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Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter |
By Local Artist Betsy Strebe |
Red Bypsy Peppers(all)
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Long story short, 1) Some Medium subscribers have been accidentally taking Large boxes home, and 2) Vice Versa. We are now taking an important step to avoid this problem:
Beginning this week, we will ensure that Small, Medium, and Large subcriptions
are packed in three distinctly different boxes. While I wish I could
tell you exactly which boxes those will be, I can’t — different volumes
in the boxes from week to week may require us to make changes. In
other words, just because you get your produce in a certain sized box one
week doesn’t mean you’ll be getting the same type of box two weeks later.
However, we will continue to label the small and large boxes. Please
take a moment at your drop-off each week to note the difference between
the sizes of the boxes, and when you leave the drop-off, please check both
ends of your box to make sure that you aren’t getting the wrong size.
In the case that there are no more boxes of the appropriate size
when you arrive, we ask that you please do not take another sized box.
We realize that this is a disappointing occurrence, but it is the best
way to avoid compounding the problem. We ask, rather, that you call
or email us immediately and report your missing box. We will credit
you for the full value of the box plus for your inconvenience.
Phew.
FIGS
Before I moved to California, I had never eaten a fresh fig — they
sell in New York for as much as $1 each, which tends to discourage people
from trying them for the first time. Now that I live in the Sacramento
Valley, I know that figs are among the only tree crops — along with olives,
pomegranates and, to a lesser extent, grapes — that could naturally survive
the hot, arid summers here. They thrive in the gravelly, fast-draining
hillsides of the valley and will die if overwatered in more fertile alluvial
soils. Dry soil is not only good for the trees, it concentrates the
sugar in the fruit. Their drought tolerance makes them probably the
most “ecologically sustainable” fruit you can eat in California.
But that’s not the coolest thing about fig trees for me. Back when I first moved to the farm, not knowing anything at all about tree fruit, I remember being acutely disappointed after the apricot harvest was over. All those big trees, and the fruit all got picked in just two weeks? What a bummer. The whole rest of the year, it was just trees, leaves, branches, but no fruit. Same goes for peaches, plums, apples, oranges — you name it. The fruit ripens all at once, and once it’s all picked, you have to wait another year to get any ripe fruit from the tree.
Not so with figs. Figs fruit continuously once the temperature gets warm enough. In a good year, you get three more or less distinct harvests off each tree — first in June, second in July or early August, and last in September. With two or three varieties, you can sometimes get a constant, regular harvest all the way through the summer. It’s not a tree, it’s nature’s candy store.
Unfortunately, the first crop of figs this year was knocked off the
trees by hot wind in May. Some years, the same thing happens to the
third crop. So these could be the only figs this summer. We’ll
see.
Figs are generally bigger, and softer-skinned, early in the season.
Late season figs are denser and sweeter, but smaller and with tougher skins.
Many people choose not to eat the skin of figs, which can irritate your
lips. If you find figs too sweet to eat raw, you might try the fig
tart recipe, which has a fairly un-sweet crust.
A FRUITY BOX
Small and medium box subscribers this week will find that over 50%
of their box is fruit. There are two melons (1 for small boxes),
the small weekly dose of stonefruit from Eatwell, and also a basket of
figs. Figs have been few and far between this year, so they caught
us a little off guard. We may have them in the boxes another week
or two, or not. I don’t know.
I’m sure that many people won’t have a problem with the quantity of
fruit in the boxes — in terms of value, we are truly loading the boxes
up right now — but it may make it difficult to plan any meals around your
Terra Firma produce. Remember that the Large box is always an option
this time of year — it has all the fruit, plus lots more “cooking vegetables”.
You can switch back to medium at any time. In fact, we currently
have about double the number of Large subscribers that we had through the
spring, and we can accommodate plenty more.
PEPPERS
Pepper season is here. You will find red peppers in your boxes
most weeks from now through October. While peppers are a little more
one-dimensional than tomatoes in flavor, they are very versatile — you
can eat them raw like fruit, dip them in peanut butter instead of celery,
stuff them with rice or cheese and bake in the oven, or add them to soups
and sauces. But by far the most common way to use them is to roast
them in the oven or on the grill, which brings out a whole other aspect
of their character. Prepared this way, you can save them for later
— either refrigerating for up to a week to eat on sandwiches and in salads,
or freezing them to add to winter soups and stews.
And it’s almost a cliché by now, but some people still don’t know — ounce for ounce, red peppers have far more Vitamin C than oranges. We grow several varieties, from fat, blocky bells to the smaller, skinnier Gypsys. They are all sweet and no heat, and can be used in any recipe calling for red bell peppers.
Thanks,
Pablito
| Recipes |  |
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Summer Souffle — from Marlena Spieler’s
Vegetarian Bistro Cooking
Preheat the oven to 425. Beat 5 egg whites
with a pinch of salt until stiff, glossy peaks form. Butter a 4 C.
souffle dish and coat the inside with 2 T. Grated parmesan cheese.
Cut the kernels off 3 ears of corn. Mix
with 3 egg yolks, 2 C. tomato coulis, and 1 1/2 C. grated Gruyere cheese.
Stir in 1/2 of the beaten whites, then fold in the remaining whites.
Pour into the souffle dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until the souffle
is puffed and golden brown. Serve with the remainder of the coulis
as a sauce.
Fig & Nectarine (Peach) Tart
This tart relies on the fruit for most of its
sweetness.
Combine 1 C. unbleached white flour with 3 T.
ground walnuts, 1/4 C. sugar, and a pinch of salt. Add 6 T.
cold unsalted butter, 1 egg yolk, 2 T. water, and the zest of 1 lemon.
The dough will barely hold together — roll into a ball and refrigerate
for 1 hour.
Roll out the tart dough into a 20 inch circle,
then fit into a 12 inch tart pan.
Cut 1 basket of figs into halves or quarters,
and distribute around the tart. Cut 2-3 nectarines in slices and
arrange around the figs. (The fruit should be only a single layer,
or the crust will not cook correctly) In the gaps, fit whole or half hazelnuts,
or large pieces of walnuts. Drizzle the fruit with 3 T. melted butter
and sprinkle with 1/4 C. brown sugar.
Bake for 45-50 minutes at 375 degrees, until the
fruit is caramelized and the crust lightly browned.
| Produce 101:
FIGS are extremely perishable and delicate. Keep them refrigerated, in a plastic bag, until your eat them. Even then, they will begin to dry out in just a few days. This doesn’t ruin them — in fact, it makes them even sweeter — but they will lose some of their juicy softness. NECTARINES this week come again from Eatwell Farm’s CCOF certified orchard, on the other side of Winters. Remember: Keep them at room temperature until they soften, then put them in the coldest part of your fridge until eaten. |
| Monthly | Quarterly | Yearly | Vacation | |
| Small box | 52 | 150 | 580 | 12 |
| Medium Box | 78 | 222 | 870 | 18 |
| Large Box | 104 | 295 | 1160 | 24 |
| 43 | 124 | 480 | 18 |
Prepay by 5th of month please,
for the month, or get the quarterly rate for prepaying for any three month
period.
Up/downgrades are $5 per week per
increment ~ ie up one size +5, up from small to large +10.
Vacations & Billing Inquiries
We need seven days notice before
a vacation hold or other change of service.
Contact Valerie through e-mail Goldenbell@aol.com,
or voicemail at (530) 756-2800.
To donate your box to Foodrunners,
please call 415-929-1866 or go to www.foodrunners.org
MAILING ADDRESS:
Terra Firma Farm
P.O. Box 836
Winters, CA 95694
(530) 756-2800
www.terrafirmafarm.com
Goldenbell@aol.com
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