Patchwork Green's website is live once again!

With many thanks to our web designers/gurus, John and Kate, we have made many fun and functional improvements.  Check out the great pictures from Jessica Rilling and (finally) a few recipes from our kitchen.  Most substantially, we hope that the CSA explanation pages and ordering page are smoother and easier to navigate.

As of February 1^st, we are accepting CSA memberships on a first-come, first-served basis.  All the details of the share options are on the website.  If you were a member in 2013, you’ll be getting a letter and order form in the mail in the next few weeks, but you are welcome to go ahead and sign up online anytime.

There has been nothing spring-like about the weather recently, although the extra minutes of sunshine each day are noticed and appreciated.  It’s hard to focus on garden-related projects when there is a foot of snow on the ground and the temp’s can’t make it above 10 degrees for more than a day at a time.  This weekend, we spent hours on the sledding hill, the snowshoe trail and a great, 4’-high X 50’-wide drift. 

The drift had been slowly building all winter, but last weeks’ winds capped the drift with a thick crust of dense, hard snow that easily supported the weight of grownups.  It was begging for a tunnel, or at least a cave, so the girls and I took a shovel and a trowel and started chipping our way in.  After a quick talk about snow-tunnel safety and a sketch of our imagined subterranean masterpiece, we set to work.  It was a good workout!  We were able to dig in a long ways in an hour, and there was much excitement about returning to continue the project asap.  I look at it as good training for all the digging we do in the gardens each summer.

We still have a few cabbage, carrots and celeriac in storage from November, and we have been grooving on variations on cole slaw served with pulled pork, sandwiches and soups.  Here is one variation:

Winter Slaw

Thinly slice half a cabbage (green or Napa).  
On a cheese grater, grate whatever you have and/or whatever appeals to you: carrots, beets, celeriac, turnips, apples.   
Make either a vinaigrette or a mayo-based dressing (for a mayo dressing, start with about 3 T mayo, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar and fresh or dried herbs like dill and parsley).  
 Mix all the vegetables and the dressing together and refrigerate for a least half an hour to let the flavors meld.   
Then, toss again, adjust the dressing and serve.