9/25/24 - Measure J, Farm Events & CSA Changes
As a small farm, we have been asked frequently what our stance is on Measure J.
Singing Frogs Farm is in opposition to Measure J.
Here are some of our thoughts: There seems to be a bit of propaganda on both sides. Yes, a large portion (some say as high as 90%) of US meat is raised in CAFOs. Yes, we have a couple of CAFOs in the county. Yes, we absolutely are anti-CAFO. Those CAFOs however are smaller that the big big CAFOs we see in documentaries but still a problem. Overall, Measure J seems to be well intention but misguided… a quick write measure that would be quite problematic. One big problem being it doesn’t value the merits of ranches, only size. We would love to have legislation that helps reduce CAFOs, this is not it.
Please do your research. Organizations that we look to include CAFF, CalCan, OAEC and Farm Trails. All of them have statements on Measure J. We also highly recommend KRCB’s Town Hall Debate on Measure J last week. But also check out the No and Yes on Measure J websites.
We love that Sonoma County is an ag county. We love our local meat and dairy. There are many tremendously amazing ranchers and dairy people in our county that are pioneers in the organic movement, regenerative movement, and climate change. All of the small scale ranchers and dairies we know are also against Measure J. Even if it does not directly affect their business, they believe it will impact them. We trust them to know their businesses. I for one want them in our county and don’t want our meat, dairy and egg production to leave the county to likely larger and less sustainable operations at a greater distance. In this sense it feels like a NIMBY measure.
Our take is that if you support and want to continue to have amazing small scale farms but also ranches and dairies in our county, vote No on Measure J.
Ranchers/Dairies that SFF farmers and crew love supporting include: Freestone Ranch, Bodega Pastures, Green Star Farm, True Grass Farm, Strauss, Panizzera and more.
Next week we will write a little about Prop 4 and also get back to “Who’s your farmer?”
Public Farm Tours
We will hosting two Public Farm Tours. These are information packed tours, aimed to give you an understanding of our innovative and award-winning farming practices. This is an adult level discussion (kids welcome but not the focus) on agroecology, no-till, nutrient density and more.
Saturday, Oct 5th 10:00 - 11:00 am
Saturday, Oct 19th 10:00 - 11:00 am
There is a $10 fee for general public but it is free to CSA Members. RSVP is needed either via email or via Eventbrite (use promo code CSAMEMBER).
1st Wednesdays Farm Walk for October
Next Wednesday we will be hosting our 1st Wednesday Farm Walk for October. This is a kid friendly event. We’ll likely still have some Strawberries remaining and we’re planning to have everyone harvest at least one Winter Squash to take home with them. This is for CSA Members only. No fee. This is a kid friendly event.
Wednesday, Oct 2nd at 2pm and 5pm.
No RSVP but if you normally pick-up off the farm, please let us know and we’ll leave your box here.
Produce Notes & Recipes
This Week’s Box
Red Butter Lettuce
Rainbow Chard
Mixed Tomato Quarts
Cherry Tomatoes
Eggplant (SR) OR Summer Squash (WC)
Summer Surprise! (Strawberries or Sweet Peppers)
Family: Green Cabbage & Curly Kale
What is Summer Surprise?! As we get to the of the Summer Season we need to do a few mixes in CSA boxes as harvest has slowed. We try to rotate through our goodies. This week it is really Sweet Peppers (Bells and Corno di Torro) for SFF and Harmony Members, use both the same, despite their very different shapes. Then we have Strawberries for all the rest, our Strawberries are into their autumn flush.
Our Mixed Heirloom Tomato Quart is a little smaller this week, as our harvest is started to decline. I will say that our orange heirlooms have just just been tremendous. The flat tangerine-orange tomato is Dr. Wyche and has always been a favorite of ours for it’s smooth texture and sweet flavor. New this year is Mountain Spirit Bi-Color. This is the orange with red streaks. This was a trial tomato for us this year and will absolutely become a staple for us in coming years!! This is from a small seed company (Wild Mountain Seeds) that focuses on growing seed for no-till growers but also that is in Carbondale Colorado, yes at 9000 feet elevation. They expose their tomatoes to frost at the beginning and end of the season to choose the most rigorous and goodness, these plants are roaring more than any others right now. We tried two other of theirs (the purple and the very small red lobbed heirloom). We are not in love with those two so will likely drop from our mix and try something else of theirs for next year.
We have already begun taking out some of our Tomato Beds starting with the least productive or the ones that are done! First a bed of red slicers went and then yesterday our Cherokee Purple (which didn’t do all that amazing this year). Next Monday one of our four Cherry Tomato beds will go next. Soooo, we are picking them hard and as such, everyone has a pint of Cherry Tomatoes today!
Those getting flowers will also find Cherry Tomatoes in their bouquets! We’re getting very close to the end of the season, this is the last fresh bouquet for some. Look to the email last Friday detailing exact dates.
Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
(simplebites.net via CSA member Bronwen Arthur)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Thyme
Sea salt
Black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
4-5 cloves of garlic (optional)
Cut tomatoes end-to-end, and place cut side up on a pan.
Optional: Slice 4-5 cloves of garlic, sprinkle over tomatoes.
Strip several sprigs of fresh thyme, and sprinkle the leaves over the tomatoes.
Season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil liberally over tomatoes.
Place in the oven at 200°F for 6-8 hours; the tomatoes will collapse, but not completely dry out. (since they’ll be in there a while, preheating is not necessary)
Cool and serve with crackers and soft cheese or preserve.
You can use them in place of their far more potent cousin, the sun-dried tomato, plus here are a few other ideas:
Mound onto a wedge of crusty bread, top with mozzarella and broil to melted sandwich perfection.
Toss them with crumbled feta and serve over fresh greens for a light lunch.
Add to pizzas toppings; feel free to skip the tomato sauce and drizzle pizza with olive oil instead.
Toss with hot pasta and chopped fresh herbs for a simple, yet elegant meal.
Freezing: Pack tomatoes into a freezeable container, and pour the oil from the pan over the top. Cover with more olive oil if needed, label and freeze for up to 6 months.
Fridge: Transfer tomatoes to a jar and cover with olive oil. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
A little something different that one CSA member found she loved last year is the below recipe. We do not have an air fryer but love sharing recipes from you, our CSA Members. Always feel free to send us your favorite recipes.
Air Fryer Eggplant (via CSA member Catherine)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp red pepper
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp Italian seasoning
1 Eggplant cut into 1-inch pieces
Combine all ingredients and toss until eggplant pieces are coated with olive oil and spices. Put the eggplant in the air fryer basket.
Air fry the eggplant at 375F for 20 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
Note: This air fryer eggplant can be served hot or cold.
CSA Changes this Winter
When the season starts to change people start asking about our changes in the Winter. Our CSA has always shifted to Every-Other-Week for all members at Thanksgiving. This is because with decreased daylight, plants grow less. But until then we’ll stick with our current schedule.
Aside from our normal seasonal change we’re looking at how we want to develop and grow the CSA. We want to introduce some new products, maybe a new software system and maybe grow our membership. BUT we want your input. In the coming few weeks we’ll be putting out a survey for all of you and we would really appreciate your feedback by this means to help us learn which directions are the most important to grow for our CSA!