9/10/25 Lettuce on the Farm!
Today all Santa Rosa Boxes are receiving a Red Summer Crisp Lettuce and West Count are receiving a Green Summer Crisp Lettuce. This is not a rotation. This summer we’re trying out many a new lettuce variety. Over the years we’ve really gotten into just sticking with our two favorite large heads (Panisse and Red Butter) and we decided to branch out and try some lettuces that do specifically well for summer heat.
Last year we had some major lettuce gaps partly due to management and our seeding plan and the last 12 months we’ve been trying (and we hope greatly succeeding) in upping our lettuce game. Our farm, in a cool valley bottom, is ideally situated to grow excellent lettuces and they’re also one of the most profitable crops for us, keeping our crew well paid. In the last week we’ve sold $1000 in lettuce outside of full CSA and farmers’ markets offerings.
Other successes have been our Lettuce Leaf Mix (which the Salad Share is receiving today). We’d love your input on this but at farmers’ markets people are loving it. It might not be the right fit for CSA and we don’t do it often as it is a lot of labor to do for 140 at a time but it allows us a lot of flexibility with what we’re growing.
A success from last winter that is growing in the field and in the nursery is cut and come again heads of Salanova specifically for Lettuce Leaf Mixes. We’re almost doubling production this year.
Romaines (which families are receiving today) have also been something we’ve not grown. Early on they took too much water. Additionally, Farmer Paul doesn’t like salad dressing and likes to taste his lettuce. As we know Romaine doesn’t have much of a flavor. So it was nixed. But many people love romaine and we’ve found it’s great (even Paul) when used as a boat for hummus and other veggies or rice noodles, veggies and a peanut sauce.
This Week’s Box
Summer Crisp Lettuce
Mixed Tomato Quart
Green Cabbage
Eggplant (SR) OR Sweet Italian Peppers (WC)
Cucumber (SR) OR Summer Squash (WC)
Shishito Pepper Quart (SR) OR Strawberries (WC)
Genovese Basil (SR) OR Parsley (WC)
European Pears
Families: Romaine, Scallions
In the Tomato Quart just now we have a lot of very big orange tomatoes. We hope you enjoy these. There are both Dr. Wyche (just orange) and Mountain Spirit Bi-Color (orange with red rays inside) from a small seed company in Carbondale Colorado. While Lettuce is thriving our tomatoes are quite challenged this year. The coldest summer on record did not do well for them. Our peppers and eggplant are in the hot hoop houses so they’re happy but not so much the tomatoes. I think the Mountain Spirit coming from a cold climate has really made it thrive.
Both of these big orange tomatoes are low acid. They’re great with just salt but also a little acid. We love them with cheeses, goat cheese on a salad or of course they’re great in a caprese with mozzarella.
We’ve already taken out two of our 14 beds of tomatoes (some that were not doing well and trials, the varieties of which we didn’t prefer). Mostly, we have them in until frost, when will that be this year?
Today we have a round of European Pears. European Pears are harvested earlier (back in August) and need to be chilled to become ripe without rotting. They’ve been in our walk-in but it’s not quite cool enough for them. As such some have been ripening from inside more than we would like. We did our best but you may have one or so
This is an extra item. Your box would have been full without them.
Santa Rosa Produce Notes & Recipes!
Cabbage Basil Salad (NYTimes Cooking)
1 small cabbage (about 1 1/4 pounds)
4 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and chopped fine (1 tablespoon)
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon mustard, preferably Dijon-style
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil, preferably virgin
¼ cup shredded fresh basil leave
Cut the cabbage in half and remove the center rib. Shred as you would for coleslaw. You should have about 6 to 7 cups of lightly packed cabbage.
For the dressing, combine the garlic, salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar and olive oil in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add the cabbage and stir. Just before serving, sprinkle the basil on top. The salad will develop more taste if made a few hours ahead.
We have so many Shishito Peppers that we’re now giving them out in quarts. We’ve been cutting them and adding to stir-fries, as topping for pizza and even eggs just like the Italian Sweet Peppers. I want to try but haven’t had the chance, a Shitshito Tempura. I think it’ll be amazing.
Roasted Eggplant & Shishito Peppers with Basil
1 qt shishito peppers (about 20–25 peppers)
1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb), cut into 1-inch cubes
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
1 tsp soy sauce or tamari (optional)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss eggplant cubes with 2 Tbs olive oil, a pinch of salt, and pepper. Spread on a sheet pan and roast 20–25 minutes, turning once, until golden and soft.
While eggplant roasts, heat 1 Tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add shishito peppers and cook, stirring often, until blistered on all sides, about 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle lightly with salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, balsamic vinegar or lemon juice, and soy sauce if using.
Add roasted eggplant and blistered shishitos to the bowl, tossing gently to coat. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, or more vinegar/lemon.
Scatter with fresh basil leaves and serve warm or at room temperature.
West County Produce Notes & Recipes!
We have a good head of Green Cabbage for everyone, so throwing in a few recipes.
We’re enjoying the Italian Sweet Peppers raw. We find we can include them in so many dishes from salads to stir-fry to eggs at breakfast to lunches for the kids. We’re thrilled with the variety and having them in our hot hoop houses so they are doing well despite this cold summer.
Summer Squash & Tomato Gratin
2 med summer squash, thinly sliced into rounds
3 med ripe tomatoes, sliced into rounds
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
½ cup breadcrumbs (fresh or panko)
½ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino (sub with sprinkle of toasted nuts for dairy-free)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh thyme or oregano leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a baking dish.
Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in skillet and sauté the onion until soft, ~5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Spread mixture in bottom of baking dish.
Arrange alternating layers of squash and tomato slices over the onion mixture, overlapping slightly like shingles. Season each layer lightly with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, and thyme/oregano with the remaining 2 Tbs olive oil. Sprinkle evenly over the vegetables.
Cover loosely with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15–20 minutes, until topping is golden and vegetables are tender but not mushy.
Serve warm or at room temperature, with extra parsley scattered over the top.
Notes/Variations
Swap half the tomatoes for roasted red peppers for a deeper flavor.
Use a mix of yellow squash and green zucchini for extra color.
For a heartier dish, add a layer of cooked farro, quinoa, or lentils under the veggies.
Beth Dadko’s Cabbage & Quinoa Salad
1 Onion (diced raw or sauted)
Quinoa (2 cups cooked)
1 Head Cabbage (raw chopped)
Carrots (raw-lots shredded)
Sweet Peppers (raw chopped)
Mix all ingredients. Top with Dressing:
(proportions)
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
1 T olive oil
and Feta
Extra Shares
Flower Share: Bright with some of our last sunflowers!
Lettuce Share: Lettuce Leaf Mix 🥬
Bunched Greens Share: Rainbow Chard
Summer Pint Share: Black Cherry Tomatoes
Tomato Share: More Heirloom Tomato Quarts!
Egg Shares: 🍳