CSA Newsletter for the Week of June 1st
Hello CSA Members,
Hope this letter finds everyone well.
We have been really busy on the farm harvesting English peas and fava beans for wholesale. Peas and beans grow great on coastal soil. We are able to grow them 9 months out of the year, whereas other farmers in warmer areas can’t grow them through the summer. Both peas and beans make their own nitrogen fertilizer by absorbing nitorgen from the air and ‘fixing’ it in their roots. If you were to pull out a pea plant you would notice white round nodules of nitrogen. It is nice to plant a crop that produces their own fertilizer! In the winter we plant cover crops that consist of field peas and bell beans just to grow them up and disc them in for fertilzer, organic matter and to prevent erosion.
Our tomatoes in mid valley are growing well even though the weather has been on the cooler side. We will be staking them this next week and laying down drip tape. We also planted some smaller fruiting varieties on our coastal ranch and will be dry farming them for super sweet flavor. You can expect tomatoes about the first week of August.
We are starting a brand new market on Sundays in San Francisco on Sundays at Inner Sunset on Irving between 8th and 9th street. The market hours are 9 am to 1pm. Some market associations are starting small markets in different areas in the city. I think this is great; small markets and more of them in localized communities benefits the farmers and the neighborhood. We will now be in San Francisco on Wednesdays in the Castro 4 to 8pm, Fillmore at O’Farrell Saturdays 9 to 1pm and Inner Sunset Sundays from 9 am to 1pm!
Speaking of markets, please come down to PG and support the Monday night market from 4 to 8pm. There are now cooking demonstrations each week and stone fruit is in. We are also back to market in Monterey on Alvarado Street at the end of Bonafacio Place (the bread avenue) in front of Rosine’s restaurant also 4 to 8pm.As a CSA member you get a discount on Serendipity produce - so be sure to mention you are a member!
In your box this week: Dino Kale, Gold Chard, 1 lb strawberries, artichokes, fava beans, cilantro, Italian parsley, Lettuce mix, Red Beets and gold beets.
The easiest way to prepare beets is to chop off the tops and ends and boil them until you can poke a fork in them. Once they cool, roll them around in cold water under the faucet and the peels will fall right off. Beets are fabulous with goat cheese on a salad with candied walnuts on top of the lettuce mix you received this week. The best dressing, in my opinion is balsalmic vinegar and olive oil especially if it is reduced. Put some balsalmic in a sauce pan on low heat and cook it down until it thickens. Reducing will cause the balsalmic to sweeten up too.
Don’t forget that the greens of beets are really good too. Beets are in the chard family, so the beet leaves taste somewhat like chard, but more tender. Here is a delicious recipe my friend Velvet developed. Whenever we have a party and she asks what to bring, I always tell her to bring her famous beet salad.
Velvet’s Beet Salad
Boil Beets and peel as described above. Throw the chopped greens into the remaining boiling water for a few minutes at until they are soft. Strain them out and mix with chopped beets. Add in crumbled gorgonzola cheese and toasted walnuts. Toss and serve. Easy and delicious. This side dish is good with meat or on its own.
English peas and favas must be shucked before eaten. English peas can be eaten raw or cooked quickly and added to salads, mashed potatoes, stit fries, you name it. Favas are a lot of work but worth it. Shucking them is like meditation. Schuck and boil or steam, then pop the beans out of their little jackets. Smash them up with some olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper for a wonderful spread or dip. Favas are great with a little butter as a side.
Strawberry Salsa everyone! Chop strawberries with cilantro , add a little lemon juice and a hot pepper of your choice. A sweet twist on salsa!
Chard and Kale have become my favorite thing to cook and eat. Both greens are very versatille. Steam or sautee, add mushrooms and put on top of polenta, quinoa, or couscous. Add a dash of wine vinegar or soy sauce, whatever suits you.
Have a beautiful week!
Jamie Collins