A Single Step

An October Farm Visit: Capay Organic Farm

I know it's already November, but I've been meaning to share this experience for a month now.  It was the first week of my Eat Local October pledge when I was cruising around the Ferry Building Marketplace and nonchalantly picked up a blue flyer from a kisok set up by one of the retailers, Farm Fresh to You.

What immediately caught my attention was the announcement in the upper left hand corner:

Halloween Farm Tour
Saturday, Oct. 11th
11AM to 2PM
Visit the Farm & Pick
Your Pumpkin

I had been researching ways to visit some local food sources, be them farms, dairies or cheese-makers, and this was the perfect opportunity.  I invited my friend "D" to join me and we set off on a glorious sunny morning to make the 1-1/2 hour drive from San Francisco into Yolo County and to Capay Organic Farm.

It turned out that the flyer I had picked up was a copy of a weekly newsletter written by Thaddeus Barsotti, one of the owners of Capay Organic Farm.  In essence, the invitation was to customers.  Ooops!  Nevertheless, "D" and I blended in with the dozens of people who were there and we enjoyed the being a place that seemed to be millions of miles away from The City. 

We were the first two people to arrive, and we were joyfully greeted by two women who had set up a tent where they were serving free pumpkin bread, pears and apple cider.  They even had recipes for the pumpkin bread that they passed out.  "D" and I joked that we might be the only two people here and that we'd get the special private tour, but within 30 minutes, the yard was surrounded by families toting their young children & with couples who were seeking a day away from the hustle and bustle of city living.

Thaddeus gave us a walking tour of the farm.  It's 240-acres nesteled bewtween small rolling hills and the Cache Creek.  They grow everything from figs, peaches, mandarins & pistachios to onions, shallots, broccoli, leeks, cabbage, tomatoes, squash, peppers, asparagus, okra, and of course pumpkins.

He was generous beyond belief, not only with the pumpkin bread and cider, but also in allowing us to taste cherry tomatoes and onions straight from the vine.  He also took the time to introduce us to his head farm chief (I've lost my notes, but I believe his name is Ricardo) who has been working the farm for 15+ years.

Onion Fields

Okra

Asparagus (it looks different when it's not in season!)

Of course, the highlight of the day was when Thaddeus walked us to the pumpkin fields and invited all of the attendees to pick their own - again for free - and it was not only fun walking through the field seeking the perfectly shaped and sized pumpkins ("D" was picking one to carve, I was picking one to roast and eat), but it was a joy hearing the laughter of kids with their parents.

Beyond the hospitality shown by Thaddeus and his crew, I came away from this visit truly inspired about what a farmer and a farm can achieve in creating a business.  Thaddeus and his three brothers (who each manage various parts of this business) are true entrepreneurs who have established an organic farm, who have (in the words of Thaddeus) "shamelessly promoted" a CSA program, branding it as Farm Fresh to You, and who have opened a retail grocery store where they sell produce from their farms (and other farms) in one of the most prominent spaces in San Francisco at the Ferry Building.  Unfortunately, I suspect that they are on the cutting edge of "farm marketing."  Not only have they thought of and implemented big ideas to promote their farm and grow sales, but they also attend to details such as writing weekly newsletters, inviting customers to visit the farm, & provide samples and recipes of delicious foods, all of which adds up to just plain and simply great customer service.

I'm not a customer of Farm Fresh to You, but I am certainly a big fan.  And if you ever want to enjoy an afternoon on a farm, I know just the place you should consider.

"D"s perfect pumpkin

Options to Eating Local: Farmer’s Markets

This is my third installment on ways that you can eat local.  Today I'll share the fifth idea, shopping at Farmers' Markets.

If you're like me and a bit wary of receiving too much farm fresh food from a CSA, or perhaps you just enjoy being outdoors or the experience of shopping, then the Bay Area offers you numerous Farmers' Market options.

I heard on the news the other night that it was former California governor Jerry Brown, in the late 1970's, who was responsible for changing regulations that prohibited farmers from selling directly to consumers.  This led to what has now become an explosion in the number of markets in California.  He's been quoted as saying:

The farmers' markets were another step to giving people an opportunity to take more power over their own lives and also to provide another outlet for organic produce.  That is important because the production and distribution of food is increasingly being monopolized and controlled by large corporate structures, large financial structures.

There are now more than 4,600 Farmers Markets in the U.S. (up from 1,700 in 1994), 600+ in California, and based on my own count, more than 100 in the Bay Area.  Not only have they given greater access and options to people who seek fresh from the farm produce, but they have also transformed cities and markets:

• Between 1987 and 1997, sales of fresh fruits and vegetables in the U.S. have more than doubled to about $70 billion per year;
• In order to better compete with Farmers' Markets, the number of items in the average supermarket produce section has risen from 173 to 335;
• Markets often provide access of fresh fruits and vegetables to urban residents who in some neighborhoods do not have access to a grocery store.  Some markets report receiving as much as half its revenue in the form of scrip from Federal and State anti-hunger programs such as the WIC program;
• Farmers' Markets have been used as the centerpiece in urban development, such as at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, or in being the original anchor in what is now the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica;
•  Markets serve as community centers, allowing families to spend a morning together, or to attend special events such as concerts, book readings, cooking demonstrations, and tastings.

There are also considerable benefits realized by farmers.  They keep a larger portion of their revenue than what they would get selling to wholesale distributors.  They get cash instead of having to wait weeks to get a check from a wholesale customer.  And they get to build relationships with customers, from chefs to house-dads. 

This is not to say that there isn't a downside to a farmer working a market.  The hours can be long, and at some of the more popular markets, competition can be fierce.  This has resulted in some farms either cutting back on its market visits, or pulling out completely.  Just the other day, I saw a farmer drop his price for pluots from $2 / pound to $0.50 / pound so he could close for the day and return home.

You might be surprised that there is a market located near you.  I told my friend "D" the other day that I had shopped at a market literally around the corner from where she lives, and she was unawares that it existed.  Again, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers has a tremendous resource in its Food Guide where it lists the markets by day of the week and by county in the greater Bay Area.  There's a market every day of the week, except Mondays.  You can do a web search of its database, or you can check out the Google Map I created using the information in the Food Guide.

I like to attend markets because I can people watch; I can ask a question of the farmers about a new food and not feel dumb for asking; I can sample foods; I get to shop outside! 

Last Wednesday I took a bus down to the Heart of the City Farmers Market where I took in the sensations.  This is a truly urban market located at the United Nations Plaza between Market Street on one end and City Hall on the other end.  I bought some Persian cucumbers and green onions from a farm located in San Juan Bautista, and I bought a pound of green grapes from a farm located in Modesto.  I spent a total of $3.

I was amazed at how many people were out and about shopping at 3pm on a Wednesday afternoon.  I briefly wondered how this market compares to those found across the country, but I quickly reminded myself that few places can compare to the bounty we have available to us in San Francisco and around the Bay Area.  I basked in the sunshine of the day and smiled.  Life is good!

If you don’t shop at Farmers’ Markets, what are your reasons?  If you could have somebody shop and deliver from a Farmers’ Market FOR YOU, would you be interested in this service?

Colors (and a Good Tired) from a Farmer's Market

As I walked out of my door this morning, I felt my first Fall chill.  The sky was overcast, moisture dotted the sidewalk and a gentle but persistent breeze made me realize that the season is changing.  Sometimes living in San Francisco, where Summer is typically cold, and the 'real' summer is between September 15 and October 15 reminds us that we have our own micro-climate and that is yet another  reason why the rest of the country can call us strange and odd and even bizarre. 

I was on my way to visit the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market with two goals in mind:

1. Pick up a copy of the comparative research of farmer's market prices versus mega-mart prices that Dave Stockdale mentioned at the Commonwealth Club presentation I had attended earlier in the week;
2. Find FRESH EGGS!

I jumped on the Muni 45 to Stockton & Broadway, transferred to the Muni 12 and found myself dropped off across the street from the market.  I've been to the Ferry Building many times, but never to the farmer's market.  At first I was slightly disappointed that there seemed to be only about two-dozen stands set up along the Embarcadero, but after I went to the information booth to ask whether any eggs were being sold today (answer: at least 3 farms were selling eggs), I quickly realized that the market also lined the backside of the building and where at least 60 more farm stands were in place.

After spying some cippolini onions at the Heirloom Organic Gardens booth, I added one more goal to my day:  Buy ingredients to cook a large Sunday morning breakfast.  So I added some cilantro to my bag of onions, picked up a half-dozen small Grade A Pullet eggs from Eatwell Farm, grabbed a dozen stone ground handmade organic corn tortillas from Primavera, selected a yellow pepper from Madison Growers, and picked up an assortment of small heirloom tomatoes (Early Girl, Pink Brandywine, Persimmon Orange & Black Prince varieties) from Lucero Organic Farms. 

As I left the plaza, the sun had broken through the sky.  I removed my sweatshirt and soaked the sun's rays on my face and arms, noticed that the Embarcadero was bustling and smiled at having accomplished my goals for the morning.  I also realized that from the time I left my home to the time I left the market, three hours had already passed.  I was feeling a bit lazy, perhaps even tired, but I remember immediately asking myself "how can busy parents afford to make this time commitment?"  And then I remembered a passage I once read in the book Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die, by John Izzo:

My grandfather, who, as I have said, was one of the wise elders in my life, used to talk about having a "good tired" at the end of a given day.  He contrasted this with a "bad tired."  He told me that a "good tired" was when you lived your life focusing on the things that really mattered to you. A "bad tired" he said often comes even when it looks like we are winning, but we realize we are not being true to ourselves.  It seems to me that the first element of knowing ourselves is figuring out what makes up a "good tired" day for us.

As you look at the following pictures, I wish you (and particularly you parents) a good tired weekend!