Over the past few weeks, I have spent a lot of time on rainy days looking over farm records for the past 16 years -- as far back as I have them. Not once in that time period we were unable to plant a single crop for the entire month of March. Outside of the drought years, rain is fairly common for this time of year. We have an aspirational list of planting goals, [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Mandarins, Navel Oranges, Sweet Potatoes Medium: Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Leeks, Mandarins, Navel Oranges, Sweet Potatoes, Little Gem Lettuce Large: Gold Beets, Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Leeks, Mandarins, Navel Oranges, Sweet Potatoes, Little Gem Lettuce
Fresh or dried shitake mushrooms help give this vegetarian soup tons of flavor. If using dried shitakes, soak 4-6 mushrooms in boiling water to rehydrate. Reserve the water. Soak 4 oz. dried rice noodles in cold water. Thinly slice the rehydrated or fresh shitake mushrooms. Trim 1 Leek then slice in half lengthwise and rinse to clean. Slice into very thin julienne strips, 1-2" long. Wash 1-2 carrots and cut into julienne strips. Mince [MORE ...]
Last week Governor Newsom issued a directive that would allow water managers to intentionally divert surplus water from rivers in the wet season into farm fields to recharge groundwater. Just a day or two later, the Pajaro River broke through a levee and flooded the small town of Pajaro as well as thousands of acres of prime, vegetable-growing farmland near Watsonville. It's very important to distinguish between these two phenomena. Carefully-planned, intentional flooding of [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Leeks, Mandarins, Navel Oranges, Potatoes Medium: Cabbage, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Red Grapefruit, Leeks, Mandarins, Navel Oranges, Potatoes Large: Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Red Grapefruit, Dino Kale, Leeks, Mandarins, Navel Oranges, Potatoes
On a drizzly day last week a young man walked down my driveway calling out for help. It turned out that he had followed Google maps instructions to turn onto a dirt road through our farm fields and immediately gotten stuck in the mud. Luckily for him, we were able to pull him out. Most Californians live in areas that are essentially waterproof. Wet weather is a minor inconvenience of short duration, unless it's [MORE ...]
This is one of my favorite recipes for Butternut Squash: moist inside, crunchy outside and not overly sweet. Pre-heat the oven to 400. Cut 1 Butternut Squash in half lengthwise and bake face down on a cookie sheet until it is completely soft and browned around the edges. Placing it on parchment paper makes clean-up easier. Allow the squash to cool, then scoop out and discard the seeds. Remove the cooked squash from the [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Carrots, Leeks, Mandarins, Navel Oranges, Potatoes, Dino Kale Medium: Carrots, Leeks, Lettuce, Mandarins, Navel Oranges, Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Dino Kale Large: Apples, Carrots, Leeks, Lettuce, Mandarins, Navel Oranges, Potatoes, Radish, Butternut Squash, Dino Kale
This recipe is from the New York Times. If you have more time, try roasting the carrots and leeks in the oven at 375 degrees first instead of sauteing them -- the soup will develop a smokier, deeper flavor. Clean and dice 2 leeks, discarding the tough greens. Dice carrots to make 4 C. Heat 2 T. butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the leeks and carrots and saute for 5-10 minutes, until the [MORE ...]
There was a story last week in Bloomberg about a global shortage of onions that is causing price inflation and follow-on impacts for other farm products. The shortage of wheat last year, caused at least partially by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was widely publicized. Onions are also a worldwide staple: the second most consumed vegetable in the world (the first is tomatoes), and they are a critical component of most cuisines worldwide. Some people [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Apples, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Leeks, Navel Oranges, Potatoes, Radish Medium: Apples, Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Leeks, Lemons, Lettuce, Navel Oranges, Potatoes, Radish Large: Apples, Broccoli, Carrots, Cabbage, Rainbow Chard, Fennel, Leeks, Lemons, Lettuce, Navel Oranges, Potatoes, Radish
In the summer of 1988, after graduating from college, I accepted an invitation from my good friend Sam Wagner to come out to work on his family's farm in Southeastern Pennsylvania. We spent the summer cutting and baling hay on 320 acres of rolling farmland along the beautiful Brandywine River. It was hard and dirty work, but I loved every minute of it. At the end of the summer, I left Deborah's Rock Farm, [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Broccoli, Carrots, Dino Kale, Leeks, Little Gem Lettuce, Navel Oranges, Sweet Potatoes Medium: Broccoli, Carrots, Dino Kale, Leeks, Little Gem Lettuce, Navel Oranges, Pistachios, Sweet Potatoes, Pistachios Large: Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Dino Kale, Leeks, Little Gem Lettuce, Navel Oranges, Pistachios, Sweet Potatoes, Pistachios, Radishes, Spaghetti Squash
Broccoli is a mainstay of Terra Firma's CSA program and thus of our farm. We start transplanting it in early August and continue until about Halloween, just a few weeks after we normally begin harvesting it. Harvest lasts through winter and normally concludes sometime in March. If you pay attention to the broccoli in your boxes, you may have noticed that it changes over the course of this six month period. The heads look [MORE ...]
You've probably had a dip like this made with artichokes. This one uses Broccoli, and is easier and quicker to make. I'm not going to claim this is a "healthy" recipe but you can substitute soft tofu for the cream cheese if you like. Heat the oven to 375. Butter or oil a 9 inch square baking dish or similar. Cut the florets off 1 lb. of broccoli and cut or break into small [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Leeks, Lettuce, Navel Oranges, Potatoes Medium: Red Beets, Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Leeks, Lettuce, Navel Oranges, Potatoes Large: Red Beets, Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Dino Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Navel Oranges, Potatoes, Tetsukabuto Squash
In this recipe, cabbage wedges are tossed with a lemony marinade and then oven-roasted to caramelize and tenderize them. This recipe is from the New York Times. Heat the oven to 450. Remove any wilted leaves from 1 head of cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half through the core, from bottom to top. Place the halves cut-side down and slice each into 6 evenly-sized wedges, held together by a section of the core. In [MORE ...]
Since 2020, farming in the winter in Northern California hasn't been much different than farming in the desert valleys of Southern California and Arizona where most of the winter produce in supermarkets is grown. It's been sunny, warm and dry during the day and a little frosty at night. Rain was rare and unsubstantial, meaning we had to irrigate every few weeks. The crops grew at a predictable pace, we had no gaps in [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Dino Kale, Leeks, Potatoes, Navel Oranges Medium: Apples, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Dino Kale, Leeks, Potatoes, Navel Oranges Large: Apples, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Dino Kale, Leeks, Potatoes, Navel Oranges, Radish, Rainbow Chard
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Broccoli, Carrots, Pistachios, Butternut Squash, Rainbow Chard, Navel Oranges Medium: Broccoli, Carrots, Leeks, Pistachios, Rainbow Chard, Butternut Squash, Navel Oranges, Purple Daikon Radish, Grapefruit Large: Broccoli, Carrots, Dino Kale, Leeks, Pistachios, Rainbow Chard, Butternut Squash, Navel Oranges, Purple Daikon Radish, Grapefruit, Red Beets
Baked pasta is an easy weeknight dish that will feed an entire household and can be readily adapted to the ingredients in your box. You can cook the pasta ahead of time (or use leftovers), or just make the casserole ahead of schedule and reheat before serving. Generally speaking, 1 C. dry pasta will make 1 large serving cooked. I use a cast iron skillet to make this dish, sauteing the vegetables first in [MORE ...]
Agriculture has a pretty unforgiving schedule most of year, and most everyone in the field looks forward to having a nice period in the winter to catch up on sleep, visit with friends and family, and relax. But this winter has been the first of the decade at Terra Firma that we actually got to slow down and take a real break. For the last three years we've had barely any downtime, with warm [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Apples, Carrots, Kale, Leeks, Meyer Lemons, Navel Oranges, Potatoes, Broccoli Medium: Apples, Carrots, Kale, Leeks, Meyer Lemons, Red Butter Lettuce, Mandarins, Navel Oranges, Potatoes, Broccoli Large: Apples, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Kale, Leeks, Meyer Lemons, Red Butter Lettuce, Mandarins, Navel Oranges, Potatoes, Radishes, Broccoli
The atmospheric firehose that has been pointed at California for a month has finally been turned off. We had a sunny day without rain yesterday for the first time in weeks. Here at Terra Firma and in many places in our state, we have gotten more than our total annual average rainfall now. Our local reservoir and source of irrigation water, Lake Berryessa, has added 200,000 acre feet of water since New Years: 54 [MORE ...]
Briciole is the Italian name for this dish but the preparation is common in France as well. Braising Leeks in a little broth gives them a "melt in your mouth" quality, and they soak up whatever flavors you add to them. It makes a great vegan topping for mashed potatoes, but you can also use it as the basis for a non-vegan roast of some sort. Preheat the oven to 350. (Alternately you can [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Carrots, Dino Kale, Leeks, Meyer Lemons, Mandarins, Potatoes, Lettuce, Celery (Wednesday), Broccoli (Thursday/Friday) Medium: Apples, Carrots, Dino Kale, Leeks, Meyer Lemons, Mandarins, Potatoes, Cilantro, Lettuce, Celery (Wednesday), Broccoli (Thursday/Friday) Large: Apples, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Dino Kale, Leeks, Meyer Lemons, Mandarins, Potatoes, Cilantro, Lettuce, Celery (Wednesday), Broccoli (Thursday/Friday) *Due to [MORE ...]
You can cook the spaghetti squash ahead of time and then put the rest of the recipe together in less than half an hour. To cook the squash: Heat the oven to 375. Slice a spaghetti squash in half the short way. Scoop out the seeds and pulp around them and discard. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the shell of each half of the squash, then place face down and [MORE ...]
These french-fry shaped roasted Beets get crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You can prepare and serve alongside potato oven fries, but use a different pan to cook them to avoid turning the potatoes red. Roasting beets in the oven allows you to skip the step of peeling them, but you should scrub them with a brush before cutting to remove soil that can be hard to see. Preheat the oven [MORE ...]
Welcome to 2023! I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday season, although I expect more than a few people got tangled up in the holiday travel disaster -- as my wife Marisa and I did. The holiday period saw extreme weather in many areas. California escaped most of it, but it now appears we are just late to joining the party. For the last four years, we've seen mostly warm and [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Red Beets, Green Cabbage, Carrots, Meyer Lemons, Mandarins, Butternut Squash. Medium: Red Beets, Green Cabbage, Carrots, Meyer Lemons, Mandarins, Pistachios, Potatoes, Butternut Squash. Large: Apples, Red Beets, Green Cabbage, Carrots, Meyer Lemons, Mandarins, Pistachios, Potatoes, Purple Daikon Radish, Butternut Squash.
It's the end of the year, and thus time for the obligatory year-end retrospectives. 2022 was another rough year in a decade that has specialized in them. We still have Covid, but now we've also got inflation and war as well. Here at Terra Firma, we were surprised and saddened in June by the untimely death of our founder, Paul Holmes. Although he had retired in 2018, he had continued to help guide our [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Carrots, Meyer Lemons, Little Gem Lettuce, Mandarins, Potatoes, Baby Spinach Medium: Broccoli, Carrots, Curly Kale, Leeks, Meyer Lemons, Little Gem Lettuce, Mandarins, Potatoes, Baby Spinach Large: Broccoli, Carrots, Curly Kale, Leeks, Meyer Lemons, Little Gem Lettuce, Mandarins, Potatoes, Baby Spinach
Crumbles are one of the easiest desserts to make. This one uses winter squash puree instead of fruit. This recipe will use about half of 1 butternut or Kabocha squash. You can double it to use an entire squash, or use the other half for another recipe. Cut one winter squash in half and bake, face down, on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees until it is soft and brown around the edges. Remove [MORE ...]
Over the weekend, we got another very good soaking from the latest storm system to hit the state. The 2.5" of rain we received brings the farm up average for the Halloween-Christmas period. And although we did not get any rain in October, the very unusual heavy rain we received in September more than made up for it. From a rain perspective, it feels pretty "normal" around here. The recent rains pushed the "pause" [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Apples, Broccoli, Rainbow Chard, Leeks, Meyer Lemons, Mandarins, Tetsukabuto Squash Medium: Apples, Rainbow Chard, Cilantro, Leeks, Meyer Lemons, Red Butter Lettuce, Mandarins, Pistachios, Tetsukabuto Squash Large: Apples, Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Cilantro, Leeks, Meyer Lemons, Red Butter Lettuce, Mandarins, Pistachios, Tetsukabuto Squash
We've been farming many of the fields where we grow your fruits and vegetables for twenty years or more. Over those years, we have added hundreds of thousands of pounds of organic material to every acre of our soil in the form of compost and cover crops. And we have seen the results of that stewardship in better and more abundant crops. Other organic farmers have seen the same results. And now the latest [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Carrots, Celery, Leeks, Little Gem Lettuce, Mandarins, Potatoes, Purple Daikon Radish Medium: Broccoli, Carrots, Celery, Dino Kale, Leeks, Little Gem Lettuce, Mandarins, Potatoes Large: Red Beets, Broccoli, Carrots, Celery, Dino Kale, Leeks, Little Gem Lettuce, Mandarins, Potatoes, Spaghetti Squash
Over the years, when anyone would ask if we have any solar power at Terra Firma, I would respond: "Of course, our entire farm runs on solar power, like all farms". I was referring rather cheekily to the fact that plants use sunlight to create the foods that humans (and other creatures) consume to power ourselves and our society. Agriculture is far and away humanity's largest application of power from the sun. But no, [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly CSA Thanksgiving contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Broccoli, Carrots, Mandarins, Baby Spinach, Potatoes Medium: Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Cilantro, Garlic, Mandarins, Purple Daikon Radish, Arugula, Potatoes, Large: Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Cilantro, Garlic, Mandarins, Purple Daikon Radish, Arugula, Baby Spinach, Potatoes, Dino Kale
For many people, this will be the first "normal" Thanksgiving they've had since 2019. Whether that means you're traveling out of town or out of state, or staying home, I hope you're enjoying the holiday the way you want to, with the people you want to. Like many small business owners, I am thankful just to have kept the doors open and the lights on. The last three years have been the most challenging [MORE ...]
Thanksgiving is next week, and as always we are re-arranging our delivery schedule in an effort to get all of our subscribers their boxes prior to the holiday. -- Wednesday deliveries remain unchanged. -- Thursday and Friday boxes will arrive instead on Tuesday of next week, November 22nd. If you are planning on adding-on to your CSA with items from the TFF Web Store, please get your orders in by midnight this Thursday, November [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly CSA Thanksgiving contents! Please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. Small: Mandarins, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Little Gem Lettuce, Broccoli Medium: Mandarins, Leeks, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Baby Spinach, Little Gem Lettuce, Broccoli Large: Mandarins, Apples, Leeks, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Baby Spinach, Little Gem Lettuce, Broccoli, Pomegranates
Here are your tentative weekly CSA contents! We post these every Monday, but please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. The list that Pablito shares in the Wednesday newsletter is what you will actually receive. Happy eating! Small: Broccoli, Carrots, Lettuce, Mandarins, Baby Spinach, Delicata Squash Medium: Apples, Carrots, Cilantro, Fennel, Leeks, Lettuce, Mandarins, Baby Spinach, Delicata Squash, Baby Kale or Dino Kale [MORE ...]
This recipe combines beets and potatoes with Leeks and citrus zest for a tasty, beautiful and warming winter dish. Note that you should eat the mandarins immediately after removing their zest or they will dry out. Remove the leaves from 2-3 leeks. Cut the shanks in half lengthwise then clean under running water to remove any soil between the layers. Slice the leeks lengthwise, then cut the slices into 2" lengths. Preheat the oven [MORE ...]
In just a few days, the early November rainstorms have changed the environment here on the farm completely. The air is chilly, crisp and damp and the bright sun feels good on your face. The soil is soft and moist instead of hard and dusty. If I had to pick one item we grow that personifies (produc-ifies?) this wonderful time of year, it would be Satsuma Mandarins. When you pierce the rind with your [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly CSA contents! We post these every Monday, but please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. The list that Pablito shares in the Wednesday newsletter is what you will actually receive. Happy eating! Small: Apples, Green Cabbage, Leek, Mandarins, Potatoes, Baby Spinach, Green Beans Medium: Apples, Red Beets, Broccoli, Green Cabbage, Carrots, Leeks, Mandarins, Potatoes, Baby Spinach Large: Apples, [MORE ...]
If you've been wondering "Where are the Carrots?" in your boxes, today is your lucky day. Carrots have always been one of our signature crops at Terra Firma. While they are a staple vegetable for most people, anyone who's ever tasted ours knows that TFF carrots are not just a staple: they are special. For decades, we have been growing French carrot varieties generally called "Nantes". This type of carrot has no chewy core, and [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly CSA contents! We post these every Monday, but please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. The list that Pablito shares in the Wednesday newsletter is what you will actually receive. Happy eating! Small: Broccoli, Cabbage, Garlic, Fuyu Persimmons, Potatoes, Baby Spinach Medium: Broccoli, Cabbage, Garlic, Baby Kale, Gypsy Peppers, Fuyu Persimmons, Potatoes, Baby Spinach Large: Broccoli, Cabbage, Garlic, [MORE ...]
Here are your tentative weekly CSA contents! We post these every Monday, but please bear in mind the contents may change slightly, as things are always in flux on the farm. The list that Pablito shares in the Wednesday newsletter is what you will actually receive. Happy eating! Small: Apples, Green Beans, Broccoli, Baby Spinach, Delicata Squash, Tomatoes Medium: Apples, Green Beans, Broccoli, Gypsy Peppers, Baby Spinach, Delicata Squash, Tomatoes, Watermelon Large: Apples, Green [MORE ...]
Legumes are a huge family of plants, including a wide variety of common human food crops including beans, peas, lentils, and garbanzos. Important livestock crops including alfalfa and clover are also legumes. Legumes are a critical part of any farm's crop rotation. Unlike any other family of plant, they provide their own fertilizer through an evolved relationship with specific soil bacteria that colonize their roots. Those bacteria pull nitrogen from the air and "fix" it in the [MORE ...]