THIS WEEK’S HARVEST
Mustard Mix, Red Salanova Oakleaf Lettuce, Giorgione Castelfranco Chicories, Bopak Bok Choi, Rainbow Chard, Rainbow Lacinato Kale, Easter Egg Radishes, Green Magic Broccoli, Cauliflower, Leeks, Celery, Carrots, Red Onions, Desiree Potatoes, Bonbon Buttercup Winter Squash
U-PICK
Check the u-pick board in the barn for weekly u-pick limits.
🎃 Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkins 🎃: There are just a few pumpkins left in the patch — if you’ve already gotten some, please leave the last few for folks who haven’t.
Albion Strawberries: ✨1 pint per share✨ Likely the last week!
Goldilocks Beans: Gleanings
— This will be the last week of Cherry Tomatoes, and u-pick Peppers! In anticipation of the coming El Niño winter, we’ll be mowing them in order to seed cover crop, so help yourself to what’s left!
Cherry Tomatoes: Gleanings
Frying Peppers:
Padrons: Gleanings
Shishitos: Gleanings
Hot Peppers:
Jalapeños: Gleanings
Thai Chilis: No limit — take what you’ll eat!
Habaneros: No limit — take what you’ll eat!
Ot Hiem Pepper: No limit — take what you’ll eat!
Herbs & Edible Flowers: Husk Cherries, Lemon Bergamot, 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!
Shanga in the cauliflower this morning.
HARVEST NOTES
Bonbon Buttercup Winter Squash: In your farmers’ opinion, the best squash ever bred. Ultra sweet and flaky, this squash is like a dessert all on its own. Bonbon is also one of the more delicate of the winter squash we grow, and because of this, we recommend enjoying it soon, as it won’t have the long storage life of some winter squash varieties. Perfect in soups, curries, baking projects, and roasted on its own. If you feel like you’d like an introduction to various squash-cooking methods, check out the primer in last year’s newsletter.
Giorgione Castelfranco Chicories: One of our new favorite chicory varieties, Giorgione is a small, conical radicchio with serrated edges and pink speckles. It’s on the sweeter side for a chicory, especially this time of year when frost has been kissing the low fields of the Laguna at night. We recommend enjoying Giorgione raw as a salad green, either on its own, or mixed with lettuce. It makes a stunning Caesar, but would be equally at home paired with fruit and a sweet vinaigrette.
Leeks: These beautiful leeks were seeded six months ago, and now they’re ready to help us welcome in fall. Although many recipes call for only using the white, blanched part of the leek, the thin green layers of the stalk are delicious as well, and we prize the dark green tops as an ingredient in stock — just throw them in the freezer until you’re ready to make some.
Harlequin Marigolds in the rain this morning. Thanks to Cassidy and Asa for saving these seeds for us!
CONGEE WITH BOK CHOI & LEEK CONFIT
Adapted from Victoria’s Earth Kitchen
We’re big fans of a rice bowl dinner — the perfect base for just about any vegetables— and this week has us reaching for a particularly cozy version. Congee or jook, is a simple, comforting rice porridge eaten all over Asian. In addition to the leeks and bok choi included in the recipe, it’s delicious with roasted slices of Bonbon squash and boiled or roasted broccoli.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup jasmine or calrose rice, rinsed
6-8 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt to taste
Furikake
Leek Confit
1 large leek, sliced into half-moons and washed
5 scallions, sliced into rounds
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Bok Choy
2 bok choy, halved, washed
Sesame oil
Splash of stock
Worcestershire sauce
Salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. In a medium pot, add the stock or water and washed rice and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, then add the ginger, garlic, and salt. Stir gently, then cover with the lid slightly ajar, and let simmer for 30 minutes. (If you’ve opted for more liquid, or have more time, more cooking will make the congee even more easy on the stomach.)
In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced leek and scallions. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
While the leek confit and congee are cooking, sauté your bok choy. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bok choy and sauté for 2-3 minutes until it starts to soften. Pour in the vegetable broth (or water) to help the bok choy steam and become tender. Drizzle in the salt and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, allowing the bok choy to absorb the flavors and become tender but still vibrant.
To assemble, spoon the congee into bowls, top with bok choy, leek confit, furikake, a drizzle of soy sauce, and any other vegetables you’ve prepared. Enjoy!
FARMER’S LOG
IN THE TRENCHES
The side of farming that doesn’t appear on the Instagram page has been on full display this past week below the oaks. As you all know, the flowers, vegetables and herbs that we enjoy — the fruits of a farm’s labor — are but the picturesque tip of a down and dirty trade.
The giant trench, the pipe, the veritable kitchen sink of tools that you’ve may have seen on your way to the pumpkin patch is the end stage of a project that’s been in the works for the better part of the year.
In 2024 we noticed that the meadow below the oaks, which contained a large buried section of our mainline, was staying wet longer than we’d expect. In 2025 it worsened and became clear that there were numerous leaks in our 20-year-old irrigation mainline. It needed to be replaced. But that was easier said than done. As Boromir would say, “One does not simply make a new trench for a replacement pipe in soil that is saturated from the leaks in the summer and inundated with water in the winter.”
The solve was to make a patch — a new section of pipe installed in the spring that would sit above ground, supplying water through the peak summer irrigation season, allowing the ground dry out, and then to slap the new pipe in a new trench dug late in the dry season.
A nice window appeared last week when our friend and CSA member Rusty Davis was available with his big excavator. He made quick work of the trench as he is wont to do.
But the Farm Gods didn’t feel like letting us cruise to the finish line: A coupler in our patch line blew out in the middle of the night and flooded our nice new trench with who knows how many thousands of gallons of water. The sun rose on a swamp — a year of waiting for dry ground, undone in one night. We spent the next 4 days cursing, waiting for the ground to dry out, and pumping the water out.
By Monday it was dry enough to work, and Eric and I spent the last few days muscling around 6” pipe, getting muddy, and gluing every joint straight and true.
Today at 11:00 am we glued our last joint, waited for it to cure, and tested the new mainline at a soft 20 PSI. We'll run a full pressure test next week, and once it's confirmed solid, we'll fill in the trench and scatter some clover on the disturbed ground.
By next spring it'll look like nothing ever happened in the meadow. We’ll stroll along the road and see only clover and oaks — while three feet down our strong new mainline carries water to the picturesque vegetables.
See you in the fields,
David
CSA BASICS
Check out our 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.
