January 16, 2023

January 16th, 2023 Newsletter

January 16, 2023/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents: 

2 lbs Gold Oak Mandarins
1 lb Broccoli
1 hd Cauliflower
1 bu Red Beets
1 bu Red Carrots
1 hd Savoy Cabbage
1 lb Bok Choi

Farm Notes:

As we roll into an almost sunny week after three weeks of a relative deluge, we are excited and looking forward to moving into production action! While agencies like our irrigation district move slowly and cautiously, it is imaginable that there might be at least some water in Cache Creek this summer! Clearlake has come up almost six feet in the past month and Indian Valley has risen nearly forty feet. Despite all of this rain, if this is the end of our rainy season, as happened a year ago mid December, it’s entirely possible that Cache Creek could see no allocation.

We are grateful for the relatively moderate flooding we’ve seen and all the rain. If we get ten days of dry and sun we will jump into transplanting more onions and lettuce plus seeding carrots, beets, greens of all sorts and hoeing like there is no tomorrow, as there may not be from a dry soil production activity perspective… Either way, it’s time to start summer crops in the greenhouses, tomatoes next week followed by peppers, eggplant and melons! Rain and sun are both essential, here’s to hoping for a good balance! Off and running..

-Riverdog Tim

GoldOak Mandarins – Here is something special about the ranch where the mandarins in your box are from. Gold Oak Ranch is home to the second largest Oak tree in Yolo County. Why special? The oak trees of the Capay Valley are some of the great giants that line the grassy hills along the Cache Creek River giving us nothing short of a serene landscape. Hard work and sustainability are what helps these fertile farmlands thrive. We are glad to share these values with Jose Luis Melendez, David Scheuring, and the Gold Oak Ranch crew. Enjoy these bright slices of the valley, in salads, juiced, as a snack to go. Zest from the peel can be used as a vibrant addition to your morning tea.

Broccoli – Broccoli is a wonderful cool weather crop that we get excited about this time of year. Make sure to eat the stem, it's the sweetest part and has a delicious texture. Sometimes the stem can be extra fibrous on the outside but can be broken down in soup form or peeled. Some of us do a little heart-eyed dance around here to broccoli leaves, check out what Forager Chef, Alan Bergo, has to say here. Broccoli leaves can be prepared the same ways as kale and collard. Enjoy it in your salads, sandwiches, stewed, or in a smoothie. Broccoli can be stored in the refrigerator, in a plastic bag, for a few days.

Cauliflower – Absolutely beautiful first of the season cauliflower from our farm. Cauliflower is totally pizza friendly. Ranging from the possibilities of making cauliflower crust or loading your toppings with curried cauliflower like Majka’s Pizzeria of Sacramento has done here. Eat raw, roasted, or extra roasted, steamed or sauteed. Enjoy!

Red Beets -- Beets savory, beets sweet, beets juiced, and the 26++++ delicious ways to cook with beets. We love our precious deep red roots. With the greens attached to the roots, it's really a two in one. The greens are like a salty chard, easy to stir fry, and deliciously hearty. The beets, like most root vegetables, can last a long time if store correctly. If the beets get soft, no worries, these are still delicious roasted. Separate the roots from the greens for best storage and store both in plastic bags in the refrigerator. The beets, like most root vegetables, can last a long time if stored correctly.

Red Carrots – You can "eat the rainbow" here at Riverdog with the variety of carrots we grow. Quick- which varieties do we grow here at Riverdog- we have Red carrots, Red Dragon carrots, Nantes (orange) carrots, Yellow Carrots, Deep Purple carrots, and White carrots. Every time I'm around these carrots I find it's necessary to do research, and eat one of each. Check out what the Spruce Eats has to say about the different carrots here. Carrots can be stored in the refrigerator for one to two weeks, remove carrot greens first.

Savoy Cabbage – Savoy cabbage, also known as curly cabbage, is recognized by it's crinkly leaves with a flavor that is described as more mild and buttery than it's cousin, green cabbage. The tender leaves are delicious when eaten raw but also goes well when cooked with bacon, sauteed, or thrown into a pasta dish. Additionally you can stir fry savoy cabbage, put it in soups, or roast it. Savoy cabbage, like it's cousins, is notorious for storing well. Keep refrigerated for longer life.

Bok Choi – Currently we are growing two types of bok choi-- the large white-stemmed joi choi, and the shorter green-stemmed mei qing. They are both delicious and crunchy and can be used in similar ways. Bok choi makes a great stir-fry, delicious is an addition in curry, soups, noodles, fermented, or eaten raw. Store in the refrigerator in a bag.

-Maya, CSA Manager

January 13, 2023

January 9th, 2023 Newsletter

January 13, 2023/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

2 lbs Blue Heron Oranges

1 lb Broccoli

1 bu Cilantro

2 pcs Black Spanish Radish

1 bu Red Mustard

1 hd Red Leaf Lettuce

2 hd Iceberg Lettuce

1 hd Napa Cabbage

Farm Notes:

Happy mid storm season!! I hope all of you are doing ok as we all roll through the challenges of real rain. Cache Creek, our main river in the Capay Valley is running strong but not overrunning its banks yet. Many of the seasonal creeks are creating challenges and SR16 is closed on both ends of the valley due to flooding this afternoon. We are just picking your veggie boxes, local restaurant orders and markets for the beginning of this week as acess to our fields is just too muddy to take on wholesale orders. Grateful for the rain and relatively low level of inconvenience at this point. Our thoughts are with the many who are having a much harder time of it right now.

-Riverdog Tim

Blue Heron Oranges -- Learn the story of Blue Heron Oranges here. Though John has since passed and Gretchen has changed paths. The heart of two extremely hard working individuals lives on and some of the people that helped support that dream still tend those orange trees. We are honored to share these treasures with you and hope you enjoy.

Broccoli – Broccoli is a wonderful cool weather crop that we get excited about this time of year. Make sure to eat the stem, it's the sweetest part and has a delicious texture. Sometimes the stem can be extra fibrous on the outside but can be broken down in soup form or peeled. Rich with nutrients especially when fresh, broccoli can be boiled, sauteed, steamed, chopped and added to a slaw or a classic broccoli salad. Broccoli can be stored in the refrigerator, in a plastic bag, for a few days.

Cilantro – Oh cilantro, there is so much to say. But why don't we start with using the roots? There is a ton of flavor in the root of cilantro in addition to the stems and leaves. The roots can blended for dressing or marinades, or chopped or sauteed into any rice dish. For the leaves I like to chop and mash into avocado with some lime and onion to make a simple guacamole. Or you could shoot for the "best ever" guacamole. Store in a bag in the refrigerator.

Black Spanish Radish -- There something about weaving ancient folklore with plants and food as medicine into our everyday. I've heard all sorts of fun ways people use black radish as a remedy, and while it's important to remain well informed about what's best for our health, I do love this fresh salad recipe for incorporating black radish here: "Shred them with apples, pears, carrots and/or fennel, and then sprinkle with herbs, or nestle in arugula for a refreshing salad." Black radishes are also delicious in salts and fats, sauteed, roasted, thinly sliced or wedged into salads, sandwiches, and so on...

Red Mustard – I can't hear the words mustard greens without thinking of a type of mustard greens dish my mother used to make growing up. Otherwise known as Japanese Giant Red Mustard, this type of mustard we grow is sharp, with almost a garlic-like, mustard flavor. Delicious when paired with fat, citrus, and salt. A simple saute would include olive oil or pork fat, garlic, navel citrus juice, 1/4 cup of broth (vegetarian or meat.) You can bring this to a simmer and add the greens for five minutes. Then serve. If you're not such a huge fan of bitters, one secret tactic is to blanch the bitters before throwing them in the pan. Store the leaves in your fridge, in a bag.

Red Leaf Lettuce – At Riverdog we grow more lettuce varieties than I ever thought possible. One of my favorite games to play with the students I teach is guess which variety. What are the subtle differences between each lettuce variety? Red leaf lettuce is mild with a slightly bitter undertone. The redder the lettuce, the more bitter, sort of like the mustard of the lettuces. Because of its curly crimson red leaves, red leaf lettuce makes for a beautiful base to a salad such as this Roasted Carrot and Red Leaf salad with buttermilk herb dressing. For storage, you can either transfer to a plastic bag, or put in plastic, to avoid wilting.

Iceberg Lettuce – Iceberg lettuce is your classic household name lettuce. Also known as crisphead lettuce, it's known for its mild flavor and crunchy leaves, high in water content and grows in the shape of cabbage. It is truly a lettuce for everyone, you might be able to persuade a veggie hesitant child (or adult) with a salad dressing rich iceberg wedge salad. You can saute it, stir fry it, use as leaves in a burger or sandwich, or leave out the bun entirely and replace with iceberg lettuce leaves. For storage, will keep in the refrigerator for sometime. You can either transfer to a plastic bag, or put in plastic, to avoid wilting.

Napa Cabbage – I am thrilled whenever there is napa cabbage in season. Excellent chopped raw and served in a salad, sautéed in oil with a dash of salt and pepper, but in my favorite form - Kimchi. Napa cabbage can keep for week or even longer when stored unwashed in a produce bag in the fridge.

-Maya, CSA Manager

January 02, 2023

First Newsletter of 2023! January 2nd, 2023

January 02, 2023/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents: 
1 bu Scarlet Queen
1 hd Green Cabbage
1 lb King Richard Leek
2 lbs Potatoes
1 bu Rapini
1 pc Red Beet
.75 lb Spinach

Farm Notes:

Happy wet New Year to all!! Our welcome back to full tilt harvest is soggy and promises to get wetter after Tuesday. Everyone is busting out all the harvest we can today and Tuesday so we can weather Wednesday’s predicted inundation under cover! We have had no flooding yet but have seen some wind damage to our largest greenhouse. This morning’s windless and rainless spell gave us a chance to re-skin the greenhouse and hope for the best!

I hope all of you have survived this past week well and that we all make it through the coming 2 weeks of wet! We desperately need the rain and are delighted that so far on farm runoff is relatively clear and minimal and our seasonal creeks are not running too wildly. Our thirsty soil is still drinking in the rain as of today but I suspect that this week we will see some serious run-off start. Enjoy all of the freshly harvested greens and stored potatoes! While it is inconvenient and challenging in the moment, we are deeply grateful for the rain.

Box Notes:

Scarlet Queen -- Thank you Good Eggs for this suh-weeet write up on our Scarlet Queen Turnips: "These vibrant and beautiful turnips can be boiled, roasted, steamed, or eaten raw. Their flavor is among the freshest of all root veggies, as they're a little sweet, and somehow very light on the palette. Mash some up with other roots for a bit of a kick, slice them up and put them on your salad for some extra zip, roast them along side your root medley and they won't disappoint."

Green Cabbage – My friend and local Riverdog CSA member, Matt, swears by cabbage soup. Maybe not everyday for the rest of your life, but this versatile, hearty wonder can turn any meal into a veggie comfort food. Cabbage is one of the most versatile vegetables around (braised, stuffed, stewed, roasted, fermented, pancaked?)-- and notorious for storing well.

King Richard Leek – King Richards are beautiful full sized leeks with white shanks over a foot long. Let's also talk about how leaves are more than just their white shanks. You can use the green parts too, and here's how. Also you can save these fibrous tips for veggie stock! Do not trim or wash before storing. Leeks have a strong odor so wrap leeks in plastic when storing in the refrigerator. Leeks will last up to two weeks. Be sure to rinse well, or put cut leeks in a bowl of water to remove the dirt and grit that can get stuck between the leaves.

Potatoes -- We grow a whole range of potatoes here at Riverdog that you can also order on our Farm Store. Try em' all and impress your friends with your knowledge of potato varieties. This week you'll find Yellow Finn potatoes in your box. It’s a great idea to store your potatoes in the refrigerator, especially when they’re new and haven’t been cured.

Rapini – If you are still wondering what in the heck is Rapini? Just know that our market manager, Betsy, is also our local recipe guru. Betsy loves to chop up and stir fry Rapini and add some meat like in this rosemary pork with sauteed rapini recipe. Rapini, otherwise known as broccoli rabe, can be described as a cross between mustard greens and broccoli. The secret to a great tasting rapini is to blanch it before frying it if you’re not a fan of bitterness. A great way to balance bitters in your food is to introduce something sweet, salty, or sour, but in truth, sometimes all you need is a little garlic .

Red Beet – I did not discover my love for beets until later in life, it came in the form of roasted in balsamic beet slices with goat cheese and sprinkles of mint leaves, then I began to understand. Beets savory, beets sweet, beets juiced, beets, just ... beets. We love our precious deep red roots – with the greens attached, it's really a two in one. Separate the roots from the greens for best storage and store both in plastic bags in the refrigerator. The beets, like most root vegetables, can last a long time if store correctly, but often get soft. No worries, these are still delicious roasted. The greens are like a salty chard, easy to stir fry, and deliciously hearty.

Spinach – We grow a variety of spinach here at Riverdog. The leaves are a deep green, and hardy. The spinach is good to enjoy massaged in a salad, lightly wilted, or cooked in a yummy meal such as Palak Paneer. For storage, will keep in the refrigerator for sometime. You can either transfer to a plastic bag, or put the waxed paper bag in plastic, to avoid wilting.

-Maya, CSA Manager

December 19, 2022

December 12th, 2022 Newsletter

December 19, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents: 

1 hd Cabbage

1 bu White Carrot

.50 lb Arugula

.75 lb Spinach

1 lb Scarlet Queen Turnip

1 bu Dino Kale

2 hds Batavia

***Heads up on December Schedule:

Riverdog Farm Winter Break: December 23, 2022 to January 2, 2023. Our last market of the year will be at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market on Thursday, December 22, 2022. Our last day of CSA deliveries in 2022 will be Friday December 23rd. Berkeley Farmer’s Market and CSA deliveries will resume on Tuesday January 3rd, 2023. All Store Access and Frog Hollow Fruit Box deliveries will be closed at this time.

Farm Notes:

Cache Creek has risen! After almost another inch of rain on Thursday Cache Creek subbed up out of the gravel as far south as our fields in Brooks, just south of CR68. The creek is not flowing yet, but there is water in it now, a sign that our shallower aquifers are replenishing. The more traditionally seasonal creeks in the the Capay Valley are not yet flowing but I imagine another few inches will bring them back to above ground life as well. Very exciting, but it will take a lot more rain to quench this thirsty ground fill our local reservoirs.

Sunrise today revealed a beautiful and ephemeral mantle of snow on the highest ridges of the the Blue Ridge to our west. With fields wet and mornings often frosty the harvest crew doesn't start until 08:30, a real shift from our summer starts of 05:30 for supervisors and and 06:00 for the balance of the crew. Tractor drivers are either doing preventative maintenance on our tractors or joining in the harvest, as needs be. The irrigators are pruning orchards and trapping gophers in the alfalfa, cover crop and wheat fields while their growth is low enough to see the fresh gopher mounds. Why alfalfa and wheat?

The alfalfa is a three year rotation out of veg to break disease cycles and reserve feed for our hogs and sheep. Similarly the wheat serves as a rotation crop for the veg crops as well as a significant source of feed for our chickens and winter grazing for our sheep. Some of our wheat makes its way to flour through Capay Mills, Morrel's Bread, Fournee Bakery and others I'm afraid I'm forgetting. Enjoy!

-Riverdog Tim

Box Notes:

Finally, those crunchy carrots you've been waiting for. If you're prone to craving sweets when its cold, can't go wrong by adding vegetables with a sweet flavor profile, like carrots or turnips, to your meals. Ever thought about carrots for breakfast? Shred them and add them to your overnight oats. Or get yourself on Santa's naughty list by glazing your turnips in brown sugar. In the winter, I live on cabbage soup. This soup can be made easily and simply by sauteing onions, garlic, olive oil, spices (don't leave out the coriander), adding cabbage and stock, and letting it simmer. For a truly "feel good meal," combine your cabbage with our succulent, organic ham in a crock pot or skillet. Amazingly, all those leafy greens can survive the frost, imagine what benefits they can bring to you.

-Maya, CSA Manager

December 09, 2022

December 5th, 2022 Newsletter

December 09, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents: 

1 pcs Fennel

1 hd Napa Cabbage

.66 lb Arugula

2 pcs Leek

1 lb MeiQing Choi

1 bu Collards

1.5 bu Potatoes

1 pc Butternut

***Heads up on December Schedule:

Farm Thoughts:

The rain came and every plant on the farm is thrilled! We have been irrigating diligently through the year, so plants aren't short on water but they are long on all of the salts that our ground water is so rich in. So when we get a good inch of rain water it rapidly pushes some of those salts down past the upper root zone and plants respond instantly, you can almost here them sigh in delight. One of the hazards of drought periods is the accumulation of these ground water salts which increase the alkalinity of the soil and lock up nutrients for the plants. We spread mined gypsum, calcium sulfate, in the Fall, in the hope of rain so that more calcium is present to help leach some of the salts out but we have seen relatively little rain in the past 2 Winters. We are hoping for more of this gentle rain which percolates into the still thirsty soil and hopefully recharges our ground water as well. Our local irrigation district, Yolo County Flood Control will probably not have enough water for any releases next summer, as was the case this year, unless we have a truly wild winter, which is in no one's forecast. So we have to enjoy as much rain as possible and work to hold as much of it as possible in our fields so that it soaks slowly in and fills the soil profile in a way we have not seen in two years. Bring it on! Wheat and cover crops that we have not had water for are poking up happily and our veg crops are a happier shade of green and standing taller. We are all also grateful that the rain came instead of just the frigid air it came with. Even with this rain Cache Creek has not re-surfaced further downstream that reported last week - ground water levels are really taking time to recover this year.

Box Notes:

The fennel is amazingly crunchy and vibrant raw, and cooks into a savory treat when roasted or included in soups. The tops serve well in stock. If you see some pealing film on the stalks this is delamination caused by the nights we had in the mid to high 20s just before the rain. The Napa Cabbage makes an amazing fresh salad; we slice it thinly and dress it with rice vinegar, olive oil and salt in our house. The leeks go well in that Napa salad too and are delicious in soups. Eat your greens!

-Riverdog Tim

Webstore Features:

Smoked/Cured Hams: Pre-order holiday hams for Thanksgiving by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· asture Raised eggs are available by the dozen to add to your subscription OR as a one-time purchase on the Webstore.

· All pastured meat orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Pasture Raised Whole Chickens and Smoked Chickens

· Pasture Raised Pork Cuts and Pork Shares

· Pasture Raised Lamb Cuts

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds, Raw Hartley Walnuts by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Riverdog Farm has an Instagram account. Find us via our Instagram handle: riverdogfarm. Like us or tag us with all of your yummy Riverdog CSA dishes. We share images of crops, farming, re-posts of your farm fixin’ photos and videos and provide market and CSA updates.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription: $33.25 per fruit box. Email the CSA manager at CSA@riverdogfarm.com to get a box. ALL orders need to be in by Monday morning at 8AM – that is when FROG HOLLOW box numbers are finalized and sent. See Frog Hollow info below to learn more about their fruit boxes.

Site hosts: Please email the CSA manager by the morning following the delivery day about any unclaimed CSA boxes. This way, we can contact CSA subscribers with a reminder email to pick up their CSA orders.

Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

* YEARLY subscription that needs to end early will be charged at the $30 box price for boxes already delivered (not to exceed the original purchase price) and the balance may be refunded back to the card of original purchase or a

check will be sent to the Member.

* MONTHLY subscribers –Please finish your subscription commitment. If your balance does not reach $0, then the remaining amount – below $29 - may be refunded back to the credit card or in the form of a check. You can also choose to donate your remainder to the farm. When your balance reaches $0, then you have fulfilled your subscription commitment and your account will automatically go to “permanent hold” status.

* You are able to re-subscribe at any time. Subscribers who are set up for recurring payments need to turn off recurring payment in order to make any cancellations to your account. You must do this on your account before your account reaches $30 or less.

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

•To ensure that your subscription continues uninterrupted, please make sure your payment is up current on your CSA account. You may also put your account on a DELIVERY HOLD if you will be gone for 1 delivery or periods of time. Your balance will be the same when you return.

•For any changes you need to make to your account, the cut off time is 12:00 NOON, 2 days before your delivery day. Remember to make any changes to your account such as payment renewal, webstore orders or delivery holds by 12:00 NOON, 2 days before your delivery day. Thank you!

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Special Request: We’d like to encourage subscribers to switch to paying by check instead of credit card as this will reduce the fees that our CSA platform (Farmigo) charges the farm. You can schedule a monthly or quarterly auto-payment by check via your bank. Your bank then mails us a paper check on a schedule that you specify. Thank you for considering this special request.

Please pick up your veggie box on your delivery day so that it stays fresh and we can ensure quality. During the hot days of summer, the earlier you are able to pick up the better

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day.** CSA site hosts may donate any unclaimed items after 24 hours (3pm following the day of original pickup time) unclaimed/forgotten orders may no longer be available and the subscriber absorbs the subscription cost for that week’s order. Missing items/quality issues must be emailed within 24 hours of pick up day and time slot for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

Reminder: A/B delivery schedules are every other week. They aren’t always 1st/3rd or 2nd/4th weeks due to some months having 5 weeks. Make sure your name is on the list AND you only take the items listed next to your name.

Encourage family, neighbors, friends and colleagues to sign-up for the Riverdog Farm CSA. You can create an account for the member and pay the balance with a check sent to the farm or credit card. Print or email the “WELCOME” email or mail your generous gift to the recipient.

The weekly box contents are subject to change (from the box contents listed in the weekly newsletter). We include a list of box contents in the newsletter to give you an idea of what to expect but it may differ from what is packed. Crop quality, daily yields and weather conditions will determine final box contents each week.

Chicken Announcements:

1. Chicken subscriptions are available. You can choose a desired weight between 3 lbs and 6 lbs. The whole chickens (with head and feet) are $6 per lb. The whole chickens (without head and feet) are $8.50 per lb. All meat raised on the farm is pasture fed. The animals are CCOF certified organic but cannot be labeled as organic due to being processed in a facility that is not certified organic. To begin a chicken subscription, add a chicken to your account 48 hours before your delivery day. Your account is deducted with the actual price of the chicken at midnight the day after delivery.

2. Webstore Orders: There are whole chickens and . smoked chickens available on the web store. Try out a chicken with no subscription commitment. If you like it, add it to your account as a weekly or bi-weekly subscription.

Whether you leave the box at the site or take it home to return the following week, please collapse your box carefully to prevent tearing of the end flaps. Slowly bend the two end panels towards the outer ends first then flatten the whole box by gently folding the rest.

Give your account 48 hours to update when making changes. For example, when changing your account status from permanent hold to active by charging your credit card, the process may take up to 48 hours to update. The auto-pay option button is at the bottom of your account page. Please click it for auto-renewal of your CSA subscription and to ensure uninterrupted weekly veggie box deliveries.

The Frog Hollow fruit box is available to add to your CSA account. Due to logistics, the Frog Hollow Fruit Boxes are only available to the Wednesday/Thursday/Friday subscribers. CSA subscribers who pick up on Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays, at the Berkeley farmers markets may purchase directly from Frog Hollow. 12:00 pm Sunday is the deadline to change your account for the fruit box. If you enter a hold any time after that, we can cancel delivery of the box, but your account may still be charged the full amount for the fruit box. Frog Hollow CSA boxes come with 3-4 varieties of seasonal tree-ripened, exceptionally tasty stone fruits. As part of their commitment to sustainability, Frog Hollow works hard to avert food waste. You can expect to see ripe, cosmetically imperfect fruit and small or large pieces of fruit in the fruit boxes. These characteristics should not affect the deliciousness of what you receive. Visit their web site to learn more about their CSA program, farm philosophy, fruits and recommendations: www.froghollow.com

Reminder: So that your subscription continues uninterrupted, please make sure your credit card on file is up to date on your CSA account. For those who need to end the CSA subscription before your balance is at $0, email the farm to request cancellation. You may put your account on a DELIVERY hold if you will be gone for periods of time.

For any changes you need to make to your account, the cut off time is 12:00 NOON, 2 days before your delivery day Remember to make any changes to your account such as payment renewal, webstore orders or delivery holds by 12:00 NOON, 2 days before your delivery day. Thank you!

Sesame Soy Braised Mei Qing Choi

From: https://www.prospectheightscsa.org/recipes/2018/1/16/sesame-soy-braised-mei-qing-choi

1 head (or 6-8 baby heads) Mei Qing choy
2 Tbs peanut oil
1 Tbs grated ginger
1 Tbs minced garlic
½ cup chicken stock
1 Tbs toasted sesame oil
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs sesame seeds

Trim the root end off the Mei Qing choy. Slice the leafy portions of the plant from the stalks. Chop both the leaves and the stalks, keeping the two piles separate. Heat very large, heavy skillet or wok until it looks hazy over the surface, 2-4 minutes. Add peanut oil and swirl it to coat the pan. Add bok choy stems; stir-fry about 5 minutes.

Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry briefly. Add Mei Qing choy greens, chicken stock, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until bok choy is tender and glazed with sauce, 5-8 minutes.

Remove cover, sprinkle with sesame seeds, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until excess liquid evaporates, 2-3 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

November 28, 2022

November 28th, 2022 Newsletter

November 28, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents: 

2 pcs Red and Purple Daikon

1 hd Bok Choi

.75 lb Spinach

1 bu Tokyo Turnips

1 bu Red Beets

1 bu Curly Kale

1 bu Cilantro

2 hds Lettuce

***Heads up on December Schedule:

Farm Notes:

We are very much hoping to see rain this week, maybe even snow?!? Not just because we need the rain, especially for our dry farmed wheat, which has germinated but will be much happier with another drink soon. But also because if this storm misses us we are likely to see some very cold temperatures down into the low to mid 20s - never a happy temperature for vegetables! We are still spinning sprinklers on an almost daily basis here due to the continued dry. It is very exciting to see water subbing back up to the surface in Cache Creek! It has been a rock garden in our stretch of the valley since July so even a few cubic feet per second is amazing. Hopefully the Egrets and Herons who were creek less for the summer and specialized in hunting gophers in our fields will continue their amazing services! Neighbors already saw some otters, who must be following the water down so fish must be moving down too. The water is beginning to surface in the river again. It has surfaced as far south as County Road 68 but we are still waiting for water in the river to appear further south at our Brooks field where the hogs live. We are all so ready for the rain here!

Box Notes:

Don’t let the Red and Purple Daikons intimidate you, they are delicious raw and make fantastic quick pickles. Some folks like to cook them but that pleasure escapes me. The Tokyo Turnips play well both ways and the tender little beets are quite delicious cooked. With both the Turnips and the beets, remember to Eat Your Greens! The cilantro has so many uses but we’ve been really enjoying it in both kale and lettuce (hybrids too!) salads. Enjoy the rain and the veggies!!

-Riverdog Tim

Webstore Features:

· Pastured Half Ham, Smoked

· Greens: Braising Greens, Kale, Lettuce, Spinach

· Raw Mission Almonds and vegetable items are available by the case.
Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

The weekly veggie box contents are subject to change. We include a list of box contents in the newsletter to give you an idea of what to expect but it may differ from what is packed. Crop quality, daily yields and weather conditions will determine final box contents each week.

Please pick up your veggie box on your delivery day. Please pick up your CSA order on your delivery day so that it stays fresh and we can ensure quality. CSA site hosts may donate any unclaimed items no sooner than 24 hours after the original pick up day and time of 3pm. After 24 hours (3pm the following day) unclaimed orders may no longer be available and the subscriber absorbs the subscription cost for that week’s order.

New CSA Announcements:

Chicken subscriptions are available. The whole chickens (with head and feet) are $6 per lb. The average weight is 3.5 to 7 lbs. All meat raised on the farm is pasture fed. The animals are CCOF certified organic but cannot be labeled as organic due to being processed in a facility that is not certified organic. Your account is updated weekly with the actual weight packed for you. To begin a chicken subscription, add a chicken to your account 48 hours before your delivery day. Your account is deducted with the actual price of the chicken at midnight the day after delivery.

Webstore Orders: There are chickens available on the web store. Try out a chicken with no subscription commitment. If you like it then add it to your account as a weekly subscription. There are also a limited supply of half, smoked hams available.
Site hosts: Please email the CSA manager by the morning following the delivery day about any unclaimed CSA boxes. This way, we can contact CSA subscribers to remind them to pick up their veggie boxes.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next delivery from our farm.

Riverdog Farm has an Instagram account. Find us via our Instagram handle: riverdogfarm. On our account, we share images of the crops, farming, re-posts of your farm fixings photos and videos and provide market/CSA updates.

Whether you leave the box at the site or take it home to return the following week, please unfold (collapse) your box carefully to keep the end flaps from tearing. Slowly bend the two end panels towards the outer ends first then collapse (flatten) the whole box by gently folding the rest.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Box The weekly fruit box is $29.75. To add the Frog Hollow Fruit box to your weekly subscription,

1) go to your CSA account.

2) Log in then look at the right side of your page at the summary box - at the bottom of that box is your subscription with a darker green box that says "change". Click on change.

3) Below the title "CHANGE SUBSCRIPTION" you have 2 tabs - Click on the -options- tab. You will see the Frog Hollow Fruit box available to add.

4) ALL orders must be in by Sunday at NOON so we have the ability to process the order and deliver it.

The Frog Hollow fruit box will be available to add to your CSA account from Thursday to Sunday by NOON. Due to logistics, the Frog Hollow Fruit Boxes will only be available to the Wednesday/Thursday/Friday subscribers. CSA subscribers who pick up on Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays, at the Berkeley farmers markets may purchase directly from Frog Hollow. 12:00 pm Sunday is the deadline to change your account for the fruit box, if you enter a hold any time after that, we can cancel delivery of the box, but your account will still be charged the full amount for the Fruit box. Frog Hollow CSA boxes come with 3-4 varieties of seasonal tree ripened, exceptionally tasty stone fruits. As part of their commitment to sustainability, Frog Hollow works hard to avert food waste. You can expect to see ripe, cosmetically imperfect fruit and small or large pieces of fruit in the fruit boxes. These characteristics should not affect the deliciousness of what you receive. Visit their web site to learn more about their CSA program, farm, ethos, fruits and recommendations: www.froghollow.com

Keeping it safe: with the Shelter-in-Place order still in effect in Yolo County, we continue to implement our COVID-19 prevention protocol on the farm per the CDC and Cal-OSHA recommended best practices. Prevention measures include: required face covering and glove wearing, 6-foot distancing in the workplace, hand sanitation and employees are not allowed to work with symptoms of COVID-19.
Reminder: So that your subscription continues uninterrupted, please make sure your credit card on file is up to date on your CSA account. For those who need to end the CSA subscription before your balance is at $0, you MUST contact the farm through email to request cancellation. You may put your account on a DELIVERY hold if you will be gone for periods of time.

Please pick up your veggie box on your delivery day. It’s important to pick up your veggie box the day of delivery to maintain freshness.
For any changes you need to make to your account, the cut off time is 12:00 NOON, 2 days before your delivery day Remember to make any changes to your account such as payment renewal, webstore orders or delivery holds by 12:00 NOON, 2 days before your delivery day. Thank you!

“Delivery hold” is used for short periods of time – you use this option 48 hours in advance to schedule the deliveries you are unable to pick up.

“Permanent Hold” is used for long periods of time – you use this option if you are gone for extended periods of time and wish to resume your account when you get back. You must change your status to “active” when you return in order to resume deliveries.

“Cancel” is used to delete membership details, this means you would need to re-enter delivery status, subscriptions, and credit card information when you resume the Riverdog Farm CSA.

Japanese Pickled Daikon Radish (Tsukemono)

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H6n1E6doSA

Serves N/A

Ingredients:

250g (9oz.) Daikon radish
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar salt
1.5inch (5cm) Kombu kelp

Directions:

1. Wash and cut Daikon (with skin is ok) into 1/2 or 1/4 slices. Rub with 1/2 tsp. salt and leave for 20 min. Rinse and drain well.
2. In a sauce pan or microwave, heat vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt mixture until it comes to a boil.
3. Wipe and clean dirts from Kombu kelp.
4. Put all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and keep in the fridge overnight or more.

Perfect Pork Chops

From: https://www.thespruceeats.com/perfect-pork-chops-recipe-995281

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 Pork Chops
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
2 teaspoons high-heat cooking oil

Instructions:

Twenty minutes before you start cooking, remove your pork chops from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 400 F.
Thoroughly dry the pork chops with paper towels.
Season generously with kosher Heat an oven-proof skillet (cast iron is ideal) on the stovetop for about five minutes. It's really important to get the pan as hot as you possibly can before adding the chops.
Once the pan is good and hot, add about two teaspoons of high-heat vegetable oil. The pan will immediately start to smoke, but don't lose your nerve.
Add the pork chops to pan and don't move them for three minutes. Now flip the chops over with a pair of tongs and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast 6 to 7 minutes.
Now, test for doneness by pressing your thumb in the center of one of the chops. It should spring back firmly against your thumb. If it feels soft, let it roast for another minute.
Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the chops to a plate and cover with foil. Let the chops rest for three or four minutes before serving.

November 21, 2022

November 21st 2022

November 21, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents: 

3 lb Yellow Finn Potatoes

1 hd Napa Cabbage

.75 lb Braising Mix

2 pcs King Richard Leek

2 hds Garlic

2 hds Batavian or Red Leaf Lettuce

2 pcs Delicata Squash

***Thanksgiving Week Delivery Schedule:

The Farm will be closed for Thanksgiving Break on Thursday November 23rd through Friday November 24th.

Farm Store Access: Any Farm Store orders placed during this time will be available for pick up or added to your delivery starting again on Saturday November 25th.

Frog Hollow Fruit Boxes: All Frog Hollow Fruit Box orders will be paused for the week of Thanksgiving and resume Tuesday November 29th.

CSA site delivery and CSA market schedule:

Saturday November 19th-Monday November 21st:

Regular CSA and Saturday and Sunday Market CSA delivery schedule at your regular drop site location.

Tuesday November 22nd:

Regular CSA and Tuesday Market CSA delivery schedule at your regular drop site location. Additionally, All Thursday CSA and Friday CSA deliveries will happen at your regular CSA drop site location on Tuesday 11/22.

Wednesday November 23rd:

Last day of regular CSA delivery at your regular drop site location.

Saturday November 26th:

Berkeley Farmers Market opens again. We will resume CSA deliveries on Saturday November 26, 2022.

***Heads up on December Schedule:

Farm Notes:

Happy Thanksgiving/Fall Celebrations to all!! For all of us at Riverdog, as 2022 winds to a close, we are all ever grateful for your support of our farm. As a small token of this we’ve overfilled your box a bit this week in the hopes that you will have a few more moments this week to enjoy some food at home or with friends. Your subscription to weekly boxes helps keep the farm a year round, steady job for the core Riverdog crew, a rarity in modern ag. Thank you for the stability and security you bring to the farm in these challenging times.

-Riverdog Tim

Box Notes:

Braising Mix is a bit of a misnomer as my family mostly eats it raw as salad, it definitely does not need to be cooked, although it’s delicious cooked as well! Enjoy and delight in its many flavors and textures, however you prepare it. This is probably the end of the Delicata, or close to it. Delicata is not a long storing squash so best to eat it by Winter Solstice. I’m a committed Delicata skin eater, though not all would agree. Roast it, steam it, sauté it. Look forward to more Butternut later in the year. If leeks are not familiar for you I encourage you to cut one up finely and sauté it in plenty of olive oil for 5-10 minutes until they are soft and slippery. They are sweet and mild and this dish tends to dissipate anyones shyness around them. We love to blend them, raw and thinly sliced with the Napa Cabbage, salt and light vinegar and let it set up for 3-24 hrs. The flavors all blend deliciously. If you have any Pomegranates left they add color and flavor to this dish as a final garnish. Enjoy enjoy and many thanks to all of you!

-Riverdog Tim

Webstore Features:

Smoked/Cured Hams: Pre-order holiday hams for Thanksgiving by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· asture Raised eggs are available by the dozen to add to your subscription OR as a one-time purchase on the Webstore.

· All pastured meat orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Pasture Raised Whole Chickens and Smoked Chickens

· Pasture Raised Pork Cuts and Pork Shares

· Pasture Raised Lamb Cuts

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds, Raw Hartley Walnuts by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

check will be sent to the Member.

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Please pick up your veggie box on your delivery day so that it stays fresh and we can ensure quality. During the hot days of summer, the earlier you are able to pick up the better

Chicken Announcements:

Garlic Parmesan Baked Delicata Wedges

From: http://greenbeandelivery.com/blog/recipes/garlic-parmesan-roasted-delicata-squash-fries/

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 Delicata Squash

3 Cloves Garlic (minced)

Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper (to desired taste)

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
Remove and discard stem. Slice squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds.
Cut halves crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices.
In a bowl, toss squash slices with olive oil, minced garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper.
Place on an oiled baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes until golden brown, flipping squash half-way through.
Serve immediately and enjoy

Yellow Finn Potato Gnocchi

From: https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/yellow-finn-potato-gnocchi/

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 Delicata Squash

3 Cloves Garlic (minced)

Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper (to desired taste)

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
Remove and discard stem. Slice squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds.
Cut halves crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices.
In a bowl, toss squash slices with olive oil, minced garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper.
Place on an oiled baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes until golden brown, flipping squash half-way through.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

Serves 6

Ingredients

Tarragon oil

1/2 bunch tarragon leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt

Yellow finn potato gnocchi

6 large yellow Finn potatoes
1 russet potato
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, or more as needed
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
4 Tbs. chopped toasted walnuts for garnish
6 tsp. Tarragon Oil for garnish
1 tsp. drained green peppercorns in brine for garnish

Roasted beets

4 small red beets, peeled and quartered
4 small Chiogga beets, peeled and quartered
2 tsp. canola oil
1/3 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Beet-merlot reduction

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
6 shallots, halved
1 beet, peeled and quartered
1 fresh thyme sprig
1/2 fresh rosemary sprig
2 Tbs. dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups Mushroom Stock
2 cups Merlot
1/4 cup dried cherries
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 2 Tbs. water

Preparation

To make Tarragon Oil: Bring water to a boil in saucepan. Plunge tarragon in boiling water 10 seconds. Remove, and immediately shock in ice-water bath. When cool, wrap tarragon in towel, and squeeze dry. Place leaves, olive oil and salt in blender, and blend until smooth. Use immediately. Alternatively, let sit for 2 hours, strain out tarragon fibers and place in container. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

To make Yellow Finn Potato Gnocchi: Preheat oven to 400F, and dust baking sheet with flour. Prick skin of yellow Finn and russet potatoes with fork.

Bake about 40 minutes, or until tender when pierced with knife. Remove, and let cool to room temperature.

Scrape flesh from potatoes into bowl, and mash. Add flour and salt. Knead 2 minutes to form soft dough. Add more flour if dough is sticky.

Cut off one-fourth dough, and roll into 1-inch-thick rope. Repeat with remaining dough for total of 4 ropes. Cut each rope into ½-inch-long segments, and pinch in sides of each segment to resemble bow tie. Place finished segments on baking sheet. Freeze gnocchi at least 1 hour.

To make Roasted Beets: Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, and toss to mix well. Place in roasting pan, and bake at 400F for 25 minutes, or until beets are just tender. Remove from oven, and set aside.

To make Beet-Merlot Reduction: Heat olive oil in saucepan. Add shallots, and sauté 10 minutes, or until lightly caramelized. Add beet, thyme, rosemary, salt and mushrooms, and sauté 1 minute. Add stock and wine. Reduce heat to low, and cook until reduced by half.

Strain mixture into another saucepan, add dried cherries and continue cooking over low heat 25 to 30 minutes.

Add balsamic vinegar, and whisk in cornstarch slurry. Add pepper, and cook until sauce is just thick enough to coat back of spoon.

Bring at least 1 gallon salted water to a boil. Add half gnocchi to water. Cook until gnocchi floats to surface, 5 to 6 minutes.

Using slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to plate. Toss with some oil to prevent sticking. Repeat with remaining gnocchi.

Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add gnocchi and sauté, shaking skillet often to prevent gnocchi from sticking, 2 minutes, or until gnocchi starts to brown.

Repeat with remaining gnocchi.

To serve, toss gnocchi with parsley. Divide gnocchi among 4 large dinner plates. Spoon 4 tablespoons of reduction around gnocchi, and place 6 to 8 segments of roasted beets in reduction sauce. Sprinkle each serving gnocchi with 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, drizzle with 1 teaspoon Tarragon Oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon peppercorns.

November 15, 2022

November 7th Newsletter

November 15, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

1.25 lb Bok Choi

1 lb Red Russian Kale

.25 lb Garlic

1 bu Tokyo Turnip

1.5 lbs Pomegranate

.66 lb Arugula

1.5 lb Yukon Gold

***Thanksgiving Week Delivery Schedule:

All Thursday CSA and market CSA deliveries will happen Tuesday November 22, 2022 at your regular CSA drop site location. The location for the Tuesday and Thursday Berkeley Farmer’s Markets CSA pick-ups will be Adeline and 63rd from 2 pm to 6:30 pm on Tuesday November 22, 2022. The Berkeley Farmers Market will be closed on Thursday November 24, 2022. The Friday CSA deliveries will happen on Tuesday November 22, 2022 at your normal drop site location.

The Berkeley Saturday Farmers Market will be open on Saturday November 26, 2022 so CSA subscribers will be able to pick up at the Saturday market that day.

***Heads up on December Schedule:

The farm will be closed from December 23, 2022 to January 2, 2023. Our last market of the year will be at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market on Thursday, December 22, 2022. Our last day of CSA deliveries in 2022 will be Friday December 23rd. We will be at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market and CSA deliveries will resume on Tuesday January 3rd, 2023.

Webstore Features:

Smoked/Cured Hams: Pre-order holiday hams for Thanksgiving by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· asture Raised eggs are available by the dozen to add to your subscription OR as a one-time purchase on the Webstore.

· All pastured meat orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Pasture Raised Whole Chickens and Smoked Chickens

· Pasture Raised Pork Cuts and Pork Shares

· Pasture Raised Lamb Cuts

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds, Raw Hartley Walnuts by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

check will be sent to the Member.

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Please pick up your veggie box on your delivery day so that it stays fresh and we can ensure quality. During the hot days of summer, the earlier you are able to pick up the better

Chicken Announcements:

October 31, 2022

October 31, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

0.75 lb Baby Red Romaine

1 lb Rosa Bianca Eggplant

OR Mixed Summer Squash

OR Pomegranate

1 bu Dino Kale

1 bu Tokyo Turnip

2 pc Acorn Squash

.5 lb Braising Mix

1.5 lb Yukon Gold

Farm Notes:

Happy Halloween / All Souls / Dia de los Muertos week to all! Sunday morning we dipped in to the 30's for the first time since our late freaky frost back on May 11 this year. Summer is indeed over, as some of you will see Rosa Bianca eggplant, some will get the tail end of Summer Squash and others will see the leading edge of our Pomegranate harvest! Hopefully there will be Pomegranates for all, next week! We are looking to mow what's left of the pepper and eggplant fields later this week and renovate this field for planting chicken pasture, a 2-3 year rotation where it will support our laying flock on irrigated alfalfa, clover and grass. It's a year round salad bowl for the hens and it's amazing what a few years in chicken pasture does for vegetable production and soil texture. It will not be until next June before the pasture is well enough established to set the girls loose out there, in the meantime they will stay where they've been until then. That field, El Escondido, will rotate in to vegetable production for Fall of 2023. Any time we move from grazing to vegetable production we observe a one hundred and twenty day wait period, just as we would after an application of raw manure. On other grazing fronts, the sheep have finished off the remnants of the Winter Squash field and have moved onto grazing down finished cucumber and summer squash fields. As the flock grows we are happy to do less mowing and more grazing! The field they are grazing now will roll into Wheat for harvest next Summer. We sell some of our wheat to local bakeries and Capay Mills and feed the rest to our chickens, soaked in whey we pick up weekly from Cowgirl Creamery. Remember to eat your Tokyo Turnip greens! Riverdog Tim

Riverdog Tim

Webstore Features:

Smoked/Cured Hams: Pre-order holiday hams for Thanksgiving by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· asture Raised eggs are available by the dozen to add to your subscription OR as a one-time purchase on the Webstore.

· All pastured meat orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Pasture Raised Whole Chickens and Smoked Chickens

· Pasture Raised Pork Cuts and Pork Shares

· Pasture Raised Lamb Cuts

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds, Raw Hartley Walnuts by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

check will be sent to the Member.

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Please pick up your veggie box on your delivery day so that it stays fresh and we can ensure quality. During the hot days of summer, the earlier you are able to pick up the better

Chicken Announcements:

October 24, 2022

October 24, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

3.00 hds Baby Red Batavian

1.00 lb Summer Squash

1.00 bu Dino Kale

1.00 bu Rapini

1.00 bu Tokyo Turnips

1.00 lb White and Red Daikon

0.25 lb Garlic

0.50 lb Arugula

Farm notes: What a gorgeous and glorious day we had on Saturday! Thanks to all who made it out for our first Riverdog Pumpkin Party since 2019!! We had our first day of perfect cool Fall weather; it felt great to be out in the sun. Folks brought lots of delicious savory and sweet treats to share and a lot of happiness to the farm. It was hard to interrupt all the happy chatter so I failed introduce members to the crew who were there and offer heartfelt thanks for all that they bring to our farm community. Without our full time, year around crew, the farm does not exist. Many of the folks there have been part of the farm for over ten years, some as many as twenty five years! That is a lot of combined experience, skill and wisdom that is integral to the success of Riverdog. Likewise, there were new and longtime CSA members out to celebrate - you too are integral to the success of Riverdog. Thanks to everyone, present and not, and we hope to see more folks at the next party, hopefully this Spring!

We are delighted to be able to include yet another round of Summer Squash this week though it may well be the last. Our daily high temps have dropped from the 90s last week to the 70s this week and we are starting to see consistent dews which will foster more diseases. Enjoy them while they last!! You may notice that some of the Batavian lettuce is forming up a flower stalk even though it’s not fully mature, this is a response to the extreme heat it endured in its infancy back in September - early childhood experiences have consequences for plants as well! It is still delicious, crunchy and sweet. The IceBerg and Red Leaf reached straight for the sky, making no heads at all. More lettuce is coming behind this planting and will hopefully not suffer the same reaction. The Tokyo Turnips continue to roll in - remember to us those deliciously bitter greens quickly as they are fragile; I love the turnips themselves best raw! Daikon’s are back! Again I’m a raw user but pickling is allegedly very easy too! Enjoy all the greens!!

--Riverdog Tim

Riverdog Farm’s Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA), is based on a mutually beneficial relationship between the farm and the people who consume our food. Because our farm supports 50 families through year-round employment, the financial support of our CSA program is critical to our success throughout the seasons. CSA is also an integral way for the farm to personally connect to the people who eat our food. We truly thank you for your support!

Riverdog Farm is always accepting new CSA members. Encourage family, neighbors, friends and colleagues to sign-up for the Riverdog Farm CSA. You can create an account for the member and pay the balance with a check sent to the farm or credit card. Print or email the “WELCOME” email or mail your generous gift to the recipient.

******As a courtesy to your Site Host - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDER PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENING.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· Pastured Pork Shares

· Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

$33.25 per fruit box subscription and $35 for a one time box. Email the CSA manager at CSA@riverdogfarm.com to get a box. ALL orders need to be in by Monday morning at 8AM – that is when FROG HOLLOW box numbers are finalized and sent. See Frog Hollow info below to learn more about their fruit boxes.

Refunds and Cancellations:

* MONTHLY subscribers –Finish your subscription commitment. If your balance does not reach $0, then the remaining amount – below $29 - may be refunded back to the credit card or in the form of a check. You can also choose to donate your remainder to the farm. When your balance reaches $0, then you have fulfilled your subscription commitment and your account will automatically go to “permanent hold” status.

* You are able to re-subscribe at any time. Just go to “MANAGE PAYMENTS” and add a payment to your balance to become an active member again. Subscribers who are set up for recurring payments need to turn off recurring payment in order to make any cancellations to your account. You MUST do this on your account before your account reaches $30 or less to receive a refund or cancel your account.

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Please pick up your veggie box on your delivery day so that it stays fresh and we can ensure quality. During the hot days of summer, the earlier you are able to pick up the better. You can check with the office for average drop off times.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

CSA site hosts may donate any unclaimed items after 24 hours (3pm following the day of original pickup time) unclaimed/forgotten orders may no longer be available and the subscriber absorbs the subscription cost for that week’s order.

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

October 17, 2022

October 17, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

0.75 lbs Braising Mix

1 pc Spaghetti Squash

1 bu Curly Kale

1 bu Chives

1 bu Tokyo Turnips

1 lb Mixed Squash

1.5 Yukon Gold

0.4 lb Arugula

Farm notes: We are officially at the "Eat Your Greens" point with this box! Arugula is an easy add into a salad or stands alone quite well as its own salad. The Braising Mix straddles this line, depending on your willingness to chew a little! If you're going to cook it keep it brief. The Curly or Green Kale runs fantastically sliced finely in a salad and handles serious cooking as well. Tomatoes have faded out early this year as we are in the shadow of the intense heat back in late August and September; prolonged stretches above 95 degrees will blast the flowers, leaving us very little fruit now. For the past 3 weeks the plants have and continue to taunt us with luxurious displays of flowers, some of which have set fruit but we have no idea if they will make it to ripeness. If these warm days continue you might see some of that fruit in your boxes, especially the cherries and Early Girls. Today was our coldest morning yet; touching briefly on 51F and we had our first serious dew. There had been whispers of rain for this coming weekend (Think Pumpkin Party - Noon to 4pm!) but its pushing back at least until Halloween weekend. We remain steadfastly optimistic as we continue to plant for Winter and next Spring. More spinach, carrots and greens mixes going in this week; last week was the last planting of beets until the New Year. We are prepping ground for Winter wheat, cover crop and two onion nurseries are thriving and getting fat for their December and January transplant dates! The sheep have moved into the harvested Winter Squash field to finish off the remaining bits of weeds and squash plants as well as remnants of deer munched fruits.

Hope to see you at our Pumpkin Party this Saturday!

Riverdog Tim

Don’t forget to RSVP for the Pumpkin Party on Saturday 10.22.22!

11095 CA Highway

Brooks, CA 95606

Potluck Pumpkin Party coming up this Saturday’s on October 22nd from Noon to 4! Please RSVP so we have some idea of what to plan for: csa@riverdogfarm.com. Bring your family and friends for a mellow walking tour of the farm and a chance to meet the families who grow your food. Hope to see you here!

******As a courtesy to your Site Host - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDER PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENING.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· Pastured Pork Shares

· Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

Refunds and Cancellations:

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

October 10, 2022

October 10, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

0.5 lb Green Beans

1 pt Cherry Tomatoes

1 bu Dino Kale

1 bu Parsley

2 pcs Globe OR Rosa Bianca

1 lb Mixed Squash

1 bu Toyko Turnips

2 pcs Acorn Squash

Farm notes: As promised another round of greens, well really two! Dino Kale, aka: Cavolo Nero, Lacinato, and many more, is a robust and favorite green for salads or cooked dishes. The Tokyo Turnip greens are stronger and much more delicate; use them quickly! They cook down a lot, so don’t be afraid of their initial volume. My favorite approach is to throw them on top of sausage and chops as they’re cooking to catch all of that extra flavor. Where they droop into the fat they crisp up deliciously!

As the days grow shorter and the nights a little cooler we normally expect ground water levels to begin to rise, even before the rains hit. We are seeing this on our deeper wells but not the less than 100’ deep wells that seem more tied to Cache Creek. Summer Squash and cucumbers are holding up beyond expectations but we are really feeling the shadow of the last month’s heat on tomato production; flowers are sterilized by the extreme heat leading to poor fruitset. We have oceans of tomato flowers now, but only the fastest moving cherry toms will win the race against Winter. Tuesday we will set our almost last transplants of 2022, a bounty of different chicories for February and March if the Winter is not too cold. Enjoy these beautiful Fall days, we certainly are! Riverdog Tim

Don’t forget to RSVP for the Pumpkin Party on Saturday 10.22.22!

Potluck Pumpkin Party coming up in just 2 Saturday’s on October 22nd from Noon to 4! Please RSVP so we have some idea of what to plan for: csa@riverdogfarm.com. Bring your family and friends for a mellow walking tour of the farm and a chance to meet the families who grow your food. Hope to see you here!

******As a courtesy to your Site Host - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDER PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENING.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· NEW Pastured Pork Shares

· Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

Refunds and Cancellations:

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

October 03, 2022

October 03, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

0.5 lb Green Beans

1 pt Cherry Tomatoes

1 bu Collards

2 pcs Garlic

2 pc Globe OR Rosa Bianca

1 lb mixed Squash

1.5 lb Purple Majesty

2 pcs Delicata

Farm notes: As hoped we have Collard Greens! in the box this week, marking the long waited for return of leafy greens! Delicata Squash makes a brief return this week also but sadly we will not have nearly the variety of Winter Squash this year due to reduced acreage and crazy wild turkey and deer pressure. The deer been breaking down fences all summer and their favorite snacks this year were the Peppers and the Winter Squash. With the wild lands around us parched from drought any irrigated patches are an oasis for wild life. Summer is hanging in there still and we should have some warm weather treats for at least the rest of October. We are knocking in a few Fall and Winter crops still although the time is just about up for planting here. For the past two years we have had a relentless struggle with enough water to keep Summer crops cruising and Winter crops coming. Here’s to hoping for a wet Winter, with all the challenges that it will bring, we desperately need one! Riverdog Tim

Potluck Pumpkin Party coming up in just 3 Saturday’s on October 22nd! Please RSVP so we have some idea of what to plan for: csa@riverdogfarm.com. Bring your family and friends for a mellow walking tour of the farm and a chance to meet the families who grow your food. Hope to see you here!

******As a courtesy to your Site Host - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDER PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENING.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· NEW Pastured Pork Shares

· Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

Refunds and Cancellations:

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

September 26, 2022

September 26, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

1 pc Yellow Canary

1 pt Juliette

1 lb Early Girls

2 pcs Garlic

2 pcs Globe or Rosa Blanca Eggplant

1 lb Mixed Squash

1.5 lb French Fingerling

Farm notes: From record setting heat to crazy tail of the hurricane storm and now back in the mid 90s, breezy sunshine groove! One of the great by-products of 105F+ heat is that when we dip into the 90s it feels deliciously cool and manageable. Especially in the Fall (Happy belated Equinox and Happy New Year) when days are shortening and the heat is but a few hrs long; if we are lucky we squeeze a warm evening out of it too. In a less off-rhythm year we would be starting in on some sort of greens by now but this year they will have to wait until next week when we hope to have the return of collards and more! Melons are all but done so enjoy these last Yellow Canaries! If we get some more warm nights we may squeeze out one more week of melons. Ground water levels are still slipping downward which is unusual, normally by now they are stabilizing and start recovering by mid-October. We are all paying more attention than ever before too. Summer Squash is hanging on, hopefully for a few more weeks; I was worried that the rain would bring on a host of fungal diseases but not so far! Tomatoes, despite having to throw some split fruit on the ground, we weathered the storms well and the toms should stick around at least another 4 weeks! Cucumbers have not fared so well but we still have some at the markets. Looking forward to the return of greens and enjoying the extended bounty of Summer!

--Riverdog Tim

Fall means Pumpkin Party! Save Saturday afternoon, October 22nd, 12-4pm, for a mellow potluck in the shade and some fun pumpkin harvesting and walking tour of the farm. This event has been on hold during the pandemic so we are excited to resurrect it and look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones! Bring your favorite savory treat to share.

******As a courtesy to your Site Host - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDER PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENING.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· NEW Pastured Pork Shares

· Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

Refunds and Cancellations:

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

September 20, 2022

September 19, 2022

September 20, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

1 pc Cantaloupe

1 pc Butternut Squash

1 bu Oregano

1 pt Grape Tomatoes

1.25 lb German Butterball

1 lb Mixed Squash

1.5 lb Mixed Heirloom Tomato

Farm notes: Another notch for 2022, earliest serious precip! We've only seen 0.60" as of Monday afternoon but other folks just 10 miles away are reporting up to 1.5". The angle of our little valley can shield us from rain like this episode or it can catch a pineapple express and funnel it onto us so that we see double what Woodland sees. Tomato harvest and melon harvest is on hold until the sun comes out and dries the fruit, hopefully full tilt boogie again by Wednesday. Meanwhile we are working on Winter Squash harvest as well getting ready to finish fall transplanting that was delayed by the heat wave that broke just 10 days ago... ancient history already. Tractors are happily working up fields left fallow for the summer due to lack of water and getting them ready for more Winter veg and wheat. A free (well, it will cost us in summer fruit production, but why grouse) no salt irrigation is a great gift especially in such a dry year. This much rain feels like a lot on the already moist veg but in the dry fallow fields it is hardly enough to soften the soil and keep the dust down as we prep the soil. As a volunteer firefighter I very much appreciate the relief it brings for our fire pressure but I heard enough thunder to know that some districts probably have a smoldering tree trunk that might bring a wild fire come the end of the week when our humidity drops and temps rise. Overall, a sweet relief and hopefully a harbinger of a wet Winter to come. All of our Fall brassicas are reveling in the cool sweet water now; it will help bring them on faster. Enjoy the Summer treats we harvested just before the rain and look forward to more.

--Riverdog Tim

******As a courtesy to your Site Host - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDER PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENING.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· NEW Pastured Pork Shares

· Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

Refunds and Cancellations:

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

September 12, 2022

September 12, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

1 pc Cantaloupe

2-3 pc Lemon Cucumbers

1 bu Basil

2 lbs Beefsteak and Golden Jubilee

1.25 lbs Purple Majesty Potatoes

1 lb Mixed Squash

1 bu Parsley

2 hds Garlic

Farm notes: We all survived the heat wave and so far we think our crop losses are not unbearable. This is the art and excitement of farming, to roll with what comes and have enough diversity and backup plans to survive. After year 3 of drought, the house fire, an intense and destructive frost season and now this prolonged heat wave, I will admit that I’m hoping for a mellower Fall!! The crew is happy to be back on full work days and the cloud cover, the spillover of someone else’s disaster, provides a welcome break from the intense sun. More news on what we lost when we have a better idea after a few days, but things look surprisingly good! Melons this week and hopefully next, but they are winding down. Tomatoes are pulling strong and we hope to have them at least through October! Our peppers, almost killed by the surprise early May frost and then attacked by drought stricken deer, are coming around and we hope to have peppers and more eggplant for October, just 3 months later than normal… All sorts of Fall goodies are either germinating or straightening up in their beds after crouching through the intense heat. We will be transplanting like mad dogs for the next 5 days making up for lost time over the past two weeks.

--Riverdog Tim

Fall means Pumpkin Party! Save Saturday afternoon, October 22nd, for a mellow potluck in the shade and some fun pumpkin harvesting and walking tour of the farm. This event has been on hold during the pandemic so we are excited to resurrect it and look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones!

******As a courtesy to your Site Host - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDER PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENING.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· NEW Pastured Pork Shares

· Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

Refunds and Cancellations:

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

--Riverdog Tim

******As a courtesy to your Site Host - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDER PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENING.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· NEW Pastured Pork Shares

· Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

Refunds and Cancellations:

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

September 05, 2022

September 05, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

1 pc Orange Honeydew

3 pc Lemon Cucumbers

1 pt Sweet 100s

1.5 lb Mixed Heirloom & Early Girl

0.5 lb Green Beans

1 lb Green Zucchini

Farm notes: Happy Labor day to you all. Riding the summer wave out and whoa is it crumbling around us! It has been a hot summer generally, not too extreme, but today we hit the first of at least 5 days of over 110 degrees after a week of days above 100 degrees. The field crews headed home at noon, 4 hrs early, though some of us are still at it all day. We've postponed all scheduled transplanting and direct seeding until next week as this is lethal weather for established plants, let alone tender babies. Melon season can run into October but looks like it won't this year due to a summer of warm nights compressing our plantings together and now this heat pushing them along. Enjoy this week's Orange Honeydews; we hope they are not the last of the year! We are also hoping not to stew too many tomatoes on the vine but it will be a daily check in with the toms. Same story on Winter Squash, which we plant for a mid to late September harvest but have several fields defoliating in the heat leaving the fruit exposed to the sun. With our days curtailed by the extreme heat, we don't have the hands to get it all harvested. Damage report next week; hoping it’s not too grim. Sadly, for the past few years smoke from wildfires has filtered out some of damaging rays yielding some reprieve but that smoke obviously carries other burdens. Enjoy this week's box of summer bounty and let us all hope that healthy soils and strong plants will be enough to weather this wild 2 week heat wave we are riding. Be careful as you head outside - Riverdog Tim

******As a courtesy to your Site Host - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDER PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENING.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· NEW Pastured Pork Shares

· Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

Refunds and Cancellations:

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

August 29, 2022

August 29, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

1 pc Orange Honeydew

2 pc Painted Serpents

1 pt Sweet 100s

1.5 lb Red Slicers and Golden Jubilee

1 pc Sugar Cube Cantaloupe

2 pcs Globe Eggplant

Farm notes: As heat wave follows heat wave here we have gone to early morning transplanting, stopping the plant out sometime between 09:00-11:00 daily. We are headed out of a few days of cool with highs just under 100 back into low 100s and a hotter weekend. It takes sprinklers running on freshly transplanted brassicas to pull them through their first day. Sadly we lost our first planting of carrots and beets in the last round of heat, just too hot for their seedlings. We are seeding both again now and lots of fun turnips and radishes for October!

As days shorten we have had to move our crew start time to 06:30 from 06:00. Part of the life of farm workers, like other low wage workers, is dropping their children at daycare in the wee hours, something to remember when thinking about where food comes from. It’s a very different life. We are blessed to have many couples working at the farm; it simplifies their transportation equation and seems to increase their job contentment. For us it means a more stable and dedicated crew. With the high school and college workers back to school there are fewer of us holding it together which makes hot weeks harder as we quit earlier when it’s hot. We work to be out of the field before temps hit 100, typically around 13:30 on hot days. Otherwise we work until 16:00.

Let your tomatoes sit out if you can - anything below 50 is rough on their flavor. Enjoy the fruits of summer! Riverdog Tim

******As a courtesy to your Site Host - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDER PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENING.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· NEW Pastured Pork Shares

· Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

Refunds and Cancellations:

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

August 23, 2022

August 22, 2022

August 23, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

· 1 pc Yellow Canary

· 1 pc Cantaloupe

· 1 pt Sun Gold

· 1.5 lb Mixed Heirloom

· 1.25 pcs French Fingerling

· 1 lb Mixed Summer Squash

Farm notes: Yellow Canary melons hit now through early October. They are technically a storage melon, but we let them ripen all the way before picking and they are incredibly sweet and crunchy. We hope to have a strong supply until mid October. The cantaloupe, “Sugar Cube" is meant to be a “personal size” melon and very sweet, we hope it meets its expectation. It’s a new variety for us and I’m curious how you like it. Heirloom tomatoes are finally piling in; enjoy their crazy shapes and delicious flavors. They are fragile and best stored on the counter. We over pack roughly 1/2 lb when we send heirlooms to make up for any bruising.

Choosing what to put in the box is so frustrating this time of year - it would be easier if we could just double the value for summer but I’m afraid most folks aren’t ready for that much produce. This summer is harder as our extra warm nights have been pushing successive plantings together. Dropped off the list this week: watermelon, Charlyn melon, orange honeydew, early girl toms, basil, eggplant, oregano, chives, various cucumbers… you can look forward to all of them in the near future! Also coming back, hopefully for the second week of September will be green beans, with spinach and lettuce hot on their heels. Oh no.. Almost Fall already? Fields are changing here as we plant for Fall, very cautiously and with a constant eye on our wells. There will be no shortages for your boxes but our Fall garden will be half the size of last years as we try to plant within our water limits. Less is more as we strive to make every drop and plant count. Enjoy! Riverdog Tim

******As a courtesy to your Site Hosts - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDERS PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENINGS.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· NEW: Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Pastured Pork Shares

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

Refunds and Cancellations:

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.

August 23, 2022

August 15, 2022

August 23, 2022/ Riverdog Farm

Box Contents:

· 1 pc Charlyn

· 2 pc Painted Serpents

· 1 pt Sweet 100s

· 1 lb Early Girl Tomatoes

· 1.5 pcs French Fingerling

· 1 lb Mixed Summer Squash

· 0.75 Red Onion

Farm notes: Cucumber tomato onion melon salad again! Perfect food for what promises to be the hottest week yet of the Summer. Despite the later sunrise we are keeping our start time at 06:00 and will be cutting days short due to the heat this week. Hoping for days under 100 degrees next week. Weeks like this are a challenge this late in the Summer as we need to be transplanting and seeding for Fall crops but we are short on labor due to the shorter days and its just too hot for the young plants. We are still transplanting leeks for the Winter and the greenhouse (covered in shade cloth, not plastic at time of year) are full of young transplants eager for the soil. Despite the heat we can plant fall harvested potatoes for your Winter Boxes. I hope you are all well situated for this heat wave and can relax into some cooling salads. Riverdog Tim

******As a courtesy to your Site Hosts - DO NOT PICK UP YOUR ORDERS PAST THE DELIVERY TIME IN THE EVENINGS.****** Thank you.

Webstore Features:

· NEW: Pork Loin Roasts – delicious bone in, skin on pork.

· Pastured pork and lamb orders are delivered frozen to your delivery site or to one of the 4 weekly farmers markets nearest you.

· Smoked/Cured Hams: Order pastured hams for any celebration by adding the one you want to your account or by emailing csa@riverdogfarm.com

· Pasture Raised ½ Smoked Chickens - Plain or Cajun style seasoning

· Pastured Pork Shares

· Variety of Sausages- check webstore for availability

· Raw Mission Almonds by the 1 lb and 5 lb bag

· Vegetable items are available by the case or half case.

· Visit: https://csa.farmigo.com/store/riverdogfarmcsa to place your orders. Please place your orders by noon, 2 days before your delivery day to ensure same week delivery.

Please check your CSA account for the most up-to-date information such as your next CSA delivery date and payment status.

Frog Hollow Farm Fruit Boxes are available to add to your subscription:

Refunds and Cancellations:

• PLEASE note if your subscription has recurring payments. This can affect the amount of deliveries you are expected to receive. Such as; 4 week delivery plans with some months having 5 weeks.

•Your subscriptions and pre-payments are greatly appreciated. To make this CSA program successful, we count on your advance payment to plan our seed ordering, planting seasons and harvest amounts.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

**Riverdog will not give refunds for any missing items/quality issues for pickups made the day after delivery day**

Missing items/quality issues must be emailed same day of pick up day for refund consideration. Please include a photo of any quality issues. We appreciate your feedback.