Something Good Organics

We finally have come across the resources to can up the farm. We are talking marinara sauce, pickles and preserves to start with. We are going to start canning this week so keep an eye out for it in the store in the weeks to come. 100% organic goodness in a jar. Picked and canned at the peak of ripeness, with no shelf stabilizers or preservatives. All ingredients you can pronounce and happily feed to your family sold exclusively through our CSA program.
Cindy Dollar is cooking up some Raisin Pecan granola this week for you in her kitchen right here in Goleta. Support local business, munch some amazing granola and get your breakfast supplies right here in our CSA store.

CSA for May 27th
BUNCHED SPINACH
RED BUTTER LETTUCE
CARROTS
FRENCH GREEN BEANS
BLUEBERRIES from WHITNEY RANCH
STRAWBERRIES
CILANTRO
PERSIAN CUCUMBERS
SUNBURST SQUASH
YELLOW ONIONS
BIG BOX ADD: LACINATO KALE, CARROTS, STRAWBERRIES, GREEN LEAF LETTUCE, RED POTATOES from ELLWOOD CANYON FARMS

Fruit Expansion includes: Blueberries and Strawberries

*Blueberries have a short season so we try and get as many as we can while we can. Next year we will be happy to include blackberries and raspberries from our farm!
Continue reading “Week of May 27th – Our farm in a jar”

Excuse the lack of blogging while I take this month to move. We are up to about 200 chickens now that require constant attention which has left me slacking on the social media. We look forward to providing eggs to all of our CSA customers that want them and local restraunts as well. The more people we can reach to use local produce, the better.
Cindy Dollar is cooking up some Coconut Seed OR Pumpkin Pecan granola this week. Check out her ridiculously good cookies too. Peanut butter chocolate oatmeal or cran-chocolate almond cookies. Seriously good stuff. Get enough to share 🙂

CSA Contains:
CARROTS
STRAWBERRIES
RED LEAF LETTUCE
YELLOW BEANS
YELLOW STRAIGHT NECK SQUASH
BABY SPINACH OR RAINBOW CHARD
SWEET YELLOW SPRING ONIONS
BASIL
CUCUMBERS
BLUEBERRIES from WHITNEY RANCH
BIG BOX ADD: BUTTER LETTUCE, STRAWBERRIES, HASS AVOCADOS from VINCENT FARMS, CARROTS, SPINACH OR CHARD

Fruit Expansion Contains: Blueberries from Whitney Ranch and Strawberries (while they last!)
Stuffed Summer Squash

Ingredients: Serves 4
3-5 squash, depending on size (yellow summer squash works well)
1 lb ground meat (I use lean grassfed beef, but turkey or lamb would work, too)
1/2 yellow onion (about 1 cup chopped)
2 large garlic cloves (1 tbsp minced)
3-4 medium tomatoes (about 1 cup roughly chopped)
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
3/4 tsp dried marjoram (or oregano)
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme (if using dried thyme, reduce to 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp salt (1/4 for onion, 1/2 for meat)
1/8 tsp black pepper few slices Havarti cheese, or other easily melting variety of cheese
1 tbsp ghee or olive oil (I use 1/2 of each)
*extra drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper for baking squash*extra basil, for garnish
(Check out the full recipe here at Rubies and Radishes)

Blue Potato Salad with Yellow Wax Beans Poached Egg and Basil Dressing

(I don’t always have potatoes at my house, but usually have brown rice or quinoa. Try that if you find yourself in the same boat.)
Ingredients:
3-5 Adirondack blue potatoes, cut into cubes
1 lb yellow wax beans, trimmed
eggs (1 per person)
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Basil Dressing:
1 1/2 cups basil leaves, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dijon style mustard
pinch of fine sea salt
(For full recipe visit Dishing Up the Dirt)

Thai Quinoa Salad

(This power salad combines protein-packed grains with the healing nutrients from fresh veggies for a lime infused flavor bomb with crunch in each bite.)
Ingredients: Serves 4
1 cup quinoa
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 cucumber, chopped
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
6 green onions, chopped
1-2 cups shredded red cabbage
4 teaspoons fish sauce (or soy sauce)
3 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped basil
(Find the full recipe and directions here at Foodie Crush)

JUICE FEAST:
CARROTS
STRAWBERRIES
ROMAINE LETTUCE
BABY SPINACH
CUCUMBERS
BLUEBERRIES from WHITNEY RANCH
LACINATO KALE
FENNEL
FUJI APPLES from HASS FARMS
CILANTRO and MINT

I’ve been obsessed with this juice I created. Try it out:
1 head fennel w/green tops
1 cucumber
1 fuji apple
1 lemon (whole thing)
1 bunch mint
1 knob ginger
huge handful of spinach

#somethinggoodorganics with your juice recipes

Red tomatoes (cherries too), green beans, peppers, artichokes, potatoes and cantaloupe and watermelon in the near future. We are doing extra plantings of broccoli so hopefully we will see that soon. It’s been too long, but we have been having problems with it all year.
Cindy Dollar is cooking up a few different flavors of granola this week. Choose between Cranberry Cashew and Walnut Spice in certified gluten free or organic. Lots of delicious things to choose from. Cindy wanted to remind you that her cookies should be stored in the fridge to keep them fresh. They are baked the fresh to order, but are really good cold too. Freeze a banana, grind it up in a food processor with cinnamon and top it on the cookie. YES!!! Nothing short of glorious. Access our CSA store here.

CSA Contains:
CARROTS
STRAWBERRIES
SWEET SPRING ONIONS
GREEN ZUCCHINI
RED RUSSIAN KALE
GREEN BUTTER LETTUCE
BLUEBERRIES from WHITNEY RANCH
CUCUMBERS
ITALIAN PARSLEY
GOLD BEETS
BIG BOX ADD: BABY SPINACH from FRECKER FARMS, CARROTS, RED LEAF LETTUCE, STRAWBERRIES

Fruit Expansion Includes: Blueberries from Whitney Ranch and Strawberries
Continue reading “Week of May 13th”

We had a great weekend here at the farm! The workers have been pulling 10 hour days and working 7 days a week for the past 3 months trying to keep up with everything. We were able to throw them a pig roast on Saturday. My husband roasted a pig and one of our own turkeys underground. I made a tub of guacamole and one of the worker’s wives made the biggest, best tasting bowl of mole I’ve ever had. At around 3:30 on Saturday, after everyone was done, we congregated on the farm and all ate together. It was great to show appreciation to the people who make this happen for us everyday. If you eat today, thank a farmer!! The weekend was also full of other things like putting plastic up on green houses, stringing up blackberries, picking all the veggies for the 8 farmers markets we visited yesterday and more.
Cindy Dollar is cooking up some new creations in her kitchen here in Goleta. Fresh baked cookies are now available in two flavors, Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal and Cran-Chocolate Almond Oatmeal. Made with organic ingredients, these cookies are freshly baked, soft and chewy. Find them under the granola tab in our store. And speaking of granola – pick yourself up a bag of Raisin Pecan this week made with certified organic or certified gluten free ingredients.
All of our turkeys are laying eggs now, so we’ve reduced the price on the eggs. The eggs taste just like a chicken egg, but are about 25-50% larger. They live intermingled with the chickens are eat the same diet.

CSA Contains:
CARROTS
RED LEAF LETTUCE
STRAWBERRIES
GREEN ZUCCHINI
BASIL
CUCUMBERS
LEEKS
GREEN KALE
BLUEBERRIES from WHITNEY RANCH
SUGAR SNAP PEAS
BIG BOX ADD: STRAWBERRIES, CARROTS, SPRING ONIONS, BLUERBERRIES, GREEN BUTTER LETTUCE

FRUIT EXPANSION CONTAINS: Blueberries from Whitney Ranch and Strawberries
Continue reading “Week of May 6th”

Cindy Dollar is cooking up some Coconut Seed Granola this week. It’s baked fresh to order in Gluten Free or Organic varieties. Check out our CSA store here to buy that or browse the other delicious things we offer.

CSA contains:
BUNCHED ARUGULA
RED BEETS
SUNBURST & CROOKNECK SQUASH
CARROTS
GREEN LEAF LETTUCE
STRAWBERRIES
BUNCHED SPRING ONIONS
CILANTRO
PERSIAN CUCUMBERS
COLLARD GREENS
*lemons for everyone*
BIG BOX ADD: CARROTS, STRAWBERRIES, LACINATO KALE, SUGAR SNAP PEAS, ADORA POTATOES from ELLWOOD CANYON FARMS, BASIL

Fruit Expansion: Pixie Tangerines and Strawberries
Continue reading “Week of April 29th”

I spent all weekend up in Buellton building the new chicken coops. We are also adding in Guinea fowl, turkeys and bantam chickens. We are hoping the guinea fowl will help eat some of the bugs that to this point, we have had no luck with. I’m getting really excited to move the chickens out to Buellton where they will be moved from pasture to pasture leaving their valuable poop for us to compost, while feeding off the bugs, grasses and other greens on the land.
I wanted to talk quickly about the difference between BIG and small organics. I’ve seen a lot of organic eggs on the shelf at the store asking for the same price, if not more for eggs compared to our operation (which is quite small). Sadly, organic standards in egg production do little to produce a nutrient-dense egg from an authentically happy hen. Industrial organic egg producers take advantage of the letter of the law to violate its spirit and the consumers spending their hard earned money. The chickens are eating organically grown grain, but with up to 85,000 hens in a factory “farm” and no access to greens, sunlight, exercise or bugs, these ladies are hardly happy or healthy. Chickens are one of those animals that are mistreated heavily because of the huge demand. The best way to make sure you aren’t supporting this type of business is to buy local, do your research and/or raise your own. Same pertains to big agriculture. Just a thought for today. Hope it’s a good one!

Granola of the week is Raisin Pecan. Local, delicious granola made right here in Goleta. Get yourself a bag of Organic or Gluten Free!!!

CSA Contains:
CARROTS
STRAWBERRIES
BUTTERNUT SQUASH
BASIL
PIXIE TANGERINES from SOMMERS RANCH
GREEN ZUCCHINI
CUCUMBERS
SUGAR SNAP PEAS
ROMAINE LETTUCE
GREEN KALE
BIG BOX ADD: CARROTS, STRAWBERRIES, SALAD MIX, BABY SPINACH, RED BEETS

Fruit Expansion: Strawberries and Pixie Tangerines
Continue reading “Week of April 22nd – Big vs Small Organic”

I visited Deux bakery about a week ago to check out some of the new things Wendy was cooking up. She’s baking a new sprouted Sour Dough bread with kamut wheat, an ancient grain that dates back to the pyramids. Other bakeries in SB have tried sprouted grain breads with no luck. But with dedication, persistence and love, Wendy has mastered this AMAZING sourdough bread and it is now on sale in our CSA store. It comes out of the oven the morning that you receive your share. I feel very fortunate that we are able to source our bread needs from Wendy.
Speaking of local goodies, Cindy Dollar is baking up some Cranberry Cashew granola for us this week. Also baked to order, Cindy makes the yummy granola right here in Goleta. Seriously good stuff. Check it out here in our CSA store.

CSA Contains:
RED OAK LETTUCE
CARROTS
SWEET SPRING ONIONS
YELLOW ZUCCHINI
ITALIAN PARSLEY
RED CHARD
LACINATO KALE
STRAWBERRIES
CUCUMBERS
SUGAR SNAP PEAS
BIG BOX ADD: GREEN BUTTER LETTUCE, CARROTS, STRAWBERRIES, PIXIE TANGERINES, one more

Pasta with Sauteed Swiss Chard

Ingredients:
1 bunch swiss chard or other leafy green vegetable
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 pound whole grain pasta or gluten-free pasta, cooked al dente
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly grated Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast (dairy-free/vegan option)
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Trim tough ends of swiss chard. Slice stems and leaves into thin strips. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan and add sliced swiss chard stems and shallots. Saute until shallots are softened, about 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic and capers, and saute another minute. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Toss cooked pasta with sauteed swiss chard and a little extra virgin olive oil to loosen up the pasta. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper as desired.
(Recipe from Jeanettes Healthy Living)

Crunchy Parmesan Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. In a medium bowl combine sugar snap peas and olive oil; toss to coat. In a small bowl combine panko, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Add panko mixture to sugar snap peas; toss to combine. Spread in prepared pan, making sure not to overlap.
Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until crispy, turning mixture with a spatula twice. Serve while hot.
(Recipe from Better Home and Garden)

Zucchini and Kale Lasagna {naturally gluten-free}

Ingredients: Serves 8
4 Medium-Large Zucchini, sliced lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices
2 Cups Kale, cut into large pieces
2 Cups Mozzarella, shredded, low moisture, part skim
2 Cups Marinara sauce
1½ Cups Ricotta Cheese, low moisture, part skim
1 egg
1 lb Ground turkey, extra lean
½ Cup Parmesan, shredded
1 tbs salt
1 tsp each garlic salt, onion salt, and pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray the bottom of a baking dish with cooking spray. In a pan cook ground turkey, 1 tsp salt, garlic salt, onion salt, and pepper until turkey is cooked through, set aside. In a bowl combine ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, and remaining salt, stir until well combined, set aside.
Lay a layer of sliced zucchini on bottom of pan. Then lay a layer of kale on top of zucchini. Next spoon the ground turkey on top of the kale. Then spread the ricotta mixture. Spoon half the marinara sauce over the ricotta, and sprinkle half the mozzarella cheese on top. Lay another layer of kale down, then a layer of zucchini slices. Pour remaining marinara sauce over the zucchini slices and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes until cheese is melted and lasagna is bubbling. Allow to cool for 15 min or overnight (it is better the next day after everything ‘sets’ and then reheated). Slice into 8 pieces and serve.
(Recipe and photo from Sweet Phi)

Obsessively Good Avocado Cucumber Salad

Ingredients: Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side
3/4 to 1 pound seedless cucumber, washed and chopped into chunks
2 thin or 1 regular scallions, thinly sliced
1 large avocado, pitted and diced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Juice of half a lime, plus more to taste
Salt and hot sauce (we used Sriracha) to taste
Chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley to garnish
Directions:
Combine cucumber, scallions and avocado in a bowl. Whisk together mayo, lime and seasonings, adjusting levels to taste. Drizzle salad with dressing and garnish with cilantro or parsley. Repeat again tomorrow.
(Recipe and photo from Smitten Kitchen)

JUICE FEAST:
ROMAINE LETTUCE
CARROTS
RED BEETS
GREEN ZUCCHINI
ITALIAN PARSLEY
RED CHARD
LACINATO KALE
STRAWBERRIES
CUCUMBERS
FUJI/PINK LADY/GRANNY SMITH APPLE VARIETY

I walked around the farm taking some spring shots yesterday. Here’s some things I ran across:
new baby chickens basking in the heat lamp rays all sorts of seeds keeping warm under plastic growing tons of rosemary to attract beneficial insects Cantaloupe will come early this year
red and green leaf lettuce comingling LOTS of tomatoes coming a turkey hanging out in my front yard

CSA contains:
CARROTS
GREEN LEAF LETTUCE
STRAWBERRIES
RED BEETS
ZUCCHINI
KENNY GRAPEFRUIT from VINCENT FARMS
BABY SPINACH
CUCUMBERS
SUGAR SNAP PEAS
CILANTRO
BIG BOX ADD: CARROTS, STRAWBERRIES, ROMAINE LETTUCE, FENNEL, GREEN KALE

FRUIT EXPANSION INCLUDES: Strawberries and more
Continue reading “April 8th – Spring Shots”

We are planting our new fields up in Buellton now and I’m looking forward to melons coming a lot earlier this year. We usually have them late August, but now those sweet cantaloupes and juicy watermelons will be arriving as early as June. Cucumbers are out this week and we welcome the season into the shares.
For our egg subscribers – we can reuse the egg cartons if you want to return them to us. If you pick up here at the farm, look for the empty basket labeled “egg return.”

CSA for April 1st Contains:
RED LEAF LETTUCE
CUCUMBERS
SUGAR SNAP PEAS
BABY SPINACH
CARROTS
STRAWBERRIES
DILL
GREEN ZUCCHINI
SWEET SPRING ONIONS from FRECKER FARMS
LACINATO KALE
BIG BOX ADD: CARROTS, STRAWBERRIES, CHERIMOYAS from GOODLAND ORGANICS, RED BUTTER LETTUCE, CAULIFLOWER from ELLWOOD CANYON FARMS

Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowls with Beet Greens and Avocado

Ingredients: Serves 4
1 large sweet potato, roasted
1 tablespoon grapeseed, coconut or olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bunches beet greens, washed and chopped (about 3 to 5 ounces)*
5 ounces baby spinach
4 to 8 eggs (fried, scrambled, or poached)
1 large avocado, sliced
Salt and cracked pepper to taste
For Serving:
Sunflower seeds
Chia Seeds
Hot Sauce
Salsa
Sour Cream/Greek yogurt
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and pat dry the sweet potato. Poke holes in it using a fork, wrap it in foil, and bake in the oven for 60 to to 70 minutes, or until very soft and juices are seeping out. Remove potato from the oven and allow it to cool before removing the foil. Slice it into thick slices and set aside until ready to use.
In a large skillet, add the oil and heat to medium-low. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped greens and spinach and cover the skillet with a lid. Allow greens to cook until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Divide greens between 4 bowls. Add sweet potato slices, avocado, and fried eggs. Serve with sunflower seeds, chia seeds, salsa, and/or a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
(Recipe and photo from the Roasted Root)

Zucchini Chickpea Quinoa Salad

(This salad has the rich, warm flavors of cumin, turmeric and paprika and offers protein for a complete, filling meal.)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 of a 15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 medium zucchini, chopped into small chunks
2 green onions, white and green parts chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook quinoa according to package and set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl mix chickpeas, zucchini, green onions and dill together.
In a small mixing bowl whisk together the olive oil, tumeric, cumin and paprika for the dressing. Add the quinoa to the zucchini and chickpea mixture and combine. Mix in dressing and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh dill.
(Recipe and photo from A Cedar Spoon)

Kale Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken

Ingredients: Serves 2
1 bunch lacinato kale, sliced into very thin ribbons, then give it a rough chop
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup cubed brioche bread (or any croutons you dig)
1 pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
2 tsp Dijon mustard (even stone ground is fabulous)
2 tsp anchovy paste (or 3 anchovy fillets + 2 cloves minced garlic)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced (seasoning totally up to you!)
Directions:
Start with your croutons. Heat the Tbs. of oil in a small sauté pan. Add the cubed brioche and a pinch of salt; sauté until it starts to brown and crisp up. It happens fast! Don’t leave it.
In a large mixing bowl (or right in your wooden salad serving bowl), add the egg yolk, mustard, anchovy paste and worcestershire sauce. Whisk it until nice and smooth. Then add the olive oil and whisk it all again. Looking good, right? Now add the cheese. Whisk it all up. Holy face. Taste it. But prepare to glory faint. The rest is super easy. Add the kale and croutons. Toss toss toss until the silky, salty, fabulous dressing coats every last thing. Top with sliced grill chicken and faint again.
(Recipe and photo from Bev Cooks)

JUICE FEAST CONTAINS:
RED AND GOLD LOOSE BEETS
BABY SPINACH
CARROTS x2
STRAWBERRIES
PARSLEY/MINT
CUCUMBERS
LACINATO KALE
FUJI APPLES from CUYUAMA ORCHARDS
PINK GRAPEFRUIT from SOMMERS RANCH
CHERIMOYAS from GOODLAND ORGANICS (great for smoothies, helps the greens go down!)

Every week our farm box is loaded with sweet carrots and crispy fresh lettuce. Sometimes it’s good to take a step back and appreciate the process. Every 10 days -2 weeks a few guys sit at a table and hand seed the lettuce into flats of soil. The flats then sit in a special area covered in plastic to create heat and are taken care of daily. Those flats are then hand sown into the ground and weeded with a hoe when necessary. Approximately 3 months later each head is handpicked and packed into a box for our CSA the day of or before you receive it. The carrot seeds are dropped into the ground via tractor, but are sown into the ground every 2 weeks as well so we can sustain a consistent supply.
I saw the first cucumber come out of our green house today. Most of them are teeny tiny, but it’s fun to know they are coming soon.

Granola of the week is Cranberry Cashew, my favorite! Baked fresh to order, its made right here in Goleta. Shop for it here in our CSA store.

CSA Contains:
CARROTS
RED LEAF LETTUCE
FAVA BEANS
ITALIAN PARSLEY
LEEKS
GREEN KALE
CAULIFLOWER
STRAWBERRIES
GREEN CABBAGE
GREEN ZUCCHINI
BIG BOX: SPINACH, RED BEETS, CARROTS, ROMAINE, STRAWBERRIES

Continue reading “Week of March 25th – the farm box essentials”