Immersed as we are in our daily living, it’s easy to forget that we live in extraordinary times. This is especially so for agriculture. Communities across the nation are asking questions about who’s growing their food and how. It’s amazing to see the explosion of interest in local food systems as a ... Read More

The Tulare walnuts in this week’s box come from Haag Farm just to the north of Esparto. Jim Haag, a farmer trained in mathematics, has been known to take on such questions as “where’s the start of the Capay Valley?” In a thorough essay on his website, Jim considers more views than a ... Read More

One of the Capay Valley’s most sublime agricultural products is olive oil. Not just any old vegetable oil, this is the extra virgin, highest quality oil available in the world. In keeping with the proclamation of California Olive Oil Month this February by Governor Schwarzenegger, Farm Shop urges everyone to make California ... Read More

My wife has a saying—“try something new and you’ll live a day longer.” It’s guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of those who hear it at the farmers’ market, but in the back of their minds they’re thinking, “is that really true?” Their smile is a silent acknowledgment that the ... Read More

My arrival as a new intern at Full Belly Farm coincided with the onset, or better yet the onslaught, of the January rains. My first 9 days here produced 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 ... Read More

Last May several colleagues at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) met over lunch to discuss how the hospital could introduce more fresh and nutritious foods for both patients and staff. The conversation caught on quickly and has grown into Heartbeets, an institution-wide effort to create a healthy food environment for the hospital’s ... Read More

Farming organically in Rumsey for more than 30 years has taught John and Gretchen Ceteras how to best play the hand nature deals them. At Blue Heron Farm, located on an elevated bank along Cache Creek at the mouth of Rumsey Canyon, they grow some of the finest oranges available anywhere. Their ... Read More

One of Farm Shop’s goals is to build relationship between you and the source of your food, specifically the small family farms in and around the Capay Valley. Elemental to this relationship is place of origin — the provenance of your food. So, I’d like to share a little about why the ... Read More

Food available through the Farm Shop exists due to a common but critical service provided by nature—pollination. This complex act—performed daily by insects, wind or birds transferring pollen from one flower’s stamen to another’s pistil—is truly an amazing relationship, one that has evolved over millions of years. The workhorse of pollination is the ... Read More

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 7th and 8th were cold nights, as ... Read More