Week of August 25, 2025
My dear Community,
This week I’m heading to Avila to pack up fresh-picked Gala apples — one of those fruits that only grace us for a short window, and when they do, it’s a gift. That’s the truth of summer produce: it’s fleeting, it’s fragile, and it asks us to savor it while it lasts.
We're grateful the heatwave broke. In Buellton we had temperatures in the high 90s. Some crops couldn’t take the heat — they burned up in the fields before we could bring them to you. That’s farming. And honestly? It’s life. The harvest is never guaranteed, but every zucchini, every carrot, every bell pepper that does make it through carries the story of resilience.
I've been delivering weekly loads of produce to La Casa de la Raza. For me, it’s one way of tending to my own heart in these heavy times. Fear and anger may dominate the headlines - they’re easy clickbait - but I’ve learned that connection is the antidote. Every box of food we bring there is proof that hope and joy can be acts of resistance, too. By feeding each other, we’re building something stronger than the system that tries to divide us.
This CSA box isn’t just nourishment for your body - it’s part of something bigger. It’s a rhythm of resistance. Against a food system that prizes shelf life over flavor. Against corporations that treat food like a commodity instead of the sacred connection it is. Every avocado, every Mountain Magic tomato, every head of red butter lettuce is proof that another way is possible.
Summer food like this doesn’t just fill us up - it grounds us. It reminds us that real nourishment is seasonal, imperfect, fleeting, and worth celebrating. So as you bite into those apples, toss green beans into the pan, or tear cilantro over a dish this week, let it remind you of this simple truth: food is resistance, resilience, and reverence, all at once.
Be good to each other.
No Bake Healthy Carrot Cake Bars
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Bars:
3 carrots, grated [approx. 2.5 cups of grated carrot]
1 cup (95 grams) rolled oats
1 cup (125 grams) walnuts (or nut free version: replace walnuts with 1 cup oats)
1 cup (100 grams) almond meal (or nut free version: replace almond meal with 1 cup coconut)
1 cup (60 grams) desiccated coconut
6 medjool dates, pit removed
1/3 cup (80 mls) coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup (60 mls) maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste [or extract]
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1/4 teaspoon ginger, ground
zest of 1 orange
pinch of salt
Frosting:
1 1/4 cup raw cashews (soaked in recently boiled water for 30 minutes and drained)
1/2 cup (125 ml) coconut cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
Find the full recipe and inspiration here at My Lovely Little Lunch Box
30-minute Portobello Mushroom Stir-Fry
Ingredients
MARINADE/SAUCE
2 cloves garlic (minced // 2 cloves yield ~1 Tbsp)
2 tsp minced ginger
3-4 Tbsp maple syrup (or agave nectar or coconut sugar)
1/2 tsp red pepper flake (more or less to taste)
3-4 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free // more or less to taste)
1 Tbsp sesame oil (toasted or untoasted)
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp water
VEGETABLES
2 portobello mushrooms (~20 g each)
1 medium red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
1 cup chopped broccolini
1 cup chopped green onion (optional)
FOR SERVING optional
4 cups cooked brown rice or cauliflower rice
1 tsp sesame seeds
Find the full recipe and directions here at Minimalist Baker
Paleo Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
4 to 5 medium apples (any variety), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
Juice of ½ lemon
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Crumble Topping:
½ cup almond flour
½ cup raw pecans
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of sea salt
Coconut-milk vanilla-flavored ice cream, for serving, optional
Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Rachels Good Eats
Southwestern Zucchini Noodle Bowls
Ingredients:
For the bowls
2 medium zucchini, spiralized
1 ear corn
14 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
1/4 red onion thinly sliced
1 large avocado, sliced
1/4 cup queso fresco
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Cilantro, for garnish
Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Two Peas and Their Pod