Sugar Snap Peas and Salmon (not recipe)

What’s Growing This Week: Carrots Asparagus—-* Sweet Potatoes —-% Red Cabbage Salad Mix Valencias Oranges Green Garlic (M, L) Snap Peas (M, L) Baby Spinach (M, L) Beets (L) Arugula (L) Kiwis (L)—-# Tangelos (L)—-@

In last week’s newsletter, I talked a bit about the macroeconomics of conventional agriculture and how it does and doesn’t relate to organic farming in general and Terra Firma’s CSA in particular.  Rising food prices worldwide have been in the news a lot lately, as food riots rock developing countries and commodities futures prices for corn, wheat and soybeans hit record levels.

Before I continue on to the topic of our CSA box prices, I need to express my frustration with the apparent willingness of the general public to take potshots at farmers as the agricultural equivalent of unscrupulous mortgage brokers.  The overall farm economy in the U.S. has been in a borderline depression for over ten years.  Many farmers have been forced out of business by low prices for their crops and continuously rising prices for labor, inputs, and capital purchases.  The farmers that have survived this brutal economic period have done so through one of two strategies:  getting big or developing a niche market.

The big farmers that grow commodities made a profit last year — many for the first time in ten years — and will do so again this year.  But two facts stand out amongst all the talk about high crop prices.  First, crop futures prices and retail food prices have risen much more than the prices actually paid to farmers for the last year.  In other words, speculators and middlemen are capturing much of profit — just as they always do in our economy.  Second, despite record prices paid for corn last year, farmers are actually reducing their acreage this year.  This is not due to a collective decision to limit supply; but rather due to the fact that prices for inputs are rising faster than the price for corn.  Farmers are not “getting rich” on corn.  If they were, acreage would be rising this year, not falling.

HERE AT TERRA FIRMA…2008 PRICE INCREASE

Our last CSA price increase was in June of 2005.  At that time, the price increase was limited to the Medium and Large boxes, and was accompanied by a corresponding increase in the box contents.  Since then, the prices TFF pays for diesel and gas, boxes, seed, and just about everything else we buy has risen at a higher rate than the official (fictional) inflation rate.

In addition, we have raised our employee wages annually each of those years, and plan to do so again this year.  Most of what we grow here are labor intensive crops, particularly the crops that our subscribers love the most:  heirloom tomatoes, strawberries, peaches, cherries, leafy greens, grapes, carrots, and many others.  And of course the act of packing hundreds of CSA boxes, each with its eight or twelve different items in it, takes the hands of many people.  We are continually working to reduce the labor involved with everything we do; nonetheless most years our employees receive over 40 percent of our farm’s income.  One of the pillars of sustainability for our farm is to have happy, well-rewarded employees.

As of July 1st, we will be raising our prices as follows:

Monthly Quarterly

Small  —- $59     $170

Medium —$98  $282

Large  — $132    $380

Annual subscriptions paid before April 1 will be “grandfathered” in; check the  website for new annual rates.

This is an across-the-board 14% increase in price, which will bring us up to date in labor expenses and other costs.  At this time it does not build in a margin for future inflation, but with the economy entering a recession, many experts seem to believe that overall inflation will moderate.  If it does not, we may have to increase prices again, in less than three years.

The price increase will mean that we can continue to provide you the full volume and diversity of items in your boxes that you have been seeing for the last three years.  We are extremely optimistic about the coming season:  strawberries, cherries, apricots and peaches are absolutely laden with fruit.  Our early tomato, corn, and green bean fields are healthy and happy.  We want to share this bounty with you and your families while continuing to responsibly provide for ourselves, our families, and our employees.

In all the reporting on food prices lately, one fact was often mentioned:  Americans continue to spend less of their overall income for food than anyone else in the world.  And sadly, many people are responding to higher prices by sacrificing their diet to save money to spend on other things.  We are confident that our subscribers will continue to put the highest priority on good, healthy food as an investment in the future.  As always, we are open to your ideas on how to best provide this for you.

IN YOUR BOXES

Today marks the official opening of Terra Firma’s short but sweet Pea season.  In many ways, peas are a true harbinger of spring.  While they are planted in and mostly grow through the winter months, they will not produce peas until winter weather has safely ended.  Unlike the plants, which tolerate the cold and rain well, the flowers that precede the fruit (peas) are highly sensitive to frost  and heavy rain.  Our December planted peas will often begin flowering during a warm spell in January or February, but the blossoms are always destroyed by an inevitable cold snap before peas are formed.  Heavy rain knocks the blossoms off as well.  So the arrival of mature peas at Terra Firma means that it has been at least a month since our last hard frost or heavy rain.   In other words:  Spring is Here.

We grow two types of peas, one or the other of which may be in your boxes today.  Sugar Snap Peas are specially bred to have an edible shell and are generally harvested before the peas inside are fully mature.  The only preparation they require is pulling off the little stem and the string that is attached to it.

English Shelling Peas are the type grown just for the pea or seed inside.  We harvest them when the peas inside are still sweet and tender.  However, the shell of the pod is tough and inedible.  Shell the peas and eat them raw or cook them briefly. 

In the coming weeks as our pea fields kick into high gear, you may get both Sugar Snap and Shelling peas in your boxes at the same time.  If you are having trouble determining whether your peas are Sugar Snap or English Shelling, simply twist the pod with your fingers.  A Snap Pea’s brittle pod will break in two(“snap”); a Shelling pea’s leathery pod will not, but the pod may open up and the peas fall out.

What else does spring have up its sleeve?  Fava beans, spring onions, and strawberries will be maturing in the next week or two, and with the two types of peas will be prominently featured in your boxes for the next month or more.

Please make sure to include your account name, the one on the sign off sheet ~ on the box, in every correspondance to Valerie

Recipes............................

Grilled Salmon with Spring Vegetable Ragout — Sockeye Salmon, thin and dark red, is one of the few sustainably harvested fish still available.  It’s in its short season right now, and combines perfectly with spring veggies.
Brush 1 salmon fillet with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.  Broil skin side up until the skin begins to brown, then flip and cook for just another minute or two.  Take care as the sockeye has less fat than regular salmon and is easy to overcook.
Trim 1 bunch of asparagus and cut into 1 inch pieces, slicing lengthwise all but the thinnest ones and the tips.  Slice 3 carrots into very thin rounds, on an angle.  Pull the strings off 1 C. snap peas, then cut each into 2 or 3 pieces. (Or shell English peas to make 1 C.)
Shred cabbage to make 1 C.  and toss with 1 t. rice vinegar.
Heat 2 T. butter in a skillet.  Add 1 minced stem of green garlic and the carrot slices, and cook over low heat until it they are soft.  Add the asparagus and raise the heat to medium.
In a cup, mix together 1 t. cumin powder, a dash of cayenne pepper, and 1/2 C. fresh squeezed orange juice.  Add a little salt or soy sauce.  If you want a slightly thicker sauce, add 1/2 t. corn starch.
Throw the snap peas  in the pan along with the orange juice mix, and cook until the liquid begins to simmer.  Serve the salmon on a bed of the shredded cabbage, with the vegetables on the side.

CSA membership fees ~payment due day is first of month.~~ Quarterly discounts are given for any 3 month period only if paid in advance.
They are given as an extra credit when the payment is applied, you won't see your monthly rate change.

New Rates starting July, 2008: 

Current Rates:

For mid-month changes,  Up/downgrades are $5 per week per increment.  Small to large is $10.

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.  Include your account name in full (what's on the sign off sheet).

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. To be able to read the statements you need to be logged in as an administrator on a PC, and virus programs may corrupt the file. Some Mac operating systems do allow the file to be viewed.  We can't resend them, and it wouldn't work any better the second time anyway.

MAILING ADDRESS:
Terra Firma Farms, Inc
P.O. Box 836
Winters, CA 95694
(530) 756-2800
www.terrafirmafarm.com
Goldenbell@aol.com

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