My dear Community,
As I walked around the perimeter of our farm in Buellton I felt a deep sense of gratitude for our farming practices. There’s probably around 80 acres of farmable land here and about half is covered in oats and vetch, a cover crop we grow in the winter to restore balance to the soil. Cover crops also help harness carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and put it back into the soil where it performs soil respiration, a key ecosystem process. The crops that are growing right now are extremely diverse and are constantly moved around. This helps the soil from becoming too depleted. Our compost piles must stretch to cover over an acre, working around the clock with elements of the whole community involved. I see truckloads of horse manure and other green waste from neighbors being dumped in addition to the elements from our farm. It’s fantastic for us to have such diversity and great for our neighbors who would otherwise be hauling this off to the dump. Pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and cows roam around in their individual pastures and we try to keep as many animals integrated into the farm as possible. The future of farming is beyond organic, it’s regenerative practices that care for our soil.
As packaging prices continue to soar I wanted to send out a reminder about our boxes. Please break down your box for pickup. Check out our box tutorial here if you haven’t already. It’s important to break it down properly so we can reuse it. It shouldn’t be a struggle but smooth and easy. If the bottom of the boxes are ripped, then it is unusable and goes to the dump. If you’re unable to break it down without ripping in, then please leave it intact. Keep in mind breaking it down ensures easier storage, is less hospitable for critters and more efficient for our drivers/staff at the farm. Thank you.
Be good to each other.
“Darkness can not drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate or anger cannot do that; only love can do that.” Martin L. King
CSA Contains:
BABY SPINACH
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
CARROTS
RED ONIONS
GARNET YAMS **
NAPPA CABBAGE
BROCCOLI
GREEN LEAF LETTUCE
SATSUMA TANGERINES
LACINATO KALE
BIG BOX ADD: BRUSSELS SPROUTS, FUJI APPLES, ROMAINE LETTUCE, CARROTS, HASS AVOCADOS
**We struggled with our sweet potatoes this week. After the long rains we realized there was a lot of damage done to the potatoes. We did our best to sort them and give you the best of what was available. If you had any problems feel free to reach out to me and we will replace them.
JUST the BASICS:
BABY SPINACH
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
CARROTS
GARNET YAMS
BROCCOLI
SATSUMA TANGERINES
JUICE FEAST:
CARROTS x2
ROMAINE LETTUCE
LACINATO KALEF
FUJI APPLES
FENNEL
SATSUMA TANGERINES
CELERY
BUNCHED SPINACH
CILANTRO
EUREKA LEMONS
FRUIT EXPANSION: SATSUMA TANGERINES and FUJI APPLES
LETTUCE of the WEEK: RED BUTTER
MUSHROOM MIX: will update – coming from our local growers
Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Kale Salad
Ingredients:
1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated with a micro plane grater
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups finely shredded Tuscan or lacinato kale leaves, stems removed*
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano
1 small apple, diced or ½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup toasted sliced almonds or another toasted chopped nut of choice*
(Find the full recipe and directions here at Healthy Seasonal Recipes)
Paleo Breakfast Sweet Potato Bowl
Ingredients:
1 small to medium-sized broccoli head, or 2 cups riced broccoli
1 cup cooked sweet potato and pumpkin, cubed
1 spring onion, sliced
2 tablespoons Grass-Fed Ghee
2 eggs
1/2 avocado, sliced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Salt and chili flakes to taste
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Bulletproof)
Chinese Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast shredded
3 cups shredded napa cabbage
1/2 red onion cut into thin slices
1 carrot cut into matchsticks
1/2 cup snow peas (I love using frozen edamame)
1/3 green onions thinly sliced
1 mandarin orange
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 1/2 tbsp white sesame seeds
1/3 cup flaked almonds toasted
Dressing
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp honey* (omit for Whole30)
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic crushed
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Every Last Bite)
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients:
10 cups sweet potatoes, about 3 large, chopped evenly into bite-size chunks
1 Tablespoon avocado or olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 ounces baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped very small
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 avocado, chopped in chunks
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
ground black pepper, to taste
1-2 Tablespoons hemp seeds, optional
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Eating Bird Food)
Mushroom and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
(Stuffing could be put into sweet potatoes if you don’t eat meat!)
Ingredients:
Chicken:
1 Tbsp avocado oil
4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp Sea salt
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
¼ tsp black pepper
Mushroom Stuffing:
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
16 ounces mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 ounces baby spinach
6 ounces feta cheese
¼ tsp sea salt, to taste
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at The Roasted Root)