We’re rapidly approaching the end of another Full Belly summer. Melons were picked, flowers were bunched and dried, tomatoes were packed, and our bellies were filled with the delicious summer bounty. We generally do not count time in days; instead we observe the changing seasons by the way the mornings feel (the cooler the better!), the flav [...]
News from the Farm | September 18, 20...
We’re rapidly approaching the end of another Full Belly summer. Melons were picked, flowers were bunched and dried, tomatoes were packed, and our bellies were filled with the delicious summer bounty. We generally do not count time in days; instead we observe the changing seasons by the way the mornings feel (the cooler the better!), the flav [...]
News from the Farm | September 11, 20...
It’s getting to the time of the summer when everything looks a little dusty and tired, the people included, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of neat things to see. Need some examples?
First – the arrival of Canelé last Wednesday morning! Both she and Eclaire (her mom) are doing great!
Then, there’s all the funny looking “ugly” [...]
Vierra Farms
“It’s in my blood, I can’t help it!” David Vierra says of his passion for farming. Ellard Vierra, David’s grandfather, was instrumental in settling the Sacramento River Delta in the 1920’s, and he farmed full-time until the mid-1960’s. Though David’s father didn’t work on the family farm, he was involved in agriculture with his own custom h [...]
News from the Farm | September 4, 202...
Friday morning’s meeting – every Friday, we start the day with stretches and exercises (usually led by Andrew) followed by announcements.
Like every morning this summer, our crew of about 90 came to work today to plant, irrigate, weed, irrigate, pick, and pack our harvest for distribution to the many purchasers of our produce. Fo [...]
News from the Farm | August 28, 2023
August is the busiest month on the farm with a never-ending list of things to do. What was keeping us busy last week?
LOTS of harvesting, packing, sorting:
It’s been nonstop, especially for our biggest crops of the summer: melons, tomatoes, and flowers. Our heirloom tomatoes are starting to slow down, but the heirloom harvesting crew still [...]
Because of You
In 1992, our mother, Kathleen Barsotti, founded Farm Fresh To You, delivering farm-fresh, organic produce to homes and offices. It was her belief that an important part of sustainable agriculture is connecting people to the land that grows their food.
After a courageous nine-year battle with breast cancer, our mother passed away in 2000. A [...]
Straight Rye Whiskey
The post Straight Rye Whiskey appeared first on Patio29 Spirits Company.
2023 Hoes Down Harvest Festival
It’s back! Join us for the 2023 Hoes Down Harvest Festival at Full Belly Farm on October 7, 2023.
More information here.
The post 2023 Hoes Down Harvest Festival first appeared on Full Belly Farm.
News from the Farm | August 21, 2023
Among the seemingly endless fields of melons, tomatoes, winter squash, and other warm-weather crops, we currently have several fields of cover crops going strong. Yes – that photo of the lush green above was taken this morning (August 21, 2023) on an unseasonably cool, cloudy, and drizzly day; it’s not a photo from earlier this year. C [...]
Wild River Fruit
Wild River Fruit has been a farm partner of ours for over 25 years and has grown fruit outside Marysville, CA on land bordering the Yuba River for nearly 60 years. From the early days of farming canning peaches to transitioning acreage to kiwi fruit and then becoming certified organic and adding pluots, persimmons and mandarins, the farm has [...]
News from the Farm | August 14, 2023
A few weeks ago, we shared an interview with Isshin, one of our interns. Today I’d like to share an interview with Mai Inoue, another Full Belly Farm intern, and also a member of the 2022-2023 Japanese Agricultural Training Program cohort. You may have met her at a Saturday Palo Alto farmers market or Pizza Night over the past year, plus she [...]
News from the Farm | August 14, 2023
A few weeks ago, we shared an interview with Isshin, one of our interns. Today I’d like to share an interview with Mai Inoue, another Full Belly Farm intern, and also a member of the 2022-2023 Japanese Agricultural Training Program cohort. You may have met her at a Saturday Palo Alto farmers market or Pizza Night over the past year, plus she [...]
News from the Farm | August 7, 2023
In honor of National Farmer’s Market Week, I would like to thank all of you who attend farmer’s markets regularly; you are directly supporting small (and often, family) farms like ours and also nourishing yourself with the best food on Earth! I also want to encourage those of you who’ve maybe never been to one to give it a try. Farmer’s mark [...]
News from the Farm | August 7, 2023
In honor of National Farmer’s Market Week, I would like to thank all of you who attend farmer’s markets regularly; you are directly supporting small (and often, family) farms like ours and also nourishing yourself with the best food on Earth! I also want to encourage those of you who’ve maybe never been to one to give it a try. Farmer’s mark [...]
News from the Farm | August 7, 2023
In honor of National Farmer’s Market Week, I would like to thank all of you who attend farmer’s markets regularly; you are directly supporting small (and often, family) farms like ours and also nourishing yourself with the best food on Earth! I also want to encourage those of you who’ve maybe never been to one to give it a try. Farmer’s mark [...]
Yolo County Nut Buying Period Announc...
PRESS RELEASE
Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner Humberto Izquierdo announced today that the nut buying period will begin August 1, 2023 and will run through April 1, 2024, in accordance with the county’s nut theft ordinance.
On May 13, 2014,…
News from the Farm | July 31, 2023
After starting tomato seeds in the greenhouse in winter, transplanting them (late) in April, staking, and tying them, plus other steps in between, it’s undeniably tomato time. Three different harvest teams (one for cherry tomatoes, one for heirlooms, and one for early girls, romas, and slicers) are busy picking, giving the packing team plen [...]
News from the Farm | July 24, 2023
I love looking through the years of archived Beet newsletters. They document wet years, dry years, the experiences of many interns who’ve long left the farm, important milestones (like our transition to the plastic boxes, as well as weddings, births, trips, deaths), and events that have come and gone, and bigger issues that we still deal wit [...]
Watermelon, Blueberry and Feta Salad
Crunchy, sweet, salty and tangy, this salad is
easy to make and perfect for summer. This recipe is vegetarian but can
easily be made vegan if you use vegan Feta.
(Serves 8)
Ingredients:1 seedless watermelon (8 cups), diced into small cubes2 cups blueberries¼ cup mint or basil leaves, coarsely chopped¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled¼ cup [...]
News from the Farm | July 17, 2023
Last week’s deep dive into our plastic CSA boxes and wax boxes (which you can read, or reread, here) got pretty detailed, but I realized during the rest of the week that we’d barely scratched the surface when it comes to boxes and packaging. The Beet could probably focus on some aspect of packaging and post-harvest handling every week! But t [...]
News from the Farm | July 10, 2023
This week marks a CSA milestone: ten years ago, we stopped using waxed cardboard boxes for the CSA and started using the green plastic “Stop Waste” boxes*. We call them our “Stop Waste” boxes because the initial box purchase was aided by a grant from StopWaste. At the time of the switch, Judith wrote “this is a trial run” and since we’re sti [...]
Summertime is Tomato Time
Tomatoes grow in a dazzling array of sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors, making them the most popular garden crop of the last 200 years. Here at Farm Fresh To You we love our tomatoes, and we know you do too!
Whether growing them at a farm scale or in a home garden, tomatoes taste the absolute best at the height of summer, when the sun, so [...]
News from the Farm | July 3, 2023
It’s my pleasure to introduce you to one of our interns, Isshin Itaka, who is also a member of the 2022-2023 Japanese Agricultural Training Program cohort. He arrived last August and is a staple of the Saturday Palo Alto farmers market crew, in addition to doing many other tasks around the farm. He takes great photos and videos (and is very [...]
News from the Farm | June 26, 2023
With the solstice this past Wednesday, it’s officially summer. But without the calendar reminder, you’d be forgiven for not realizing. We’re due for some classic June Yolo County heat later this week, but so far, it’s been remarkably temperate and cool, only in the 80s, and slightly brisk in the morning, chilly enough to wear a sweatshirt or [...]
News from the Farm | June 19, 2023
Seeing rolls of twine at the end of a tomato field means someone is about to tie tomatoes, someone is tying tomatoes, or someone just finished tying tomatoes.
Once we’ve staked the plants (refresher, plus video, on that process here), the next step of the tomato growing process is tying. Tomatoes are large, vine-like plants that need some e [...]
