THIS WEEK’S HARVEST
Sweet Jade Mini Kabocha Winter Squash, Brussel Sprouts, Desiree Potatoes, Multicolored Daikon Radish, Kolibra Broccoli, Calibra Yellow Onions, Monastrell Red Onions, Carrots, Dazzling Blue Dino Kale, Italian Dandelion Greens, Indigo Radicchio, Red Salanova Oakleaf Lettuce, Green Salanova Oakleaf Lettuce
Arabella harvesting brussel sprouts this morning.
U-PICK
Check the u-pick board in the barn for weekly u-pick limits.
Frying Peppers:
Shishitos | Gleanings
Padróns | Gleanings
Hot Peppers:
Jalapeños | Gleanings
Habanero | Gleanings
Thai Chilis | Gleanings | Spicy!
Wilson’s Vietnamese Devil Pepper | Gleanings
Flowers! There are still some flowers to be had after the rains, particularly zinnias, marigolds (the solid orange ones are all the way to the north — towards Winter Sister Farm) and some late-season curios.
HARVEST NOTES
Sweet Jade Mini Kabocha Winter Squash: Kabocha is one of our absolute favorite families of winter squash and these personal-size, gray-green beauties have the superb sweetness and flaky texture of the best ones. They also store well, in case you find yourself in possession of what we like to call a “squard”, aka a squash hoard. For the best flavor, choose a Sweet Jade that’s more blue/turquoise rather than green.
Desiree Potatoes: The Desiree potato is a red skinned, yellow fleshed variety bred in the 1960’s in the Netherlands. It is versatile and great for roasting, mashing, and salads. Fun fact: Desiree potatoes grown in Bhutan are highly sought after and fetch a high price in India.
Brussel Sprouts: This week in anticipation of Thanksgiving we’re debuting the first of this season’s Brussel Sprouts! Seeded in the greenhouse in June, these slow-growing treasures feel like they’ve been with us all season. We’ll be distributing them on the stalk, but for storage we recommend snapping them off the stalk and storing in the fridge in a sealed container or bag.
THANKSGIVING PREVIEW
To help you plan for the big day, here is a snapshot of the share we are planning for Harvest Week 24, the week leading up to Thanksgiving:
Jelly and Harvest Moon Potatoes, Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin or Sunshine Kabocha Squash, Butternut Squash, Celery Root, Yellow and Red Onions, Garlic, Carrots, Beets, Watermelon Radishes, Brussel Sprouts, Black Magic Dino Kale, Radicchio, and Assorted Lettuce.
WINTER SISTER FARM CSA - SIGN-UPS NOW OPEN!
Want to keep getting abundant weekly veggies through the winter? Winter Sister Farm, located right next door, is open for signups for their 2025-2026 Winter-Spring CSA! They have a range of share options and sizes, including both free-choice and box shares, all of which include access to their u-pick herb and flower garden. Visit www.wintersisterfarm.com/csa for more details!
BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH PICKLED CARROTS, CILANTRO AND CITRUS VINAIGRETTE
From Six Seasons, by Joshua McFadden
As you may have noticed, we’ve been collectively obsessed with this brilliant cookbook this year, and we wanted to share one more recipe. While it does have a couple components, this salad is so good that it’s made its way onto Arabella’s regular Thanksgiving menu, so we think it’s worth the work. Note: Joshua McFadden uses this basic pickle brine for all kinds of vegetables, and we have been loving having it on hand for other things, most recently romanesco and cauliflower. The pickles really elevate any meal they’re included in.
INGREDIENTS
for the pickled carrots:
1 bunch slender carrots
1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) rice vinegar
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups (12 fl. oz./375 ml) hot water
5 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. kosher salt
5 smashed garlic cloves
2 dried chiles
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 Tbs. toasted coriander seeds
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
1 orange
1 lemon
1 lime
1 1/2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
FOR THE SALAD:
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 1/2 lb. (750 g) brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup (4 oz./125 g) hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
2 bunches green onions, 1/2 inch (12 mm) of the green tops trimmed and discarded, then thinly sliced
1 cup (1 1/2 oz./45 g) coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup (1 1/2 oz./45 g) coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the pickled carrots, cut the tops from the carrots, leaving 1/4 inch (6 mm) of the greens intact. Scrub the carrots but don’t peel them.
In a pot or big pitcher, combine the vinegars, hot water, sugar and salt and stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Fill a clean 1-quart (1-l) canning jar with the carrots, arranging them standing up in the jar. Tuck the garlic, chiles, thyme and coriander seeds in between the carrots. Pour the brine over the carrots until they are completely covered and the jar is full, and screw on the lid. Refrigerate for at least 1 day and up to 2 months before using. When ready to assemble the dish, thinly slice some of the carrots on the diagonal until you have about 2/3 cup. Return the remaining carrots to the refrigerator and save for another use.
To make the vinaigrette, using a rasp-style grater, zest the orange, lemon and lime into a bowl. Halve the fruit and squeeze all the juice into the same bowl to get 2/3 cup (5 fl. oz./160 ml) juice (fish out the seeds). Whisk in the honey, vinegar, 1 tsp. salt and several grindings of pepper
Taste and adjust with more honey, vinegar and salt and pepper, if needed, to make the flavor vibrant. Whisk in the olive oil a few drops at a time or put the juice mixture into a blender or food processor and drizzle in the oil while the machine is running; the machine method will make the vinaigrette creamier and emulsified. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) olive oil and the garlic and cook the garlic until it’s very soft, fragrant and nicely golden brown—but not burnt—about 5 minutes. Scoop out the garlic and set it aside. (This will prevent it from burning while you're cooking the brussels sprouts.)
Increase the heat a bit and add half of the brussels sprouts, cut side down. Season well with salt and pepper and cook gently until the sprouts are tender all the way through but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat midway if the sprouts are getting too brown. Transfer the brussels sprouts to a plate and repeat to cook the second half of the brussels sprouts. Return all the brussels sprouts and the garlic to the pan, crushing the garlic to break it up and mix it with the sprouts.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the pickled carrots, half the nuts and all the green onions and toss thoroughly to mix and warm the new ingredients slightly.
Spoon 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) of the vinaigrette over the sprouts and toss again. Add half each of the cilantro and parsley and toss again. Taste and adjust with more salt, pepper or vinaigrette so the salad is very vibrant.
Right before serving, add a little more vinaigrette if you like, along with the rest of the nuts, cilantro and parsley. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.
FARMER’S LOG
STRAWBERRY FUTURES
The steady, weekly storms this autumn have been quite the taskmasters — keeping us on our toes and racing to perform our end-of-season equipment heavy tasks before our tractors are frozen out of the landscape.
The run up to the atmospheric river that dropped 2” on Thursday was all about strawberries: Shaping beds for our new strawberry patch and saying goodbye and cover cropping the old strawberry patch that so blessed us in 2024 and 2025.
All told, we estimate that that old strawberry patch produced around 30,000 pints of strawberries for our little community: 4 pints per share per week for much of last season, and 2 pints per share per week for much of this season — plus the Spring berry deluges that returning members enjoy.
4/10ths of an acre of joy and good memories. It’s hard not to be sentimental.
Saying goodbye to our 2024 & 2025 strawberry patch.
This passed Saturday afternoon, as the tractor sat poised to start flail mowing them, I had a little moment. I hopped off the tractor and, right at my feet, was what seemed like the last little perfect berry in an otherwise spent patch. I held it up to the sky and admired it and was flooded with memories from that patch over the last two years — Kayta and little baby Alice lying on their backs in the furrows staring at the clouds, catching up with old friends, meeting and interviewing Henry for the first time.
I munched the berry and hopped back on the tractor. Au revoir, old friends.
But it was time. We’re getting very excited to be in first-year strawberries again in 2026. First year strawberry plants are more abundant, the berries are bigger, and they are much less prone to disease and pernicious weeds.
And our strawberry futures are looking bright — this new strawberry patch got the deluxe treatment: A lush summer cover crop; boatloads of compost; extra tall beds to help with winter drainage.
On Tuesday, just before the storm, the new strawberry beds were shaped, and now they wait, ready for planting next week and the sweet, sweet memories we’ll make there.
See you in the fields,
David
CSA BASICS
Slow on Cooper Road! Out of respect for our neighbors and the many kids and animals that live on Cooper Rd., please drive slow (20 mph)!
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
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.
2025 CSA program dates: Our harvest season will run from Saturday, June 14th through Tuesday, December 9th this year.
Where is the farm? The member parking lot is located at 1720 Cooper Rd., Sebastopol, CA 95472.
