooked to your preference
 
In a large skillet, over medium high heat, cook the bacon and then drain on a paper towel. Drain the grease from the skillet, leaving just a teaspoon or two in the pan. Add the onion to the pan and cook for a few minutes, until soft. Add the potatoes to the skillet, season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and then stir. Press into the bottom of the pan and let cook undisturbed for 5-6 minutes. Stir and repeat 2-3 times until the potatoes are soft and slightly crispy and the onions are browned and crisp on the edges.
 
Add the peppers to the skillet, stir and cook a minute or two. Add the spinach and mushrooms, stir and season with the remaining salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and spinach is wilted. Serve topped with eggs done to your liking.

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