What’s Inside This Week?
April 16, 2026
Essentials Box
- Kohlrabi, bunch, $6
- Romaine Lettuce, head, $3
- Swiss Chard, bunch, $5
- Romanesco, head, $4
- Navel Oranges, 2lbs, $8
Original Box
- Essentials Box, plus:
- Dino Kale, bunch, $4
- Broccoli, head, $4
- Beets, bunch, $3
- Avocado, 2lbs, $7
Hearty Box
- Original Box, plus:
- Jalapeños, ¼ lb, $3
- Lettuce Mix, 8oz bag, $5
- Cauliflower, head, $4
- Cherimoya, 1lb, $13
Field Notes
The showers this week were a welcome gift. We got sprinkles through the day, but the real rain came at night — heavy, steady, and quiet while we slept. By morning the farm had transformed. Everything woke up bright green and sparkling, washed clean overnight, and the birds sang joyously about it. We stepped outside and just stopped. That kind of morning earns every weed that follows.
The garlic is doing something exciting underground. We pulled one bulb this week just to check — cut the tip off and there they were, the cloves forming perfectly inside. May harvest is looking good. Meanwhile, zucchini is absolutely taking off, and if all goes according to plan you’ll be seeing squash in your boxes in the next two to three weeks.
The farm after the rain — everything washed clean and sparkling.
Waylon found the best use for a kohlrabi. We can’t argue with him.
The tomatoes have rooted and are starting to grow where we planted them in the garden — always a relief to see. We kept some backups just in case, and whatever we don’t end up needing will go straight to the farm stand. Speaking of which, the farm stand has been a little neglected lately — short hands, long days, you know how it goes. But we’re welcoming a new WWOOFer tomorrow as we say goodbye to Nieve, who has been an incredible part of the team. Nieve is heading back to New Jersey to be near her family — we’re so grateful for everything she brought to this farm, and we hope she’ll come back for another season. T is heading to the Dominican Republic with her family for two weeks, but when she returns she’ll be taking over the farm stand, helping with restocking and ordering from small local businesses as we continue building a resilient local food system right here in Lompoc.
Part of what T will be focused on is growing our network of local producers at the farm stand — stocking it with small-batch, locally made goods that reflect the same values we bring to growing food. We’re already proud to carry some incredible makers, and we’d love your help growing that list. If you know of a microkitchen, local producer, or small-batch maker who could use a place to sell, please reach out — we want to hear about them.
Here are a few of the makers currently at the farm stand worth knowing:
- Ms. Rachel’s Jam — small-batch jams made with love
- Baba Small Batch — handcrafted organic hummus and chickpea flatbreads from a Central Coast kitchen, rooted in Tunisian family recipes
- Pacific Pickle Works — all-natural, hand-crafted West Coast style pickles and savory drink mixers out of Santa Barbara, made with peak-season local produce
- Hapi Nani Tea — small-batch loose-leaf teas and spice blends crafted in Santa Maria by a woman-owned business with farmers market roots
- Surf Beach Soap Co. — organic shea butter soaps made right here on the Central Coast
We also want to give a shout out to a new partner — Ranchito Alegra, a small farm in Santa Barbara who supplied last week’s avocados. This week, through that same connection, we were able to procure cherimoyas. This is a real specialty fruit — sweet, creamy, and unlike anything most people have tried. More on that below.
Our favorite kind of farm helper — a ladybug ready to take on the aphids.
A chert flake tool found on our homeschool nature walk — quite possibly a Chumash artifact.
That last photo deserves a moment. On our homeschool nature walk around the farm this week, we found a chert flake tool — hand-shaped, precise, unmistakably worked. We haven’t had an archaeologist look at it yet, so we can only make educated guesses. We found it on a high point of the hill with a clear view toward the ocean — the kind of spot that makes sense when you think about who may have lived here. The Chumash likely inhabited this canyon for good reason: sheltered from coastal wind, yet close enough to the sea to fish and read the weather. A natural lookout, somewhere to watch the horizon, check conditions, decide whether to go out. We held it carefully and sat with that for a while.
Storage Tips
Roots: kohlrabi, beets → fridge crisper, bagged; remove beet greens if attached and store separately.
Greens: romaine, lettuce mix, swiss chard, dino kale → wrap in a towel, store in a bag in the fridge; keep cold and use within 5–7 days.
Brassicas: romanesco, broccoli, cauliflower → fridge crisper, loosely bagged; best within 5 days.
Fruit: navel oranges → counter for a few days or refrigerate for longer storage. Cherimoya → counter until it gives slightly when pressed, then refrigerate and use within 1–2 days. Avocado → counter to ripen, then fridge.
Peppers: jalapeños → fridge in a bag; keeps 1–2 weeks.
Cherimoya & Navel Orange Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cherimoya, peeled, seeded & frozen
- 1 navel orange, juiced (reserve some segments)
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/4 cup coconut milk or yogurt
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
- Toppings:
- Orange segments
- Granola or toasted coconut
- Sliced kiwi or berries
- Drizzle of honey
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Peel and seed the cherimoya. Freeze the flesh for at least 2 hours or overnight for best texture.
- Blend frozen cherimoya, frozen banana, orange juice, and coconut milk until thick and smooth. Add honey if desired. It should be thick enough to eat with a spoon — add liquid a splash at a time if needed.
- Pour into a bowl and arrange toppings: orange segments, granola, fruit, and a drizzle of honey.
- Serve immediately — cherimoya softens quickly once blended.
What is a cherimoya — and what do you do with it?
If you’ve never seen a cherimoya before, you’re not alone. Mark Twain once called it “the most delicious fruit known to men” — and while we’d never argue with Mark Twain, we’ll add that it’s also one of the most underrated fruits you’ll ever find at a local farm.
The cherimoya is a subtropical fruit with a green, scaly exterior and a creamy, custard-like interior that tastes somewhere between banana, pineapple, and vanilla. It originated in the Andes and grows beautifully in parts of coastal California — which is why our Santa Barbara farming partner is able to grow them, and why we’re so excited to include them this week.
To eat a cherimoya fresh: let it ripen on the counter until it yields to gentle pressure, then cut it in half, scoop out the white flesh with a spoon, and discard the large black seeds. That’s it. It’s extraordinary on its own, but also works beautifully blended into smoothies, layered into fruit salads, or spooned over yogurt.
Store it like an avocado — counter until ripe, fridge once ready, and use within a day or two of refrigerating. Don’t rush it, and don’t refrigerate it before it’s ripe or it won’t develop its full flavor.
