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Week 9 from Valley Flora!

Beet Box -

Week 9 from Valley Flora! Walla Walla Sweets! Tomatoes! Cukes!
Thanks for eating locally from our family farm!
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What's Cookin' on the Farm...
  • Holy OnionTomatoCukeBeetCabbage Batman!
  • Reading Reminder :)
 
Cirque du Valley Flora! Pippin, Cleo, Uma and Jules, bottom to top.
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What's Probably In Your Share This Week:*
  • Walla Walla Sweet Onions
  • Broccoli
  • Red Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Head Lettuce
  • Strawberries
  • Zucchini
  • Cucumbers
  • Tomatoes
  • Beets
  • Dill
On Rotation:
(Some locations will receive it this week; others in a future week)
  • Spinach/Arugula
*Harvest Basket contents may vary between pickup sites in a given week depending on what's ripe and ready on the farm. Don't worry - if something is on the list but not in your tote, you'll get it soon!

The VF Crystal Ball - What Might be in your Share Next Week...
  • Broccoli
  • Red Onions
  • Lettuce
  • Carrots
  • Cucumbers
  • Zucchini
  • Strawberries
  • Potatoes
  • Tomatoes
Holy OnionTomatoesCukeBeetCabbage Batman!
Whoa, dense food!

This week's tote is a crescendo of some things late, some things early and others right on time. Tomatoes: early. Beets and Walla Wallas: late. Red Cabbage: spot on.

All I could see while we were packing Harvest Baskets yesterday was a chopped salad with tomatoes and cucumber and carrots and Walla Wallas - some iteration of Greek salad. It's one of my favorite things to eat and as a result I anticipate and crave this collision of farm food all year. It's the kind of of salad that can easily become a stand-alone dinner, especially if you pump it up with some nuts, or beans or cheese to give it more protein oompf.

Chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi really made me fall in love with the idea thanks to this recipe: Spiced Chickpea with Fresh Vegetable Salad. I improvise everytime I make it, adding whatever choppable veg I have on hand, and usually omitting the radishes since I never have them growing on the farm at the same time as cucumbers and tomatoes. The spiced chickpeas are addictive. Come eggplant time (soon!), I like to broil eggplant slabs, chop them up and add them to the salad as well. If you don't own any of Ottolenghi's cookbooks, this is the right season to buy one (or four). Jerusalem is a great place to start. He excels at all things vegetable (and meat) and will teach you how to make a mean shawarma.
 
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Reading Reminder
Just a gentle nudge reminding everyone to read the signage and labels at your pickup site each time. There has a been a rash of salad, egg and flower share mix-ups recently. Also, and just as importantly, if someone is picking up on your behalf, S-P-E-L-L it out for them in all caps bold. Tell them what to take, but also tell them explicitly what NOT to take. Proxy pick-ups are the culprit behind missing salad/egg/flower shares 99% of the time. Thanks for your help from my beleaguered detective desk.
 
One of the fields in the New Nine, thick with winter squash, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, kale, chard and purple-flowering Phacelia, a cover crop that we inter-planted with our cash crops to create habitat for beneficial insects. The bees love it! White clover is also inter-seeded in the pathways between single row crops to create a living (and flowering) mulch between rows.
The Farmstand is Open for Summer Hours!
Every Wednesday and Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm, rain or shine!

Fresh Produce
U-pick Strawberries
Homemade Jam & Hot Sauce

Please bring your own bags!

Please note our hours are slightly changed from year's past, closing at 2 pm instead of 3 pm
 
For Recipes & Cooking Inspiration:
 
Valley Flora Recipe Wizard
Our own collection of recipes gathered over the years.
 
Epicurious
A vast collection of recipes, searchable by one or multiple ingredients
 
Full Belly Farm
Recipes from one of my favorite farms in California, pioneers of the organic movement since the 80s.

Farm Fresh to You
A storehouse of recipes, searchable by ingredient.
 
Helsing Junction Farm
A Washington farm that has a good collection of seasonal recipes geared toward CSA members.
Copyright © 2018 Valley Flora, All rights reserved.


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Farm-to-Table benefit supports art and agriculture - Benitolink: San Benito County News

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Benitolink: San Benito County News
Farm-to-Table benefit supports art and agriculture
Benitolink: San Benito County News
“There were people here supporting the arts,” said Herbert, whose family owns Herbert Family Organic Farm. “There were people here supporting local agriculture. To get farmers who grow the food to join the people to share a meal with them is awesome.”.

COLUMN: From farm to table, local produce boxes find a way into our kitchens — and hearts - Squamish Chief

Google Feed -


Squamish Chief
COLUMN: From farm to table, local produce boxes find a way into our kitchens — and hearts
Squamish Chief
... to say aside from historically when it was out of utter necessity. Over the past half a century we have slowly moved away from our roots and today most of us don't have a clue what it means to grow delicious, nutritious food and eat local, organic ...

Award presented to researcher who has been cleaning up the soil of Xochimilco - Mexico News Daily

Google Feed -


Mexico News Daily
Award presented to researcher who has been cleaning up the soil of Xochimilco
Mexico News Daily
The organization grows organic produce for big-name local chefs like Eduardo García (Máximo Bistrot and Lalo!) and Enrique Olvera (Pujol) and runs a local CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) program in Mexico City. Working with five other farmers, ...

Berkshire Grown farm tour shows collaboration among area farmers is alive and well - theberkshireedge.com

Google Feed -


theberkshireedge.com
Berkshire Grown farm tour shows collaboration among area farmers is alive and well
theberkshireedge.com
South Egremont — The simple fact that Bill and Paul Turner of Turner Farms provide hay to Will Conklin of Sky View Farm and manure to Elizabeth Keen of Indian Line Farm is enough to prove that collaboration among farmers in the area is alive and well ...

A new breed of urban growers bring hyper-local produce to Columbus - Columbus Alive

Google Feed -


Columbus Alive
A new breed of urban growers bring hyper-local produce to Columbus
Columbus Alive
Specifically, it's the Peace Love and Freedom Farm, a lovely third-of-an-acre garden that has earned a Certified Organic accreditation from the United States Department of Agriculture. Farmer Karcic, who is also a budding filmmaker and longtime ...

Pemberton organic farms connect locals with food through CSA programs - Pique Newsmagazine

Google Feed -


Pique Newsmagazine
Pemberton organic farms connect locals with food through CSA programs
Pique Newsmagazine
So, it forces someone to do a bit of Googling or look at cookbooks to figure things out and get more connected to your food and what can be grown locally here." The verdict? "He's really excited and having a good time with it." CSA programs—or ...

A new breed of urban growers in bringing hyper-local produce to Columbus - Columbus Alive

Google Feed -


Columbus Alive
A new breed of urban growers in bringing hyper-local produce to Columbus
Columbus Alive
Specifically, it's the Peace Love and Freedom Farm, a lovely third-of-an-acre garden that has earned a Certified Organic accreditation from the United States Department of Agriculture. Farmer Karcic, who is also a budding filmmaker and longtime ...

Healthy food delivery service goes brick and mortar - The Sparta Independent

Google Feed -


The Sparta Independent
Healthy food delivery service goes brick and mortar
The Sparta Independent
Front Porch prides itself on searching the organic market to find the best quality products. In salads for example, locally sourced micro greens are used. Because produce is fresh, the menu varies, offering items always available plus seasonal ones too.

Week 8 from Valley Flora!

Beet Box -

Week 8 from Valley Flora! Fleeting Favas! The First Onions!
Thanks for eating locally from our family farm!
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What's Cookin' on the Farm...
  • Fava Beans
  • New Strawberry Patch is Open, plus U-Pick Flowers!
  • California Honeydrops Tonight-Please Read!
Amelia's zinnias in technicolor!
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What's Probably In Your Share This Week:*
  • Spinach
  • Zucchini
  • Head Lettuce
  • Strawberries
  • Broccoli
  • Bunch Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Purplette Onions
  • Parsley
On Rotation:
(Some locations will receive it this week; others in a future week)
  • Nothing this week...
*Harvest Basket contents may vary between pickup sites in a given week depending on what's ripe and ready on the farm. Don't worry - if something is on the list but not in your tote, you'll get it soon!

The VF Crystal Ball - What Might be in your Share Next Week...
  • Broccoli
  • Beets?
  • Lettuce
  • Carrots
  • Walla Walla Sweets
  • Zucchini
  • Strawberries
  • Red Cabbage
  • Cucumbers?
  • Tomatoes?
  • Strawberries
Fava Beans
Two words: grill them.

Favas might be one of the lesser known veggies that end up in your tote this season, right there with the kohlrabi and celeriac. Because they're not-so-common in American kitchens, you might appreciate a couple pointers.

First, you don't eat the pod! The good eating is inside - the fat beans that are nestled amongst that downy fuzz. One more thing, though: the beans themselves are wearing jackets, a pale green skin that is edible but a little tough. The bean beneath is bright green and super tender. Of course getting to that bean is a project - first shell the beans, then peel the beans, and then, finally, cook the beans. Slow food at it's best.

Here's a collection of recipes that use them in that pristine, perfect, peeled form: https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/fava-bean-recipes-gallery/

But if you're like me, there aren't a lot of hours in the day to be shelling and painstakingly peeling fava beans, which is why I love to grill them. We put whole pods on the BBQ and grill them until they're soft and charred on the outside. When they come off the grill and cool a little you can coax the beans out of the pod, bite off a corner of the pale green "jacket," and squeeze the beans straight into your mouth. It turns a fava shelling chore into a fava eating party. Way more fun and really yummy.
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New Strawberry Patch is Open, plus U-Pick Flowers!
We've opened the New Nine field across the road to strawberry u-pick. The new berry patch is just ramping up and the fruit is big and beautiful right now! If you want to u-pick in the new field, check in at the farmstand first so we can weigh your containers. Please return to the farmstand at the end of your visit to weigh and pay.

Please remember to only pick within the roped off area - don't cross the white fence. Also, please don't pick anything but strawberries in the New Nine (flowers and veggies are not for u-pick in that field). The second year berry patch near the farmstand is still open for u-pick as well. Our strawberry season is almost a month late this year so we anticipate that the best is yet to come! The berries should yield well into September.

There are u-pick flowers near the farmstand; the dahlias are blooming along with an array of other cut flowers that you are welcome to harvest. Check in at the farmstand for clippers and u-pick flower tubes.

 
The New Nine strawberry patch is in production! Please stay within the roped area, don't walk on the beds, and supervise your kiddos. Please don't pick anything but strawberries in the New Nine. Thanks!
California Honeydrops Details
Tonight's California Honeydrops show at the farm is sold out. If you are a ticketholder, please take note of these event details!
  • Gates open at 6:30
  • Please carpool or ride your bike! Parking is limited and the planet is getting hot! Please don't park in any neighbors' driveways.
  • No pets (dogs, cats, hamsters, or anything else!)
  • This is a leave-no-trace event. If you pack it in, please pack it out.
  • No seating is provided. Please bring your own lawn chair or picnic blanket, but be prepared to set up at a distance from the stage cuz the dance floor zone gets packed!
  • Kids age 10 and under are free. If you are bringing kids over the age of 10 they must have a ticket!
  • There will be awesome eats at the show, so come hungry! The following vendors will be present:
    • The Spoon (burgers, etc.)
    • The Loft (grilled veggies, seasonal salads, hand pies, desserts, beer, wine)
    • Sprengelmeyers (tacos - fish, veggie, and more, all on fresh homemade tortillas)
  • No camping at the farm after the show and please don't wander in the farm fields, thanks!
The Farmstand is Open for Summer Hours!
Every Wednesday and Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm, rain or shine!

Fresh Produce
U-pick Strawberries
Homemade Jam & Hot Sauce

Please bring your own bags!

Please note our hours are slightly changed from year's past, closing at 2 pm instead of 3 pm
 
For Recipes & Cooking Inspiration:
 
Valley Flora Recipe Wizard
Our own collection of recipes gathered over the years.
 
Epicurious
A vast collection of recipes, searchable by one or multiple ingredients
 
Full Belly Farm
Recipes from one of my favorite farms in California, pioneers of the organic movement since the 80s.

Farm Fresh to You
A storehouse of recipes, searchable by ingredient.
 
Helsing Junction Farm
A Washington farm that has a good collection of seasonal recipes geared toward CSA members.
Copyright © 2018 Valley Flora, All rights reserved.


unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 

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