What’s Inside This Week?
June 18, 2026
Essentials Box
- Basil, 3oz, $3.00
- Beets, 1 bu, $4.00
- Stone Fruit Mix, 1.5lbs, $6.00
- Carrots, 1 bu, $3.00
- Celery, 1ct, $3.00
- Cucumber, 1lb, $3.00
Original Box
- Essentials Box, plus:
- Squash Mix, 1lb, $3.00
- Lettuce Mix, 8oz, $5.00
- Avocado, 2lbs, $7.00
- Romaine, 1ct, $3.00
Hearty Box
- Original Box, plus:
- Rosemary, 3oz, $3.00
- Cabbage, 1ct, $4.00
- Romanesco, 1ct, $4.00
- Onion, 1 bu, $3.00
We have eggs! Fresh farm eggs available as an add-on to your CSA subscription — especially now that our Farms Together program is in limbo, your support means even more. Email us at customerservice@dare2dreamfarms.com to add them to your next delivery.
We need your help — County Lodging Tax Appeal
This is the most important thing we’ve ever asked of our community. Santa Barbara County assessed a retroactive lodging tax (TOT) against our farm, going back several years — collecting taxes we never collected from our guests, plus penalties and interest, totaling over $65,000. This came after the county finally passed the agriculture enterprise ordinance, and the timing and the amount are devastating for a small family farm like ours.
We have a tax appeal hearing scheduled for July 7th, and your voice can make a real difference. Please visit dare2dreamtotappeal.com to read the full story and write a letter directly to Santa Barbara County for the hearing. You can also see our Instagram post here for more details and to share with anyone who cares about small farms and fair policy.
LFPA Update — progress, but we need one more push.
Thanks to your calls, the LFPA (Farms Together) made the budget for both the California State Assembly and the Senate. They agreed to allocate $15 million — not the $45 million we asked for, but meaningful funding that would prioritize rural communities like ours in Lompoc. Now we need Governor Newsom to approve the budget as written. One call can help: 916-445-2841. The CAFF Action Toolkit is here if you’d like talking points.
Field Notes
The tomatoes have tiny green fruit on them. It’s hard to overstate how exciting that sentence is after months of planting, staking, twining, pruning, and protecting. Wade is so excited he posed by them for a photo.
Myron has been turning over beds steadily since his return, and the garden is starting to look like his again — clean, organized, and purposeful. One of the first things he planted was a beautiful row of arugula, straight as a line, and it was hard not to smile at how much we missed those rows. New starts are ready to go in the ground, and we’re excited to see what the next few weeks bring as the planting calendar fills in.
Wade with the tomato plants. Those tiny green fruits mean summer is officially arriving.
The straight rows we missed. This one — arugula — was planted Myron’s first day back.
Many of the older rows are going to seed in the heat — the Swiss chard we harvested for over a year shot up so high it makes a dramatic backdrop, which Waylon made the most of while showing off his egg harvest. The chickens that forage under the fruit trees have been especially productive lately, so we have plenty of eggs available — particularly important now that Farms Together is in limbo and we’re looking for every way to keep the farm moving forward.
Myron turning over beds for the next round of planting. A lot of good things ahead.
Waylon showing off his egg harvest. The bolting chard behind him has been growing for over a year.
The ladies under the fruit trees. They’ve been very productive lately — eggs are available!
We’re moving forward with the pollinator habitat project from CEC SB— over 300 California native and water-wise plants have been ordered through Manzanita Nursery in Solvang, who specialize in plants that thrive in our local environment and do restoration work throughout the region. The plants should be in the ground by end of next week, but there’s a lot of prep to do first: irrigation, digging, and getting the area ready. It’s a big project and a meaningful investment in the land.
And watch for turkeys on the road. A mama and her poults have been wandering along Lasalle Canyon Road — they’re adorable and they have absolutely no sense of traffic. Please drive carefully coming to the farm.
New starts ready to go in the ground. The next round of planting is here.
A closer look at the tomato fruit. Small now. Not for long.
Turkey mama and her poults on Lasalle Canyon Road. Drive carefully — they wander!
Storage Tips
Herbs: basil → jar of water on the counter, never fridge. Rosemary → loosely wrapped in the fridge; keeps over a week.
Roots: beets, carrots → fridge crisper, bagged; remove greens and store separately.
Greens: lettuce mix, romaine → wrap in a towel, bag in the fridge; use within 5–7 days.
Brassicas: romanesco, cabbage → fridge crisper, loosely bagged; keeps 1–2 weeks.
Squash: squash mix → fridge crisper, unwashed, loosely bagged; best within 4–5 days.
Alliums: onion → cool, dry, dark place; fridge once cut.
Cucumbers: fridge crisper, unwashed; use within 5 days.
Celery: wrap in foil and refrigerate; stays crisp for weeks.
Fruit: stone fruit mix → counter to ripen, fridge once soft and fragrant; use within 2–3 days. Avocado → counter to ripen, then fridge.
Stone Fruit & Cucumber Salad with Basil
A stone fruit cucumber salad with basil is a recipe that earns its place on the table by being effortless and wonderful at the same time — ripe stone fruit, cool cucumber, and torn basil dressed in nothing but good olive oil and a splash of vinegar. This stone fruit cucumber salad is summer in a bowl.
Ingredients
- 1.5lbs stone fruit mix, sliced into wedges
- 1lb cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced
- 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced on the bias
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta or burrata
- 3 tbsp good olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine or champagne vinegar
- Flaky sea salt & black pepper
- Optional: 2 tbsp toasted pistachios or almonds
- Optional: pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Slice stone fruit into wedges and cucumber into half-moons. Thinly slice celery on the bias for extra crunch.
- Arrange fruit, cucumber, and celery on a platter or in a wide bowl. Don’t overthink the arrangement — casual looks best with a stone fruit cucumber salad.
- Drizzle generously with olive oil and vinegar. Season with flaky salt and pepper.
- Scatter torn basil, crumbled cheese, and nuts over the top. Add red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.
- Serve immediately — this stone fruit cucumber salad is best eaten right after assembly, while the fruit is juicy and the basil is bright.
Stone fruit cucumber salad — why it works and how to make it your own
A stone fruit cucumber salad works because the two main ingredients cover opposite ends of the flavor and texture spectrum — the fruit is sweet, soft, and aromatic, while the cucumber is cool, crisp, and neutral. Together they create a dish that’s refreshing without being bland, and interesting without being complicated. Add basil and the pairing becomes genuinely elegant.
The celery in this version is a small addition that makes a big difference. It brings a clean, herbal crunch that connects the fruit and the cucumber — something with backbone but without heaviness. If you have extra celery from this week’s farm box, try it in smoothies, soups, or simply braised in butter as a side dish. It’s one of the most underused vegetables in a CSA box.
This stone fruit cucumber salad is also adaptable. Swap basil for mint and the flavor profile shifts toward Mediterranean. Add arugula for a peppery bed. Use burrata instead of feta for something richer and more indulgent. Toss in sliced avocado from this week’s farm box Lompoc delivery and you’ve turned a side dish into a light meal. The stone fruit cucumber salad formula — ripe stone fruit, something crisp, fresh herbs, good fat, a little acid — works all summer long with whatever is in your box.
Fresh basil is the finishing touch. Tear it rather than cutting it — a knife bruises the leaves and turns them dark. Torn basil holds its bright green color and releases its oils more gently. Add it last, right before serving.
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