8/6/2022 - Week 9 - On a Speck in Space

THIS WEEK’S HARVEST

Arugula, Mustard Mix, Mini Romaine Lettuce, Magenta Summer Crisp Lettuce, Sugarloaf Chicory, Red Russian Kale, Komatsuna, Green Magic Broccoli, Rainbow Carrots, Multicolored Beets, Fresh Torpedo and Walla Walla Sweet Onions, Summer Squash & Zucchini, Persian & Lemon Cucumbers, Tendersweet Cabbage, Early Tomatoes (limited)

U-PICK

Please remember to check the u-pick board for updated weekly limits before going out to pick

• Strawberries Rehabilitation is in progress | See below for an update

• Pickling Cucumbers | 2 gallon season limit (see week 6’s newsletter for harvest and pickling tips)

• Cherry Tomatoes (See week 8’s newsletter for a primer)

• Amethyst Green Beans

• Shishito & Padron Frying Peppers (See week 4’s newsletter for harvest and cooking tips)

• Jalapeño Peppers

• Herbs: Dill, Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, Tarragon, Onion Chives, Garlic Chives, Vietnamese Coriander, Culinary Lavender, Culinary Sage, French Sorrel, Lemon Verbena, Cilantro, Tulsi, Various Mints, Catnip, Chamomile, Purple Basil, Genovese Basil, Thai Basil

• Flowers!

STRAWBERRY UPDATE

Over the last three to four weeks we noticed a precipitous dip in the number of strawberries (and strawberry flowers) in our strawberry patch. There is usually a normal dip in production in early July as the plants produce runners after their spring/early summer berry explosion. But as the weeks went by, the nipped off strawberry flowers became more and more numerous and suspicious. CSA member Prentice Danner installed a game camera and, lo and behold, we learned that no less than 6 individual deer were habitually visiting the strawberries every night by jumping over and through the fence. (And they didn’t even sign up for CSA share!) This week we put up a more fortified strawberry fence and we expect our beloved strawberry plants will rebound for a productive late summer and fall!

Party in the strawberries!

VOLUNTEER WEDNESDAYS

Come work with us! Find us in the garden or fields from 9am - 11am on Wednesday mornings for our standing volunteer morning. We’ll work together on tasks like weeding the garden, deadheading flowers, cleaning garlic. Come meet your farmers and put your hands in the soil! All ages and abilities welcome!

BEE SWARM!

This week the picnic area was blessed by a beautiful swarm of bees (in the elbow of the northern big twin oak tree). Please be peaceful and quiet around them if you say hello. We’d love for them to feel safe and welcome in that tree hole. Honeybees are very gentle and peaceful unless their hive is threatened.

PRESERVING THE HARVEST

SAUERKRAUT TIME!

We have two big macro bins of green cabbage fresh out of the field that we’ll be distributing over the next few weeks. With the dill going gangbusters in the garden, now is a great time to make sauerkraut! Here is out go to lemon dill kraut recipe from the book Fermented Vegetables by Kristen and Christopher Shockey 

This recipe yields about 1 gallon of kraut 

2 heads (about 6 pounds) cabbage
1 1/2-2 tablespoons unrefined sea salt
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons dried dill 
4-5 cloves of garlic, finely grated

Step 1. To prepare the cabbage, remove the coarse outer leaves. Rinse a few unblemished ones and set them aside. Rinse the rest of the cabbage on cold water. With a stainless steel knife, quarter and core the cabbage. Thinly slice with the same knife or a mandoline, then transfer the cabbage to a large bowl. 

Step 2. Add the dill, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of the salt and, with your hands, massage it into the leaves, then taste. You should be able to taste the salt without it being overwhelming. Add more salt if necessary. The salt will soon look wet and limp, and liquid will begin to pool.  At this point, add the garlic. If you've put in a good effort and don't see much brine in the bowl, let it stand, covered, for 45 minutes, then massage again. 

Step 3. Transfer the cabbage to a crock or 2-quart jar, a few handfuls at a time, pressing down on the cabbage with your fist or a tamper to work out air pockets. You should see some brine on top of the cabbage when you press. Leave 4 inches of headspace for a crock, or 2 to 3 inches for a jar. Top the cabbage with one or two of the reserved outer leaves. Then, for a crock, top the leaves with a plate that fits the opening of the container and covers as much of the vegetables as possible; weigh down with a sealed, water-filled jar. For a jar, use a sealed, water-filled jar or ziplock bag as a follower-weight combination. 

Step 4. Set aside the jar or crock on a baking sheet to ferment, somewhere nearby, out of direct sunlight and cool, for 4 to 14 days. Check daily to make sure the cabbage is submerged, pressing down as needed. 

Step 5. You can start to test the kraut on day 4. You'll know it's ready when it's pleasingly sour and pickle-y tasting, without the strong acidity of vinegar; the cabbage has softened a bit but retains some crunch; and the cabbage is more yellow than green and slightly translucent. 

Step 6. Ladle the kraut into smaller jars and tamp down. Pour in any brine that's left. Tighten the lids, then store in the refrigerator. This kraut will keep, refrigerated, for 1 year.

Roasted Carrots with Carrot-Top Pesto

from bon appetit

Ingredients

• 3 pounds small carrots with tops (any color)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

• 1 garlic clove

• 3 tablespoons macadamia nuts or pine nuts

• 1/2 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves

• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Trim carrot tops, leaving some stem attached. Measure out 2 cups carrot tops and set aside; reserve any remaining carrot tops for another use.

2. Toss carrots and vegetable oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until carrots are golden brown and tender, 25–35 minutes. Let cool.

3. Pulse garlic and nuts in a food processor until a coarse paste forms. Add basil, Parmesan, and reserved carrot tops; process until a coarse puree forms. Add olive oil and pulse until combined; season with salt and pepper. Serve carrots with pesto.

FARMER’S LOG

Tonight we’ll leave you with a helpful reminder from the poet Lew Welch.

* * * * *

NOTES FROM A PIONEER ON A SPECK IN SPACE

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 and Kayta

land + local boxes available for pickup at the farm

Interested in some herbal support and deliciousness this summer? Land + Local culinary & herbal wellness boxes highlight seasonal foods and medicinal herbs local to Sonoma County, CA. Each season's offering ranges from botanical shrubs & syrups to herbal tea blends, spice mixtures, and herbal vinaigrettes that rotates with the seasons, making it easy for you to incorporate the power of plants into your daily meals + routines.

SUMMER OFFERING’s is all about keeping you cool, calm, and hydrated. 

'Summer Soother' BOTANICAL SYRUP, 8 oz  - a nourishing and hydrating blend of local blackberries, basil, and fresh squeezed Lima Dulce limes.  simmered with organic marshmallow root, sweetened with a bit of organic cane sugar + honey, and a slight pinch of cooling, atlantic grey salt to improve hydration and keep you cool. try a splash in bubbly water or in your next summer cocktail spritzer!
 
'Lunar Tides' HERBAL VINAIGRETTE, 8 fl oz - ethically wildcrafted sonoma coast kombu steeped in local gravestein apple cider vinegar, allowing for this mineral-rich seaweed to be best extracted and bioavailable to you! seasoned with organic honey, atlantic grey salt + ground black peppercorn, and finished with preston farms biodynamic olive oil, douce this vinaigrette onto everything from your bitter, cooling greens to veggie side dishes.
 
'Cool + Collected' FLORAL SPRITZ, 2 oz - all the cooling plants distilled + combined into one bottle. with a dream team of damask rose, lemon balm, and local cucumber from longer table farm, this floral spritz was designed to cool you down in the heat of summer. keep handy for those muggy afternoons with no AC, or spritz all over to calm you down after a heated argument (heat outside leads to heat on the inside, which can show up as anger + irritability at this time of year).

Link to shop —> HERE

7/29/2022 - Week 8 - Up On That Hill

THIS WEEK’S HARVEST

Arugula, Mustard Mix, Assorted Lettuces, Dino Kale, Bel Fiore & Sugarloaf Chicories, Celery, Green Magic Broccoli, Fennel, Fresh Onions, Purple Daikon, Multicolored Carrots, Persian & Lemon Cucumbers, Summer Squash & Zucchini, Garlic.

Fall crops in our field across the creek. Read this week’s Farmer’s Log below as we take stock of the planting season so far.

U-PICK

Please remember to check the u-pick board for updated weekly limits before going out to pick

• Strawberries are still off | Read the Farmer’s Log below for why!

• Pickling Cucumbers | 2 gallon season limit (see Week 6’s Newsletter for harvest and pickling tips)

• 🌟Cherry Tomatoes (See below for notes)

• Amethyst Green Beans

• Shishito & Padron Frying Peppers (See Week 4’s Newsletter for harvest and cooking tips)

• Jalapeño Peppers

• Herbs: Dill, Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, Tarragon, Onion Chives, Garlic Chives, Vietnamese Coriander, Culinary Lavender, Culinary Sage, French Sorrel, Lemon Verbena, Cilantro, Tulsi, Various Mints, Catnip, Chamomile, Purple Basil, Genovese Basil, Thai Basil

• Flowers!

HARVEST NOTES

Sugarloaf Chicories: Chicories (which include Frisee, Radicchio, Dandelions and Escarole) are closely related to lettuces, but heartier and with a bitter edge. People are sometimes intimidated by their bitterness — but fear not, properly prepared, chicories contain a world of deliciousness. Chicories pair best with assertive dressings, and particularly tangy and umami flavors. Sugarloaf are among the least bitter of the chicories. They are delicious included in a leafy salad, and incredible chopped and tossed with olive oil, garlic and salt, and put under a broiler until caramelized. With a little added lemon and parmesan, caramelized chicories make a perfect pairing with beans, polenta, or other hearty dishes.

Cherry Tomatoes!

The first tomatoes in our u-pick cherry tomato patch, slowed by the recent cold, are finally starting to ripen! This week’s trickle will become a deluge of sunny sweetness in just a couple of weeks.

Here is a brief introduction to the six varieties of cherry tomato we planted for you this year.

Note: the first ripe tomatoes will be found very very low on the plants, near the ground, and they will ripen higher and higher up as the season progresses.

From L to R, top row: Copper Beauty, Pink Princess, Sunpeach. Bottom row: Supersweet 100, Sungold, Indigo Cherry Drops

• Copper Beauty: One of our favorites, these are a gorgeous, oblong variety, a little larger than most cherry tomatoes and perfect for slicing into a fancy tomato salad. Mellow, very low acid, sugar sweet. Ripe when auburn red, with copper gold streaks. These are the latest, they are just beginning ripen, but should soon be abundant.

• Pink Princess: Developed by an oxen-driving, seed-saving wizard in Massachusetts, this gem is such a favorite of ours that when the seed was temporarily unavailable a couple years ago, we saved our own! Mellow and sweet, with a hint of grapefruit, these cherry tomatoes are on the smaller size and ripen to a beautiful matte pink.

• Sunpeach: This immaculate beauty is one we’re trialing this year. They are ripe when pink. Let us know how you like them!

• Supersweet 100: A classic red cherry tomato for a shock of red sweet tang. Ripest when deep scarlet red. The secret to Supersweets is to leave them out on the counter for a day or two after you pick them — they sweeten up off the vine.

• Sungold: The sun... captured. An unbeatable classic. Ripe when deep orange. Candy sweet, super productive. Is it even summer until you have a handful of Sungolds?

• Indigo Cherry Drops: These striking purple orbs are chock-full of healthy anthocyanins (anti-oxidants) and a deliciousness They are ripe when the green side darkens to red -- keep a close eye out when picking as even the unripe tomatoes of this variety are purple!

CELERY and FENNEL with WALNUTS and BLUE CHEESE

Recipe by Alison Roman

Grace has been recommending this delicious salad to us all season, and now, with celery and fennel in the share this week, is the perfect time to try it! Grace says that she loves making a variation of the recipe using white wine vinegar in the dressing instead of lemon juice, and leaving out the walnuts. Play around with it!

Serves 4 to 6

• 1⁄2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 celery stalks, with leaves, thinly sliced on the bias

• 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise

• 1⁄2 small shallot, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed

• 1⁄4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed and for drizzling

• 1 1⁄2 ounces firm blue cheese, such as Bayley Hazen or Valdeon, or a mild Stilton, thinly sliced or crumbled

1. Toss the walnuts with a bit of olive oil so they are nicely coated, then season with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Toss the celery stalks (reserve the leaves for garnish), fennel, shallot, and lemon juice in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with enough lemon juice to make it very tangy.

3. Transfer to a large serving platter or large shallow bowl and top with the walnuts, cheese, celery leaves, and another drizzle of olive oil and plenty of pepper.

PICKLE PARTY!

This week we harvested an abundance of carrots and purple daikon! Consider taking advantage of this vibrant duo by making this super simple quick pickle recipe. Daikon can be treated just like carrots to make pickled carrot and daikon sticks, or, if you'd prefer, julienne or grate them both (and skip the blanching step) to create a simple variation on Vietnamese do chua that can be used as topping on bahn mi or a multitude of other dishes.

Makes 10 to 12 servings
1 pound carrots, cut into 3 1/2- by 1/3-inch sticks
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons dill seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons salt

Step 1

Blanch carrots in a 4-quart non-reactive saucepan of boiling salted water for 1 minute, then drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Transfer carrots to a heatproof bowl.

Step 2

Bring remaining ingredients to a boil in a saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour pickling liquid over carrots and cool, uncovered. Chill carrots, covered, at least 1 day for flavors to develop.

Carrots keep, chilled in an airtight container, 1 month.

FARMER’S LOG

UP ON THAT HILL

Late July is a complex time of year on the farm. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, collide, intermix and interweave in the harvest share and in the fabric of the fields. Winter sown garlic is tossed in with Spring sown onions and simmered with the first cherry tomatoes of summer, while the bass note of Fall can be heard swelling in the greenhouse and from our fields across the creek.

It is perhaps the most important and informative time of year for us farmers to gaze out over the entire complex tapestry to learn and observe.

This year, our first here, is especially fascinating for us, it being the first time we have planted, well, anything here.

So, with a few week’s of harvest behind us, let’s walk up that hill together to take stock of how things are faring. 

In the harvest share and on our tables right now is a lot of Winter and Spring and early Summer sunlight — crops that were sown and planted in those early months (garlic, carrots, celery, the first cucumbers, kale, onions, etc). Overall, we are grateful and encouraged by how these, are first pieces of feedback, performed in this new (to us) soil, weather, and ecological system. Most crops seemed more “relaxed” here than in the tougher soils of Green Valley. Our first ever garlic crop was easeful. Our first carrots grew straight and deep into the loam. Our first heading brassica crop, broccoli — a crop that will show it’s discontent — expressed happiness in well formed orbs. Celery too, a task master, found it suitable enough here to erect stately green columns. Our lessons from these months, so far, seems to be around pest protection: We need to invest in special Protect-Net netting to protect our chard, and certain brassicas and lettuce from the voracious civilizations of flea beetles and cucumber beetles here. We need to better fence out the robust deer population here that visit our lettuce and have ransacked our strawberries the last couple weeks.

Summer… Ahh, summer. We’ve only just started reading our first chapter on Summer here. But the plot has us hooked. Namely, there is an antagonist here that was only a side character in our Green Valley summer’s. Fog. Sweet, soothing fog; farmer’s relief; life giving draught of the redwoods; sculptor of fine broccoli; but not so liked by tomatoes and eggplant. If you’ve been feeling like the poblanos, eggplant, and tomatoes are running a little bit late, we have fog to thank. Analogies aside, the last 2 or 3 weeks have been quite cool here, and most nights have been dripping with fog. While this is a normal and seasonal weather pattern that will shift, like all weather patterns, we do feel like it will be a regular character in this place, unlike in the sun drenched oven of Green Valley. The tomatoes will come; the melons will come; sweet corn and eggplant should come; in the meantime we’ll be eating sweet summer broccoli while raptly reading what role this new noir character, Mr. Foggy Cold Wind, has in our Summer tale.

Winter squash field and popcorn looming on the horizon

Fall. At this point, Fall is just foreshadowing. Most of our main harbingers of Fall (potatoes, storage onions, dried corn, winter squash) are all located in our fields across the creek, so you cannot see them, but they are looming large. Check out the snapshot above. Things are going well. Our winter squash and dried corn both pulled through an extended bout of transplant shock (cause unknown) but recently found their feet and we couldn’t be prouder. Our storage onions and potatoes, conversely, knew nothing but perfect health until Mr. Foggy Cold Wind, gave them the plant versions of a cold (they should be OK). We were encouraged last week when we dug those new potatoes — a shower of multitudinous tubers. But the text stops there. The tale of this Fall is not yet written. We await the next episode.

And then Winter. Well, next winter is but a sketch, in our minds, of where next year’s strawberries and garlic will go.

As we stand on this hill, and pull back from the complexities of the farm right now, we feel humbled. The word "humble" comes from the same root of the word "humus”. To be humbled means to be close to the Earth; to be close to her seasons, her weather, her moods. To be humbled means to not always get what you want. We want the strawberries to still be raging and for the heirloom tomatoes to be ripening now. We’ve been humbled.

For most of us in Sonoma County, living in this time and this way, we rarely, if ever are humbled when it comes to food. The experience of being humbled by cold or fog, or by deer, is not available to us in the aisles of Whole Foods. But it is an essential human experience. 

It makes us grateful for what we have. And it can bring people together.

That’s why we love this CSA model. It allows a group of people to be humbled together. To be close to one piece of land and its moods together. This also allows us to celebrate together, to celebrate the abundances together because we are having the same experience of lack, and then of gain. And so we celebrate what we have together.

Thank you for joining us on this hill!

See you in the fields,
David and Kayta

7/22/2022 - Week 7 - Summer Fullness

THIS WEEK’S HARVEST

Farao Green Cabbage, Spring Onions, Romance Carrots, Persian & Lemon Cucumbers, Olympian Slicing Cucumbers, Summer Squash and Zucchini, Bel Fiore Chicories, Salad Mix (with Mustards, Lettuce & Frisee), Mixed Little Gems, Red Butter Lettuce, Lorz Softneck Garlic, New Asterix Potatoes

U-PICK

Please remember to check the u-pick board for updated weekly limits before going out to pick

• Pickling Cucumbers | 2 gallon season limit (see Week 6’s Newsletter for harvest and pickling tips)

• 🌟Amethyst Green Beans (See below for notes)

• Shishito & Padron Frying Peppers (See Week 4’s Newsletter for harvest and cooking tips)

• Jalapeño Peppers

• Herbs: Dill, Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, Italian Parsley, Tarragon, Onion Chives, Garlic Chives, Vietnamese Coriander, Culinary Lavender, Culinary Sage, French Sorrel, Lemon Verbena, Cilantro, Tulsi, Various Mints, Catnip, Chamomile, Purple Basil, Genovese Basil, Thai Basil

• Flowers!

HARVEST NOTES

Amethyst Green Beans: Amethyst Green Beans are a beautiful purple type green bean. Like green beans, they are delicious eaten raw as a snack or cooked as a side. (These ones magically turn green when cooked!)

Bel Fiore Chicories: Chicories (which include Frisee, Radicchio, Dandelions and Escarole) are closely related to lettuces, but heartier and with a bitter edge. People are sometimes intimidated by their bitterness — but fear not, properly prepared, chicories contain a world of deliciousness. Chicories pair best with rich fats, and sweet or salt. For a raw chicory salad try pairing this week’s Bel Fiore Chicory with plums or pears and pecans with a honey-lemon dressing, or, for a more savory twist, a rich mustardy or Caesar dressing. Our personal favorite way to eat chicories is to roast them: We quarter them, coat them completely with olive oil, rub on some garlic, and then broil them until the outer leaves are slightly crisped and blackened the leaves are melted. We then top with salt and grated parmesan and eat as a side.

New Asterix Potatoes: Because we love you! “New” potatoes are potatoes that are harvested fresh, uncured, straight out of the ground. They are delightfully flaky and delicate compared to cured potatoes. You can prepare them in any way you would a normal potato. Try making home-fries or potato salad to show off their special freshness and delicate texture.

DRYING FLOWERS!

Over the next few weeks, in addition to your usual bouquet, consider picking yourself drying flowers for later! The garden is currently bursting with them.

Drying Flower Tips: It’s best to dry drying flowers in a cool dark place, hanging upside down by the stems until they dry out and set. You can dry them like this singly, or in mixed or single variety bouquets. Try picking a mixed bouquet of some of the varieties listed below, tie it tight with a twist tie, and hang it upside down somewhere in your home to dry and set. You can use drying flowers for long lasting displays and bouquets all year round!

Pictured above from left to right.

• Top row: 5 colors of Statice, Echinacea, Fama Scabiosa seedhead, Pincushion Scabiosa seedhead, Flamingo Feather Celosia, Temple Bells Celosia, Pampas Plume Celosia.

• Middle row: 9 colors of Strawflower, 5 colors of Yarrow, Nigella seed pods, Veronica seeds, 2 colors of Xeranthemum (Immortelle), Marigolds.

• Bottom row: 6 colors of Gomphrena, Monarda seedhead, Baby’s Breath, Verbena, Godetia pods, and Amaranth.

DEMISE OF THE SHELLING PEAS

Why is mildew invited to every party? Because he is a fun-gi! We disagree. Our precious English Shelling Pea patch has a really bad case of powdery mildew and the plants will need to be removed ASAP. You are welcome to pick them this weekend, powdery mildew isn’t harmful to humans in small quantities as far as we knew, but we’ll need to remove the patch first thing next week to protect other crops. The cause of this outbreak is under investigation by our farm’s Special Investigations Unit. We are sorry for the short shelling pea season!

FARMER’S LOG

SUMMER FULLNESS

At this time of year it is hard to find the muse to pen a thoughtful Farmer’s Log — the steady rhythm of the bulky harvests drowns the muse out. The sun blares down. To sneak in planting and seeding and other tasks in the margins, your only thoughts are farm thoughts, your only feelings are farm feelings. You must remain disciplined, focused… you can’t miss a beat.

This week, while the harvest share gets more summery, we turned the fields another turn towards Fall. Kayta seeded our 5,600 ft of Fall storage carrots. We transplanted our Fall Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. And we cultivated winter squash pathways, celery root, and leeks.

A mile of carrots!

It’s a strange feeling. Our internal lives — our emotions, dreams, and whimsies — feel far away at this time or year, shoved aside by harvest and urgent needs in the field — but at the same time we never feel more full.

There is a strange fullness in being so busy as to be empty.

Then, the swelling corn stalks can lift us up to the eaves. The heat is our sorrow. The flowering potatoes are our whimsical thoughts. And the simple things — a good sip of coffee, a crew mate’s joke, a good harvest — can fill us up to the brim.

See you in the fields,
David and Kayta