Harvest Week 21 - Falling in Love

THIS WEEK’S HARVEST

Yukon Gold Potatoes, Sunshine Kabocha Winter Squash, Garlic, Yellow Elsye Onions, Bolero Carrots, Watermelon Radishes, Celery, Green Magic Broccoli, Cauliflower, Dazzling Blue Dino Kale, Sugarloaf Chicory & Indigo Red Radicchio, Salanova Red Butter Lettuce, Spicy Mustard Mix

U-PICK

We’re at the time of the season where we expect a killing frost any day, and as soon as that happens, the strawberries and many of the flowers will disappear, so take advantage while they’re still here! We are planning to mow the tomatoes and peppers this week to make way for cover crop, but feel free to glean from the plants before then.

• Albion Strawberries | 2 pints per share

• Herbs: Dill, Garlic Chives, Tarragon, Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, Culinary Sage, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Vietnamese Coriander, Shiso (Perilla), Catnip, Pineapple, Sorrel, Assorted Mints & Husk Cherries!

• Flowers!

HARVEST NOTES

• Yukon Gold Potatoes: These deliciously smooth, buttery potatoes are a long-time favorite, but they have a weakness that was magnified by the challenging growing conditions in our potato field this year. Some Yukon Gold develop hollow heart, which leaves a cave-like space in the center of the potato. We’ve tried to be very selective in which potatoes we keep of this variety, but please be aware that you may find a few tricks in your treats.

• Sunshine Winter Squash: One of our all-time favorite squash. Excellent for eating straight roasted (check out our guide to roasting from this newsletter if you need a reminder!). Also excellent in pies, curries, soups, and baked goods. Super sweet, velvety smooth texture.

• Watermelon Radishes: This is a hardy, dense, and gorgeous winter radish with a green and cream exterior and vivid magenta core. We love it on top of a green salads, rice bowls or highlighted as a small salad of its own — try mandolining (cutting very thin) and tossing with ginger, garlic and lime juice. All storage radishes, including daikon, benefit from a very light peeling, which takes away a bit of their bitterness. Check out two Buddha bowl recipes below.

FALL HARVEST POTLUCK PARTY!

Sunday, November 17th, 2024

CSA member Carl Jaeger has volunteered to organize a fun and festive Harvest Potluck Party here on the farm on November 17th! Come chow down and mix and mingle with fellow CSA members. You should have gotten an an email with more information and a chance to RSVP. Let us know if you didn’t receive it, and want to!

Fall Carrots and cover crop seeds getting watered in Farfield under an epic sky.

BUDDHA BOWL TWO WAYS

This week, rather than an exact recipe, we wanted to bring you a little bit of meal inspiration and a couple dressing recipes. Buddha bowls are a mainstay at vegetarian restaurants and, with a little bit of prep, an incredibly easy and healthy meal at home. They typically involve cooked brown rice or quinoa, topped with an assortment of vegetables all tied together with a delicious dressing. We've included two different dressing options — a creamy and bright Carrot Ginger Dressing and a classic Tahini Dressing — that could be paired to any combination of veggies and protein on the rice.

For this week's share, we're thinking roasted Sunshine Kabocha wedges, thinly sliced Watermelon Radishes, sauteed Dazzling Blue Dino Kale and a handful of Spicy Mustard Mix. Sauerkraut, kimchi and avocado would all be a welcome addition to the top, as would a sprinkle of nuts of seeds. Have fun!

Carrot Ginger Dressing

from Cookie + Kate

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• ⅓ cup rice vinegar

• 2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped (about ⅔ cup)

• 2 tablespoons peeled and roughly chopped fresh ginger

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey

• 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil

• ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste

In a blender, combine all of the salad dressing ingredients as listed. Bend until completely smooth. Taste, and add additional salt if the dressing doesn’t make your eyes light up. If it’s too sour (it should have some zing to it), blend in a bit more honey.

Basic Tahini Sauce 

from Love & Lemons

• ½ cup tahini

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

• 6 tablespoons water, plus more as needed

• 1 small garlic clove, grated or pressed

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• Maple syrup or honey, as needed

• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

In a small bowl, stir together the tahini, lemon juice, water, garlic, and salt. Season to taste. If you find the tahini sauce too bitter, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey to balance the flavor. If it’s too sharp, add ½ to 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil to mellow the flavor. If it's too thick, add water, as needed, to reach your desired consistency.

WINTER SISTER FARM CSA STARTING SOON!

Going to miss us this winter? Well you’re in luck! Our dear friends next door at Winter Sister Farm have got you covered with the freshest veggies money can buy all winter and spring.

Memberships include diverse winter-hardy veggies such as broccoli, carrots, potatoes, onions, winter squash, lettuce, kale, chard, as well as access to a small u-pick garden with cold hardy herbs and spring flowers. Click here to get all the details on this wonderful CSA program and to reserve your spot today!

FARMER’S LOG

AN ODE TO WINTER SQUASH

A few weeks ago, we penned an ode to the mighty potato. In few weeks we’ll serenade el maíz. Both are New World crops that changed the world and inspired poets. But this week we save for the fairest of them all: The beloved oldest of the three sisters — the winter squash.

She takes on infinite forms, from voluptuous to svelte; from burning red to the palest blue. She has been kindling a bashful and loyal love in humanity’s heart for over 10,000 years.

The ancestral plants of what we call squash (the species including zucchini, melons, gourds, cucumbers, pumpkins and all winter squash) are millions of years old and native to the Americas. The earliest evidence for human domestication dates back 10,000 years to southern Mexico, earlier than the domestication of corn or beans.

Word travelled fast and inspiration abounded. By 2,000 B.C., squash had became a part of life for almost every Native American culture from Southern Canada to Patagonia — varietals were kept and cherished for everything from their protein rich and medicinal seeds to the sweet flesh and winter hardy skins. Botanists note at least six separate domestication events occurred in the Americas. (The English word “squash” comes from the Narragansett word, askutasquash, meaning fresh vegetable, and similar words can be found in the Algonquian language family.)

Here at West County Community Farm, the human + squash love affair burns bright — and we’re lucky to have at our fingertips the unparalleled modern library of heirloom squash seeds to explore. Over the winter, Kayta hunkered down with a seed catalogue and a good cup of coffee and laid out a season-long love sonnet to squash: We felt the summer wind with a cool slice of Persian cucumber; we dined by candlelight over pasta with Costata Romanesca Zucchini; and once we tasted a Sarah’s Choice Cantaloupe, we could never forget.

But in the winter, our true love came — the Winter Squash.

We’ll have a new squash for you to get to know almost every week from now until our last CSA pickup of the year, December 10th. Allow us to introduce you…

• Sunshine Kabocha: The village beauty. A fiery-red Kabocha squash with sugar sweet and flaky flesh. An all-time farmer favorite that can be cooked any which way. Exceptional for pumpkin pie and straight roasted eating.

• Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin: The supreme pie pumpkin in lacy lingerie. The only pie pumpkin that can compete with a Sunshine Kabocha. We'll distribute this one around Thanksgiving with our go-to pumpkin pie recipe.

• Black Futsu: A beloved Japanese delicacy, this bite sized, mini Butternut relative has bright orange flesh with unique fruity flavor and edible skin with a gorgeous frosted look.

• Butternut: The solid, reliable, bring-’em-home-to-Daddy squash with a nutty charm.

• Bonbon Buttercup: The girl next door. Unassuming, humble, and cute as a button. BonBon Buttercup is, in farmer David’s opinion, the best squash ever. Marriage material.

• Delicata: A real heartbreaker. The sweetest. Easiest to cook, even easier to eat.

• Marina di Chioggia: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder for this warty wonder. A beloved heirloom squash from an island in the Venice lagoon, we'll include some tips on how to handle this bombshell when we distribute it later on.

• Jester Acorn: A Delicata type that looks like a fancy Acorn Squash. A good Jester can be among the sweetest of squashes.

• Sweet Jade: A real cutie — a personal-sized grey green Kabocha.

Set the table, poor the wine, and light the candles — we hope you fall in love with a winter squash this autumn!

See you in the fields,
David

---

CSA BASICS

Drive slow! Please drive slow on Cooper Rd. and in our driveway / parking lot area. Kids at play!

No dogs: Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed on the farm.

What time is harvest pick-up?:

• Saturday harvest pick-ups run from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

• Tuesday harvest pick-ups will run from 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Oriented members can come to the farm any time, 7 days a week, sunrise to sunset, to u-pick and enjoy the farm.

Where is the farm? The member parking lot is located at 1720 Cooper Rd., Sebastopol, CA 95472.

Where is the food? The produce pick-up barn is just to the right of the solar panels and above our big greenhouse. You can’t miss it!

2024 CSA program dates: Our harvest season will run from Saturday, June 15th through Tuesday, December 10th this year.

Harvest Week 20 - The Season Of Death

THIS WEEK’S HARVEST

Bintje Potatoes, Bonbon Winter Squash, Garlic, Yellow Elsye Onions, Bolero Carrots, Multicolored Beets, Green Magic Broccoli or Romanesco Cauliflower, Napa Cabbage, Dazzling Blue Dino Kale, Mei Qing Bok Choi, Sugarloaf Chicory & Indigo Red Radicchio, Spinach, Salanova Red Butter Lettuce

U-PICK

We’re at the time of the season where we expect frost any day, and as soon as that happens, the strawberries, as well as the last of the peppers and tomatoes, as well as many of the flowers will slow down greatly, so take advantage while they’re still here!

• Jack-O-Lantern & Turks Turban Pumpkins | SEASON LIMIT: 2 per share, or 1 per child for households with more than two children. We have enough pumpkins that households that are alternating weeks can also take this season limit. (The heat wave a couple weeks ago caused the early demise of a bunch of our pumpkins, but if you still haven’t gotten yours there are a few good ones to be had at the very end of the patch!)

• Albion Strawberries | 3 pints per share

• Full-size Tomatoes | Gleanings.

• Padrón Peppers | Gleanings

• Shishito Peppers | Gleanings

• Cherry Tomatoes | Gleanings

• Goldilocks Beans | Gleanings

• Hot Peppers:

  • Jalapeños | Gleanings

  • Thai Chilis | Gleanings

  • Habanero | Gleanings

• Herbs: Italian, Purple and Thai Basil, Dill, Tulsi, Chamomile, Parsley, Onion Chives, Garlic Chives, Tarragon, Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, Culinary Sage, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Vietnamese Coriander, Shiso (Perilla), Catnip, Pineapple, Sorrel, Assorted Mints & Husk Cherries!

• Flowers!

FALL HARVEST POTLUCK PARTY!

One of our amazing CSA members, Carl Jaeger, has volunteered to organize an winding-down-of-the-season potluck on the farm on November 17th. You should have gotten an an email with more information and a chance to RSVP. Let us know if you didn’t receive it, and want to!

ginger-peanut warm kale salad

Recipe by Hetty McKinnon — from Anna Jones

“With this recipe, Hetty manages to tread that elusive line between something tasting so delicious that you can’t stop eating it and making you feel so good after eating that you crave it all the time.

Hetty says herself, ‘This salad comes with a warning: eat at your own risk, as it is very addictive. The combination of kale, tofu and ginger-accented peanut sauce is unexpectedly irresistible.’

Duration: 30 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 4 heaped tablespoons smooth peanut butter

• 2 tablespoons tahini

• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

• 2.5cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated

• 3 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon runny honey or maple syrup

• 2 bunches of kale (320g), stalks removed and leaves roughly torn

• 200g (1 cup) quinoa, rinsed

• 500ml (2 cups) vegetable stock or water

• 300g extra-firm tofu, sliced thinly

• extra virgin olive oil

• 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

• 1 cup unsalted peanuts, roasted and roughly chopped

• a handful of coriander leaves
  

  INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the ginger–peanut sauce:

   Place a medium saucepan on a low heat and add 4 heaped tablespoons smooth peanut butter, 2 tablespoons tahini, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, a 2.5cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated, 2 peeled and grated cloves of garlic, 3 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup, along with 1 cup water. Cook until the peanut butter and tahini have melted, stirring until the sauce is smooth and creamy. If the sauce ‘freezes’ or is too thick, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until it’s smooth and the consistency of thickened cream. Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper.

2. Fold the kale into the sauce:

   Fold 320g de-stalked and roughly torn kale leaves into the hot peanut sauce. The heat from the sauce will wilt and cook the kale. Set this aside.

3. Cook the quinoa:

   Put 200g rinsed quinoa and 500ml vegetable stock or water (if using water, season it with 1 teaspoon of sea salt) into a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook for 15–18 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is translucent and you can see the twirly grain. Turn off the heat and set aside, uncovered, while you prepare the rest of the salad.

4. Fry the tofu:

   Put 300g extra-firm tofu on a chopping board and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan on medium–high, and when it’s hot, drizzle with 1–2 tablespoons olive oil. Working in batches, place the tofu in the pan and fry for 2–3 minutes on each side until lightly golden. When all the tofu is cooked, allow it to cool, then slice it into 5mm-thick strips.

5. Cook the onion:

   Rinse and dry the tofu pan and place it back on a medium heat. Drizzle more olive oil into the frying pan, add 1 peeled and thinly sliced red onion and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is softened and sweet.

6. Finish the salad:

   Combine the peanut-kale mixture with the quinoa, tofu and onion. Transfer to a large serving plate and top with 1 cup roasted and chopped peanuts and a handful of coriander leaves.

Alice and Kayta on the job. Photo by Aisling.

WINTER SISTER FARM CSA STARTING SOON!

Going to miss us this winter? Well you’re in luck! Our dear friends next door at Winter Sister Farm have got you covered with the freshest veggies money can buy all winter and spring.

All memberships include diverse winter-hardy veggies such as broccoli, carrots, potatoes, onions, winter squash, lettuce, kale, chard, as well as access to a small u-pick garden with cold hardy herbs and spring flowers. Click here to get all the details on this wonderful CSA program and to reserve your spot today!

FARMER’S LOG

THE SEASON OF DEATH

Rise and fall. Light and shadow. Summer and winter. Life and death. 

Halloween is an extremely important time of year on the farm. It is the season of death.

The roots of our Halloween holiday lie in the ancient Gaelic Samhain (“summer’s end”) festival. The Gaelic were a pastoral people and the Samhain marked the transition to the dark half of the year and the time when the shepherds brought their livestock, fattened on summer mountain pastures, back down for the winter for shelter or for slaughter. There were feasts. People opened their burial mounds (portals to the underworld) and lit cleansing bonfires. The borders between the worlds were thought to become thinner around the Samhain and supernatural spirits, and the spirits of ancestors, were thought to walk amongst the living. The spirits were to be appeased or tricked. Tables were set for friendly spirits at the Samhain dinner. People wore costumes to disguise themselves from the evil spirits and placed candles inside of carved turnips (in lieu of pumpkins) to frighten them off.

You can feel the Samhain in every nook and cranny on the farm these days. How different the farm looks now from spring’s jubilant green promise and summer’s colorful cacophony! The life cycles of the plants that showered us with riches all summer are now at an end. Their bodies hang drawn, gaunt and ghostly on their trellises or shriveled, mildewed, and desiccated in the rows, awaiting the final, furious whir of the flail mower.

This week, with our major harvests nearly complete, we continued the portal tending work of the Samhain. Today, Sarah mowed a large section of Farfield East, transitioning our Winter Squash plants into the afterlife. Tomorrow morning, Lucas will begin performing the Last Rites on that field. First, he will spread steaming black compost. Then he will disc the compost and the shredded plants into the underworld, where they will start being devoured by worms and bugs. At that moment the field will lay empty; a bleak, deep brown maw of bare soil. 

A great, pregnant silence. An open portal.

Triticale cover crop germinating in Centerfield with the Oaks in the distance.

Then Lucas will seed the cover crop by driving the seed drill back and forth, processionally, rhythmically, sowing clover, peas, vetch, and grass seeds  — like little prayers — onto the black veil. Finally, we will turn the irrigation lines on for one last deep watering and close the portal.

One can only marvel at the wisdom of ancient agrarian festivals, born from bone deep relationship to the cycles of nature: How directly death was confronted.

Those people knew.

They knew that from death comes life. They knew that death and life are only thinly separated. They knew that the rotting, decaying, destructive forces are also the generative building blocks, the gateways from which life bursts forth anew in the spring and that the portals, the transitions, need to be tended.

This Halloween, while you’re out there gleaning summer’s last fruits, we invite you to take in the ghoulish site of the dying cherry tomatoes, sagging limply, skeletal, and vacant; and the blocks of bare ground on the farm — portals now pregnant with cover crop seed. 

Because death is the doorway and on the other side are verdant spring meadows, strawberry scented breezes, plump sugar snap peas, and bouquet after bouquet of spring flowers. 

Happy Halloween!
David

---

CSA BASICS

Drive slow! Please drive slow on Cooper Rd. and in our driveway / parking lot area. Kids at play!

No dogs: Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed on the farm.

What time is harvest pick-up?:

• Saturday harvest pick-ups run from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

• Tuesday harvest pick-ups will run from 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Oriented members can come to the farm any time, 7 days a week, sunrise to sunset, to u-pick and enjoy the farm.

Where is the farm? The member parking lot is located at 1720 Cooper Rd., Sebastopol, CA 95472.

Where is the food? The produce pick-up barn is just to the right of the solar panels and above our big greenhouse. You can’t miss it!

2024 CSA program dates: Our harvest season will run from Saturday, June 15th through Tuesday, December 10th this year.

Harvest Week 19 - To The Rain

THIS WEEK’S HARVEST

Harvest Moon Potatoes, Honey Boat Delicata Winter Squash, Scallions, Assorted Onions, Bolero Carrots, Sweet Peppers (last week!), Eggplant (last week!), Cauliflower, Green Magic Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Rainbow Chard, Brussel Sprout Tops, Sugarloaf Chicories, Spinach, Salanova Red Butter Lettuce

U-PICK

• 🌟 Jack-O-Lantern & Turks Turban Pumpkins | SEASON LIMIT: 2 per share, or 1 per child for households with more than two children. We have enough pumpkins that households that are alternating weeks can also take this season limit. (Note: These Pumpkins are not good for eating! They are bred for their looks and bland and flavorless if eaten. Don’t worry — we have plenty of delicious Winter Squash and Pumpkins coming your way!)

• 🌟 Full-size Tomatoes | Gleanings. If you still haven’t gotten your fill of tomatoes, feel free to forage through the vines! There’s still a few nice ones to be had.

• Albion Strawberries | 3 pints per share

• Padrón Peppers | Gleanings

• Shishito Peppers | Gleanings

• Cherry Tomatoes | Gleanings

• Goldilocks Beans | Gleanings

• Hot Peppers:

  • Jalapeños | Gleanings

  • Thai Chilis | Gleanings

  • Habanero | Gleanings

• Herbs: Italian, Purple and Thai Basil, Dill, Tulsi, Chamomile, Parsley, Onion Chives, Garlic Chives, Tarragon, Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, Culinary Sage, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Vietnamese Coriander, Shiso (Perilla), Catnip, Pineapple, Sorrel, Assorted Mints & Husk Cherries!

• Flowers!

Don’t forget to find a pumpkin to call your own this week!

HARVEST NOTES

• Brussels Sprout Tops: Each year around this time we trim the tops off of the Brussel sprouts plants to spur the sprouts to size up evenly. This annual necessity has the delicious benefit of giving us delicate bunches of cooking greens with that lovely Brussel Sprout flavor. Use as you would any of your favorite cooking greens like Kale or Collards.

• Honey Boat Delicata Winter Squash: Delicata are a perennial favorite of ours. Versatile, and sweet, they even have edible skins. For the easiest preparation, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and roast, face down, until tender (adding a little water to your pan to keep the squash moist!). They are also delicious cut into rings or half circles, tossed with an oil of your choice (coconut is particularly scrumptious) and then roasted until caramelized. Enjoy!

POTATO HARVEST PARTY!

Thanks to everyone who came out in first rain of the season to join us at the potato harvest party last Saturday! We loved getting to chat with you and admire the many unusual shapes in this year’s potato patch.

FALL HARVEST POTLUCK PARTY!

One of our amazing CSA members, Carl Jaeger, has volunteered to organize an winding-down-of-the-season potluck on the farm. Keep an eye out for an email with more information and save the date: November 17th!

PARKING LOT THEFT

Sadly, there have been a couple of thefts on the farm recently — one at night, and one in broad daylight from the parking lot. We will be working on putting up security cameras and we advise that you lock your cars in the parking lot and keep all valuables with you. 

Creamy Cauliflower Soup With Cheesy Mustard Croutons

By Christina Chaey — Bon Appetit

We are relishing the increasingly autumnal feeling in the air and looking forward to making a big pot of comforting soup — a great way to use our giant cauliflower this week!

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 large head of cauliflower (2½–3 lb.), florets broken into small pieces, core chopped

• ¼ tsp. freshly ground white or black pepper, plus more

• ¾ cup half-and-half

• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

• 5 cups country-style bread, preferably day-old, torn or sliced into 1" cubes

• ½ cup finely grated Gruyère or cheddar

• 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large saucepan or small Dutch oven over medium-low. Add 1 medium onion, chopped, and season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if onion starts to brown, until softened but without taking on any color, 5–7 minutes. Add 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 1 large head of cauliflower (2½–3 lb.), florets broken into small pieces, core chopped, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ¼ tsp. freshly ground white or black pepper, and 5½ cups water (the water should just barely cover the cauliflower). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, until cauliflower is completely tender and starting to fall apart, 15–20 minutes. Stir in ¾ cup half-and-halfand simmer 5 minutes; remove from heat.

2. While the soup is simmering, whisk 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, and 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium bowl to combine; season with salt and pepper. Add 5 cups country-style bread, preferably day-old, torn or sliced into 1" cubes, and toss to coat in mustard mixture. Scatter ½ cup finely grated Gruyère orcheddar over and toss again to combine. Transfer bread mixture to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake in a single layer, turning halfway through, until cheese is melted and croutons are golden brown and crisp, 10–15 minutes.

3. Working in batches, carefully purée soup in a blender until very smooth, transferring to a medium bowl as you go. (Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to blend soup in pot until smooth.) Return soup to pot and reheat over medium-low, stirring and adding more water to thin if needed (you’re going for the consistency of heavy cream). Stir in 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. fresh lemon juice. Taste and season soup with more salt and/or pepper if desired.

4. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with cheesy mustard croutons and drizzle with more oil.

   Do ahead: Soup can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat soup over medium-low, adding a splash of water to thin if needed.

WINTER SISTER FARM CSA

Going to miss us this winter? Well you’re in luck! Our dear friends next door at Winter Sister Farm have got you covered with the freshest veggies money can buy all winter and spring.

All memberships include diverse winter-hardy veggies such as broccoli, carrots, potatoes, onions, winter squash, lettuce, kale, chard, as well as access to a small u-pick garden with cold hardy herbs and spring flowers. Click here to get all the details on this wonderful CSA program and to reserve your spot today!

FARMER’S LOG

In honor of the little sprits of rain last weekend, we’ll leave you with a poem by Ursula K. Le Guin, daughter of California, dreamer of other worlds and the richness often missed in this one.

TO THE RAIN

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Mother rain, manifold, measureless,
falling on fallow, on field and forest,
on house-roof, low hovel, high tower,
downwelling waters all-washing, wider
than cities, softer than sisterhood, vaster
than countrysides, calming, recalling:
return to us, teaching our troubled
souls in your ceaseless descent
to fall, to be fellow, to feel to the root,
to sink in, to heal, to sweeten the sea.

* * * * *

See you in the fields,
David

---

CSA BASICS

Drive slow! Please drive slow on Cooper Rd. and in our driveway / parking lot area. Kids at play!

No dogs: Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed on the farm.

What time is harvest pick-up?:

• Saturday harvest pick-ups run from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

• Tuesday harvest pick-ups will run from 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Oriented members can come to the farm any time, 7 days a week, sunrise to sunset, to u-pick and enjoy the farm.

Where is the farm? The member parking lot is located at 1720 Cooper Rd., Sebastopol, CA 95472.

Where is the food? The produce pick-up barn is just to the right of the solar panels and above our big greenhouse. You can’t miss it!

2024 CSA program dates: Our harvest season will run from Saturday, June 15th through Tuesday, December 10th this year.