Newsletter & Bag Contents: Winter Week 6

Hi there!

It's Winter Week 6, and the last share week before Christmas and New Years. We've got a great roasty bag coming your way, and lots of Holiday Specials . After this week, we'll have two off-weeks in a row, so make sure you Special Order all the eggs, butter, milk & bacon you need for your holiday celebrations!

Ohio City Provisions has heaps of holiday specials available to help you celebrate in (tasty) style this season. If you missed our Holiday Offerings email yesterday, click here to read all about the smoked ducks and crown roasts and so much more available for pre-order.

This week's bag will keep you warm for the next two off-weeks: a Winter Squash (assorted, options listed at your stop), one head of green cabbage, turnips, golden beets, fingerling potatoes, parsnips, an onion and a head of garlic, as well as a dozen eggs, corn crackers and a quart of raw sauerkraut (store in fridge, burp jar occasionally to release gas pressure.) The Omnivore Shares will all have a large pork roast (2-2.5#) and the Vegetarians will have some navy beans, whole wheat pasta and a half dozen apples.

Pork and Sauerkraut here in the midwest, Black Eyed Peas and Greens in the south... there are so many different "lucky" New Year's dishes that all have their origin stories, usually related to farming. Click here to read more about some of these traditions (and here to read why in Appalachia, you might find a coin in your cabbage on New Years....)

If you want to send someone the gift of local food, we have Gift Certificates available for purchase in any denomination. Give a membership to the second half of Winter or maybe even for the Summer Share! We can send you a digital copy or pop a personalized hardcopy in the mail. Reply to this email or give us a call in the office ( 800.861.8582) for details.

REMINDERS

Two weeks off in a row coming up.

This week is your last pick up until January 10th-13th. To look at a calendar of the whole season, click here .

Winter is taking a toll on our veggies.

Even though we're having a warmer week, Winter is here in NE Ohio. For our farmers, this presents lots of problems for their last crops of the year--storage, frostbite, pests and more. We go through thousands of vegetables for your shares every week, and occasionally we will miss some unacceptable produce and put it in your bag. First, our apologies-- we really appreciate your year-round support of local food, and we want you to love being a member. Please write to us ( info@freshforkmarket.com ) to let us know. Then we can issue you a refund for the item, contact our farmers to let them know about the quality issue, and inform the team at your stop. Thanks in advance, and we hope you love your bags this week!

SPECIALS

We have some special holiday meats available online for Special Order: whole frozen Pekin ducks (priced per pound), and whole frozen pasture-raised turkeys (heritage and standard.)

To thaw- for every 5 lbs of bird, allow to sit in fridge one full day. So a 16# turkey will take about 3.5 days. To significantly speed it up, settle the turkey (still wrapped) into cold, clean water in large tub, not in the fridge. Change the water every 30 min to make sure it stays cold. This will take about 30 minutes per pound, so a 16# turkey will thaw in about eight hours. More here.

Click here for our How to Roast a Turkey guide, and eat well this holiday season!