We are excited to announce that our 2014 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) registration is OPEN!  This is our 3rd year offering our CSA and it is sure to be the best yet!  We have learned a lot each year, and put those lessons into practice each season.  

If you are not familiar with a CSA, read on.  CSAs are becoming more popular in the USA, with a 2007 survey showing more than 12,500 farms participating.  Surely, there are a lot more now.  Sitka Springs is the only Lincoln County farm offering a CSA program!   

CSAs are made up of individuals or families who pledge their support of our farm for a season, by purchasing a share.  Shares are sold in advance of the growing season, allowing the farmer to invest in the year's seeds, fertilizers, compost, and farming structures.  Shareholders then receive a weekly bag of the freshest food available (chosen by the farmer) for 20 weeks, during the height of the season (June-October).  The shareholders and farmers then share the risk and return on the investment. 

You will love joining our CSA if you like the idea of getting to know your farmers, trying new and interesting foods, supporting a local family, participating in your local food economy, eating fresh and seasonally.  We offer opportunities to volunteer on the farm, so you can get a close and personal look at how it works and how much work it is!  We send out newsletters that contain news from the farm, as well as recipes, and cooking tips.     

Visit our What We Grow page for an idea of what we hope to be able to offer.  Please keep in mind, many of these items are only available for a short season.  Visit our CSA FAQ and CSA Sign Up pages for more specific information about cost and delivery options.

Community is the key to success in small business, and a small farm is no different.  We all rely on each other for support, whether it be monetarily, spreading word of mouth, sharing our news, or just telling each other we are appreciated.  So with that, we appreciate you reading our blog, sharing our Facebook posts, and telling your friends about our family farm.  We couldn't do it without you!

Almost 14 years ago, we met and shared a love of hiking and the woods.  So on a whim, we decided to take a mushroom identification class at the local community college.  After the first class, we instantly had mushroom fever and 10 classes later, we were forever hooked on wild mushrooms.  

Hiking became a slow walk during mushroom season, noticing every detail of the forest floor, so we wouldn't miss a thing.  We had a new appreciation for every clover, fern, bed of fallen leaves, and downed tree.  Since discovering mushrooms, never have we loved the Oregon rain so much.   Fall is definitely a special time here.

While we find dozens of varieties of mushrooms, including matsutake, boletes, morels, shrimp russulas, and chicken of the woods, chanterelles are always one of our major food groups in the fall (and summer on the Oregon coast!).  We are very lucky that we can find mushrooms on our own property here.  Really a dream come true. 

What to do with chanterelles once you get them home.

So you bought some chanterelles from the farmers market. First of all, if you are not eating them right away, put them in a paper bag in your fridge.  They should last several days there (but who doesn't eat them right away!?).  When you are ready to use them, you can clean them with a fine brush, or damp cloth.  We have found that a silicon basting brush works better than the course brush sold specifically for mushroom cleaning.  It is best not to wash them under running water.  You don't want to water-log them.  Then slice them.

Since chanterelles have a great deal of water on their surface, especially once the rains really hit, we were always taught to "dry saute" them.  Which means, you take cleaned, sliced mushrooms and put them in a dry pan, which has been heated to medium high, with nothing else.  After a minute or two, the chanterelles will release their juices.  This flavored mushroom water can be poured off and used for broths, or further reduced for sauces.  After the liquid has evaporated, immediately put in some butter (or olive oil), turn the heat to medium, and continue to saute, adding garlic, shallots or onions if you wish. Continue to cook them for about 10 minutes, or so. We feel this technique gives you the best texture and flavor.

Chanterelles make especially great pasta, cream sauces, eggs, vegetarian gravy or stuffing for thanksgiving, soup, pizza topping, steak side, or they can simply be eaten served over wild rice.  They also have special affinity for butter. 

Enjoy!

A few days into to fall and you can really feel it in the air.  Soup is the perfect way to warm up and use lots of great fall veggies.  For this soup we used carrots, celery, cippolini and lunga onions, grey shallots, and ozette fingerling potatoes, all from the farm. 

We are not very good at following recipes, but here is the idea:

• Saute your veggies in olive oil for several minutes, until onions are translucent.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Add 8 oz split peas (or lentils), and stir. 
  

• Add 6 cups of broth or water (more if you want a soupier consistency, we like it thick, more like stew).  Bring to a boil.

• Cook on medium for about 30 minutes or until peas are cooked. 

If you like it spicy add some hot sauce or red pepper flakes.  Enjoy!