This is a Thai-influenced salad that can be topped with protein or served with rice. Roughly chop cucumbers to make 1 1/2 C. Shuck 2 ears of corn and cut the kernels off the cob. Dice 2 medium tomatoes Thinly slice onion to make 1/2 C. Peel and mince 1 clove of garlic and 1 piece of ginger to make 1 T. Toss the onion and tomatoes with 1/4 C. lime juice and a [MORE ...]
During the last California drought, media outlets latched onto the idea that almonds -- California's number 1 crop and the most popular nut in the world -- took too much water to grow. This time around, there's a narrative emerging that the Netherlands is a better place to grow tomatoes than California, owing to their lower water use. Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in the world, and the second most popular in the [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: Green Beans, Corn, Cucumbers, Peaches, Potatoes, Zucchini, Tomatoes Medium: Green Beans, Beets, Corn, Cucumbers, Yellow Onions, Peaches, Potatoes, Zucchini, Tomatoes Large: Green Beans, Beets, Corn, [MORE ...]
Some people eat Cucumbers out of hand as a snack. If you're not one of those (I'm not), and you find yourself long on Cukes, Greek Salad is an easy way to use them up. It's tasty and healthy accompaniment to standard July 4th fare. Once prepared, this salad will keep in the fridge for several days and even get better (although the tomatoes will get a little mushy). Peel a Red Onion and [MORE ...]
There are some pretty big stories in the news lately, but there's one that impacts just about everyone: Inflation. At Terra Firma, we realize that our customers are being impacted by increasing prices for food, fuel, rent and just about everything else you spend money on. It feels like every time you go shopping, you spend more money to get the same amount of stuff. Of course, our costs to farm have increased dramatically [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: Corn, Cucumber, Red Onion, Peaches, Potatoes, Zucchini, Tomatoes Medium: Corn, Cucumbers, Red Onions, Peaches, Potatoes, Zucchini, Tomatoes, Watermelon Large: Corn, Cucumbers, Red Onions, Peaches, Potatoes, [MORE ...]
Paul Holmes with his infant son Walker (now 22) at the Davis Farmers' Market. Last week we received the very sad and surprising news that Terra Firma Founder Paul Holmes had passed away in his sleep at home in Davis at age 72. He had retired from farming in 2018, although he remained an owner of TFF. You can read his obituary here. Paul started farming garlic in Winters while still [MORE ...]
Parboiling green beans seems like an easy task, but it's easy to overcook them. The cold water bath is essentially to avoid mushy beans. Ice water is best, but if you skip the ice, make sure to change the water 3-4 times or the beans will keep cooking. Heat a pot of water big enough to fit the beans with 1 t. salt. Prepare a cold water bath, preferably with 8-10 ice cubes. Chop [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: Green Beans, Carrots, Corn, Cucumbers, Garlic, Peaches, Tomatoes Medium: Green Beans, Carrots, Corn, Cucumbers, Garlic, Plums, Tomatoes, Blackberries, Zucchini Large: Green Beans, Carrots, Corn, Cucumbers, [MORE ...]
This a delicious dessert that only requires a grill. The technique for grilling the fruit is important though, and requires patience: if you do it wrong, the fruit will burn into charcoal. You can also substitute peaches, or do both fruit. Cut 4 apricots in half and remove the pits. Clean the grill and then oil it. Heat to high for 15 minutes. Place the apricots face down on the grill and turn the [MORE ...]
For many folks, Memorial Day marks the start of "summer vacation season". It's the opposite around here. June is usually our busiest harvest month of the year. As you're well aware, our summer vegetable crops begin ripening right around Memorial Day and really hit their stride right around now. Tomatoes, summer squash, and cucumbers need to be harvested every 24-48 hours depending on the temperature. And it takes most of our crew to do [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: Apricots, Peaches, Spinach, Zucchini, Green Beans Medium: Apricots, Corn, Cucumbers, Yellow Onions, Peaches, Spinach, Zucchini, Tomatoes, Green Beans Large: Apricots, Corn, Cucumbers, Yellow Onions, Peaches, [MORE ...]
Zucchini noodles are cooked with garlic, then tossed with an arugula-tomato salad Trim the ends off 1 lb. of Zucchini, then use a spiralizer or mandolin to cut them into long, thin noodles. Toss in a colander with 1 T. salt, then let sit for 10 minutes on a plate or in the sink (to catch any drips). Meanwhile, wash and spin dry 4 C. arugula leaves. Remove the stems from 1 C. Cherry [MORE ...]
The Central Valley of California is famously hot in the summer, especially compared to the coastal regions and Bay Area where so many people live. But it's not just hot. It's hot and dry. Dry air feels cooler to humans than damp air. Humans are "liquid cooled", meaning that we sweat. Dry air causes sweat to evaporate, lowering the temperature of your skin and thus your entire body. If it's too dry -- which [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: Apricots, Arugula, Onions, Zucchini, Cherry Tomatoes Medium: Apricots, Arugula, Green Beans, Carrots, Onions, Potatoes, Baby Spinach, Zucchini, Cherry Tomatoes. Large: Apricots, Arugula, Green Beans, Carrots, [MORE ...]
Here's a question: Before you moved to your current location, did you investigate the water source for your residence? If you bought a house, did you receive a guarantee that the water source would last forever? If you're like most people, it probably didn't even occur to you. The majority of water used in California is pumped out of the ground, but for over a century, groundwater use was unregulated. In 2014, the state [MORE ...]
Small: Carrots, Zucchini, Garlic, Valencia Oranges, Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes Medium: Carrots, Zucchini, Arugula, Garlic, Valencia Oranges, Potatoes, Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes, Baby Kale Large: Carrots, Zucchini, Arugula, Garlic, Valencia Oranges, Peaches, Potatoes, Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes, Baby Kale
I try hard not to talk about the weather on the farm every week in the newsletter, but sometimes it's difficult. We were anticipating losing some crops this week due to excessive heat and wind, and we did: strawberries and peas were destroyed over the weekend. Somehow the lettuce survived long enough for us to harvest it for your boxes this week, but the season is now over. Our summer crops don't like the [MORE ...]
Small: Asparagus, Lettuce, Valencia Oranges, Spinach, Zucchini Medium: Arugula, Asparagus, Gold Beets, Lettuce, Valencia Oranges, Peaches, Spinach, Baby Kale, Zucchini Large: Arugula, Asparagus, Gold Beets, Lettuce, Valencia Oranges, Peaches, Spinach, Baby Kale, Snap Peas, Zucchini
Last Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. when I started writing the newsletter, the temperature here was 38 degrees -- a record for the date Today the forecast high is 100 degrees, which will also be a record if it verifies. While it's not a tornado or hurricane, this 60-plus degree temperature variation in the space of a week is extreme. From an agricultural perspective, it is very close to the limit of what most [MORE ...]
Trim 2-3 Zucchini, then use a mandolin or vegetable peeler to shave them into long, paper-thin strips. Do the same with 2-3 Carrots. Toss the shaved vegetables with 1/2 t. salt and 2 T. lemon juice and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, separate the leaves of 1 head of Little Gem lettuce. Soak them in a cold water bath, then rinse off the bases of each leaf. Drain the dirty water and soak [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: Arugula, Carrots, Lettuce, Onions, Sweet Potatoes, Strawberries, zucchini Medium: Arugula, Carrots, Lettuce, Onions, Peaches, Snap Peas, Potatoes, Zucchini, Strawberries Large: Arugula, Carrots, Lettuce, Onions, Peaches, [MORE ...]
Arguably smart phones are the most important technology of our lifetimes, and they have become globally ubiquituous. They have probably reshaped our economy and society more than any invention since the automobile. But in many ways, they are more similar to another revolutionary 4-wheeled technology that few people give much thought to anymore...the farm tractor. Smart phones can be used as telephones, of course. But since they can emails and texts, they are [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: Asparagus, Lettuce, Snap Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Baby Spinach, Strawberries, Green garlic Medium: Asparagus, Baby Kale, Lettuce, Snap Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Baby Spinach, Strawberries, Green garlic [MORE ...]
Crush 12 oz of firm or very firm tofu into crumbles, then marinate with 1 T. soy sauce and 1 t. sesame oil (or hot chili oil if you prefer). Separate the leaves of 1 head of Red Butter lettuce. Soak them in cold water, then rinse the bases to remove any stubborn silt. Wash again, then spin dry and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Peel and then thinly slice fresh onion to make 1 [MORE ...]
Believe it or not, we're more than halfway done with planting our summer crops at Terra Firma! The majority of our warm-season crops get planted in March and April, especially tomatoes and sweet corn. Our first tomatoes already have green fruit on them and the corn is waist-high. Both will be ready for harvest in just over a month. Our first Zucchini, planted in late March, is almost ready to pick. Over the last [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: Carrots, Cilantro, Lettuce, Beets, Strawberries, Arugula, Spinach Medium: Carrots, Red Onions, Snap Peas, Lettuce, Beets, Potatoes Strawberries, Arugula, Spinach Large: Asparagus, Carrots, Cilantro, Red Onions, [MORE ...]
The theme of winter 2022 was "False Starts". First there was the remarkable storm that made October the wettest ever, followed by a promisingly stormy December. After two years of terrible drought, it was exactly what we needed. Then the taps turned off completely, with shockingly low rainfall in the dead of winter that left us with the driest Jan-March period on record. It essentially cancelled out the earlier rains, leaving us in the [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: Cilantro, Lettuce, Spring Onions, Snap Peas, Potatoes, Strawberries Medium: Asparagus, Cilantro, Lettuce, Spring Onions, Snap Peas, Potatoes, Baby Spinach, Strawberries Large: Asparagus, Cilantro, Baby Kale, [MORE ...]
This spicy Thai curry is nicely balanced by the sweet vegetables. You can use either Snap or Shelling peas for this recipe. Add your favorite protein source to make a more filling dish. Separate the leaves from the stems of 2-3 Spring onions and set aside for later. Remove any skin from the bulb and stem, then thinly slice them to make 2 C. Heat 1 T. coconut oil in a wok and add [MORE ...]
We have a new love at Terra Firma Farm, and her name is Sweet Ann. We'd been looking for a new berry for several years, spending hours on the internet scrolling through profiles and getting excited about promising new varieties: Great flavor! Firm but melting texture. Vigorous plants. We would conduct trials where we grew a small amount of each, a sort of "Strawberry speed dating". Few lived up to their promise. Swipe left. [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: Red Cabbage, Green Garlic, Spring Onions, Sweet Potatoes, Strawberries, Snap Peas Medium: Red Cabbage, Carrots, Green Garlic, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Spring Onions, Sweet Potatoes, Strawberries, [MORE ...]
Twenty years ago, a friend of mine went to work for a farm on the San Mateo Coast. She had been put in charge of a new ranch they had expanded to, right on the ocean just north of Santa Cruz. She called me in a panic to describe a problem: all their crops were being damaged by the constant strong wind that the area experiences. I remember quite clearly being incredulous at the [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: Asparagus, Carrots, Strawberries, Red Butter Lettuce, Gold Beets, Spring Onions Medium: Apples, Asparagus, Carrots, Snap Peas, Potatoes, Strawberries, Baby Kale, Gold Beets, Spring Onions Large: [MORE ...]
Potatoes and Asparagus have different cooking times in the oven, so they are separately roasted and then tossed with arugula in this warm salad. Heat the oven to 400. Soak 1/2 lb. of arugula in a cool water bath, then drain and spin dry. Chop 1 stem of green garlic, white and green parts both. Scrub 1 lb. of potatoes and then cut into 2" by 1/2" pieces ("fries"). Toss with 1 T. olive [MORE ...]
You may have come across the term "Regenerative Agriculture" and wondered what it means. Unlike "Organic", there is no legal definition and certainly no official efforts to provide certification for farmers who want to use the term to market their products -- yet. Farming practices that are considered "regenerative" include providing wildlife habitat, generating green energy through solar or wind, and reducing or eliminating tillage. Also included on the list are soil-building, through growing [MORE ...]
Small: Arugula, Asparagus, Green Garlic, Mandarins, Potatoes Medium: Arugula, Asparagus, Cabbage, Carrots, Green Garlic, Mandarins, Spring Onions, Potatoes Large: Arugula, Asparagus, Cabbage, Carrots, Green Garlic, Meyer Lemons, Mandarins, Spring Onions, Snap Peas, Potatoes, Strawberries
This is a very simple risotto that gets topped with quickly sauteed or stir-fried vegetables. For the risotto: Bring 6 C. of vegetable or mushroom broth to a simmer. Clean and chop 3-4 Spring onions. Separate the greens from the white parts. In a separate saucepan, toast 1 C. arborio rice in 2 T. olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent. Add 1/2 C. white wine or broth and stir until it is absorbed. [MORE ...]
Small: Apples, Asparagus, Carrots, Chard, Mandarins, Sweet Potatoes, Watermelon Radish Medium: Apples, Asparagus, Carrots, Chard, Meyer Lemons, Mandarins, Spring Onions, Sweet Potatoes, Watermelon Radish Large: Apples, Asparagus, Carrots, Chard, Meyer Lemons, Mandarins, Spring Onions, Sweet Potatoes, Walnuts, Watermelon Radish
Spring is a season of hope and promise, but historically, it has also been a time of scarce food supplies, hunger and even starvation. Last week I wrote about how fossil-fuel powered shipping allowed perishable food to be shipped from areas of abundance to places without. But for most of human history, people outside the tropics relied on crops harvested in the fall and for stored through winter and early spring. When those supplies [MORE ...]
The cooked beets add moisture and color to the brownies while also dramatically increasing their nutritional content. Still plenty of calories though. Puree peeled, cooked beets to make 1 C. Melt 1 C. of salted butter. Add 3/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 1/4 C. granulated sugar to combine. Meanwhile, beat 2 eggs with a hand or stationary blender for 2 minutes, until frothy. Combine the eggs with the butter/flour mixture and stir [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: Asparagus, Green Garlic, Lettuce, Mandarins, Spinach, Meyer Lemon Medium: Apples, Asparagus, Beets, Carrots, Green Garlic, Lettuce, Mandarins, Spring Onions, Spinach, Meyer Lemons Large: Apples, Asparagus, [MORE ...]
I grew up eating my Irish-born grandmother's corned beef and cabbage, and must confess that I am not a fan of either the meat or the mushy cabbage. For me, this is a better alternative for St. Patrick's Day and it's vegetarian to boot. This is dish can be called "homey" or "comfort food", but can easily be jazzed up serving it with something completely non-Irish like salsa or tabasco sauce. Scrub 2 lbs. [MORE ...]
Asparagus grows all over in the world in temperate areas, including most of the continental U.S. It's a perennial crop that starts producing when spring arrives, pushing up spears when the soil starts to warm (and the ground thaws, in places with cold winters). Once summer arrives, the spears get tough and chewy, and the season ends. Historically it was only available for a few months in any given area, during a time when [MORE ...]
Box Contents 3/9/22 – 3/11/22 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: Asparagus, Cabbage, Carrots, Mandarins, Potatoes Medium: Apples, Asparagus, Cabbage, Carrots, Kale, Lettuce, Mandarins, Potatoes, Leeks Large: Apples, Asparagus, Cabbage, Carrots, [MORE ...]
February 2022, aka "Fakeout February", was a great example of how careful farmers have to be to avoid getting suckered by the weather. That's always been true but it's becoming even more important as climate change strengthens its grip. The record-setting warm temperatures early in the month tricked fruit and nut trees into bloom, only to be followed by record-setting cold that wiped out the crops. In the case of trees already planted in [MORE ...]
This is an Asian-style pasta salad made with spaghetti squash instead of noodles. Cut one Spaghetti squash in half around it's "waist". Bake at 400 degrees until the squash can easily pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Mince Spring Onions (whites and greens) to make 1 C. Toss with the juice of 1/2 lemon and allow to steep. Use a fork to remove the cooked squash from the [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, Rainbow Chard, Meyer Lemons, Lettuce, Mandarins, Spaghetti Squash, Purple Daikon Medium: Broccoli, Carrots, Rainbow Chard, Meyer Lemons, Lettuce, Mandarins, Spaghetti Squash, Purple Daikon, Navel [MORE ...]
A vegetarian, oven-based version of the traditional Irish recipe of potatoes and kale with lots of sharp cheddar. The "squeak" in this case comes from the sound the kale leaves make when you're preparing them, and the "bubble" comes from the cheese. Heat the oven to 400. Wash and dice 2 lbs. of potatoes (preferably red, but yellow are fine too). Toss the potatoes in a large cast iron skillet with 1/2 t. salt [MORE ...]
Last week's newsletter was titled "How Cold is Too Cold?". Well, this week we know. The answer is "24 degrees". We've been growing apricots and peaches at Terra Firma for over 30 years. In that time, we've never seen a freeze destroy the crop. Older farmers had told stories about it happening so I've always known it was a possibility. And we've had plenty of close calls. But this time was different. Last Wednesday [MORE ...]