May 1st, 2023 Newsletter

Box Contents

1.5 lbs Murcott Mandarins 

1 lb Green Garlic

2 hds Batavian or Red Leaf

.75 lbs Spinach

1 bu White Spring Onions

1 bu Tokyo Turnips

.5 Snow Peas

CSA Notes:

Happy May Day, all! It's fitting that there is a bit of reprieve from the weather that climbed to the mid 90s last week. This week it's cold enough again to light a fire. What a great way, also, to celebrate Beltane! In other news, this week I will be off grid for an ancestral skills gathering. At this event we will learn about basket weaving, archery and bow making, clay pottery, animal tracking, animal processing, tanning hides, blacksmithing, too. There will be a fire lit at all times. We will be accompanied by the tule bulrushes and picturesque views of Lake Concow. Every day there will be an opening ceremony, song circles, and did I mention the event is off grid?! Someone once said upon witnessing the event for the first time, they felt like they were the subject in one of Jordan Peele's new movies. The event even hosts workshops on QIPOC inclusion and racialized trauma.

The office crew will cover me while I'm away but here's a quick reminder for while I'm gone. To place a delivery hold on your account, you must do so 48 hours ahead of time. Here are the instructions:
 

1. Go to www.riverdogfarm.com - at the top, click CSA.

2. Scroll down to "CSA Members -- Check your account here" and click on that rectangular box.

3. Sign in to your account.

4. On the top of "My Account" -- click the "Delivery Hold" tab.

5. Please click on the 'From' and 'To' boxes to set the dates you do NOT want a delivery. Please make a Monday - Friday selection.

6. MOST IMPORTANTLY: click SAVE.

7. You will receive an email confirmation that a hold was made on your account. Please review this email and make sure the dates are correct.

Also:

Please keep your eyes out for a revision in our policy regarding refunds/cancellations and Frog Hollow Fruit boxes. We feel so fortunate to be able to bring you fruit boxes from Frog Hollow. What a wonderful treat, especially during those winter months. There will be changes made to placing holds on your fruit box deliveries. For now, just as a reminder, the policy currently reads as: 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.

-Maya, CSA Manager

Murcott Mandarins – These are the very last of the Murcotts! 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.
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.


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

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 + Batavian 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.

This week’s box offers the first of the head lettuce: it’s one of our favorite varieties called Batavian Lettuce, a mild type that is like a cross of butterhead and iceberg lettuce. Also known as French Lettuce or Summer Crisp Lettuce, and is also known as being the most common lettuce in France. Ways to enjoy Batavian lettuce are perfect for your spring raw veggie salads. But since Batavia are on the slightly firmer side, they can also be used in stir-fry recipes like this one.

Spinach – At Riverdog we grow Savoy and Bloomsdale spinach. The spinach is good to enjoy massaged in a salad, lightly wilted, juiced. Somebody at market recently reminded me about Spanakopita, and I can tell you there's nothing better than eating Spanakopita fresh, preferably cooked by a 90 year old Greek mother of five. 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.

White Spring Onions – Betsy, our market leader, often wonders why May is National Barbeque Month. An online source states that National Barbeque Day "encourages us to break out our special recipes." With spring onions, Betsy says they are incredible cooked on heated grill for about two minutes for a milder sear, or grilled all the way to a soft almost mush like consistency. Spring onions are like a scallion, except more robust in flavor, like onion. They're versatile, you can cook them, eat them raw, they dry out easily, so you can mix them into salts, as seasoning to your soups. Your pathway to sweet and creamy is just a good ol' classic grill. Enjoy!

Tokyo Turnip -- Tokyo turnips are a favorite here in the Capay Valley. They’re sweet and enjoyable raw, but can be cooked in numerous other ways as well (roasted, sautéed, glazed, and even pickled)! Don’t forget to eat your greens! The greens of your turnips are tender with a mild taste, you can use them anywhere that you would use arugula. For storage, remove the green tops from the roots and store in separate bags since the roots last longer than the greens.

Arugula – I remember as a kid I would eat leaves of Arugula like potato chips. Riverdog picks the perfectly tender, new leaves of these pungent, peppery wonders. Amazing on pizza, sautéed in an omelette, or raw at any moment like a chip (but more commonly in a beautifully prepared salad). For better storage, keep it in a bag in the refrigerator.

Snow Peas – We are back with the first of first of the season's snap peas! First of the season snow peas are crisp, delicate, and sweet. Snap peas, otherwise known as sugar snap peas. Their name is a bit of a misnomer, they are a non-starchy vegetable, fully edible from their bean to their pod! They are delicious as a raw snack, but are excellent in a stir fry with bok choy and carrots. Toss them in at the very end to preserve their natural snap. For an easy cook recipe, check out this recipe for a quick salt, pepper, and lemon zest saute.

-Maya, CSA Manager