Week of December 16th – See you in the New Year

My dear community,

*We have some blueberries available this week. If you’d like to add a carton (or two or three) onto your order just shoot me a quick email before the end of the day with BLUEBERRIES in the subject line.

This is a really hard year to wrap up. It may not be possible to summarize everything in a paragraph but here’s what I have to say. This time last year I was hunkering down with a brand new baby and family all around me. A year later our lives have completely turned upside down. As spring came with COVID it seemed impossible that Santa Barbara County could go into lockdown, but as it unfolded small businesses would struggle to survive and when you needed family and friends the most, they couldn’t be around to help. It’s been a huge awakening. I’m proud I’ve been able to use our CSA program to funnel food into the community where it’s needed most. I’ve increased donations to the charity Lunch on Me which not only feeds the homeless in LA, but reroutes organic food from the trash into the mouths of those in need. I’ve had the opportunity to speak up about the struggles our farm and small farms like ours face and build community and awareness around us. Even though some days I want to curl up into a ball and wish it away, most days I’m giving thanks for the HUGE amount of blessings we have. Your support has helped me move forward one step at a time.

A final reminder- we will be taking the next two weeks off to recoup and collaborate. I received a new clutch of baby chicks from Alchemist Farm, a Sebastopol, California hatchery doing everything sustainably, humanely and with 100% renewable clean energy. These new chicks will add more colorful eggs come Spring. I’m looking forward to the future of our fruit orchard as it starts to mature. 2021 will surely be filled with more challenges as our farm is forced to get smaller and find avenues for local distribution. If you’re reading this blog chances are you are already supporting small farms. I’m so grateful for YOU. We look forward to seeing you again starting January 6th, 2021.

Be good to each other.

CSA Contains:
CARROTS – loose
ROMAINE LETTUCE
HASS AVOCADOS
RED BEETS
GARNET YAMS
SATSUMA TANGERINES from Heath Ranch
LEEKS
GREEN CABBAGE
BUNCHED SPINACH
CILANTRO
BIG BOX ADD: CARROTS, RED LEAF LETTUCE, RED KOHLRABI, LACINATO KALE, BLUEBERRIES from BELLA VISA FARMS

FRUIT EXPASNION: FUJI APPLES from VIVA TIERRA and SATSUMA TANGERINES from Heath Ranch
Lettuce of the Week: Red Leaf

JUICE FEAST:
CARROTS
ROMAINE LETTUCE
RED BEETS
SATSUMA TANGERINES
BLUEBERRIES from BELLA VISTA
GREEN CABBAGE
BUNCHED SPINACH
CILANTRO
LACINATO KALE
CELERY

Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Garlic Tahini and Toasted Pepitas

Ingredients:
1 head cabbage, tough outer leaves removed and discarded
2 tablespoons Terra Delyssa Organic Olive Oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
garlic tahini (recipe below)
1/4 cup toasted pepitas

Garlic Tahini
1/4 cup sesame tahini
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 – 1/3 cup water
sea salt and black pepper, to taste
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Tasty Yummies)

Ramen Noodles with Miso Pesto

Ingredients:
4 cups baby spinach
2 cups cilantro leaves with tender stems
1 Tbsp. white miso
1 garlic clove
½ cup grapeseed or sunflower oil
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
2 5-oz. packages fresh ramen noodles (you can find them fresh at Asian grocery stores and some Whole Foods—we like the Sun Noodle brand)
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Toasted sesame seeds (for serving)
(Find the full recipe and directions here at Bon Appetit)

Vegetarian Spinach Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
5-6 small sweet potatoes
1 cup fresh spinach chopped
1/2 cup feta
1 garlic clove chopped
2 tbsp olive oil plus more for drizzling
pepper to taste
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Every Day Healthy Recipes)

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese & Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
Roasted Beets & Sweet Potatoes:
1 ½ cups beets peeled, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 ½ cups sweet potatoes peeled, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. salt
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup honey or maple syrup
¼ tsp. salt
Salad:
1/2 cup pecans coarsely chopped
6 oz. goat cheese
Spinach
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at The Evolving Table)

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