Contact Suzie's Farm
PHONE: 619.662.1780
CSA Inquiries, please email rodrigo@suziesfarm.com
Local Chefs, please email robin@suziesfarm.com
ADDRESS & DIRECTIONS:
For our Tours, Volunteer Opportunity and Kiki Town Come on down to:
1801 Saturn Boulevard, San Diego CA 92154
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Restaurants & Chefs
Did you know Suzie’s Farm delivers in San Diego five days a week? Not only that, several acres of our farm in San Diego’s Border State Park is dedicated to custom growing for the specific needs (and imagination) of our local chefs. Can you say boutique and convenience all in one breath? You don’t have to. Just say Suzie’s Farm. Visit our Chef's Page to view our delivery schedule and learn more about our partnership with restaurants.
Recipes
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Most recent entries
- Why?
- CSA Box Contents March 8-14
- Farm Tour - Saturday, March 13
- I just got the official word…
- Letter from a shareholder
- Follow us on Twitter!
- CSA Box Contents March 1-7 2010
- Dear Gentle Person
- After the rain comes the puddles…
- Dinner
- Channel 8 News
- How to Choose a CSA
- The Little Blue Hen
- Prana
- This week’s CSA Box February 22-28
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I’m confused.
Some markets do really really well. Other markets don’t do so well. We’ve had people request that we attend certain markets, we give them a try but there isn’t the public support there.
Everyone points to the Hillcrest or La Jolla Markets as bastions. So why are some more successful than others? How can we level the playing field?
Some say that mid-week markets don’t do well. Yet you only have to go to Oceanside or Ocean Beach on Wednesday to see that isn’t true. Market Managers have said that Saturday morning markets are tough in suburban areas what with the soccer games in the fall and the Little League in the spring. Yet Vista throngs manage to market between games.
Honestly, every single Farmer’s Market is essentially the same. Most markets have the same farmers. Of course they do! There are only so many farms in San Diego County. It makes sense that our local farmers would drive down the 15 or 5 to come sell their freshest beauties to their city mouse neighbors.
And every market has someone offering fresh eggs from their little piece of heaven. You’ve got your Green Fix Smoothie Guy and the Peace Pie Guy, Seb’s Paninis, the Empanada lady, the West African Guy and the Taco Lady, the fresh bread lady and the fresh flower stall. Somebody’s selling olive oil. Somebody’s selling hummus. Folks are selling crafts - some great, some cheesy.
I hear people say they like to go to X Farmer’s Market because they have more choices - more produce vendors or more processed food vendors. We like more of everything.
I have a Farmer’s Market in my neighborhood and it’s dying a slow tortured death because few people patronize it. I love this Farmer’s Market. We don’t make any money there, but we stay nonetheless - to give people a choice when they go to market. We have stuck it out at a lot of markets, hoping to help the market improve by offering a choice to our customers. I’d like to help this market become more successful and I’d like your suggestions.
Why do you go to the market you go to? If in essence, they are all the same, why this one and not that one? Especially if you have one in your neighborhood, yet you drive to another one?
Why?
Green Leaf Lettuce
Napa Cabbage
Snow Peas
Bok Choi
Braising Mix
Red Russian Kale
Carrots
Spinach or Broccoli
Rainbow Chard
Collard Greens
Beets
Fennel
D’Avigon Radishes
Dill
Strawberries
Someone said to me today, “More greens, huh?”
Yes, more greens. As I said a few weeks ago - it’s kind of what grows right now. But the Burgundy Beans are popping out of the ground like crazy! And last year we had a crazy early crop of summer squash. So be patient with Mother Nature. Mother Nature knows best!
Also a reminder that we do our best to put what we call for in the box. Sometimes we’ll say something like “Spinach or Broccoli” because we aren’t sure what the harvest will look like toward the end of the week.
We appreciate everyone posting recipes both here and on our Facebook page! You’re really getting the spirit of the CSA!
To post a recipe, look to the left of the web page where each variety is listed. Post your recipe in the comment section of the corresponding veggie!
Well, the second Saturday of the month is right around the corner and you know what that means…Farm Tour!
Here’s how it works.
We have two tours scheduled for this Saturday - 9:00am and 11:30. The cost is $10 per person over the age of 5 (cash only please). Tours typically last two hours. Meet at our Kiki Town property (1856Saturn Blvd., San Diego 92154) at the port-a-potties (or where all the cars are parked).
After everyone checks in, you’ll get a bag and gloves which you’ll use to harvest your produce we walk the fields. I (Lucila) will tell you about the history of our farm, our farm practices, describe our different varieties and why we grow what we grow. You can stay with the group or wander off. You can stay the entire two hours or leave after 30 minutes - it’s up to you!
Remember this is a farm, so dress appropriately. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants - nettles sting! It’s rained every couple of days for the last few weeks - puddles abound! Boots would not be unwelcome.
You’re going to get dirty. You’re going to love it.
Please RSVP to lucila@suziesfarm by Friday, March 12 so I have an idea of how many people to expect.
Imperial Beach Silver Strand Market Re-Opens on March 19 at the Pier Plaza under the SurfHenge!
Market starts at 1pm. Can’t wait to see you there!
Hi Lucila,
My name is Linda and I have been a Suzie’s Farm customer for a few months now (I love it!). I wanted to share a few of my favorite recipes with you. I thought I saw somewhere on your website a link to post recipes but I cannot locate it.
I’m really busy during the week and come home after 7pm most nights so I hate being in the kitchen for more than 15 minutes. One of my goals is to eat seasonally and not purchase any additional vegetables outside of what I get in my CSA box (this requires me to not only be flexible but also creative). Here are a few recipes that are super quick and super tasty:
30 Second Springrolls
Ingredients: cabbage, radish, carrots, cilantro, Vietnamese rice paper (Ranch 99 sells this), Hoisin sauce, Sriracha (Thai Chili sauce)
Directions: Grate cabbage, radish and carrots and toss together. Working with 1 piece at a time, soak a sheet of rice paper in warm water until soft (15-30 seconds). Place softened rice paper on dish, fill with grated vegetables and a piece of cilantro and roll it up like a burrito. Serve with Hoisin sauce and Sriracha.
(This is the quickest and most delicious meal I’ve ever made! If you have more than 30 seconds to spare, you can add a strip of cooked chicken, shrimp or pork to the roll)
5 Minute Hearty Miso Soup
Ingredients: sliced radish (I used black radish for this recipe), chopped kale, sliced carrots, Miso paste (sold at Mitsua or other Japanese market), bonito (dried fish) powder (sold at Mitsua or other Japanese market), 4 cups of water
Directions: Bring water to a boil, add 1/2 packet of bonito powder and stir until dissolved. Add 3-4 teaspoons of miso paste and whisk until dissolved. Add sliced radish, kale and carrots. Lower heat, cover and cook until radish and carrots are fork tender (a few minutes). Enjoy!
(For a heartier meal serve with cooked rice)
Thank you!
Linda R.
I love letters like this! If you write me, I might just ask to publish it!
Thank YOU Linda! xoxoxo
We are suziesfarm on Twitter. Get quickie updates about what’s happening on the farm!
Here’s a list of the savory beauties you’ll be receiving this week in your box. Remember, we’re still in winter so be sure to capitalize on all the delicious greens and hearty root veggies. There’s hardly ever a bad time for soups, roasts and extensive family style dinner gatherings…
Beets
Red Leaf Lettuce
Red Cabbage
Red Monarch Kale
EasterEgg Radish
Curly Endive
Golden Chard
Sage
Celery
Spaghetti Squash
Green Tomatoes
Cilantro
Carrots
Radicchio
Fennel
Remember that sometimes our box contents change during the week based on availability. Robin walks the fields early in the week and we estimate how much of X we’ll have for all the week’s boxes. Sometimes we miscalculate and sometimes Mother Nature has a hand in the works, which is why we remind you that our boxes contain between 8-15 items. If something is on the list, but not in your box, that’s probably why. Human error or Mother Nature, that’s the “risk” associated with the CSA program!
Make sure to look out for the March CSA Newsletter for some finger-lickin’ recipes and news!
Thanks!
We appreciate that you are excited about our farm. We are too! We agree - it’s cool that a small family farm exists on the outskirts of town. So many varieties of vegetables! Such easy access! So much food!
But allow me to clarify, when you come onto Kiki Town when we are not there and you remove vegetables from our fields without our permission, that’s stealing.
I’m sure you don’t think you are stealing. It must seem like we’ve invited you down. We have our address posted. We invite people for farm tours. We promise that you can harvest an entire bag of produce as you go along. And, hey! It’s a community farm! You are part of the community! It’s technically your food too, right?
It is your food, if you pay for it. You wouldn’t go into a restaurant, sit down for a meal and walk out, would you? Would you go to a grocery store, grab something off the shelf and leave?
Maybe you would.
It’s true. Gratefully, we have a lot of food. And perhaps you don’t have enough. But it doesn’t give you a right to take it. Come to the office and ask me. I will gladly give you some. But don’t steal it.
Like you stole our sign.
And our roto-tiller.
And our compressor.
And the copper wire off of our electric cables.
So, please, we are asking nicely, gentle person, do not take what is not yours.
Sincerely yours,
Robin and Lucila
The rain means wet, wet farmers’ markets. But is also means that when we get back to the farm after a long day Lindsey gets to jump in puddles, get totally soaked, and make all the extra work that comes with rain completely worthwhile.
A lot of people say they have a challenging time going through all the vegetables in their CSA box. It tends to be the number one reason that people leave our program.
One of our shareholders talks about CSA box management - which I love. He sits down with his box as soon as he gets it and figures out what’s for dinner that week. Easier than it sounds maybe? Maybe not…
Every week you get a variety of produce - duh - but some of the products are more delicate than others. Those things you need to eat first. For our current season, these include things like cilantro, lettuce, spring mix, and sorrel. Then you have semi-hardy things like romaine lettuce, arugula, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, chard, and dill. Finally you have your hardy items which last a long long time: beets, fennel, celery, carrots, radishes, and most winter greens like kales, collards and mustard greens.
Let’s say you get your box on Thursday (like Robin and I do); you check the box and make a plan.
When we left the farm last night we were considering going out to dinner. My original plan of dal with cauliflower curry and brown rice wasn’t going to get on the table in 45 minutes. But when Robin suggested going to pasta for dinner, I knew it would be better to save money and stay home.
First hurdle managed.
Next to hurdle the frige. Robin and I knew we had to make room in the frige for the new box, so it was time to work through last week’s box contents. Sound Familiar?
While we made dinner, we gave each of the girls a carrot to stave off hunger. Hurdle Three.
Then we got down to business. We thinly sliced two fennel bulbs and roasted them at 450 for 40 minutes. While that was going we steamed the entire head of cauliflower and started to boil the pasta water. We then pureed the cauliflower with 1/2 T of truffle oil and some kosher salt. We chopped the entire bunch of parsley and added it to our pasta, which we sauteed with olive oil, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. And we prepped an entire head of Romaine lettuce for Cesar salad with homemade dressing that included sorrel leaves. I could also have roasted the beets and the rest of the carrots, but didn’t make time for that and regretted it later.
Dinner on the table in one yoga session and one episode of Yo! Gabba Gabba!
We ate almost everything (except for 5 lettuce strips and about 1/4 cup of the pureed cauliflower and believe me, I wanted to eat that too) and used 5 of our 15 ingredients in one fell swoop. AND it wasn’t that hard to do!
Granted, we don’t go out to dinner as much as we used to. It’s not as enjoyable or relaxing with the girls in spite of their amazingly charming ways. And I’m vegan - I usually add to our weekly box by bringing home extra food during the week - you’ve heard me rave about eating two bunches of kale or chard each night for dinner. But the girls sure don’t eat vegetables - have I mentioned that they are two? And Robin is an omnivore, so it’s not like veggies are the mainstay of his diet.
I’m still a believer that the CSA program - or even having bigger eyes than your stomach at the Farmer’s Market and going overboard by buying too much produce - is a great way to have dinner,
Yesterday Larry Himmel came out to do a little story about the farm. It’s crazy - he and his camera woman spent 90 minutes at the farm and they distilled the visit into a 134-second spot. We spent most of our time in the fields at Kiki Town, but I also showed them the plug house and tomato houses at Suzie’s Farm proper.
Enjoy it here.
LocalHarvest.org published this great article about How to Choose a CSA.
Of course we would love it if you chose our CSA, but I think their points are great in general. Particularly the point about “Consumer, know thyself.”
How to choose a CSA? Easy - choose Suzie’s Farm!
One of our CSA members writes this lovely blog full of recipes and other things that she does herself. She has included beautiful color photographs of her CSA box contents in addition to the photos she’s taken of her food along the way.
Check out Stacy’s website The Little Blue Hen.
One of our farm gals was telling us the other day that she doesn’t like onions. She doesn’t like to eat them and she really doesn’t like to plant them. Apparently they mess with her prana.
Her yogi says that they deplete prana. She says she feels low after eating them. When she has to plant the seeds, it isn’t too bad, but if she has to transplant them, she feels her lifeforce being pulled out of her. She feels weak. She feels shakey and depressed.
Oh-Kay.
When she first told us this, we were charmed by her story. We didn’t quite roll our eyes, but there was an element of “what is she talking about” to our response. We nodded our heads and mollified her.
Then came the 50 pound bag of onions.
I’m not sure where they came from. Robin mentioned that one of the employees brought them for us. I’m not sure why he thought we needed 50 pounds of onions, but he did. Robin didn’t want them in his truck. His truck is full of tools, seeds, farm equipment and he has no room onions. Logically he thought my car would be the perfect place for them.
“I put a 50 pound bag of onions in your car”, he said.
Oh babe, you are so romantic.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take them out when we get home”.
Famous last words.
The first few days I drove them around they were a minor inconvenience. Naturally I didn’t take them out because by the time I pick-up the girls and get home I’ve got my hands full with my purse and lunch box, their backpacks and lunch boxes. And their papers from school that day. AND assorted toys, cups, books and jackets that have accummulated. I have to get in the house past the dogs excited to see us at the front door, have to get Sylvie and Inez into the house and into the front door, find a home for all of these items and get dinner started.
Besides, Robin said he would take them out.
By the fifth day the top of the bag had loosened and two or three onions were rolling around the back of the minivan. This was a mild nuisance and nothing more.
By the end of the second week every single onion had found it’s way out of the sack.
Every time I would make a turn, 47 onions would roll along for the ride. When I would brake, 47 onions would bum rush the front of the car. I had onions near the pedals, under the seats. When I would drive the girls in the car they would ask, “What dat, Mommy?”
That’s the sound of your mother’s fury, honey.
I tried to be zen about it, but every bounce and bump made my blood boil. No matter how slowly I took a turn or how much time I gave myself to stop, the onions collectively mocked me. One would start to move, and like elephants, the rest of the herd would stampede. Front of the van, back of the van - it was like a pinball machine back there, and I was tilting. The back of the van was littered with the onion skins that had peeled away from so much movement. My shoulders were pinched.
I realized that our farm gal had been right! My prana was being sucked out of me by those freaking onions. Oh, I hated those onions - not enough to take them out of my car. I hated them.
I finally made time last week to grab the sack, climb into the back of the van and remove every last one of them. Or so I thought.
Two wily suckers were hidden underneath Inez’s seat. They jostled around for another day until I found them and took them out.
Even writing about the onions is making me feel under the weather.
Here’s this week’s offerings. Now you can get the rest of your shopping done!
Green Leaf Lettuce
Green Cabbage
Green Bunching Onions
Broccoli or Orange Cauliflower
Baby Arugula
Sorrel
Rainbow Chard
Lacinato Kale
Gold or Red Beets
Sunflower Greens
Black Radishes
Carrots
Rosemary
Marjoram
Strawberries!
I’ve included a few recipes for the unusual thangs. Enjoy!
Also, new this week: black radishes. Opposite in color, form and taste from the white icicle radishes think about roasting them in peanut oil for about 20 minutes at 425, stirring a few times. Take them out and toss in some sliced green bunching onions (conveniently located in this week’s box) and soy sauce and roast about 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and toss with toasted sesame seeds. (very loosely adapted from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop)
We’ve also included sorrel. It’s bright lemony taste is great in salads or soup. Try this soup recipe from Cooks.com: 2 tbsp. butter, 6 med. potatoes, cut into small pieces, handful fresh sorrel leaves, cut in quarters, 1/2 tsp. salt, Pepper, 1/2 lb. fresh Polish sausage (optional) Chives, chopped (optional)
Cook sausage in water to cover. Save broth. Melt butter in large kettle, add sorrel and potatoes. Cook 5 to 7 minutes until leaves are wilted; stirring constantly. Add 3 cups broth and 3 cups water; bring to boil. Simmer 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Cool. Take out half of potatoes and save. Place rest of potatoes and broth in blender, blend until creamy. Season. Return to kettle. Add remaining potatoes and sausage (optional). Heat and serve. Chives may be added to top. (Sausage must cook at least 1 hour until done)