Earth.

Water.

Air.

Fire.

 (this morning’s controlled burn)

We are, at the end of the day, all subject to the universe’s forces. As farmers, we are most often tending to the earth element and feel most at the mercy of water. Our air quality has been on our minds recently with the potential for new landfill inputs nearby and wind lets itself be not forgotten – please recall last August’s hurricane as the most recent example. Our structures, tools, and plants escaped the path of falling trees, but the power lines up the road did not, threatening produce in our cooler (which became not so much cooler) and plants in the field which depend upon electricity to power the pump which moves the water in their direction. Oh, so fragile a system it is.

And fire: Fire takes the products of the first three elements and makes them delicious. Savory. Delectable. Especially when baked at Sub Rosa. Opening in Church Hill just four months ago, they have deservedly garnered quite a fan base. Brother and sister pair Evrim and Evin Dogu (pronounced, hysterically, “dough”) churn out bread and pastries unlike any others found in Richmond. Evrim’s bread is art in food form. (I know…we bake and sell bread too, but Evrim is a master.) Evin’s sour cherry and pistachio croissant makes me whimper.

Her fig and machego cheese croissant makes Dan’s kale-loving heart melt. It is all that good because they are so talented. I have heard a Parisian say Evin’s croissants are the best she’s had outside of Paris. Wow.

We have very occasionally supplied greens for use in their tarts but this focus today is unfortunately not to advertise a delivery made. Our dear friends at Sub Rosa suffered a devastating fire in the wee morning hours yesterday. (Despite using wood-fired heat to bake their goods, the fire was not at all related to their operations. It, in fact, seems to have started outside of the building, by accident.) Regardless, their bakery and home (in the apartment above the bakery) is now condemned and must be rebuilt. Fire destroyed the apartment space; smoke and water damage did in the bakery. Beautifully, everyone escaped unharmed. If you know and love them and are interested in participating in any of the efforts aimed at assisting their recovery, check out the Food Truck Event or donate money here. (While well-insured, their out-of-pocket costs to get things back up and running will be significant.)

Humbled by this reminder of the forces around us, we head to our fields of vegetables to harvest the following for you this week:

Cilantro, Garlic Scallions, Hearty Mix, Juicing Greens, Kale (baby), Salad Mix, Topless Turnips (doesn’t that sound sexy)…and Hearth Baked Bread, Eggs, and Pepper Jelly.

We will be at to the South of the James market this weekend. Market Share CSA members may place an order for pick up at the SOJ Market (in addition to the Brandermill/Good Health Herbs pick up option), or simply show up at our booth to spend your credit. If you wish to order, choose your selection through our Online Store.

Recipe Suggestions:

::Green Scallion Cream Soup (new family favorite here!)

::Mix our Garlic Scallions into Burger mix of your choice & serve with Homemade Buns (use Avery’s Branch beef!)

Spring Farm Tour: Saturday, April 27th, 4:00 pm. Learn about small-scale, sustainable agriculture as we show you around our farm. We will point out what your food looks like while growing in the ground and share our methods for growing. Family friendly. No fee. Please, no pets. We hope you will join us! Driving directions on our website.

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– Enter our store here. (If you want to set/reset your password, click on ‘set password’ in the left margin)

– Please remember to click on “Complete Checkout” after you have put items in your cart and chosen your pick up location. If you don’t receive a confirmation email, you did not complete your order.