Laguna Farm CSA
1764 Cooper Rd., Sebastopol, CA 95472 CSA@lagunafarm.com
Office phone: 823-0823
January 31st and February 2nd 2012

Look at this beautiful CSA box this week. The romanesco is worthy of a photograph or two! Notice the Sweet Dumpling Squash. This is the last of the winter squash from the fall harvest. We want to go through it all before February and encourage members to resist decorating the house with these cute little guys and par-bake them and eat them soon. I am going to try the quinoa stuffed squash featured on the recipe sheet for my family.
Out in the fields the greens, alliums and roots are doing very well. The Asparagus is just peeking up from the thick mulch of straw and our early strawberry crop is sending up new leaves reminding us that it is time to cut back the dead leaves so it can fruit in the spring.
Nacho and I are planning on adding some fruit trees to the orchard this year. Citrus would be nice as we could use some winter fruit on the farm.
Be Well,
Jennifer Branham

In Your Box This Week: From the Certified Naturally Grown fields of Laguna Farm, our “Naturally Grown” salad mix, romanesco, sweet dumpling squash, radish, kale or chard, garlic and Satsuma from the Sierra Foothills.

Local Medicine in Your Hands A Celebration of Local Herbal Authors
Featuring Peggy Shafer and her newly published book, The Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm. Saturday, February 25 6:00 – 9:00 PM Masonic Center, 373 N. Main St., Sebastopol $15
ALSO HIGHLIGHTING local authors David Hoffmann (Medical Herbalism), Kami McBride (The Herbal Kitchen), Jill Nussinow (The Veggie Queen), Robert Kourik (The Lavender Book), Karin Uphoff (Botanical Body Care), Carol Isinpresser (The Herbal Cookbook), and Leslie Gardner (Life in the Medicine), who will be available to sign their books.

Volunteer for Laguna Farm events: We are in the early stages of planning for farm events. We are always looking for members who would like to lend a hand or special skill. If you would like to be a part of upcoming events and workshops at Laguna Farm, let us know. We enjoy involving the farm community. Some events on the horizon include the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival’s showing “Urban Roots” a film we are co-sponsoring with Slow Food Russian River. Also, we are planning on hosting the Harvest Festival in the Fall and would like to work with the Laguna Foundation in some restoration activities along the Laguna.

Sneak Peak into your CSA Box: Both our website and facebook advertize next weeks box contents. If you like to plan your meals and shopping in advance, look in one of these two places to find out what the CSA is planning on providing.

Farm Pick Up members. Notice this newsletter is not all wet and soggy! We are not putting it inside your CSA box. It can be found DRY either inside the walk-in, on the store table or on the blue weigh station. Please grab one and keep apprised of farm happenings or feel free to save paper and read it online!

Laguna Farm CSA
1764 Cooper Rd., Sebastopol, CA 95472 CSA@lagunafarm.com
Office phone: 823-0823
January 23rd & January 25th , 2012

This weekend’s rain brought the floodwaters into the Laguna Fields. It is always surprising to see how fast the water comes up. Our fields across the 116 are doing very well. We are looking forward to starting up at the Sebastopol Farmers Market early this year and have the goal of attending year-round next year. A lot depends on the weather.
Thank you to all of you who have suggested seeds for planting. We are looking forward to expanding our availability with brussels sprouts, jicama, new squash varieties, a tomato with a story and an abundance of flowers.
Winter work on the farm is on recruiting new members for our CSA. We are looking at businesses that have demonstrated a commitment to employee health and wellbeing. Our hope is that these businesses with their “wellness” focus will facilitate a drop-site for Laguna Farm CSA. We are already working with local businesses who find the program beneficial. If you know of a business that might fit this description, and have a way of contacting a representative that could act as a liaison, please let us know.
Be Well,
Jennifer Branham

In Your Box This Week: From the Certified Naturally Grown fields of Laguna Farm, our “Naturally Grown” salad mix, cabbage, broccoli from Fremont, potatoes, chard, turnips, and Satsuma from the Sierra Foothills.

Calcium in your Turnip Greens! Researchers to its calcium content have linked the noticeably bitter taste of turnip greens. On an ounce-for-ounce basis, turnip greens contain about 4 times more calcium than much less bitter-tasting cruciferous vegetables like cabbage. Even in comparison to mustard greens, turnip greens contain about twice the calcium content.

Milk Bottle Deposits: Thank you for your cooperation in the milk bottle redemption program. We are charging the standard $1.50 deposit for each milk bottle. Return the bottle to the farm during store hours for a refund or to any participating retailer.

Raw Milk Shortage: Every week we order enough raw milk to cover our orders, and for the last several weeks, our distributor has shorted us. This is due to an overall shortage of raw milk. We are doing our best to fill the orders.

CSA Box Contents available online: Now you don’t have to be a member of facebook for a sneak peak into next week’s CSA box. We are posting it online under “what’s in my box” category on the website. Box contents will be posted on Friday. Please know this is very subject to change and often does, but it gives you a good idea.

Next Week’s Bread: Village Bakery will be sending us Sebastopol Sourdough for next week’s CSA box. Order before Friday night 1/27/12 if you would like a loaf!