7/22/26 SUMMER PRODUCE IS ON!!!
This summer we have a line up of some amazing summer produce and so much earlier than normal due both warm temps and a stellar crew that has pushed a lot of techniques including tomatoes in hoop houses. It’s tremendously rewarding because these crops require so much management. Lettuce and brassicas we plant once and harvest once. Kales and Chards don’t need much management, just harvest over and over. Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers and even Eggplant require several rounds of weeding, pruning, trellising and often additional feedings before we are able o harvest the very first fruit. AND we do it because we loves these summer fruits to very much!
To give you an idea… last year 7/23’s box was lettuce, bok choi, kale, carrot, squash/eggplant, hers and strawberries… no peppers, tomatoes or cucumbers until the 8/6 box. Yay!!
Santa Rosa boxes have Shishitos this week and West County Eggplant… check out the detailed write up on both below.
Increase in Box Price
A reminder that as of August 1st (really August 5th) the price of our boxes will go up. Thank you all for your understanding. We had wonderful, positive support in comments from members when I mentioned earlier this past month. We really needed to do this at the beginning of the year but knew prices of everything were going up but we were trying to not be one of those things. Well, it’s bitten us in the butt a little. With the high cost of everything (especially labor) we’re diving into the red more than I would like. Sean has kept the quality of our produce going into boxes really high this year, I feel that but also I get so many amazing comments from you all. Plus August - October our boxes are well over value in the bounty of summer produce. Thank you for supporting our farm and making this work possible!
This Week’s Box
Lettuce: Cherokee (SR) OR Panisse (WC)
Bunching Green: Toscano (SR) OR Rainbow Chard (WC)
Shishito Peppers (SR) OR Eggplant (WC)
Summer Squash (SR) OR Cucumber (WC)
First Tomatoes!
Herb: Scallions (SR) OR Basil (WC)
Strawberries (SR) OR Cherry Tomatoes (WC)
Family: Napa Cabbage & Broccolini
Produce Notes & Recipes
This is our first week with Shishito Peppers 🌶️ in rotation! Next week West County boxes will get them. They are the first of our peppers to come on an and fun!
Shishitos originated in Japan, where their name comes from the Japanese word shishi, meaning "lion"—a nod to the wrinkled, lion-like shape of the pepper's tip. They trace their ancestry to Spain's Padrón peppers, which were introduced to Japan by Portuguese traders in the 16th century. (A secret… we’re trying a few Padrone peppers for the first time this year.)
These thin-skinned peppers shine with simple cooking. Try blistering them in a hot skillet with a little oil, grilling, roasting, or sautéing until lightly charred, then finish with a sprinkle of flaky salt and a squeeze of lemon. They're also delicious pickled or dipped in a light tempura batter.
The best part? About 9 out of 10 shishitos are pleasantly mild, but every now and then you'll bite into one with a surprising kick. It's a little game of pepper roulette—and part of the fun. We hope you enjoy the adventure as much as we do!
Blistered Shishito Peppers (multiple sources)
1 pint Shishito Peppers
2 tsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
Lemon wedge (optional)
Salt, preferably flaky sea or kosher salt, to taste.
Rinse and pat the peppers dry on a clean tea towel. Poke a small hot in each to prevent bursting while cooking. Transfer the peppers to a medium bowl, drizzle in the oil, and toss until the peppers are evenly coated. Set aside.
Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat until it’s hot enough that a drop of water sizzles and evaporates quickly on contact. Add the peppers and let them cook, stirring every minute or so (not too often), until they are tender with charred spots, about 8 to 12 minutes.
Transfer the peppers to a serving plate. Spritz with a lemon wedge, if desired. Sprinkle with salt, to taste (don’t skimp). Serve with a little bowl on the side for the pepper stems.
Variations:
Swap out olive oil for Sesame oil to add extra flavor.
Instead or serving with a squeeze of lemon, try with lime juice or a place of soy sauce.
Top with bonito flakes for extra umami flavor.
Serve sprinkles with sesame seeds.
Swap out Shishito for Padron peppers, they are very similar but fatter and a little spicier.
We’re excited to start our Eggplant 🍆 for the season. There are occasional people who don’t like, but we suggest you give it a try, store bought eggplant always grosses me out, it’s so squishy and you need to salt it to get out the bitterness (ours could use salting only if you want to change the texture.
Originally domesticated in India, eggplant has been cultivated throughout India and China for more than 1,500 years. It spread westward through Persia and the Arab world before reaching Europe, where it became a beloved ingredient in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. Today, you'll find incredible eggplant dishes from cultures around the world—from smoky Middle Eastern baba ghanouj to Indian curries, Japanese miso-glazed eggplant, Chinese stir-fries, and Sicilian caponata.
We grow two main varieties of Italian Eggplant, you can mostly interchange them.. You’ll also see some Fairy Tale Eggplant (which is small and cute like a fairy tale):
Purple Globe Eggplant (variety name is Thanos incase that amuses the Marvel fans) – This is your classic deep purple, globe-shaped eggplant. Its meaty texture holds together beautifully, making it ideal for grilling, roasting, eggplant Parmesan, moussaka, or thick slices on the barbecue.
Annina Eggplant – A slightly smaller, more elongated Italian variety with exceptionally tender skin and a creamier texture. Annina cooks more quickly than our purple eggplants and is wonderful for sautéing, pasta dishes, ratatouille, stir-fries, or simply roasted with olive oil and herbs. There's usually no need to peel it. I do not recommend for roasting and pulling out the center as the thin skin sticks.
Storage: Eggplant prefers temperatures around 50°F—warmer than the refrigerator but cooler than the countertop. During the summer, the vegetable crisper is usually the best compromise. For the best flavor and texture, use within a few days of harvest.
Preparing: Simply rinse and remove the stem. Many older recipes recommend salting eggplant to remove bitterness and excess moisture. While this can help with older grocery store eggplants, freshly harvested eggplant is naturally sweet and tender. Before farming, I almost always salted eggplant. Since growing our own, I almost never do.
Cooking Ideas:
Stir-fry or Sauté: Cube into 1-inch pieces and cook over high heat with peanut or olive oil until the eggplant has released much of its water and is very soft. Eggplant loves garlic, ginger, basil, tomatoes, soy sauce, and miso.
Grill or Roast: Brush ½ to 1-inch slices of eggplant with olive oil or melted butter and broil or grill until brown; turn over and brown on the other side. I like to do this along with and summer squash as a hot side dish and put extras in the fridge for roasted veggie sandwiches - YUM!
Whole Roasted: Pierce a whole eggplant in a few places with a knife, lightly coat with olive oil, bake at 375° F until the eggplant is very soft and has collapsed some, 30 min to 1 hour, depending on the size. One use for the baked interior is Baba Ghanouj.
Quick Pasta: Dice eggplant and sauté with garlic, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. Toss with pasta, Parmesan, and fresh herbs for a simple summer dinner.
Although we’er not in spring Lettuce Season, we try to keep about a head of Lettuce in each CSA box. This week we’re completing an rotation of Cherokee Red Lettuce and Panisse. Panisse Lettuce is a favorite light green textured and flavored lettuce. I love it with a really light dressing, maybe just lemon juice or a miso dressing. Cherokee Lettuce is striking red summer lettuce, especially rich in anthocyanins, the same antioxidants that give blueberries and purple cabbage their color. It does great in summer heat, keeping a crisp texture with mild flavor. It does well with a wide variety of dressings from Caesar to green goddess and onwards.
Our Scallions and Basil both are coming from our hoop houses. This round of Basil we’ve interplanted with our hoop house tomatoes and they seem to be doing amazing.
Thanks everyone for your support! Happy July.
Extra Shares
Flower Share: Bouquets
Lettuce Share: Red Butter & Panisse Heads 🥬
Bunched Greens Share: Red Russian Kale
Herb Share: Dill
Summer Pint Share: Sungold tomatoes
Eggs: 🥚