Week of May 17, 2026
Hi SGO members 🌱
Boxes are confirmed for this week! Thank you all for being here and continuing to support local organic farming with us. It’s a dying breed in Santa Barbara, and we hope to keep this movement going as long as we can. The fields are really shifting into late spring right now — some crops are wrapping up while others are just starting to take off. Tomatoes and eggplant may come soon!
Here’s what’s going out this week:
Basic Share
• Zucchini
• Red leaf lettuce
• Fennel
• Ojai Pixies
• Avocados
• Cucumbers
Regular Share Additions
• Parsley
• Dino kale
• Carrots
• Strawberries
Large Share Additions
• Beets
• Arugula
• Pickling cucumbers
• Cherimoya
• Green Gem lettuce
The fruit expansion this week is blueberries and blackberries! We may be a little short on blueberries because of the seasonal shift between varieties right now. Our blueberry friends over at Forbidden Fruit Orchards are helping us fill most of what we need, and we’ll adjust where we can as the harvest changes week to week.
We also planted new fruit trees recently: jujube, fig, peach, and pineapple guava. It’s always exciting thinking ahead to future harvests and what the farm will continue growing into over the next few years.
One of the extra special things about the large box and the seasonal fruit expansion is this: you get access to the limited quantity items that are harder to grow and only come around for short windows of time. Things like cherimoya, specialty berries, unique greens, and future orchard fruits are part of what makes those shares feel especially abundant and seasonal.
There are lots of extras in the store this week too: duck eggs, chicken eggs, blueberries, and basil if you want to make pesto or add some extra greens to your week.
A few simple ideas:
• Quick pickles with the pickling cucumbers (you can eat them raw too!)
• Roast the beets and carrots together
• Arugula on sandwiches, eggs, or pizza
• Thin sliced fennel salad with olive oil and lemon
• Fresh strawberries over yogurt or granola (add those blueberries and blackberries!)
Thank you all again for being part of the CSA and eating with the seasons alongside us 💛
P.S. we will have freeze dried strawberries available in the store very soon! We had three large batches we’ve been silently working on packing up for you. Such a fun addition to granola, yogurt, frosting on a cake, or any culinary treat— or just a low-mess kid’s snack!
Orders close Sunday at 11:59pm if you need to make any changes or add-ons for next week.
Thank you so much for your continued support!
—Heather & Bryan Givens ✌️&💕
Easy Parsley Chimichurri
A perfect way to use up your parsley this week 🌿
Ingredients
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
Mix everything together in a bowl or jar and let sit for 10–15 minutes before serving.
Great on:
• Roasted carrots or beets
• Grilled meat or fish
• Eggs
• Toast or sandwiches
• Mixed into rice or quinoa
Keeps in the fridge for about 4–5 days.
Organic Duck Eggs
Easy Ways to Use Duck Eggs 🥚
Duck eggs are extra rich, creamy, and wonderful for baking and breakfast. A few easy ideas:
• Soft scramble with butter and herbs
• Fried eggs on toast with arugula
• Jammy eggs for salads or grain bowls
• Homemade mayo or aioli
• French toast or pancakes
• Carbonara or creamy pasta dishes
• Baking cakes, brownies, or cookies (they make everything fluffier!)
Simple favorite: Fry a duck egg in olive oil until the edges get crispy, place over toast or rice, and top with flaky salt and chili flakes. So simple and so good.
Teen Sports Radio — Any Firefighters out there?
I had the chance to do a short interview on Teen Sports Radio with Erika Zoller and Dominique Hackett, where we talked about local organic farming, community, and the heart behind Something Good Organics — from feeding families seasonally to building a CSA rooted in connection, nourishment, and care for the next generation. It reminded me how deeply interconnected our community truly is 💛
I know many of our CSA members are connected to local firefighters and firehouses throughout Santa Barbara County, and I’d love your help spreading the word. As a small way to say THANK YOU to those who serve and protect our community, we’d like to offer FREE DELIVERY on CSA boxes purchased for firefighters at Santa Barbara County Fire, Santa Barbara City Fire, and Lompoc City Fire stations.
If you have a connection to a local station, know a firefighter, or would like to sponsor a nourishing box of organic produce for a crew, please reach out. We would be honored to help feed the people who show up for our community every day — with fresh organic produce, seasonal fruit, eggs, greens, and nourishing staples delivered with gratitude from our farm to theirs 🌱🚒
🍊 Featured Recipe 🥬
Fennel Orange Salad
Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 5 mins | Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
3 medium navel or Cara Cara oranges (or Pixies!)
1 medium lemon, zested
4 garlic cloves, minced, grated, or crushed with a press
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 tablespoons (42g) extra virgin olive oil
1 generous teaspoon pure maple syrup
1 generous teaspoon Dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 large (or 3 medium) fennel bulbs, ideally with fronds attached
1 small handful fresh mint or parsley leaves
⅓ cup (40g) shelled roasted pistachios (or almonds), roughly chopped
Instructions
1. Zest one of the oranges over a small-medium bowl. Remove the peel from all three oranges, then segment the oranges or chop into small pieces. Sprinkle the oranges with a pinch of salt and pepper; set aside.
2. Prep the Spiced Vinaigrette: To the orange zest, add the lemon zest, garlic, and Aleppo pepper; set aside.
3. Lightly crush the coriander seeds by either blitzing once or twice in a spice grinder, using a mortar and pestle, or crushing with the back of a sturdy mug. Add to a small bowl with the cumin seeds and fennel seeds.
4. Make the Spiced Vinaigrette: Heat the olive oil in your smallest saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the crushed coriander, cumin, and fennel. Allow to sizzle and swirl the pan frequently to prevent burning. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until spices are a few shades darker and very aromatic. Pour the infused oil over the garlic mixture and allow to sizzle. Stir, then let sit for 1 minute.
5. To the infused oil, add 2 tablespoons (30 mL) lemon juice, the maple syrup, and Dijon mustard. Whisk well to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Prep the fennel: Pick off the wispy fronds and set aside for the garnish. Cut off the stalks from the fennel and discard. With the bulbs, shave the first layer off with a vegetable peeler. Slice each bulb in half lengthwise. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the bulbs crosswise very thinly, discarding the tough core.
7. Assemble: Add the fennel to a large salad bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and toss with your hands. Add the orange slices to the fennel. Pour on the Spiced Vinaigrette and toss gently to coat. Use your hands to tear the mint (or parsley) and fennel fronds into the salad (or roughly chop them and add). Add the pistachios and toss gently. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, as needed. For richness, drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil before serving. Serve immediately.