| What's Growing This Week: | |
Minneola Tangelos
Pistachios
Cabbage
Leeks
Asparagus -- #
Spinach
Carrots
Fennel (L) Chard (L) Italian Parsley (L) Apples (L) Items may be substituted without notice.
# -- Asparagus this week comes from Jim and Deborah Durst in Esparto and is certified organic by CCOF.
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Contact Us:
| terrafirmafarm.com
csa@terrafirmafarm.com
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| CSA Rates 2011 | Boxes are charged on Monday for the week's deliveries at:
$14 Small
$24 Medium
$32 Large
For a payment of $300, get a 3% bonus. Your account balance will be $309.
For a payment of$850, get a 5% bonus. Your account will be posted as $892.00
For a payment of $1,400, get a 7% bonus. Your payment will be posted as $1,498.
Vacations are charged weekly when notice is given as a fee, no charges occur during the vacation week.
$4 Small
$8 Medium
$11 Large
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Pledge of Authenticity
Terra Firma is a real farm. We grow 99% of the produce that goes into our boxes on our 220 acres of certified organic land in Winters. If we do buy produce from other farms, it's almost always from a neighboring farm and we give them full credit in the box list.
The owners of Terra Firma are involved in every aspect of making your boxes a reality: walking the fields, planting the crops, selecting and checking what goes in the boxes and finally delivering them to you. We eat the crops from our fields every day, just like you do. Thanks for supporting our efforts and enjoying the food we grow.
Paul, Pablito, & Hector
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Payments, Billing, and Changes
| Schedule vacations, change box sizes, make payments or sign up for autopay by logging in to your subscriber account at terrafirmafarm.com
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News From Terra Firma Farm
Community Supported Agriculture |
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Greetings!
We're not Luddites here at Terra Firma, despite being organic farmers. As you all are probably aware, we take full advantage of the latest computer technology whenever possible to help make our business more efficient. As I write this, we are installing our first ever computer inside the TFF packing shed so that our CSA Packing Manager Jonathan doesn't have to walk 100 ft. to the office to get the latest version of the daily packing reports.
And yet computers are showing up in places on the farm they were never meant to be. Like our newest tractor, a 2009 New Holland that we rely on to do all the heaviest work on the farm. It's in the shop right now -- been there for over a week, actually. The transmission needs adjusting. But it seems that the laptop that the mechanics use to diagnose the problem can't communicate with the six computers inside the tractor. And they can't figure out why. So they sent an email to the manufacturer's technical support staff asking for help. They haven't heard back yet. Sound familiar?
I confess that when we purchased this tractor, I somehow didn't ask if it had any computers in it, much less six of them. None of our other tractors do -- and by the way, they are all running just fine right now. When they do break, we can usually fix them ourselves -- without a computer. Since tractor mechanics generally charge upwards of $100 per hour -- a lot more than anyone on our farm makes -- this is a very real way for us to save money.
Most people know that computers don't like dust. Dust attracts moisture, and moisture causes corrosion. A single corroded electrical connection can cause disaster. Even the oldest tractors on our farm -- those with the fewest electric parts -- regularly break down due when a corroded connection fails.
Dust is abundant on farms, but it's not the only threat to electricity-dependent machinery. In the last few years, we have spend over ten thousand dollars fixing forklifts, trucks and tractors with short circuits, melted solenoids and fried computers. The cause? Rodents chewing on wiring in and around engine compartments and dashboards during cold and wet winter months. Ironically, the best outcome in this situation is for the vehicle to catch on fire, since insurance will replace a burned up vehicle but not pay for repairs to rodent damage.
Unfortunately, few manufacturers still make tractors without complicated electronics including computers. "Performance" is part of the reason, as computers increase fuel efficiency and power -- when they are new, these high-tech tools work beautifully. Environmental standards also play a role, as the government tightens the rules on diesel emissions. But these benefits also provide convenient cover for the manufacturers to guarantee themselves a source of income for the life of the tractor. The software that mechanics must use to fix the tractors is only available from the manufacturer, and they charge a hefty fee for using their "intellectual property".
 | | No computers in this tractor |
Like desktop and laptop computers, tractors are now becoming more expensive to repair than to fix when they break. Even as recently as 1995, you could expect to keep a tractor running essentially forever -- the repair costs might never become so significant that you would save money by replacing the tractor. Now, a single bad wire hidden deep in the guts of the tractor can render it a piece of junk.
Maintaining and repairing machinery is a generally unrecognized component of ecological sustainability -- the "reuse" in the three "r"s -- and the people who do it are stewards of the environment. Most of the farmers I know take great pride in their ability to keep a tractor running for decades and the feeling of satisfaction that comes from diagnosing and fixing a problem. Not in waiting for an email back from tech support.
Thanks,
Pablito
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Editor's Note, Part Two:
Thanks to subscribers who offered more suggestions about the newsletter archive. We are currently working with our website designer to add a newsletter archive function so that the content will be stored on our own site in addition to on Constant Contact. This should allow subscribers to search for newsletters or articles more efficiently. I will let you know as soon as we get this feature up and running.
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In Your Boxes
Thanks to everyone who responded last week's question about the quantity of Asparagus in your boxes. We got your message loud and clear -- if we have any subscribers who don't like asparagus, they kept their opinions to themselves. Medium and Large boxes get two bunches this week.
The timing couldn't be better. Late March is never an abundant time at TFF, but production in our vegetable fields this year is the lowest we can ever remember it. Other local growers who we sometimes trade or buy vegetables from when we are short are in the same situation. Asparagus is the one exception.
Cabbage in your boxes this week is the last of our fall-planted crop. The field has been turned over to the sheep to graze the residue, but we were happy to get one last harvest off of it first. The heads are small, but the leaves are incredibly mild and tender -- almost like iceberg lettuce in texture but with tons more vitamins and minerals.
You will also find a bag of Pistachios in your boxes this week, and next week you'll get Walnuts.
As we go into April, we'll really need some drier weather to help us get you some Snap Peas and Strawberries. Both crops are almost ready to start harvesting, but constant rain like we're having this week will cause lots of problems for both. Keep your fingers crossed.
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Recipe -- Thai-Style Cabbage Wraps
This recipe is based on one of my favorite dishes at a local Thai restaurant. You can substitute soy sauce for the Thai fish sauce if you must. Serve this party-style and let everyone assemble their own.
Cut 12 oz. medium firm tofu into 1/2 inch squares and marinate with 2 t. soy sauce and 1 t. hot sesame oil.
Snap the bases off 1 bunch asparagus, then cut the spears into 1 inch pieces. Slice the pieces in half lengthwise if they are thicker than your pinky.
Grate carrots to make 1/2 C.
Trim the leaves off 1 leek, then cut in half lengthwise. Slice the halves as thinly as possible, also lengthwise, then cut the slices in 2 inch pieces. Mince green garlic to make 3 T. Mince fresh ginger to make 3 T.
Add 2 T. canola oil to a wok and heat, then add the leeks, garlic and ginger. Sprinkle in 1/4 t.-1/2 t. red pepper flakes (optional). Stir fry until the leeks soften and begin to brown, then add the tofu and the asparagus. Stir fry for 3-5 minutes on high.
Add the carrots to the wok along with 3 T. tangelo juice and 2 T. Thai fish sauce. Stir fry another 2 minutes.
Taste the tofu and add additional soy or fish sauce if necessary.
Cut out the core of 1 head of cabbage and then separate the leaves.
This dish is served on a platter with the cabbage leaves, a heap of the tofu and toppings that can include chopped peanuts, chopped fresh herbs (basil, mint or cilantro), lime slices, etc.
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