THIS WEEK’S HARVEST
Arugula, Baby Mustard Mix, Cegolaine Little Gem Lettuce, Assorted Head Lettuce, Bel Fiore Radicchio, Dazzling Blue Dino Kale, Mei Qing Choi Bok Choi, Purple Daikon Radish, Fennel, Carrots, Assorted Zucchini & Summer Squash, Sweet Peppers, Eggplant, Fresh Walla Walla Onions, Early Girl & Heirloom Tomatoes
U-PICK
Don’t forget to branch out to the back areas to find the jack-pots!
Albion Strawberries | 4 pints per share
Padrón Peppers | 2 pints per share | Note that as Padróns age, they are more likely to be spicy!
Shishito Peppers | 3 pints per share | While still most likely to be mild, even shishitos can have a little heat towards the end of the season.
Cherry Tomatoes | 5 pints per share
Dragon Tongue Green Beans | 4 pints per share | See harvest note below
Hot Peppers:
Jalapeños | 7 peppers per share | To find the hottest ones, look for “checking”, the delicate cracks in the skin that indicate the pepper has aged into its heat.
Thai Chilis | 5 peppers | Pick when red
Cherry Bomb Peppers | 2 peppers per share | Pick when red
🌟 Habanero | 2 peppers per share | Pick when orange
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!
A big thank you to our floral ambassador, Cassidy, and everyone who made August 31's Flower Power Happy Hour so special!
HARVEST NOTES
Habanero Peppers: Habanero chilis, originally from the Amazon, and very popular in Yucatán Peninsula, are very hot, rated 100,000–350,000 on the Scoville scale. They’re very commonly used to make hot sauces and, if you can handle the heat, is often described as “fruity”.
Fresh Walla Walla Onions: Fresh out of the soil, this delicate, sweet, fresh-eating onion was developed in, you guessed it, Walla Walla, Washington. These are a delicacy. Try them in a way that you can show them off: lightly grilled on a good burger, raw in a salad with a delicate dressing, or as onion rings. They are so sweet and mild, some people even eat them raw like an apple! (We haven’t tried that yet! If you do, let us know how it goes!) Read more about Walla Wallas here.
PRESERVING THE HARVEST
The Tomatoes are showing signs of slowing down slightly, so make sure to take advantage of bulk quantities while they’re still around! If you just don’t have time to process, but really want to save some for the cooler months, consider blending whole tomatoes, and pouring into freezer bags to make sauce out of later.
WINTER SISTER FARM CSA SIGN-UPS OPEN!
Going to miss us this winter? Well you’re in luck! Our dear friends next door at Winter Sister Farm have got you covered for veggies 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!
LOCAL FLOUR SHARES AVAILABLE!
We’re excited to share that our friend Farmer Mai is making their locally-grown flour available again this year as a winter subscription. Their freshly-ground, heirloom wheat flour is the most magical that we’ve ever baked with.
Farmer Mai is a James Beard award-winning farmer and social justice activist, the only Bay Area honoree in 2024, who uses agroecological methods to grow climate change-adapted and nutritious grains in Sebastopol, Sonoma County.
Join the Farmer Mai Flour Share to receive a four-month subscription of freshly stone-milled, whole wheat flour each month. Choose from different bundles of identity-preserved, single-origin, and flavorful heirloom wheat. Pick-up is available at Green Valley Farm and Mill in Sebastopol.
APPLE CHICORY SALAD WITH FENNEL, WALNUTS, AND GRANA
Recipe by Alanna Taylor-Tobin
This simple salad highlights the gorgeous colors of this week’s Bel Fiore Chicory, Purple Daikon and Fennel and creates a perfect pairing of bitter, sweet and umami.
Ingredients
Vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon minced shallot or yellow onion
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons (45 ml) apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (more to taste)
Salad:
4 cups chicory leaves, torn into large pieces
1 medium apple, thinly sliced
1 medium watermelon radish or purple daikon, peeled lightly, halved and thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1-2 ounces grana, shaved (or other aged cheese such as parmesan, manchego, gruyere, or asiago)
½ cup (50 g) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped or broken up
arils from half a large pomegranate (optional)
flaky salt such as Maldon
ground black pepper
Instructions
In a small jar, combine the shallot and salt. Mash with a small spoon until pulpy. Add the vinegar, stir to combine, then add the olive oil.
In a large bowl, combine the chicories with the apple, radish, and fennel. Spoon over some of the vinaigrette, making sure to grab some of the vinegar and shallot that will settle on the bottom, and toss to combine. Sprinkle over the cheese, walnuts, pomegranate if using, and a few pinches of salt and pepper and toss gently. Taste, adding more vinaigrette, salt, pepper, or olive oil if you feel the salad needs it. Serve right away.
FARMER’S LOG
SEPTEMBER ECHOES
On the farm, time is full of echoes.
Moments, days, tasks, seasons… they return cyclically, as if from a long distance, the long distance of a year.
All it takes is a certain smell or taste, a certain slant of light, and it hits you — there you are again, flooded with memories of who you were, and who you were with, this time last year.
Last September 13th, we were also rich in late summer’s bounty with fall knocking at the door. Pig weed and prickly goat weed were scratching our arms while we harvested onions. The earthy tang of freshly-mowed potatoes filled the morning air. The first rustles of drying corn stalks could be heard on the wind. We were tasting the the last of the sweet, sweet melons. We were watching the plump Jack-O-Lanterns turn from green to orange and the sulfur cosmos light up like fire in the setting sun.
The slanting mid-September light is full of memory echoes.
We can hear them in the early morning, shimmering though the fog, and they make us smile.
And sometimes, when we are still, the echoes seem to continue on forward, strangely, and it is as if we can hear the echoes of mid-Septembers yet to come.
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.
