Week #16, 2026

• Cabbage or chard

• Lettuce

• Zucchini

• Cucumbers

• Hot peppers - Jalapenos

• Basil 

• Tomatoes 

• Cherry tomatoes 

• green beans or pardons 

• Potatoes

• Garlic

• Green peppers or eggplant

• Plums or apples (Gravenstein)

• Onions

• Blackberries - YOU PICK! Head out to the far side of the field and help yourself

We still have 5 beds of onions to harvest so if you missed out last weekend- show up early on Sunday for the fun. Onions are easy to harvest and we will teach you how to bunch them and hang them in the upper story of our barn. Also there will be a flash bouquet bar set up in The barn. As we are not at the farmers market there are tons of flowers. I will have a table set up and buckets full of blooms. Make your own bouquet to take home. $15 per bouquet - whatever fits in the quart sized jar! Please bring your own vase to take them home or take them home in a hurry. Starts at noon.

We are busy planting broccoli, overwintered and fall types. The same goes for cauliflower. Radicchio and Chinese cabbage as well. We took a tiny break at the beach to feel cool and refreshed and we are back at it. 

Summer means large harvests. This is when we count on our members most. We have cherry tomatoes, green beans and onions all of which take extra time to harvest. We hope you will find time to volunteer once or twice these next months. We harvest Sundays and Wednesdays and start at 7 and we aim to  finish around 11 when we are lucky. 

Beef is coming! Send a message to Juvencio or Lyn to get on the list.

Upcoming events:

• 8/2/2026 - Bloom Bar - make your own bouquet while supply lasts - $15 for a create your own bouquet starting at noon. Bring a vase or jar to take your flowers home.

• 8/2-8/31 - August flower share: $65 for 5 weeks of flowers - text Lyn to join

• 8/15: 5K Fundraiser for Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, contribute on my page: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/virginia-garcia-memorial-foundation/strides-for-health-5k/lyn-jacobs-4

• 10/11- Harvest Festival at La Finquita

Here are some recipes to enjoy this week:

RITCHIE FROM “THE BEAR” ‘S MOTHER-IN-LAW’S BORSCHT 

FOR THE SOUP 

• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil 

• ½ medium to large head green cabbage 

• 2 large onions 

• Salt, to taste 

• 2 carrots 

• 6 to 10 garlic cloves, to taste 

• 4 medium to large red beets (about fist-sized) 

• 12 to 14 cups water 

• 1 to 2 lemons, depending on size 

FOR SERVING 

• Sour cream 

• Fresh dill, chopped 

• Finely diced cucumber (optional) 

• Hard-boiled egg (optional), chopped 

• Step 1 

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over low. 

• Step 2 

Meanwhile, core and thinly slice the cabbage and dice the onions, adding them to the pot as you work, along with a big pinch of salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, released their moisture, and begun to develop a little color, about 25 minutes. Don't rush this step: the cabbage should cook for quite a while, as this is where much of the soup's flavor develops. 

• Step 3 

While the cabbage is cooking, dice the carrots, mince the garlic and peel and dice the beets. 

• Step 4 

Once the cabbage is slightly caramelized, add the carrots, garlic and a pinch of salt to the pot and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant, stirring occasionally. 

• Step 5 

Stir in the diced beets and another big pinch of salt.Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. 

• Step 6 

Fill the pot with water until the vegetables are well covered. Bring to a boil on high, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. 

• Step 7 

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice, if desired. 

• Step 8 

Let the soup cool slightly then cover and let it rest, ideally overnight, in the refrigerator. The flavor improves significantly on the second and third day. 

• Step 9 

Serve hot or cold, topped with sour cream and dill. If serving cold, you can add diced cucumber or chopped hard-boiled egg, or both, as desired. 

• If you are/were The Bear fan,  look on line for the 20 minutes video of Ritchie making this w/Sidney 

FARRO SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS 

Yield:4 to 6 servings 

FOR THE FARRO 

• 1 cup farro 

• Kosher salt 

FOR THE GREMOLATA 

• ½ cup finely chopped walnuts 

• 1 cup roughly chopped fresh dill (or sub parsley, cilantro or basil) 

• 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 lemons) 

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (from about 1 shallot) 

FOR THE GREEN BEANS 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 

• 1 pound green beans, trimmed 

• Black pepper 

• Lemon juice or white wine vinegar 

• Flaky sea salt, for serving (optional) 

 Step 1 

Add farro, 3 cups water and a pinch of kosher salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the farro is tender and toothsome, about 30 minutes. 

Step 2 

While the farro cooks, make the gremolata: Toast the walnuts in a large (preferably 12-inch) skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to ensure that they don’t burn, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer toasted walnuts to a medium bowl. Add the dill, lemon zest and shallots and toss to coat. Season with salt and set aside. 

Step 3 

Wipe out the skillet and heat the oil over medium. Add the green beans and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are crisp tender and start to brown in spots, 6 to 8 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water to help them along, if needed. Turn off the heat. 

Step 4 

If there is any residual cooking liquid from the farro, drain it and add the farro directly to the skillet. Toss with the beans until well combined and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large serving bowl or platter and top with the gremolata. Drizzle with lemon juice or white wine vinegar to finish. Season with flaky salt, if desired. 

Marie Helene's Apple Cake 

This is the BEST way to use those homely or gently bruised apples—you can only make so much apple sauce 

Ingredients 

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 

• Pinch of salt 

• 4 large apples use 4 different kinds-I used Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, and Granny Smith 

• 2 large eggs 

• 3/4 cup sugar 

• 3 tablespoons dark rum 

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled 

Instructions 

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and center a rack in the oven. Butter an 8 inch springform pan. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the springform pan on it. Set aside. 

• 2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. 

• 3. Peel the apples, cut them in half, and remove the cores. Cut the apples into 1 to 2 inch chunks. 

• 4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until foamy. Pour in the sugar and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the rum and vanilla. Whisk in half of the flour mixture, when it's incorporated, add half of the melted butter, followed by the remaining flour mixture and butter. Mix in between additions so you have a smooth, thick batter. 

• 5. Fold in the apples with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread with spatula so the batter is somewhat even. 

• 6. Slide the pan in the oven and bake 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for five minutes. 

• 7. Run a knife around the edges of the cake and remove from the pan. Cool cake until slightly warm or at room temperature. If you want to remove the cake from the pan, wait until the cake is completely cooled. Slide a long spatula between the cake and pan, cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment or wax paper, and invert it onto a rack. Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake over onto a serving platter. 

• *Note-you can serve the cake with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Dorie suggests not covering the cake because it is so moist. Just press a piece of plastic wrap against the cut surfaces of the cake.

Chef’s Salad Compose 

Yield:2 servings 

• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

• 5 ounces marble potatoes 

• 6 ounces green beans, stems removed, tails intact 

• 4 large eggs (refrigerator cold) 

• 1 small head soft lettuce, such as butter or red-leaf lettuce 

• 1 bunch radishes 

• 4 ounces artichoke hearts in brine 

• 3 to 4 ounces ripe cherry tomatoes (red, yellow or mixed) 

• 1 (6.7-ounce) jar high-quality tuna packed in oil 

• ½ small red onion (about 2 ounces), halved and thinly sliced 

• 1 ounce pitted Kalamata olives, halved (about ¼ cup) 

• 3 garlic cloves, freshly peeled 

• 1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

• Extra-virgin olive oil (about ¼ cup) 

• 2 large, leafy basil sprigs (2 to 3 ounces) 

Step 1 

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add plenty of salt to taste of the sea. 

Step 2 

Add potatoes, and boil until the thin tip of a knife can pierce a potato as if going into soft wax, 8 to 9 minutes. Retrieve potatoes with a spider, and let cool and drain on a baker’s rack set into a sheet pan nearby. 

Step 3 

Add green beans to still-boiling water, and boil until the color transforms from raw and dusty to saturated deep green, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a spider, and set out to drain and cool on the baker’s rack. 

Step 4 

Add the eggs directly from the refrigerator into the boiling water, and boil for 8 minutes. Dump eggs and boiling water into the sink, letting the shells crackle as they land hard. Peel eggs while submerged under cold running water, which helps to stop the cooking and release the shells easily. Set peeled eggs to rest on the rack. 

Step 5 

While eggs boil, wash and spin-dry lettuce. 

Step 6 

Remove green leafy tops from radishes, and save for another use, if desired. Wash and carefully rinse radishes, taking care to remove any grit or sand. 

Step 7 

On a large rimmed platter, begin to assemble the salad by tearing the clean, dry lettuce and arranging it as the bed. 

Step 8 

Use a sharp paring knife to split the green beans in half crosswise. Scatter them artfully around the bed of lettuce. 

Step 9 

Split the potatoes in half and arrange artfully. 

Step 10 

Split artichokes, if whole, into quarters and arrange artfully. 

Step 11 

Repeat with cherry tomatoes, followed by radishes, split into quarters, then eggs, quartered into wedges. 

Step 12 

Remove tuna from the jar with a fork. Break it into chunks, and nestle it into the mound of salad. Drizzle the tuna oil over the salad. 

Step 13 

Finish with scattered red onion and split olives. 

Step 14 

Microplane the garlic into a small bowl. Add red-wine vinegar and 3 to 4 long glugs of olive oil (about ¼ cup), and stir together briskly. Season with salt and a lot of freshly ground pepper. 

Step 15 

Just before dressing the salad, tear the basil leaves to release their fragrance. Scatter them around the whole salad. 

Step 16 

When ready to serve, drizzle dressing evenly and thoroughly over salad. When ready to eat, toss to dress, and don’t worry about messing up the beauty.