News From the Farm
My arrival as a new intern at the farm coincided with the onset, or better yet the onslaught, of the January rains. My first nine days here saw almost 10 inches of rain. For people like me who come from the city, rain is easily avoided. It's something we observe from a safe distance, behind a window, inside a warm and toasty climate-controlled environment. If we have to go outside, well, a windshield wiper here, an umbrella there, and it's almost as if the rain never happened.
On the farm, however, the rain is a force to be reckoned with, and it has influenced pretty much everything I've done. It turned the farm's already heavy clay soils into a sticky, wet-cement-like goop that threatened to swallow me up with every step. It crept into my "waterproof" raingear no matter how carefully I tried to seal off every opening. It knocked out the power and our water pumps for a day, requiring us to wash the muddy veggies in icy-cold rainwater. It somehow seeped into the trailer of chicken feed, rotting its contents, forcing us to mix and grind a new batch. It caused me to get the forklift stuck in the exact same puddle of mud twice in a span of 30 minutes (okay maybe that was somewhat my fault). It drearily dampened my first farmer's market. It persistently postponed my painting plans. And it empowered Cache Creek, behind the farm, to menacingly rise up in a fit of dirty-brown rage, threatening to breach its banks. It even entered into my dreams: I attempted to ford the river, but was swept away by the overwhelming current and taken for a wild ride...
What I will remember most, though, about these rains happened on the very first morning of my very first day. I headed out with the picking crew in the driving rain and promptly found myself in the middle of a cabbage field with a big, open-topped backpack strapped to my shoulders. My job was basically to just stand there as people tossed cabbages into the bag from every direction. For a moment I actually thought that they had given me the easy job. It turns out that while a few cabbages are no big deal, a full pack of 30 or 40 water-logged Savoys is a weighty proposition. Somehow, I had to lug my bracingly heavy load about 100 yards down the row in my rubber boots and yellow poncho/spacesuit through the deluge of rain and that aforementioned sticky, wet-cement-like goop to a waiting truck, all without falling over and spilling those cabbages like bowling balls into the field. With every step, half of my boot would disappear into the muck. I stared straight ahead and struggled forward, resolute and determined, thinking to myself that if all those yoga classes this past year, all those Tulandasana "Balancing-Stick" and Padangustasana "Toe Stand" and Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana "Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee" poses were worth anything, absolutely anything at all, then I would stay balanced, stay on my feet, and make it to that truck at the end of the rainbow and unload those cabbages. I was sure that I was going to fall. I felt the eyes of every crew member burning into my back, just waiting for me to tumble over. I could already hear them laughing and retelling the story time and time again; I would never live it down. Right... left... right... left... must... get... cabbages... to... the... truck...
Well, wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, I made it to that truck. Without falling. Yes, somehow I did it. And as I breathed a sigh of relief and unloaded my precious cargo, I broke out in a big smile. On the farm, the work doesn't end when it starts to rain. For me especially, the work is just beginning.
-- Rawley Johnson
Boxes Matter
Watch this farm-fresh video on how to break them down!
Re-using our boxes helps keep our overhead low, meaning keep our prices low for you. First, we appreciate that our members are great about making sure we get our boxes back. The next thing we need to focus on is getting them back in good condition. Unfortunately opening them and breaking them down are not intuitive and they have a tendency to get ripped in the process, making them unusable for the next time. We tried to make this fun by having one of our adorable farm kids create a "how-to" video -- it's only 18 seconds long: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mffXD8U0H6U
--Thanks to Capay Valley Growers
Keep It Running Smoothly
Our CSA veggie box program is fortunate to enjoy the contributions of many people, from the volunteer drivers who take our boxes to the Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic every week, to the site hosts who allow us to drop off boxes at their homes and businesses for our members to pick up.
Our pick-up site hosts often have dozens of members coming to their property to pick up boxes. Inevitably there are associated inconveniences, most of which can be avoided with a little bit of consideration by members. Here are some CSA rules:
1. Pick up your box only during the hours listed on our web site and sign-in sheet. These are the hours that the host has set. We do not guarantee the boxes past the designated pick-up times. No credit is issued if you arrive late to claim a box, but find none there.
2. Do not leave a mess!
3. Direct your questions to Full Belly, not to the host. Please don't disturb the host.
4. Please notify us five days in advance if you would like to defer your box.
New Pick Up Site Opens in Down Town Oakland!
A very nice new pick up site has opened up in the heart of downtown Oakland, on Franklin Street by 12th and Broadway. Pick-ups will be on Tuesday from 12-4pm. If you have friends that would find this a convenient location, please let them know, it could save them a few shopping trips!
Family & Friends Can Get the Electronic Beet as Well
We are sending an electronic Beet to the primary e-mail address that we have listed for your account. If you have friends or family who would also like to see the newsletter, or who share the box with you and would like to see the recipes, send us their e-mail address and we will add them to our list.
Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic
A partnership between the Full Belly CSA program and the Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic has been in place since 1994. Every week, a volunteer delivers five Full Belly boxes to the clinic for distribution to clients. Full Belly CSA members help to make this possible by earmarking boxes for the Clinic.
The Clinic serves women battling cancer while living on less than $10,000 a year. They provide hands-on treatments such as acupuncture and massage, as well as social services like food, transportation and interpretation. The clinic's program is a model of holistic and effective care for under-served women. The Clinic is a frontline referral site within the shrinking Bay Area safety net for women with cancer. This year they expect to serve 750 women, an increase of almost 50% in their client base in the last four years.
For the first time in its 18 year history Charlotte Maxwell is struggling to keep the doors open. But they were recently gifted $80,000 in matching funds by a small group of donors and are asking for donations in order to make the match. Their website has information on donating with a credit card (www.charlottemaxwell.org- on the donate page). You can also mail a check to CMCC, 610 16th Street, Suite 426, Oakland, CA 94612.
Full Belly Unbleached Cotton Bags for Sale
The bags are 12 x 14 inches and close with a drawstring. You can order a packet of 4 of your very own bags for $10.00. The print on them is olive green. You can also buy the bags at any of the Full Belly farmers markets.
On-Line Bill Paying
We know that many of our members and potential members would love it if we started accepting credit card payments. Here's one potential alternative: On-line bill paying. More and more of our members are using it to pay their CSA bills. You set it up with your own bank so that they automatically generate the check and send it to us at the interval that you specify.
Unpasteurized, Organic, Frozen Apple Juice
Quarts are $4 or 2 for $6.
Half Gallons sold out!
Full Belly's apple juice will be delivered once per month to your CSA drop sites. It will arrive frozen, in ice chests with a list on the chest of the people whose juice is inside. The next delivery week will be March 2nd through 6th. Deadline for orders is February 26th. Note that with a pre-order, apple juice can be picked up any week at our Farmers Markets.
ON SALE! Full Belly Wine
Full Belly Farm, in partnership with our friends at Full Moon Vineyards is offering 2007 Rose and Red wines made with our organically grown grapes.
Our wines are on sale for your Spring picnics:
Rose: $12/bottle (this includes tax)
Red: $17/bottle (this includes tax)
10% discount for cases (including a mixed case).
You can pick up your order at one of the Full Belly farmers markets (Tuesday afternoon in Berkeley, Thursday morning in San Rafael or Saturday morning in Menlo Park). Case quantities can be delivered, depending on location. If you wish to order some, call (530-796-2214) or email (csa@fullbellyfarm.com) for details. Checks should be made out to Full Moon Vineyards.
Special Orders!
Sun Dried Stockton Red & Yellow Onions -- $4 for 1/4 lb. bag with a nice label or $12/lb. bulk
Sun Dried Peaches -- $5 for 1/2 lb. or $10/lb.
Almonds -- $10/lb.
Call or e-mail us with your order and send a check to Full Belly Farm, P.O. Box 220, Guinda, CA 95637.
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