This Week: Box Contents     1.  Pablito      2.  Recipes        3.  Communicating  news updates
  4.  Vacation Schedules & Pricing  
 

Y2K, CSA, & U  I’m sure everyone is sick of hearing about Y2K, so I’ll keep my points brief.  I was spurred to write about it, however, by an article in our CCOF newsletter that put a new spin on the topic.   While there is widespread disagreement about what the potential affects of the Y2K bug are, it seems that most people agree that food distribution will be affected.  This is especially true for the majority of Americans who live in places outside of California but depend on this state for much of their fresh food during the winter.  Californians are less likely to experience disruption in their food supplies, but CSA subscribers and others who get produce from local growers are still less likely to have any problems.  As you well know, Terra Firma grows lots of vegetables and fruit during the winter months, and we have few systems here that might be affected by the Y2K bug.  Electricity for cooling and irrigation is probably our biggest concern, but luckily, we do little of either of those activities during the average cold, damp winter.  We do have substantial on-farm storage of diesel fuel for our delivery truck – certainly enough to get us through a 4-6 week disruption in fuel supplies.  And of course, if the Web goes up in smoke, we will lose our (now) primary method of contact with subscribers.  Otherwise, what we do is amazingly primitive and free of dependence on computers and chips.   Depending on your degree of paranoia/concern, one might question the implications of a long-term societal breakdown on Terra Firma.  This, too, is an important concern.  We are fairly mainstream in our dependence on energy – diesel for trucks and tractors, electricity for pumping irrigation water and cooling vegetables.  Solar energy for our pumps alone would take an untenable investment of money and land (for the panels).  The next best option would be a large diesel powered generator with accompanying tanks – around $20,000.  In other words, in the event of a large scale breakdown, we would be unable to plant and grow our normal late spring and summer crops.  Our CSA could sustain you all until the last of the asparagus, carrots, greens, leeks, etc. was picked and then you’d be on your own.  Of course, if the year passes by and prognostications for 2000 become increasingly doom oriented, we would certainly be open to subscriber-generated and funded investments in our infrastructure to enable us to grow food even in a worst case scenario.  Actually, we would love to have a solar-powered pumping system anyway, if anyone wants to help make that happen…   On a slightly different note – I’m not suggesting that we use Y2K as a recruitment tool for Terra Firma’s CSA, but if you do know anyone who is genuinely stressed about being disconnected from the food supply at the onset of Y2K, you might mention that CSA is a pretty good way of avoiding problems – at least for the first three months.  SPRING GLEANING  Being a vegetable farmer in the spring is very different from the standard model of California farming.  Most California farmers plant, cultivate, irrigate, harvest, and plow under their fields on a rigid schedule.  Little is left to chance.  Not so here in March.  This month, we walk into fields that we have written off as "finished" and find treasures for the taking.  Take, for example, the celery in your boxes today.  The field should have been harvested after Christmas, but was burned and blistered by the freeze.  Had we been able to, we would have disked in the field and replanted, but the wet winter weather made that impossible. So, after the dead leaves withered and fell off, the deep rooted plants began sending out new ones.  The combination of warmer weather and rain in February invigorated the plants, and within a few weeks the plants had resurrected themselves.  While they will never be as pretty as they were just before the frost, the celery is just as tasty and usuable as it was back then.  Voila!  A dead field comes back to life just in time – another month and it would be time for the plants to bolt to seed, making them tough and unusable.  Of course, many farmers would say we are crazy for doing things the way we do, but it’s all a part of learning to respect Nature and work with it – instead of thinking it’s an enemy to be conquered.  March celery is stronger and may be stringier than you are used to – it’s probably best to use it in a soup or stew where slow cooking will make the most of its flavor and break down the cellulose.  If you insist on eating it raw, you may want to pull the strings off first.  PREPARATION TIPS  Dino kale:  Kale is tops among greens for vitamin and mineral content, and right now it happens to be at its flavor peak  -- sweet and tender.  Store kale in a plastic bag in the fridge.  To cook, trim the tough stems, then chop roughly or minced.  Steam for 5-8 minutes, under tender but not pasty.  Or saute leeks or green onions, then add the kale and ½ C. water or broth, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add salt or tamari.  Celery:  Our celery may look funny, but it tastes great.  Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.  To use, remove the leaves and small stems, wash the main stems, and cut into pieces.  Saute with leeks or garlic as the base of a soup or stew.  The leaves make a great addition to broth, but you may want to remove them before serving, since they are tough.  Green Garlic:  This is a young garlic plant, used like a green onion but with a fresh garlic flavor.  It can be used raw or cooked, and one stem is equivalent to one or two cloves of garlic.  Carefully rinse the area between the leaves and stem, then use the entire plant.

 
 

RECIPES.  Kale & Leek Torta –  a seasonal take on a Spanish  Remove the stems from one bunch of kale, then chop and steam the leaves until tender but not pasty.  Meanwhile, boil 2 potatoes until tender, then dice.  Beat 6 eggs, then add the kale, potatoes, plus salt and pepper.  Clean and dice 2 leeks and 1 stem of green garlic.  Saute in 3 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat   Raise the heat, then add the egg mixture and reduce heat again.  Cook without stirring until the bottom is set and lightly brown, 3-4 minutes.  Carefully slide the torta onto a large plate.  Invert the skillet on top of the plate and turn the plate and skillet over together, flipping the torta back into the pan.  Cook until the eggs are set and the underside is slightly browned.   (Alternately, you can brown the top under the broiler in your oven, rather than flipping the torta).    Broccoli-Carrot Risotto  Bring 5 C. chicken or vegetable stock to a boil, then lower to a simmer.  In a large saucepan, heat 1 T. olive oil and add 2 diced carrots and 1 cleaned, diced leek.  Cook 6-8 minutes, until leeks soften.  Add 1 C. diced celery and 2 C. arborio rice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until rice is well-coated.  Add ¼ C. dry white wine and cook until it is absorbed.  Add 1 C. simmering broth and continue to cook, stirring until all the stock is absorbed. Continue to add broth, ½ C. at a time, until it is absorbed.  When 1 ½ C. of broth remain, add 2 C. broccoli florets and peeled, diced stems, and 2 C. grated carrots, and continue to add broth, ½ C. at a time.  When you have added all the broth, remove the risotto from heat and add 2 T. grated parmesan, 1 T. fresh lemon juice, 2 t. grated lemon zest, ¼ t. thyme leaves, and salt and pepper to taste.

 
 

San Francisco PRICES:   $70 monthly   $200 quarterly ;   Annual  $ 780      $37 every other wk, $106 quarterly eo,  $412 yearly eo   $ 16.00 wk vacation adjustment   Vacations:   For vacation notices,  billing questions, etc: contact Valerie through voice mail (530) 756-2800 or e-mail at Goldenbell@aol.com.  We need seven days notice before a vacation hold or other change of service.

You can find some sage advice online at : www.terrafirmafarm.com

Newly Installed:
 Back to Basics food storage, prep, etc.
Newsletter Archives if you missed anything, you can find it in the newsletters…

MAILING ADDRESS:
Terra Firma Farm
P.O. Box 836
Winters, CA  95694
(530) 756-2800

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