First Harvest of the regular season 2026

• Purple sprouting broccoli 

• Cauliflower

• Green onions

• Leeks

• Chard or kale or collards

• Beets

• Parsley or watercress or thyme

• Radishes

As usual it feels like we should be more prepared than we are for the start of the season. I am finalizing sign-in sheets and share partners at the last minute. Party prep for today’s opening is at half mast. The harvesting and barn clean up looms ahead. And I am sitting at my computer typing a blog post when I should be bunching green onions.

Overwintered crops came early with the unusually warm weather. We will have far less purple sprouting broccoli than expected as it flowered early. The Overwintering cauliflower also set heads in early April when expected for later in the month. The lettuce that we transplanted in March has been slowly eaten by the dark eyed juncos and white crowned sparrows. We had two hoop houses lose  their plastic due to high winds in the late winter and it took us longer to get them recovered and dried out. Thankfully they are both up and running but slower. 

We are lucky to have gotten some of the fields planted.Cabbage is in as well as some of the first field potatoes. Our sugar snap peas are growing and trellised but will not be ready until mid May. Our kale that is overwintered and usually a rock star at this time flowered and is no longer available so we wait for spring planted crops to grow. Such is farming! 

We are completely full! We have more subscribers than we planned as this year we were cutting down as some of our regular help has moved away. We will depend more on subscribers who want to volunteer to harvest. It is usually fun and we start early to finish by 11:00 am. Sometimes that is not possible. The sign up sheet will come out soon, in the form of an editable google sheet.

We have egg shares available. This ensures that you get eggs set aside for you on a weekly basis. The cost is $252 for a full share and $126 for a half share. Please reach out if you are interested. We have a collaboration with Cloud Cap Mushrooms. You can join their mushroom CSA and Chris will drop your mushrooms here and you can pick them up with your veggies. Please go to their website and join https://www.cloudcapmushrooms.com/partners and look for La Finquita to sign up.

Today we party! The pizza oven will be fired up and the potluck pizza party starts at 2:00 until 6:00. We look forward to a grand day with warm weather and time to relax (well for our guests!). Bring a dish to pass, plates and utensils for your family and maybe some lawn chairs or blankets to throw on the grass and enjoy the afternoon. If you play an instrument and want to create some joy, bring it!

Recipes to enjoy this week:

Swiss Chard Polenta Bake

This is lovely warm, but also good at room temperature, ready sliced and packed for a picnic. The sorrel adds a lovely, lemony kick, but don’t worry if you can’t find any: just use two teaspoons of finely grated lemon zest instead, and add 100g more chard to the mix.

Serves eight as a main course if served with a simple salad.

100ml olive oil 1½ tsp caraway seeds 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced 1kg plum tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped 500g swiss chard, washed, leaves and stems separated, leaves roughly chopped and stalks finely sliced Salt 130g sorrel, roughly shredded 25g mint leaves, roughly chopped 25g dill, roughly chopped 8 spring onions, cut into 1cm pieces 200g feta, roughly crumbled into 2cm pieces 60g pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped 2 eggs, lightly whisked 190g greek yoghurt 40g parmesan, finely grated 150g coarse polenta (fine polenta will do, if you can’t find coarse)

Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan for which you have a lid, then fry the caraway and garlic over a medium-high flame for a minute, stirring most of the time. Add the tomatoes, chard and half a teaspoon of salt, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the chard has wilted and the tomatoes have broken down. Take off the heat and stir in the sorrel, mint, dill, spring onions, feta and olives.

Put the eggs, yoghurt, parmesan, remaining 70ml oil, polenta, 150ml water and a half-teaspoon of salt in a large bowl and mix to a thick batter. Pour half the batter into a 20cm x 30cm ovenproof baking dish, so it completely covers the base, then spoon the greens evenly over the top. Pour over the remaining batter – it won’t completely cover the greens, but that’s OK. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until risen and dark golden-brown on top, leave to stand for 10 minutes, and serve hot.

· Sesame Salmon with Purple Sprouting Broccoli

· 1 ½ tbsp sesame oil · 1 tbsp low-salt soy sauce · thumb-sized piece ginger, grated · 1 garlic clove, crushed · 1 tsp honey · 2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges · 1 lime. Cut into wedge · 2 salmon fillets · 250g purple sprouting broccoli

· 1 tbsp sesame seeds · 1 red chilli, thinly sliced

Heat oven to 200C/180 fan/ gas 6 and line a baking tray with parchment. Mix together 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, the soy, ginger, garlic and honey. Put the sweet potato wedges, skin and all, into a glass bowl with the lime wedges. Cover with cling film and microwave on high for 12-14 mins until completely soft.

Meanwhile, spread the broccoli and salmon out on the baking tray. Spoon over the marinade and season. Roast in the oven for 10-12 mins, then sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

Remove the lime wedges and roughly mash the sweet potato using a fork. Mix in the remaining sesame oil, the chilli and some seasoning. Divide between plates, along with the salmon and broccoli.

Tofu with Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Spicy Peanut Oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled, 1 finely crushed, and the other 2 bashed with the flat of a large knife

½ tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp Doubanjiang

25g skin-on raw peanuts, lightly crushed in a mortar

90ml olive oil

250g purple sprouting broccoli, or Tenderstem, cut into 5cm-long pieces and thick stalks cut in half lengthways

fine sea salt and black pepper

60g kale, tough stems removed and discarded, the rest roughly chopped

½ onion, peeled and finely chopped (140g)

¼ tsp ground turmeric

280g extra-firm tofu, broken into roughly 3-4 cm pieces

2 tsp soy sauce

½ tsp toasted sesame oil

Method

1. Put the crushed garlic, cumin and doubanjiang in a small heatproof bowl. Put the peanuts and 60ml of the oil in a small pan on a medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant. Pour the oil and nuts into the doubanjiang mixture, stir to combine, then set aside.

2. Put the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan on a high heat and, once it’s hot, add the broccoli and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, and stir-fry for four minutes, until the broccoli is nicely charred and almost tender. Add the two lightly bashed garlic cloves, stir-fry for 30 seconds, just until lightly charred, then add the kale and three tablespoons of water, and cook, stirring constantly, over a high heat until the kale wilts and softens. Tip into a bowl, return the pan to the stove and turn down the heat to medium-high.

3. Put two tablespoons of the oil from the peanut chilli oil bowl into the pan, add the chopped onion, turmeric and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring often, for five minutes, until the onion starts to soften. Turn the heat back up to high, add the tofu, soy sauce and sesame oil, and cook, stirring constantly, for three minutes more, until the tofu has heated through and absorbed the seasoning.

4. Return the kale and broccoli mixture to the pan and fry, stirring, for another minute, just to heat through. Transfer to a large platter, spoon the peanut chilli oil over the top and

Parsley Salad

Mediterranean zest meets fresh parsley salad in a quick, tangy mix that dances with lemon and garlic. Crisp herbs and bold flavors create a light side dish perfect for summer meals.

INGREDIENTS

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· 2 cups (480 ml) parsley leaves, flat-leaf preferred, roughly chopped

· 3 tbsps (45 ml) olive oil

· 2 tbsps (30 ml) fresh lemon juice

· ½ cup (120 ml) cherry tomatoes, halved

· ¼ cup (60 ml) feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

· ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced

· ¼ cup (60 ml) cucumber, diced

· ¼ cup (60 ml) mint leaves, chopped (optional)

· 2 tbsps (30 ml) capers, drained (optional)

· 1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon mustard

· ½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt

· ¼ tsp (1.25 ml) black pepper

· ¼ tsp (1.25 ml) ground sumac (optional, for extra tang)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Herb Preparation: Finely chop fresh parsley and mint into vibrant, uniform pieces, ensuring maximum flavor distribution throughout the salad.

2. Vegetable Medley: Dice red onion, halve cherry tomatoes, and slice cucumber into delicate, bite-sized morsels, creating a textural foundation for the salad.

3. Dressing Fusion: Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and sumac in a compact container, blending these elements into a harmonious, zesty emulsion.

4. Salad Assembly: Combine all chopped herbs, vegetables, and capers in a spacious bowl, then drizzle the prepared dressing, gently tossing to ensure every ingredient is lavishly coated and seasoned.

5. Final Touch: Garnish with crumbled feta cheese and serve immediately, presenting a refreshing, Mediterranean-inspired dish that bursts with bright, herbaceous flavors.

Parsley-Kale Salad

Finely chop a bunch of flat-leaf parsley—leaves AND stems (unless really thick and tough)

Finely chop a bunch of kale.

Combine the 2 in a large bowl with 2-3 Tbs EVOO and ½ tsp salt—MASSAGE with your hands until greens get dark and soft.

Mix in grated rind and juice of a lemon.

This can keep for several days in the fridge, and be used as a salad base—delicious with toasted pumpkin seeds and chunks of avocado. Or toss with toasted bread crumbs and

fresh grated parmesan. Or mix with feta, cues and onions as a “Greek salad”