Spring News: April 10, 2026

camasswalefarm
Apr 6
7 min read

Updated: Apr 10

Recipes: Frittata with Spinach or Nettle; Split Pea Soup with Carrots

Dear CSA Community,

This is our one time Spring Newsletter that we send to all of our community members! If you are already signed up for our CSA Crop Share, thank you! You'll get more information about first deliveries soon. You can always login to your account at Farmigo to double check your sign up and pick up location, too.

If you haven't reserved a Crop Share yet, please sign up here so we can do a great job growing for you! The Crop Share is currently three quarters full, help us fill it! Sign up will close once we are full, and all sign ups should be completed by May 1. Thanks so much!

Remember why....

and.... it's YUMMY!

On the farm we are seeding weekly, the seed house and caterpillar tunnels are full of bright and lively starts, greenhouses are planted with arugula, spinach, radishes, turnips, snap peas, strawberries, green onions and lettuce mix. Potatoes are getting cut and dusted with ash today in preparation for planting (this process is called chitting), and we were transplanting onions in the field today. There is a lot happening on the farm in April!

Last Fall some of you will remember that we asked for input on crop plans for 2026. Some of you emailed us and others snail mailed letters of thanks, requests and feedback. Thank you!! This year will be similar to 2025 however we are growing a little more garlic, roma tomatoes and strawberries this year, and it should be a good year for our golden plum trees. If it's a good pear and apple year we will partner with Parker Learning Garden for these and other pome fruits. We are excited about the season ahead.

A few members requested a food processing day and asked when they can come to the farm. Mark your calendars for a CSA Member kimchi making party in late June and our annual Potluck Party in September! We love connecting you with where your produce is grown and each other, and we get a lot out of it ourselves. Exact dates are in the CSA Calendar below, and stay tuned for pop-up CSA member u-pick times.

This season we've raised about $500 to subsidize a hand full of hard ship Crop Shares, and we are partnered with the PNW CSA Coalition which allows our farm to accept SNAP benefits for payment + double up bucks. There is more information on our website about how to sign up using SNAP. If you know someone in need of support paying for a Crop Share, please email us!

In terms of continuing to invest in sustainability on the farm, we purchased a new soil- working implement made in Washington called an Imants Spader. It reduces our bed prep tractor passes in the field by around 30% and in some cases eliminates tillage. Tillers make a smooth soil surface for direct seeding but pulverize the soil and can make a "hard pan". The spader is very effective at making smooth bed tops too. The spader also works cover crop into the soil and leaves the soil pretty fluffy to plant into all in one pass; without tilling. We've also set practical goals around reducing single use plastic usage in field production, too -- more on that another time.

Returning staff Pascale, Jason, Peter, Shaun, Rachel, Jenna and Ash are back at it with us. Crop quality and efficiency on the farm are better when our team is mostly composed of returning experienced farmers, and we hope you see that this season ahead. We've also welcomed new staff Marco and Amanda. Both of them come with over a decade of organic ag experience.

Working member volunteer roles are about full, but we do have one slot Tuesday 8:30-12:30 bi-weekly open if you are interested please email us.

I'll end with this poem that Farmer Jonah wrote for his dad when he was 18. It reminds me of all the hope packed into a beginning, into a seed-- and the hope of Spring. From the seed house brimming with plants and potential, to our children growing into bigger humans with agency and dedication to justice and kindness, and finally to our community supporting local stores and farms etc., -- we feel solid ground beneath our feet here and see plenty of good work ahead to keep us busy.

We look forward to growing for you another season, and sharing recipes and moments on the farm. If you have any burning questions about this season's Crop Share please reach out.

Also, if you have a friend that you think would enjoy getting veggies from the farm, please share this Spring Newsletter with them!

With care and carrots,

Camas Swale Farmers

Amber, Jonah and team

CSA Member Calendar

FIRST CSA Delivery

May 13th for Wednesday Sites, May 15th for Friday sites

Sign up for 2026 Crop Shares

February 1st - May 1

Sunday June 28th CSA Member Open House 11-2pm Bring a picnic blanket and a snack, u-pick flowers, make kimchee together, sample hot sauces, take a farm walk, kids can chop veggies or make art or just enjoy some time exploring a safe, large landscape. RSVP link coming soon.

Saturday September 19th CSA Member Harvest Potluck Party 4-9pm Celebrate the season and connect with the farm at our annual very festive event.

What's Anticipated for the First CSA's?

salad mix

radish

spinach

green onions

potatoes

mustard greens

baby carrots italian kale turnips and more...

Potato and Spinach or Nettle Frittata

Sometimes our children like spinach, sometimes they do not. Sprinkle the greens on one side of the pan only if desired!

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 small red potatoes, sliced
1 cup torn fresh spinach or chopped nettle leaves*
- nettle leaves are wild harvested, the top two sets of leaves are most tender. harvest and chop with gloves to prevent a nettle sting
2 tsp chopped green onions
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
6 large eggs
⅓ cup milk
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook potatoes in hot oil, stirring occasionally, until tender but firm, about 10 minutes.
Mix in spinach or nettle, green onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Beat together eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Add spices. Pour over vegetables in the skillet. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until eggs are firm, 5 to 7 minutes.
Slice and enjoy!

Split Pea Soup with Spring Carrots from Plantains and Challah

1 pound split peas
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 celery ribs, diced
3 carrots, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
2-2.5 quarts vegetable stock (you can use water, but add more vegetables or spices for added flavor)
1 tablespoon lemon zest from one lemon, optional

Sweat the vegetables in olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the split peas and spices.
Cover with water and bring to a boil, then simmer until peas are completely soft and the soup gets thick and creamy. Approximately 30-40 minutes on low flame.
You can add the lemon zest or lemon juice at the end if desired for a little brightness.

ABOUT PICKING UP YOUR CSA

Bring your own bag. Pick up at your pick up location and day (Wednesday or Friday) from 12-6pm. If you ordered an add-on, it will be packed in a separate labeled tote.

HOW TO PICK UP YOUR CSA, Starting May 13th/15th

#1: Sign-in! the golden rule

Find & Sign-off your name on the sign-in sheet each week and please ONLY take the items listed next to your name.

This vital step helps ensure everyone goes home happy, including our site hosts and farmers, week after week.

#2: Locate your shares

Boxes are all the same for Fall Shares.

#3: Unpack your tote & stack the empties

Please bring your own reusable shopping bag to transport your items - we’ll pick the totes up next week for reuse! We can use them for multiple seasons, reducing waste one box at a time.

USING THE WEEKLY SWAP BOX?

Swap boxes are green with flowers painted on them. Swap boxes are labeled and will stand out! If your pick up site has a swap box, please feel free to swap an item you may not want in your box with an item in the provided and specifically-labeled SWAP BOX. Please limit the swaps to one item for one item per week.

UNABLE TO FIND AN ITEM?

(Please do not supplement it with something else!) Contact the farm directly before taking something else. The sooner you reach out the sooner your item may be located.

SOMEONE ELSE PICKING UP FOR YOU?

(Please share all the details of how to pick up with them BEFORE they attempt to pick up -- BYO bag, take from the right size box, check off the right name). Friends and family picking up for others is the number one cause of pickup mistakes, and we thank you in advance for your consideration.

CSA FAQS PAGE

Since our hands are often tied up with roots, soil or kids we keep this information on our CSA FAQS web page.

VACATIONS

Every CSA member can put their share on hold in trade for a $20 credit per week, up to two. Login to your account and select your vacation dates or email us. Please request your vacation at least three days in advance to receive the credit.

REDEEMING YOUR VACATION CREDIT

Go to our Online Store to see availability for add-ons this week and to double check the value of your credit. You'll need to login to see your credit amount. In the 2026 season you can use your vacation credits to purchase add-ons electronically or apply the credit to a Fall Share. But as always you can also just email the farm. Thanks!

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

Your current season of newsletters and many of our newsletters back to 2012 are on our website here. Find recipes from previous seasons. Friday CSA members can go to this link on Wednesday and see what this week's CSA has to offer.