Monday, October 12, 2015

Northwest Harvest Interview: Notes From The Field 2015

I recently had the privilege of being interviewed by Northwest Harvest about working with local food banks. Here is a link...
 Notes From the Field

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #18 The Last One

Sorry this is coming to you so late in the day. School is really changing our household dynamics and I ran out of time to write this up in the morning.
However, by now you are discovering what is in your box. It is fun to put in Brussels sprouts although they will require a little cleaning. Aphids love sprouts. It is a problem that is hard to avoid, especially in organic agriculture. We could have sprayed them with soap, but it tends to dry out the sprouts and give them a funny off-taste. Better to let the aphids attack the outermost layer and then peel that little bit off before cooking.  If you have never had sprouts attached to the stem before, they are easy to remove. Simply use your thumb to pop them free. Then soak them in water for about 15 minutes to rinse. Drain the water and re-rinse in a colander. Then, peel off the outermost leaves to remove a majority of the remaining aphids. I love sprouts sauteed in butter...that is my favorite way to eat them. However, roasted is good too or maybe even in a creamy soup.....
This will be the last week of the CSA for our 2015 season. Those of you who contacted me about an extension, I will be in touch. Willy and I have gone through the fields and have decided that it would be best to send out an availability list each week so that you are free to order as you like rather than to put together pre-made boxes. We have started to sell out of things faster than expected and this seems like the best option given the variety of crops that remain.
Thank you for being a part of our CSA program. For us, it is fun to put together the boxes each week (tiring.... but definitely fun!).   Every season is different. There is no telling what next year will be like. But this summer was definitely the warmest, longest and most bountiful one we have had in recent memory. And we are continuing the tradition of ending the CSA with a rainy day. It wouldn't be fall without a good soaking rain to harvest in once in a while. :-)
If you are interested in finding produce still, we will be delivering once a week to Sage Mountain. Otherwise, have a great winter and maybe we will see you again in the spring!
Thank You! Namaste!

In Your Share This Week:
Pie Pumpkins, Potatoes, Carrots, Beets, Peppers, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Garlic, Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Onions, Leeks, Kohlrabi

Recipes:
Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie
Old Fashioned Pumpkin Bread
Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #17 The Big Chill

The harvest super moon was amazing. We took the kids over to a friend's house and watched as the eclipse made its way slowly over the horizon. What an incredible event! Those beautiful clear nights also brought along several nights of heavy frost at the farm. Willy arrived Sunday morning to find the garden coated in thick ice. Subsequently, we have received frost just about every night since. As you may have guessed, this means that there will be no zucchini or cucumbers in the last 2 boxes of the season. Just like that, they are done and gone.
There was an outside row of slicing tomatoes that also took a hit and the basil turned black and mushy. Otherwise, nearly everything else survived.
We are starting to put a few fall surprises into the box starting this week. First, you are receiving a celeriac. This is related to celery. The root is the part you are interested in. Peel off the rough exterior to reach the tender soft interior. This vegetable has a mild celery flavor. It can be used for soups, in vegetable bakes or in stuffing. They are a pain to grow (started from seed in February and tended until now!) which is why you don't see them all that often and why we only grow a few each year.
Next week, we will put in some Brussels sprouts. We tested them out at dinner last night and I am giving them the thumbs-up.

Next week will be the last CSA for the regular season. We will still have produce available and can do an add-on on a week by week basis. Typically, we charge $20 for the first week or two and $15 for following weeks as produce availability diminishes. For now, it looks like the boxes will contain beets, carrots, winter squash, potatoes, onions, brussels sprouts, celeriac,leeks,kohlrabi, tomatoes, peppers and probably some greens of various kinds and other surprises if mother nature allows. If you are interested, in continuing on, please send me a message and let me know. We only do a limited number of add-on boxes so they are first-come, first-served. If you are only interested in a getting a few select items in bulk, now is the time to order. We are filling orders right now and are hoping to have all bulk items distributed by mid-October.

Thanks and have a great week!

In Your Share This Week:
Carrots, Leeks, Onions, Garlic, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers, Kale/Collards/Chard, Arugula, Winter Squash, Celeriac and maybe a surprise or two....

Recipes:
Simple Celeriac
Maple-Bacon Roasted Apples and Celeriac
Chunky Cheddar and Celeriac Soup

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #16 Retirement of a Generation

Yesterday, I was once again reminded that farming is a very special career choice. I openly admit to getting frustrated at least once or twice a summer (maybe 3 times!) with the workload and lack of time off. Willy is much better at coping with it than I am and he certainly takes the brunt of the work upon himself. Often, he is at the farm literally from dawn until dusk with me arriving at a more civilized hour and leaving before it is time to make dinner. He really, hardly, ever complains. He loves his work and feels an almost parental attachment to the fields and the crops. While most people enjoy a few days off every week (that little thing known as a weekend), Willy may take off a 1/2 day now and again but never, ever more. The idea of leaving the farm for an overnight (or 2!) does not cross his mind. Indeed, he has told me regularly that he doesn't feel like he has to go to work when he gets up in the morning. Farming to him isn't work, it has become who he is.

So it is with great sadness yesterday that I was reminded that more than a handful of very dedicated farmers in our area are retiring this season with no one stepping in to replace them. This isn't the type of job you advertise for. There rarely is that one special person who wants to step in and 'buy the farm'; accepting the responsibility, long hours and low pay that come along with this commitment. Farming as a career choice makes very little sense; it is a lifestyle choice, or nothing.

To put our predecessors lifetimes into perspective, Grant Gibbs just celebrated 40 years of farming on his homestead in Leavenworth. 40 years of fighting the weather, building the soil, scrambling to find help, and persisting against all odds. Those farmers who are retiring are some of the pioneers of organic agriculture in this region. Watershine Woods, Jerry Pipitone, Ken Toevs... (and across the state Terry Carkner, Nash Huber and others...) they have all decided that it is time to move into the next phase of life. An entire generation of farmers who's time has come and gone. The gap that they are leaving behind makes me feel nauseated and humbled. Farming is a career built on experience. Year after year an accumulation of knowledge increases one's skill and chances of success. Those who have spent a lifetime in the soil hold a wealth of knowledge greater than any doctorate degree can decree and broader than any book can hold. So who is left to turn to for advice and support when these scholars are no longer available?

'We are all counting on you now.' was the message I was left with yesterday after discussing this situation with my dear friend Kim Lohse (another pioneer in her own way as she, in her retirement, continues to champion for local food) 'But no pressure!' she says with a smile. And isn't that the truth of it? One generation retires and the next must step up and try and fill their shoes. But I don't nearly feel ready to lead the charge. Somehow, an entire generation gap has presented itself between those who are retiring and our younger generation who are still learning the ropes. Where are the farmers who come in between? An entire middle-age missing from farm life.

I sincerely hope that our generation and the one following us can pick up the slack. I don't really know if we can, but I know that we will try. I am continuously inspired that there are people like my husband who find that their place in life comes with calloused hands and dirty work clothes. With any luck, there will be more choosing this path behind him.

In Your Share This Week:
Winter Squash, Peppers, Zucchini, Tomato, Onions, Leeks, Garlic, Arugula?, Kale/Collards/Chard, Cucumbers (they made a comeback!), and probably a few surprises

Recipes:
Zucchini Pancakes
Silky Zucchini Soup


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #15 Saying Goodbye....

Well, I have been mentioning this for a few weeks but now I really mean it. It is time to start saying goodbye. Goodbye zucchini, goodbye cucumbers, goodbye summer.
There has been a dramatic shift at the farm over the last 10 days. Like a migrating fledgling, summer found its wings and flew south leaving us with crisp nights, short days and a cool breeze. We might even get a little rain.....
What this weather means is that anything that loves warm nights and hot sun is slowing to a crawl. Willy harvested less than 8 lbs of patipans yesterday and only one bin of cucumbers. He and Laura had headed down to those beds with their usual stack of 5-10 bins and came back up with only a bin and a half full of produce. Laura was a little baffled by how fast production can shut down when the weather shifts a few degrees and Willy just laughed.
So prepare yourselves for winter squash, leeks and onions...the staples of fall. Think warm soups and biscuits. And if you haven't put food up for the winter yet, there is no more time to procrastinate; do it now. Farmers market will last a few more weeks before everyone puts away their canopies for the season. Although finding a good peach is getting to be a rare treat, there are still pears, apples and even some berries showing up.
And, if you haven't been keeping track, there are only 3 weeks left of the CSA after today. Once we get to the end, we often offer an extension on a week by week basis. I will let you know if this is a possibility as we get a little closer in. The farm has been exceptionally busy this summer and although we are usually sitting on a large abundance going into winter, this year we may (for the first time ever) be sold out by the middle of October.
Have a great week!


In Your Share This Week:
Carrots, Beets, Kale/Collards/Chard, Onions, Winter Squash, Peppers, Eggplant?, Zucchini, Tomatoes, and items still to be determined....

Recipes:
Winter Squash Soup
Jalapeno Poppers

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #14 Here Come The Winter Squash

Okay, this is where we start singing....
"It's the final countdown! Nah nah nah nah...nah ni na na nah"
The little bit of cold weather did not kill the basil so it looks like we are in the clear for another week or two. A short blip of warm weather is making a push through the region and is going to re-invigorate and keep alive the summer sensitive crops. This will give us a little time to get onions off of the field (Laura has been working on this diligently for some time....there are a lot of onions this year) and start thinking about where we can stockpile all of the pie pumpkins and winter squash.

Indeed, the warmer than usual summer lent itself well to both melons and butternut squash. Last week, we put some baby cantaloupes into the boxes. I hope you enjoyed them. Willy always takes a shotgun approach to farming and the decision to put in a row of melons was a 'Why not try?' kind of decision. There were no expectations placed on this bed, only hopes. Same with the butternut squash. Almost every season, a row gets planted. Often, they don't have a chance to fully mature. It sounds like this year, there will be a lot of them.

This weekend will be the Sustainable Living and Farming Tour. For some crazy reason, we said we would take part again this year. So all day Sunday (10-4), Willy and I will be at the farm and will be showing people around. At 10:30 Sunday morning, Willy will be leading a fall planting discussion.
Last year, we were overwhelmed by the number of people who attended the tour. I am hoping we have not gotten ourselves in over our heads this year!

Otherwise, not much to report. The light is changing quickly and the plants are starting to respond. You will notice that the eggplant are maturing at a much smaller size now. They are in panic mode and are trying their hardest to make seeds before the rain comes.

Have a great week!


In Your Share This Week:
Potatoes, Leeks, Tomato, Baby Beets, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Kale/Collards/Chard, Garlic, Onions, Winter Squash and probably a surprise or two!

Recipes:
Caramelized Butternut Squash
Creamy Dijon Leeks

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #13 On The Edge of Fall

Well, like a switch, the weather has taken a nose-dive toward fall. Although it does complicate the farming, it is not entirely unexpected. As I mentioned last week, we knew it could happen at any time. Temps are looking to dip close to freezing at night over the next week meaning that the basil will probably take a hit and production on squash, cukes and eggplant will start to taper. This is when I start proclaiming 'Enjoy it while it lasts!' because we all know it isn't going to last much longer.
Hopefully you feel like you are getting your fill of these things :-)

Lots of crops will make it through a bout of cold. As long as it stays warmer than about 29F, we are in good shape.  One minor bummer is that the plastic on the low tunnel was ripped to shreds by a crazy, freak dust devil earlier this year and we haven't had a chance to order new plastic. This tunnel houses our roma tomatoes and our 'back-up' cukes. Although we have tried to cobble the plastic back together, it is too far gone at this point to be effective and we likely won't re-cover the structure until next spring. There is really no point in adding a winter's worth of stress to new plastic when it can be avoided by waiting patiently for an extra couple of months. A large sheet of greenhouse plastic is a sizable investment and we try to invest wisely to prolong the life of our equipment. So, with that being said, those two items (the romas and the cukes) will be hit by the cold long before the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant inside the high tunnel are.

Going into fall, expect to see winter squash and leeks in your box. It has been a number of years since we have grown nice sized leeks. This year's crop looks pretty good. I am still crossing my fingers that the Brussels sprouts will be ready before the CSA is over. It is always fun to add those to the boxes as a little cold-weather treat. And there will likely be one round of celeriac before the season is done.

Have a great week and enjoy the weather....to me, it is a welcome break.

In Your Share This Week:
Potatoes, Kale/Collards/Chard, Garlic, Onions, Tomato, Peppers, Cucumber, Squash, Leeks? And probably a few other surprises....

Recipes:
Potato Leek Soup
Potato Momos
Potato Gnocchi

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #12 In the Frost Pocket

Well, it has been sort of a distracting week....the Wolverine fire plume is always blooming on the horizon and there has been as much talk about fire as about veggies. Hopefully we will get a little rain this weekend and it will calm down those flames a bit. For now though, life continues like normal.
So we are now in week 12. This means that anytime in the next 6 weeks we can experience a killing frost. Right now, the weather is looking good. It is going to cool down for a bit but no frost is expected. Traditionally, the first crop to bite the dust is the basil. Once we start experiencing nights in the mid-low 30's the basil begins to get lots of black spots and refuses to grow. So....if you haven't made pesto yet, this would be the time to do so.
The rest of our crops are hardy to about 30F or so. With any luck, the frost will wait a few more weeks. However, like usual, if worse comes to worse, there will be lots of fall-type crops filling the boxes until the end of the season (potatoes, leeks, onions etc...)
I will keep this post short since really, nothing new is happening at the farm other than now Willy has to show up in the morning and work by the light of a headlamp. The daylight is leaving us rapidly now.
Enjoy the last week of summer vacation! This season will be our first with 2 kiddos in school full-time. I can't even imagine what this means and there is a small part of me that is feeling very 'mom-like' and wants them to stop growing up so fast! However, given the choice of going to school or picking more cherry tomatoes, I think our kids are definitely ready for a change of scenery.
Have a great week,

In Your Share This Week:
Onions (red and sweet), Beets, Kale/Collards/Chard, Potatoes, Garlic, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Basil, Carrots, CABBAGE! and probably a few other surprises....

Recipes:
Thanks Sarah H. for passing this one along....
Vietnamese Style Chicken Noodle Soup
Scalloped Potatoes
Basil Pesto

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #11 Start Bulking Up

Laura is back! Woo Hoo! It is so great to see her smiling face again. Sounds like Minnesota was beautiful and that she enjoyed her trip home. We are certainly happy that her parents didn't Shanghai her and keep her there for the rest of the season....I am sure they probably wanted to.

Farming is still going well....it feels like this season has really been moving along fairly smoothly. After Laura's return, she and Willy tackled the weeding of the next round of kohlrabi, broccoli and carrots. There will be another round of beets and maybe even beans and peas....the plants are sizing up nicely and barring any freakish early September hard frosts, they should make it to maturity.  With that being said, this last swing in the weather has made us feel a little cautious about the fall. In one day, the temperature plummeted from the 90's to the 70's. As we move closer and closer to the fall equinox, those outrageous swings will be bringing us into frost season. However, many of you know that we always take a shotgun approach to planting....Willy keeps planting a little of everything, knowing that some things will be a success and some will fail.

A very happy success has been our All Red potato crop.Willy and Laura were apparently giggling while digging potatoes the other morning. They look beautiful. Some of these will go into the boxes this week. As in years past, we will be selling unwashed potatoes in the fall for storage. If you know you will be wanting some, please let us know so we can get you on the list. This year we will have All Red, Huckleberry, Purple Viking and German Butterball. Last season we could not fill all of the requests we had for the Purple Vikings because they sold out early. If you know there is something you want, please tell us early so we can set it aside for you.We are hoping to have all bulk orders filled by the end of October. Same as last season, all late season unwashed potatoes will be $1/lb when ordering more than 20 lbs. Sweet onions are also available in bulk. We have 20 lb bags for $20...just like last year.  We should have storage and red onions available in bulk as well.

That's it for now. Have a great week!

In Your Share This Week:
All Red Potatoes, Sweet Onions, Peppers, Kohlrabi, Eggplant, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Garlic, Head Lettuce, Chard/Kale/Collards, Carrots and Beets? and probably a surprise or two....

Recipes:
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Refrigerator Pickles; Cauliflower, Carrots, Cukes...You Name It!
Herbed Onion Salad Dressing
Kohlrabi Fritters with Yogurt Dill Sauce

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #10 Hell Week

This post will be relatively brief this time around. Willy and I are in the middle of what we are referring to as 'Hell Week'. We are most of the way through, but still have to keep pushing to make it to Sunday...the finish line.
Some of you know that in addition to working at the farm, I also manage the Retreat Center at Tierra.  This is the busy time of the year for us with weddings coming and going and lots of work in between. We have never hosted a mid-week wedding until Tuesday. So, during Hell Week I have been hosting 3 weddings (all multi-day) in 8 days up at the lodge with a Retreat Center full of guests.

For Willy, 'Hell Week' has culminated in much of our usual, wonderful helpers and employees all being on vacation at the same time. Literally, Willy has been pulling out all of his 'Ace in the Hole' cards and called in friends and past volunteers to help man the farm while everyone is on summer vacation. And then, last night, the truck broke and had to be trailered back to the house. Likely it requires a small fix, but it is an inconvenience (to say the least) to have your market truck break the day before market.

Sprinkles on top of this cake are all of the family-related jobs like shuttling kids to and from summer camps and somehow managing to go grocery shopping for dog and cat food etc....etc...etc...

So,,....if you see us in the next couple of days and there are bags under our eyes, now you know why. Hell Week is temporary (really, it is more like Hell-10 Days) and then the hardest part of the summer should be behind us.

Hope you enjoy the boxes....they look awesome! The garden is exploding right now.

In Your Share This Week:
Kale/Collards/Chard, Sweet Onions, Kohlrabi, Radishes, Head Lettuce, Peppers (mostly hot plus a lipstick sweet pepper and a poblano), cherry tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, and a couple of other tasty treats

Recipes:
Potato Salad
Pasta with Garlic and Cherry Tomatoes

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #9 All of the Reaping....

First off, Sorry that I didn't write a post last week. I try and do it religiously but usually 2 times during the season I miss my writing window and there is no newsletter for the week. Please forgive me, but I had the opportunity to take a 36 hour vacation in the San Juans and I couldn't say no.  It is very rare that Willy or I get a chance to step away from work during the summer. Farming is a career choice that does not come with weekends or vacation leave. A prime example:  Last Friday, Willy and I were feeling tired after an already full day of work, so we decided to forgo our usual routine of picking cucumbers, beans and zucchini until dusk. "It will have to wait until Sunday", we said to ourselves, knowing that Saturday would already be filled by farmers market, a wedding, and another miserably hot afternoon. The weather was too much for us; we were feeling sweaty and dusty and sapped.  Sunday came and went and still, the beans were only marginally picked and the cucumbers and zucchini went untouched. "It will have to wait until Monday  morning...." we said to ourselves, "On Monday, we will have time to harvest." Finally, on Monday, Laura showed up for work and we began the process of reaping in the bounty.....and reaping....and reaping.....and reaping. By the end of the day (meaning the end of the ENTIRE workday) we had finally almost reached the end of harvest. I say almost because after a full day of  3 adult and 1 medium-sized child's worth of labor, we still hadn't entirely completed bean harvest but all of the cukes and the zuchs were done. All told, we ended up running out of tubs to hold the bounty. These 3 crops in particular created a mountain that stretched approximately 5 feet tall, 5 feet long, and 3 feet deep of bins full to the brim. The cucumber harvest alone nearly topped 500 lbs. It was surprising, to say the least. We have never had a harvest that looked quite like the one that we experienced this week. It was mildly over-whelming and a consequence of our desire for a little R&R. So, without any further explanation needed, don't be surprised to see a nice big bag of cucumbers in your box this week. Trust me, I have a strong desire to give you many more than what we are doling out. But that desire to rid myself of this excess is outweighed by my respect for what your refrigerator can realistically hold. As a CSA member, if you feel that you have not received enough cukes in your box this week, please let me know and we can rectify that situation. There are plenty more where those came from and I am not shy about sharing with the appreciative.
I will also include a few cucumber recipes to get you thinking about creative ways to deal with this watery favorite. For us, personally, we have been making lots of refrigerator pickles, fermented pickles,raitas and cucumber salads.
Well, that is enough rambling for this week. Happy August! This box marks the 1/2 way point of the CSA.....potatoes, winter squash and maybe even a few melons are yet to come.


In Your Share This Week:
Kale/Collards/Chard, Pak Choi, Garlic, Sweet Onions, Carrots, Eggplant, Dill, Beans, Cucumbers, Zucchini, and probably a surprise or two....like Diakon Radish.....that was in the box last week too....it looks like a parsnip, but isn't.

Recipes:
Cucumber Salad
Ritas
Fermented Pickles

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #7 Water and Agriculture

If the topic of water and agriculture has not crossed your mind this summer, it should. We are in a very precarious situation in our part of the world. This summer is only a training exercise for the future. Water is a very real part of our existence on the farm. Without it, we would spend our days in a knapweed infested field rather than harvesting a bounty of crops. Our summer weather patterns are not conducive to growing non-irrigated ag. The mid-west, where I grew up, relies almost exclusively on rainfall to supply enough water for summer sown crops. Truly, that is not the case in our region. Although you may not have personally felt it, our state is taking a hard hit this summer. If you are a regular visitor to farmers markets you have noticed that some crops are in short supply. I have talked to a number of fruit growers who struggled to make a crop happen this season....it is just too hot. Cherries are turning rubbery, all varieties are stacking up on top of each other for peaches, berries are being attacked by numerous insect species in search of water, tomatoes and peppers are aborting their fruits after pollination. A small number of household wells have begun to go dry or partially dry. Irrigation districts are reducing their supplies to customers by up to a 1/3. Sockeye return to Lake Wenatchee is pitifully low due to high water temperatures. And thank God that our fire season has been blissfully quiet so far.
Willy and I have been farming at Tierra for 9 years now. In human terms, that is what you would call the makings of a 'career'. In geologic time, it is a blip. Certainly it has been the year that has most made us consider the long term ability to farm in our small valley. To date, water is still available for us to continue farming. I consider this a great gift; maybe the greatest. We are suffering far less than many of our agricultural neighbors. That being said, we are months away from the end of our traditional farming season and additional precipitation looks unlikely for some time.
Many of our crops are on the verge of finishing, many more just went in the ground. How this season will play out is anyone's guess. Please be thankful for water. Be thankful and care for this resource in any way you can. It is what makes it possible for us to comfortably live here. I am thankful every day. I feel blessed beyond words that we are able to continue to grow food and have been given the gift of water. Enjoy the produce; it is a gift as well.

In Your Share This Week:
Tomato?!, Cucumber, Eggplant, Zucchini/Patipans, Basil, Beans!!, Pak Choi, Golden Beets, Kale/Collards/Chard, Garlic, Sweet Onion and probably a surprise or two....

Recipes:
Ratatouille 
Baba Ganoush 

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics CSA Week #6 Welcome to the Jungle

Remote Medical International teaches several Wilderness EMT courses at Tierra each summer. They left a month ago and after 5 weeks of weddings up at the retreat center, they are back. The first thing Courtney (their chef) said to me was 'Wow, the garden looks like a jungle! What a difference a month makes!' I personally couldn't agree more. The weeds (particularly the amaranth) are growing as quickly as the produce...what was a little tiny weed seedling is now a towering giant threatening to burst forth in a shower of a thousand seeds. It can be hard to keep up on the weeding in July...there is just too much harvesting and planting and not enough hours in the day. But, we all do what we can. And the only bed that got lost so far this season was a bed of parsnips...not too shabby. I love parsnips, don't get me wrong. I love them terribly. Fall nights are sweeter and warmer when they are around. However, if the worst event of the summer is the loss of a bed of parsnips, then we are going to consider ourselves fortunate. And, I should also mention, the only reason that we lost a full bed of parsnips is because they take about 18 days to germinate. They are incredibly slow to pop out of the ground. If they are planted in very early spring, they may make it out of the ground before the weeds take over. That was not the case this season. Laura and Willy gave it a good team effort, but there was no chance of resurrecting this bed from the weeds....the weeds won.

We are still way ahead of schedule. It was a crummy pea year but it is has been great for the beans. This week you are receiving at least a pound of them in your boxes. Last season, we were lucky to include the beans once. This is one of my personal 'least favorite' crops to harvest. It is back breaking work (like strawberries). I do love to have beans in the freezer for winter though and this year there may even be enough to try and make some pickled dilly beans. If you are looking to special order any additional beans for freezing or canning, please let me know and we can set some aside for you.

The first ripe tomato appeared in the high tunnel this week. It will still be a while before they appear in the boxes but it is always fun to see them start to redden on the vine. That is very positive news. The outside cucumbers have started to fruit as well. Cucumbers will be a part of the boxes from now until they freeze in the fall.....

Have a great week!


In Your Share This Week:
Cucumbers, Beans, Basil, Chard/Kale/Collards, Pak Choi, Garlic, Beets/Carrots, Eggplant, Arugula? and probably a surprise or two....

Recipes:
Easy Eggplant Recipes

Cucumber Recipes



Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Tierra Garden Organics 2015 CSA Week #5 Goodbye Peas, Hello Beans

Morning everyone.
Sort of a quiet week, so I will keep this brief. It has been hot, sweaty work at the farm. The shell peas decided that they have had enough. So, we got one good picking out of them and that will be it. Willy tried to keep them well watered but peas just hate the heat. Usually, we send you home with bags and bags of shellers....not this season. Sorry guys. It is what it is.
 BUT....you get beans this week too and that is just plain crazy. Also, all of the garlic is off of the field and is curing. Again, going along with the theme for the summer....unprecedentedly early.
There should be cucumbers soon....Don't be surprised if they start making their way into boxes over the next 2 weeks.
Enjoy this chaotic summer. It is really messing with our minds.

There is still hay available. This is the 'clean up' cutting as we try and get the hay fields back into shape again so the bales are on the light side and there are some minor amounts of weeds. The bales are also very cheap and so far, goats and cows aren't turning up their noses too much to the taste. The pond is still re-charging with water so we are going to keep irrigating the hay field until it is no longer feasible. The next cutting should be a good one.

In Your Share This Week:
Shelling Peas, Beans, Garlic, Arugula, Zucchini, Basil, Beets, and a surprise or two...

Recipes:
English Peas With Mint http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/english-peas-with-mint-232121
Garlic Green or Yellow Beans http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/07/garlic-green-or-yellow-beans.html
9 Arugula Recipes http://www.thekitchn.com/crazy-for-arugula-9-recipes-to-118826

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Tierra Garden 2015 CSA Week #4....Yes, we are WAY ahead of normal.

Holy Hot Tamales! We are WAY ahead of schedule. I just looked back at old  week #4 newsletters from the last 6+ years. There is nothing to compare with what we are experiencing this season as far as harvest goes. Normally, you would still be receiving beet greens not Full Sized Beets in your share. You would be receiving head lettuce not Eggplant and Zucchini. For what it's worth, enjoy this true summer...we might not have another one like it for a while...or this might just become the new normal. Either way, this week, there will be eggplant in the boxes....and zucchini....and basil. Technically, you are receiving all of this bounty in July, but we all know that the first day of July might as well be June when it comes to produce.
So, we've all noticed that is is kind of hot outside. Because of this, Willy has been trying to get to the farm by about 5 in the morning. Needless to say, if you run into him in the afternoon or evening he may be a little bit loopy with sleep deprivation. Pretty soon, he will find a little time to nap in the early afternoon but right now (June and July) he is in crunch-mode. It is all out warfare as he works to plant, weed, harvest, re-plant, re-weed and repeat.....It looks like he is going to go for a a second sowing of beans and peas this year since both seem to be finishing with plenty of summer left to come. With any luck, we will have a 2 harvest year for both of these crops.
The shell peas are nearly ready. By next week, you should start to see these in the boxes. My traditional warning is to 'get ready' since these require a little extra work. We won't overwhelm you with them but just realize that you may need to spend a few more minutes with this crop before it is edible. Fortunately, little hands are good at this job and often you can pass the work on to the younger members of your family.
AND...Willy started to pull the garlic. This is usually a job that is saved for the end of July, not June 30th. However, the heads look beautiful and full and they are ready to come out of the ground. We will start putting them in the boxes as soon as they  have cured.
Looks like a bumper onion crop and the carrots will start coming out of the ground next week. The peppers are looking great and the Hungarian Wax variety already is showing a few mature peppers. These are from OUTSIDE beds, not high tunnel beds. Maybe you aren't impressed by this, but I am constantly amazed by what a few warm nights can do for our heat-loving plants.
I think that is enough gushing for now....enjoy the fruits of summer....it is a bountiful time of the year!

Also, we just cut the hay fields...woohoo! If you need bales for mulch etc...let us know.

In Your Share This Week:
Kale/Collards/Chard, Beets (either traditional red or Italian), Broccoli, Basil, Eggplant, Zucchini/Patipan, Head Lettuce, Kohlrabi, Garlic

Recipes:
Penne with Creamy Zucchini and Basil Sauce http://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2011/07/marcella-hazans-penne-with-creamy-zucchini-and-basil-sauce.html

Basic Roasted Beets http://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2011/07/marcella-hazans-penne-with-creamy-zucchini-and-basil-sauce.html

Monday, June 22, 2015

Tierra Garden 2015 CSA Week 3

The weather is unbelievable! Thanks to Willy's tenacity and all of the hard work from both our family and our friends (including all of the new work-trade help) we are, in a sense, ahead of schedule.
This last weekend, I found 3 ripe eggplant OUTSIDE. This never happens in Leavenworth in mid-June. All of these eggplant were from a new Asian variety that we are trialing this summer. It seems to be a good one and is well ahead of the Italian varieties we have been growing (and continue to grow). We also pulled 2 cucumbers out of the glass house with more coming. It is difficult to say when there will be enough for all the boxes but at least they are starting to make an appearance. There are tomatoes on the vine as big as my fist and the cherry tomatoes outside are starting to be covered in hundreds of little green globes.  As long as we continue to have favorable evening temperatures, it looks like we could have an early start to some of summer's favorite crops.
It looks like we get to add another member to our farming A-Team. Our friend Malerie has left her position at Cloudview Ecofarm and will be starting up at Tierra sometime over the next week or so. This is incredibly good news and adds one more amazing young farmer to our arsenal of outstanding help. Willy is toying with the idea of opening up even more ground since the farm crew seems to be having no problem staying on the weeding in all of our traditional gardens as well as the new beds that were added this season.
We have added a new helper on the animal front as well....there is a weasel that has made its home inside the high tunnel. Apparently, it must have moved in over the winter and made a little den for itself underneath the strawberry bed. It seems to be very friendly and social and its presence explains the lack of predation our strawberries  have experienced this spring....I think our new weasel friend has been gobbling up all of the voles, mice and gophers (and maybe birds) that have come to nibble on the berries. For the time being, no harm is coming from having this little guy around so we are letting it be. Even Comet, our dog, doesn't seem to mind. We are still thinking of a good name for the Weasel and are toying with the name 'Despareaux'.
There have also been some challenges over the last couple of months. Several plantings came in 'spotty' due to the flux in weather a few weeks ago...primarily the squash and zucchini. These beds have all been re-sown and by mid-summer the new babies should catch up to their older counterparts. I don't anticipate you as CSA members will notice this delay much since we tend to put items into the boxes before we commit to market each week. It will be our market stands that will feel a little bit of a pinch but will re-bound as the new plantings begin to mature.
I am also concerned about the stretch of VERY hot weather that is coming our way. That kind of weather can be a curse when growing produce. The plants can get pushed too hard and it can cause problems with fruit set and rapid growth. Fortunately, at this point, Willy has many years of farming experience under his belt and I am sure we will be able to mitigate our way through this heat spell like we have done in the past.
Have a great week!


In Your Share This Week: Looks like there will be Kale, Collards, Turnips, Peas, Garlic Scapes, Beets, Cilantro, Head Lettuce and a couple other surprises.


Ellie Holm Collecting Garlic Scapes

Recipes:
Glazed Turnips- http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/glazed-turnips-104647
Kickin' Collards Recipe-/http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kickin-collard-greens/
More on Garlic Scapes-http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/garlic-scapes.aspx?PageId=2#ArticleContent

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Tierra Garden 2015 CSA Week 2

Hello Everyone!
I hope you enjoyed the first box of produce. True to form, it varied from what we had expected it to be. The nice part was the added bonus of the Arugula. If you haven't spent much time using Arugula before, it can make a great pesto. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/arugula-pesto-recipe.html   This recipe calls for pine nuts, but that is not necessary. Pine nuts can be very expensive. Sunflower seeds or cashews make an acceptable substitution for most pestos.

The farm is looking absolutely beautiful these days. If you have not been out there, sometime you should drive through for a visit. This season we have hired our first ever employee. Laura Lentz has worked on many farms now, including the Sleeping Lady Organic Garden and at Gibbs Farm. She spent some time working on a 900 person CSA farm in Minnesota before she moved out to Washington. Needless to say, she is an incredibly hard worker and knows her way around a tractor. She has been helping Willy with the field work about 20-30 hrs/wk. This has been a big transition for us as we move into the realm of becoming an employer. We could not have asked for a better employee to get us started down this road. With any luck, we will have the capacity to continue to expand as demand for local produce continues to grow.

We also seem to have a great crew of work-trades at the farm this season. Some veterans keep returning again and again. Jeanne Miller is going to receive a trophy for her service as #1 Salad Weeder. I have lost track of the number of seasons that she has helped to keep the salad and spinach from getting swallowed up by the 'green carpet of death'. There are a number of new faces as well. There is good mojo at the farm.

The veggies are growing quickly but we are having a couple of trouble spots. The flea beetles are hammering the mustard greens. Flea beetles are usually only a problem in the spring but this year they are determined to stick around. Every year there is a pest of particular note....this is the year of the flea beetle. Also, we ended up with a bad seed lot on some of our broccoli so we will be missing a bed of it in the early part of the season. It simply did not germinate. Willy has re-sown with new seed in a new location.

As with every season, the first 3 weeks  or so  of the CSA are pretty heavy on the greens. This year, we decided to surprise you by growing a 'bonus' bed of carrots in the high tunnel. These were grown specifically for the CSA.....we hope you enjoy them. Also, the peas are starting to ripen. This is earlier than usual. It will help to break up the monotony of leafy greens. Overall, I think that this year has had the most variety available the earliest for our boxes.
We are trying to keep from overloading your fridges so we decided to withhold putting in another napa cabbage this week. They are delicious and one of my favorites (I like to finely chop them and add lime juice and the use them for tacos or burritos) but they are very large. We are thinking that another head of napa will go into the boxes next week. Willy has already made (and started to devour) his first batch of kimchi at home.

Have a great week!

In Your Box This Week:
Salad Mix, Snap Peas, Pak Choi, Swiss Chard, Carrots, Green Garlic, Garlic Scapes, Radishes, Cilantro!

Recipes:
Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Ginger http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robin-miller/stir-fried-bok-choy-with-ginger-and-garlic-recipe.html

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sauteed-swiss-chard-with-parmesan-cheese/

How To Cook With Greeen Garlic http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/inside-our-kitchen/article/how-to-cook-with-green-garlic

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Tierra Garden 2015 CSA Week 1

Hi everyone!
I thought I would try a blog format this season for our newsletter. That way, it will be easily accessible even if you lose the email or are really curious about what happened at the farm this week but aren't involved in the CSA program.

Over the next couple of weeks, I think I will also start to post past blogs from the last few seasons. For me, it is really interesting to look back at these little windows of time and see what life was like during a certain week in a certain year and to note the similarities and differences in what was harvested.
I know that this season is very different from other years. We are starting off with strawberries in the first box, which has never happened before. This is in part due to the fact that this batch of berries was planted in our high tunnel but also because the weather has been so warm for so long now. As I mentioned in the email I sent earlier this week, the spinach has already come and gone and so have the radishes! These were planted on their usual schedule and were intended to be harvested for the first 2 weeks of the CSA. Well, again, the weather rules over all and they reached maturity quickly and had to be harvested....there was just no way to slow down their growth....the soil temperature dictates that, not us.

So Welcome! If you are new to the CSA, please feel free to contact me with any questions at eron@tierralearningcenter org. Your job will be to return your bins to their weekly pick up location so that we can re-fill them with fresh produce. Certainly, you will forget from time to time. I have a large back stock of waxed produce boxes that I acquired from Sage Mountain all winter long. I will use these in the event that you forgot your bin. However, if the forgetting becomes chronic, I will send you a little reminder email.
Drop Off times for Sage Mountain and Just Plain Grocery is by 4 PM on Wednesday. Some days it may arrive sooner but it won't arrive later. Plan on 4 PM. Both locations have a cool place where we can store the produce. However, please pick up your box within 24 hrs since they are busy establishments and need the space for other things. Both locations have worked with us for at least 8 seasons. They are both run by wonderful, friendly people and we feel fortunate to be able to offer this drop off service.

In Your Share This Week:
This is a weekly section of the newsletter. This is our 'Best Guess'. Please, if the contents of the box is different from the newsletter, Don't Panic. This just means we had to make some last minute decisions based off of what we observed in the field. All boxes are packed at the same time with the same contents. Everything is counted out in bunches in the field so it everyone receives the same number of items.
In the 'In Your Share' section, there is usually a note that looks like this:
Kale/Collards/Chard
This means that you will be receiving one of those items but not all 3.We try and rotate through the leafy greens so you do not get bored or overwhelmed with one specific kind. If there is a  (/) between two items it means either/or.
So, for this week, it will look like this......

In Your Share This Week: Salad Mix, Pak Choi, Kale/Collards/Chard, Fresh Garlic, Garlic Scapes, Strawberries, Napa Cabbage and maybe a surprise or two....

Recipes:
For the time being, I am going to include them as links that you can click on and follow to the referring sites. That will save space.

Garlic Scape Pesto: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pasta-with-garlic-scape-pesto-395769

Roasted Napa Cabbage:  http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-napa-cabbage-283763


I think that should get us all going and ease us back into life with fresh veggies.
Thanks again for being a part of our farm. It should be a great year.
Enjoy the week!
Eron