Previous Notes from the Farm

Autumn 05 Notes

As the fog drifts over the Furlong valley, patches of blue appear and the morning sun warms the earth. While the sparrows scurry about under the Brussel sprouts, Candelario, Fernando, and I are busy picking fresh lettuce, beans, escarole, frisee, baby beets, turnips, carrots, leeks, berries, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, flowers, figs and herbs. In the afternoon while I am off to the restaurant with the pickup full of garden offerings, Cande and Fernando will plant garlic, shallots, carrot seeds and lettuce plants, weed beds, and plant flower bulbs. As the seasons change, our activities move from one crop to the next, but the constancy of work never diminishes.

To our knowledge, we are the only restaurant in the immediate Bay Area that has its own farm. Given the commitment (both financial and physical) that is required, this is no surprise and we don't recommend it to anyone who hasn't got the ability to weather many storms (organic farming is tough work.) On the other hand, the benefits of having our own farm are far beyond what might first meet the eye. Here are a just few:

• We can grow fruit and vegetables for their flavor, not their shelf life. Ever bite into a big red strawberry and wonder if your taste buds died? (They haven't, it's just that strawberries are now bred for size, color and shelf life, not for flavor.)
• We can harvest at the peak of flavor, allowing tomatoes, figs and berries to ripen on the vine while picking carrots, beans, and turnips when they are small and tender. Ever wonder why the tomatoes you buy in the super market taste like red cardboard? It's because they are picked green and "ripened" with gas to give them a longer shelf life.
• We can grow varieties that are not commercially available. For example, one of our seed suppliers has over 10 different escarole varieties, each with a distinct flavor and texture.
• We can preserve the freshness of produce by using it the same day it is picked. Ever wonder why the produce you buy tastes like the inside of a refrigerator? That's where it has been "living." 
• We have the satisfaction of knowing that we are saving fuel (by eliminating trucking and storage), preserving nature, improving the soil fertility, and providing the freshest most flavorful food possible.

While having our own farm is challenging, the more we develop our gardens, the more we learn to appreciate the direct connection to the land, the more possibilities come into view. This year, for example, we had sweet, juicy, strawberries and raspberries from April to mid-November and we now see that we can expand to include boysenberries, loganberries, black raspberries, golden raspberries and blueberries. Our fava bean crop last spring has shown us that we can grow them in rotation so they are available for a longer time next year. A recent discovery of grey shallot bulbs, a favorite of our chef Stephane, has inspired us to plant 100 pounds for harvest next June and July.

Developing our farm is a long term commitment.  We will soon be planting more bare root fruit trees (last year we planted 125, many heirloom) and berries, building a barn, planting perennial flowers, and expanding our garden beds.