Flowin' & Growin' on the Central Coast

  We picked the first potatoes this week!   They are soooo creamy and flavorful. I steamed the red norlands with the yellow finns together and smashed them with the back of a fork, just a bit..so they remain chunky and rustic..a drizzle of grassy olive oil, Malden salt and pepper!   Divine! ! The contents of this weeks box includes;

                POTATOES,BABY TURNIPS,FRESH NEW CARROTS, GOLDEN BEETS,PURPLE ONIONS,FRENCH BREAKFAST RADISH,  ALSO NEW THIS WEEK- STRIPPED ZUCCINI, NEW THIS WEEK- BASIL GREEN,CHIVE,DILL,ROMAINE LETTUCE ,BUTTER LETTUCE,SIERRA RED LEAF LETTUCE, TWO BASKETS BERRIES,FENNEL, AND RADICCHIO,ESCAROLE! FINAALY…A BOUQUET OF SUNFLOWERS!    Eat up!!

       PLACE AN ORDER FOR A VEGGIE BOX GIFT ,A TRUE GIFT OF THE HEART.SHOW YOUR LOVED ONE ,PARENT OR FRIEND HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THEM WITH THE GIFT OF HEALTHY VIBRANT CCOF CERTIFIED VEGGIES…YOU COULD ADD FRESH GOAT CHEESE FROM CHOCFARM OR RIVER SOUR-RYE BREAD,OR JAM FROM THE RIVER CAFE INTO THE BOX  FOR EXTRA LOVE!!!   EMAIL US AT BELLASBESTT@YAHOO.COM  OR CALL 566-2604…..THE FLAT COST IS 25 DOLLARS  PLUS 5 FOR DELIVERY ,IF YOU WANT.  PLUS THE CHEESE AND BREAD..8$ FOR BREAD AND CHEVRE  COST DEPENDS ON YOUR AMOUNT ORDERED….BE WELL JANE ,JP AND MS. BELLA!!!!!!!

Although the sun is barely shining these days…the field is pumping with product  !!!   This weeks veggie box includes;

           GOLDEN BEET/RED BEETS/PURPLETTE ONIONS/CARROTS/BABY TURNIPS/FENNEL/2BASKETS OF BELLASBEST BERRIES/RAINBOW CHARD/ESCAROLE/FRISEE/BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE /BAG OF DEER TONGUE LETTUCE/ROMAINE HEARTS/OAK LEAF LETTUCE/PURPLE BASIL/PARSLEY/PURPLE RADISH!!!!!!!~

     It is our hope that you all enjoy the bounty as much as we dig growing it for you! I hope we all share recipes and ideas for preparation on this blog as the summer veggie treats continue.  

Please feel free to call me at 566-2604…love to all  jane

Please click on the VEGGIE BOX catagory for the latest box contents and farm news!!  Thanks!

Hi everyone,  The season is moving right along. We have had a lot of high fog and clouds the last ten days and are hoping for a little more sunshine. We planted raspberries and blackberries last November and are having fun picking the first fruit set off the raspberries this week. The blackberries won’t have any fruit until next year. The strawberries are rocking and taste great!!! Our expanded vegetable productions makes me pleased to announce this years VEGGIE BOXES. Veggie box is our version of a  CSA (community supported agriculture) . We are going to start off slow and will be signing people up this month who are interested in joining. All one has to do is email us back at bellasbestt@yahoo.com or comment on this blog or call us at 831 566 2604. The cost is 25 dollars a week.We are asking for a month committment to start.Soon, you will be able to go to the VEGGIE BOXES page to get info and updates. This weeks boxes included the following…

carrots,beets,head lettuces,arugula,spinach,dandylion greens,french radish,cilantro,parsley,chervil,and two baskets of berries,strawberries!!

We are looking forward to another great season of flowin’ and growin’ on the central coast!! Thanks to all!!! JP

Just wanted to thank everyone who participated in the Slow Food Nation event up in San Fransisco last weekend. We were happy to be able to show case our dry farmed tomatoes at the outside market. It was an opportunity to meet lots of new people and reconnect with some of our foodie farmer friends. What a fantastic turn out of people for such a great movement. If you haven’t heard of Slow Food Nation check it out at www.slowfoodnation.org 

Sorry, I haven’t had time to write anything new on our site.  The farm is rocking along and everything is growing great.  The dry farmed tomatoes are our pride and joy but the veggies are looking and tasting fabulous as well.  We have had a very productive season so far and it does not look like its going to slow down anytime soon.  I will be trying to keep the website updated but for now it’s business time.

Let me tell you. I consider my self to be a very compassionate person when it comes to other living things on this planet, but when it comes to gophers all that compassion seems to wash away and my killer instincts seem to take over.  One of the hardest things about being a organic farmer is trying to figure out how to deal with your pest problems in a biological safe manner. As a practictioner of  organic pest management (no chemical pesticides) I am striving to achieve a   growing environment that is optimal for my plants and thus all soil life..   My organic system works great, but every now and then one of these pests, and should I say one of these small, furry, and some what cute pests, will decide to take a little more than their share of the balance.  So with that said, let me tell you a little about organic strawberry growing. Typically when you plant strawberries on a larger scale you use a plastic mulch over your raised beds.  That is what we have done this year and it works great for keeping the weeds down, soil warm, and fruit from laying on the dirt. What it doesn’t work well for is letting you have easy access to your gopher population.  They love to get in the middle of your raised beds and run a tunnel right down the middle.  In doing so they destroy your strawberries root system and stress your plant to the point of not being able to produce fruit.   This is what is happening right now in our beautiful strawberry field as a type this post.  I wish I had an answer for the best way to deal with this problem but  I’m unable to come up with one.  Traps don’t work well because you can’t see where the little furry monsters’ mounds have been created. Traps seem to be the only method in organic farming that is somewhat effective in controlling your gopher population.  All I can say is in moments like this and being the compassionate person I am is..leave gopher leave!

The first planting of dry farmed tomatoes are in the ground and the weather is finally behaving. The fields look great and everything is growin! We will keep you posted. Also, check out Jane’s new yoga site for here class schedules on our blogroll. Namaste!

Wow - it still hasn’t let up on the cold nights – we’ve got too much frost! Baby tomatoes don’t like it.