This week marks our return to CSA delivery, and our first of 2022 and the New Year!

We farmers were very thankful for the seasonal time away to spend with our families and do wish that your holidays were equally as joyous, festive, and full of good food & drink!

It's great to be back and see not only the continued work of the winter rains in pushing along our cover crops to encourage positive soil health, but also to come home to a blossoming greenhouse with new crops and future successions that will soon see there time in the ground or transplant to our new high-tunnels at Live Oak Farm. We're very excited to continue transition and dig into our new digs in Petaluma while maintaining and moving crops and infrastructure at Umbel Roots in Fairfield.

*Note: Despite the move to Sonoma County, our delivery reach will not change. We thank all our CSA members across the Bay Area and look to continue to serve you from the new farm location. We do hope you'll come visit for a future farm dinner or to visit our new farm stand!

This week's recipe utilizes a new ingredient to your CSA delivery, meet Mizuna!

Mizuna is a tender green, a member of the Brassica rapa family. Also commonly called Japanese Mustard Greens, Mizuna is soft with a snappy stem and can be used raw or cooked. Many people compare its flavor as a less peppery Arugula. Use as you would traditional salad greens or use in hot dishes such as soups, stir-fry, or hot pot. We find it a nice compliment to kale and the peanut flavors and garlic chips in this week's featured recipe.

Don't miss our return to Bay Grape Napa for a collaborative farm meet & greet and wine pouring with Stirm Wines and the Bay Grape team!

The date is set for next weekend, Saturday January 15th from 2-6pm. See flyer below or visit our Events tab on our website for more info. Come say hi and have a glass of wine or warm plate of veggies with your friendly farmers! We're excited to get away from the farm and meet our community.

Don't forget to tune into this week's edition of our CSA music playlist. Link to our Spotify playlist is attached below to join the groove...

Perhaps a bit milder than in weeks past, we let up on the heavy funk & soul for a more sentimental & reflective side when entering the new year. Tender ears are rewarded with the music by artists Shannon Lay, Rosali, Norman Blake, Buck Meek (member of Big Thief, which also makes an appearance on this week's playlist), and Jerry Jeff Walker.

Also noteworthy is the music of two Sonoma County grown artists- the Rainbow Girls & Arann Harris and the Farm Band. Both worthy of deeper exploration and local support.

This playlist is bookended by two legends. A young Willie Nelson leads us off with a favorite track, Hello Walls and John Denver brings it all together with the last track, Back Home Again. A great reflection as to where we've been, and were we find ourselves today with the prospect of a brand new year ahead.

This and other past newsletters from this CSA quarter can now be found via our website at UmbelRoots.com. In the case of wanting to revisit a recipe, produce guide, or past playlist they are all collected here under the Newsletter Archive tab. We will continue to update each week.