9/10/25 Brassicas are in the GROUND (almost)
As day lengths are shortening, we have a strict plan for when to get our winter brassica and amaranth crops in the ground. I’m talking about our Broccolis, Cauliflowers, Cabbages, Kales, Chard, Spinach, Beets and even Brussels Sprouts.
They need to do a good amount of their growing before the short days of the Persephone Period (11/18-1/23) when day lengths here are 10 hours a day or fewer. And so here is our guideline last plant dates:
Brussels Sprouts - Aug 7th
Cauliflower - Sept 1st
Broccoli - Sept 14th
Cabbage - Sept 21st
Kales/Chard - Sept 21st
Romanesco - Sept 28th
Kohlrabi - Sept 28th
Beets - Oct 1st
We’ve got most of these in already! This is such a ton of work as we also have the biggest harvests of the year happening right now too!
Weekend Farm-y Events
Harmony Farm Supply (our purveyor of all things farm and garden-y) changed their customer appreciation day to a day to celebrate Alexander von Humboldt Day this Saturday (on his birthday). If you don’t know this genius, he’s up there with Einstein and Darwin but for the natural world. His vision of nature still influences our understanding of the natural world.
There will be speakers including Farmer Elizabeth but also Erik Ohlsen, gardeners, a Felco talk on how to fix tools and much more.
Adjacent to this, Elizabeth will be hosting two Farm Tours this weekend, please join us if you haven’t been able to make a 1st Wednesday work for you. This is not a CSA member event so we won’t spend time harvesting and enjoying the bounty as much but we will talk about how we farm.
Weekend Farm Tours
Saturday Sept 13th 5:00 pm
Sunday Sept 14th 9:00 am
Flower and Wine Fundraiser Sunday Sept 14th 4-6 pm
We’re hosting for Summerfield Waldorf School this Sunday Sept 14th, 4-6pm where every participant will pick a bucket of blooms. Email Elizabeth if you’re interested.
This Week’s Box
Panisse Lettuce
Sweet Italian Peppers (SR) OR Eggplant (WC)
Mixed Beets (Classic) OR Carrots (Family)
Heirloom Tomato Quart
Cucumber (SR) OR Summer Squash (WC)
Parsley (SR) OR Basil (WC)
Asian Pears (SR) OR Strawberries (WC)
Families: Broccoli (Three Springs Farm)
Again this week we have a LOT of rotations to keep our summer crops harvested and coming consistently into your boxes. Recipes are listed below as Santa Rosa or West County, but also last week’s newsletter had recipes for Caprese Salad and Gazpacho that ware appropriate.
We have a beautiful crop of big Panisse Lettuce for everyone today. We love this oakleaf lettuce for it’s super delicate leaves. We prefer a very light dressing with this lettuce or we feel like it gets drowned out.
A note on the Broccoli for family boxes. Much of it is HUGE! It’s from Three Springs Farm who contacted us last week asking if they could trade their bumper crop of Broccoli (we gave them Summer Squash and Eggplant) so we’re including in our CSA. The cold summer is affecting them too and they’re lacking a lot of summer crops. Their Broccoli is a little open because our timelines didn’t match up so please do eat it quick. We recommend a huge stir-fry of Broccoli and a protein of choice. We’re happy to support another newer farm and also give you a product we haven’t had in boxes for a bit
Today’s Pint Share has Fairy Tale Eggplant, they are TINY! Sauté them whole or cut in half lengthwise. We didn’t have enough so we threw in a couple sweet Lunch Box Peppers. Both of these are trials this year so we have very few of them.
The Tomatoes were rained on this week. Wow! Can you believe it. This means they won’t last as long so please use them more quickly.
Santa Rosa Produce Notes & Recipes!
The below recipe has become a favorite in our house. It’s like tabouleh but we like with quinoa. Sometimes we omit cucumber or sweet pepper, sometimes we add mint, sometimes we omit chick peas if we’re serving with hummus. We usually serve with pitas, falafels, sliced tomatoes, hummus and a yogurt spread (usually just plain yogurt, salt and sometimes a little herb and chopped cucumber).
Favorite Quinoa Salad (cookieandkate.com)
1 c uncooked quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
2 c water
1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed & drained, or 1½ c cooked
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 medium red sweet pepper, chopped
¾ c chopped red onion (from 1 small red onion)
1 c finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ c olive oil
¼ c lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
½ tsp fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes, reducing heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes, to give it time to fluff up.
In a large serving bowl, combine the chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and parsley. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.
Once the quinoa is mostly cool, add it to the serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Season with black pepper, to taste, and add an extra pinch of salt if necessary. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
West County Produce Notes & Recipes!
Eggplant AND Summer Squash both in the box doesn’t happen often and makes me scream Ratatouille! I love making an extra large batch of this and freezing whatever we don’t eat to bring out on a cold winter evening, it’s just heaven in winter.
Then again I also love just grilling sliced Eggplant and Summer Squash together and serving as a side or eating on veggie sandwiches throughout the week.
Ratatouille
A french dish “rata” is slang for chunky stew and “touiller” to stir.
It is more of a concept dish than a specific dish with the basic components: tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, garlic, onions, and herbs - so be creative. This is our recipe that we’ve created by adapting and combining a couple recipes.
2-3 lbs tomatoes (~4 large)
1-2 lbs eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1-2 lbs zucchini (4 sm), quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into ¾-inch thick pieces
3 sweet peppers cut into 1-inch pieces
1½ lg onions
8 lg garlic cloves
1 c chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
20 fresh basil leaves, torn in half
olive oil
2¼ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
parmigiano-reggiano shavings & basil for garnish
Fancy recipes call for blanching and peeling the tomatoes (I do not do this).
Coarsely chop tomatoes and transfer to a large heavy pot with garlic, parsley, basil and olive oil. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down and sauce is slightly thickened (about 30 min).
While simmering, you can toss eggplant with ½ tsp salt in a large colander and let stand in sink 30 min (I skip this also).
Meanwhile, saute onions in oil with ½ tsp salt in heavy skillet over med heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften(~2 min), then add peppers, cook about 2 min, then add zucchini and eggplant and cook until tender (another 6-8 min).
Add all vegetables and remaining salt and black pepper to tomato sauce and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 1 hour. Cool, uncovered and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes: Keeps very well, we made a batch and ate it over several days.
Modifications: add diced chicken, sautéed firm tofu, seitan and more seasonal vegetables. Can be eaten alone as a light dish or over rice, egg noodles, pasta, polenta, potatoes or hearty bread.
Extra Shares
Flower Share: Light Sunflowers are the highlight!
Lettuce Share: Romaine + 2x Little Gem Heads 🥬
Bunched Greens Share: Rainbow Kale
Summer Pint Share: Fairy Tale Eggplant + Lunch Box Peppers
Tomato Share: More Heirloom Tomato Quarts!
Egg Shares: 🍳