1/31/24 Newsletter: Flowers on the Farm
On a dreary, rainy day (with more coming) let’s start by talking about something bright and cheerful… FLOWERS!
Flowers have become an important part of our farm. Back in 2009 we offered flower bouquets with our CSA but we also diversified in other areas (eggs, ducks, honey, and much more). We found the veggies worked best for us and honed in on those. In 2017 we had a crew member Nina who really wanted more flowers, at first we told her she could farm the bed ends, but in 2018 she and another crew member came to us with a business plan and we told them to go for it! (Nina now manages flowers at Little Saint Farm in Healdsburg.) Last year Lisa, who had been farming veg with us for two years, took the lead on flowers, she’s learned a lot and going strong into the year!
Flowers are important to us for a myriad of reasons. Just as chemical free, nutrient dense produce is important, it’s important in flower growing and flowers are about 10 years behind organic produce. Most flowers that are found in markets are imported from South America and with long distances to travel and very little oversight (it’s not food so the rules are much more lax) the chemicals on them can be pretty atrocious. You should not be smelling these flowers or putting them on your dinning table, they’re toxic. All the while buying local flowers (beyond being chemical free) supports our local farmers.
Diversity and nurturing a balanced ecosystem is key on our farm, and flowers help tremendously. This is important for the greater ecosystem but also for pest management, if we build an ecosystem for predators (from the microscopic to insects to birds to mammals) it keeps our pests in control naturally, and we’re able to farm without any pesticides. Flowers bring so much more diversity to our fields. Most of our vegetables fall within a few families. We grow 90 varieties of vegetables, but how many are lettuces, Brassicas, Solanaceae? Flowers take it to the next level. Plus flowers are taller and longer lived, providing habitat right within our fields, and of course forage for pollinators.
Last, but not least, is beauty. While veggies feed the bodies, flowers truly feed the soul. There’s a reason flowers are an important part of so many life transitions and ceremonies.
Yes, this is a plug for our Flower CSA. We’re starting this year on Valentine’s Day (that’s NEXT CSA). We know many of you will join the flower CSA over the course of the year, but why not join now?! Gift it to your beloved, your mom or yourself! We have many different levels (from 12 bouquets Feb-Oct to 30+) and you can stop and take a break if you need. You don’t need to be a Veggie CSA member. We will offer bouquets as add-ons but we focus on getting the best for our CSA members (just like with our veg 😉).
We have two beds of Ranunculus and Anemone in our hoop houses, the Ranunculus are just putting out their first buds, but the Anemone have been popping. Our Hellebore are blooming but we’re waiting for the blooms to mature. This year, per Lisa’s insistence, we’re trialing tulips! Plus we have more Narcissus and bright Icelandic Poppies. This is all for the first round of flowers, then come the Larkspur, Snapdragons, Sweet Peas, Canterbury Bells, Corn Flower, Agrsostemma, Linaria and more (see our flower webpage for what’s in season each month)! Each season has it’s own beauty, and enjoying nature through the season’s blooms can bring so much joy. We hope you’ll join us!
Pre-Rain Projects
The forecast for this and the following atmospheric river have been all over the place but had us do a mid-season re-evaluation of our field drainage. You all received our general farm newsletter last week where we talked about our higher soil carbon being able to infiltrate more water, have less erosion and then later in the year more water holding capacity. While the soil is the most important infrastructure on the farm, we also do have water flowing through our farm that comes from our neighbors. Over 100 acres of land will drain through our 8 acres and when it comes fast, that can cause flooding. So we have works (trenches and pipes) in place to keep our beds a little drier so the veggies (and flowers) stay happy. Monday this week we spent the day muddy, re-digging trenches that get filled in over the course of the year and opening drainage pipes, thinking about what areas have been wet and how can we open water flow to keep our beds productive. Of note, when we move water away from our fields, it goes either through our natural wetland area on the north of the property, or through our series of berms and swales with native plantings on the south or through a wide trench in the middle that’s planted with native grasses and sedges. We still want to slow that water and sink it as much as we can.
Produce Notes & Recipes
This Week’s Box
Escarole
Arugula (SR) OR Spinach (WC)
Pea Shoots
Brussels Sprout Stalks
Carrots
Red Cabernet Onions (Longer Table)
Family Boxes: Rainbow Chard, Parsley
There are some fun light greens in this week's box including a small but luscious Escarole, Arugula or Spinach and Pea Shoots. The below recipe is for Escarole but we have others that include spinach and I would absolutely mix in Pea Shoots. Or try this… Arugula and Pea Shoot Salad.
Escarole Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan (Real Simple)
1 c walnuts, roughly chopped
1 lg head escarole or mixed escarole/arugula/spinach (12 c)
1 sm red onion, thinly sliced
2 oz Parmesan, shaved (~½ c)
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
kosher salt and black pepper
⅓ c olive oil
Toast walnuts in oven on 375° F. Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the escarole, onion, Parmesan, and toasted walnuts.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Whisking constantly, gradually add the oil. Toss with the salad.
Aside from salad, we love our pea shoots in smoothies, and they’re great on a broth-y or lentil soup or make a pesto of them.
We’re happy to have Red Cabernet Onions from Longer Table Farm in this week’s box. We’ve given you a good quantity incase there is one or two in your group with a soft interior we couldn’t detect.
There are a LOT of viruses going around the county right now, and a lot of them have sore throats and cough. The below is our family go to.
Onion-Lemon-Honey Cough Syrup/Cold Remedy/Tonic
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1 c Lemon Juice
4 Tbs Honey
Slice red onion thinly and stuff into a mason jar, then cover with honey and then lemon juice and let sit 12 to many more hours in the fridge. It will turn bright pink!
Take a spoonful of liquid as is as a cough syrup or I like putting in a cup with hot water and enjoy as a soothing drink. Not only does this sooth a sore throat and calm a cough but it’s highly immune boosting.
As our Brussels Sprouts are coming closer to an end (we’ll may still have in the next box), our late winter Carrots are coming in and we’re thrilled. We grow these in our hoop houses starting in October when Summer Squash comes out and they are a treat this time of year. We hope to have at least another two CSAs with Carrots in the coming couple of months.
We’ve given you quite a few ideas for Brussels Sprouts but at Farmers Market on Sunday a customer just raved about this recipe so we wanted to share. Of note, later in the season they get a little messier, give them the same clean up as the prior ones and you’ll find they clean up well and are just as sweet!