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Suzie's Farm CSA Members
Contact Suzie's Farm
Phone: 619.662.1780
CSA: csa@suziesfarm.com
Tours: tours@suziesfarm.com
Chefs: chef@suziesfarm.com
Media: katie@suziesfarm.com
General: info@suziesfarm.com
For scheduled farm tours,
our Kiki Town address is:
1856 Saturn Boulevard
San Diego CA 92154
Get Directions
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
- Cooking With the CSA: Sauteed Broccoli and Stir Fry Pak Choy
- Suzie’s CSA Box Contents, Feb 5-Feb 11
- More Than Sustainable
- Just Right
- Suzie’s CSA Box Contents, Jan 30-Feb 5
- Cooking With the CSA: Romanesco Cauliflower and Sweet & Sour Cabbage
- Cooking With the CSA: Kale and Fennel
- Suzie’s CSA Box Contents, Jan 23-29
- It’s Good To Be Home
- Suzie’s CSA Box Contents, Jan 16-22
- Cooking With the CSA: Broccoli and Fennel
- Touring Times
- Cooking With the CSA: Chard and Cabbage
- Suzie’s Farm CSA Box Contents, January 9th-January 15th
- Winter Report
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Broccoli Sautéed in Wine and Garlic
Makes 6 servings
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 pounds broccoli, cut into spears
1 cup Frascati or other dry white wine
1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Grated zest of 1 orange
In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil with the garlic over medium-high heat until just sizzling. Add the broccoli and cook, tossing frequently and gradually adding the wine to keep the garlic from browning until the stalks are tender 8 to 10 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and zests, and tossing well, serve immediately.
(From Epicurious)
Caribbean Stir Fry Pak Choy
Serves 4
2 lbs Pak Choy
2 Tsp oil
1/2 cup diced onions
Minced hot pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop up the Pak Choy - white and green parts.
Heat oil in a wok or very large pan until very hot. Toss in onions, pepper and garlic let cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
Add Pak Choy and toss continuously until the green leaves wilt. Remove from heat immediately, season with salt and serve right away.
(From Cynthia Nelson)
Suzie’s CSA Box Contents
Broccoli
Red Cabbage
Pak Choi Purple
Green Garlic
Arugula
Fennel
Turnip White
Onion Red Bunch
Carrots
Red Celery
Salad Mix
Lettuce Green Butter
Cilantro
Suzie’s CSA Small Box Contents
Broccoli
Napa Cabbage
Onion Red Bunching
Turnip White
Fennel
Green Garlic
Lettuce Green Butter
Salad Mix
Cilantro
Suzie’s Good Farm Box Contents
Broccoli
Onion Red Bunching
Salad Mix
Cabbage Cone
Cilantro
Green Garlic
Avocados (Stehly Organic Farms)
Lemons (Stehly Organic Farms)
Tangerines (Stehly Organic Farms)
Items subject to change due to quality and availability.
Not yet a member? Join our CSA! Learn about our individually sold Good Farm Boxes and Farm Raiser Program.
We decided that our main goal for 2012 will be to make money.
Silly, isn’t it? A business! Trying to Make Money! With all my talk about getting good at farming and slowing down and appreciating life and watching hawks soar and being joyful, talk about making money seems so impure, so coarse.
But it’s a worthy goal.
One of the main questions we are asked: Are you a sustainable farm? By which I assume they mean do we recycle our black plastic or use bio-fuel for the tractors or something like that. Sustainable is one of the most overused and underdefined words being thrown around right now. I usually answer that we are a sustainable farm. We sustain the farm by staying in business. We sustain the farm by making decisions and choices everyday that keep us in business, keep our customers’ needs fulfilled, keep our employees paid and allow us to sleep at night.
That is an answer that does not usually satisfy, but I’m not sure that the querent understands the question – I know I’m often befuddled by the question - or the possible answers. So I stick with my answer in hopes that people will understand that owning and operating – that sustaining - a small business, or in our case two small businesses, is no easy task.
At Suzie’s Farm there are two dates that hold the most significance to me. The one I hold close in my heart now is January 16, 2009; it was a Friday and it was the first day that our now Farmer #1, Ellie came to work with us in which we planted 40 fruit trees and birthed this new incarnation of Suzie’s Farm .
Planting trees is a ritual act. Unlike vegetables, which are annuals, trees establish over several years, take a long time to bear, require specific care, live a long time and yield fruit. When you plant trees in the ground, as opposed to plant trees in pots, you symbolically internalize those qualities. You give yourself permission to establish over several years and to require a lot of care – pruning, deep watering, fertilizer. You hope to bear over several years. You hope to live a long time. You hope to be fruitful.
In 2009 we started the current embodiment of Suzie’s Farm on the original 3-acre property where our beloved dog, Suzie, was first spotted – abandoned down in the valley. We planted 40 trees and 1 acre of vegetables and set to work.
By March of 2009 we realized we were going to need a lot more land if we were going to sustain the business.
By July of 2009 – the second date, July 6, 2009 – we moved to a 40-acre parcel about 1.5 miles from Suzie’s Farm. We call that parcel Kiki Town.
I calculate our success and sustainability on those two dates. Those anniversaries are significant. They demonstrate our growth. I evaluate our progress. I appraise our work. We’ve exerted momentous effort in that amount of time.
We are not the farm we were one year ago, January 16, 2011. We are not the farm we were two years ago, January 16 2010.
In 2009 and 2010, we basically learned how to farm on a, for us, large-scale. We overplanted. In 2011, we learned how to host events at the farm. We overplanted and events. Learning how to farm is like steering a ship. Sometimes you oversteer and must correct and ease off to resume course.
As the new kids on the block we received substantial attention and notoriety. We tried, did and said whatever we could to get a piece of the action. Our proximity to the downtown area made us accessible. This access provided people with a positive experience of the farm and their food and our supporters helped by spreading the word. We were written up in newspapers and blogs, in magazines and cookbooks. We were filmed and photographed, interviewed and examined. We benefitted enormously from the interest. People knew our name, had been to the farm, and had purchased our products at the Farmers Market or at Whole Foods. We were – and continue to be – a successful business.
But success doesn’t pay the bills, y’all. And if we are going to continue to be a sustainable business we’ve got to be a profitable business. Success is not the same as profit. We’ve got to make money.
To me, right now, reverberating off our 3rd Tree-iversary, Suzie’s Farm feels like the leftover cake from a party. The party was amazing. Friends enjoyed a fantastic time. Spirits were up. Moods were high. Talk was loud and loose. Laughter was flowing and drinks were ringing. The attention was on.
When the party is over, for me it is hardest to get rid of the leftover cake. The leftover cake, shattered with crumbs, covered by icing-coated foil or plastic wrap, sits in a corner on the kitchen counter, next to the coffee maker and the basket of oranges. It’s so sweet. It’s still good. It’s a reminder of all the best things about the party – the delirium, the boisterousness, the elation, the possibility, the fun.
It’s also a reminder of the excess and of the past, yet the temptation to eat the cake rules.
I don’t want to get rid of the cake. The journey to January 16, 2012 has been extraordinary. The learning curve has been sheer. One of our original goals, to create, connect and become part of a community, has been surpassed several times over. We have farmed fields. We have farmed friendships. We have mentored. We’ve been schooled.
New test: make money, turn a profit, and eliminate the unnecessary whether that is stagnant CSA host sites or Farmers Markets with weak sales. Sometimes this means we have to eliminate unpopular crops or boring events.
Some of the decisions we have to make now seem callous or insensitive. We have 85 employees. They and their families depend on us every day to make the right decision; to make the sustainable decision. Robin told me the other day that we aren’t running a “feel good” farm anymore. I’m still reeling from that comment. I don’t want that to be true. There is a fine line between buck chasing and buck stopping. We’ve got to commence some activities. We’ve got to cease others. We’ve got to maneuver somewhere in between. If the farm doesn’t feel good to us anymore it will show. If the farm doesn’t feel good anymore then what’s the point in continuing?
I still believe we can operate any kind of business we want. I believe in Robin. I believe in our original dream. I believe in Suzie’s Farm. I believe in us. I believe in you.
I led a tour of the farm today and it felt good .Kiki, Ruby and Homer were in amazing form radiating joy and energy. The finished farm stand – painted and handsome – hosted our most fetching products, a display of Suzie’s Farm goodie bags and a miracle of food created using our vegetables gleaming with life.
I showed off our garlic. I expressed what an incredible feeling it is to grow a staple that people use in their cooking four to five times per week. In that little section of Kiki Town I pointed out row after row, knowing that we are growing all the garlic for the year. We grow this garlic, this strong medicine, for us. We grow this garlic, this strong medicine, for you.
That incredible feeling is pride. Pride feels good.
I tasted the first strawberry that has softened my face and sweetened my tongue, the first strawberry that holds the covenant between the farmer and the fruit. The strawberry that says, yes we will be worth it. Hold out a bit longer. Hold on.
I don’t want to throw the cake away. I want to continue to luxuriate in it, discreet surreptitious slivers at a time. I want to taste that pleasure, that memory, that promise. I want to carry that dulcet feeling in my heart as we navigate the bounding points and the fine abundance of sustaining our farm. I want to do more than sustain.
The seed stirs in the earth, warmed by the sun and moistened by moving waters. Today, is the mid-point between the darkness of winter, of rest and the growing light of spring, of hope. Every day the sun gifts us with a few more minutes of his presence. Every day he rises a little higher, a little stronger in the sky. The trees, three years in, have set tentative roots. Now let us see if they will bear fruit.
We are on final descent into Mid-Winter. Though with this weather it is in name only. Call it Imbolc, Candelmas or Groundhog Day February 2 is the traditional Mid-Winter point. Half done with winter; half started to spring.
Except that it hasn’t felt much like winter. We seem to have switched seasons. We’ve had more warm days since December 20th than we did all summer long.
Walking past the North West corner of Kiki Town, I marvel at the 77 degree weather. The cabbages, red and Napa, the broccoli, Happy Rich and Graffiti, the cauliflower and the lettuce all look as young and strong as thoroughbreds. No Bagrada bugs have come, confused by these summer days. New rows stretch south toward the river, the black plastic shines silver in the sun.
There’s a lot of hope, a lot of vigor in this corner of the field. I’m going to take some of that; put it close to my heart.
Orange rinds litter the road like New Year’s confetti, next to neatly stacked black plastic plug trays. Abandoned ID tags the color of dust blend into the road. The planting crew has been here. I can see their detritus.
I check the condition of the fava beans. My idea to hold our weekly meeting in the rows to hand pick the aphids was squelched by last Monday’s rain. It appears someone has gone through and cut the tops – the most damaged parts -from the favas. I spy a couple of lady bugs procreating along one leaf. I cheer. Finally! They must notice my shadow or hear my cheer because they rush for cover – still attached to each other - under a leaf. A little privacy please!
I leave them to their work and move further into the favas hoping to see more lady bugs. They aren’t obvious but the previous show inspires me. There will soon be more.
The nettles are way up – higher than the Famosa cabbage that’s just getting good. The Romanesco, though planted all the same day, is coming in stages. Some heads are the size of a softball while others resemble soccer balls. These tall nettles make it difficult to harvest. Lots of good among these weeds.
We now have a strawberry crew. Last year the crew consisted of two women who had worked strawberry fields previous to coming to us. Now there are three bent at the waist, searching for and pulling the ripe ones. Few have taken on the gem glow of readiness where even the seeds sparkle. Most continue to have a dull white undertone. I don’t bother tasting those. I know what I’ll get. A mouthful of bitter flesh and grainy seeds.
The artichokes are beginning to resemble something from the Cretaceous era. The artichokes are coming.
A small brown bird darts among the shadows of the red cabbage, its feathers simulate the siennas of the soil and the shade.
The two-acre sunflower maze is matted with 2-inch high nettles. It’s resting now as we’ve decided to take advantage of the fallen sunflowers by using the same space for the sunflower maze this year. I step into what was formerly the Altar room. The soil is soft and light as meringue.
Eight people weed the beets. I watch a while. Eight people. The beets are an inch high. We are at ‘em early and strong. We are behind on beets. Robin saying he sells every beet he has right now, so why try to plant more and, also, we have no room to grow more. We talk about squeezing another row in somewhere. I don’t think we’ve decided.
The dill has regressed to autumn – its fronds smolder auburn, gold and maple orange. The scent is still good – the faintest hint of onion. I pick some for my hat. It’s been a long time since I’ve made a bouquet for myself.
Here at Bear another five person crew weeds while three harvest chard. We’ve got less in the ground but we seem to be taking better care of it. We’ve gotten our planting under control. Our first winter 2009/2010 we had row after row of greens. A lot went to CSA boxes. It’s possible that we lost a lot of CSA members after weeks of red mustard, collards, mizuna, tatsoi and chard. We’ve wrangled our planting to more manageable plots and a steadier variety of products. The boxes have been phenomenal.
Robin joins me as I finish my lunch. He shares a huge accomplishment. We’ve paid February’s rent.
We only pay rent twice a year. Once in February and once in August.
August rent seems easy after a summer of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. The Farmers Markets are flush with customers. The fields produce easily and joyfully. The money moves like sunlight, warm and far-reaching.
February rent is not so easy. After an autumn full of holiday season box holds and dark cold Farmers Markets the money grows as slow as a parsnip.
With February’s rent paid we can talk about the future.
We talk about how much we’d like to make per square foot. Our last calculation on what we make was despairing. We can’t keep running the business at that rate. We’ve committed – 2012 is the year we turn a profit. It has to be. Otherwise this is just an extremely expensive hobby.
Robin shares some ideas on how to plant to maximize row space. We aren’t getting any more land so it’s time to get real good at farming. Robin’s dream, his desire, continues to come true.
Jose, our field preparer, is almost out of work. The fields we need plowed are frothy. The rows we need lay straight. The black plastic shimmers. The drip lines sit snugly. A true tractor driver I spied Jose eating his lunch in the tractor seat, a sandwich in one hand, a bottled beverage in the other.
It’s just a comment on Robin’s part – Jose is almost out of work. I take it as a request – Jose needs more work. If we are meant to make money we must save money. If we don’t need any extra work done, give him – and us - a break.
Robin is going to start Jose spraying the brassicas with a clove/thyme oil mix. This weather isn’t good for cool season crops. The Bagrada bugs aren’t out and we want to keep it that way.
We’ve got some of our learning out of the way. In 2010 we overplanted the fields. In 2011 we overplanted events. 2012 feels like Goldilocks; it’s got the possibility of being just right.
We’ve got to keep what we have well. We’ve got to grow slowly and carefully. We’ve got to weed out the things that don’t allow the business to grow. We’ve got to step back and check the map. We’ve got the plan. Now to sow. We’ve got to talk and deliberate. We’ve got to do this opportunely. This is the shot.
February’s rent: paid. Now to the future.
Suzie’s CSA Box Contents
Broccoli
Cabbage Cone
Cauliflower Romanesco
Green Garlic
Arugula
Fennel
Turnip White
Onion Red Bunch
Spinach
Celery
Salad Mix
Micro Basil
Suzie’s CSA Small Box Contents
Broccoli
Cone Cabbage
Onion Red Bunching
Celery
Fennel
Green Garlic
Cauliflower Romanesco
Salad Mix
Sunflower Greens
Suzie’s Good Farm Box Contents
Blood Oranges
Broccoli
Onion Red Bunching
Salad Mix
Cauliflower Romanesco
Pomelos (Stehly Organic Farms)
Avocados (Stehly Organic Farms)
Lemons (Stehly Organic Farms)
Items subject to change due to quality and availability.
Not yet a member? Join our CSA! Learn about our individually sold Good Farm Boxes and Farm Raiser Program.
Sauteed Romanesco Cauliflower
1 Romanesco Cauliflower
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp thinly sliced shallots
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tsp crushed red chilies
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp lemon juice
Remove the tough edges of the cauliflower and separate the florets taking care not to break the individual florets. Wash the florets and place in a sauce pan with 2 tbsp water. Bring this to a boil and close the pan with a tight lid. Let it cook for 2 minutes on medium heat, then remove and immediately plunge the florets in cold water to stop the cooking.
Heat a large pan and roast the pine nuts and keep aside.
Add the oil and shallots tot he saucepan and sauté until soft. Season with salt and the crushed chilies. Stir in the garlic and the drained florets and sauté gently on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the pine nuts and remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and mix well. Serve warm.
(From Live To Eat)
Sweet and Sour Cabbage
10 cups Brunswick cabbage, chopped
1 onion, sliced lengthwise
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 apples, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Heat oil in the pan until hot, add onion. Cook until the onion is soft and lightly golden. Add apple and cook two minutes more. Then add the cabbage and cook for about three minutes.
Pour in vinegar and add the spices and salt. Cook until cabbage is soft and tender, 45 mins to an hour.
Kale and Potato Gratin
makes 6-8 servings
1 1/2 pounds thin-skinned boiling potatoes such as red potatoes
1 bunch kale
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional) OR 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs, such as thyme or sage
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Get a pot of water boiling large enough to accommodate the potatoes. Also prepare an ice bath.
Meanwhile, slice the potatoes 1/4-inch-thick. Set aside. Remove and discard the spines from the kale then chop the remaining leaves in 1/2-inch-thick ribbons by stacking the leaves and slicing in the direction of the veins. This doesn’t need to be exact, as long as you end up with a pile of roughly 1/2-inch-thick shreds of kale.
When the water is boiling, add a dash of salt and gently drop in the potatoes, cooking for about 2 to 3 minutes, until tender, but not cooked through. Drain and plunge into the ice bath. Drain again and dump onto a dish towel and blot.
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the kale and rub the olive oil mixture aggressively into the leaves. Layer the kale and potatoes alternately with a sprinkling of bread crumbs and Parmesan in a 9"x12” rectangular casserole or glass or ceramic baking dish.
Vegan adaptation: If you want to leave out the Parmesan, double the bread crumbs to 2/3 cup. Rub the extra olive oil and the minced herbs into the breadcrumbs with your fingers until they are the texture of wet sand. Proceed as directed above, layering the bread crumbs between the potatoes and kale.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes, until top is crispy.
(from TheKitchn, image by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan)
Fresh Fennel Salad
The fixings:
One fennel bulb
Some parsley
A chunk of hard cheese like manchego, asiago, or parmesan
Lemon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
The work:
Cut the leaves/fronds off the fennel. You want the white bulb.
Cut off the bottom end too, and then cut the fennel into smallish chunks
Cut up the parsley
Cut up the hard cheese into shards
Mix all that together with salt pepper, and olive oil
Squeeze lemon on top
If you want the vegan option, you can replace the hard cheese with salted cashews (or both, knock yourself out!). Very good. Eat fresh if possible, the cheese and the cashews get soft in the lemon over time.
(from OUR kitchen!)
Brassicas • Kale • Stalk Vegetables • Fennel • (0) Comments • Permalink
Suzie’s CSA Box Contents
Broccoli
Napa Cabbage
Cauliflower Romanesco
Carrots
Arugula
Fennel
Fava Beans
Kale
Chard
Radicchio
Chamomile Dried Tea
Pea Shoots
Suzie’s CSA Small Box Contents
Broccoli
Napa Cabbage
Chard
Parsley
Fennel
Carrots
Arugula
Kale
Chamomile Dried Tea
Suzie’s Good Farm Box Contents
Broccoli
Kale
Fennel
Carrots
Cone Cabbage
Tangerines (Stehly Organic Farms)
Avocados (Stehly Organic Farms)
Oranges Navel (Stehly Organic Farms)
Items subject to change due to quality and availability.
Not yet a member? Join our CSA! Learn about our individually sold Good Farm Boxes and Farm Raiser Program.
It’s been a long time since I’ve parked in my spot. Do you remember it? In the most southwest corner of Kiki Town, under the squat palm tree, next to the bee hives.
I’m having a hard time settling in. My mind quakes and reverberates over the last month. Since 12/21 I’ve been home 12 days. A month ago I was on a hillside in Santa Barbara, enjoying the Winter Solstice Sun’s rays weak against my sunscreen-free cheeks. I was a-top a ridge, overlooking a small organic farm fat with fava beans.. In the distance the Pacific Ocean glided miles away from me. The sky and the sun mirrored the same pale, grey-blue. Winter Solstice. I felt my heart shrinking in the short daylight hours. My night hours bled darkness.
Winter Solstice.
No one is parked in my space. It’s late afternoon on Sunday. Most of the crew has gone home. A breeze blossoms in the air. Cirrus and altostratus clouds hang low and swishy in the sky. Where is my promised 100% chance of rain? I’m back, to see the farm.
It’s quiet today. I can hear the bees, bombinating with industry and activity. They surprise me. I had guessed less activity after so many brisk and windy days.
My life has been on hold since the holidays. It is ridiculous to even think of them anymore. I see people I haven’t seen and ask them how their Christmas was and wish them Happy New Year. It’s only January 22 - the lunar New Year in fact - but people seem so far past the holidays.We are closer to mid-winter - Imbolc - than we are to the Winter Solstice. All of THAT is done. I don’t know where I am.
I exhale mightily.What can I define? Here I am. Kiki Town. In the company of 21 hives: 3-3 risers, 2-1 risers, 5-2 risers. Twenty-one boxes with an average of 60,000 bees per box equals a lot of bees. Bill sent me a text a few weeks ago - he was coming to clean up the hives and drop off some honey. I don’t know if we got the honey but the empty hives are gone and the area looks clean. Some water from yesterday’s rain reflects in the 5-gallon construction-orange lids which protect and distance the hive platforms from the soil and weeds.
I think about when I used to sit here, when the hives were weak and failing. I would sit inches from the hives, close my eyes and feel myself strengthen in their proximity.
Then Bill came along with a bee suit and six open hives, and told me all the ways a bee could sting me. Just like that I got afraid. Or respectful. I can’t decide which.
I turn to Calamity. I can feel her impatience. She stands. She looks. She waits. We look at each other and in the moment she has made eye-contact, she turns to the plowed field and regurgitates the grossly chewed pieces of rawhide the girls gave her before they left for the movie with Robin. Uh-uh. She ain’t eating those no more and I tell her as much. Clearly dems ain’t good for her belly. She doesn’t have to eat those any more. OK. Let’s get away from that.
I sit, unmoving, in the thriving chrysanthemums, still soft and green and low to the ground. A fine Spring carpet. I look down at my black pants. A bee rests on my thigh. I remember rule #3 Bees don’t like dark colors. The bee is checking me out. Bear or no? Why am I so afraid now? When I used to love to sit beside them? I’ve been stung before. It hurt but didn’t require an Emergency Room visit. I can say until the sun burns out, that a bee sting isn’t a big deal, but self-preservation is stronger. I realize; I’m not bullet-proof. I don’t want to get hurt.
Planted 1.5 Red Pac Choi with Alyssum - where was I? Was I back from Nogales? Was I still, waiting, in the ICU?
1.5 - Red Butter Lettuce
12.15 - Savoy Cabbage - 12.15!
12.8 - Lettuce - Party! With an exclamation point like the Jalapenos! planted in the northwest corner six months ago.
12.7 - Broccoli, Napa Cabbage, Red Cabbage, Graffiti Broccoli
11.30 - Butter Lettuce and Red Giant, Famosa Cabbage
How could all of these plants just continue to grow, quietly, patiently, diligently while all the rest of life and death has gone on? Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s - even Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has passed and I’m sitting on top of the Lunar New Year. And these plants, prospered mightily and grew tall while I busied myself with other matters. Graffiti and Happy Rich Broccoli, Red Bor Kale - all of this beautiful life preparing to give life.
After spending 16 days in the ICU, my uncle’s lungs began to hemmorage Thursday, January 12, 2012. He died Friday, January 13, 2012. I drove to Nogales with the girls on Sunday. January 15. He was buried Monday, January 16. It had been my intention to stay in Nogales as long as my family needed me - at least until Thursday. But when I observed my Aunt busily cleaning out her freezer on Tuesday, January 17 I realized she was ready to get her life back. With nothing more to do, I realized I was ready to get my life back too.
Veronica Cauliflower - harvesting now, transplanted 11.9. The fava beans came finally, though covered in velvety aphids, black as their center blossom. I see no lady bugs here which is really too bad. Loosest slots in town over here.
I crush some aphids, their yellow insides stain my nail beds. I laugh at myself, my intention and our 200 foot rows. Is this the best use of my time? On this day, with this sky, this quiet, this breeze I feel I should do nothing else. But I haven’t been here in over a week. I must do more than squeeze aphids like zits. Maybe tomorrow’s Monday meeting can happen out here. There are at least six people who sit in on that meeting. Six sets of hands could make some progess against the aphids. Let’s get some work done while we get some work done.
The strawberries are still mostly white. The fruit polka dots a pretty pattern across the field. The plants are sparse in the Albion section and bushy in the Camarosa section. The Albions - typically firm - feel like chewing into gum. They are a far way from being sweet and can only be considered tart and gritty with seeds.
Ellie has staked the “Save For Drying” rows. Robin brought some home and used it green in a pasta sauce. The season is almost upon us. Garlic.
The artichokes are now clearly recognizable. Grey and fleshy and serrated. The small spines on the end of their leaves reminds me of nettles. They swirl like streamers, white-ribbed and wide like ferns.
Strawberries. Garlic. Artichokes. Spring. It waves to us from the future. Can you see it?
12.21 - It’s been a month since we planted these beets. Their leaves barely peek from what must surely be their second weeding.
I round the curve that connects Kiki to Bear. The smell of eucalyptus is strong: the red-veined plants are dotted with yellow berries. I want to rip a piece away from the trunk and lay on it. Kiki is much braver than she was two years ago. She trots far ahead and across the barranca, nose down, looking back occasionally. The eucalyptus is strong. The chicken manure is stronger.
I inhale deeply. It’s good to be home.
Suzie’s CSA Box Contents
Broccoli
Savoy Cabbage
Pak Choi
Carrots
Celery
Fennel
Cilantro
Kale
Chard
Spaghetti Squash
Red Frill Mustard
Sunflower Greens
Suzie’s CSA Small Box Contents
Cauliflower Romanesco
Celery
Chard
Cilantro
Fennel
Carrots
Cabbage-Savoy
Sunflower Greens
Suzie’s Good Farm Box Contents
Tangerines (Stehly Organic Farms)
Avocados (Stehly Organic Farms)
Oranges Navel (Stehly Organic Farms)
Sunflower Greens
Cauliflower Romanesco
Chard
Carrots
Broccoli
Items subject to change due to quality and availability.
Not yet a member? Join our CSA! Learn about our individually sold Good Farm Boxes and Farm Raiser Program.
Broccoli cream soup for the winter blues
Ingredients:
12oz broccoli, florets and stalks cut into small pieces
14fl oz vegetable stock
1oz butter
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1 3/4 oz Stilton, crumbled, or to taste
3 1/2 fl oz double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
For the croutons:
4 slices french bread
3 1/2 oz stilton or blue cheese, sliced
Preparation method:
-For the soup, place the pieces of broccoli into a glass bowl. Pour over the vegetable stock.
-Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the microwave. Cook on full power for four minutes, or until tender.
-Meanwhile, heat a frying pan until hot then add the butter. When it starts to foam, add the spring onions and cook for one minute.
-Transfer the cooked broccoli and stock to a food processor. Add the fried spring onions, Stilton and cream and blend until smooth
-Transfer the blended mixture to a pan and bring gently to a simmer.
-Meanwhile, for the croutons, toast the French bread under a grill until golden-brown on each side.
-Top the grilled bread with the slices of Stilton and return to the grill until golden-brown and bubbling.
-Season the soup with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
-Divide the soup equally among four warm bowls and top each with a Stilton crouton. Serve.
Chocolate fennel cake with candied fennel
Ingredients:
For the cake
1 fennel bulb, cut in half lengthways, finely sliced
300g/10oz plain chocolate
150g/5oz butter
6 free-range eggs, separated
50g/2oz caster sugar
For the candied fennel
110g/4oz caster sugar
110ml/4fl oz water
16 baby fennel, trimmed
For the pastis cream
150ml/5fl oz double cream
2 tbsp pastis
1 tbsp icing sugar
Preparation method:
-Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
-For the cake, line a 24cm/9½in spring-bottomed cake tin with greaseproof paper.
-Scatter the fennel slices over the base of the cake tin.
-Place the chocolate and butter into a heat-proof bowl and place the bowl on top of a pan of just-boiled water over a low temperature until the chocolate has melted. Stir to combine.
-Place the egg yolks into a large mixing bowl with two tablespoons of the sugar and whisk lightly.
-Place the egg whites into a separate bowl and whisk until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl.
-Whip by hand. Gradually add the remaining sugar to the egg whites, whisking continuously, until firm peaks are formed when the whisk is removed.
-Pour the melted chocolate onto the egg yolks and stir to combine.
-Fold one-third of the egg whites into the egg yolk and chocolate mixture.
-Gently fold the remaining egg whites into the mixture.
-Pour the cake mix over the fennel slices into the cake tin and place in the oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown and a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre of the cake.
-Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
-For the candied fennel, place the sugar and water into a saucepan and add the fennel. Bring to the boil and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the mixture has thickened and the fennel has softened.
-Carefully remove the fennel from the pan and place onto a plate to cool until ready to serve.
-For the pastis cream, place the cream, pastis and icing sugar into a bowl and whisk until the cream has thickened.
I’ve done nothing but tour this week.
I took our new Self-Guided Tour last Saturday. On Monday, after our weekly management meeting, we took Inez to the chicken yard and collected 36 eggs, including five from our Dexy’s flock. On Thursday I toured some execs from Toyota who want to include the farm in the launch of the new Prius-C. Friday, Robin and I toured the top brass from Stone, who purchased Barry’s La Milpa property a few months ago and want to figure out how to stop losing money hand over fist at farming (we would also like to figure this out). Today we host our Second Saturday tours, though I’m not personally giving those. In two weeks I will host a new special tour called Sprout Safari in which I’ll walk folks through our Sun Grown property, located on Hollister Street about a mile and a half from the main Suzie’s Farm property.
What’s with all the tours? Touring the farm, walking around, seeing the least terns explode from the Red Frills, getting buzzed by helicopters, tasting tender favas, watching the clouds illustrate the sky, showing it off, talking about it, describing our operations, products and philosophies is the best way to get to know the farm. It’s the best way for me to get back into the groove of Suzie’s after my three-week absence. It’s the best reminder of why we do what we do.
I got lucky this week. I got to spend four out of five of my work days in the fields, though certainly not working in the fields. Inez joined me for two of those days, trooping out the two-hour Stone tour with little complain and much inspiration. Calamity and Ruby joined me for two of those days, capable of longer walks, generous with their enthusiasm. Most days I get zero time outside, driving past longingly with an ache and a wonder.
Humans evolved from outside endeavors. We used to walk, in groups, twelve miles a day hunting and gathering our food, setting up our camps, caring for each other. Our Flickr account has proven that many of our office-locked mates like looking at pictures of the farm. Perhaps the view from Flickr outshines whatever view you may have from your office window. That Flickr view is real, alive and accessible.
More real alive and accessible is the farm itself. We offer lots of ways to get outside. If you can’t make it down today for our Second Saturday tour, try joining me for the Sprout Safari January 29th at 9am. We will tour our Mother Board, Sun Grown Organic Distributors and you’ll learn the ins and outs of our sprout, microgreen and wheatgrass business. You’ll also get a chance to see our chicken yard and meet the girls who do all the laying. Otherwise, starting next week the Self-Guided Tours run concurrently with our open Farm Stand hours every Saturday from 10-2. Walk the farm at your pace. Buy some goodies at the Farm Stand as your reward.
The restorative powers of the wind, sun and earth are inspiriting. Come join us.
Read about all of our tour opportunities at Suzie’s Farm.
For all three boxes:
Braised leeks, Fennel and Chard
Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 leeks, julienned
2 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
1 bunch chard, stems cut into 1/2-inch lengths, leaves cut into
1-inch lengths, leaves and stems reserved separately
Kosher salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, zested on a microplane and juiced, zest and juice reserved separately
Directions
Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Toss in the smashed garlic and
crushed red pepper and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the garlic
becomes golden brown and very aromatic, remove it from the pan and
discard it. It has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the leeks, fennel
and chard stems, stir to coat with the oil and season with salt, to
taste. Stir in the white wine and the lemon zest and juice. Cover and
cook over medium heat until the veggies have become soft and wilted
but still maintain some texture, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the lid
and cook until most of the liquid has reduced, another 3 to 4 minutes.
Toss in the chard leaves, stir to combine and season with salt, to
taste. When the leaves have wilted but still look vibrantly green,
taste for seasoning. Reseason if needed (it probably will).
Cabbage and Pears
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
One cone cabbage or napa cabbage, shredded
Two ripe but firm Bosc or Anjou pears
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Melt 1-tablespoon of butter in a skillet over low heat. Add the
shredded cabbage and toss to coat with butter. Cover and simmer for
ten minutes. Remove from heat.
While the cabbage is cooking, peel, halve and core the pears. Slice
pears thinly. Melt remaining butter in a skillet over high heat. Add
the pears and sugar. Cook for 30 seconds.
Stir the pears into the cabbage. Season with salt and pepper.
CSA Box Contents
Broccoli
Cabbage Cone
Spinach
Head Lettuce
Celery
Fennel
Orange Carrots
Parsley
Chard
Cabbage Napa
Microgreens-Rainbow
CSA Small Box Contents
Broccoli
Spinach
Celery
Chard
Lettuce
Parsley
Carrots
Cabbage-Napa
Microgreens-Rainbow
Good Farm Box Contents
Tangerines (Stehly Organic Farms)
Avocados Bacon (Stehly Organic Farms)
Oranges Navel (Stehly Organic Farms)
Cabbage-Cone
Chard
Lettuce
Broccoli
Parsley
Items subject to change due to quality and availability.
Not yet a member? Join our CSA!
Well, hello.
The last time we met was well before the Winter Solstice. The most amazing thing happened. Robin spilled coffee on our home laptop and just like that: I got quiet.
For a few days there I felt pressure. I asked Robin to bring home Ellie’s computer so I could catch up on email, and more importantly, write the blog. But in our tumble to pack for our four-day camping trip, to prepare the farm for our absence, in the crazy that would be the dinner party hosted for our farm-ily at our home the Sunday night before our departure, our return Christmas Eve Eve, the responsibility for the laptop’s delivery and return to the office was too great and my writing – and my soul – began a steady rest.
Many of our staff took abundant time off during the holidays, traveling back east to New York, Pittsburg and Vermont. Emails sloughed off, except for cursory ones informing our Marketeers and CSA shareholders of closures. We even cancelled our all-office-staff-Monday meetings for December 19 and 26. Was there really anything to report?
It was, after all, the Holy Days – Hanukah and the Winter Solstice starting off the reflection, followed by Christmas, Kwanzaa, the New Year, Twelfth Night and the Epiphany. Throw into those three weeks Rodrigo’s 37th birthday, my 40th birthday, Robin’s dad’s 70th birthday, my Mom’s 65th birthday. Toss in spiking fevers for 75% of the family over two weekends, a child who falls trying to surprise Mommy and the “Surprises’” surprise trip to the Emergency Room, a dear uncle for whom an annoying cough turns into pneumonia that doesn’t respond to antibiotics in his stage 4 cancer- invaded lungs and a four-day road trip to my home town in Mexico.
That spilled coffee cup did me the biggest favor.
And yet, that is not to say that I did not feel pressure. For the road trip I left Monday, January 2nd at 3:30am and returned Thursday, January 5th at 11:30pm. I suffered a darling panic attack on Wednesday morning. I threw my back out Friday morning. Pressure pushed me to work yesterday, to see the fields for the first time in three weeks, to walk our new Self-Guided tour fighting a 102-degree fever, followed by a two-hour meeting. Pressure, a formidable adversary, has me writing this blog. Boo Hoo. Life goes on.
Except that deep winter is the time for quiet. Even when our winter weather has outshone our summer weather by a good three weeks, winter asks us to hold close our family and to appreciate life. Winter promises us another turn, and the time and strength to do it.
During the day, Sylvie perceives the fragile flight of the Sun, weak as a newborn. She wonders how long it will take to set. During her feverish nights, Sylvie regularly asks when the Sun will come out. She and Inez have entered the age of nightmares – unreal and confusing things that attack you while you are unguarded and resting. She wants to know, what takes so long for the reassuring Sun to rise?
There is no “New Year, New You!” I’m beginning to believe there are no holidays, only Holy Days. Only seasons and life and death. Only every day, holy and worth celebrating.
You are you in spite of the unreal and confusing things that happen during the days and nights. You are you because of the things that happen during the days and nights. You are the Moon growing dim and bright. You are the Sun, strong and weak. You are a treasured seed stirring in the Earth. You are a winter tree, denuded of its leaves, firm and rigid along the edge of a dirty stream. You are a new plant, leaves yearning toward the infinite cerulean sky, nebulous roots seeking warmth in carefully tended rows.
You are time and space and magnificent.
That is the report, Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to 2012.