March 20th, 2023 Newsletter

Box Contents

2 lbs Gold Nugget Mandarins 

2 lb Washington Navels

1 bu Yellow Carrots

1 bu Collards

1 bu Spring Onions

1 bu Cilantro

.67 lb Little Gem

Farm Notes:

I got the chance to catch up with Lovel, who has been helping with set up for one of Riverdog’s farmers market booths. I’ve known Lovel since high school, and this year we reconnected through Riverdog. A telephone interview ensued:

Lovel: I think one of the biggest blessings is getting to have fresh veggies from your climate, very seasonal. And, if you’re committed to Riverdog, because of working there, or CSA, or even if you just love it because it’s amazing, you go there every week and buy your groceries, and you get to try different things. I eat vegetables that I wouldn’t normally. I think normally I would get little gems or maybe a mix for salads. But now I eat all these different kind of green, leafy vegetables. Because you want to try something new, it’s easy to go, “I want to try Mei Qing Choi because I’ve seen this for a couple weeks now.” Once I had it I was like “wow, this is one of my favorite greens.” And I never would have got it in a grocery store, I would have normally gotten kale or something that I already know is good. 

Maya: I love that, being more connected to the farm and seasons. 

Lovel: Yeah I love it. I think having a relationship with a farm allows you to explore what they’re growing, because they know what grows well in our climate, so you know it’s going to be fire [delicious]. You find out that there’s a lot more variety, even inside things you’ve been eating for years. There’s like nine different types of kale. 

Maya: I like that, it’s like being comfortable knowing that the farm you choose to shop with grows great food, and that brings you out of your comfort zone to try new things. And how long have you been in relationship with Riverdog, Lovel? 

Lovel: (Laughs) Umm… errr.. Covid. About a month into Covid. I was living in a house in a community in the Berkeley Hills, and one of my housemates put it in the group text, “hey, I volunteer at this [farmer’s market] and they need help, plus you get veggies.” And I was in lockdown, for like a month and I just needed to get out of the house (laughs). So I was like, “yes, I’m in.” I helped set up. It was just so much fun to be in that environment and learning. I’ve been doing it ever since. And yeah, I just always look forward to melon season. 

Maya: (Laughs) That’s a real thing. Well, you definitely come off as a seasoned farmer’s market worker, like you could show anybody the ropes. 

Lovel: Oh yeah, definitely. Well, when I started here, Tim [Mueller] was still working markets. And — this should be in the newsletter, people always remember this — Tim would come, he would drive the truck in and unload the truck. And the crazy thing is, the way we have it now, there are two people unloading the truck. We have one person unload the back and the other person unloads from the side door. But when Tim did it, he did both sides of the truck at the same time. He does a better job unloading than we do with two people.

Maya: Awesome, that’s going in the newsletter, for sure…

Gold Nugget 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.

The Scott's Washington Navels – The Washington Navels in this weeks box are a delightful gift of fate.  The Scotts in Rumsey used to farm these trees organically but quit farming them some 10 years ago.   They are not certified organic but have not seen sprayed or fertilized.  The trees are rarely watered and typically harvested just to feed their four generations.   This year there was an abundance of fruit and they approached me about putting them in our veggie boxes.  I initially said we didn’t have the labor to harvest them but as the rains have continued  it was a great opportunity to keep a few hands busy so we harvested half the orchard last Wednesday.  We hope to harvest the other half later this week during some elusive sunny moment.  The trees are half dead from “benign neglect” but the fruit is very sweet after this cold wet winter.  In a more normal winter the fruit would have dropped or been soft by now.  Please look past a few blemishes and focus on the their luscious sweetness.   - Riverdog Tim Mueller

Yellow 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.

Collards – Whew, Southern collard greens, there is nothing like it! This classic recipe is a beloved staple of the South, but what else can you do with collards? They're sturdy so you can roll them up into wrap, shred them into a soup, bake them into a casserole, saute with eggs or meat, or even chop them up into toss them into a salad. Enjoy these recipes on how to get even more creative with your collards.

Spring onions – Spring onions, scallions, green onions; the internet wants to know: are these the same things? The internet might have some different answers for you according to Bon Appetit, BBC good food, Healthline, oh, and this site.. But what we do know is the spring onions are young onions. Onions are usually picked for storage in the summer so Spring onions are just onions picked in spring. This gives the younger onion a chance to have a milder, sweeter flavor. You can eat all parts of the greens raw, chopped in a salad, as a top to any of your dishes, stir fried, in a stock, or even searing them on the grill (yum). In a perforated bag, spring onion can last in the fridge for up to four or five 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.

Little Gem – 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? Little Gem are has a pale, green heart and a crisp center and sweeter taste than common lettuce. For storage, you can either transfer to a plastic bag, or put in plastic, to avoid wilting.

-Maya, CSA Manager