2/4/25 Getting our 2026 CSA sign ups & more
ater this week we’ll be opening the CSA for 2026 for new members to start mid-April, early May or early June. It’s the same as most of you have experienced the last few years. We currently have 50 people on the waitlist since July of last year but that’s minimal as only 1 in 5-8 on the waitlist actually join us and we have 50-60 openings. This is the primary time that we let new members for the year.
SO, we are looking for new members. Can you help us? You are our best ambassadors and word of mouth is the best way to share something good. As such, each of you today has two postcards, one on the CSA and one on flowers. If you could please share with one friend we would be grateful.
Refer a Friend & Get Free Flowers 💐
When you refer a friend, you’ll both receive a free flower bouquet with your next box.
Here’s how it works:
When your friend signs up, they’ll receive a short “How did you hear about us?” survey — have them select “Other” and type in your name
Once we receive that, we’ll add a free bouquet to both of your next orders.
New Pick Up Sites
We’re excited to announce 3 new pickup sites for this year starting April 15th:
WINDSOR: We’re partnering with Wise Acres Farm (home of Sonoma County’s only egg vending machine) to offer a site at their farm stand off Arata Lane.
GREEN VALLEY: We’re partnering with Green Valley Farm & Mill and Bramble Tail Homestead to offer a pick up site at their farm location as they do not currently have a vegetable farm.
SEBASTOPOL: Our Sebastopol pick up site at the Russell home will be shifting before April 15th. It is in the same neighborhood and we’ll be sending out information to people at that site soon.
PETALUMA: We are considering a site on the east side of Petaluma but we’ve not finalized. If you are interested it would be good to know.
Flower CSA 🌸
Our Flower CSA starts with the NEXT CSA!!! If you want to sign up, do so NOW. Note: It is a GREAT Valentine’s gift for yourself or someone else. And if you particularly want to pick up your first bouquet early, we will make that happen for Valentine’s Day at the farm or farmers’ market.
Our Anemone are already blooming with Ranunculus, Tulips and Daffodils close behind. Flowers are a way to enjoy seasonality even more than veggies and we love sharing the first o the season with our CSA Members.
New this year our options are Weekly, Bi-Weekly or Monthly rather than predetermined schedules based on harvest (we think this will just be clearer and our harvests are more consistent these days).
This Week’s Box
Light Green: Baby Kale (SR) OR Arugula (WC)
Tokyo Bekana
Green Cabbage
Loose Carrots
Brussels Sprouts Stalk
Cabernet Onions (West County Comm. Farm)
Family: Black Futsu Winter Squash & Kohlrabi
Produce Notes & Recipes
This week we are super trendy!! 2026 has been dubbed the Year of the Cabbage by Vogue Magazine and Food Insider. Look at us, we have Cabbage in your CSA box, twice. Check out the shots in today’s newsletter and on Instagram we took to commemorate. ;) Maybe I’ve thrown another round of Cabbage on the seeding list since reading this. 2017 was dubbed the “it” year for Cauliflower by Sunset Magazine and it suddenly became very popular indeed.
Why Cabbage, who knows? Maybe we’re all need some basic, comfort food to get us through the season.
Caramelized Braised Cabbage with Carrots and Onion
1 med head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 med onion (yellow or red), thinly sliced
2–3 carrots, sliced into thin coins or matchsticks
2–3 Tbs olive oil or butter (or a mix)
1 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp dried thyme (optional)
½ cup water, veg broth, or apple cider
1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
Heat oil or butter in a wide skillet or Dutch oven over med-high heat.
Add onion and carrots and cook 5–7 min, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to caramelize.
Add cabbage, salt, pepper, and thyme. Toss well. Cook uncovered 8–10 min, stirring only occasionally, allowing cabbage to wilt and lightly brown.
Add liquid, cover, and reduce heat to med-low. Braise 10–15 min, until cabbage is tender and sweet.
Uncover and cook a few more min if needed to reduce excess liquid.
Finish with vinegar or lemon juice, adjust seasoning, and serve.
Tokyo Bekana is a tender, fast growing, non-heading Chinese Cabbage with ruffled, light green leaves and crunchy, white stems. See how trendy we are with our cabbage?! We say that Tokyo Bekana is like a cross between Napa Cabbage and Panisse Lettuce and Bok Choi I love using for a salad but I have to be honest these have a little slug damage. Sorry. So you might want to assess how salad worthy yours is. We were protecting them from frost and birds and the protection makes for amazing habitat for slugs. But still, it’s very versatile for salads, stir-fires or soups.
Our Carrots have not been the best this winter. You have a mix of topped two different varieties that were trials this year. In addition to having poor tops and poor growth they were really attached by wire worms. We’re sorry. We tried to cull but you may have to cut around them. We thought trying a purple carrot might be fun. Don’t worry, we’ll give it another try later this spring.
The Brussels Sprouts are still in season! They don’t look as glamorous but they are still delicious. Take a minute to soak in water and cut the base of each and pull the outer leaves off, then cut in half. I have brought them to a couple farmer pot lucks recently (farmers eat good) and wowed people. How do I cook them, honestly pan fried in a cast iron skillet tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and maybe topped with some good grated or shaved cheese. That’s it.
Now I did make as a side for tacos a couple weeks back and found this recipe which was something a little different and my family gobbled them up and appreciated the change in flavor. The technique is the same as the basic described above but writing it out is always good, just the seasoning is different.
Mexican Inspired Brussels (A Food Lover’s Kitchen)
3/4 pound Brussels sprouts trimmed and halved
1 Tbs butter
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbs mayonnaise (we omitted)
1/2 Tbs Cholula or other hot sauce
Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the butter. Once melted, add the Brussels sprouts and cook for 8 minutes, without moving them. Flip and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Mix together all of the spices in a bowl and mix.
Sprinkle the seasoning over the Brussels sprouts. Toss to coat a few times until the sprouts are evenly coated with seasoning.
For an optional sauce, combine mayonnaise and Cholula or another hot sauce you like in a bowl or squeeze bottle. Drizzle over the sprouts or serve in a dipping bowl.
Red Cabernet Onions this week are again from West County Community Farm. They are a deep-colored, slightly sweet red onion with excellent crunch when raw and a mellow richness when cooked. They’re less sharp than many red onions, which makes them especially versatile, both fresh and sautéed.
Easy ways to use them
Thinly slice raw for salads, slaws, and sandwiches
Sauté slowly to bring out sweetness for grain bowls, eggs, or roasted vegetables
Chop and caramelize for soups, frittatas, or simple pasta dishes
Pickle lightly in vinegar and salt for quick toppings
Great pairings with this week’s veggies:
With green cabbage: Thinly slice Red Cabernet onion and cabbage together for a crunchy slaw. Toss with olive oil, lemon or vinegar, salt, and a touch of honey or mustard. Also great sautéed with cabbage for an easy side.
With arugula: Slice onion very thin and soak briefly in cold water to mellow it, then add to arugula salads with citrus, shaved cheese, or toasted nuts.
With Brussels sprouts: Slice onions into wedges and roast alongside halved Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Finish with a splash of balsamic or lemon for a sweet-savory combo.
Extra Shares
Lettuce Share: Lettuce Leaf Mix 🥬
Bunched Greens Share: 🌈 Rainbow Chard