We are rapidly approaching the end of the calendar year, and the end of the Full Belly Farm year (December 9) is even closer.
These approaching milestones usually lead me to reflect upon the past year and plan for the upcoming year. Something that’s been on my mind more than usual recently has been the “C” in CSA, community. Who is in our co [...]
News from the Farm | November 27, 202...
We are rapidly approaching the end of the calendar year, and the end of the Full Belly Farm year (December 9) is even closer.
These approaching milestones usually lead me to reflect upon the past year and plan for the upcoming year. Something that’s been on my mind more than usual recently has been the “C” in CSA, community. Who is in our co [...]
News from the Farm | November 20, 202...
The storm clouds that had been flirting with us for a week dropping a few drizzles became serious Friday evening. The field activities, cover crop planting and terminating tomato and pepper fields, stopped. We parked tractors and seeders inside and reveled in the feisty winds and the melody of rainfall.
The heavy clouds were generous, releas [...]
Preparing the Perfect Turkey
We are happy to again offer healthy delicious Pasture-Raised Turkey from Ferndale Farms. The family has been raising turkeys on their 3rd generation farm since 1939.
Ferndale turkeys are grown in harmony with the seasons, — they are pasture-raised during the summer months and grown in a free-range environment during the winter [...]
News from the Farm | November 13, 202...
It’s another flower update! Flowers are a big part of what we do, so we want everyone to be in the know.
As described last week (which you can read here), this time of year is when we plant most of our spring flowers. On Thursday and Friday, the flower team aided by some interns and Alfonso’s group planted about 2/3 of our bulbs (tulips and [...]
News from the Farm | November 13, 202...
It’s another flower update! Flowers are a big part of what we do, so we want everyone to be in the know.
As described last week (which you can read here), this time of year is when we plant most of our spring flowers. On Thursday and Friday, the flower team aided by some interns and Alfonso’s group planted about 2/3 of our bulbs (tulips and [...]
News from the Farm | November 6, 2023
April showers bring May flowers, but when do you plant those flowers? It varies between years but Full Belly Farm, spring flowers went in the ground on Tuesday and Thursday of last week.
Dru and Jan direct seeded 20 beds of flowers on Tuesday and Jan, the flower team, and Alfredo and his crew transplanted 24 beds of flowers on Thursday. Dir [...]
Llano Seco Dry Beans
Now that we’re headed into soup and chili season, it’s a great time to talk about beans. We’re happy to share dry beans from our farming partner Rancho Llano Seco who raises heirloom beans for their rich flavor, texture and history. Heirloom vegetables are old time varieties that are known for their flavor and nutritional value, but [...]
Llano Seco Dry Beans
Now that we’re headed into soup and chili season, it’s a great time to talk about beans. We’re happy to share dry beans from our farming partner Rancho Llano Seco who raises heirloom beans for their rich flavor, texture and history. Heirloom vegetables are old time varieties that are known for their flavor and nutritional value, but tend to [...]
News from the Farm | October 30, 2023
This past week was a good reminder that the weather is in charge, not us. As mentioned last week, we got about an inch of rain on Sunday the 22nd, much more than was forecast. The rain washed off the thick coat of dust blanketing everything, making people and plants alike feel a little refreshed and brighter. However the rain dictated what h [...]
News from the Farm | October 23, 2023
Farmers are always talking about the weather but this Sunday’s rain was definitely worth talking about. We got between 0.85 and 1 inch of rain, depending on which rain gauge you look at! We’ve been continuing to ease our way into fall as the days cooled down, except for a few mid-90s days last week, but this rain seems like a more concrete t [...]
News from the Farm | October 23, 2023
Farmers are always talking about the weather but this Sunday’s rain was definitely worth talking about. We got between 0.85 and 1 inch of rain, depending on which rain gauge you look at! We’ve been continuing to ease our way into fall as the days cooled down, except for a few mid-90s days last week, but this rain seems like a more concrete t [...]
Lion’s mane mushrooms
Lion’s mane mushrooms are native to North America, Europe, and Asia and there are several species of edible Hericium that grow in the wild or under cultivation. They have several common names that come from their shaggy appearance which can range from dangling icicles to hedgehog spikes to a lion’s mane.
Asian cultures have been using [...]
Lion’s mane mushrooms
Lion’s mane mushrooms are native to North America, Europe, and Asia and there are several species of edible Hericium that grow in the wild or under cultivation. They have several common names that come from their shaggy appearance which can range from dangling icicles to hedgehog spikes to a lion’s mane.
Asian cultures have been using [...]
Little Rae’s Bakery
We love to have fun with seasonal holiday foods and among our favorites are the beautiful and always delicious cookies from Little Rae’s Bakery in Seattle, WA.
An independent craft bakery since 1996, Little Rae’s specializes in hand made, all-natural shortbread cookies with unique festive designs. We caught up with co-owner and CEO Sa [...]
Little Rae’s Bakery
We love to have fun with seasonal holiday foods and among our favorites are the beautiful and always delicious cookies from Little Rae’s Bakery in Seattle, WA.
An independent craft bakery since 1996, Little Rae’s specializes in hand made, all-natural shortbread cookies with unique festive designs. We caught up with co-owner and CEO Sa [...]
News from the Farm | October 16, 2023
The week before Hoes Down, in addition to all the general prep, we also harvested our walnuts!
We grow 12 acres of walnuts. These are large, beautiful old trees that were on the property when the farm was purchased in the 1980s. As a result, they don’t include newer varieties (like Chandler, which currently makes up about a third of all wa [...]
News from the Farm | October 16, 2023
The week before Hoes Down, in addition to all the general prep, we also harvested our walnuts!
We grow 12 acres of walnuts. These are large, beautiful old trees that were on the property when the farm was purchased in the 1980s. As a result, they don’t include newer varieties (like Chandler, which currently makes up about a third of all wa [...]
News from the Farm | October 9, 2023
Well folks, we did it. The 32nd Annual Hoes Down Harvest Festival has come and gone and the farm is almost back to normal. We transformed a working farm into a weekend festival for over 2000 people, we fed, taught, and entertained them, and then we cleaned up and turned it back into a working farm so that we could resume our normal Monday fa [...]
News from the Farm | October 2, 2023
Our warm and cool seasons in the Capay Valley are very different seasons, marked by different crops and different weather. We find ourselves in a period of transition when the cool and warm seasons are briefly overlapping. The tomatoes and melons and other summer crops are winding down, the winter squash are reaching maturity and many variet [...]
Pachamama Coffee Farmers
On National Coffee Day, we are featuring the unique farmer cooperative, Pachamama Coffee Farmers. Pachamama is completely owned and governed by smallholder coffee farmers in Africa and Latin America. Their certified organic coffee comes directly from farmers who carefully grow their beans under shade canopy utilizing indigenous farming [...]
Pachamama Coffee Farmers
On National Coffee Day, we are featuring the unique farmer cooperative, Pachamama Coffee Farmers. Pachamama is completely owned and governed by smallholder coffee farmers in Africa and Latin America. Their certified organic coffee comes directly from farmers who carefully grow their beans under shade canopy utilizing indigenous farming [...]
Kiwi berries
Only available for a short window in the fall, we are excited to tell you about the kiwi berry,– a miniature cousin to a kiwi that you can eat whole!
At first glance, kiwi berries look like a grape, but if you slice one open, the appearance is just like a full-size kiwi. Instead of a fuzzy skin, kiwi berries have smooth green, br [...]
Kiwi berries
Only available for a short window in the fall, we are excited to tell you about the kiwi berry,– a miniature cousin to a kiwi that you can eat whole!
At first glance, kiwi berries look like a grape, but if you slice one open, the appearance is just like a full-size kiwi. Instead of a fuzzy skin, kiwi berries have smooth green, br [...]
News from the Farm | September 25, 20...
It’s officially fall! But even without seeing the note on the calendar about the fall equinox, there were some clear signs last week that fall was upon us:
It was noticeably cooler by the end of the week, meaning it was time to break out the layers that we haven’t needed for a few months.
The sun is rising later and setting earlier. The f [...]
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 [...]
