October 22nd
Dear CSA Members,
We hope you have been enjoying the bounty of our most abundant time of year over the past couple of months! It has given us so much joy to stuff your totes full of produce from our field and fruit from our fellow farmers at Kiokawa Orchards. We have had a gorgeous fall since the fires swept through the state, allowing us to extend our season on lots of delicate outdoor crops like flowers, arugula, and spicy salad mix. The kind weather has given us lots of breathing room to prepare our fields to rest this winter, instead of the mad dash that sometimes happens in a wet October. We are so grateful to have you along with us on this seasonal journey.
As nighttime temperatures drop, we expect a killing frost to come any day now. We are excited to still have 11 weeks of our CSA to go, and want to update you on how this seasonal shift will affect what you see in your totes in the final stretch:
Lots more storage crops and hearty winter greens! Think delicata winter squash, carrots sweetened by the cold snap, and the world's most beautiful radicchio. Our winter field is thriving and some of the best of the season is yet to come.
Ornamental pumpkins, more eucalyptus, and dried flowers! The fresh flowers are done for the season, but we are excited to keep the floral magic coming.
The downward slope of the CSA "bell curve." When you invest in a CSA, the shares are huge in the peak season when our fields are brimming with produce, and have fewer items in the shoulder seasons (spring and fall) once things get lean. We keep careful track of share value every week to make sure the total cost of the produce we provide averages out to the cost of your CSA - in fact, we are on track to exceed share value this season! Belonging to a CSA also means absorbing risk and reward with your farm. When we have a bumper crop (like the padrons this year!), you benefit with us. On the other hand, when we suffer a crop loss (like losing a bed of carrots to rust fly), you take that loss with us. We have lots of strategies to protect you from feeling these losses, the most important being the massive diversity of crops we plant so we can substitute items at the last minute. Nevertheless, this can happen more in the mercurial fall and winter weather. Please bear with us if an item or two on our weekly produce list is not what you expect; we will do our best to predict the crop mix for your shares ahead of time, but the weather keeps all of us on our toes this time of year.
Finally, we want to take another moment to thank you for your support of our farm. The fact that our CSA goes through early January means we can keep our hard working crew on payroll much longer than seasonal folks at other farms, and that means the world to us. The cost of your share reflects the necessity of paying our team members a livable wage, which we feel is the next big challenge that the sustainable agriculture movement needs to take head on. Your support this season has allowed us to partner with other incredible farmers like the folks at Kiokawa Orchards, a heritage farm in our community that was hit hard by the shift in our economy this year, and makers like the women at Madre Linen, who are actively working to connect us with the fibers and fabrics that we use and wear every day.
In short, WE LOVE YOU and are so happy to have you on this journey with us. We will be sending out a mid-season survey soon to collect your valuable insights and feedback.
From the island with love,
Kara, Amelia, Danielle, Angie, Rosemary, Mesa, Les, Clea, Brooke, Jae, Relk, and Parsnip
ROSE’S RECIPE IDEAS OF THE WEEK:
SICILIAN STYLE PURPLE CAULIFLOWER SALAD
Amended from https://www.feastingathome.com/purple-cauliflower-salad/
Ingredients
1 head purple cauliflower
olive oil to coat
salt to taste
zest of 1 lemon
2 cups cooked grain; black rice, quinoa, farro etc
2 scallions, sliced
½ cup kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers
½ cup Italian parsley, chopped
Dressing Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
pickled onions (optional garnish)
marcona almonds (optional garnish)
chili flakes (optional garnish)
shaved pecorino (optional garnish)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Set grains to cook on the stove. Cook and cool to room temperature.
Cut cauliflower into bite sized florets, lightly toss in olive oil, salt, and lemon zest. Spread out on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Roast 25 minutes, or until fork tender, turning halfway through. Let cool.
Make the dressing, whisking all together in a bowl.
Toss the salad ingredients alongside the dressing in a bowl, or layer them for a different visual aesthetic. If layering, start with the grain, add the cauliflower, olives, capers, scallions, parsley, then top with optional pickled onions, almonds, pecorino, and chili flakes.
Delicious additionally served cold as leftovers!
STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS WITH LIME CREMA
Amended from https://www.blueapron.com/recipes/rice-beef-stuffed-poblano-peppers-with-lime-crema-sauce
Ingredients:
8 oz ground beef
½ cup long grain white rice
3 cloves garlic
2 poblano peppers
1 lime
1 yellow onion
1 bunch cilantro
3 tablespoons dried currants
3 tablespoons roasted pepitas
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ Mexican crema
Preparation
In a small pot, combine the rice, 1 cup of water, and a large pinch of salt. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 14 to 16 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from heat. Fluff the cooked rice with a fork.
While the rice cooks, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and mince the garlic. Peel and small dice the onion. Pick the cilantro leaves off the stems. Quarter the lime.
Place the poblano peppers on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss thoroughly to coat. Roast in the oven 5-7 minutes, or until the skin is browned and blistered. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool, leaving the oven on. When cool enough to handle, make a lengthwise slit in each poblano pepper with a knife. Using your hands, carefully open each pepper. Remove and discard the ribs and seeds.
While the poblano peppers cool, in a large pan heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium until hot. Add the garlic and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cumin. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until toasted and fragrant. Increase the heat to medium high. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, frequently breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 2 to 4 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Stir in the currants, pepitas, cooked rice, and ¼ cup of water. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stuff each prepared poblano pepper with as much of the filling as possible (you may have extra filling). Bake 4 to 6 minutes, or until heated through. Remove from the oven.
While the stuffed poblano peppers bake, in a small bowl, combine the Mexican crema, the juice of 2 lime wedges, half the cilantro, and 1 tablespoon of water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the finished poblano peppers and any remaining filling between 2 plates. Top with lime crema sauce. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and lime wedges. Enjoy every bite.
CELARIAC AND APPLE SOUP WITH BACON AND PARSLEY
Amended from https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/celeriac_and_apple_soup_32322
Ingredients
Around 3 sweet apples
1 ¾ oz butter
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 onions, chopped
1 celariac bulb, cleaned, tops removed, cut into roughly ¾ inch chunks
1 large carrot, cut into roughly ½ inch slices
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into roughly ¾ inch chunks
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 ¼ pints vegetable or chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
4-5 pieces smoky bacon
4 tablespoons crème fraiche
2 tablespoons milk
small handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly torn
Preparation
Peel the apples, cut them into quarters, and remove the cores. Cut the apples into thick slices. Melt 1 oz of butter into a large saucepan and fry the apple pieces over a medium heat for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned, turning regularly. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apple pieces to a plate and return the pan to the heat.
Add the remaining butter and oil to the pan and as soon as the butter melts, gently fry the onions, celeriac, and carrot for 15 minutes, or until the onions are softened and very lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, apples, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaf and cook for three minutes more, stirring.
Pour the stock into the pan, season with black pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the celeriac and carrots are very soft, stirring occasionally.
Remove the pan from the heat. Remove the thyme stalks and bay leaf and discard. Cool slightly and then blend the soup with a stick blender or classic blender until very smooth. Add a little extra water if necessary to find the right consistency reached. Alternatively, allow the soup to cool for a little while and then blend in a food processor until smooth and return to the pan.
Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to serve.
To make the garnish, brush the oil over the inside of a small non stick frying pan and fry the bacon for 2-3 minutes on each side over medium high heat until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Mix the crème fraiche with the milk in a small bowl until smooth.
Reheat the soup gently just before serving, stirring constantly. Ladle into warmed bowls.
Drizzle the crème fraiche mixture into each bowl of soup. Carefully snip the crisp bacon into pieces with kitchen scissors and scatter on top. Sprinkle with the parsley, season with a little freshly ground pepper and serve. A DELIGHT!