Winter Share 2011/12 – Week 8

We are officially past the half way point for the winter.  How fast it goes by!

This week we’ll bring back a taste of summer with some tasty fig vinegar roasted cherry tomatoes.  These really captured the flavors of the summer in a jar.  Try tossing these with your fresh egg linguini this week or with your eggs to make a summer frittata.

I know many of  you have been asking about bacon…well it is back!  Everyone will get 1 lb of the thick cut, nitrate free bacon.

I’m also excited about spinach this week.  This one though we are going to be close on supply.  The farmer is harvesting it on Wednesday evening for me so I won’t know what we have until I go to pick it up.  He thinks there is enough to go around.  If not, we’ll substitute braising greens and switch which groups get greens and spinach in a few weeks.

Next, everyone will get a small, scrawny chicken.  Don’t try to roast this!  This is what is referred to as a “spent hen.”  When a chicken no longer lays eggs the farmer can’t continue to feed it for fun.  As a result, he’ll send them to the processor to harvest and sell as stewing chickens.  Stewing chickens are mature laying hens, so they have very flavorful bones.  The meat is very tough, so to use it you need to cook it long and slow. The meat can be used for chicken noodle soup or discarded if one wants to make stock.

If you are making soup, we’ve put some dried egg noodles in for your convenience.  Oh, and we’ll have cheese this week.  Two options, cheddar or “beer cheese,” which is a young, nutty cheese with a very firm texture.  It is similar to tomme.  The rind has been brushed in Thirsty Dog’s Siberian Night IPA from Akron, which gives it a sweet and malty flavor.

Finally, this week is a pay week.  A payment reminder will follow this email.

Here’s all of this week’s bag contents:

 

Winter CSA Wk 8:

1 stewing chicken, approximately 2.5 lbs

1 bag dried egg noodles

1 pint fig vinegar roasted cherry tomatoes

1 lb egg linguini

1 lb bacon

1 bag spinach or mixed greens

1 8-oz piece of cheese

1 dozen eggs

2 lbs cornmeal

1 quarter peck apples

3 lbs sweet potatoes (please keep refrigerated)