Newsletter & Bag Contents: Winter Week 14

Hi there!

There are only two weeks left in this Winter Share! Thank you all for being part of our core group of Forkers-- showing up week after week in the wind, snow, rain (and sometimes sunshine!) to get your share of food grown right around here. You not only make it possible that Fresh Fork can operate all year round, but you support our farmers during their leaner times. Thank you for your commitment, and here's to warmer weather right around the corner!

But it is actually snowing today. Here is an enormous list of soups and stews t o help you get through the last (hopefully!) cold snap of winter.

There are just two share weeks left in this season (including this week) before we get to the Summer Share. If you know anyone who wants in for the last two weeks of the program, it's never too late! Send them here to sign up.

In case this is your first winter with us, we do take a little time off in between shares: the last week of the Winter Share is May 2nd - 5th, and then there will be three weeks off before the Summer Share begins on Wednesday, May 30th. If you need to get any of your staples--bread, milk, eggs, bacon-- during that time, you can always head over to Ohio City Provisions .

Strawberries are one of the first signs that Summer is right around the corner. Typically it's late May/early June. Everything we grow at Wholesome Valley Farm is organic, and strawberries are no exception, and they are sweet as sweet can be.

A couple of fun facts--

They need to be planted the year before so they "over-winter" in the ground.
The size of the berry is highly influenced by potassium. At the fruit-bearing stage, you can direct feed the plant with a boost of potassium to make the berries big and heavy. However, it's crucial to balance that potassium with iron and manganese, which have a symbiotic relationship with sugar in the berry. Overfeeding with potassium (and not balancing it with other nutrients) creates those puffy, giant berries that might look enticing, but have no flavor or sweetness.
Brix measurements are taken to determine sugar content in a plant, which indicates overall health and nutritional balance (read more about brix here.) This number basically shows us how good of a job we are doing: a high score (high sugar content), indicates that everything else is good (overall health, nutrient balance, and thus flavor.) A typical commercially-grown strawberry has a brix of around 7, and we are closer to a 14. Healthy means sweet in the case of the strawberry!
Harvesting strawberries on hands and knees is a giant pain in the keister! But there is no way around it, and boy are they worth it. Also, kids love to come down to the farm and pick (cough, eat!) their own. We will have pick your-own-dates which we will announce a little closer to harvest.

This week's bag has the building blocks for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You'll all be getting a dozen eggs, frozen strawberries, 5# bag of potatoes (some for a hash, some for home fries or a mash), a quart of frozen corn & cornmeal (polenta or sweet corn pancakes!)

You'll also get a pound of dried beans, 5 to 6 apples and a new product from Wholesome Valley Farm--a pint of fermented cauliflower. Think of them like cauliflower pickles-- they have a great tang and a little crunch, so they'd be excellent on a cheese board, added to a salad, or even chopped and used like a relish. Store in the fridge.

The Omnivores will get either a ham hock or a turkey pack (smoked turkey leg & wings-- make a rich broth for soup or use in a stew w/ beans and greens). You'll also get one of our best-sellers-- a pack of Maple Breakfast Links. The Vegetarians will get a quart of plain, pourable yogurt and a quart of our canned peaches in honey.

Oh, and you'll all get lettuce, too!

REMINDERS

This is the last week you can buy things "on account."

This week is the last time you'll be able to buy things "on account" at the back of the truck. By the last week of the share (Week 15), all purchases at the back of the truck need to be paid for on the spot (cash, check, CC or credits.)

This would be a great time to check into your accounts and make sure you don't owe a balance, you've spent all your Vacation Credits (which do not move with you to the next share), and that you've registered your subscription for summer!

Are you in for Summer?

As of this Wednesday, there are only 6 weeks left until the Summer Share 2018! We'd love to be able to give our farmers an estimate of how many people we're expecting-- so if you're in, you can either click here to sign up online within your account, click here to sign up online using a Credit Card , or just reply to this email and we can set up your account for you! First payment is due in May.

FEATURED PRODUCT

Blueberry Yogurt Drinks!

Just $4 per pint- whole milk guernsey yogurt whizzed up with local blueberries and a touch of local honey for some extra sweetness. Clean, refreshing and healthy, they're packaged in portable pint containers (perfect for lunch boxes or for a post workout snack!)