Walnuts
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Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter March 2, 2004 3/2/04 |
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Walnuts
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Pablito.... 
IN A NUTSHELL…
I wanted to devote a little more newsletter
space to the discussion of the almonds you got in last week’s boxes and
why they cannot be sold as Organic. It’s a complicated subject, and
two paragraphs really wasn’t enough room.
When we first decided to add walnuts to the list of crops we grow organically, we were amazed at how easy the whole process was. First, the farming of nuts is relatively easy and stress-free compared to growing vegetables — especially walnuts, and especially if you’re not growing them as a commodity crop. The biggest issue for walnut growers is the expensive equipment needed to harvest them, and the extensive facilities needed to dry and shell them. We solved those problems simply by being located in Winters — is a major walnut growing area. There are not just one but two organic walnut producers in town, and a dozen growers who do contract harvesting. Many of them harvest both conventional and organic nuts, and are accustomed to the practices that organic certifiers require to ensure that they stay separate.
Nut harvest occurs during a busy time of year for us (fall), so it was quite a relief to find that all we needed to do was coordinate the harvest with the contractor harvester and the processor. The next time we would see the nuts, they were nicely shelled and boxed, with all the necessary paperwork that we needed to show our certifier provided by the processor. Eventually, even the local cold storage facility got certified to handle organic products, so we didn’t have to bring the farm inspector over there every year to check it out.
When we accepted the lease on a small almond orchard three years ago, I freely admit that we simply didn’t do enough research. We knew that the orchard was already certified organic, and that made it seem easy — no need to go through the three year transition period. But there are very few almonds grown in this area anymore, and I learned that only one farmer still did contract harvesting and drying — covering an area of several hundred square miles. He is a busy guy, and our little orchard isn’t worth the time it takes him to move his equipment there.
To make matters worse, the nearest certified organic almond sheller is located almost an hour north of Winters. It’s an old, slow and inefficient facility, and we need to bring our own employees there to man the shelling line. This year that translated into four employees driving an hour each way, three full days, just to get 900 pounds of shelled almonds.
Lastly, there are the problems with the orchard. The biggest has to do with an inherent difference between walnuts and almonds, which require several varieties of nuts to be planted in one orchard to ensure good pollination. Some are “hard shell” varieties, and others are “soft shell varieties”. The former taste great, but often get broken into pieces when shelled, while the latter have less flavor but are larger and prettier. The orchard we have been farming has three varieties, but due to the shape and size of the parcel they are essentially impossible to keep separate. This makes for lots of problems when we get the nuts to the sheller. This problem, combined with a large squirrel population and old trees, meant that we simply weren’t getting much out of the orchard. That’s why you probably haven’t seen any almonds in your boxes until this year.
But the straw that broke the camel’s back was a decision last year by CCOF to require a “cleanout log” for the harvest and drying equipment . When I asked our contract harvester if he could do this, he just laughed and said “forget it”. In that instant, our organically grown almonds could no longer be sold as organic. Last year, I explored other avenues for harvest and came up empty — too few nuts, too many varieties, etc. So the crop that produced the nuts you got last week will be the last almond crop for us. And while I really like almonds, this is going to be one crop I will be perfectly happy about buying at the store instead of growing myself.
RAIN
Rain, rain, rain, heavy rain, windy rain,
thunder, rain, sideways rain, lightning, rain, hail, rain, rain, rain,
showery rain, light rain, rain, rain, flooding, rain, rain, heavy flooding,
rain, downpour, rain, cloudburst, rain, cats and dogs, rain.
At least with El Nino, we had something
to blame. This year, they are still telling us that rainfall year
to date is “below normal”. Maybe the totals reflect that, but our
sodden fields and rutted, potholed roads tell a story of a winter when
it never stopped raining.
IN YOUR BOXES
Brussels Kale? No, it’s not a new
strange new hybrid between Brussels Sprouts and Dino Kale, it’s bunches
of Dino Kale that have begun to flower. As they get ready to celebrate
spring by bursting into floral display, the kale plants begin to elongate
and produce broccoli-like florets on their tops.
Meanwhile, there are still many fully
edible — if small — leaves remaining on the stalk. Rather than strip
these leaves one by one like we usually do, we decided to cut whole kale
plants, bunch them, and send them along to you. Simply pull off the
leaves and use them as you always would use kale. As you would with
Brussels Sprouts, compost or discard the tough, inedible stem.
With Mother Nature really, really, really (did I mention “really”) NOT cooperating with us in the least this year, we are as happy as squirrels to have a big old stash of nuts in the cooler. This is the third week in a row that you’re getting nuts in your boxes — walnuts this time — and you can’t possibly imagine how happy it makes the TFF crew to be picking one or two fewer items out in the rain for the CSA boxes. Next week, we are hoping the rain will take a few days off and allow the fields to dry out enough so that we can harvest some nice spinach for your boxes, without harvesting an equal or greater percentage of mud.
Minneola Tangelos are quite a bit more acidic than Navel oranges, and while we always leave them on the trees as long as possible, they tell us when to start picking them when they start to fall on the ground. If you find them too tart to eat, they make great juice and the addition of one navel orange to the juice will usually sweeter it up nicely. Or try the recipe above.
Thanks,
Pablito
Recipes..............
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Red Cabbage a la Linda — Here’s
a tip from one subscriber to rest about what to do with red cabbage “other
than making coleslaw”. Linda says she regretted cooking just half
the head.
Slice 1/2 a head of red cabbage, then
braise in olive oil with a “touch” of balsamic vinegar. Cook for
ten minutes, then season with salt, pepper, and more balsamic vinegar.
Cauliflower Clam Sauce — This
recipe makes enough for 2 people; it can easily be doubled. And it
can easily be modified into a hearty soup with the addition of chopped
kale and maybe a few potatoes.
Cook 16 oz. linguine or wagonwheel pasta.
Clean and finely minced 1 stem of green
garlic or 1 leek, and sauté over low heat in 3 T. olive oil.
Add a dash of red pepper flakes and 1 T. fresh rosemary leaves.
Meanwhile, chop 1 head cauliflower into very small pieces (around 2 C.)
— I do this by cutting slices across the whole head and then chopping them
smaller. When the garlic softens, add the cauliflower and raise the
heat..
Saute the cauliflower for 5 minutes, until
it begins to brown slightly. Add 12 oz. of canned diced tomatoes,
along with their liquid, and bring to a simmer. Cook for another
five minutes, then add 1 small can of chopped or minced clams and their
juice. Lower the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then season with
salt and serve.
| Monthly | Quarterly | Yearly | |
| Small box | 52 | 150 | 580 |
| Medium Box | 78 | 222 | 870 |
| Large Box | 104 | 295 | 1160 |
**being offered only to existing everyother week subscribers, as the small box has better variety andis more tuned to the smaller household appetite. The weekly schedule is also much easier to remember, and saves us all a lot of problems at the pick up sites. |
43 | 124 | 480 |
| Vacation Credits: | Small | Medium | Large |
| Vacation credits are lower to discourage overuse, and to reflect actual cost to the farm | $8 | $12 | $16 |
Vacations & Billing Inquiries
We need seven days notice before a vacation hold
or other change of service.
Contact Valerie through voicemail at (530) 756-2800,
or e-mail Goldenbell@aol.com
Account Balance Inquiries The account sheet is hiding under the sign off sheet each week with your account balance on it. Mid month I've been e-mailing statments, so if you're not getting it send me an e-mail requesting to be added to the list.
MAILING ADDRESS:
Terra Firma Farm
P.O. Box 836
Winters, CA 95694
(530) 756-2800
www.terrafirmafarm.com
Goldenbell@aol.com
New? Sign up! 
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