Week 1 of the Summer CSA!

In the First Summer CSA Share:

  • Strawberries
  • Broccolini
  • Purple Onions
  • Red Radishes
  • Hakurei Turnips 
  • Purple Kohlrabi
  • Pac Choi
  • Head Lettuce
  • Baby Arugula 

Welcome to the 2026 Valley Flora CSA Season!

Let the games begin: 28 weeks of farm-fresh produce coming your way, starting this week! If you're an old hat at this Valley Flora CSA thing you should recognize the full cast of characters in your CSA box this week. If you're a first timer, a few introductions:

  • Broccolini: Described by one ten year old as "better than steak," what more can I say? Eat it raw, eat it roasted, eat it steamed, just don't overcook it! 
  • Hakurei Turnips: These are the white Japanese salad turnips bunched in your share. Tender, sweet, with a buttery texture. My favorite way to eat them is like an apple, still semi-dirty, straight out of the field. If you want a more refined experience, peel first and then eat raw. I unwittingly wooed my now-husband with Hakurei turnips 21 years ago tomorrow and the flame still burns bright. I'm pretty sure they don't have aphrodesiac qualities, but even so, you might give some thought to who you share them with cuz you could end up spending the rest of your life with them... :)
  • Purple Kohlrabi: I got delayed this morning on my way to the farm because our neighbor was loading cattle onto stock trucks and Floras Creek Road was blocked. "Heh," I chuckled to myself. "Mike is shipping cattle today and we're shipping kohlrabi." Not as high in protein, but you can cut a kohlrabi into steaks. Peel the pretty purple skin away first and then slab it into rounds or sticks. Like Hakurei turnips, you CAN cook it but I don't see the point. The best thing about kohlrabi is the mild, crisp, juicy crunch - jicama meets broccoli stem. Kohlrabi keeps for a lifetime in the fridge - take the tops off (you can eat those like kale/collards if you're inspired) and store in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer.
  • Pac Choi: This is a mini variety called Asian Delight that has crunchy white midribs and dark green leaves. It's an All America Selections (AAS) winner, which means it stands out for superior performance (bolt resistance in this case). That's an important trait because most pac choi varieties (aka Chinese cabbage) are prone to bolting at the drop of a hat. That can make it tricky to grow for our early summer CSA because if we get a streak of hot weater in May we can lose the crop before our first CSA harvest. Not with Asian Delight though. The only downside is that it's so tasty the slugs love it, too. Those tattered outer leaves are thanks to the spring babosas, who always know a good thing when they see it (other favorite slug crops include butterhead lettuce and carrots, two of my fave things on the farm as well). Just strip the outer leaves (we left some on as wrappers to better protect the pac choi heart, which is where the best eating is anyway). Stir-fry, sautee, steam.
  • Baby Arugula: The bag of tender baby greens is Abby's arugula and it makes a fantastic salad. Arugula has a little kick and goes great with this Lemony Anchovy Dressing. Whir it all up in a blender and toss with your arugula:​​​
    • ¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 large lemon), plus more if needed
    • 2 fat garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if needed
    • 2 to 4 anchovies, or more to taste
    • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
    • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • Flaky sea salt, to taste
    • Ground black pepper, to taste

NEXT WEEK, CHERRY TOMATO PLANTS!!!

Next week look for a SunOrange Cherry Tomato Plant at your CSA pickup site. We give every member a plant to grow for themselves at home in a pot or in a protected garden spot (they'll thrive in a sunny warm spot and will pump out the best tasting orange cherry bombs you've ever dropped onto your tastebuds). The tomato plants will be at your pickup site in a yellow bin, one per Harvest Basket. We tried something new and grew them in Earthpots this year to avoid using plastic pots. On the bright side, there's no plastic pot to try to figure out how to recycle, but on the less bright side we discovered that the potting medium in the Earthpot is not nearly as yummy as the custom potting soil blend we use for all our weekly propagation. As a result the tomato plants are smaller than usual (maybe a godsend, since they're less of a tangle and will be easier to transport home). They should grow like a jungle beast as soon as they get planted, so long as you give them good soil, a balanced fertilizer or compost and regular water. Don't forget to grab one next week if you are a Harvest Basket member. If you split a share, we do not recommend cutting the tomato plant in half. You'll have to rock, paper, scissors for it and share the harvest come August.

Whew, there have been a whole lotta emails and a whole lotta words this past week, so I'm gonna leave it at that. Enjoy your first CSA haul and email us if you have any questions! Thanks for being part of the magic that keeps the farm humming!

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