Week of April 24th

My dear Community,

There’s an expected lull on the farm right now. I always predict it when it’s freezing and raining outside, but the effects of that weather come months after not being able to consistently plant because it’s too muddy or we get sudden mildew on the plants because of the heavy fog.

I’ve talked about Food Safety in the past. You can read more here (Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Audits | Agricultural Marketing Service (usda.gov) Although it claims to be voluntary, and not free, the threads of our farm can’t function if we don’t comply. We will no longer be able to sell our products wholesale and there’s a possibility this might extend to farmers markets in the future. I can’t help but spread the word on this subject as it mostly happens behind the scenes and consumers tend to know nothing about it. The theory of GAP is, in my eyes, turning farms into sterile environments, chlorinating the water, dictates excessive hand washing, bans reusing boxes and no box can ever touch the ground. Really, a box unable to touch down on organic soil? Those are some of the rules behind “food safety.” Clearly, they aren’t remotely concerned with the health of our soil, the biodiversity we create that works in harmony with our ecosystem or our complex composting system. The rules and regulations simply create a job for someone at the farm to simply fill out paperwork and check off boxes. It’s hard for me to sit behind the scenes quietly so I appreciate this blog as an outlet. I’m not sure if there’s a solution as the Federal Government has already been implementing this for years and we’re apparently the last to either sign up or shut down.  

So what to do from here? It’s always been so important to support your local farmers, but now more so than ever – get your produce straight from the source. Thanks for being a part of our CSA, spreading the word and shopping at your local farmers market.

Be good to each other.

CSA Contains:
CARROTS
RED LEAF LETTUCE
LACINATO KALE
STRAWBERRIES
SUGAR SNAP PEAS
BABY SPINACH from JAYLEAF ORGANICS
BROCCOLI from CAPAY ORGANICS
SWEET POTATOES
SWEET SPRING ONIONS from SUNRISE ORGANICS
ARTICHOKES from SUNRISE ORGANICS
BIG BOX ADD: SUGAR SNAP PEAS, ROMAINE LETTUCE, STRAWBERRIES, CARROTS, RED BEETS

JUST the BASICS:
CARROTS
RED leaf
BROCCOLI
STRAWBERRIES
SUGAR SNAP PEAS
BABY SPINACH

JUICE FEAST:
CARROTS x2
ROMAINE LETTUCE
FUJI APPLES
RED CABBAGE
BABY SPINACH
EUREKA LEMONS
RED BEETS
FENNEL
STRAWBERRIES
CILANTRO

FRUIT EXPANSION: CARA CARA ORANGES + STRAWBERRIES
LETTUCE of the WEEK: ROMAINE
MUSHROOM MIX: SHIITAKE + OYSTERS from WOLFE FARMS

Stir Fry Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients:
1 pound Sugar Snap Peas, ends removed and chopped
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp. Coconut Aminos
1 tsp. Minced Ginger
1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp. Sesame Seeds, toasted
½ tsp. Sea Salt
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Small Farm Big Life)

Vegan Broccoli “Cheddar” Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
Vegan “Cheese” Sauce
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked 3 hours
3 Tbsp tahini
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste
For the Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
4 small sweet potatoes, roasted
1 Tbsp avocado oil
2 large crowns broccoli, chopped into florets
2 Tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Nutritional Yeast, to taste
1/4 tsp ground paprika
1/4 tsp sea salt
For Serving:
1 Tbsp hemp seeds
2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at The Roasted Root)

The Best Shredded Kale Salad

Ingredients:
FOR THE SALAD AND DRESSING:
2 medium bunches destemmed lacinato/dinosaur kale, finely chopped (8 to 9 cups/300 to 340 g chopped)
2 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup (60 mL) fresh lemon juice
3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (just eyeball it)
1/4 to 1/2 cup (35 to 70 g) dried sweetened cranberries, for garnish
FOR THE PECAN PARMESAN:
1 cup (120 g) pecan halves, toasted
1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 pinches fine sea salt
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Oh She Glows)

Garlic Roasted Artichokes

Ingredients:
6 fresh artichokes
12 garlic cloves peeled
2 lemons halved
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
Olive oil
Lemon slices for serving
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Kim Brough Daniels)