5/20/26 Weather, Natural Infrastructure
The wind this Sunday and Monday was intense on the farm. It always makes us especially worried when we have a north wind. They are the crazy winds. Sunday Elizabeth kept walking the farm, checking the both the built infrastructure and the natural infrastructure. We have 6 hoop houses which are literally a little metal, pvc and plastic and let me tell you not the sturdies in the world. The oldest broke one rib. Thank goodness. Maggie found that the mulberry tree down by our blueberries had had a major branch broken is all. Many of you know this tree from farm walks as an amazing place to get a treat. They are too tender to put into boxes.
To know how ingrained it is, our son, had his senior prom on Saturday night in the city. He spent the night down there with friends and finally made it home Sunday late afternoon and his first statement was not about prom but “how many trees have fallen down?” He and I went down with chainsaw and cut the broken branch of the mulberry so it wouldn’t rip and damage the tree more plus lightened the load on the remaining branches. This is the kid that after graduation in two weeks will be headed to CalPoly Humboldt to study Forestry and Engineering. He loves trees and always has.
Natural Infrastructure.
I used the word Natural Infrastructure above. What does that mean? To us, it means the aboveground agroforestry and the below ground soil health. It is the infrastructure upon which we grow amazing produce while making or little pocket of the world better.
Paul and I met in West Africa where I Paul was doing agroforestry and I community health. We continued back in the States and Central America studying natural resource management and public health and continue to this day to weave these two together on this farm.
Agroforestry is what it sounds like, using forestry and perennials to support agriculture. This was the first thing we did when we moved onto this amazing property 19 years ago, we planted a hedgerow on day one. Two years later we got a grant to plant 2000 more Sonoma County native, pollinator friendly hedgerow plants. They are the backbone of our natural infrastructure.
Through work and research in the tropics we knew that hedgerows are literally the “edge effect” on all sides and we wove them into the farm fields. The edge between two ecosystems - like forest and meadow - supports greater diversity than either alone. There is more habitat types, food and shelter. Hedgerows create nesting areas for birds, refuge for pollinators and beneficial insects creating more balanced predator-prey relationships, wind protection, build soil and travel corridors for wildlife. They increase biodiversity as well as climactic stability and create a more resilient farm.
Moving up in size, trees. Generally trees are not as advantageous for biodiversity but for wind they are essential. Our biggest hedgerow we call the Green Wall. It’s along our long southern boarder where the prevailing wind comes from but also the border with our 140 acre vineyard neighbor. This provides a wind, spray and dust break. The latter is especially important for us this year as they’re pulling out a block of grapes just on the other side. Our soil is naturally very sandy and without our regenerative farming very dusty, we’re looking at a dusty summer.
But 4 years ago, we had a windstorm from the north that tore our biggest hoop house (the Enterprise) apart. It made us realize that we didn’t have trees to our north, and so we planted 20 native trees, some tall, some shorter, in a gap just north. These trees are still young but already are protecting this man-made infrastructure that allows us to have summer squash in may, cherry tomatoes starting to ripen now and tender lettuce in January.
I have only barely touched on a couple of the reasons our natural infrastructure is essential for this farm.
This Week’s Box
Green Butter Lettuce & Cegolain Mini Lettuce
Bunching Green: Rainbow Chard (SR) OR Rainbow Kale (WC)
Broccoli
Mixed Beets (SR) OR Summer Squash (WC)
Scallions (Classic) OR Fennel (Family)
Herb: Genovese Basil (SR) OR Mint (WC)
Family: Lettuce Mix, Cilantro
Produce Notes & Recipes
The most exciting thing for us in the box this week is the Broccoli… yes it’s delicious. Yes, it’s the first heading Brassica of the year. But also, you should see the crop in the field, the plants are beyond glorious and perfect. It makes the farmers so incredibly happy. But broccoli is not a crop I feel I often need to put in the newsletters.
Classic Boxes are getting Scallions (and Family had last week and will have again next week). This week they’re huge! Almost small onions. These scallions were interplanted with sweet pepper plants in our hoop houses and grew super quick. Although we usually just slice them and throw them all sorts of savory dishes from salads to stir-fries to bean dishes and tacos… here are a few more worked out ideas:
Scallions + Broccoli: Stir fry together with garlic and sesame oil, roast with lemon, or add scallions fresh over broccoli soup or broccoli-cheddar dishes.
Scallions + Summer Squash: Sauté together with olive oil and herbs, grill both for tacos or grain bowls, or fold into a simple pasta.
Scallions + Beets: Roast beets and finish with fresh scallions and goat cheese, add scallions to beet greens while sautéing, or make a beet-scallion yogurt dip.
Scallions + Chard: Cook scallions first as the flavor base for braised chard, add to white beans and chard, or use together in savory hand pies or frittatas.
Scallions + Kale: Massage chopped scallions into kale salad dressings, sauté together with chili flakes, or add both to fried rice, soups or potato hash.
Scallions are technically an allium but sort of an herb. Moving into herbs… for those of you who’ve been with us you are seeing an immense number of fresh herbs this spring in our boxes. That is because we got so excited about them this winter and made it a goal to have more. We have an area that has a lot of shade on the bed ends and have planted with much parsley and cilantro plus we have a bed of dill that’s rocking it and more in the nursery.
Fresh herbs bring brightness, depth and complexity to meals while also adding concentrated nutrients, antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds in even small amounts.
To keep herbs fresh longer, trim the stems and store them like flowers in a jar of water on the counter or kitchen sink (especially basil), or loosely wrapped in the refrigerator for more delicate herbs like parsley, cilantro and dill. When they’re sitting there smiling at your while you’re cooking it’s easy to grab them and throw them into your cooking. Two nights ago I threw some basil in in the last minute to some broccoli and pasta, not my usual mix and it brought a springy brightness to the dish.
Let’s talk Pestos! Pestos are less a strict recipe and more a delicious way to capture the flavor of fresh herbs and greens. While basil pesto is the classic, almost any tender herb or allium can become a vibrant sauce, spread or dressing. Think of pesto as a flexible “green sauce formula”: herbs or greens + nuts or seeds + cheese (optional) + garlic or scallions + olive oil + something bright like lemon.
Basil makes the rich, sweet and familiar pesto most people know, perfect for pasta, sandwiches and tomatoes.
Parsley creates a brighter, fresher pesto that pairs beautifully with roasted vegetables, beans, potatoes or grilled meats.
Scallions add punch and savoriness — especially delicious blended with parsley or cilantro for tacos, grain bowls or grilled vegetables.
Dill pesto is lively and unexpected, wonderful with potatoes, salmon, cucumbers, yogurt sauces or spring vegetables.
Cilantro pesto brings bold flavor and works beautifully with lime, peanuts or pumpkin seeds alongside rice bowls, beans, roasted carrots or grilled squash.
You can also mix herbs together or add Chard to stretch it depending on what’s abundant in the fridge or garden. A little basil softens parsley, dill brightens scallion, cilantro pairs beautifully with scallions and lime. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
Pesto can be tossed with pasta, spread on toast or sandwiches, spooned onto eggs, swirled into soups, drizzled over roasted vegetables, used as a marinade, or thinned into salad dressing. It’s one of the easiest ways to turn a large bunch of herbs into something versatile, flavorful and deeply summery.
In our 3/18 newsletter I gave a recipe for a chard - cilantro pesto that we use on vegetarian tacos and so much more.
Extra Shares
Flower Share: 🌸 Bright colors
Lettuce Share: Red Curly & Panisse 🥬
Bunched Greens Share: Red Russian Kale
Herb Share: Dill
Eggs: 🥚