6/5/24 The Heat & Resilience

The heat is the topic of the moment.

On the farm we are used to heat waves in May and June, foggy mornings  and cooler days in July and August and then heat waves again in September and October (interspersed with frosts). As such we adjust our crop plan to have a wider diversity of crops in the spring (especially lettuce and other light greens) because a heat wave will make each variety act differently and we might have 2-3 successions of one variety bolt but another variety not. As such, today you have one of our spring varieties, Vulcan.

But this heat wave is stronger than we’ve had before. I don’t think we’ve hit the high nineties in the first week of June in our last 17 years (it got up to 98 on the farm yesterday). We’ve had frost and we’ve had rain but not 98 degrees!

I’m really impressed by the crew this year, both yesterday and today we had groups of people who started work voluntarily as early as 5am to harvest. It’s beautiful on the farm at 5am and the crops are so fresh. The majority of your CSA produce this week has been harvested in wee hours of the day to give it the best chance. Our work day is 7:00-3:30 normally but we always offer the voluntary option to come in early on hot days. That’s usually only 2-5 days a year. By 1:30 most crew were headed home, having finished their day. And one farmer who lives on the farm left earlier and then worked again in the evening watering. Yay flexibility!

Amusingly in the heat of the early evening, I (Elizabeth) was on Zoom doing a lecture for a Climate Resilience course for farmers in Colorado and New Mexico. The program (Farmer Campus) is founded and run by an alum SFF crew member Katie. I was asked to talk about extreme climate impact to the farm such as fires/smoke, heat, freezes, floods, drought and even covid. So of course we talked about the heat wave of the moment and so much more. So what did we talk about…

Of course our farm is know for our soil and our soil health practices. What we’ve found is whether it’s heat waves, extreme smoke or drought, it is truly the soil health that has provided the biggest resilience.

We have high Soil Organic Matter SOM (8-12%) in our farm beds whereas the average for CA agriculture is 1%. With this we have higher soil carbon (4-6%). Higher SOM and carbon has major impacts on water holding capacity, water infiltration, water use efficiency and erosion. All of these are great in a drought, but also great in providing resilience during a heat wave. Additionally, we have very high soil biology. Studies with David Montgomery & Anne Bikle a few years ago showed that our soil had higher biology and the produce we grew had corresponding higher nutrient density, especially in the areas of phenolics and phytosterols. Many of these compounds help us build our immune system. Well, doesn’t it make sense that it helps the plant’s immune systems also. It is our strong belief that the healthier soil provides more resilience in times of climactic stress. Since climatic stress seems to be a given, this is even one more reason we need more regenerative farms and ranches and a greater focus on soil health in our world.

Aside from the soil, there are many other practices that help us build resilience. The perennials on our farm such as hedgerows, native grasses in the roadways provide climactic stabilization both in times of heat and in times of cold. Systemic flexibility is key which includes us changing our schedule, and our crop plan changing. It is also us changing work Monday and not planting 5 crops of lettuce and light greens on because having these new babies in the field would have stressed them. And lastly it’s people and connections. For us, it’s the crew working on the farm, the other farmers in our networks, the non-profits we partner with but also, very seriously, YOU.

So let’s hope we have a much better weather season, but  if not, we’ll work on our resilience.

Produce Notes & Recipes!

This Week’s Box

Vulcan Lettuce

Pea Shoots

Bulb Fennel

Kale: Red Russian (SR) OR Rainbow Lacinato (WC)

Rotation: Summer Squash or Cucumbers

Mint (SR) OR Genovese Basil (WC)

Garlic Scapes

Family: Hakurei Turnips & Cegolaine Lettuce

So first and foremost, when you get your produce today it may be a little wilted. We really did our best to give it the best chance. It was harvested early, it was hydro cooled (sprayed with water and put in the walk in) and it was packed and delivered as late as possible. AND it may still be wilted.

We recommend you get your produce home and anything that looks wilty, put it in a sink of cool water and let it sit. Just like you and me, it will likely rehydrate quite a bit. Then wash it and store appropriately in the fridge and in tubs when appropriate.

We did use plastic bags for Pea Shoots today. As you know we generally use compostable paper bags, BUT they suck the moisture out of the pea shoots. So this is just for today, just with today’s heat.

Today’s Bulb Fennel is big we realize. We’ve been enjoying raw dipped in hummus or sliced thin on salads. Check out the May 22nd newsletter for more ideas or here is a Kale Fennel Salad idea I don’t have room for.

Garlic Scapes are an ultra-seasonal delicacy. You catch it in a tiny window. They are the flower stalks of hardneck garlic plants. They curl upward as they grow and if harvested before they straighten are yummy and tender. Here are some ideas. They've got a mild garlic fragrance and a mellow garlic flavor. They say one scape is equivalent to one garlic clove in flavor.

• Some say you get the most from garlic scapes by using them raw.  They're terrific chopped or very thinly sliced added to a tuna or chicken salad, stirred into hot rice or scattered over a salad, the way you might scatter sliced scallions or an herb. 

• Cut into green bean lengths and cook in butter for 5-6 minutes and eat on toast (Yum!);

• Dice into scrambled eggs;

• Chop into short sections and add to stir-fry or add to a veggie sauté;

• Make pesto from scapes (this seems to be a very popular way to use them) or add them to a basil pesto;

• Use in any recipe that calls for onions but where you would like to add the taste of garlic;

• Add to tomato based soup or chicken soup;

• Chop and use just as you would garlic cloves.

Pasta with Garlic Scape and Basil Pesto

4 to 5 garlic scapes, roughly chopped
Large handful basil leaves
1/4 cup almonds, toasted in a dry skillet until slightly browned
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound linguine or other pasta

1. Combine the garlic scapes, basil, and half the oil in a small food processor or blender. Process or blend until the leaves and scapes are finely chopped, then add the nuts and remaining oil. Process or blend until nicely pureed.

2. Remove to a bowl and stir in the cheese. If necessary, add more olive oil to create a loose paste. Season with more salt if needed.

3. In the meantime, bring a large pot of salty water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water, and toss with the pesto. If necessary, add some of the pasta water to create a creamy texture. Serve with more grated Parmesan cheese.

Garlic Scape Pesto (by Kim O’Donnel at the Washington Post)

1 c garlic scapes (~ 8-9), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Note:  For ½ pound short pasta such as penne, add about 2 tablespoons of pesto to cooked pasta and stir until pasta is well coated.

Notes on Rotations this week!!

For those of you who are new week, our May 1st newsletter talks about rotations.

Kale: We are starting a kale rotation that will continue next week. This allows us to keep a more constant harvest of these two crops. Red Russian is more soft of a kale and Rainbow Lacinato has a more durable texture, it’s great for kale salads!

Herbs: This is the second week of our Mint/Basil rotation. Next week we’ll have a different herb.

Cucurbits: Last week we started a Summer Squash and Cucumber rotation with Cucumbers going to all Farm and Harmony pick up members. Today all members at the Russell and Glass  sites have cucumbers. Next week we hope to complete that with the remainder of Santa Rosa boxes getting them.