There are tens of thousands of acres of strawberries planted every year in California -- although berries are technically a semi-perennial crop, they are grown here as annuals.  Despite the scale of this task, though, it's an old-fashioned process, as no effective berry-planting machine has been invented.  The plants themselves, called crowns, are leafless bundles [MORE ...]

For several decades, "Reduce, Reuse & Recycle" has been a mantra for many people who hope to live in a more environmentally sustainable manner.   But in the last few years, the 3 Rs have also been helpful in managing day-to-day finances in an economy built on low interest rates, disposable goods and cheap imports [MORE ...]

We've had a fantastic stonefruit year at Terra Firma, and we've been harvesting lots of big, pretty, and very tasty fruit continuously since mid-April.  But in other areas of Yolo County, just 30 miles to the north, farmers have almost no crop.  Until two weeks ago, I had no idea what explained the difference. There [MORE ...]

Today is the first day in August that the temperature here won't be close to or above 100.  It's not unusual for us to have a week or ten-day long stretch of triple digits at Terra Firma, as we average about three full weeks of 100 degree weather every year.  Our "preferred" timing for these [MORE ...]