THIS WEEK’S HARVEST
In a nutshell: A peak of the richness of fall in the year’s first potatoes and cabbage, surrounded in a niçoise of summer treats and primo arugula.
Arugula, Mustard Mix, Assorted Lettuces, Mixed Chicories, Black Magic Dino Kale, Farao Cabbage, Green Magic Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Easter Egg Radishes, Patty Pan, Costata & Dunja Summer Squash, Lemon & Persian Cucumbers, Corinto Cucumbers, Fresh Cipollini Onions, Loose Mokum Carrots, Masquerade New Potatoes
U-PICK
Albion Strawberries | 3 pints per share
Shishito & Padrón Frying Peppers | 1 pint per share
Amethyst Green Beans | (Check the u-pick chalkboard for limit)
Pickling Cucumbers | (See below for instructions)
Sugar Snap Peas | Gleanings (1 pint per share max)
Herbs: Cilantro, Dill, Italian Basil, Thai Basil, Tulsi Basil, 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, Calendula, Nasturtium (Thyme and Mints are taking a break to regrow a bit.)
Flowers!
A masterpiece by CSA member Irisha Steele.
HARVEST NOTES
Padrón Frying Peppers: The famous Spanish heirloom, named after their town of origin. Padróns are served sautéed in olive oil with a little sea salt, and eaten as tapas in Spain. Ideally harvest when they are 1" to 1 1/2" long. About 1 out of 10 fruits will be hot. All the fruits become hot if allowed to grow 2-3" long. While Padróns and Shishitos are both excellent prepared in the same way — fried in a hot pan — we recommend cooking them separately to achieve the perfect level of caramelization on each type.
New Masquerade Potatoes: Masquerade potatoes, which are also called Pinto after their gorgeous purple and yellow spots, have a buttery flavor. “New” potatoes are potatoes that are harvested fresh, uncured, straight out of the ground. They are delightfully fresh and delicate compared to cured potatoes. You can prepare them in any way you would a normal potato, but we recommend making potato salad or salade niçoise (recipe below!) to show off their special freshness and the gorgeous coloring of the Masquerades. Inspired by European markets and to preserve their fragile skins, we have opted not to wash them after harvest — they’ll store better that way. Store these potatoes in your fridge dirty and rinse right before preparing them.
Amethyst Green Beans: These gorgeous purple green beans have a delicious flavor and sweetness when eaten raw. And when cooked, they magically turn green! To show off their purple skins and green interiors, we love to use them fresh in salads, chopped on the bias, but they are also incredible as you would use any green bean: Blanched, roasted, or sautéed.
PICKLING CUCUMBERS
Each year, we plant a large patch of pickling cucumbers so members can have the joyful experience of making fresh pickles at home! The plants are just starting to produce so there are enough for about 8 early birds to pick this week!
The season limit to start off this year is 1 gallon per share. (A “season limit” means the total amount you are able to harvest over the course of the season in contrast to a “weekly limit”. You are responsible for keeping track of how much you’ve picked. You’re welcome to pick incrementally, or all at once.) The pickling cucumbers should on from now until late-August.
See below for instructions on how to pick them and a tried-and-true crunchy pickle recipe from CSA member Kate Seely.
HOW TO PICK PICKLING CUCUMBERS
Bring a bucket or bag from home to measure and pick your cucumbers into.
When you get to the farm, check the u-pick board for the current season limit.
The pickling cucumbers are located in the big vegetable field below the big twin-oaks. Look for the color coded flags in the big field, or ask a farmer.
Comb through the plants doing your best not to step on cucumber vines or the adjacent beds. The ideal sized pickling cucumber is around 4 inches long and 1 inch thick. Please don't pick too many that are smaller than this. If you see a monster cucumber (7 inches long and 3 inches wise) please pick it anyway and leave it in the pathway. This will help the plant produce many more nice small ones.
Pick however many you want up to the season limit. Please note that this is a season limit rather than weekly limit.
Make pickles!
MAKING PICKLES
The following recipe is from CSA member Kate Seely. It is a tried and true pickling method that can be used not just on cucumbers but on other vegetables as well! Pickled radishes, anyone!?
Kate’s recipe includes instructions for water-bath canning to preserve the pickles for up to a year, but if you’re short on time or know that you’ll eat them sooner, you can always pop your pickles in the fridge rather than canning, where they’ll keep for a month or two.
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For crispy crunchy pickles, Kate has found that the trick is to keep them cool after picking and to pickle them as fresh as you can — i.e. as soon after picking as possible. (Some people swear by putting grape leaves or citric acid in with the pickles to make them crispy, but Kate hasn’t found that to work.) If you can’t get to pickling right away, try getting them into the ice water / salt brine as soon as possible. Another helpful trick for crunchier pickles is to pick your cucumbers in the morning rather than the heat of the day.
BRINE INGREDIENTS
1:1 ratio water : organic distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup pickling salt for every 8 cups liquid
**If you like it a little less vinegary, go 2/3 water : 1/3 vinegar instead of 1:1. Also, you really can use this brine to vinegar pickle any vegetable.
PICKLE INGREDIENTS
Fresh WCCFarm pickling cucumbers!
WCCFarm Garlic!
Fresh spicy peppers (a jalapeño works, or any spicy pepper) or red pepper chili flakes
Yellow mustard seed
Fresh dill (if you don't have fresh, dried is fine). Try using the dill flowers in the garden.
Peppercorns
EQUIPMENT
Canning Pot
Pint Jars (or Quart if you want to go big!)
New lids for sealing
Tongs and/or can removers
STEP-BY-STEP
CAUTION: Canning can be dangerous. If it is is not done properly, bacteria that can make you very sick, or even kill you, can develop in the jars. If you have never canned before, make sure you do your homework and feel confident in your ability to can safely before starting.
Step 1 - Soak Cucumbers: Cut your cukes, removing ends and sizing the slices to the size of the jars you will use, and set in water, salt and ice. Use about three TBSP of salt for 5 pounds of cukes. Let sit anywhere between 4 and 24 hours.
Step 2 - Make Brine: Begin this step when you're ready to pickle. Put the brine measurements into a separate pot and bring to a boil. 1:1 water to white vinegar, and 1/3 cup salt for every 8 cups of liquid. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer.
Step 3 - Sterilize Jars: Fill canning pot with water, bring to a boil. To sterilize, wash jars with soap and water, then place in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside. Be mindful not to touch the insides of the jars with your hands as that will de-sterilize them. Sterilize lids in a smaller pot as well.
Step 4 - Fill Jars: Drain the cucumbers you have soaking in the ice / salt mixture. Trim them to the length of the jar as needed.. Jars should have 1/4 inch of space between liquid and jar top. Pack cucumbers, dill (1-2 sprigs), and garlic (one clove for a pint jar). Really, PACK them in there.
Add spices: Pour 1 tsp yellow mustard seed, 3/4 tsp (or more or less depending on the spice you want, I like them spicy!), 6 peppercorns on top of cucumbers.
Step 5 - Pour Brine: Pour your brine over pickles, covering them, but leaving 1/4 inch until top of jar. Remove lid from small pot with tongs, being mindful not to touch lids. Screw on cap so that it is not tight, so that air can escape from jars as you water process them.
Step 6 - Sealing Jars: Place jars in canning pot and water process for 15 minutes. (If you do not have a canning pot with a metal insert to hold cans, make sure to put a buffer between your glass jars and the bottom of the metal pot, like an old dish towel. Your jars will break if they touch the hot metal. Heck, they might break anyways if you're reusing jars. That's just the way it goes.
Step 7 - Remove Jars: Remove jars and let cool. As they cool the lids should seal tightly. Once cooled and sealed, tighten the jar lids down. Any jars that did not seal properly should be kept in the fridge and eaten first. Store your sealed pickles in a cool dark place and enjoy for many months!
Tuna Niçoise Salad
by ANNA STOCKWELL via Bon Appetit
We are obsessed with the versatility of nicoise salad and how beautifully it highlights the flavor and freshness of really good vegetables. We recommend using this recipe as a template for beautiful meals throughout the season.
This tuna niçoise salad recipe delivers big briny Mediterranean-inspired flavors, with lots of satisfying crunch. Bonus: It requires the bare minimum of prep time.
Just a handful of quality ingredients makes this summer salad special. Canned tuna plays the leading role, so splurge on a really good tin. For the briny elements, choose your own adventure. Tiny niçoise olivesare traditional, but meaty green Castelvetranos or robust black olives like Kalamata work too. Capers make another great addition, and they’re even better when you crisp them up. Peperoncini bring both tang and a touch of heat. Look for fresh green beans or haricot verts at the farmers market as well as crisp seedless cucumbers, which are at their best in summer.
To keep everything as simple as possible, the cooked elements are all boiled in a single pot of water: Cook the eggs first, then blanch the green beans, and finally simmer baby gold or red potatoes until they’re fork-tender. Use the cooking time to assemble everything else. When ready, drizzle a lemon vinaigrette over the composed salad, slice some crusty bread, and pour that rosé. No garnish is necessary, but if you have some fresh basil on hand, don’t let it go to waste.
Photo By Alex Lau, Food Styling By Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling By Kalen Kaminski
Ingredients
6–8 servings
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
6 large eggs
1 lb. green beans, trimmed and/or new or baby potatoes, halved if larger
4 cups thinly sliced seedless cucumbers
3 cups oil-packed tuna
Olives, capers, peperoncini, pickles, anchovies, or other pickled-briny ingredients, drained well (for serving)
Flaky sea salt
Preparation
Whisk ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. honey, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and 1 tsp. kosher salt in a medium bowl; set niçoise salad dressing aside.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully add 6 large eggs and cook 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water (keep pot over high heat); chill eggs until cold, about 5 minutes. Peel; set aside.
Meanwhile, add 1 lb. green beans, trimmed and/or new or baby potatoes, halved if larger to the same pot of boiling water and cook until just tender, 2–4 minutes for green beans, 10–15 minutes for potatoes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl of ice water; let sit until cold, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels; pat dry.
To serve, slice eggs in half and arrange on a large platter with green beans and/or potatoes, 4 cups seedless cucumbers, thinly sliced on a diagonal, and 3 cups oil-packed tuna. Top with olives, capers, peperoncini, pickles, anchovies, or other pickled-briny things, drained well, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and drizzle some reserved dressing over. Serve with remaining dressing alongside.
Do Ahead: Niçoise salad dressing can be made 5 days ahead; cover and chill. Eggs can be boiled and vegetables blanched 2 days ahead; cover and chill separately.
FARMER’S LOG
FULLNESS & EMPTINESS
At this time of year it is hard to find the headspace for a thoughtful Farmer’s Log — the steady rhythm of the bulky harvests drowns out softer notes of self-reflection. The summer sun blares down and the plants are jumping.
To sneak in planting, seeding, and weeding in the margins of harvest 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. Paige seeded 6,400 ft of Fall storage carrots. (That’s over a mile!) We transplanted our fall broccoli and beets. We busted our first potato bed. And we cultivated our fruiting and flowering winter squash and our swelling leeks and celery root.
Jumpin! What a difference 40 days makes. Our winter squash field on June 18th and July 27th.
It’s a strange feeling: This time of year, our internal lives, our emotions, dreams, and whimsies — feel far away, shoved aside by the harvest and urgent needs in the field — but at the same time we never feel more full.
There is a sort of innocence, a strange fullness, in being so busy as to be empty.
Then, the swelling of the corn stalks can you lift you up to the eaves. The heat is your sorrow. The flowering potatoes are your whimsical thoughts. And the little things — a good sip of coffee, a crew mate’s joke, a good harvest — can fill you up to the brim.
See you in the fields,
David
CSA BASICS
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.
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 under the solar panels to your left, or up against the straw bales further down. Please do not 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.
