Whole Foods Event

On Aug. 10 we had the pleasure of hosting our friends from the Southern California Whole Foods Markets at our farm in Tehachapi.  A caravan of white vans arrived around 10am where upon they were able to observe us hard at work in the fields, specifically weeding a field of Parsnips that were just planted and picking Persian Mulberries for the Santa Monica Farmers Market.

 What a beautiful summer day it was!  The temperature was around 85 degrees with the cool mountain breeze.  We walked around showing the freshly plowed fields that had just been planted for our Fall season coming up.  In just 60 days or so and these fields will all be green with a rainbow of colored carrots, romanesco cauliflower, parsnips, brussel sprouts, crosnes, and onions.

 After the tour of the main farm, we jumped into our vehicles and drove a few miles to our potato fields in Cummings Valley that are getting close to harvest . Volunteers from  the Whole Foods group were selected to dig up some Red Thumb Fingerlings and Purple Peruvians so we could check on their progress.  I must say they’re looking pretty good. It would appear like we’ll need just a few weeks of growth at which point the crop will be set.  Looks like we’ll have a nice crop in the ground!

 

After enjoying the views and breathing in some fresh air, we capped off the tour with a short drive to Brites Lake.  There, Chef Claud Beltran from Noir Restaurant in Pasadena made us a marvelous barbecue featuring Weiser Family Farms vegetables.  Featured were Claud’s fantastic heirloom potato and carrot salads, and a mixed melon dish with curry leaves and vanilla.  But that’s not all! Fresh roasted Padron Peppers, roasted Bermuda Onions and Fingerling Potato chips that were also a huge hit.  For the carnivores among us, barbecued Tri-Tip and the Chicken, smoked with apple wood, was prepared. It was fantastic!

Thanks to Whole Foods and all theTeam members  and Martin Anenberg of Freshpoint for coming out to visit and for having such enthusiasm for the crops we grow and the supporting local sustainable farms.  Finally, a special thank you also goes out to Daniel Beaman Photography for taking great photos.

Want to see more photos from the event? Check out this album on Daniel Beaman's Flickr site

It's That Time Again!

Melons are back!  There is nothing better on a hot Summer night than a cold piece of melon and we are ready to hook you up.  We have six different varieties of melons this year: Sugar Queen, Cavallion (French Melon), Ogen, Aravah, Sugar Cube, and Anana.  Each one has a different flavor and taste, but all are sweet and sugary.  My favorite melon is probably the Sugar Queen, it even has 'sugar' in the title.  There really is something for everyone here.  So come down to the farmer's market this week and give them a taste.

Better Late Than Never!

After an unavoidable delay (see my April 14 post, "The Big Wind") our world famous melons are hitting the farmers' market table today (eh, a little hyperbole never hurt anyone)! The first melons to show up will be our Cavaillon melons with Arava melons likely to available at this weekend markets (check out the Farmers' Market page).  Shortly thereafter, we will have available Ananas, Ogens (check out the photo below clipped from the produce industry paper, The Packer), and market favorites, Sugar Queen melons.  

This particular crop of melons is particularly near and dear to my heart.  After the first transplants were literally blown away, we babied these melons like nobody's business.  I even got my son to help prep the field for irrigation and brave southern San Joaquin heat to hand cultivate the pesky pigweed (brutal stuff!).

So, wait no longer, summer is about to begin at a farmers' market near you!

Worth A Good Cry

Summer means sweet onions and we don't want to disappoint.  After curing our onions out on the field, they are finally ready for you to eat!  This season we will be harvesting the popular sweet Bermuda onions, the Spanish Yellow, Sierra Sweets (which are a maui type), and red Chianti onions.  You have to try each one because each one has a different robust flavor.  

In conversation with Esther Weiser yesterday, she mentioned that not enough people eat onions as a main dish. So she gave me this recipe for all of you to try:

Balsamic Sierra Sweet Onion Blossoms

-8 large Sierra Sweet Onions

-Course salt and freshly ground pepper

-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

-about 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

-1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Oil the bottom of the baking dish or pie dish large enough to hold the onions in a single layer.

Working with 1 onion at a time, peel the skin from the top of the onion, trimming off the long hairs but leaving the root end intact.  Using a sharp knife and starting at the stem end, cut the onion into eights or tenths almost through the root end.  Be careful not to cut all the way through.  Using your thumbs, pull the onion open slightly to form a blossom shape.  Set the onions, root ends down, in the prepared dish; they should be touching but not packing too tightly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with the vinegar and olive oil.

Roast until the onions are tender when pierced with a fork and the tips are browned, about 35 minutes.  Transfer to a warmed platter and garnish with the parsley.  Serve immediately.

A Potato By Any Other Name

Laker Bakers, Zebra Potatoes, Pinto Potatoes, all working names for an experimental potato variety we've been tasked to test market by a breeder that I met a while back at a local potato trial.  I would reveal the breeder's name but, well, I'd have to, well, you know.  Last year's trial was small and we didn't get enough information so we decided this year to try plant a bit more.  The acreage planted, and the amount yielded, was relatively small but so far, I'd have to say that the response has been very enthusiastic!  So here's the deal, we need any of you who have tried (fill in any of the working names) to give us any and all feedback you might have.  What was your first impression?  How did you prepare it?  Most importantly, how did you like it?  Post your thoughts in the comment section of this blog or email us at weiserfamilyfarms@yahoo.com.  We will convey your thoughts to our breeding partner and maybe next year this very unique potato will have a proper name.  It's in your hands!