News from Terra Firma Farm

Winter is just so last week, isn't it? Literally. It's spring now and the farm has gone completely crazy. We are busy catching up on a month's worth of work that we couldn't do in the rain. We've been spending most of our time in the fields, not the office. That gave me a good excuse to put more photos than words into this week's newsletter. Enjoy.

Thanks,
Pablito

Images of Spring on the Farm
Our strawberry field was planted back in September and went dormant in December. The spring rain got them growing again.
Green strawberries

The plants are now loaded with berries, and the biggest could be ready to pick in three weeks. Same goes for the spinach seedlings in this field, planted in mid-March:
spinach

Meanwhile, in a flooded spot next to one of our fields, thousands of tadpoles have hatched.

Like the spinach, most of them will end up being eaten young -- tasty snacks for the herons, ducks, geese, and egrets that hang out in our fields. Just like the vetch (a relative of lentils) cover crop that the sheep are eating in this field: sheep in vetch

The field on the left looked just like the one on the right just two days before I took this photo. Who needs a fossil-fuel powered mower? topped pistachios

We graze the sheep in the pistachio orchard too (above). They only eat the grass under the trees though. Meanwhile, the trees get too tall, so they have to be pruned every few years. The pruning machine (fossil-fuel powered) went through the orchard on Monday and gave every tree in the orchard a flattop "haircut".
. grape shoots

Grapes, meanwhile, get pruned every year, by hand. We finished trimming last year's shoots off a few weeks ago, just in time for the new ones to emerge

In your boxes
Important reminder: Soak and drain your Asparagus before preparing it. Silty Yolo County soils get into the tips, especially during rainy weather. Gritty asparagus is no fun!
Small and Medium boxes this week get the first of our Valencia Orange crop this week. Valencias are the traditional juicing orange, and are not seedless. Roughly 10% of this year's crop suffered freeze damage in January that is impossible to detect visually, and we have factored this into the amount you receive. Freeze-damaged oranges are partially or completely dry inside, and you can expect to get one every once in a while.
The Fennel in today's boxes is a holdover from the winter: many plants that were damaged by the cold in December have grown back nicely. They are smaller than we normally harvest them and a little misshapen from all the weather, but we knew they wouldn't get much bigger before they bolted to seed and became inedible.

Recipe -- Asparagus Omelets

Roasted Vegetables and sauteed greens with cheese and eggs are a perfect lunch or dinner for springtime.
Trim 1 bunch of asparagus and soak in water, then drain. Cut the stalks into 1 inch pieces, slicing the thickest ones in half.
Toss the asparagus with 1 t. olive oil and salt, then roast at 425 or saute on high heat.
Trim and slice 1-2 spring onions and add to the pan. Cook until the asparagus is tender and beginning to brown.
In a cast iron skillet, brown 3 T. minced bacon (vegetarians substitute olive oil). Add 1 T. minced green garlic and 1 bunch of washed, chopped kale, chard, or spinach. Saute until the greens are tender.
Crack 6 eggs in a bowl and beat them with salt and pepper.
Grate sharp cheddar cheese to make 2 C.
Heat 1 t. oil in a nonstick pan and then pour some of the eggs in to cover the bottom. When they begin to set, cover one half with a spoonful or two each of asparagus and greens. Sprinkle liberally with cheese, then fold the omelet over. Cook for 1 minute, then flip the omelet and cook for another two minutes.
Makes 2-3 omelets.