Pumpkins! Roots Choices Greens Choices Garlic End-of-Summer Choices

VEG – Vegetarian DF – Dairy Free GF – Gluten Free GREEN TOMATO AND LEMON MARMALADE GF DF Veg When you grow tomatoes in this region, fall green tomatoes are an inevitability. But what to do with them? Many farmers just compost them along with the dying vines, but they are edible, and with the right preparation, they are delicious! Here is a fun idea adapted from Melissa Clark at NYT. I have had very tasty tomato jam before, so I can believe that green tomato marmalade would also be yummy. If you give it a try this week and love it, let me know. We can probably provide the tomatoes for a larger batch! INGREDIENTS 1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded 2 ¼ pounds green tomatoes (about 5 large tomatoes), cored, seeded, and thinly sliced 3 ¼ cups sugar 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Pinch of salt Pinch of citric acid DIRECTIONS Bring lemon slices to a boil in a pot of water. Drain. If you have time, combine all ingredients in a bowl and leave overnight to let the juices release from the tomatoes and lemons. If you don’t have time, you can skip this step, but you will definitely need to add water. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly. Add up to a 1/4 cup of water if mixture is too dry. Cook at a bare simmer, stirring regularly, until tomatoes and lemon slices are translucent and syrup thickens, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool completely; store in refrigerator. This is a very basic marmalade (with the exception that it is made with an unusual ingredient!). To spice it up, try adding minced ginger, minced chilies, or lavender. Use as an accompaniment to meat dishes or sharp cheese, in dressings or marinades, or drizzled over ice cream (yes, really!). ROSELLE TEA GF DF Veg The roselle is chock-full and needs to be harvested. You can use the calyxes fresh, or dry them to make a delicious and nutritious (lots of vitamin C!) tea with a tart, cranberry-like flavor. INGREDIENTS 25-30 fresh roselle calyxes 8 cups boiling water Sugar or honey to taste Optional: orange, lemon, and/or fresh ginger slices; mintleaves, lemon balm, lavender cloves, anise, cinnamon DIRECTIONS Peel the roselle calyxes and discard the seed pods. Add roselle pieces to the boiling water. Boil for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain roselle out, and add sugar or honey to desired sweetness. If you like a stronger tea, leave the roselle in the water while it cools, up to overnight. Keep up to a week in the fridge. Serve hot or cold. If using ginger or other spices, you can add them during the boil. If using citrus, fruit and/or herbs, add after you remove the tea from the boil and let steep for several minutes before removing.

Fall, Week 4: October 7th & 10th, 2026

Q: PICK-YOUR-OWN

PICK-YOUR-OWN AVAILABILITYLook for the BLUE flags on items ready to pick!REDMarigolds, Coriander, Sunflowers, Lovage, Oregano, Chives, Lavender, Russian Sage, Thyme, Blanket Flowers, Zinnias, Peppermint, Spearmint, Tarragon, TithoniaORANGELamb’s Ear, Sorrel, Pincushions, Snapdragons, Sunflowers, Statice, Italian Basil, Lemon Basil, Thai Basil, Tulsi BasilPINKZinnias, Cosmos, Strawflowers, Marigolds, Gomphrena, Sunflowers, Dill, Cilantro, CelosiaYELLOW Calendula, Lemon Balm, Bee Balm, Sage, Zininias, TithoniaPURPLEHeliopsis, Anise Hyssop, Fennel, Coreopsis, RudbeckiaNeed help or ideas? Just ask a RWCF Staff member or volunteer. We’re here for you!

The Worm's Voice: Red Wiggler's CSA Newsletter

THE PYO IS STILL POPPING!

Fall is definitely here, and the PYO is fading a bit, but there are still lots of goodies to be found. Here are some highlights and things you might have missed. We encourage you to continue to spend time in the PYO; the season will be over before you know it!

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a flowering, edible plant in the mallow family (hibiscus and okra are close relatives) that is native to Africa. Both the leaves and calyces (the red “fruit” that we harvest) are high in polyphenols, and are used culinarily all over the world. The stalks are used to make bast fibre. Many cuisines around the world use the leaves in curries, stews, and soups (learn more about the leaves and how to use them in this past newsletter); while the cranberry flavored calyces are made into drinks, preserves, syrups, chutneys and pickles. Spiced juices made from the roselle calyces are sometimes called Jamaican sorrel, jamaica (hah-MY cah), zobo, or “red drink.” The latter is traditionally served at Juneteenth celebrations here in the US. To learn more about the wide culinary reach of this beautiful plant, check out this Wiki page.

Native to grassland habitats across Europe and Central Asia, sorrel thrives on warm, sunny days and cool nights. Its unique, sour-citrus flavor is used in cuisines across Eurasia, most notably French, which pairs sorrel with fish because the acidity helps dissolve small bones. Our sorrel patch took a break for the summer heat, but is loving these cooler temps. Sorrel is often cooked at this time of year, as the late-season leaves are not as tender. New to sorrel? Add brightness to your stir-fry, soup or quiche by simply adding in a handful of sorrel to your greens. Or try this easy sorrel sauce or sorrel salsa.

There is LOTS of basil in the PYO, but it’s starting to fade now that the weather is getting cooler. So now is the time to stock up, make some pesto, and freeze it for later use. Making a big batch of pesto is no harder than making a small one, and it really does freeze beautifully. If you don’t want to make pesto, but just want basil to use later in the season, try chopping it up and freezing it in water in ice cube trays. The flavor of basil doesn’t stick around that well when dried, so freezing is the best way to retain the flavor. Want to level up your winter herb game? Try rooting some basil cuttings and growing it in a small pot on your kitchen counter over the winter.

BONUS: Did you know you can make pesto out of other herbs! Gather some tender cilantro from the new patch in Pink PYO and make a delicious batch of cilantro pesto to preserve that fresh, citrusy flavor into the winter!

IN THE SHARE

Pumpkins!
Roots Choices
Greens Choices
Garlic
End-of-Summer Choices

PICK-YOUR-OWN

PICK-YOUR-OWN AVAILABILITY

Look for the BLUE flags on items ready to pick!

RED

Marigolds, Coriander, Sunflowers, Lovage, Oregano, Chives, Lavender, Russian Sage, Thyme, Blanket Flowers, Zinnias, Peppermint, Spearmint, Tarragon, Tithonia

ORANGE

Lamb’s Ear, Sorrel, Pincushions, Snapdragons, Sunflowers, Statice, Italian Basil, Lemon Basil, Thai Basil, Tulsi Basil

PINK

Zinnias, Cosmos, Strawflowers, Marigolds, Gomphrena, Sunflowers, Dill, Cilantro, Celosia

YELLOW

Calendula, Lemon Balm, Bee Balm, Sage, Zininias, Tithonia

PURPLE

Heliopsis, Anise Hyssop, Fennel, Coreopsis, Rudbeckia

Need help or ideas? Just ask a RWCF Staff member or volunteer. We’re here for you!

RECIPES

VEG – Vegetarian DF – Dairy Free GF – Gluten Free

GREEN TOMATO AND LEMON MARMALADE GF DF Veg

When you grow tomatoes in this region, fall green tomatoes are an inevitability. But what to do with them? Many farmers just compost them along with the dying vines, but they are edible, and with the right preparation, they are delicious! Here is a fun idea adapted from Melissa Clark at NYT. I have had very tasty tomato jam before, so I can believe that green tomato marmalade would also be yummy. If you give it a try this week and love it, let me know. We can probably provide the tomatoes for a larger batch!

INGREDIENTS

1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded
2 ¼ pounds green tomatoes (about 5 large tomatoes), cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
3 ¼ cups sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Pinch of citric acid

DIRECTIONS

Bring lemon slices to a boil in a pot of water. Drain.
If you have time, combine all ingredients in a bowl and leave overnight to let the juices release from the tomatoes and lemons. If you don’t have time, you can skip this step, but you will definitely need to add water.
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly. Add up to a 1/4 cup of water if mixture is too dry. Cook at a bare simmer, stirring regularly, until tomatoes and lemon slices are translucent and syrup thickens, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool completely; store in refrigerator.
This is a very basic marmalade (with the exception that it is made with an unusual ingredient!). To spice it up, try adding minced ginger, minced chilies, or lavender.
Use as an accompaniment to meat dishes or sharp cheese, in dressings or marinades, or drizzled over ice cream (yes, really!).

ROSELLE TEA GF DF Veg

The roselle is chock-full and needs to be harvested. You can use the calyxes fresh, or dry them to make a delicious and nutritious (lots of vitamin C!) tea with a tart, cranberry-like flavor.

INGREDIENTS

25-30 fresh roselle calyxes
8 cups boiling water
Sugar or honey to taste
Optional: orange, lemon, and/or fresh ginger slices; mint
leaves, lemon balm, lavender cloves, anise, cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Peel the roselle calyxes and discard the seed pods.
Add roselle pieces to the boiling water.
Boil for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Strain roselle out, and add sugar or honey to desired sweetness.
If you like a stronger tea, leave the roselle in the water while it cools, up to overnight.
Keep up to a week in the fridge. Serve hot or cold.
If using ginger or other spices, you can add them during the boil. If using citrus, fruit and/or herbs, add after you remove the tea from the boil and let steep for several minutes before removing.