THIS WEEK’S HARVEST
In a nutshell: Summer settles in.
Bicolor Sweet Corn, Summer Squash & Zucchini, Lemon & Persian Cucumbers, Striped Armenian Cucumbers, Loose Romance Carrots, Fresh Torpedo Onions, Galia & Sarah’s Choice Melons, Early Girl Tomatoes, Poblano Peppers, Salad Mix, Cegolaine Little Gem Lettuces, Assorted Head Lettuce, Red Russian Kale, Purple Daikon, Loose Beets
A school of Poblanos caught in our fishing net.
U-PICK
Albion Strawberries: 3 pints per share
Cherry Tomatoes: 2 pint per share
Shishito & Padrón Frying Peppers: 3 pints total per share | There are lots of Shishitos in the back of the beds at the moment. See Week 6’s Newsletter for harvest and preparation tips.
🌟 Dragon Tongue Beans: 3 pints per share | These gorgeous, purple-speckled beans have a sweet flavor.
🌟 Jalapeños: 2 peppers per share | if you like your jalapeños hot, look for peppers with checking (little cracks) on them
🌟 Buena Mulata Peppers: 2 peppers per share | see Harvest Notes for details!
Pickling Cucumbers: 1 gallon season limit | Winding down, so pick soon if you still haven’t! See Week 6’s Newsletter for harvests and pickling instructions.
Herbs: Italian Basil, Thai Basil, Tulsi Basil, Dill, Chamomile, Parsley, Onion Chives, Garlic Chives, Tarragon, Oregano, Marjoram, Culinary Sage, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Vietnamese Coriander, Shiso (Perilla), Culinary Lavender, French Sorrel, Borage, Violas, Thyme and Mints.
Flowers!
From left to right: a very checked Jalapeño pepper, 3 Buena Mulata Peppers in various stages of ripeness, Dragon Tongue beans.
HARVEST NOTES
Dragon Tongue Beans: The coolest looking green bean you’ve ever seen. A delicious, aptly named purple striped fresh bean ready to take over right where the Purple Amethyst Beans left off. Located in the two beds just to the right of the Amethyst Beans.
Poblano Peppers: The poblano chili pepper is the beloved mild chili, originating in the state of Puebla, México that when dried it is called “ancho” or chili ancho and when roasted and stuffed with cheese becomes the magnificent chili relleno. This week will be offering the first taste of these wonderful peppers. For an easy, incredibly satisfying combo, try sautéing chopped poblanos with sweet corn kernels, torpedo onions, smoked paprika, lime and salt! Or just throw them in every dish you make like Aisling!
Buena Mulata Peppers: We're excited to introduce these gorgeous heirloom peppers. The seeds came from Truelove Seeds, a farm-based seed company specializing in culturally important seeds. Here's how they describe this pepper and its story:
"Beautiful, spicy, and flavorful cayenne pepper that starts purple and then passes through salmon and orange on the way to turning a gorgeous red. The tall striking plants are laden with 4-5 inch fruits, which are tasty at all stages, but we prefer the added sweetness of the fully red fruit.
Buena Mulata Pepper was the name on the baby food jar next to the name "Pippin" in the bottom of the deep freezer in William Woys Weaver's grandmother's basement, a decade after his plant-loving grandfather's untimely death. If you've heard of the Fish Pepper, this story probably sounds familiar. There were many other seeds besides those of the beautiful, delicious, and now widely-available Fish Pepper in that frozen trove, and many that passed through Horace Pippin's hands, including this Buena Mulata. Horace Pippin is now a well-known artist who beautifully depicted everyday life, landscapes, religion, WWI, and themes of the injustices of slavery and segregation. In the 1940s, he traded seeds from his friends in the Black catering communities of Philly and Baltimore in exchange for bee sting therapy for WWI arm injury from William Woys Weaver's grandfather H. Ralph Weaver's hives. Seeds stay viable longer in the freezer; our heirlooms only survive if someone removes them from storage and places them in soil; and stories only live when they are told."
As they ripen to red, Buena Mulata develop a sweetness in addition to their spice. They're particularly great for making beautiful pickles or drying to crush into pepper flakes or powder.
WINTER SISTER FARM CSA SIGN-UPS NOW OPEN!
The hottest tickets in town are now on sale — Winter Sister Farm’s 2024 Winter CSA program is now open for registration! Winter Sister Farm, right next door to us, was started by our dear friends Anna and Sarah Dozor. Their CSA runs runs from December through May and includes 24 weeks of specialty winter veggies, flowers, herbs, and more — all picked up by CSA members, free-choice market style, on their beautiful farm here on Cooper Rd! Sign-up today!
FARMER’S LOG
ON A SPECK IN SPACE
I went for an epic Farmer’s Log this week, on farming as a “discipline” from the trenches of August, but I bit off more than I could chew! I’ll post that essay soon, but tonight we’ll leave you in the helpful hands of the beat poet, Lew Welch.
* * * * *
NOTES FROM A PIONEER ON A SPECK IN SPACE
by Lew Welch
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 & Kayta
CSA BASICS
ATTENTION MEMBERS: Please make sure to drive slow (15 - 20 mph) on Cooper Rd. out of respect for our human and pet neighbors! Thank you!
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
When can I u-pick?: Oriented members can come to the farm any time, 7 days a week, sunrise to sunset, to u-pick and enjoy the farm, minding weekly u-pick limits.
2023 CSA program dates: Our harvest season will run this year from June 24th - December 19th
Where is the farm? The member parking lot is located at 1720 Cooper Rd., Sebastopol, CA 95472.
Where should I park?: Follow our sign on Cooper Rd. down a short gravel driveway. Please find a parking spot next to the solar panels or along the road further down. Please don’t park behind the solar panels.
Where’s the bathroom!: Under the big solar panels in the parking lot.
What should I bring?:
Your WCCF tote bag
Pint baskets or small containers for measuring your allotment of u-pick crops like strawberries
A vase, bucket, or water bottle to keep your flowers and herbs happy
Clippers or secateurs to cut flowers (if you have some), we also have some in the barn
Water / sun hat / picnic supplies if you plan to stay awhile!
Friends and family!
Newsletters & email communication: All our important CSA communications are through this email address, which seems to be getting spam blocked a lot. Please make sure this email address is in your address book so you get important CSA communications. All newsletters and important updates are also posted on the Newsletters page of our website weekly.
