1/17/24 Newsletter: On-Farm Education in 2024
2024 will bring something big back to our farm, a return to more on-farm education at Singing Frogs Farm. We’re excited. For years we held multiple intensive workshops and in some years even had a thousand people out to the farm for various workshops and tours. The pandemic shut that down and health issues in the Kaiser family haven’t allowed it to return, but now it’s time. We’re thrilled to have support from a former crew member Noah who not only knows the ins and outs of this farm but is great at education, plus we also have support from so much of our current crew, who enjoys sharing what is so deeply meaningful to them.
As such, Noah and Elizabeth are setting events in motion. We started this past Monday with a farm tour/mini workshop for Earth Activist Training with Starhawk and will continue with tours for SSU, SFSU, Analy, Sonoma County Bee Keepers, the CA Small Farms Conference, Farm Trails, plus workshops for Climate Farm School and at least two of our own Intensive Learn to Farm Workshops. We’re just starting to get information out there, feel free to share and if you have groups that may like to come out, reach out and check out the Learn page of our website.
We are also planning public tours for local customers and are starting to brainstorm on a CSA Member event or two for this spring and autumn.
Singing Frogs Farm has many goals, first and foremost to create healthy, high value food while supporting the ecosystem around us. Secondly, to share this, which means supporting new farmers who want to learn from a productive farm that incorporates these principles, being an example of that possibility for existing farmers as well as policy but also going out and talking, and bringing people to the farm to share.
We’ve created a system that works and in the last few years we haven’t altered it much, but as we were emerging we received 6 local, state and international awards. Time to get back to sharing more.
Technological Winter Projects
One of our winter projects has been some technological updates, many related to the CSA. This has gone along with getting the online EBT billing going. See our 11/29/23 newsletter on our CSA Newsletter Blog. We will be accepting CalFresh customers, if you have friends and family who need the support of low cost healthy food send them our way (there’s a 50% grant for if paying with EBT).
Last November we started putting all our Newsletters into a blog on our website. We're not thrilled with the formatting. If anyone knows Squarespace and has advice we’d be thankful. Farmers need to know so much, and apparently running a website is one of the things. ;) For years we’ve been appreciated for our newsletter and asked to get it out more into the world. This way anyone can check it out.
We’re trying to improve our communications with CSA members. Last Friday you may have noticed a different email from us, this is being sent via our software. We want to make sure you get a clear picture of the anticipated harvest before the weekend so you can plan. And this is the link to our Add-Ons which we provide because we recognize for most, a CSA box doesn’t cover all your veggie needs and this allows you to CHOOSE and curate what you want outside the curated box of seasonal basics. We’ve spent time trying to make this more user friendly this winter.
Lastly, when you signed up, you chose if you wanted a delivery reminder sent you on Wednesday mornings. We now have the option of that reminder going out by SMS text instead of email. If you would prefer, please email us or got to “Change Contact Info” in your Membership Dashboard and at the very bottom check “Prefer Text Messaging to email on reminders”. You will still receive the Friday afternoon “SFF CSA Harvest & Add-Ons” and Wednesday “SFF CSA Newsletter” emails. Note: I would prefer if you didn’t respond to these texts as the response goes into a computer log we might miss. If you want to text your farmer use Elizabeth’s mobile 707-536-7170.
We’ve also spent time updating our website, working on linking data from CSAware to Quickbooks, finding reports that will help us meet the desires and uses of our CSA members but also understand current trends at markets.
Produce Notes & Recipes
This Week’s Box
Rainbow Lacinato Kale
Napa Cabbage
Pea Shoots
Brussels Sprout Stalks
Winter Squash: Butternut or Kabocha
Fuyu Persimmons
Family Boxes: Romanesco Cauliflower
This week we’re without a Lettuce but there are many other salad options including the Brussels Sprouts, Kale, Napa and/or Pea Shoots. Although Farmer Elizabeth usually defers to roasted or pan friend Brussels Sprouts with lots of garlic (easy and delicious), a Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad can be quite a delicious winter treat! There are ever so many versions, you can do it warmed and you can include Kale!
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad (loveandlemons)
4 cups shaved Brussels sprouts
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
⅓ cup dried cranberries
⅓ cup grated pecorino cheese, optional
⅓ cup chopped chives
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Thinly slice the Brussels sprouts using a mandoline if you have one. Place them into a medium bowl and toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, pine nuts, cranberries, pecorino cheese, chives, and pinches of salt and pepper.
Let the salad sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasonings. Finish with an additional drizzle of olive oil if you like.
Kale and Brussels Salad (Snake River Farms)
1 bunch kale, stems removed and sliced into thin ribbons
2 cups Brussels sprouts, sliced thin
½ cup pomegranate seeds (or sliced Persimmons)
½ cup pistachios, toasted (or toasted Walnuts)
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved
1-2 teaspoons salt
1-2 teaspoons pepper
Lemon Vinaigrette 2 lemons, zest and juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ cup white wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
On a large serving platter or in a serving bowl, combine the kale and Brussels sprouts and season with salt and pepper.
Top with fruit, nuts, and shaved parmesan.
To make Lemon Vinaigrette place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.
Serve with Lemon Vinaigrette on the side or combine with desired amount of dressing just before serving
Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe Notes: Vinaigrette can be made in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator. Whisk before serving if any separation occurs. Also delicious on roasted potatoes and grilled vegetables.
The Napa Cabbage is incredibly crunchy and sweet. Although I just wrote about Brussels salads, this Napa would make an amazing salad with Pea Shoots.
This is the last of our Persimmons and they’re finally ripe. Use them on salads or just enjoy as a treat like an apple. When my kids were little we used to love blending or putting in food processor with a large amount of cinnamon and mixing with yogurt or putting on pancakes.
We did not have enough of either the Butternut Squash this year or Kabocha for everyone, so we have Butternut going out to Classic Boxes and Kabocha (they’re bigger) to Family Boxes. Butternut are very basic, nice because you can peal with a veggie peeler. Kabocha are drier and richer, it can be used in recipes meant for Butternut but add more water! And it is my favorite for a creamy Winter Squash soup or a Thai Squash Curry (recipe in 1/4/23 newsletter).
Butternut and Kale with White Bean Stew (Farmer John)
- 1 lb white beans (cannellini or Great Northern), soaked overnight and drained
- ¼ c olive oil, divided
- 1 whole head garlic (stem and roots removed)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lg onion, diced (~1 c)
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbs minced fresh sage
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
- 1 lg or two small butternut squash (3-4 lbs), peeled, seeded, cut into 2-in cubes
- 3 c veg or chicken stock or water (or more as needed)
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed, chopped or coarsely torn
- salt and fresh ground black pepper
Place beans in a large soup pot. Add enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Add 2 Tbs of the olive oil, the head of garlic, and the bay leaf; bring to a boil, partially cover, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the beans are very tender, 1-3 hours (see bean package for cooking times; all beans differ). Drain, rinse and drain again. Remove the garlic head (it’s a great snack as you continue making your meal).
Heat the remaining 2 Tbs oil in a deep baking dish or Dutch oven. Add the onion; saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sliced garlic, sage, cumin and red pepper flakes; saute for 1 minute or more.
Add the squash; stir to combine. Add the stock or water (if it does not cover the squash, add a little more to cover). Bring to a simmer. Add the kale; cook until the squash and kale are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the beans,; simmer until the beans are heated through.