Harvest Week 4 - Spacewalks

Are you a new member who hasn’t attended an orientation yet? Please email us to schedule an individual orientation during a CSA pickup.

THIS WEEK’S HARVEST

Arugula, Mustard Mix, Mei Qing Bok Choi, Dino Kale, Assorted Zucchini & Summer Squash, Assorted Little Gem Lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, Frisée & Bel Fiore Radicchio, Slicing Cucumbers, Pickling Cucumbers, Scallions, Carrots, Purple Daikon, Tiara Mini Cabbage

U-PICK

Check the u-pick board in the barn for weekly u-pick limits.

  • Albion Strawberries: 3 pints per share this week

  • Herbs & Edible Flowers: Dill, Cilantro, Purple Basil, Thai Basil, Lemon Basil, Italian Basil, Tulsi, Parsley, Chamomile, Calendula, Nasturtium, Pansies/Viola, Garlic Chives, Tarragon, Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Vietnamese Coriander, Shiso/Perilla, Catnip, French & Culinary Lavender, Sorrel, & Assorted Mints

  • Flowers!

HARVEST NOTES

  • Bel Fiore Radicchio: Bel Fiore (beautiful flower in Italian) is among the mildest of radicchios. Its cream-colored leaves, with pink and green specks, add a delicate bitterness and real beauty to fresh salads. You can eat it raw in salads, or roast with olive oil and garlic until wilted and crispy.

  • Purple Daikon Radish: Incredibly gorgeous and mild. Purple daikon can be delicious quick-pickled, or eaten as you would any radish (although they benefit from being lightly peeled first to remove the bitter outer layer of skin). Also eat on top of salads or rice bowls. For a bit of vegetable magic, toss purple daikon slices with something acidic like lemon juice or rice vinegar, and watch their color change to neon pink!

  • Pickling Cucumbers: While we will have Pickling Cucumbers available in bulk a little later in the season for pickling projects, this week they’ll be offered as part of the regular share to supplement our early-season slicing cucumbers. We find that they’re excellent for fresh eating in addition to pickling! Just peel and enjoy.

BEST VEGETABLE LASAGNA

from Cookie + Kate

When we first tried this recipe a few years ago, it opened our eyes to how to make a deliciously satisfying and savory lasagna that’s absolutely packed with vegetables. We recommend using it as a jumping off point — the chopped and caramelized mixed vegetables are a revelation, but why stop there? At this time of the season, it’s wonderful to alternate the noodle layers with layers of lightly sautéed zucchini and summer squash, and the lasagna can really hold as much spinach or kale (cooked with garlic and salt) as you can make. The recipe gives instructions for making a pasta sauce from scratch, but feel free to use store-bought sauce to speed things up (at least until tomato season arrives!).

Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 3 large carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)

  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped

  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped

  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • 5 to 6 ounces baby spinach or kale

  • 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

  • ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil + additional for garnish

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 2 cups (16 ounces) cottage cheese, divided

  • ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 9 no-boil lasagna noodles or cooked lasagna noodles

  • 8 ounces (2 cups) freshly grated low-moisture mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

To prepare the veggies: In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow onion, and salt. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until the veggies are golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes.

Add a few large handfuls of spinach. Cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, to prepare the tomato sauce: Pour the tomatoes into a mesh sieve or fine colander and drain off the excess juice for a minute. Then, transfer the drained tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes.

Pulse the mixture until the tomatoes have broken down to an easily spreadable consistency. Pour into a bowl for later (you should have a little over 2 cups sauce). Rinse out the food processor and return it to the machine.

Pour half of the cottage cheese (1 cup) into the processor and blend it until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to large mixing bowl.

Transfer the cooked veggies and spinach mixture to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until they are more finely chopped (but not puréed!), stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of whipped cottage cheese. Top with the remaining cottage cheese, then add ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt (to taste) and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Now it’s lasagna assembly time!

Spread ½ cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9” by 9” baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top (snap off their ends to fit, and/or overlap their edges as necessary). Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with ¾ cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.

Top with 3 more noodles, followed by the remaining cottage cheese mixture (we’re skipping the tomato sauce in this layer.) Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.

Top with 3 more noodles, then spread ¾ cup tomato sauce over the top (you may have a little sauce leftover) to evenly cover the noodles. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese.

Wrap a sheet of parchment paper or foil around the top of the lasagna (don’t let it come into contact with the cheese). Bake, covered, for 18 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180° and continue cooking for about 10 to 15 more minutes, until the top is turning spotty brown.

Remove from oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle additional basil over the top, then slice and serve.

SONOMA MOUNTAIN BAKERY IS BACK THIS SATURDAY!

Lee has assembled a team to help bake his amazing croissants while he recovers from surgery.

MUSIC CLASSES FOR CHILDREN - ON THE FARM!

Do you have a child 0-6 years old? Interested in musical enrichment on the farm?

Come join Hanna and Marina on Monday, Thursday, or Friday mornings at the farm for Music Together! You will sing, dance, play and watch the plants grow throughout the 6 weeks of music making!  Older siblings also love to join in! Register for class that starts this week!  Click here to learn more.

Alice on a spacewalk

FARMER’S LOG

SPACEWALKS

It’s a special time in the garden right now.

The first few weeks of flowers were the lift off phase — the launch pad, the rockets pushing, gaining speed, and hurtling towards space. We have now cleared the stratosphere.

It is quiet now. We float in a galaxy of glittering stars. Many flower beds are going supernova… the full mass of their energy erupting in a blinding display of blooms; This week it’s the trailing amaranth, delicate nicotiana, snapdragons, giant & gem marigolds, and strawflower…

A gem marigold supernova

And many new star clusters are flickering into existence this week. The zinnias — enticing in their endless variety and intricacy — are opening more every day; the celosia is pluming, cresting and crashing like waves; and the rudbeckia are just getting ready to go up like 4th of July fireworks, crisp golden sprays.

Bees and other pollen seekers fly around like space craft fly around all day and land on soft little moons to sleep each night. Come in early in the morning or late in the evening to catch them in their little beds, or close your eyes in the warm sun, and listen to their hum.

We hope you enjoy your spacewalks.

Don’t forget a handful of dill when you return to your ship.

See you in the fields,
David and Kayta


THE BASICS

Check out our new Brief Membership Guide: A quick-reference on the essentials of being a member.

Harvest pick-up times:

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

  • 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

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

2026 CSA program dates: This year’s harvest season will run from Friday, June 12th through Tuesday, December 8th this year.

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

Slow on Cooper Rd. Please drive slowly on Cooper Road — 20 mph. It's a neighborhood with lots of kids and animals who generously share the road with us.