The USDA classifies family farms as “any farm organized as a sole proprietorship, partnership, or family corporation.” But a cold definition is never the whole story, is it? Mick Klug grew up on his …
Blue, Red, or Orange
By Heidi Lewis There’s a scene missing from the outtakes reel of The Matrix where Morpheus offers Neo some vitamins: “You take the blue pill, the story ends—you wake up in your bed and believe …
Radish Candy
By Heidi Lewis Here’s a great idea for a new product—radish-flavored chewing gum! Some reasons why radish-flavored gum would be great: Radishes have a great refreshing taste. They have a …
Sustainability, Resources, Food Safety are Hot Topics
Winter Farm Conferences The Monterey Peninsula is one of the most beautiful spots in the world, but it wasn't just the sparkly ocean breeze dancing through the pines that brought a near sell-out …
Winter’s Plenty: Preparing and Storing Winter Squash
By Heidi Lewis The bounty of winter squash includes a fabulous array of colors, textures, and shapes. Just like the American population, they have an international palette of names, such as …
In Between Spring and Winter
By Heidi Lewis A bounty of winter squash are starting to roll in—a fabulous array of colors, textures, and shapes. Just like the American population, they have an international palette of names, …
Where’s Billy? Raising Squash for Pets or Meat
You see, Billy is our prize squash. He's a Marina de Chiogga that we grew in our garden this summer. He should've been an eating squash, not a display gourd, but he got tucked under some big leaves …
How to Roast a Sugar Pie Pumpkin
Mr. Jack O' Lantern’s sudden demise after Halloween may have inspired investigation by the budding entomologists in your family, but there is plenty more to be done with pumpkins than just turn them …
Hartland Cherries: Kauffman’s Fruit Farm
How many people say “worth two in the bush!” when they enter the town limits of Bird-in-Hand in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania? We don’t know, but FruitGuys buyer Jessica says it when she heads to …
Shroom Boom!
By Heidi Lewis People are rarely ambivalent about mushrooms. Whether a treasured morsel or not, many of us find it hard to distinguish between varieties we adore. Enter “The Kingdom”—The Fifth …
Dinner by Candlelight
We were in the mood for mellow. There is nothing like a home-cooked meal on a table set with care and illuminated by candles. So at the latest little social gathering, I broke out the beeswax. Not for …
Capay Valley FarmShares: Collaboration Brings Small Farms to City Tables
From a satellite view, Northern California’s Capay Valley looks like a green quilt caught between the folds of the Coast Range. This makes it good for farming with plenty of clean water from Cache …
The Champion Champignon
By Heidi Lewis A mushroom walks into a bar. The bartender says, “Oh, we don’t serve your kind in here.” The mushroom replies, “What’s the matter? I’m a fun-gi!” Portobello mushrooms are among the …
Three Sisters Garden
Farmers Tracey Vowell and Kathe Roybal came to farming after careers in the restaurant world. Tracey was managing chef at Frontera, a Rick Bayless restaurant in downtown Chicago, where she helped …
Flattering Parsnips
The hearth-warming parsnips in our Central TakeHome cases this week are a quintessential flavor in classic holiday fare, perhaps attributed to their name, which sounds perfectly Victorian when you say …
Winter Work: How Farmers Finish up the Year
What does winter weather mean for you? A change in work wardrobe from grey to black? From seersucker to faux fur? Maybe a change in your bike commute? We contacted two of the farmers we work with to …
The Benefits of Gumbo
By Heidi Lewis A broom is an important tool when making gumbo. Tune your kitchen radio to WWOZ New Orleans, crank it up, and dance with your broom. Use it for a washtub bass or air guitar, or to …
Great Caesar’s Ghost!
By Heidi Lewis Romaine lettuce is stand-up lettuce. It is characterized by its narrow, crisp leaves of course texture and distinctive thick ribs. Romaine is sometimes referred to as “Cos Salad” by …
How Do I Love Bee?
Farmer-Beekeepers Count the Ways Honey from bees is quite the miracle. Why does it taste so good? And why does it have so many healing properties? Many scientists have studied the organization of …
The Effete Chou-Fleur
Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) is just one member of the great Cruciferae family. All of the Cruciferae cousins, Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, and broccoli, to name but a few, have their …
