What can you learn during your stay here?

• basic gardening/farming techniques
• soils and soil fertility
• composting
• insect identification  which are the good guys/bad guys beneficial habitat  basic non chemical control methods
• weed identification and control
• basics of drip irrigation
• greenhouse/hightunnels   season extension
• growing in high altitude desert region
• how to grow a wide variety of crops  vegetables, herbs, some fruit
• food preservation 
• marketing
• seed saving
• and more.........

You will learn hands on what goes into putting food on the table from the soil up. We have been market gardners for over thirty years and have a wealth of knowlege to share with you. To extend your learning experience we have an on farm library and network with a number of farms within our region for farm tours and other learning opportunities.

Our interns tent it here on the farm; your choice of space in our seven acres of riparian area or closer in to the house. They share our bathroom, kitchen, and laundry facilities. We provide fresh in season produce from the farm and a small stipend to help cover additional food expences.

No experience is needed; just a passion for learning. We ask for a six week commitment; the longer you stay, the more you can learn.

Contact us via e-mail or phone.

 We have three sizes of shares this year: 

Ø      Full {family of four}…………..$1,300 +12 hours

Ø      Mini {family of 2}……………...  $ 850 +12 hours

Ø      Tiny {single}……………………..$ 650 +12 hours

 Prices are based on a 37-week season and averaged over the whole season. The amount of produce you receive each week will depend on the season and the size share you purchase. There will be less early in the season {April, May, and June}. The amount and variety will increase during the summer {July, August, and September} then taper off a bit after frost {October, November, and December}. 

What veggies will be available?

Over the course of our season, we grow over 100 different kinds of vegetables, herbs and some fruit. Our produce is seasonal; greens and cool season veggies in the spring; warm season veggies like tomatoes and peppers in the summer; storage crops like potatoes and onion, roots like sunchokes and carrots, more cool season greens in the fall. We grow a wide variety of herbs that have many uses, culinary, teas, medicinal, etc. Usually we will have a good variety to choose from May to Oct. What herbs we offer each week will depend on the time of season.

 This is a partial listing of many of the vegetables and fruit that we grow and the approximate time you can expect them. All is of course dependant on the weather. An early frost can affect the fruit and extremes of hot or cold can affect the amount and availability of certain crops.  This is our best guess, each season is a bit different. We send out a weekly e-mail during the season to keep you updated on what is available eack week.

Ø      April- beets, carrots, green garlic, greens {a wide variety; chard, kale, mustard, bok choi, lettuce, orach, endive, etc.}, salad greens, scallions, peas {sugar snap}, radishes, spinach, turnips

Ø      May- beets, carrots, green garlic, greens, salad greens, scallions, peas, radishes, spinach, turnips, rhubarb

Ø      June- fava bean, beets, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, garlic scapes, greens {mostly chard, kale}, kohlrabi, baby leeks, salad greens, scallions, peas {English as well as sugar snap and snow}, radishes, turnip, rhubarb

Ø      July- green beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, cucumber, garlic, greens, kohlrabi, onions, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips

Ø      August- artichoke, green beans, beets, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, melons, onion, peppers {sweets and hots}, summer squash, tomatoes, tomatillo, turnips, raspberry, blackberry

Ø      September- artichoke, green beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, eggplant, cucumber, garlic, leeks, melons, onion, peppers, summer squash, tomatoes, tomatillo, turnip, raspberry, blackberry

Ø      October- beets, carrots, broccoli, celery, garlic, greens {like in April}, leeks, salad greens, onion, parsnip, potato, winter squash, spinach, sweet potato, turnips, sunchokes, apples

Ø      November- beets, carrots, garlic, greens, leeks, salad greens, onions, potatoes, winter squash, spinach, sweet potato, turnips, sunchokes, apples, quince

Ø      December- Storage crops; potatoes, onions, garlic, dry beans  Roots; beets, carrots, turnips, sunchokes, parsnips,   Cool season greens; varies from year to year, we keep them going as long as we can, but can’t guarantee the amount or variety

 CSA disclaimer: We work hard to produce these crops through the challenging and ever changing seasons of our high desert region. Being a member of the CSA is an investment in the work leading up to planting and all the way through harvest. Your dividend payments come in delicious produce grown in harmony with nature. However there is always the possibilty of extreme conditions that may delay or completely damage some of our crops. We try to grow a wide variety of veggies so that if we are unable to harvest one crop we have several others to take its place. But Mother Nature is not always kind; late freezes in the spring, early freezes in the fall, wind, hail, snow, rain, etc. can affect what crops we can harvest each week.

How does it work

Circle A Garden is a true CSA operation not a veggie box program. Our CSA is an investment in the future season. You sign up and pay in advance {like a subscription}.  This spreads out our income and gives us capitol to work with early in the season. Many of our expenses come before the CSA starts; seeds, fertilizer, labor to plant and care for crops before they are marketable, etc.

 We have three payment options; all, 2 payments, or 4 payments depending on your budget. 

Shares will be pro-rated after June 1 for anyone joining after the season starts.

Each Saturday morning {9-12}, you will come out to the farm to pick up your veggies. We set up very much like we do at farmers market. Each week {depending on what is ready to harvest} there will be a set amount of produce for you to pick out and a number of choices for you to make. {For instance, your share may be ½ lb beets and/or carrots.  You can choose ½ lb beets, or ½ lb carrots, or ½ lb of a mixture. In addition, we grow several different varieties of each so you can choose what variety you would like to try} Our pickup time will change in mid October {11-2} due to the change in season {darker and colder early of a morning when we need to set up} and the time change.

As our program grows we would like to make pick up day more of a “community” affair, where our members can get together to share recipes, talk about issues and events that are happening, get to know each other and us, etc.

Work requirement

We feel that it is vitally important to re-establish the connection between people and the food they eat. {Who grew it, how it was grown, and why it is important} We feel the more folks know about local, sustainable, and ecologically sane growing practices, the better for our customers, our planet, and our future generations.

To help make this connection, we want you to come out to the farm and learn hands on just what goes into producing the food you eat. We are very flexible. You can set up your time here when it works for you or join us on our scheduled monthly workdays.

Your time here at the farm will be spent learning hands on about the wonder and miracle of growing food. Tasks are many and varied. Some require hard physical labor while others are more sedate. Just what you will be doing will depend on your physical ability, the time of year, and what needs to be done. This is an opportunity for you to learn from experienced growers what goes into the production of your weekly vegetables. We want to make this a fun and rewarding experience for you. Come and learn about seed selection {do you know what a carrot seed looks like?}, soil fertility and the soil food web {do you have any idea of the millions of creatures living in good healthy soil?}, planting seeds and transplants {get to witness first hand the wonder of a tiny seed growing into a huge plant that you can take home and feed to your family and friends}, weed identification {how many “weeds” do you think are edible and make a tasty meal?}, insect and disease management {just how many aphids can a lady bug eat?}, harvesting the bounty {the fun part of growing; seeing first hand the result of your labor, the pride and joy of knowing you had a hand in growing the food you eat}. The list of things you can learn here is endless; the knowledge of knowing where and how your food is grown priceless.

Farm tour

We are passionate about what we do and love to show folks our farm. Give us a call and we can set up a time for you to come out for a tour of the farm.

2 small to medium celeriac root
2 tablespoons lemon juice
 1-2 apples, grated or finely julienned
 1 bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
 1/3 cup yogurt or 1/3 cup cashews
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced (optional)
2 cups spinach or greens of choice, finely chopped (optional)

PREPARATION
Place the vinegar, mustard, honey, shallots, pepper and cashews (if using) into a blender or food processor and process on high speed until well mixed. With the blender still running, slowly pour in the oil to form an emulsion.
Trim and wash the celeriac. Cut into a fine julienne and place in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and toss. Mix in the apples, onions, radishes, yogurt (if using) and dressing.
Serve on a bed of spinach or other greens of choice.

Serves 4
2 lbs. baking potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
3 tablespoons butter warmed with ¾ cup milk and/or cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 head garlic, roasted in a 350º F oven with a little olive oil for 35 min.
1 package chives, finely chopped

Cook potatoes in simmering salted water until very tender. Drain. Put through potato ricer or mash with potato masher. Add milk and butter until creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze out soft garlic cloves, mash in small bowl and mix throughout potatoes.
Serve.

Serves 4

1 medium celeriac (about 1.25 lbs), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 small potato (about 6 oz), cut into 1-inch pieces

Kosher salt

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 bay leaf

Freshly ground black pepper

Tip: As the celeriac takes a bit longer to cook, cut it into smaller pieces so that both the potato and the celeriac become tender at about the same time.

1. Place the celeriac and potatoes in a large pot of salted, cold water (after you’ve peeled and chopped them of course;). Bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes then add the apple. Continue to cook until all are tender, another 10-12 minutes.
2. While vegetables are cooking, heat the cream, butter, and bay leaf in a small saucepan over medium heat.
3. Drain the cooked vegetables and apple and return them to the hot, dry pot. Stir them over low heat for 2 minutes until they are dry. Pass ingredients through a food mill into a large bowl. Gently stir in the hot cream and butter mixture until smooth (remove the bay leaf). Alternatively, you can puree the vegetables and apple together with the cream and butter mixture in a food processor. Season puree with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Gnocchi

1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 Cups pureed pumpkin (can use sweet potato instead)

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Teaspoon pepper

1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Sauce:

6 Tablespoons margarine

1/3 Cup thinly sliced fresh sage

1 1/2 Teaspoons (Packed) finely grated lemon peel

1/2 Cup vegetable broth

Directions:

Gnocchi:

Combine flour, pumkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, oil until a smooth dough forms. Do not over mix as it makes it tough

Flour your board/table and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness 

If you have a dough docker roller (sort of like a dough roller with spikes on it) Run that over to add some bumps to the dough so it "catches" the sauce. If not don't worry, not needed just an optioin!

Cut long strips and then cut again into 1 inch squares.

Place in salted boiling water until they float. Go ahead and stick them all in the pot at once!

Sauce:

Cook the margarine in a medicum skillet over medicum-high heat until margarine begins to brown, about 4 minutes

Add sage, lemon peel and broth

Simmer until desired thickness and season with salt and pepper.

Place drained gnocchi in sauce and cook for 2 more minutes

Serve!

Cook the bacon over medium heat until fat has rendered. Add onion and continue cooking until and bacon is done but not crisp and onions are translucent.

Add the parsnips, potatoes, and carrots and saute until vegetables have sweated and relaxed a bit.

Sprinkle flour over vegetables, mix and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes. Add water or stock, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. 

Add milk. Correct the seasoning and heat gently but don't boil.

Serves 4 for dinner or 8 for lunch or first course.