THIS WEEK’S HARVEST
Arugula, Mustard Mix, Mini Romaine Lettuce, Magenta Summer Crisp Lettuce, Sugarloaf Chicory, Red Russian Kale, Komatsuna, Green Magic Broccoli, Rainbow Carrots, Multicolored Beets, Fresh Torpedo and Walla Walla Sweet Onions, Summer Squash & Zucchini, Persian & Lemon Cucumbers, Tendersweet Cabbage, Early Tomatoes (limited)
U-PICK
Please remember to check the u-pick board for updated weekly limits before going out to pick
Strawberries Rehabilitation is in progress | See below for an update
Pickling Cucumbers | 2 gallon season limit (see week 6’s newsletter for harvest and pickling tips)
Cherry Tomatoes (See week 8’s newsletter for a primer)
Amethyst Green Beans
Shishito & Padron Frying Peppers (See week 4’s newsletter for harvest and cooking tips)
Jalapeño Peppers
Herbs: Dill, Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, Tarragon, Onion Chives, Garlic Chives, Vietnamese Coriander, Culinary Lavender, Culinary Sage, French Sorrel, Lemon Verbena, Cilantro, Tulsi, Various Mints, Catnip, Chamomile, Purple Basil, Genovese Basil, Thai Basil
Flowers!
STRAWBERRY UPDATE
Over the last three to four weeks we noticed a precipitous dip in the number of strawberries (and strawberry flowers) in our strawberry patch. There is usually a normal dip in production in early July as the plants produce runners after their spring/early summer berry explosion. But as the weeks went by, the nipped off strawberry flowers became more and more numerous and suspicious. CSA member Prentice Danner installed a game camera and, lo and behold, we learned that no less than 6 individual deer were habitually visiting the strawberries every night by jumping over and through the fence. (And they didn’t even sign up for CSA share!) This week we put up a more fortified strawberry fence and we expect our beloved strawberry plants will rebound for a productive late summer and fall!
Party in the strawberries!
VOLUNTEER WEDNESDAYS
Come work with us! Find us in the garden or fields from 9am - 11am on Wednesday mornings for our standing volunteer morning. We’ll work together on tasks like weeding the garden, deadheading flowers, cleaning garlic. Come meet your farmers and put your hands in the soil! All ages and abilities welcome!
BEE SWARM!
This week the picnic area was blessed by a beautiful swarm of bees (in the elbow of the northern big twin oak tree). Please be peaceful and quiet around them if you say hello. We’d love for them to feel safe and welcome in that tree hole. Honeybees are very gentle and peaceful unless their hive is threatened.
PRESERVING THE HARVEST
SAUERKRAUT TIME!
We have two big macro bins of green cabbage fresh out of the field that we’ll be distributing over the next few weeks. With the dill going gangbusters in the garden, now is a great time to make sauerkraut! Here is out go to lemon dill kraut recipe from the book Fermented Vegetables by Kristen and Christopher Shockey
This recipe yields about 1 gallon of kraut
2 heads (about 6 pounds) cabbage
1 1/2-2 tablespoons unrefined sea salt
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons dried dill
4-5 cloves of garlic, finely grated
Step 1. To prepare the cabbage, remove the coarse outer leaves. Rinse a few unblemished ones and set them aside. Rinse the rest of the cabbage on cold water. With a stainless steel knife, quarter and core the cabbage. Thinly slice with the same knife or a mandoline, then transfer the cabbage to a large bowl.
Step 2. Add the dill, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the salt and, with your hands, massage it into the leaves, then taste. You should be able to taste the salt without it being overwhelming. Add more salt if necessary. The salt will soon look wet and limp, and liquid will begin to pool. At this point, add the garlic. If you've put in a good effort and don't see much brine in the bowl, let it stand, covered, for 45 minutes, then massage again.
Step 3. Transfer the cabbage to a crock or 2-quart jar, a few handfuls at a time, pressing down on the cabbage with your fist or a tamper to work out air pockets. You should see some brine on top of the cabbage when you press. Leave 4 inches of headspace for a crock, or 2 to 3 inches for a jar. Top the cabbage with one or two of the reserved outer leaves. Then, for a crock, top the leaves with a plate that fits the opening of the container and covers as much of the vegetables as possible; weigh down with a sealed, water-filled jar. For a jar, use a sealed, water-filled jar or ziplock bag as a follower-weight combination.
Step 4. Set aside the jar or crock on a baking sheet to ferment, somewhere nearby, out of direct sunlight and cool, for 4 to 14 days. Check daily to make sure the cabbage is submerged, pressing down as needed.
Step 5. You can start to test the kraut on day 4. You'll know it's ready when it's pleasingly sour and pickle-y tasting, without the strong acidity of vinegar; the cabbage has softened a bit but retains some crunch; and the cabbage is more yellow than green and slightly translucent.
Step 6. Ladle the kraut into smaller jars and tamp down. Pour in any brine that's left. Tighten the lids, then store in the refrigerator. This kraut will keep, refrigerated, for 1 year.
Roasted Carrots with Carrot-Top Pesto
from bon appetit
Ingredients
3 pounds small carrots with tops (any color)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove
3 tablespoons macadamia nuts or pine nuts
1/2 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°. Trim carrot tops, leaving some stem attached. Measure out 2 cups carrot tops and set aside; reserve any remaining carrot tops for another use.
Toss carrots and vegetable oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until carrots are golden brown and tender, 25–35 minutes. Let cool.
Pulse garlic and nuts in a food processor until a coarse paste forms. Add basil, Parmesan, and reserved carrot tops; process until a coarse puree forms. Add olive oil and pulse until combined; season with salt and pepper. Serve carrots with pesto.
FARMER’S LOG
Tonight we’ll leave you with a helpful reminder from the poet Lew Welch.
* * * * *
NOTES FROM A PIONEER ON A SPECK IN SPACE
Few things that grow here poison us.
Most of the animals are small.
Those big enough to kill us do it in a way
Easy to understand, easy to defend against.
The air, here, is just what the blood needs.
We don’t use helmets or special suits.
The Star, here, doesn’t burn you if you
Stay outside as much as you should.
The worst of our winters is bearable.
Water, both salt and sweet, is everywhere.
The things that live in it are easily gathered.
Mostly, you eat them raw with safety and pleasure.
Yesterday my wife and I brought back
Shells, driftwood, stones, and other curiosities
Found on the beach of the immense
Fresh-water Sea we live by.
She was all excited by a slender white stone which:
“Exactly fits the hand!”
I couldn’t share her wonder;
Here, almost everything does.
* * * * *
See you in the fields,
David and Kayta
land + local boxes available for pickup at the farm
Interested in some herbal support and deliciousness this summer? Land + Local culinary & herbal wellness boxes highlight seasonal foods and medicinal herbs local to Sonoma County, CA. Each season's offering ranges from botanical shrubs & syrups to herbal tea blends, spice mixtures, and herbal vinaigrettes that rotates with the seasons, making it easy for you to incorporate the power of plants into your daily meals + routines.
SUMMER OFFERING’s is all about keeping you cool, calm, and hydrated.
'Summer Soother' BOTANICAL SYRUP, 8 oz - a nourishing and hydrating blend of local blackberries, basil, and fresh squeezed Lima Dulce limes. simmered with organic marshmallow root, sweetened with a bit of organic cane sugar + honey, and a slight pinch of cooling, atlantic grey salt to improve hydration and keep you cool. try a splash in bubbly water or in your next summer cocktail spritzer!
'Lunar Tides' HERBAL VINAIGRETTE, 8 fl oz - ethically wildcrafted sonoma coast kombu steeped in local gravestein apple cider vinegar, allowing for this mineral-rich seaweed to be best extracted and bioavailable to you! seasoned with organic honey, atlantic grey salt + ground black peppercorn, and finished with preston farms biodynamic olive oil, douce this vinaigrette onto everything from your bitter, cooling greens to veggie side dishes.
'Cool + Collected' FLORAL SPRITZ, 2 oz - all the cooling plants distilled + combined into one bottle. with a dream team of damask rose, lemon balm, and local cucumber from longer table farm, this floral spritz was designed to cool you down in the heat of summer. keep handy for those muggy afternoons with no AC, or spritz all over to calm you down after a heated argument (heat outside leads to heat on the inside, which can show up as anger + irritability at this time of year).
Link to shop —> HERE
