Archive for the ‘This Week’s Box’ Category
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May 22, 2013
East Sacramento Host Peter having a great time at last Saturdays strawberry day with his grand daughter.
(Listed from shortest shelf life to longest shelf life)
Strawberries: These will be in your box relentlessly now. Eat right away as we pick them ripe and they will not last long. The store bought stuff has been picked way under ripe so that it can survive the journey to the distribution depot then to the store and wait in back stock until shelf space is available.
Lettuce: Young lettuce cut from a bed with twelve rows in it. We cut and pack this in the field. Keep it cold in the fridge and only take out and wash what you need. I have been told it stays good for over a week. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Italian Parsley: A wonderful culinary herb.
Eureka Lemon: This versatile fruit adds a great touch to winter greens and salads. These are from Bill Crepps at Everything Under The Sun. They have not been washed, brushed or waxed. Bill is not certified organic. He is not good with paperwork or the bureaucracy of organic certification. He farms just the same as before when he was certified organic. Just one lemon this week as Bill is coming to the end of his crop.
Bonus item this week….Broccoli: This crop has come on much faster than Jose or I though so we have a nice medium head for each of our shares this week as a bonus.
Valencias or Apriums: The oranges are nice and sweet for juicing. The apriums are the first stone fruit of the season, eat them quickly.
Red Kale: These plants are new this spring, grown in a greenhouse and transplanted just like the collards Store in a plastic bag in the crisper..
Spinach: Crocodile spinach is back. We love the names of the varieties. Roberto has sown another heat tolerant variety called Donkey, this has germinated well. Store in the crisper in a plastic bag.
New Potatoes: These are small and we are only putting about a pound in every one’s box. The plants are yielding about 12 oz each so as the yield goes up you will see more in your box. These may be small but they are very special. This is one crop that you can taste that it has been organically grown. Store in a cool dark place.
Red Radish: Radish makes a wonderful addition to salads and I like to eat them raw with just a little lemon salt. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Arugula: Fast growing and delicious crops makes a wonderful pesto. Store in the crisper.
Beets or Cabbage: The germination of beets is improving each year. I believe we suffer from the fact that these soils have traditionally grown many crops of beets before. Store in the crisper.
Carrots: These come from Los Pablos at Terra Firma Farm in Winters. We have more of our own bunches of carrots in the coming weeks. Store in the crisper
Please return your boxes and strawberry baskets every week. We reuse these and it saves us a great deal of money. Take care unfolding the boxes as the flaps can be damaged easily. All the produce in your box every week is certified organically grown unless other wise stated as in the case of the lemons today. Have a great rest of the week and will see some of you on the farm this Sunday… Nigel
May 17, 2013
Strawberries
Apricots or Valencia oranges
Lettuce
Italian Parsley
Radish
New Potatoes
Red kale
Arugula
Spinach
Eureka Lemon
Carrots
Beets or cabbage
May 16, 2013
what’s in the box this week?
(Listed from shortest shelf life to longest shelf life)
Strawberries: These will be in your box relentlessly now. Eat right away as we pick them ripe and they will not last long. The store bought stuff has been picked way under ripe so that it can survive the journey to the distribution depot then to the store and wait in back stock until shelf space is available.
Lettuce: Young lettuce cut from a bed with twelve rows in it. We cut and pack this in the field. Keep it cold in the fridge and only take out and wash what you need. I have been told it stays good for over a week. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Eureka Lemons: This versatile fruit adds a great touch to winter greens and salads. These are from Bill Crepps at Everything Under The Sun. They have not been washed, brushed or waxed. Bill is not certified organic. He is not good with paperwork or the bureaucracy of organic certification. He farms just the same as before when he was certified organic.
Chard: These plants are new this spring, grown in a greenhouse and transplanted just like the collards Store in a plastic bag in the crisper..
Collard Greens: The leaves of this very healthy green are not as large compared to how they are in the winter but the are just as good for you. My favorite way to cook them is to plunge 1” squares of the leaves into boiling water for a couple of minutes, drain and drizzle on lemon juice. Store in the crisper in a plastic bag.
New Potatoes: These are small and we are only putting about a pound in every one’s box. The plants are yielding about 12 oz each so as the yield goes up you will see more in your box. These may be small but they are very special. This is one crop that you can taste that it has been organically grown. Store in a cool dark place.
Red Radish: Radish makes a wonderful addition to salads and I like to eat them raw with just a little lemon salt. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Scallions: A yellow onion variety this bunch has three or four onions in it. These are almost dry ready to harvest as bulbs. Store in the fridge.
Arugula or Basil: Fast growing and delicious both of these crops make wonderful pesto. Store in the crisper.
Green Garlic: It is such a delight to have this in our harvest shares. My favorite way to enjoy is to stir fry the chopped garlic in a skillet with some olive oil. Then stir in eggs for a delicious green garlic scrambled eggs. Store in the crisper.
Carrots: These come from Los Pablos at Terra Firma Farm in Winters. We have more of our own bunches of carrots in the coming weeks. Store in the crisper
Oregano: A wonderful culinary herb.
Please return your boxes and strawberry baskets every week. We reuse these and it saves us a great deal of money. Take care unfolding the boxes as the flaps can be damaged easily.
All the produce in your box every week is certified organically grown unless other wise stated as in the case of the lemons today.
Have a great rest of the week and will see some of you on the farm this Saturday… Nigel
May 11, 2013
Fresh dug new potatoes
mixed lettuce
Chandler strawberries
red or green chard
collards
California late garlic
onions
Red radish
arugula or basil
Eureka lemons
oregano
carrots
May 3, 2013
Eureka Lemons
Albion Strawberries
Lettuce
fresh green Onions
Chard
Lettuce
Carrots
California Late Green garlic
Red Russian Kale
Green cabbage
Fresh Mint
May 1, 2013
what’s in the box this week?
(Listed from shortest shelf life to longest shelf life)
Strawberries: These will be in your box relentlessly now. Eat right away as we pick them ripe and they will not last long. The store bought stuff has been picked way under ripe so that it can survive the journey to the distribution depot then to the store and wait in back stock until shelf space is available.
Head of Lettuce: Normally we sow lettuce seed directly into the beds. These were sown in a greenhouse then transplanted this spring. I hope you like a large lettuce for a change. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Eureka Lemons: This versatile fruit adds a great touch to winter greens and salads. These are from Bill Crepps at Everything Under The Sun. They have not been washed, brushed or waxed. Bill is not certified organic. He is not good with paperwork or the bureaucracy of organic certification. He farms just the same as before when he was certified organic.
Chard: These plants are new this spring, grown in a greenhouse and transplanted just like the lettuce. We have more collards and dino kale grown the same way coming soon. Store in a plastic bag in the crisper.
Sugar Snap Peas: Peas do not like the wind, I am not sure how many we are going to be able to pick for your box today. Eaten fresh out of the box with some salt or mayo is the best.
Florence Fennel: The fennel was planted in August last year. It produced a beautiful large head in the fall. The roots have sent up four or more young fennels this spring for us to enjoy. They are smaller but just as delicious. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Scallions: A yellow onion variety this bunch has three or four onions in it. Please use the greens in soups or stir fry. Store in the fridge.
Green Spring Planted Cabbage: Fast growing and delicious Store in the crisper.
Green Garlic: It is such a delight to have this in our harvest shares. My favorite way to enjoy is to stir fry the chopped garlic in a skillet with some olive oil. Then stir in eggs for a delicious green garlic scrambled eggs. Store in the crisper.
Beets: I know some of you are a little squeamish about aphids. Our ladybug population is expanding rapidly but a little behind the aphids. Anna will do her very best to wash away any of these amazingly fast reproducing bugs.
Carrots: These come from Los Pablos at Terra Firma Farm in Winters. We have more of our own bunches of carrots for next week or the week after. Store in the crisper
Rosemary: A wonderful culinary herbs and one in demand from the cosmetic companies too. We can never seem to have enough.
April 12, 2013
Albion Strawberries
Mini Lettuce
Polar Bear Spinach
Yellow Onion Scallions
Sugar snap peas
Late Washington Navel oranges
Lisbon lemons
Carrots
California Late Green garlic
Red Ace beets
Spring cabbage or cauliflower
Tokyo Market turnips
April 10, 2013
Harvesting Lettuce
what’s in the box this week?
(Listed from shortest shelf life to longest shelf life)
Spinach: The spinach variety is now polar bear. The stems are not long so we have to go back into a plastic bag as we cannot bunch it. Use what you need and wash thoroughly. Yes it is dirty but is keeps much better that way. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Lemons: This versatile fruit adds a great touch to winter greens and salads. Store in the fridge as these have not been waxed like so many fruits in the store. The brushing and cleaning removes the protective bloom. Use within a week. From our long time friend Nacho at Twin Girls Farm in Fresno who also packs for purity hence the labels on the fruit.
Sugar Snap Peas: A spring delight, best eaten raw or just very light steaming. Store in the fridge.
Dandelion: A wonderful cleansing herb. Use in Lorraine’s recipes this week. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Baby Lettuce: Theses small baby lettuce are cut and bagged in the field. We thin the crop in the field to allow room for the remaining lettuce to mature to a larger size. Store in the fridge.
Tokyo Turnips: These are delicious salad turnip which I believe are best eaten raw. Store in the fridge.
Chard: I ounce had a group of Davis children on a farm tour tasting the raw chard in the field. We had three varieties and we were discussing the differences in flavor while their parents looked on aghast. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Red Ace Beets: Growing up beets always came pre cooked and peeled in a plastic tray. We never saw them in the flesh so to speak. It does seem like we are having an easier time germinating this crop now. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Scallions: A yellow onion variety this bunch has three or four onions in it. Please use the greens in soups or stir fry. Store in the fridge.
Red Cabbage: Cabbage reminds us often of over cooked mush on the plate. Learning to love it is not hard just some great slaw salads, stir fry’s and then sauerkraut. Store in the crisper.
Green Garlic: It is such a delight to have this back in our harvest shares. My favorite way to enjoy is to stir fry the chopped garlic in a skillet with some olive oil. Then stir in eggs for a delicious green garlic scrambled eggs. Store in the crisper.
Navel Oranges: Nacho at Twin Girls Farm has wonderful red headed twin girls, obviously with our twin boys we had a lot to talk about at the farmers market. Nacho specializes in fruit and has taken over many orchards from retiring farmers or those people with a farm and no experience of fruit tree care. They are all certified organic. It sounds like he spends most of his day in a truck looking at all the trees. Not quite my idea of fun, the driving that is. Nacho sells most of his fruit through Purity so that is why you see the labels on the fruit.
There is a rumor around here that we will have the first strawberries in your harvest share next week! I have ordered strawberry baskets and boxes for the harvest days. We will hopefully be able to put quart baskets in your shares in May when the big harvest days allow us…Nigel
April 7, 2013
Mini Lettuce
Polar Bear Spinach
Frisse
Dandelion
California Early Green Garlic
Yellow Onion Scallions
Sugar snap Peas
Red cabbage
Tokyo Market Turnips
Red Ace Beets
Rainbow Chard
Washington Late Navels
Lisbon Lemons
April 4, 2013
what’s in the box this week?
(Listed from shortest shelf life to longest shelf life)
Spinach: The spinach variety is now polar bear. The stems are not long so we have to go back into a plastic bag as we cannot bunch it. Use what you need and wash thoroughly. Yes it is dirty but is keeps much better that way. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Lemons: This versatile fruit adds a great touch to winter greens and salads. Store in the fridge as these have not been waxed like so many fruits in the store. The brushing and cleaning removes the protective bloom. Use within a week. From our long time friend Nacho at Twin Girls Farm in Fresno who also packs for purity hence the labels on the fruit.
Arugula: From fresh beds, last weeks has already flowered. I hope to sow several varieties of Arugula to do a taste test to find the preferred variety. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Dill: A delicious mediterranean herb that is well suited to our climate. It will flower soon so enjoy it now. Store in the fridge.
Radish: Last Friday these were to small then came the rain over the weekend. Jose is keen to include them or they will be too big for next weeks share. Eaten fresh out of the box with some salt or mayo is the best.
Baby Lettuce: Theses small baby lettuce are cut and bagged in the field. We thin the crop in the field to allow room for the remaining lettuce to mature to a larger size. Store in the fridge.
Red Kale: This is from a sowing in February. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Scallions: A yellow onion variety this bunch has three or four onions in it. Please use the greens in soups or stir fry. Store in the fridge.
Green Cabbage: Cabbage reminds us often of over cooked mush on the plate. Try Lorraine’s slaw recipe and learn to love this vegetable. Store in the crisper.
Green Garlic: It is such a delight to have this back in our harvest shares. My favorite way to enjoy is to stir fry the chopped garlic in a skillet with some olive oil. Then stir in eggs for a delicious green garlic scrambled eggs. Store in the crisper.
Carrots: These come from Los Pablos at Terra Firma Farm in Winters. We grow amazing tasting carrots here on our farm but the germination is sporadic because our soil is a little too heavy. I covert the field next to us as it has a nice sandy area. Forgive me. Store in the crisper
Navel Oranges: Nacho at Twin Girls Farm has wonderful red headed twin girls, obviously with our twin boys we had a lot to talk about at the farmers market. Nacho specializes in fruit and has taken over many orchards from retiring farmers or those people with a farm and no experience of fruit tree care. They are all certified organic. It sounds like he spends most of his day in a truck looking at all the trees. Not quite my idea of fun, the driving that is. Nacho sells most of his fruit through Purity so that is why you see the labels on the fruit.
Counting down the weeks until relentless strawberries in your box. How we make you suffer. Have a great week/end …Nigel
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