The Worm's Voice: Red Wiggler's CSA Newsletter
RED WIGGLER IN THE NEWS, AGAIN!
Red Wiggler was lucky enough to be in the news again recently! This time, a Channel 4 News crew came out to see what a morning on the farm looks like. Take a look at the great segment they produced, and please share with friends, family and on social media. Help us spread the word about Red Wiggler, and care farming across the country!
‘Tis the season for canned food drives, and while they’re a great way to help those experiencing food insecurity, they usually don’t include fresh produce. Our food assistance partner, Community Farm Share (CFS), aims to change that. As a food assistance provider dedicated to working with local farmers like us, CFS has a dual mission–to provide fresh, local produce to those in need, and to support local farmers by purchasing their produce. This fall, they are partnering with traditional food drives in the county to provide them with local produce to distribute.
CFS understands that most organizations that run holiday food drives don’t have the infrastructure to handle fresh produce. So they deliver fresh, local produce to their partner organizations just in time for their holiday distributions. While you’re collecting your box of canned food for the food bank this fall, also consider being a part of CFS’s Fresh Veggie Drive. By participating, you can help fight food insecurity AND support local farms like ours. Simply go onto their 2026 Veggie Drive storefront, choose the produce you think people would like, checkout, then let CFS do the rest. They will transport those veggies from local farmers to their partner food banks in time for their holiday distributions. Pro tip: if you purchase items we have a lot of, like carrots and sweet potatoes, you might be helping CFS buy from Red Wiggler. Everyone wins!
IN THE SHARE
- Sweet Potatoes & Butternut Squash
- Roots Choices
- Peppers Choices
- Carrots
- Onions or Garlic
- Greens Choices
PICK-YOUR-OWN
PICK-YOUR-OWN AVAILABILITY
Look for the BLUE flags on items ready to pick!
RED
Lovage, Oregano, Chives, Lavender, Russian Sage, Thyme, Blanket Flowers, Zinnias, Peppermint, Spearmint, Tarragon, Tithonia, Basil, Coriander, Marigolds, Nicotiana
ORANGE
Lamb’s Ear, Sorrel, Pincushions, Snapdragons, Sunflowers, Statice, Italian Basil, Lemon Basil, Thai Basil, Tulsi Basil
PINK
Zinnias, Cosmos, Roselle, Strawflowers, Gomphrena, Dill, Cilantro, Celosia
YELLOW
Calendula, Lemon Balm, Sage, Zinnias, Marigolds
PURPLE
Fennel
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
CARAMELIZED KOHLRABI SOUP GF DF Veg
One of our CSA volunteers sent me this NYT recipe last week. I tend toward using kohlrabi raw, but this soup sounded intriguing. She said it was delicious, and she’s never steered me wrong before, so I want to give it a try. That is, if I can put away the hummus and stop eating all my kohlrabi raw! Serves 6.
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds kohlrabi, turnips or a combination, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 large white onion, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock, plus 3 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 small lemon, preferably a Meyer lemon
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, as needed
Smoky chile powder, as needed
DIRECTIONS
Arrange an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together kohlrabi, 2 tablespoons oil, ¾ teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Transfer to oven and broil until very well browned, about 10 minutes total, tossing halfway through cooking. (Watch carefully to see that they do not burn.)
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and let cook for 1 minute.
- Add broiled kohlrabi, stock, 3 cups water, the bay leaf and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium, cover partly, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.
- Discard bay leaf. Using an immersion blender or working in batches in a food processor, purée soup until very smooth.
- Zest the lemon into the pot, then halve it and squeeze in its juice. Taste soup and add more salt if needed. Ladle soup into bowls and top with a drizzle of oil, grated cheese and a pinch of chili powder.
BOLO DE CENOURA (BRAZILIAN CARROT CAKE) Veg GF (with modifications) DF (without glaze)
I had a really delicious chocolate zucchini cake the other day, which made me realize that it’s been a while since I posted a dessert in the newsletter. Summer squash season is over, but that doesn’t mean the veggie desserts are! While researching, I found this classic Brazilian carrot cake that looks delicious and simple. You blend the carrots instead of grating them, which makes both prep, and hiding veggies from picky eaters easier!
INGREDIENTS (Cake)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 2 large carrots peeled and cut into chunks (you should have enough to fill a liquid 1-cup measurer all the way to the top)
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
INGREDIENTS (Glaze)
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pinch kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. You can also use an 8-inch square pan or a 9-inch round pan if you don’t have a bundt cake pan.
- Sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and whisk to combine, set aside.
- Peel and chop 2 large carrots into chunks. Place the chopped carrots into a blender. Blitz them until they are shredded.
- Scrape the sides of the cup, then add 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar and blend until creamy.
- Scrape the sides of the cup, then add 1/2 cup vegetable oil and blend until smooth.
- Crack 3 large eggs into a small bowl, add 2 teaspoon vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
- Pour egg mixture into the and pulse (2-3 times) to combine with the carrot cream. Do not overmix.
- Pour the carrot cream into the bowl with the dry ingredients and fold until well combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan, and bake in the preheated oven until a cake tester/toothpick inserted to the middle comes out lightly crumbly to clean. This will take about 35-40 minutes for the classic bundt pan.
- Move the cake pan to a cooling rack and let it cool for about 10 mins, then remove the cake from the pan and drizzle on topping.
- For the glaze, measure all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking consistently. Let it boil 3-5 minutes.
- Pour the glaze over the cake while still warm and let them cool together. The glaze will become crackly.