August 17th, 2026 Newsletter

BOX CONTENTS FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 17 - 23:

1 pint Sungold Cherry Tomatoes

1 lb Gypsy Peppers

1 pc Sharlyn Melon

1 lb Cured Red Onions

1 lb Bella Roja Potatoes

1.25 lbs Early Girl & Heirloom Tomatoes

Farm Notes:

Tomato season is no joke! We’re at peak production right now, harvesting LOTS of tomatoes for wholesale, restaurants, and for you guys! Tuesday’s and Friday’s are some of our busiest days. On those days, a single invoice can include up to 80 cases of mixed heirlooms and 50 cases of cherry tomatoes. There’s so much that goes into fulfilling this much volume. It’s not just harvesting, but building the boxes, prepping them with empty pints, sorting through the product, packing, labeling each box, and finally making sure everything stays within the truck’s weight limit. For CSA, we individually weigh out around 300 tomato baggies, which might sound like a lot, but it’s probably one of the least time-consuming parts of the week!

Aside from harvesting and packing orders, there’s still plenty to do out in the field. We’ve tried to squeeze in transplanting, but there simply isn’t enough manpower or cool hours in the day. On the to-do list before the end of the month: getting lettuce, leeks, and kale into the ground!

Thank you,

Evelyn Cordova

RDF Bookkeeper

Exciting/New in your box this week:

Sharlyn Melon:

Sweet, juicy, and fragrant with a light, refreshing flavor. Lands somewhere between a honeydew and cantaloupe. It’s perfect chilled, added to fruit salads, or blended into smoothies/aguas frescas.

Red Onions:

Stronger and more pungent compared to fresh spring onions. They have a crisp bite and that classic sweet-sharp onion flavor. Great sliced raw into salads, sandwiches, tacos, and salsas, or cooked down to bring out their sweetness. Also great for pickling! RECIPE LINKED BELOW

Sungold Cherry Tomatoes:

Super sweet and juicy with a bright, tangy flavor. Perfect for snacking, salads, or tossing with garlic and olive oil. They’re also great roasted or sautéed, and make an especially sweet tomato sauce pasta!

Gypsy Peppers:

Sweet, mild, and crunchy with a fresh pepper flavor. Gypsy peppers are great for snacking on raw, slicing into salads, or adding to cooked dishes. Their thin skin makes them perfect for quick cooking like grilling, roasting, or sautéing. Check out this website which shares 32 gypsy pepper recipes!

Bella Roja Potatoes:

Thin-skinned with a creamy, buttery flesh. Great roasted, sautéed, or tossed into potato salads. Their thin skin gets nice and crispy when roasted, so no need to peel them!

Early Girl Tomatoes:

A classic everyday tomato with a balanced sweet-tart flavor and juicy texture. Perfect for slicing into sandwiches, adding to salads, or roasting.

Heirloom Tomatoes:

Heirloom tomatoes are grown for flavor rather than uniformity, so they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors! Their soft texture and rich, complex flavor make them especially delicious fresh with a sprinkle of salt, layered on toast, or used in summer salads like Tomato & Halloumi Panzanella.

Quick Pickled Red Onions by CSA Member Frances Kellar

Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 10 mins | Servings: 12 people

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red onion

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon coriander seed

1 whole dried bay leaf

2 cloves garlic (smashed)

Instructions:

1. In a small sauce pan, bring apple cider vinegar and water to a simmer over medium heat. In a small prep bowl, combine all remaining seasonings.

2. Slice the raw onions thinly. Place in the jar where you intend to store them.

3. Once the apple cider-water mixture begins to simmer, add in seasonings and stir to combine.

4. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove from the heat and pour half of the liquid over the onion, pressing down the slices with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the remaining liquid, continuing to press down the onion slices.

5. Cover jar with lid and give the jar a gentle shake to combine ingredients with the onions. Set aside to quick pickle for about 30 minutes. Serve right away, or cool to room temperature and place in the fridge in the pickling liquid, covered, for up to 2 weeks.

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