8/27/25 Meooow
Yesterday we said goodbye to a long time farm resident, Theo the Cat. Theo has been with us 17 years. He had a brain tumor and neurological issues (his hind legs didn’t work and he became blind and in the end couldn’t find his food). Theo and his two brothers Yaki and Suki were barn cats, our neighbor and CSA member Anne volunteers at the SPCA and helped us find these brothers that had their cage near a window and swatted at every bird outside. We build a cat sized attic in the downstairs of the barn and locked them in there for a month and then eventually let them out and they’ve been with us ever since. Theo was black, the other two we called snow leopards but were a siamese mix. Suki was cross eyed and never great at hunting. We unfortunately lost him to predation two years ago (not seeing straight probably didn’t help). Yaki is such a scard-y cat you could never get within 10 feet of him. And Theo was polydactyl (meaning he had 6 toes on his front left paw and 5 on the right - cats normally have 4). Historically they’re considered better hunters and whether or not that was the reason, it was absolutely true for Theo. Theo caught at least 5 rodents a week.
Our cats are working cats. Rodents are a big deal on a farm, especially a no-till farm that doesn’t kill field rodent nests in the soil with tillage. We do have other friends that help us with rodents: Bobby just uncovered a large gopher snake living in the peppers in one of our hoop houses Monday. Annalisa and others have seen a weasel in our bottom fields repeatedly over the last two weeks. We’re grateful for them all! And yet cats, are also sweet to have around, we love living alongside so much life.
A month ago I wrote about our new barn cats. Early July we took on three feral kittens from a farmer friend Wendy who lives on Occidental Rd. She’d had a feral mama for whom this was the third litter of kittens. She’d watched the 1st and then the 2nd litter get killed one by one by the fast traffic of Occidental Rd and she was done, so she captured them all, and together we had them fixed and vaccinated by Forgotten Felines and moved three of them here. We used the same attic/nest as we built for Theo/Suki/Yaki and to lock them in and get them accustomed to us and the farm and last week we opened it. We have Mochi (a vocal girl tuxedo tabby who’s the first to the food), El Chapo (who escaped 15 minutes after we put him in, a yellow tabby) and Boba (the 3rd to the party 2 weeks later who is a mostly white grey tabby male). The kittens are very afraid of humans and it took a while for them to come out but Boba came out Saturday night (and didn’t return), El Chapo came out the next night and didn’t return and Mochi is still at home, a bit sad meowing. We do have a wildlife cam on the table below and catwalk up to their nest and we can see that both of the brothers come home at night looking for food. We have raccoons that visit at night, so sadly we do not want to put food out at night and we’re trying to figure out what to do with that. After discussing with our vet yesterday she thinks we’re on the right track but we’re also going to leave some food outside of the barn for the boys. Hopefully these young cats will become the next generation of amazing farm cats that Theo was but we have a long way to go. In the meantime, old Yaki is not such a scard-y cat any more (you can get within 2 feet of him, but not pet him) and he’s living alone on our front porch but still heads to the fields.
Enjoy some photos of our dear Theo in today’s newsletter.
1st Wednesday Farm Walks
Don’t forget next Wednesday we have our 1st Wednesdays Farm Walks at 2pm and 6pm.
Return your packaging
We are happy to reuse certain packaging that is clean including cardboard pints, green quart pulp baskets, egg cartons and of course, please leave your CSA boxes at your pick-up sites when you pick up your food. ~Thanks
This Week’s Box
Green Summer Crisp Lettuce
Eggplant (SR) OR Shishito Peppers (WC)
Carrots OR Bi-Color Sweet Corn x3 (those who didn’t get last week)
Heirloom Tomato Quart
Bulb Fennel
Cucumber (SR) OR Summer Squash (WC)
Hot Pepper Mix (SR) OR Basil (WC)
Cherry Tomatoes (SR) OR Strawberries (WC)
Families: Toscano Kale & Italian Sweet Peppers
First off, we have an abnormal Rotation this week where most people are getting Carrots except those in two categories - who have an every-other-week West County box and a group of 10 new members through a grant from On the Margins who are just joining us today. Welcome! We wanted to make sure you get a round of our Bi-Color Sweet Corn. Eat it as soon as possible, the longer it sits off the stalk, the more the starches develop and the less sweet it is.
We have a new lettuce this week! Sean loves growing lettuce and pushed for us to try some varieties that are more heat tolerant, we generally have kept this simple but some of our staples don’t do well in heat waves. This week you’re getting Reno a Batavia or Green Summer Crisp Lettuce. We’r really enjoying the crisp texture and the light flavor of these. I think they’re a winner and you’ll see more next year!
We have several rotations finishing up this week between those of you in West County and those in Santa Rosa. and I recommend last week’s newsletter (on the blog) for a Cherry Tomato and Cucumber Quick Pickle recipe, and a lengthy write up on Hot Peppers with some recipes.
There was some confusion last week so this week and going forward all hot peppers in shares will be in paper bags. The Hot Pepper Mix includes a Jalapeño, Serrano, Cayenne and Aji Crystal). Mix them together or try them separately.
The Cucumbers are now starting to include a couple varieties. We’ve always preferred Asian varieties but couldn’t get our favorite seed. The thinner skinned and pointier ended ones are a Tasty Jade Asian and the thicker skinned, with little spikes and rounded ends is a European Corinto cucumber. We prefer the flavor of the Tasty Jade and the durability (also against cucumber beetle attack) of the Corinto. Let us know what you think! We always love to hear from you.
Baked Eggplant with Tomato and Feta (Venturists via Former Crew Member Nina)
1 Medium Eggplant
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Splash White Wine, optional
2 Ounces Feta Cheese
1 Red Tomato or Several Cherry Tomatoes.
1 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Red Chili Flakes, optional
Parsley, as a garnish
Red Wine Vinegar, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Cut the eggplant in half and score the flesh with knife.
Remove the flesh, leaving enough to hold the skin together and using care not to pierce the skin.
Coat interior with olive oil and season lightly with salt.
Place the eggplant hollow side down in a baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes in a 375 degree oven, until the skin begins to soften.
In the mean time, cube the flesh of the eggplant.
Add the olive oil and garlic to a pan over medium heat and sauté until it begins to brown.
Add the eggplant, splash of white wine, oregano and chili flakes..
Cook until eggplant softens (but before mushy).
Removed the eggplant skins from the oven and stuff with the eggplant mixture. Return to the oven and cook for another 10 - 15 minutes. When the eggplant skin softens remove it from the oven.
Top with the cheese and tomato and sprinkle with oregano.
Broil until the cheese begins to brown.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve with red wine vinegar.
Easy Sautéed Zucchini, Squash, and Tomatoes With Chilies and Herbs (seriouseats.com)
1 med zucchini, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 med summer squash, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Serrano chili, finely minced
1 small shallot, finely minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, split in half
1 Tbs juice from 1 lemon
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)
2 Tbs minced fresh chives (optional)
Toss zucchini and squash with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl, making sure that no pieces are stuck together. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat remaining oil in a large cast iron or stainless steel skillet over high heat until lightly smoking. Add zucchini and squash and spread in a single layer (or as close to a single layer as possible). Cook without moving until well browned on first side, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip pieces with a thin metal spatula and continue to cook until browned on second side, about a minute longer. Add chili, shallot, and tomatoes, and toss to combine. Cook, tossing and stirring gently with a wooden spoon until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add lemon juice, parsley, and chives. Toss to combine, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.
Extra Shares
Flower Share: Pastel Delight
Lettuce Share: Panisse and Little Gem Heads 🥬
Bunched Greens Share: 🌈 Rainbow Chard
Tomato Quart Share: a FULL extra quart each week! 🍅
Summer Pint Share: Lunch Box Peppers
Eggs: 🥚