5/29/24 Happy Birthday Charlie the Llama (& RIP) and Happy 16th to SFF CSA!

Many of you may wonder why our email address is Charlie the Llama yet we don’t have a Llama. We had a Llama the first 11 years of this farm who was beloved by all, he was super sweet, loved getting kisses and greeting CSA Members. When he passed (at the ripe age of 24) our CSA Members told us to keep the email address and so we have.

Charlie plus an old Mohair goat  Max and two sheep Duncan and Sam were passed down to us by the prior owners. It was through the four animals that we learned how to use animals to manage the areas of the property around the fields. As the sheep and goats passed, we got two Jacob sheep, a flock of Soay sheep and a milking goat Mocha. Mocha was a buddy of Charlie. I’m sorry but sheep are rather stupid and Charlie did not appreciate their company, they were the only creatures he would spit at. He had been close buddies with Max the goat and so we got Mocha and they were at least company for each other. When Charlie passed, we started having predator problems with the small Soay sheep. Llamas are protector animals. When we had lambs we would put Charlie with them, he would be curious at the new life, then go into protector mode, sitting down near the lambs wherever they may be. Without this protective presence we lost several sheep to predators and decided to sell the rest to focus on larger goats. We got Mocha pregnant and now, 4 years later she and her three kids are our goat herd. We named the kids Roma(nesco), Cauli and Flower as we are a veggie farm. They are very friendly but sometimes show that by ramming their horns at you, so we recommend you enjoy them from a distance. We love them dearly and love incorporating animals in our operation.

Also, this week marks the 16th Birthday or our CSA! We started out May 28th, 2008 with 20 members! A couple of those members are still with us! Shout out to Glass and McBride from 2008, plus Broudy-Murphy, Eisley, Guilford and Olson who joined in 2009!! Thanks for your long term commitment!

Produce Notes & Recipes!

This Week’s Box

Red Butter & Little Gem Lettuces

Rainbow Chard

White Cauliflower

Rotation: Summer Squash or Cucumbers

Genovese Basil (SR) OR Mint (WC)

Family: Red Russian Kale & Bulb Fennel

First off, we over anticipate our Cucumber harvest. We anticipated having enough for all West County and did not have enough. SO we are doing a rotation that will either run two or three weeks. We had Cucumber to all those picking up at the Farm and Harmony Farm Supply, those picking up at Russell and all of Santa Rosa have Summer Squash.

One of the things that happens with many plants like Cucumber, Squash but also tomatoes and Eggplant, is there is a first flush and then it dips down for a week or three and then they are back at high production and at that point stay there. That is what happened to the Cucumbers, we thought we were accounting for that dip but it was more than we anticipated. We should  have our second succession of Cucumbers coming on shortly and just planted our third succession on Monday so we’re really hoping for an amazing Cucumber year!

A few years ago on Fresh Air, Terry Gross interviewed two chefs from America’s Test kitchen taking questions and giving advice. The following salad was recommended based on a question from an employee of Fresh Air asking what to do with zucchini from her CSA when it was too hot to cook. I’ve seen many versions of this but I sometimes love a simple recipe that I can adapt. Friend and farmer Lindsay Talley tells us she likes it even more when the squash is marinated with love oil and lemon juice for a few hours first.

Summer Squash Salad (Fresh Air, NPR 8/1/13)

1. Thinly slice Zucchini or Summer Squash on a bias (diagonal) to 1/8 or even 1/16 in. Easiest on mandolin.

2. Add chopped fresh herbs of your choice: basil, parsley, chives, mint,….

3. Add shaved Parmesan cheese, the best extra virgin olive oil you have and salt and pepper.

I have to include the above salad every year, it’s so good with a bounty of herbs.

Yay to Basil and Mint! We love sending you fresh herbs as often as we can. They are not only high in flavor but nutrition (as the two are so often linked). Both of these herbs would love to be treated like flowers, cut their stems, loosen their rubber band and put it in a little jar on your kitchen sink. Not only will it smell good, but hopefully inspire you to use fresh herbs, just pinch them off and add to your dish of the moment. A reminder that Basil does NOT like the fridge (it turns brown). So this is especially important with Basil.

We’re excited about this week’s Cauliflower!

Grilled Cauliflower Steaks

Cauliflower Sea salt

Black pepper Garlic powder

Smoked paprika Olive oil

Parsley

1. Preheat the grill.

2. Slice Cauliflower – Remove the outer leaves from each cauliflower head. Slice off the bottom stem end so that you have a flat base to work from
   Slice the cauliflower into 2-3 steaks

3. Season Cauliflower – Brush one side of the steaks with olive oil. In a small bowl mix together the herbs, sprinkle over the steaks.

4. Grill – Place cauliflower carefully on grill, grill 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and grill side two until the cauliflower is tender. Remove from the grill and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Note: The steaks are very fragile (which is why you slice them so thick) Be careful when you’re adding them to the grill and also when you flip them so they don’t break apart. Or cut into florets and use a grill basket. Also, I might do with Basil and without the Paprika as well!

Cauliflower Rice with Basil, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts

(Makes about 4 servings; from Kalyn’sKitchen)

• 1 lb. finely chopped fresh cauliflower (about 4 cups chopped cauliflower)

• 1 T olive oil (or slightly more if you don't have a good non-stick pan)

• 3 garlic cloves, sliced

• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 3/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves (more or less to taste and depending on how much you have)

• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1. Finely chop the cauliflower (pulsing in food processor is best) into pieces that are about the size of grains of rice, or slightly bigger.  (Be careful not to get them too small; you want some texture in the cauliflower.)  Slice the garlic cloves into 2-3 slices each and grate the Parmesan cheese.  Wash basil if needed and spin dry or dry with paper towels, then thinly slice the basil. Toast the pin nuts in a dry frying pan for 1-2 minutes, just until they are barely starting to brown.

2. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook about 30-45 seconds, or just until you can smell garlic.  Don't brown the garlic; that will make it bitter.  Remove garlic and discard; then add the cauliflower and stir-fry until it's barely cooked through, about 4 minutes. 

3. Season cauliflower with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Then turn off the heat and one at a time gently stir in the Parmesan, the sliced basil, and the pine nuts.  Serve hot.