1/21/26 A Sunny Start to the Year
The last two weeks of sun have been absolutely tremendous for the farm. It has dried out the soil, meaning less rot and therefore loss of crops like our lettuces and also allowed us to plant, plant, plant! That means our nursery is practically empty of large starts as normally we cannot plant much this time of year. Next up we’ll start a good round of direct seeding!
But the nursery is simultaneously filling up on the other end as we are seeding huge amounts of lettuces, spring broccolis and cauliflowers plus kales and this week even our first Tomatoes for inside hoop houses! We haven’t had much luck with tomatoes in hoop houses but we have a new tactic so we’re hoping (if the weather cooperates with us) to have earlier tomatoes for you this year!
The sunny days have meant clear skies which also means frosty nights. But honestly, plants grow faster with sun and frost than they do with moderated temperature and cloudy cover. So hoping for more sunny days (and then of course another round or two of rain for the season).
Workshops
We are excited for our workshops this year including the first next week with a focus on Winter Fruit Tree Pruning on Jan 31st. Then in March, April and May we’ll have 6 more! Mostly our Home Farmer Workshops… meant to teach our farming one bite at a time. These were very popular last year and so we’re expanding them.
It feels weird in this uncertain economy but truly, in our minds, farming is a revolutionary act. Our mission is to Grow Soil, Grow Food and Grow Farmers, so you can see why we’re putting it out there.
Did you know? All CSA Members get a 15% discount on ALL of our workshops.
EcoFarm!
This week is the annual EcoFarm conference in Monterey, Farmers Elizabeth & Paul will be going as well as Farm Manager Sean. EcoFarm is a big deal in small scale and organic farming in California. Paul and I learned so tremendously much when we were starting out from going there that it’s a big part of the history of this farm. It’s why we decided to start a CSA. It’s how we found our farm mentors. It’s how we got ideas on things from CSA pack to incorporating animals to nutrient management to farm events and so so much more! The last few years we’ve really seen a dearth of CSA sessions so this year I proposed one and will be presenting with two other CSA farmers from Full Belly and Shakefork Farm tomorrow, Thursday. Let’s see what new inspiration we come back with this year.
This Week’s Box
Light Green: Escarole (SR) OR Baby Kale (WC)
Pea Shoots
Bulb Fennel
Wintersweet Kabocha Squash
Jelly Potatoes (Suncatcher Farm)
Calibra Onions (West County Comm. Farm)
Family: Brussels Sprouts
Produce Notes & Recipes
This week’s CSA box is certainly a January box… it is storage crop heavy with some light greens to balance! We are excited for the first year in many to get a Kabocha Squash to everyone! We love these Wintesweet for their combination of sweetness, flaky texture, and depth of flavor that has made it a favorite. They are very dry so if you’re making a soup or pie, make sure to consider adding more liquid. So these big squashes will make quite a meal. Friday’s email had a Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup with Coconut Milk, find it there, google it or follow this link (today’s newsletter is otherwise packed).
Last CSA we had a rotation of Escarole and Arugula, we’ve added Baby Kale to the mix and so next week we’ll finish it up with Arugula and Baby Kale. Baby Kale was a new crop to us last year. It is Red Russian kale but extremely densely seeded and we cut and cut it again and again. It can be used just like normal kale but is much more tender. As such, it’s great for salads. We have found that it makes an amazing Ceasar Salad. Also, Escarole can make and amazing Cesar Salad, years ago we used to sell cases and cases of it to Lowells for that purpose. Here’s a recipe/dressing that works well for both. Of note… Cesar salads are great with croutons, but also great with the toppings of:
Bulb Fennel
Avocado chunks
Chickpeas
Shaved parmesan cheese
chicken
Walnuts
Olives
Classic Cesar Dressing
1/2 c mayonaise
1 Tbs dijon mustard
1 tsp worcestershire
3 Tbs lemon juice
3 large cloves garlic
3 filets anchovy
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan + more for serving
freshly cracked black pepper
Healthier and Anchovy Free Cesar Dressing
⅓ c whole milk Greek yogurt
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
½ garlic clove, minced
1 tsp capers, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
Bulb Fennel grows great in winter hoop houses and we hope you’ll enjoy this round (and a couple more to come) with a crisp, mildly sweet flavor that’s especially tender this time of year and perfect for winter salads, sautés, and soups. We love it raw but the gentle anise flavor that mellows beautifully when cooked. We think that flavor is great with pea shoots and a citrus dressing. Here is a small but super simple winter salad.
Aside from this our Pea Shoots are a winter delight for something sweet and crunchy. This week’s are prime! Not too leggy. We hope you enjoy them in a salad all their own (below) or topping a salad or warm dish. Also, they go great thrown in a smoothie for a little green flavor and nutrient punch.
Pea Shoot & Fennel Salad
Salad
1 bag Pea Shoots
1 large Fennel Bulb Only use the bulb
Vinaigrette
2 Tbs orange Juice Fresh squeezed tastes best
2 Tbs lemon Juice Fresh squeezed tastes best
1 Tbs honey
1 Tbs olive oil
1 pinch salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
This week we have the first round of Jelly potatoes. Jelly potatoes are a versatile variety known for their yellow skin and flesh, and are a good all-purpose potato. They have a smooth, oval shape and a buttery flavor that holds its color well when cooked.
Note: We do not have the space to grow potatoes. Farmer Patrick of Suncatcher Farm in Petaluma grows these for us. Supporting other small farmers and sticking together to have a more robust food system is important to us so you'll see items from other people occasionally in our boxes and add-ons. These have been and will continue to be in our add-ons so get them with any box until we’re out for the season.
You can certainly add them to a Kobocha Squash soup to make it even more creamy or eat them on their own. Over the holidays I perfected the following recipe and found everyone loves these crispy potatoes. The only thing is I don’t love peeling potatoes.
Super Crispy Roast Potatoes Recipe
2 lbs Jelly potatoes
Olive oil
fresh rosemary and/or fresh thyme optional
salt optional
Preheat oven to 400F. Place large baking tray into the oven with a generous amount of oil. Allow to heat up.
Peel your potatoes and chop them into chunks. I tend to chop mine in half or thirds depending on the size on the potato.
Place the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling salted water for about 10 minutes from the point at which the water is bubbling and boiling. The potatoes should be softer but not breaking up.
Drain the water off the potatoes and put them back into the saucepan with the lid on. Shake the saucepan a good few times so they get bashed about (you can't be too violent!!). This helps to get the crispy exterior.
Place your potatoes on your preheated oiled tray. Make sure they are in a single layer. The potatoes should sizzle as they hit the oil. Either quickly turn the potatoes over on the baking sheet so the oil is covering all sides or drizzle a little extra oil on top. Place in the oven for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes check your potatoes, they should be nearly done. Turn them over, sprinkle with fresh rosemary and/or thyme (optional) and pop them in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until they are crisp and golden.
Season with a little salt to serve.
Extra Shares
Lettuce Share: Lettuce Leaf Mix 🥬
Bunched Greens Share: 🌈 Rainbow Kale