My dear community,

A few weeks ago our ice machine at the farm broke which came with the lesson that broccoli does not like the heat. Within a matter of hours mine turned from bright green to yellow. We should have better luck with the broccoli this week as our ice machine is back up and running. There are so many ways to use broccoli, and get kids to love it. Roasting broccoli with olive oil and topping it with a squeeze of lemon juice and Parmesan is a favorite side in our household.
As the days get shorter we’re starting to plant the greenhouses for the winter. Tomatoes and cucumbers will have an extended season due to the extra heat the houses provide. We’ve been working on moving green houses to and from different locations which kept us busy this week. We’ve accumulated new equipment so we’ve decided to expand the operation a little bit.

We just planted cauliflower and I’m really looking forward to it in December.

Be good to each other.

CSA Contains:
BROCCOLI
CANTALOUPE
CARROTS
CELERY
LACINATO KALE
HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
ROMAINE LETTUCE
MOUNTAIN MAGIC TOMATOES
GREEN ZUCCHINI
GREEN BEANS
BIG BOX ADD: RED LEAF, CARROTS, PEARS, CUCUMBERS, BASIL

FRUIT EXPANSION: STRAWBERRIES and RASPBERRIES
LETTUCE of the WEEK: RED LEAF

JUICE FEAST:
CANTALOUPE
CARROTS
CELERY
DINO KALE
ROMAINE LETTUCE
BOSC PEARS
CUCUMBERS
STRAWBERRIES
ITALIAN PARSLEY

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My dear community

A few things regarding our pickup locations:

*Adams Elementary- we’re back and delivering outside again. We are hoping with the increased number of people around campus it will minimize theft. So far so good.

*Cold Springs Elementary- the school staff is asking for carrot tops and scraps for the school bunny. A labeled bucket will be left out for this. Thanks in advance from the bunnies.

A lot more of the same happening this week with hot temperatures ripening everything faster than we can keep up with. We’ve been picking like crazy and weeding our way through the hot temperatures. In the orchard we’ve finished picking our peaches for the year. Apples and pears are on the way.

We just welcomed 30 new chicks to try to meet the demand of eggs in the near future. Our previous flock has just started laying. As chickens begin laying they produce small eggs called pullets. After a few months those pullets turn into what we know as regular size eggs. I’m hoping we will be able to start fulfilling new egg subscriptions in the next few weeks. It’s been such a pleasure to provide them to our CSA members. If you are interested in a dozen of our small pullets for $5/dozen just let me know.

With summer abundance, I turn to canning. I love making my own sauce year round, so canned over 30 quarts of tomatoes last week. What have you preserved over the summer?

Be good to each other.

CSA Contains:
A MELON
CARROTS
RED LEAF LETTUCE
RED TOMATOES
HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
ITALIAN PARSLEY
RED ONIONS
GREEN ZUCCHINI
RED BELL PEPPERS
HASS AVOCADOS
BIG BOX ADD: ORANGE KABOCHA SQUASH, CARROTS, EGGPLANT, RASPBERRIES, GREEN LEAF LETTUCE

FRUIT EXPANSION: RASPBERRIES and STRAWBERRIES
LETTUCE of the WEEK: RED LEAF

JUICE FEAST:
GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLES
CELERY
ITALIAN PARSLEY
CARROTS
LACINATO KALE
CUCUMBERS
ROMAINE LETTUCE
RED BELL PEPPERS

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My dear community:

We are back on for pick-up at Adams Elementary School. If you switched from here last week and wish to resume at Adam’s Elementary, please shoot me a quick email today. It can be as simple as putting “Switch back to Adams Elementary” in the subject line. Please let me know ASAP so we can plan accordingly.

You may notice the box looks a little smaller this week. It’s not because there are less items, we are substituting in another item for lettuce for the first time in a long time. Between some burnt crops (it’s like a heatwave!) and some misplantings we are short this week. Think of it as an opportunity to play around with different kinds of salads. I made a wonderful chopped cucumber, onion, cherry tomato, garbanzo bean, basil and feta salad last night, dressed with a simple olive oil and balsamic blend. I look forward to making it again tonight.

With triple digit temperatures starting last week we are stuck at the mercy of the weather. Of course we always are – but it’s definitely apparent right now. It’s been about 100 degrees up here in Buellton (as the SYV community knows) where a majority of our crops are growing. We had a crazy lightning and thunderstorm on Saturday that dumped rain on us. We had to scramble to get all our onions out of the field and put them next to fans – which was run by a generator, and then we lost power for 24 hours. We just have to roll with the punches. Hope everyone is staying cool and enjoy your dose of fruits and veggies this week.

CSA Contains:
CANTALOUPE
BROCCOLI
CARROTS
GREEN BEANS
MOUNTAIN MAGIC TOMATOES
YELLOW ONIONS
MINI SWEET BELL PEPPERS
HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
LACINATO KALE
CUCUMBERS
BIG BOX ADD: CELERY, CARROTS, BASIL, GREEN LEAF LETTUCE, HASS AVOCADOS

FRUIT EXPANSION: RASPBERRIES and PLUOTS (or just double raspberry)
LETTUCE of the WEEK: GREEN LEAF

JUICE FEAST:
CANTALOUPE
CARROTS x2
LACINATO KALE
CUCUMBERS
CELERY x2
RED BELL PEPPERS
GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLES
ITALIAN PARSLEY

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My dear community members,

Our CSA box is kind of like a healthy alternative trick or treat bag this week, loaded with all the best sweets. We are picking our melons tomorrow but won’t know which we’ll put in the boxes until Wednesday morning once we sort them out. I hope you get a chance to slow down and enjoy the flavors of summer that are coming straight off the farm.

Updates on two drop locations:
*Adams Elementary School is being relocated to one of our other locations, per request, this week and possibly next. The auditorium is being cleared of rodents. We hope to resume next week but will keep you updated here on the blog.

*UCSB – We are having issues with non-members opening up boxes and/or taking whole boxes. We are going to try and deliver around the corner from our usual spot to see if that helps. We will send you a more specific detailed email if you pick up here. If you can offer a suggestion for a better spot, we’re all ears!

If you’ve moved to a different pickup location because of either of these two issues, and wish to return – you will need to log into your account to update your location.

Be good to each other.

CSA Contains:
STRAWBERRIES
BLACKBERRIES or RASPBERRIES
CANTELOUPE (could be canary or galia)
GREEN LEAF LETTUCE
GREEN ZUCCHINI
MOUNTAIN MAGIC TOMATOES
HEIRLOOMS TOMATOES
LUNCHBOX PEPPERS (super sweet)
HASS AVOCADOS
CARROTS
BIG BOX ADD: BASIL, RED BUTTER LETTUCE, SPAGHETTI SQUASH, STRAWBERRIES, RED BELL PEPPERS

FRUIT EXPANSION: BLACKBERRIES or RASPBERRIES and STRAWBERRIES
LETTUCE of the WEEK: RED BUTTER

JUICE FEAST:
STRAWBERRIES
BLACKBERRIES or RASPBERRIES
CARROTS
CILANTRO
LACINATO KALE
CELERY
CUCUMBERS
RED BELL PEPPERS
CANTELOUPE
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My dear community,

A few quick notes for this week:

*If you received a CSA box last week with an orange kabocha squash it needs about 2 more weeks to cure (NOT in the refrigerator). These squash were picked a little prematurely without my knowledge, but will surely ripen in a matter of weeks.

*We are in the process of putting Bragg cookbooks in all the boxes. They are gifts from Patricia Bragg and hopefully will inspire some delicious things. She’s written 10 different cookbooks – so look forward to a few more.

*We’ve been picking peppers we’re unable to use in the boxes and feeding them to the animals. Don’t be surprised to see red yolks in our eggs this week- a testament to the freshness and the direct product of what the chickens eat. The goats and pigs especially love the peppers and I was surprised to even see the geese going for them. Everyone eats well on the farm! We are anticipating some new kids in the near future as well and I hope to start making goat cheese and my dream- goat milk ice cream.

Be good to each other.

CSA Contains:
CARROTS
RED LEAF LETTUCE
MIXED POTATOES
RED BELL PEPPERS
WATERMELON – MIGHT HAVE A YELLOW SKIN
BLACKBERRIES or RASPBERRIES
CHERRY TOMATOES
COLLARD GREENS
RED TOMATOES
LEMON CUCUMBERS
BIG BOX ADD: HASS AVOCADOS, BROCCOLI, CARROTS, ANAHEIM PEPPERS, GREEN ZUCCHINI

FRUIT EXPANSION: BLACKBERRIES and STRAWBERRIES
LETTUCE of the WEEK: LITTLE GEM LETTUCE

JUICE FEAST:
CARROTS
ROMAINE LETTUCE
RED BELL PEPPERS
WATERMELON
BLACKBERRIES or RASPBERRIES
COLLARD GREENS
CUCUMBERS
CELERY
LACINATO KALE
STRAWBERRIES

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