April 3rd, 2023 Newsletter

Box Contents:

2 lbs Gold Nugget Mandarins 

1.5 lbs Washington Navels

1 bu Purple Carrots

1 bu Curly Kale Rabe

1 bu Red Cabbage

1 bu Green Garlic

2 hds Red Leaf + Escarole

Farm Notes:

Our wonderful and dedicated egg crew have set aside cartons of white eggs, special for your Easter egg decorating. You can find these hand sorted eggs at any of our four farmer's markets (Berkeley Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sacramento Sunday).

Welcome to our new bookkeeper, Nikki!

Before Nikki came to Riverdog, she stood at attention every morning at 6 am, was hand selected for personal security, trained with infantry and trained as a combat life saver. During her time in the military, Nikki lived in South Korea, Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia. Nikki even drove a giant fuel truck for several months. She did all of this while standing at a whopping 62 inches, don't let her "pint-sized" appearance fool you. After an honorable four years, she finally moved back home to start a family.

Nikki does not run the office like a drill sergeant. But she is a saint under pressure, with an eye for detail, and a dedication to helping people. Nikki's thought on our spring hams is "it speaks for itself." Nikki's favorite way to eat ham is by making a glaze combining brown sugar, maple syrup, pineapple and cherry juice. Nikki says when baking the ham, "threw the whole pineapple in there, too." Well actually, Nikki's real favorite is ham leftovers; "fried with eggs, lock it in with some cheesy goodness."

Because our hams don't have sodium nitrate, they do not keep their bright pink color as long as meats that have been cured with sodium nitrate. What's being used is celery powder which does not profuse as easily and may even leave a grey blemish on your meat. The cost of natural.

-Maya, CSA Manager

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.


Photo from: https://visityolo.com/visit_places/yolo-countryside/

Washington Navels (Not CCOF)–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
 

Purple Carrots – We've got many delicious purple vegetables in season right now, purple cabbage, purple cauliflower, radicchio (type of chicory), and wonderful purple carrots. We also have many carrots too at Riverdog- we have Red carrots, Red Dragon carrots, Nantes (orange) carrots, Yellow Carrots, and White carrots. Could you imagine using any one of our varieties in your favorite carrot recipes? Just think... purple carrot cake! Every time I'm around these carrots I find it's necessary to do research, and eat one of each. Carrots can be stored in the refrigerator for one to two weeks, remove carrot greens first.
 

Curly Kale Rabe – Another way to think about what rabe is flowering kale. Kale is called ‘raab’ when the flower shows meaning that the plants have “overwintered” and survived until spring. Kale Raab is used similarly to kale leaves. It can be enjoyed raw and cooked, as well as for stir-frying, blanching, sautéing, braising, and steaming. You can cook the kale rabe the

 
Red 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.

Green Garlic –  I look forward to green garlic every season. One of my favorites is pork chops cooked in brown butter with green garlic. Green garlic is young garlic that hasn't fully matured yet. It has the same great garlic taste but is more mild than cured garlic. It can be used as substitute for garlic in recipes, but adds a fresh flare when added raw.

Red Leaf Lettuce + Escarole – 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.

Escarole is a yummy lettuce appearing chicory variety. Most often it is sauteed or braised down. You can use it in soups. Escarole stores for up to week in a your fridge, for better storage wrap in a wax paper bag or plastic.

-Maya, CSA Manager