Some of you may have wondered why your FarmShares contents last week did not match the list we put in the newsletter. It is our every intention to follow through with our plan for each week’s delivery, but last week, it seemed almost impossible. December 7^th and 8^th were cold nights, as I am sure you remember, and folks here were wrapping pipes and leaving a trickle running to keep water lines from freezing up and bursting. Farmers were covering citrus trees with what is usually used for ground cover and running irrigation in the hopes of saving their crops. One farm kept employees working well after dark, harvesting as much cauliflower and other frost sensitive crops as possible. Well, we made it through this cold spell, which went down to 10 F in some places, but it was a little rough.

Our orders came in on Tuesday and by the time we realized we had been shorted on many of the items (due to frost damage), it was too late to find more. For this reason we wound up substituting items that were not on the weekly list.

Riverdog Farm, a consistent supplier for the FarmShares, lost 5 acres of broccoli. This included each of their successive plantings meant to keep them harvesting steadily through February. They also lost cauliflower, many greens, and some of their root crops. Tim Mueller of Riverdog is looking at the positive side of the cold weather: that low temperatures make some vegetables sweeter. Their carrots, cabbage, spinach and other crops actually taste even better after having endured the frost.

Over at Full Belly Farm, much of the lettuces and greens were frozen, the more succulent ones being hit the hardest. Trying to get a new planting in to replace the one lost is slow going this time of year. Seed germination, which greatly depends on soil temperature and day length, may take a week in the summer, but can take 3-4 weeks in the winter. Fortunately these neighboring farms are diversified enough to be able to keep their operations open when hard weather hits, but they won’t have as much to offer for a little while.

Blue Heron Farm, known for its exceptionally sweet citrus, including Washington navel oranges, did all it could to preserve its crop. Based on the idea that well watered trees are less susceptible to frost damage, owner John Ceteras kept his trees well irrigated last week. The extra effort paid off and Blue Heron Farm is beginning their annual orange harvest this week.

As a member of the Capay Valley Farm Shop’s FarmShares program you are helping to support these and other local growers and their sustainable farming practices. This support helps to ensure production of food that is the freshest and most nutritious available. Thank you!

- Nina Andres