Kings and Queens of the Vineyard
Autumn Royal grapes are a seedless black grape with big, long, very crunchy grapes.  They grow in giant clusters of 2-3 pounds, so big that they can break the branches they sit on.  I have a soft spot for them, not just because they were the first grape variety that I planted when we first decided to experiment with vineyards, but because I think they are wonderful.
If you've been a TFF subscriber for more than a year, you're already familiar with the Autumn Royals.  But I am still surprised year and after at how many people have never seen or tried them.  Most people's reaction when they first try one is "WOW!".  They are just sweet enough to balance out the small amount of tannins in the skin, but they also have a touch of the characteristic black grape taste that most people associate with Concord grapes (i.e,, Welch's grape juice).  They are firm and crisp but still juicy enough to be refreshing when eaten cold on a warm afternoon.
    The Autumn Royals mostly escaped damage from the frost that hit the earlier varieties in the vineyard.  But the variety is "alternate bearing", meaning that it has heavier crop years and lighter ones.  Last year's crop was huge, so the vines took it easy on themselves this year.  That means we have a decent crop.
   Our vineyard rows are 300 feet long, and in a good year, each row produces around 400-800 pounds of grapes.  The rows are only 10 feet apart, and by harvest time the vines have filled the aisles almost completely.  There's no room for a truck in there.
   We have a special harvest vehicle that is both perfect for the task and completely absurd.  It's an old Taylor Dunn electric hauling vehicle -- the kind you see in airports moving luggage inside the terminals.  Except some strange person decided to raise the suspension, put chrome spoked wheels on it, and paint it -- appropriately -- purple.  I picked it up on Craig's List for $800.  It has a flatbed that can fit twenty or more lugs of grapes but it's small enough to easily fit between the rows while allowing the pickers plenty of space to work.

  We expect grape season to continue through September and into October, with grapes in your boxes regularly if not weekly.

Farm Day Tickets now available
Terra Firma's annual farm event for subscribers will take place on Saturday, October 22nd in the afternoon.  We invite you to come out to the farm from 2 pm. to 5 pm. to picnic in the walnut orchard, take a guided tour of the fields, and pick your own strawberries.  We will also have plenty of pumpkins available, just in time for Halloween. There will be live music, wine tasting with one of our local wineries (TBA), and possibly a local chef preparing food for sale.  For those who don't get enough TFF produce every week, we will have a farmstand with more stuff for sale.
Tickets for the event are $5 for adults and children over 12 and are redeemable for pumpkins or other produce items at the event.  Subscribers are welcome to buy extra tickets and bring friends.  To purchase tickets, go to your TFF account and click on "Web Store", then select "Farm Day Tickets".
Farm Day tickets have sold out in the past, so if you want to come, don't wait to reserve your space(s).  You can refund the tickets up until 7 days prior to the event, or if the event is postponed due to rain.
  For the first time ever, Terra Firma is also working with other local businesses to offer special deals for subscribers on post-Farm Day activities, so you may want to plan on spending the evening in Downtown Winters having dinner.  More details to come.

In your boxes:  Season Shift underway
There's plenty of late summer bounty in your box today to keep those Autumn Royal grapes company:  Sweet peppers, green beans and still plenty of tomatoes.
We're in our peak Melon season now, fully a month late, and what a season it is.  If melons and watermelons had vintages the way wines do, 2011 would go down as the best year in memory -- especially after 2010.  Make sure to enjoy them while they last, though, because the season is going to come to an end soon.
We grow several varieties of Asian Pears, and after a slow start to the season, we are now full into harvest.  The variety in your boxes today is called "20th Century", a bright yellow variety with fairly tender skin (for an Asian Pear) and a little bit of tanginess.  This variety is usually harvested  with a slight green tint to it, as it gets pretty soft when fully yellow.  Always keep Asian Pears in the fridge until eating to preserve their crisp texture.
Zucchini and Cucumbers fields are quickly dwindling and may be done for the season.  I know that big fans of these two items will be very sad to see them go, but there are probably just as many of you who have had your fill after a long and abundant season.
Looking down the TFF produce pipeline, you can expect to see some salad greens showing up in your boxes in just a couple of weeks along with the first winter squash.  Carrots will be back in October, as will our first Broccoli of the fall.

Recipe -- Green Beans with Sweet Pepper Reduction
I love sauteing sweet peppers, but on their own they can be a little too sweet.  A hefty dose of olives and garlic balances them out perfectly.  You can also puree the peppers to make them more of a paste.
Trim, rinse and cut 3/4 lb. of green beans in half.
Remove the seeds and cores from 1 lb. sweet peppers, then dice.
Chop 1/2 C. country style olives, removing pits if necessary.
Mince 3 cloves of garlic.
Saute the peppers in 2 T. olive oil over high heat until tender.  Add the olives and continue to cook another 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute another 5 minutes.  (Turn off heat)
Boil water and parboil the beans for 2 minutes, then drain and rinse.
Return the peppers to high heat and add the beans.  Cook until the beans are nicely coated -- 3-5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.