by Janet Gamble

As I look out onto the landscape, with the trees now barren, the vista is a stark contrast to what was once fields of green. Although--on our farm the cover crops are growing green and remnants of the few stragglers of our fall crops linger even as we are surrounded by the brown stubble of the neighboring soy and corn fields that are often quickly plowed but have no cover crop to protect them from the winter winds, rains, or melting snows. There’s a quiet here as our crew slowly diminishes to just a few of us, tying up loose ends. We have successfully mulched the 2023 garlic and harvested most of the crops we can salvage. The coolers are full for our winter sales and the equipment neatly put away for next spring.

Some of us long for the winter slumber and just like the earth as it sits in dormancy, we also use this time to restore and build our regenerative force to prepare for the next spring to come forth. Ah, so like the earth we, who live by the rhythms of the seasons, become one.

It’s a bittersweet time, in need of the rest this time offers but mourning the fresh fruits and the vibrant hum of life around us. We think of soup and stew and all things we now crave in this season of stillness. It’s comforting knowing we can pull from the stashes we have squirreled away until, alas, we crave the green and fresh of spring. There is something primal about seasonal living and eating that draws me to something familiar rather than foreign and there is a deep satisfaction in that.

Lastly, I thank all of you who support this farm and make it possible to keep doing what I love.

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

2 large sweet potatoes

1½ t. curry powder

½ c. water

½ c. red onion, chopped

1½ LB spinach

1 T. balsamic vinegar

Coarse salt and ground pepper

Method: 

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cut sweet potatoes into cubes; cook, stirring, until starting to soften, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add curry powder. Cook 1 minute. Add water and chopped red onion. Cook, stirring, until water evaporates and potatoes are tender and browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

In the same skillet, cook spinach in 2 batches, adding second batch when first wilts, 2 minutes. Drain; add to potatoes.

Stir in balsamic vinegar; season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

Servings: 4

Recipe adapted from: marthastewart.com

Ingredients:

4 c. Brussels sprouts, halved 

4 c. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

1 red onion, cut into large chunks

Honey Cinnamon Sauce

¼ c. honey

2 T. apple cider vinegar

1 t. ground cinnamon

¼ t. ground nutmeg

½ t. salt

Garnish:

1 c. fresh cranberries

½ c. pecans

Method:

In a 5-quart slow cooker toss together Brussels sprouts, squash and onion. Cook on high for 2-2½ hours, stirring once at one hour. Start checking for doneness at 2 hours. Brussels sprouts should be softened but still have some chew to them. Butternut squash should be tender and not mushy.

Add fresh cranberries and cook for 5 additional minutes while you prepare the sauce: In a small pot, stir together honey, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Sauce will reduce and become thickened. Pour over the veggies and toss.

Sprinkle with pecans and serve.

*Alternate Sheet pan method: Pre-heat oven to 425°F. Line two large sheet pans with parchment and set aside.

Toss sprouts, butternut and onion with honey, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt PLUS one tablespoon of olive oil. Spread over the sheet pans evenly.

Roast for 15 minutes, flip the veggies, and roast for 10 more minutes.

Add the cranberries, and return to the oven for 5 additional minutes.

Sprinkle with pecans and serve.

TIPS:

• If you aren't going to serve immediately, scoop the veggies out of the crockpot (reserve the liquid). Spoon the cooking liquid over before serving.
• Recipe may be halved and cooked in a 2.5 quart crockpot HOWEVER I recommend cooking on the low setting for 2.5-3 hours.

Servings: 8

Recipe adapted from: sweetpeasandsaffron.com

Ingredients:

2 c. heavy cream

2 c. whole milk 

2 T. grainy Dijon mustard 

½ t. cayenne pepper

¼ t. ground nutmeg 

Kosher salt 

3 medium turnips, peeled and thinly sliced 

1 medium rutabaga, peeled, halved and cut into thin slices 

4 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

½ c. panko breadcrumbs 

½ c. sliced almonds (not toasted) 

1 c. finely grated Parmesan, divided

2 large Anjou or Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced 

2 large cloves garlic, minced 

1 c. finely grated Gruyere

Method:

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine cream, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, a generous amount of salt, turnips and rutabaga in a large bowl. Mix well. Transfer vegetable mixture to a large pot over medium heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until vegetables give up water and become tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and taste for seasoning.

Topping: Mash 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl. Add panko, almonds and ½ cup Parmesan and stir to combine. Set aside.

Add pears to turnip mixture. Grease bottom and sides of a 3-quart gratin dish with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Spread minced garlic on bottom of dish with back of a spoon. Arrange half of the turnip mixture and cream evenly in the bottom of the gratin dish, pressing down to flatten the mixture.

Top with the Gruyere and remaining ½ cup Parmesan. Arrange remaining turnip mixture evenly on top. Pour any leftover cream over the gratin. Cover dish with a sheet of foil, crimping edges, and place on a baking sheet so that no excess liquid will leak onto the floor of your oven and burn.

Place in center of oven and bake for 1 hour. Carefully remove from oven, remove foil and return to oven to cook until completely tender when pierced with the tip of a small knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour more.

Top gratin with panko-cheese mixture and bake until golden brown, about another 15 minutes. Remove and cool at least 30 minutes but no longer than 1 hour before serving. 

Servings: 8-10

Recipe adapted from: foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

4 beets, each about the size of a softball

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh black pepper

1 small head of cabbage, thinly sliced

¼ c. cider vinegar

1 T. Dijon mustard

Grated orange peel from one orange

2 T. honey

½ c. olive oil

2 t. caraway seeds

Method:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the beets in foil and drizzle with olive oil and dust with salt and pepper. Bake until tender when pierced with knife - about 1½ hours. You can cut down the roasting time by cutting the beets in half. Depending on their size it could take as little as an hour.

Cool. Peel beets by rubbing lightly with a paper towel. Cut into 2" strips and place in a large bowl. Shred cabbage thinly with a sharp knife or mandoline and add to beets.

Vigorously whisk cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, grated orange peel and honey in small bowl. Gradually beat in oil. Pour dressing over cabbage and beets, mix well. Add caraway seeds and toss. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper.

Author's note: I used 2 large regular beets in this recipe, plus 4 or 5 much smaller golden beets. This made a nice color and taste contrast.

Servings: 4

Recipe adapted from: thekitchn.com

Ingredients:

Crust:

1¼ c. flour

1 stick butter, frozen and cubed

Pinch salt

2-3 oz ice water

Filling:

1 c. chopped carrots

4 c. assorted root vegetables (turnips, carrots, potatoes, rutabaga, etc.), chopped

Olive oil

3 T. butter

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

salt and pepper

¼ c. flour

1 c. milk

2 c. chicken or turkey stock

¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped

2 c. turkey, diced

1 egg

2 T. water

Method:

Crust: Combine flour, butter and salt in food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Pulsing, add water slowly until flour just holds together. Remove from processor, form into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Filling: Toss carrots and root vegetables in enough oil oil to coat, season with salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

In a large saucepan, season onion and celery with salt and pepper and sauté in butter at medium-high heat until soft.

Sprinkle onions and celery with ¼ cup flour and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until flour browns (about 3 minutes). Slowly stir in milk and cook until filling thickens (approximately 3 minutes). Stir in stock and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and stir in parsley, turkey and roasted root vegetables. Let cool 10 minutes and divide between 4 oven-safe bowls.

Remove dough from refrigerator, roll flat and cut 4 discs large enough to cover bowls. Top each bowl with crust, crimp edges and cut a few slits into the top of each to vent.

Whisk egg and water together and brush onto the crust of each pie with a pastry brush.

Bake 40 minutes at 350°F. until top is golden brown.

Servings: 4

Recipe adapted from: hgtv.com

Bay View: 3835 S. Logan Ave.

East Troy: Zinniker Farm, N7399 Bowers Rd.

Genesee: S46 W28754 Perren Dale Rd.

Lake Geneva: W1888 N Bloomfield Rd.

Mukwonago: 433 Fritz Way 

Oconomowoc: 826 N. Griffith Rd.

Shorewood: 4213 N. Ardmore Ave.

Whitewater: 185 N. Franklin  (5:00-7:00 p.m.)

TCG: N5105 Pinnow Road, Delavan, WI