News from Terra Firma Farm

Greetings!
A quick note about the "What's Growing List" to the left of this column: Please note that this list may not always accurately represent the exact contents of your box. Because we email the newsletter to all subscribers on Wednesdays, there have been and will continue to be weeks when we are forced to change the contents of the box after it goes out (for the Thursday and Friday boxes). When we do this, we try our best to substitute an "equivalent" item: i.e., not replace broccoli with apples. And we make sure the value is always the same.
Last week there was a slightly different problem: the newsletter editor (me) did not check the harvest list before sending the document out.
Obviously, if your TFF box is short an item or two, you should let us know so that we can give you a credit for missing produce. However, we ask that before sending that email, you check to see if you have an item that is not included on the list. If so, this item was substituted for the "missing" item, and no credit is due.

frosty broccoli field

    Last week I was responding to a survey about CSA farming. A multiple choice question asked "what are your three biggest challenges" and offered ten possibilities. Somehow they had left off the single biggest one: the weather.
     Bad weather is never a surprise this time of year. In fact, it's more of a multiple choice question: "Which type of bad weather will affect us this week: frost, rain, wind or fog". During the winter, we check the weather forecast several times a day, and do our best to plan the next day's work schedule with the information we are given. Oranges, for example, can't be harvested when it's raining. So when the rain stops and the sun comes out or a little wind dries off the fruit, off we go into the orchards to harvest as much as possible.   If this happens on a Sunday, or on the day after Thanksgiving, then we are working those days.
    Of course, there are always other things to harvest as well. Since the weather seems to be sending a storm every 2nd or 3rd day right now, we end up doing much of that work in the rain. Luckily for everyone at the farm, most of the real downpours we've had have come on the weekends rather than our busy harvest days, and we've just taken those days off.
     The real wildcard this time of year, though, is the cold. If temperatures get cold enough, they can wipe out many of our crops: last year we lost oranges, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and several others. We had a very close call this year on Thanksgiving night, when a hard freeze of 28 degrees lasted for 6 hours. Only a few crops were damaged, and they will recover.
   Even though it didn't get cold enough to kill anything, it was enough to stop many of our crops from growing for several days, and thus from maturing on time. That's why there was no broccoli in your boxes last week, but there is this week. Unless course, there isn't ;)

Thanks,
                 Pablito

Holiday Gift Baskets -- last week to order
You still have a few days left to order a beautiful and tasty gift baskets of TFF fruits and nuts, shipped directly from the farm to your friends and family anywhere in the U.S. The baskets will contain Satsuma Mandarins, Pink Lady Apples, pistachios and walnuts. The baskets will be $28 shipped in California and $38 shipped out of state.
To order holiday baskets, log in to your account and click on "Web Store" in the upper right hand corner. Select "Holiday Gift Basket" and then be sure to fill out the address field and include any message for the recepient. You will have to do this multiple times to purchase multiple baskets.
Baskets will be shipped out on December 15th to ensure they arrive in time for the holidays. Orders must be in by Sunday, December 12th at midnight.

Leeks

Long time TFF subscribers know that December is the month when we make our annual "allium switch" from onions to leeks. It's about the time when the last of our summer-grown onions are beginning to sprout -- if you have any sitting in your kitchen still, you might be seeing this happen firsthand. Meanwhile, it's about the time that our Leeks -- planted way back in July -- are finally ready to harvest.
   We try hard to make sure we always have at least one type of allium (onions, garlic, leeks) available all year round. That's because these vegetables are an important staple of the kitchen. Luckily then for us, and you, leeks love the winter in Northern California. They take forever to grow, but they are also happy to sit in the ground through freezes and storms from December until April. We harvest them fresh as needed all winter long.
     Leeks aren't the same as onions, but they serve the same purpose in cooking: to provide a rich aromatic base on which to build a dish. You can substitute them for onions in any recipe where the onions are cooked. Since they have less water content than onions, though, you need to be more careful to not burn them: cook at a lower temperature, for less time, and adding a little liquid if necessary.
   The real edible part of a leek is the white shank below the leaves, the part that grows under ground. This is why leeks have to been cleaned carefully before cooking. If you've never done this before, take 60 seconds to watch this video that shows how it's done.
   The most common way to cut leeks is to slice the cleaned halves crosswise. This works best if you're making a soup or stew. But a few years ago, I started cutting them lengthwise into matchsticks for stir frying, or roasting them with potatoes or other vegetables. It takes a little more care than slicing, but it adds a new dimension to this great winter vegetable.

Leek-Cabbage Springrolls
You can serve these as is after wrapping, or you can pan fry them quickly on both sides.
Crumble 12 oz. firm tofu so it resembles ground beef (you can substitute ground pork, chicken or lamb for the tofu). Marinate it with 2 T. soy sauce and 1 t. sesame oil.
Clean 2 leeks, removing the leaves and base and slicing the shank in half lengthwise. Cut the shank halfs in 2 inch pieces, then place each one cut side down, With a very sharp knife, cut each piece into thin julienne strips (matchsticks).
Cut a head of cabbage in half across its "equator". Place the cut side of one half down and thinly slice it. Cut the longer slices in 2 or 3 pieces.
Heat 2 T. canola oil in a wok. When the oil starts to smoke, add the tofu and fry it until it begins to brown. Add the leeks and continue cooking until they soften and begin to brown. Finally, add the cabbage and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
Taste the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
Fill each springroll wrapper with a few tablespoon of the mixture and top with 1 T. grated carrot.
For a simple dipping sauce, combine equal parts soy sauce and rice vinegar with a dash of spicy mustard. You can also make a homemade "sweet and sour" sauce: Heat 1/2 C. fresh mandarin juice, 1 t. mandarin zest, 2 T. soy sauce, and 1 T. each minced fresh ginger and garlic in a wok pan for 10 minutes or until it has thickened a bit.