Season: Fall 2021
Size: Half Share
Week 4 of 12
October 23rd, 2021
NOTES FROM THE FIELD
Hi CSA family!
My name is Alyssa! I’m an assistant farmer and farm stand attendant here at Finca Tres Robles. This is my first newsletter I am writing so I’d like to introduce myself. I started at Finca Tres Robles in November of 2020 as a volunteer at the farm stand. Then in January of this year I started as a workshare volunteer out in the fields with Mary and Travis. I started learning about harvesting, planting, field maintenance, composting, and seeding in the greenhouse and direct seeding in the fields. I loved being here so much I didn’t stop volunteering and as of June this year I joined the farm team as an assistant farmer. Now I am coming up on a year of being at Finca and I am just so grateful for the opportunity to be here! It has been a life changing experience.
I have always loved nature and the Earth. I love being outside. I love helping others. I feel a deep connection to all that is nature and I see us all as interconnected and I vow to honor and protect all of life.
At the beginning of 2020, I found gardening and began growing my own food in my backyard. I wanted to learn more about how to grow your own food and the processes that are involved which led me to Finca. Now I am passionate about farming and aspire to have my own farm one day! I believe growing your own food and having a connection to the Earth is very important for the healing of our soul, our health, and one of the most sustainable ways to live. Farming taught me valuable lessons on the cycles of life, patience, letting go, and acceptance of the unknown.
I’ve also learned and witnessed the importance of community while being here at Finca. It is so beautiful to see this place of life, give life, and bring lives together. That is the beauty of a farm bringing people together, back to themselves, and back to nature! It is also home to so much beautiful wildlife.
I want to thank all of the farm team for their wisdom and the CSA and neighborhood members for their support and gratitude!
Enjoy your delicious veggies! 🙂
-Alyssa
WHAT’S IN THE SHARE
Radish
A vibrant bulb (varies in color depending on type) with a pleasantly crunchy texture and very pungent, peppery flavor. Radishes are a great addition to salads or as a snack to enjoy by themselves or with dips. They are also enjoyed sauteed, braised, or roasted, neutralizing a lot of the bite and increasing their sweetness. Try pickling them, as well!
Thai Basil
This basil has a sweet, peppery, and clove-like taste and provides a lot of the flavor characteristic in thai noodle/stir-fry dishes! This thai is a wonderful addition to salads, salad dressings, sauces, and even adds a pleasant fragrant addition to your traditional pesto!oni
Red Potato (Gundermann Acres)
Enjoy!
Lettuce (Verde Greens)
This lettuce is especially delicate and crisp. It gives salads a clean crunch and it’s broad leaves could also act as a receptacle for lettuce wraps.
Misome
An asian green and mustard/spinach hybrid that does not pack the punch of a typical mustard and airs very much on the spinach side in terms of texture and taste! We love using misome in the same way that you would use spinach, in salads, sauteed, in stir fries. It is very versatile and delicious!
Okra
Okra has a very unique taste and texture-the taste has been described as somewhere in between eggplant, green beans, and asparagus and the texture as crunchy exterior with a softer inside due to its large soft seeds. We love eating our okra raw or roasting to bring out its tenderness. You can also try pickling your okra, it’s delicious!
Zucchini (Gundermann Acres)
Zucchini offers a sweet summer squash flavor with nuances of black peppercorn and nutty undertones. In addition to the fruit of the Zucchini plant the flower blossoms of Zucchini are also edible and offer a mild, squash like flavor.