With the continuous sunshine, and the length of the days growing, many of the crops are beginning to think about making their next move. The stone fruit orchard, which now sits with bare branches are beginning to swell at their nodes, soon little flowers will be popping out of the branches that did . . . → Read More: Farm News by Thaddeus Barsotti – Feels Like Spring]]> With the continuous sunshine, and the length of the days growing, many of the crops are beginning to think about making their next move. The stone fruit orchard, which now sits with bare branches are beginning to swell at their nodes, soon little flowers will be popping out of the branches that did not get pruned off by Ricardo and his crew. The grapes are in a similar situation, but their bud break will be with their first leaves, not flowers, and their branches are vines that have been trained to grow as strong as a tree.

We were late getting some of our winter crops into the ground last fall. The cabbages were planted thirty days after they should have been. The thirty days of growing in August that they missed were days of very warm weather which would have grown the plants much more quickly than the cool winter weather that they now sit in. The cabbages are small and growing slowly but my concern is that some of them have already started to go to flower. If you are a farmer growing crops for seed, that is the whole goal, get the plant to flower and produce seeds. If you are a farmer growing crops for food, like me, that is exactly what you do not want to have happen. The late planting also put the harvest of the cabbage at exactly the same time as our chard, bok choy, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach so some of these little guys will be going home with our family of employees and through other donations. We are happy to share the bounty of our mistake. Next year we will get it right on.

With the weather feeling like spring, we have been talking a lot about our events program. Plans are being made to have a great year of farm tours. Our Capay and southern California farm tours will start in March and continue through October. Get ready to come and visit your farm. It will be a great experience for everyone. More details coming soon!

We had a special visit out at the farm this week. Todd and Katherine of Good Faith Farm of Flournoy, CA  brought us some amazing tasting, organic olives from their farm. Capay Organic sales will now be selling these olives to our restaurant customers.

Todd and Katherine are  an energetic couple who have . . . → Read More: Capay Organic To Sell Good Faith Farm Olives]]> We had a special visit out at the farm this week. Todd and Katherine of Good Faith Farm of Flournoy, CA  brought us some amazing tasting, organic olives from their farm. Capay Organic sales will now be selling these olives to our restaurant customers.

Todd and Katherine are  an energetic couple who have a wonderful vision of how olives should be made ready for the plate. They treated us to a generous sampling of their old grove, slow cured, raw olives. No harsh chemical curing will be found in their operation!

After our olive tail-gate party, Todd and Katherine had a picnic at the farm and then left us eagerly awaiting a delivery of their olives.

If you’re interested in including Good Faith Farm olives in your next order, please contact a Capay Organic sales rep at 530-796-0730.

It finally rained! We had a great downpour of rain that resulted in a tractor getting stuck in the mud for a short time and compelled us to wash more mud off of harvested veggies than normal. This rain will make sure our crops have plenty of water without any immediate irrigation and . . . → Read More: Finally, Rain]]> It finally rained! We had a great downpour of rain that resulted in a tractor getting stuck in the mud for a short time and compelled us to wash more mud off of harvested veggies than normal. This rain will make sure our crops have plenty of water without any immediate irrigation and brings a respite from the freezing temperatures of recent cloudless nights.

Capay Organic continues to focus on its work with school districts and other organizations to bring healthy local produce to school lunches, and we have begun working with two small Bay Area farms to get their produce to the Oakland School District.

Gavin,  Thaddeus’ cousin and right hand man, and has been working on some long term soil-testing projects that will allow us to see how our actions affect the health and fertility of the soil over time and how we may best feed the land so that it will be able to feed our . . . → Read More: Cover Cropping and January Donations]]> Gavin,  Thaddeus’ cousin and right hand man, and has been working on some long term soil-testing projects that will allow us to see how our actions affect the health and fertility of the soil over time and how we may best feed the land so that it will be able to feed our children’s children.  This year, at least one of the fields where we have been growing chard will be planted with nitrogen fixing cover crops that will not yield sellable produce but that will rejuvenate the soil.  These legumes include fava beans, peas and vetch and have root nodules that are colonized by anaerobic bacteria called Rhizobium.  These rhizobium convert sources of nitrogen into a form that is usable by plants with an enzyme called nitrogenase.  The presence of oxygen in a plants roots would greatly reduce the activity of the oxygen sensitive nitrogenase produced by these bacteria, but legumes are special.  When the roots of most legumes are colonized by these bacteria, it actually causes the plant to produce an oxygen binding protein called Leghemoglobin (a similar protein to the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in our blood).  It is thanks to this Leghemoglobin that the bacterial enzyme is able to fix nitrogen. Hurray for symbiosis! When the colonized plant dies (in this case when we till it under) the fixed nitrogen is released into the soil and is usable by the nitrogen consuming food crops that we grow.

This week Capay Organic is donating a great deal of mandarins to the Sacramento Food Bank and to a community gleaning project.  We  will also be in attendance and are donating produce to the EcoFarm Conference. For over three decades, the EcoFarm conference has brought food system stakeholders together for education, networking and celebration. We can’t wait!

Photo: Peas, Fava and Vetch

Our intrepid Capay Organic sales team struck out on a fun-filled day in the Napa Valley visiting restaurant and wholesale customers.

Naomi and I (Chase) hit the road to meet Jesse, our farmer’s market manager, who is lucky enough to live in Napa.

Unfortunately, Oxbow Market (where we have multiple customers) was . . . → Read More: Field Trip to Napa!]]> Our intrepid Capay Organic sales team struck out on a fun-filled day in the Napa Valley visiting restaurant and wholesale customers.

Naomi and I (Chase) hit the road to meet Jesse, our farmer’s market manager, who is lucky enough to live in Napa.

Unfortunately, Oxbow Market (where we have multiple customers) was closed for a deep cleaning and some renovation while they were there, but our team was able to visit the adjacent Fatted Calf Charcuterie – Napa (they also opened a location in SF).

Fatted Calf produces very high quality sausage, cured meats, jerky, pickles, sandwiches and the like from meat and vegetables that have been humanely and sustainably raised. Jesse and Naomi gawked at their curing cuts hanging up in the back and even I, the vegetarian of the group, could appreciate their quality and ALMOST succumbed to the temptation to try some of their paper-thin, sliced salami!  Naomi brought brown sugar and bourbon Jerky back for Micaela. Toponia and Taylor sent us on our way with the “best pulled pork sandwich” Naomi has ever had. Toponia orders our Gillham’s eggs regularly and our produce.

The group also swung by Whole Foods Napa. We admired their produce displays and chatted with the produce department.

In St. Helena,  the CO group visited with Executive Chef Michael Tuohy at Dean & Deluca. He purchased from us during his tenure at Grange in the Citizen Hotel in Sacramento and continues to do so at D&D.  His sandwiches and deli offerings were delightful, and he is a great guy!  The coffee there was amazing too!

The team then headed to Press and  walked around the garden behind the restaurant.  Chef Stephen Rogers has a garden for fresh herbs and more. We supply Press  with what veggies it does not grow! Chef Rodgers is enjoying the Press winter break, so they did not have a chance to see him this visit.

We  spent the rest of the time getting the lay of the land in Napa and strategizing to build up our Napa route – a great day in the heart of restaurant country!

Planning for the New Year

Last week on a business trip to San Francisco (yes, I do leave the farm on occasion!), I got to ride in the passenger’s seat in pretty bad 49er game traffic, so I got a lot done on this long ride. I was ordering seeds, mostly tomato seeds, . . . → Read More: Planning for the New Year]]> Planning for the New Year

Last week on a business trip to San Francisco (yes, I do leave the farm on occasion!), I got to ride in the passenger’s seat in pretty bad 49er game traffic, so I got a lot done on this long ride. I was ordering seeds, mostly tomato seeds, and getting to talk to my seed suppliers, which is an enjoyable part of my job.

In addition to ordering seeds for the new year, this week before New Year’s Day is always a week of deep reflection for me and probably most of you.

I think a bit about the year gone by, but mostly I’m anticipating all the seasons of the year to come, wondering what crops will do well and what I will learn that year about farming. Nature always throws a curve ball my way some time during the year, and I get to learn something new about how we produce food.

I’m excited about farm tour season starting in March. We open up our farm in Capay every second Saturday for visitors. Seeing kids and adults alike marvel at how their food is grown always puts a grin on my face. Hearing “I didn’t know that how asparagus grew” is exactly why we open our farm – to connect people with the land that grows their food. We will also be doing more Southern California farm tours in 2012.

Capay Tomato will come in July and our 2^nd annual Capay Crush will happen in September. We’re thinking about a few more special events – details to come as soon as we have them.

My family and I wish for you a healthy and prosperous New Year. We also thank you for your support of our family farm in 2011.

-Thaddeus

Capay Organic was pleased to have visitors this past week! Farmers’ Market Manager Jesse Ramer met with the Visitors Program Coordinator for Oakland Farm-to-School Network (Christine Cherdboonmuang) and Nutrition Services Director for Oakland Unified School District (Jennifer Le Barre).

Oakland Unified School District runs a program called Fresh School Produce Markets, where they . . . → Read More: Capay Organic Partners with Oakland Unified’s “Fresh School Produce Markets”]]> Capay Organic was pleased to have visitors this past week! Farmers’ Market Manager Jesse Ramer met with the Visitors Program Coordinator for Oakland Farm-to-School Network (Christine Cherdboonmuang) and Nutrition Services Director for Oakland Unified School District (Jennifer Le Barre).

Oakland Unified School District runs a program called Fresh School Produce Markets, where they support local farms by buying produce and having parents of students come in and help host weekly farmers’ markets after school. The goal is to increase access to fresh, organic fruits and vegetables in the urban communities of these schools. Capay Organic has been a key partner in this effort. We grow and deliver a large amount of produce for the markets, and then the schools take it from there. We are expanding our partnership with them in 2012.

This time of year, with the winter solstice upon us, cold and darkness stand out on the farm. In Capay Valley, the sun doesn’t rise so much as it drifts sideways, hovering over the foothills of the coast range and vanishing behind them before you know it. Sometime during last night’s long darkness, . . . → Read More: Flavor of the Frost]]> This time of year, with the winter solstice upon us, cold and darkness stand out on the farm. In Capay Valley, the sun doesn’t rise so much as it drifts sideways, hovering over the foothills of the coast range and vanishing behind them before you know it. Sometime during last night’s long darkness, a real freeze settled down, frosting over the leeks we were planning on harvesting this morning. The outer leaves froze solid and when the sun finally got around to thawing them out it was already mid-morning.

When a plant is frozen, you must not handle it until it thaws. If we had harvested the frozen vegetables, we’d be very disappointed when a few hours later our crates of precious, fresh-cut leeks turned to a black mush. If handled, the sharp ice crystals that have formed in the leaves’ frozen cells will shift around and cause damage. Then, as the leaves thaw, the broken cells leak out. Sharp ice crystals damaging cells are the same reason you don’t rub your frostbitten hands together to thaw them! Just a little winter-themed medical advice from your local farmer here.

As long as it isn’t handled while frozen, hearty plants like the leek aren’t damaged by a moderate freeze alone. According to farmer’s market lore, a freeze may even improve their flavor! Lettuces and hearty greens are also pretty resistant to frost. Sometimes, if the outer leaves are damaged, we just peel them off for the compost bin.

Our workday is already shortened by winter daylight hours and a frost further delays the start of our day, so we have to work fast to harvest them before it gets dark. All considered, frosts are a burden for us on the farm, but maybe when you’re eating the contents of this week’s box, you’ll taste that bonus flavor the frost is said to bring.

Farming always requires a good measure of patience. I am constantly reminded of this. Today, we will finish pulling the weeds out of our current crop of garlic, which has a little story of its own.

Last fall, I decided to plant garlic because I love it, and it is an enjoyable crop . . . → Read More: Green Garlic]]> Farming always requires a good measure of patience. I am constantly reminded of this. Today, we will finish pulling the weeds out of our current crop of garlic, which has a little story of its own.

Last fall, I decided to plant garlic because I love it, and it is an enjoyable crop to grow, but it was tough to find seed at the time we wanted to plant. After weeks of searching we found a little, bought it, and planted a half acre of it — over a year ago. By spring, it had grown up nicely and the seeds had matured. We pulled the heads out of the ground, dried them out a bit, put them in cold storage, and were eager to plant them back in the ground in the fall.

The summer passed with the garlic stored in bins, and we were careful to keep it dry and cool to prevent any rot or early germination. A few months ago when the weather cooled down in September, we decided it was time to plant our precious seeds. We planted them in a field that we irrigated and cultivated twice in order to germinate and kill some of the weed seeds that inevitably accumulate in the soil and threaten to out-compete our little garlic plants.

One morning, the barn was filled with the mouth watering perfume of freshly cracked garlic heads. The crew wears gloves when cracking and striping the heads. Can you imagine how intensely your hands would reek after shucking two tons of garlic? Each clove was separated from the bulb and planted by hand to fill a three-acre field. We are pleased with the growth of our original half-acre investment.

As I am writing this, over two months after we planted it, the first cultivation of the garlic field is almost complete. We started by dragging the tractor cultivator sled through the field to cut out the easy weeds, but the real work was done by hand. Our crew has spent the past five days hoeing and tugging out the dense grasses that sprouted up between the garlic shoots.
In the spring, we will harvest the bulbs and bunches of tender green garlic leaves, and they will make their way to you. Every vegetable has a story!

Big winds picked up mid-morning out here in Capay and continued all day. The sensory experience of walking the farm is drastically different in a wind storm. A big gust will come up and push you back as the leaves rush by under foot, and the wind booms and whistles in your ears. . . . → Read More: Strong Winds]]> Big winds picked up mid-morning out here in Capay and continued all day. The sensory experience of walking the farm is drastically different in a wind storm. A big gust will come up and push you back as the leaves rush by under foot, and the wind booms and whistles in your ears. The air comes right through my jacket, and it’s refreshing, but chilly. I see birds foolish enough to leave their cover getting lashed for it by a big gust. Sometimes, the energy and powerful whooshing and rustling can make you yell out a like a maniac from the excitement and liveliness of it as your hat flies off. It is past time to trade my summer cap for a wool beanie. When I go to eat lunch, I see the fig trees I passed by early this morning are almost stripped of their leaves. The wind storm has whipped off every easy leaf and is now working hard to pull out the stubborn ones. Parts of the orchard seem to go from fall to winter in a single gust.

Last night’s thick fog darkened the soil with moisture, but the winds have already dried it to a light tan. The wind dries out plants too, stressing our sensitive greens in the field, but thankfully there is still a lot of moisture below the surface from the recent rains to rejuvenate them. The big-leafed greens like kale and chard suffer when the wind rustles their leaves together all day. In a couple days, a burn on the edges of the leaves will show from their rubbing together. An upside is that until today, the fields had been too muddy to hand weed, but by this afternoon it hardened up, and we got out to start pulling the volunteer grass from the garlic field. Another nice thing is that the soil is moist enough to keep the dust down.

It’s cold outside in the field and inside our farm office that used to be a barn, the lights can flicker and the phones are spotty. It still squeaks and rattles like a barn in here when the wind really gets going. These wind storms dominate the day’s small talk, and everyone has a lot to say about them. That’s “water cooler” talk on a farm. Everyone talks about the weather, but farmers take it to another level.