We are in the darkest time of the year where most growth on veggies is on pause. Once we move past the Solstice days will grow once again in length. With such a limited amount of time our farm stand hours are also limited. Please note the schedule change for the next few weeks. We will close through the holidays and allow time for new growth on the winter salad crops. We are very excited to take some time to rest and plan for 2022.

Thank you for a great Fall Season! We have been having a blast. We are sad to have to close but we need to work on the business side of the farm. You know all the fun stuff like taxes and spreadsheets. We take most of January to continue our work with our farm design and garden management. We take note of our pit falls and strengths, crops that did well and crops that were poor. Now is also when we order seeds as the good seeds sell fast. So please know we are still very busy farming. We hope you are planning now too for 2022 and we hope to grow for you this coming season.

hours are subjest to change due to weather

This weekend is the Ole Fashioned Christmas Event in Palisade and we have some specialy crafted items for you. Scott has been busy cleaning the and spining honey for you as well. Please come and see us this week we have a big harvest planned and lamb will be stocked in the freezer this week as well.

Come Visit:

Hours could change as we transition with daylight savings.

How luck have we been, this week we received a great soaking of rain enjoyed a 70 degree day, and beautiful fall colors every corner of the valley. Our farm harvests are beautiful and tasty and we hope to be part of your kitchen this fall. This Pear Cobbler is amazing and I am excited to make this dish this week for a book club meeting but I think this dish could be great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or dessert. I also added a great eggplant and pepper slow cooked italian style dish. This could be great to prep and freeze for later in the winter when you just dont want to cook and boom you have this ready togo. I always love frozen meal in the winter as time is not on our side.

Cornbread Peach Cobbler

Save Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Tastemaker Blog

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 2 lbs ripe pears

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tbsp flour

For the topping

• 1 box jiffy corn muffin mix

• ⅓ cup milk

• 1 egg

• 1 tbsp flour

• 2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

• 1 tbsp sugar plus 1 tsp

• ½ cup corn flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

For the filling

1. Slice the pears in half, removing the seeds and then slice them into ¼ inch thin slices. Place the slices in a bowl and add the flour and sugar. Mix together with a spoon until peaches are coated. Set aside.

For the topping

1. In a small mixing bowl, add the corn muffin mix, milk, and egg and whisk together. It will be lumpy. Let it sit for 3 minutes. Gluten free corn bread is great for this.

2. Meanwhile, mix together the flour, butter, 1 tbsp sugar with a fork, pressing the butter into the dry mixture until it's lumpy. You can use your fingers to better incorporate the butter. Add the corn flakes and stir.

3. In a deep pie pan or 8x8 square baking dish, add the pear mixture. Dollop bits of the corn muffin mixture on top of the peaches leaving a little space between dollops. You may not use it all. Sprinkle all of the butter cornflake mixture on top of the pan.

4. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

We hope you are having a great start to September. Please notice our FALL HOURS. We are now open Daily.

Farm On!

Johnsons Backyard Garden Just shared a great tid bit of history about the Watermelon and we also loved this information. Come and grab a watermelon this week as we have many fresh watermelons waiting for your enjoyment this week.

In honor of National Watermelon Day last week, we thought it about ripe time to delve into the history of this darling of the summer crops. Did you know that the watermelon, or the Citrullus lanatus, has been cultivated for around 5,000 years? This trailing and flowering vine hails from the Cucurbitaceae family. The progenitor of the modern watermelon is known as the ur-watermelon and was cultivated in Africa before spreading to the Mediterranean, Europe and beyond. Watermelon arrived in India in the 7th century and China in the 10th. Fun fact: did you know that China is currently the world’s largest watermelon producer and most of the ones you see in the large markets are from China. By the late 1500s, colonists were cultivating watermelons in the New World, and by the 17th century, these melons were ubiquitous in European gardens. Another fun fact: in ancient Greece, watermelons, or “pepon”, were thought to have healing properties, and were used as a diuretic and a treatment for heatstroke. I know they have saved us many times during heat waves here in Mesa County as we can reach 100+ degrees for a few weeks in a row. Devouring a watermelon makes for a great treatment and refreshing siesta.

With regard to where in Africa the ancestor of the watermelon originated, there is no real consensus. Harry Paris, horticulturist at the Agricultural Research Organization in Israel, thinks that the true ancestor of the watermelon is from Northeastern Africa, and is known as Citrullus lanatus var. colocynthoides, otherwise known as gurum in Sudan and gurma in Egypt. These bitter melons grow wild and rampant in the deserts of Sudan and Egypt, and were small, green, and bitter compared to the modern melon.

Evidence from tomb paintings suggests that Egyptians were farming and cultivating watermelons as early as 4,000 years ago. The fruit portrayed in these paintings is more round compared to the modern day oblong watermelon, meaning that the Egyptians probably cultivated these fruits over time, changing their taste, toughness, and shape.

Despite the ancestral varieties being bitter and not very tasty, these crops were kept around because of all the water they retained and because of their storage life. During the hot and dry seasons in Northern Africa, these gourds were great sources of water when pummeled, and could last for a considerable period when stored in a shady and cool place. The Egyptians placed them in tombs so that the deceased Pharaohs would have a source of water on their long after-life journeys. Watermelons were perfect vessels for water during long nautical expeditions, as well.

Information from Hebrew tithing records shows that by the third century , watermelons had been grouped with figs, grapes, and pomegranates. Meaning that by then, they had been cultivated to be point of being considered sweet! These watermelons were described as having yellowish flesh in the earlier cultivations, but as the fruit got sweeter, it became redder in hue. Why you ask? Genes that contribute to a watermelon’s sweetness and sugar content are paired with genes that turn the flesh red.

Watermelon Gazpacho

Watermelons are by far the most fun and most delicious and nutritious crop in the garden, make sure to plant some in your garden every year.

Ingredients

• 4 cups cubed watermelon, seeded, divided

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest

• 1 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup chopped tomato

• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber

• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper

• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeno pepper

• Watermelon wedges, optional

  Directions

  • Puree 3 cups watermelon in a blender. Cut remaining watermelon into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside.

  • In a large bowl, combine the watermelon puree, lime juice, lime zest, ginger and salt. Stir in the tomato, cucumber, green pepper, cilantro, onion, jalapeno and cubed watermelon. Chill until serving. If desired, serve with wedge of watermelon.

We love this time of year and the Amazing Stone Fruit we raise on our farm.

Blood Plums are so yummy and not just for fresh eating. Here are a few great ideas for you to alter. Enjoy!!

This weekend we will not distribute produce at any location we apologize for any inconvenience we are closed for some routine farm maintenance.

Please look for us at the GJ Farmers Market Thursday 5:30-8:30. We will have Blood Plums…

Blood Plum Torte

Ingredients

• 1 cup of plain flour all purpose

• 1 tsp of baking powder

• large pinch of salt

• 1 cup of sugar plus 1 tablespoon extra for the topping

• 115 grams of butter at room temperature

• 2 large eggs

• 12 blood plums halved and pitted

• 2 tsp of fresh lemon juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180 and grease a 22cm spring form tin.

• Cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and sift in the flour and baking powder and mix to combine.

• Spoon the batter into the spring form pan and smooth on top, covering with the plums. Sprinkle the plums with the lemon juice and the extra sugar.

• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out cleanly. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing.

Notes

The original recipe uses cinnamon. I have made it both with and without the cinnamon and find I prefer it without. If you choose to add the cinnamon the recipe suggests 1 tbsp. This cake is also suitable for freezing.

Good Day,

We just wanted to reach out to announce we will not distribute produce next weekend and we will be closed August 13-15 for farm maintenance.

As we move into the fall harvest season we have many expired crops we want to remove from the gardens and re-plant new cops.

Every season we plan for this mid August push. Mid August is our last chance to plant outdoor crops and we need to set time aside to prepare seed beds as well as remove old crops and make room for all the wonderful fall cabbage and broccoli crops. We also plant more root veggies and lettuce greens. The other main focus is cleaning up any weeds that are driving us mad… And clearing out greenhouses for the winter salad crop plan.

For any of your fresh produce needs please find us Thursday Night at the Grand Junction Farmers Market. August 12, 5:30-8:30

WOW, It is hard to believe we are 1/2 way through the 2021 growing season. Monday begins Clive’s first day of 4th grade we are sad to loose his help as he has been such a big part of the farm this summer. Having our sons help is so fun for us and we all really enjoy working together.

This season has been very good one of our best and we made many changes and looked deep at the bottle necks we needed to remove. We took time to cut out a lot of the fat. Our systems are good and still need improvements, the farm still needs improvements, that will never change we always have room for improvements.

Mostly we are very proud of our decision making this season and we are thrilled each week to share our farm products with so many wonderful people.

This week we are celebrating 30 weeks of CSA shares distributed and 30 weeks of farm store sales since January. Being a 4 season farm is not a sprint and we have about 20 more weeks to go until we close for our Holiday Break and bring in the New Year of 2022.

Amazing how quickly the weeks go and we have been enjoying this season more then any previous season. This is our 12th growing season here in Mesa County and our soil is charged and growing great produce our greenhouse investments are working for us and we actually have more time as a family and independently.

2021 has been a chance for us to re-evaluate and look within. As we were planning this season last winter we took time to ask some really important questions, questions that we had not asked since we began Field To Fork. We wanted to think about why we farm and whom we farm for. In the past we had employees we were working for trying to teach the life skill of farming and support. Or restaurants we were serving and hoping they were happy. Or CSA shares we trying to fill to make members feel satisfied. All if that was rewarding and we were in 100% but it was not why we started farming and many times it felt forced not natural and it was hard to sleep at night knowing things were off balance.

This year we stopped a lot of things that were not serving us anymore. This year we stopped filling CSA shares and focused 100% on the growing we said to ourselves and our customers we know we raise great produce just trust us we have proven ourselves for 10 years let us serve you…and we restructured our farm membership as a a credit card (Farm Card) system that has been successful. We are not concerned with perfect CSA shares anymore not everyone wants the same thing and some people want a bag of lettuce and other people want to feed 4 teenagers so now farm members can get what they want every week all year long, its working great for us and the members.

We are not training or employing anyone and instead taking that time we used to give to employees and giving it back to ourselves in turn we have more privacy and freedom and time to relax by the pool on hot days.

Lastly we have not sold to one restaurant in over a year or more and our stress level is reduced so much knowing that the produce we raise is going to homes and enjoyed weekly around a family dinner.

Sadly we do see the importance of restaurants buying local food to help solve a bigger picture of food issues but restaurants are going to need to make choices too. I see the week points of a farm as the strong points of a restaurant and the week points of a restaurant are the strong points of a farm but it must be a mutual respectful relationship and the restaurant industry has many systemic issues due to our fast food culture that need addressing for positive change and healthy plates. I would love to see chefs take more time into sourcing and start shopping at the farmers markets and stop buying from Sysco. Its time chefs buy from the farm stands and see what looks good pay the prices we need and support the regional growers in their areas and stand for Organic production. In my decade of farming here I have never seen chefs really shopping at the markets or support Organic. I feel this needs to change. It will influence a stronger healthier community with a vibrant food system. We welcome all chefs who have the same ethics I don’t ask for my meal cheaper at restaurant establishments and it should go both ways…

2021 has been a year full of decision making for us and we see ourselves moving more into the vision we had when we started the farm. Direct partnerships. Simply growing great healthy food for the local families of Western Colorado. As that idea took us on a journey through restaurants, grocery stores, whole sale accounts, training young farmers and more it never filled us with joy the way our farm families do.

2020 was the year of a new vision. Many people changed, I know we did. When we look back at some of our past decisions we ask why did we do that and it was because we have a young child and it seemed easier and gave us more time to raise him. As he is getting older and now taking on more chores and ownership we see our family farm being just what we envisioned early on our family farm. All of those decisions from the past were good and experiencing this journey gave us courage and helped us gain the confidence to start saying yes to our original vision.

2021 is good and we see and hear our farm speaking to us. We are happy with our work the vision we had early on with the farm is alive. Thank you everyone who has participated with us and helped us it takes a village we are so humbled for this journey.

We hope you are enjoying all the awesome produce and that you are looking forward to the fall harvest season with us this September-December.

Then to follow….

2022 Winter -Spring Salad Share Feb-May

2022 Summer - Fall Main Season Share June-September

Here at Field To Fork our favorite crop and ingredient we raise is Garlic. This crops is very rewarding to raise and matures at a time when many crops are still immature. I sometimes wonder what would we as humans do with out garlic? I personally cant think of one savory dish garlic is not called for. To us garlic is always the most essential flavor. Garlic takes patience and when used empatiently the beauty of garlic turns ugly. Here are some tips and trick do’s and dont’s when using garlic.

Any cook worth their salt knows that garlic is the seasoning of the gods. Versatile, easy to use, and utterly delicious, you'd be hard-pressed to find a dish that wouldn't benefit from a dash of garlic. It's got a whole load of other uses too: It has medicinal properties, for example, and can combat illnesses such as the common cold. It can also be used as an anti-fatigue agent, turned into an adhesive to fix cracks in glass and, of course, hung up on your door to keep vampires away. The sky's the limit.

More than anything else, however, it's just a great thing to cook with. Unfortunately, although garlic is an incredibly hardy and useful kind of seasoning, it's not impossible to misuse it. In fact, there are plenty of different ways to get garlic wrong, and succumbing to any of these pitfalls could dampen its effect on your dish to the point that you might as well have never used it at all — and that's not fair on anyone, is it?

Let's start with the simple stuff: If you want to use garlic in the kitchen, use garlic. All that pre-minced stuff you find in jars at supermarkets and grocery stores is just going to steer you wrong. Garlic isn't the most exciting thing in the world to peel and chop, but putting yourself through the minor hassle of using actual, fresh garlic will pay dividends during the cooking process.

For one thing, you've got the fact that some research has shown that fresh garlic contains higher levels of allicin, an ingredient which prevents blood clots and bacterial infections. So if you're eating that stuff which comes pre-packaged and stewing in oil and water for weeks on end, you're not even going to be getting any of the amazing health benefits for which garlic is renowned. But if that's not enough to convince you to go fresh, take it from Anthony Bourdain. 

"Misuse of garlic is a crime," he wrote in Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. "Old garlic, burnt garlic, garlic cut too long ago, garlic that has been smashed through one of those abominations, the garlic press, are all disgusting. Avoid it at all costs that vile spew you see rotting in oil in screw-top jars. Too lazy to peel fresh? You don't deserve to eat garlic."

Strong words, but it's hard to argue with them. 

There are a few choice things to look out for to make sure you're getting the right stuff at the right time. Local fresh garlic season, runs from mid-summer through early fall. At other times of the year, the garlic you see in the store is probably coming out of storage.

Basically, if it looks bad or feels bad, it's probably bad.

Improperly storing garlic is probably one of the most common mistakes people make with it. But it's a crucial part of cooking with garlic, and making sure it's kept in the right place will mean it keeps its medicinal properties, its flavor, and its health benefits — not to mention helping it stay fresh for months on end. 

New season garlic (the kind which is harvested in early summer) is a milder kind of garlic which is more easily digested and arguably more flavorful than dry garlic. This type needs to be refrigerated immediately and used within a week.

Dried garlic (the kind you're more likely to find at a grocery store) should be stored at room temperature in a dry, dark place with plenty of circulation. It can also be stored in a paper or mesh bag, as long as there's plenty of dry air around it to stop it from sprouting. Just keep it out of the refrigerator. As long as you do this, the garlic will keep for several months (although that time period decreases significantly once you've started to remove cloves from the bulb). 

If you've already minced garlic, you should be able to keep it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, but you still ought to use it as soon as possible. Finally, freezing is a huge no-no — it'll damage the garlic's flavor and its texture. Dry, dark, and airy; that's what you're going for.

Peeling garlic is never fun. It's fiddly, sticky, and takes just long enough to constitute a real pain in the neck — but there's no need to let it become such a nightmare. For starters, there's no need to mess around trying to find a way to scratch off the skin. Nor do you need to cut off any more of the clove than just the top in order to more easily peel it — this is largely inefficient, and will waste as much time as it does garlic.

No, there are two simple ways you can peel a garlic clove. The first involves placing the clove on a chopping board, placing the flat side of a knife against it and pushing down with your hand. It will crush the garlic itself downwards and loosen the skin, allowing you to take it off with zero effort. The second method involves pulling apart all the cloves and placing them in a mason jar with the lid on. You then shake the jar as hard as you can for around 20 seconds, after which the cloves should have pretty much peeled themselves. Empty them out, separate the skin and the cloves, and you're left with a fully-peeled bulb of garlic. Trust us, you'll never look back.

Chopping garlic is not the most difficult process in the world — especially if you've got experience in the kitchen — but that doesn't mean it's not possible to make some errors while you're at it. Firstly, speed is good, since dawdling at chopping means the garlic could oxidize and become bitter in flavor. (Of course, it's worth remembering that at no point should you actually rush to chop garlic; knives are knives, after all).

The slices you cut from the clove should always be identically-sized. Keeping them consistent in thickness and length means that, should you use slices rather than diced garlic in your recipe, they'll be less likely to burn during cooking. When dicing, keep your hand steady, your knife under control, and make sure not to have any mismatched pieces once the clove has been diced. Each little piece of garlic will need to be the same size to keep it cooking consistently and prevent any from burning.

So you think you're ready. You've gotten a nice bulb of fresh, seasonal garlic. You've stored it well. You've peeled it, diced it, now it's time to throw it in the pan. Right?

Wrong. Lower the garlic and step away from the pan — because, yes, adding garlic to a dish too soon can ruin the whole thing. Here's the thing: garlic burns really easily. Like, really, really easily. And chopping it into little pieces will make it cook (and burn) even more quickly. It's crucial that you don't add the garlic to the pan until at least half-way through the cooking process (in the case of stir-fries and sautés), or very soon before you add a liquid element (such as pasta sauce) to the pan, which will bring down the temperature and prevent burning. If in doubt, add the garlic later rather than sooner — it's always better to have it come out undercooked than overcooked. Besides, raw garlic is good for you, dontcha know?

This should go without saying, too. Just as you should never throw garlic in the pan for long enough that it'll be allowed to burn, nor should you cook it on a high heat. Instead, you'd be best off starting at a low heat and gradually increasing as and when it's needed. If you cook garlic on a high heat immediately, it'll be too crispy and lacking in flavor by the time the pan has adjusted to the lower temperature. Keep an eye on the garlic and, once it begins to turn golden-brown, bring the heat down and add whatever's coming next in the recipe. Once the garlic is safe from the hot oil — sitting on a bed of vegetables, for example, or stirred into a sauce — then you'll be okay to turn the heat back up.

This rule goes when you're roasting in an oven, too, and it's probably best to keep the temperature below 375 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the garlic tasty and soft.

We se an overuse of garlic in cooking in general, and in vegetarian cooking especially, I recently had pizza at a well know local pizza joint and the pre chopped raw garlic on the pizza was not tasty and actually tasted and smelled like dirty feet. The pizza was not tasty and I wont be returnig anytime soon. If you cant take the time to use real garlic then maybe its best leave it out altogether. More subtle dishes don't need garlic, and that should be celebrated. While garlic is an easy way to add a big punch of flavor, seasoning, spice and citrus can all do it, too. Miss using garlic is a crime to us on the farm. Once you harness cooking with garlic the next step is growing and you can look for garlic seed grown by yours truly this fall. Regionally adapted garlic seed is priceless when you look at all the benefits. Pre-orders will be available soon.

Western Colorado Purple - Hardneck culinary Variety. Over 10 years of seed selection and flavor selection. We finally have our dream garlic and we have raised more then enough to have some available for sale this September.

WHAT ARE GARLIC SCAPES?

Ever wondered what those strange green curlicues you’ve seen at the market in bunches or bushels are? Those are garlic scapes! Garlic scapes are incredible and not surprisingly taste like mild but spicy garlic. If you’ve ever grown garlic in your backyard, you’ve seen garlic scapes – they shoot up in the late spring and look positively alien. These immature stems are cut in late spring/early summer to promote garlic bulb growth underground. When I see garlic scapes at the market I applaud that first person that made garlic scapes popular – how brilliant they were to make a natural byproduct of growing garlic such a marketable commodity. Three cheers for delicious ingenuity!

HOW TO BUY + STORE GARLIC SCAPES

Garlic scapes can be found in May and June where garlic is grown. They are typically found at farmers markets but can be found in some upscale grocers. Look for bright green, firm scapes. They can be stored in the refrigerator for at least a week and freeze fairly well.

HOW TO USE GARLIC SCAPES

Garlic scapes can be used in place of garlic in most applications. When cooked they have a slightly milder garlic flavor but when raw can be a bit on the spicy side. To prepare – cut off the flowering end and if the bottom stalks are woody give those a trim as well.

10 WAYS TO USE GARLIC SCAPES

1. Pesto! Making pesto is a great way to preserve the glorious taste of garlic scapes for the whole year. I have a recipe below for a dairy-free, paleo pesto that freezes really well. The recipe is included below!

2. Pickle! I love to pickle scapes to use on impressive charcuterie plates later in the year or to make a vinaigrette with the brine. Serious Eats has a great pickled scape recipe.

3. Raw! Scapes are great where you would use green onions or garlic. I like to slice them into thin coins and add them to salads or vinaigrettes.

4. Grilled! Grilling scapes is simple and delicious. Toss them with olive oil, balsamic and a touch of salt and grill for about 5 minutes until slightly softened.

5. Chimichurri! Top your grilled meat or fish with a garlic scape chimichurri. Substitute garlic scapes for garlic in this Bon Appetite chimichurri recipe.

6. Roasted! Scapes can be roasted in a 400F oven for about 25 minutes, lightly tossed with olive oil, balsamic and seasoned with salt and pepper. They would make a great accompaniment to roasted asparagus or mini potatoes.

7. Broth! Adding garlic scapes when you are making bone broth or chicken stock recipe will lend a nice garlic hint to the finished product.

8. Butter! I make compound butters for big bowls of warm new potatoes when we have large BBQs. Mixing fresh herbs and sliced garlic scapes to grass-fed butter and tossing with warm vegetables or potatoes is a truly glorious way to celebrate summer flavors for a large group.

9. Vinaigrette! Using a high speed blender combine 1/2 cup of garlic scapes, 2/3 cup of avocado oil and 1/3 cup of white wine vinegar, salt + pepper, a teaspoon of honey and you’ve got a lovely vinaigrette to top fresh greens or grilled veggies.

10. Frittata! What can’t you add to a frittata? Eggs and garlic scapes are a great combination – add sliced garlic scapes to a frittata or scrambled eggs for a quick and easy breakfast.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic scape pesto is creamy and vibrant without using dairy!

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time0 minutes

Passive Time0 minutes

Servings cupMetricUS Imperial

INGREDIENTS

• 15 garlic scapes cut into 1-inch pieces

• 2/3 cup raw cashews

• 1/3 cup pine nuts

• 3/4 - 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp red wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put garlic scapes, cashews, pine nuts and red wine vinegar into a food processor or high powered blender.

2. Blend/process the mixture until nuts and scapes form a paste, drizzling extra-virgin olive oil slowly into the processor/blender until you achieve the consistency you desire for all your pesto needs.

Field To Fork Organic Farm

 

You have great taste.



Asparagus And New Potato Mint Pesto Salad

A salad that sings in spring. Packed full of the early delights spring in Britain has to offer. The salty crunch of asparagus is balanced by the smooth new potato and pesto mixture. Try using Jersey Royal potatoes for the new potatoes. But their short and early season may mean you have to look to substitutes later in the season.

When To Eat

I recommend eating this dish from May to early July.

Recipe

Serves 4

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

This meal is around 92% less polluting than the average meal.

·     Eating this recipe will save around 2.72 KG CO2e per person.

·     That’s equivalent to the emissions produced driving 22.45 KM in a modern car.

HOW DO I CALCULATE THIS?

Ingredients

·     900 g New Potato

·     250 g Asparagus

·     200 g Cooked Borlotti Beans

·     45 g Basil

·     20 g Walnuts

·     1 Teaspoon Nutritional Yeast

·     4 Clove Garlic

·     50 ml Olive Oil

·     1 Lemon

·     40 g Mint

Instructions

·     Quarter the new potatoes. Then add to deep pan and cover with salted water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Drain and reserve in the pan, lid off, allowing to cool slightly.

·     Whilst the potatoes are cooking make the pesto. Peel and crush the garlic and place it along with the basil, walnuts, nutritional yeast, and some salt and pepper in a small blender. Add the olive oil to the blender, reserving about a tablespoon to cook the asparagus later. Juice the lemon. Then blend the ingredients till smooth, adding about half the lemon juice to the mixture whilst the machine is on.

·     Heat the remaining olive oil in a shallow frying pan over a high heat. Roughly chop the asparagus into thirds and tip into the pan. Fry for about 3 – 5 minutes, moving often until the asparagus begins to take on a little colour and soften. Season with salt and pepper and add a little of the remaining lemon juice into the pan. Then remove from the heat.

·     Roughly chop the mint. Combine the mint, potato, asparagus, cooked borlotti beans and pesto in a deep mixing bowl. Fold the ingredients well, until the pesto evenly coats everything. Serve either immediately or after the ingredients have fully cooled.

Make Sure you come to the farm soon to pickup your farm card!!

 

This month on the farm is actually pretty slow, the days are long and hot most crops are growing so fast and will soon provide us with a lovely bounty of summer and fall produce.

We are dreaming of fruit and watermelons as the heat continues to rise. I believe we will reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit this week. That means we are on double irrigation duty making sure none of our young crops struggle.

The Summer Solstice is right around the corner and then we will start heading back to cooler days and long nights. We hope you take time this week and enjoy the night sky and cool breeze with your loved ones.

Your Farmers,

Scott, Jessica and Clive

Field To Fork Farm

Field To Fork CSA, 3526 Front Street, Palisade, CO, 81526, United States

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Field To Fork Organic Farm

 You have great taste.

Looks like we are going to have a good fruit year! We made it through April and the fruit blossoms did not get damaged by any early frost. Now we have a lot of work todo to keep the crop healthy. Through May we are also planting all the veggie gardens and preparing for a bountiful season.

This season our CSA shares are offered as a pre paid credit card called The Farm Card and we are currently organizing and issuing all the cards over the next two weeks. If you purchased a Farm Card and have not received your farm card by the end of May please contact us.

We are looking forward to returning to the GJ Farmers Market and expanding our Farm Store hours. Currently we don’t have much available but the Spring Lettuce and carrots are great so come out and grab some.

We also have garden plants available for your gardens…

Our current hours are Saturday and Sunday 11-6 once we have all the gardens planted and we have more produce we will expand our hours. Thanks for your interest in our farm!

Make it a great Month…

Your Farmers,

Field To Fork

Warm Chickpea, Fennel and Celery Leaf Salad

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

·     1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas (3/4 pound), soaked overnight and drained

·     1 large onion, quartered

·     12 thyme sprigs

·     Salt

·     2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

·     2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

·     1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

·     Cellery Leaf Bunch, chopped

·     1 small fennel bulb (3/4 pound)—halved, cored and finely chopped

·     1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

Directions

Instructions Checklist

·     Step 1

In a large pot, cover the chickpeas with water. Add the quartered onion and the thyme sprigs. Bring the chickpeas to a boil, then simmer them over moderate heat for 1 hour. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt and simmer the chickpeas until they are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Discard the onion quarters and thyme sprigs.

·     Step 2

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mash the garlic to a puree with 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir in the red wine vinegar, then gradually whisk in the olive oil.

·     Step 3

Drain the chickpeas and add them to the bowl. Toss with the chopped celery, fennel, parsley and onion. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Make Ahead

The recipe can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated overnight. Rewarm before continuing.

Suggested Pairing

The rich texture of the chickpeas blends nicely with a creamy and fruity Chardonnay with hints of lemon

Radish: French, Round, Purple & Easter

In ancient Greece, there was a vegetable so revered that Greeks offered pure-gold replicas to Apollo, god of sun, light, music, poetry, prophecy, and more. The prized produce? Radishes.

(Beets, on the other hand, were cast in silver; lowly turnips, lead.) Glorifying radishes sure makes sense to me:

In their crisp, peppery-hot raw state, these colorful roots can enhance salads or crudités platters or star in an elegant appetizer where I generally like to complement their pungency with sweet and/or creamy ingredients. If raw radishes is not your thing, then cooking them—whether sautéing, braising, or roasting—is the way to go.

Radish Butter

• This easy appetizer is a awesome idea on the French nibble of radishes smeared with sweet butter and sprinkled with sea salt. Here we encourage you to chop the radishes with vinegar to give their pungency staying power and then mix in horseradish to boost the spiciness. Served with a nice bread and you will not be disappointed.

The Greeks Got it right. They are pure gold.

Spinach: Health and Tasty

Whether you eat it steamed, cooked, canned or raw, spinach nutrition is foundational in the battle to help slow down the aging process and prevent degenerative diseases. This leafy green vegetable is one of the most nutritious foods you can consume.

Smokey Spiced Spinach and Chickpeas: This will warm you on cold spring day.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 250g spinach leaves, washed

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• Pinch of saffron threads

• 1 garlic clove, peeled

• 1 large tomato, chopped small

• 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1 tsp smoked or plain paprika

• Salt and pepper

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Place the wet spinach in a large pan with a lid on a medium heat, and allow to just wilt, making sure the leaves are still bright green and not overcooked. Drain immediately in a colander, and refresh under cold water to halt the cooking.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and soften the onion for 10 minutes on a medium to low heat.

3. While the onion is cooking, place the garlic with the saffron threads and a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar, and crush to a paste.

4. When the onion is just beginning to colour golden, add the garlic saffron paste, and cook gently for a minute or two further.

5. Add the chickpeas, chopped tomato and ½ tsp of paprika and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring to coat the chickpeas in the spices.

6. Taste and season with a little more salt, pepper, and paprika if necessary, then stir in the wilted spinach.

7. Serve drizzled with more olive oil and sprinkled with paprika.
   

Welcome February! As we look at this month every day is so important. We are moving closer to spring and the days are growing longer. Today is our first 10 hour day since November. Plants don’t thrive under 10 hours of light. This is called the “Persephone Period” in the Horticulture world.

Greek Mythology and the story of Demeter and Zues is so interesting and we enjoy sharing this connection with the ancient worlds. Many farmers feel this ancient connection each year as we plant, tend and harvest. We 100% feel a deeper connection as we care for this land.

Agriculturalist around the Northern Hemisphere are planning and setting up for success, this time of year is important and this month we all begin planting and tending to the land. This is the prep time that our regional foods will be raised with tender care. Such an exciting time and a time of hope and joy. As you start seeing the trees swell with buds and other plants waken to say Hello as more light and warmer weather is available its a breath and it feel good to breath…

Just to imagine the Southern Hemisphere is exhaling and ending a growing season… is this the balance the earth needs?

Currently on the farm we are harvesting many tender winter/spring greens and root veggies and most of the fall storage crops are no longer available. Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic we have had the opportunity to reach deeper into what we want out of this farm and the creative projects we have always wanted to achieve. The weak and strong aspects of our lives continue to highlight through the pandemic. It seems we still have a long road ahead but raising crops that feed this community is where all our energy is.

Thank you for your interest in our farm and we hope to be a part of your kitchen this week and this 2021 season.

Here are a few ideas and some yummy meals, sides and condiments we are enjoying.

Waldorf Salad

Chive and tarragon add wonderful flavour to a salad made of kale, celery, apples and grapes.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise

• 1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar

• 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1/4 cup finely chopped chives

• 1/4 cup finely chopped tarragon , (optional)

• 142 g baby kale , or baby chard

• 4 celery stalks , thinly sliced

• 1 Granny Smith apple , halved and thinly sliced in half moons

• 1 cup red grapes , halved

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts , toasted

Instructions

1. Dressing: Whisk mayonnaise with vinegar and Dijon in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Whisk in chives and tarragon.
2. Add kale, celery, apple, grapes and walnuts. Toss just before serving.

Kitchen Tip
The dressing can be made in advance. For best results, stir in the remaining ingredients just before serving. Add leftover sliced cooked turkey to make a hearty salad.

The humble carrot could easily be the most overlooked vegetable

Oven Roasted Carrots with Cumin

1 ½ pounds (680 g) bunched carrots, about 1-inch diameter, with fresh green tops, peeled if you like

• 2-3 fresh limes

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey, agave or maple syrup

• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds

• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander

• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

• Small handful fresh mint leaves, chopped

• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese, optional

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Heat oven to 400 (200C) degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper for easier clean up.

• Trim the leafy tops off the carrots if you like (you can use them to make pesto if you enjoy their flavor).

• Grate 1 of the limes on a rasp grater like a Microplane and put the zest in a small bowl. Slice the limes in half and squeeze them into the bowl until you get 1/4 cup fresh juice. Reserve 2 lime halves for roasting.

• Stir the olive oil, honey, salt, cumin, cumin seeds, coriander and paprika into the bowl.

• Arrange the carrots on a baking sheet and pour the lime juice mixture over, rolling them around to coat. Put the lime halves on the pan, cut side down.

• Roast 20-25 minutes, until the carrots are just tender when poked with the tip of a small knife and beginning to turn golden in color. Squeeze the roasted limes over the carrots and scrape up any caramelized juices.

• Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the green onions, mint and feta cheese.

NOTES

• If your carrots are larger than 2-inches in diameter, slice them in half vertically before roasting.

• Omit the cheese and use agave nectar or maple syrup to make this recipe vegan.

• Chopped cilantro and/or Italian parsley is a perfect sub for the mint.
  

  Arugula & Kale Pesto

Homemade pesto is an easy way to jazz up your dinner tonight! This homemade kale arugula pesto is a peppery blend of pine nut pesto that you’ll choose every time. You can serve it over a bed of pasta, on a sandwich, over chicken or baked salmon.

So Easy So Yummy So Fun, All you need is a blender and about 5 minutes.

• 1 cup kale

• 1 cup arugula

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/2 fresh grated parmesan cheese

• 2 cloves garlic

• A pinch of salt

Happy New Year!!

We are very excited to return communication regarding your Field To Fork farm shares for 2021. We are still dealing with Covid adjustments and a skinny staff so please know changes and adjustments are to be expected as we get this growing season off to a great start. I hope I cover all your questions in this message...

This Thursday we will have your produce at your Local pickup location. For this first week as we all get back into the groove we will pack you the "farmers choice". This will get us all in the new routine and weekly packing/harvesting and scheduling for the farm and for you. We will begin the first week with some fresh crops and some storage crops. Next week we will start adding more items and opening the online ordering.

If you need to set a hold or have a vacation coming soon please set your holds on your account. Link http://csa.farmigo.com/account/fieldtoforkorganicfarm/2021farmpass In your account you will see the vacation hold tab and this helps us very much if you take the time to login and get used to using the Farm Software. This is also how you will customize your weekly share. Save your settings for easier use. You can do this on your smart phone or computer.

If you are wanting to shop at the farm stand we will have all our farm products set out Saturday and Sunday 11-3pm for your choice and we will issue you a farm card for your shopping convenience and to help farm staff with membership accounting. We will also pack some CSA shares that will be grab and go for palisade members. We will set the Grab and Go bags in the Farm Stand Thursday afternoon with your name on it and you can grab them anytime after 1pm Thursdays. This will allow for immune compromised or for members to order online. Grab and Go shares will be available in the farm stand Thursday-Sunday. 

At the same time every Thursday we will distribute around Mesa County. We will be delivering to The Hog and The Hen, Skips Market in Fruita and Bookcliff Gardens. You can grab your farm shares anytime after 3pm at those locations. We will try to hang out at some of these locations through out the season to say Hi and see you. Mostly we will be at the Hog and the Hen as this is our largest distribution and we will distribute out of our Veggie Truck From 3-4:30. After 4:30 we will set the remainder shares with the store clerk at the Hog and the Hen. At Skips Market and Bookcliff Gardens we will have a obvious spot for you to grab your share. These businesses close at 6! Please don't forget... Set an alarm on your phone.

We will not box shares but use paper bags this season. We do not want the bags returned. Please don't leave bags or trash at the host sites.

On the farm we are still enjoying turning our oven on and I want you to try my favorite Spaghetti Squash recipe!

This is so tasty and fun and the best tacos or taco bowls!

INGREDIENTS FOR TEX MEX SPAGHETTI SQUASH BOATS

·         Spaghetti squash

·         Cooked protein of your choice

·         Olive oil

·         Beans – I like black beans lately but any beans work!

·         Salsa 

·         Fresh Greens The Arugula is great

·         Cheese

·         Sour cream and/or avocado for serving alongside is highly recommended

What to expect: Week 1 Winter Share

1 spaghetti squash

1 Potato Bag

1 Apple Bag

1 Red Radish Bunch

1 Arugula Bunch

1 Tender Kale/Mizuna Bunch

1 Candy Carrot Share

1 Garlic

1 baby leek bunch

Let us know if you have any questions.

Make it a great week,

http://csa.farmigo.com/store/fieldtoforkorganicfarm

Field To Fork Farm

This is our last message to you this year and what a year 2020 has been. I write to you with gratitude for your continued support and interest in our farm. Officially the 2020 season has come to an end. In this ending I see a a new year ahead and hopefully a return to a new normal.

For everyone 2020 was a restless year and on through this farm we tried to serve our community the best we could with contactless service and home delivery through the Covid-19 health crisis. Every month seemed to have a surprise in April we had a late frost that killed 80% of our orchard fruit, the fire and smoke from the Pine Gulch fire was devastating, the unyielding heat waves and the blizzard of October 26. All in all it was a unsettling year.

We went through many stressful situations this season and each week we tried to to just keep moving forward. The effort we all gave on the farm this season was incredible. We are very thankful for the effort the farm team gave and very proud of the services we provided. I hope you followed us through our season on Instagram or Facebook.

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Through all of that… We had the chance to meet and hire a very strong young man who we are very excited to have working with us. We are proud to introduce Clayton. Clayton has become a great team member and is very passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and bettering his local community. Through all the hard weeks he always brought a smile and a positive attitude to the farm. If you see him around the farm make sure to say Hi. We hope you get the chance to meet him this coming season.

We are looking for new hires for 2021 and if you know a reliable guy or gal who likes to work outside is passionate about local food and gardening please send them our way. A positive humble attitude with a desire to learn the life skill of growing fresh produce is the main requirement.

Currently on the farm we are taking a few weeks to work on some farm projects we cant wait to share with you.

Our crop plan will not change much for the 2021 season and of course we hope to have success on all our efforts. Most seeds are ordered and will be planted soon. As we all know mother nature can have a heavy hand but we hope to endure the challenges ahead by staying as flexible as possible. We feel our farm store will offer the flexibility we all need.

Late January will begin our Winter-Spring Salad Share this is a 20 week or 10 week program (January-June) our farm stand will also re-open weekly Mid- January and we will also offer 3 off farm pickup locations.

1) The Hog and The Hen

2) Bookcliff Gardens

3) Skips Market in Fruita.

Each week we allow custom ordering of what we have available. You can set your account on hold as you need.

If you select Farm Store we plan to set all our items out like your own personal farmers market and you will be able to select what you want and need. We will deduct your amount spent weekly from your farm store credit.

More info is available here.

During the main growing season June-October 2021 if it seems safe we hope to return with our fellow market goers and attend the 2021 Grand Junction Farmers Market. We also plan to extend our on farm Farm Store hours for your shopping convenience. October - December fall produce will be bountiful and we cant wait to see how the 2021 season unfolds.

Every day of 2020 was a journey and we learned so much. We are very happy to begin 2021. Tis the Season and Happy New Year….

Your Farmers,

Scott, Jessica, Clive and Clayton

Pre Covid -19 we were planning on attending the Grand Junction, Palisade and Vail Farmers markets. As we learned more about the pandemic it did not seem like a very good idea to encourage people to social gather and we decided to cancel and not attend. Fortunately our Colorado Communities have not disappointed us and have been extremely supportive.

Thank You! Thank You! everyone for joining our farm membership in Mesa County. We also want to give a huge shout out to Angela the Vail Farmers Market organizer who has stayed in communication with us. We figured out a way to still serve the Vail Valley by offering a seasonal farm box. We quickly want to thank you for allowing us the opportunity to provide you with farm fresh certified organic Seasonal Farm Boxes to you weekly. We love farming in Colorado and every season to us is new and exciting and the best is still to come.

August is Colorado Produce Month and we are currently harvesting so many great veggies and fruits and we cant wait to continue offering our fam boxes for many more weeks to come. Our growing season in Palisade is very long and on our farm Field To Fork we produce and offer farm shares through all 4 seasons. We are very proud to be a 4 season Colorado farm and offer produce through all 4 seasons direct to our customers. We hope to continue serving our farm members and Vail for as long as possible with freshly harvested weekly produce from our farm. Our goal is continue offering farm shares until Mid December. We will close through the holidays. Come mid January we begin seeding our nursery stock and begin harvesting the winter greens our plan is to then re-open Mid February for our Late Winter/Early spring salad shares and begin the 2021 membership programs.

Please make sure to contact us direct or Angela at the Vail Farmers Market if you are interested in late season produce or this weeks produce.

This week on the farm we are busy harvesting beautiful full size red and green butter lettuces, tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers, carrots, fennel, basil, zucchini’s, onions and more. Soon beautiful melons, pears, apples, and more fresh garden veggies will be in your kitchen and we cant wait to be part of your summer.

Here is one of our favorite summer meals that we are currently enjoying on the farm:

Tomato Peach Panzanella salad

WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS PANZANELLA SALAD RECIPE?

• Basil and fresh greens- You could also use any simple mixed green.

• Cucumber - Cut large Fresh chunks

• Carrot - keep round like pennies

• Colorado Peaches and Vine Ripe tomatoes - Yellow or white will work although I always find yellow to be more juicy and sweeter, so those are my first choice.

• Feta - Plain and whole so you can crumble it yourself, I love big chunks mixed in with smaller chunks.

• Croutons- Making your own is easy! If you are pushed for time though store bought will work but a Panzanella is built on big chunks of toasted bread. To make your own buy a nice loaf of sour dough bread set it out over night to get hard. Then cut the loaf into bit size chunks drizzle with olive oil salt and I love to add Zatar spice but any additional spice is great. Broil in your oven for 10 minutes and then let cool for a few hours.

• Last step is to incorporate all your ingredients and enjoy.

Thank you all again for enjoying our farm produce! Please make sure to order your Seasonal Farm Box this week.

Your Farmers,

Field To Fork

CSA stands for “Community Supported Agriculture,” and is just one of the many ways customers who believe in “real, transparent food” can support a farmer.

But it’s not the only way.

What’s the difference between supporting a farmer through a CSA farm membership versus a roadside stand? Or a farmer’s market?

WHY WOULD A PERSON CONSIDER SIGNING UP FOR A CSA INSTEAD?

These are great questions. And everyone who considers joining should be asking them.

The reality is that CSA is not a good fit for everyone, and you shouldn’t feel bad if it’s not a match for you.

The CSA customers who come back year after year are a “certain kind” of customer. Not a “better customer” — just a certain kind — the kind that matches the unique format of a CSA model. 

It’s best to go into the decision with your eyes wide open, and see if your expectations match the experience that a CSA will give you.

To help you decide if CSA is right for you and before you sign up for this seasonal commitment to a specific farmer, ask yourself these 6 questions….

Q1: Is the relationship to the actual farmer important to you? (Do you want to support a farmer?)

Effective CSAs focus on the farmer-customer relationship as much as the product.

In fact, we find again and again that the number one reason for joining a CSA was to support a local farmer.

CSA members want to be able shake the hand that feeds them.

Farmer Scott grows his vegetables specifically for his CSA members. 70% of our revenue comes from our CSA investors.

There’s something rewarding about knowing you are doing your part to support a local farmer. 

Call it satisfying your “food conscience.”

CSA is a mechanism you can put into your weekly routine that allows you to access great-tasting food, knowing there’s a real farm family’s livelihood depending on it.

This means that you are committed to staying with a specific farmer through an entire season, come thick or thin. 

Inherent in this arrangement is the understanding that there is a risk. Mother Nature may send too much sun or rain, bugs or disease, and a certain crop or crops may not appear in your share that summer.

On the flip side, there may be a bumper crop of tomatoes or cucumbers, and you’ll be swimming in cucurbits. 

CSA members live with and embrace this reality every day. 

Their motivation for supporting the farm is just as much about having the back of the farmer as it is about getting the full financial value of their share.

Make sure you read that last sentence again… it’s kinda huge.

But this relationship goes both ways.

When you join a CSA, your farmer will make an attempt to cultivate a connection with you too. This means

• They learn your names and work hard to make the “big CSA” feel like a small family.

• They might plan events to get you engaging with the farm.

• They try to add value to your life, by teaching you about their food’s story, or how to prepare it.

• They do things to help you succeed at eating their food.

This doesn’t mean you have to take advantage of these connecting points. But when you do, your CSA membership experience becomes more rich for both you and the farmer.

This relationship experience is part of what you are paying for in a CSA arrangement.

Q2: Do you value having quality certified organic vegetable ingredients that actually taste good?

Our vegetables become your medium to create in the kitchen. Make something beautiful.

Cardboard tomatoes in the winter.

Blah.

If you’re a CSA prospect, you know this frustration well.

Taste matters for foodies. Because you know that putting together a terrific meal in your kitchen isn’t just about your skill.

It starts with the ingredients.

The second most important quality of our CSA “masters” (people who “stick” with CSA) is that they love food. Real food. Grown in real soil. By real people.

Food that tastes like it should, because it’s grown in quality soil.

In fact, CSAs often create food snobs, because customers finally experience how a carrot should really taste, and they cannot go back to the watered down version called “baby carrots” at Kroger.

If you really love cooking and you really value taste, then you will LOVE being in a CSA. Because CSAs are all about providing high-quality, artisanal vegetables that make your home dining experience feel like an event.

You’re paying for that taste experience when you join a CSA.

If you’re just looking for a basic celery and carrot at the cheapest price so you can make an iceberg salad — this is not your gig.

Q3: Are you willing to try new foods? (Really?)

Cippolini onions ~ prized by high-end chefs for their ability to caramelize. We provide unusual ingredients in every CSA box to push your horizons in the kitchen.

CSAs will push you to try new foods and explore variety in your kitchen.

Read between the lines here: You will discover new veggies you love, and you’ll discover new veggies you hate.

Part of the CSA experience means getting exposed to a wide variety of vegetable cultivars. We put veggies in your box that you may have never seen before, and we teach you how to eat them.

Look let’s face it:

We know that if left to your own devices, you would never purposely put a kohlrabi in your box.

(Or would you? If you would then you would definitely click with CSA).

It’s all part of the great goal in CSA of developing food diversity and teaching our communities (and our kids) how to eat seasonally again. If you want to grow in the kitchen, you have to push yourself to try new ingredients.

Here is an actual quote taken by a CSA member:

CSA has introduced my family to veggies that I never would have bought at the store, and I learned that we liked them! Also it helped me become more creative in my cooking.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Q4: Do you need control in your menu planning?

Hakurei turnips. Aka Tokyo Roots Would you be willing to play around with this ingredient?

Remember the saying: “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit?” 

CSA members have to learn to be flexible with their menu and make things work in the kitchen, because you often don’t know what you will get in your box until a few days before the pick up.

Some people love this spontaneity. Others will be stressed by it.

Think hard on this:

Are you willing to give up some control over what goes in your box? Or do you need to live by yourplan?

If you’re someone that wants to have spinach lasagna on Wednesday, and your box doesn’t have spinach that week, will you be upset that you have to go elsewhere to supplement your CSA box contents?

If so, then you may be better off buying from the grocery store or farmer’s market retail stands.

This is the number 1 reason non-renewing members give us for leaving our CSA: 

“I didn’t get enough of the things I wanted, and I got too much of the things I didn’t.”

CSA works best for customers who see their kitchen as a creative space, and our vegetables as the “paint” for their canvas.

They can handle the spontaneity required and are willing to experiment with new ingredients to make old meal templates come alive in new ways.

Our CSA provides a roadmap to help you “master” eating the CSA way. But it takes time.

Q5: Are you willing to work at eating the CSA way? Patience, my apprentice. (It’s a marathon, not a sprint to the finish line).

CSA takes time to see results. We have customers that have been with us for over 5 years, and they all say it took about 2-3 years before they learned how to consistently use the box’s full contents.

That means you will waste some food on the front end, as you go through your learning curve.

Come into this experience with an adventurous spirit, and go easy on yourself if you fail to eat the entire box every week at first. It’s really hard to do, especially as a rookie to the system.

There will be many weeks when you have best intentions to be a super-chef and maximize your CSA tasting experience… and then real life sets in, and you find yourself simply eating the broccoli raw with ranch dip.

It can sometimes feel like you’re “failing” in your original goal to change the way you eat.

Realize that if this is your goal, it takes time to learn the skill sets. (Don’t worry, we’ll teach them to you). Set realistic goals the first year, and work your way into it.

Also realize that in this journey to kitchen mastery, you’re going to waste some food, especially in the first learning year.

This is a really hard reality for some to face.

Either you don’t get home to make dinner in time because your life is hectic (so the veggies rot)… 

…or you end up eating take-out several times a week because you’re playing chauffeur to your 3 kids (so the veggies rot).

Like all paradigm shifts, it takes time to develop new habits and learn how to eat nimbly.

If you are committed to learning how, you can do it!

But it may take a few seasons before you feel like you’ve got it down.

Do you have the staying power to “work” at CSA?

Q6: Are you looking for a “deal”? Are you comparing CSA prices to the grocery store?

CSA members tell us that their kids are now eating vegetables.

People who fully embrace the CSA model don’t look for their membership to be a “deal” or a bargain. 

And they don’t compare the CSA experience to the grocery store price table.

Read that again. This is a really key point.

It is absolutely understandable to ask, “How much does it cost?” And to then weigh the pros and cons. 

Supporting a CSA financially however is not just about doing a cost analysis of each vegetable you receive in your box and comparing it to what you’d pay at Kroger or Costco.

Our vegetables have added value because every one of our vegetables is telling a story.

Not just the story of how the food was raised, how it was harvested, or what struggles it faced to come to your plate.

Not just the story of the farmer and how you help them live out their calling to the land.

EVERY VEGETABLE IS ALSO TELLING YOUR UNFOLDING STORY.

Our vegetables become a means to an end: they showcase your journey with food.

They are the starring attraction in your quest to master your kitchen space and prepare a delicious meal to rival any restaurant fare — a meal you can be proud of.

This is not something any grocery store can give you.

CSA customers appreciate this added value of our product, and are willing to pay a premium for it.

So if you’re saying to yourself, “Well that’s more than we’d pay at _____” ~  you may want to hit the pause button.

Just sayin’…

How’d you do?

Did you pass the quiz?

Remember, CSA is just one model out there for getting fresh farmer food onto your table. For those who value the story, the journey, and the farmer relationship behind the food, it can be a great option that can change the way you eat forever.

But there’s no shame in passing on CSA and instead buying weekly from a farmer’s market.

And that may in fact be a better fit to your style or needs.

We do both, so we just want you to be in the right fit.

As in all things, expectations determine how you experience the product. To set you up for CSA success, make sure your expectations align with the philosophy of CSA before you commit.

If you think you’re ready, here are your next steps:

1. Head over to the Sign Up Link.

2. You’ll get a confirmation email from us.

3. Mail in your 50% payment ~ Join the movement.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR CSA. 

Sugar Sugar Sugar! The best part about growing fruit in the desert is when the heat is almost unbearable we have some of the worlds best luscious juicy fruit to help hydrate, cool and nurture our senses. The reason we have the potential to grow such great fruit is because of our low humidity and lack of rain paired with intense Colorado sun shine and cool nights.  The Colorado River cutting through our valley feeding our crops. We can optimize our water and provide water on a schedule when the trees and the fruit need it. The lack of humidity helps with low pest and disease issues and our clay soils are full of rich deep nutrients. The roots of the trees can grab the minerals they need to produce rich flavors. Obviously we love tree fruit and are completely fascinated with the skill and challenge it takes to grow good fruit. We do struggle with nature growing fruit organically but the risk is so rewarding. We grow deep dark sweet cherries, peaches, nectarines, blood plums, heritage apples and French butter pears. We also grow strawberries, watermelon and sweet specialty dessert melons.

We purchased this farm land from Marc Klocker who was praised for his fruit quality in Mesa County and was so passionate about his fruit and orchard practice. He truly expressed himself through his variety choices, and picking quality. He was a perfectionist on flavor and he taught us and helped us see a high standard for variety and to strive for peak flavors and texture. We select pick and never pick unripe green peaches. We usually comb through our fruit 2-3 times and select pick. This technique is appreciated by many customers come visit us year after year and praise our fruit was the best they had all year. We can not thank Marc enough for planting the Orchard and showing us his passion.

Over the last few years many of the old tree varieties have sadly been dying and coming out. These varieties are hard to find due to the age of the trees. Marc grafted most of the trees on this farm. Grafting fruit trees is a skill any orchardist should and can learn. We hope to learn to graft and continue grafting and growing fruit trees for the next farming generation. 

One of our favorite crops we grow on the farm are Flowers. They are the best crop to rotate within our vegetable crops. Flowers also offer organic matter to the soil as well as scrub the soil of heavy metals, fungal and disease issues as well as provide food for beneficial birds, insects and pollinators on our farm. With so many benefits we think flowers are rewarding and fun.

We also can help supply flowers for your special events, we enjoy working with local florist as well as DIY brides and grooms.

On the Field To Fork farm we grow a wide selection of vegetables. Our farm plan is crazy! Can you imagine 50 different varieties of crops all grown and planted in 3-4 successions within 7 acres. We also grow 3 times more then what we think we need. These precautions are in the mishap we have a crop failure, poor seed germination, water issues or mother nature throws us a curve ball we can hopefully have something to replace the lost crop.

Field To Fork crop production plan

As fresh market growers we love seasonal variety. We are always challenged and interested in our work. Farming is a constant learning opportunity. Learning about the crop, nature and self. We are honored to kneel to the soil and grow food for you. The diverse crops we grow help hold interest for us and for our buyers, members and customers. We keep it fresh! New and different crops are available weekly so as soon as you don't want to eat something the seasons change and new crops are maturing. The staples of each week are consistent and we depend on the work horse crops like kale, chard, radish, lettuce, carrots, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers and summer squash. Each week we have a specialty item you might see only in a food and wine magazine and think wow, cool! Watermelon radish, shishito peppers!! Awesome! We love food trends and keep a close eye on what is fun and exciting in the culinary world. To us vegetables are always the hero of the dish. A protein or pasta would be so boring with out the tender herbs and annual vegetables that bring the acids and textures to most dishes. Some gourmet specialty crops are very unreliable so it is a gamble to grow them. We are up for the challenge but we focus on the staples. 

We as your farmers pledge to work as hard as possible, use the proper tools and appropriate small scale farm technology to grow fresh flowers, fruit, and vegetables the most efficient and effective way possible.

Spring Produce Field To Fork Farm

Once The farm plan is set and we are underway for another season. We hope you support our farm this year. We hope to be part of your kitchen and at your table weekly this year. If you are not able to join our CSA please look for our products at any of our point of sale location. Please call 970-216-2642 for more information.

We are now ordering seed and we want our customers to know how we source only the best: This pledge is for you and for the security of safe seed for the future generations. 

At Field To Fork we take the most pride in seed selection. We choose only the best seed for our customers and purchase Organic, Heirloom and Open Polinated seed. We do this for the fact that we belive in Organic Agriculture and strive to grow food that we know is safe. We also know that our customers believe in us and know that we are making good choices. So we are making a pledge to you below you will see the safe seed pledge.

The Safe Seed Pledge:
Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered vegetables or plants. The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families or kingdoms, poses great biological risks as well as economic, political and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing is necessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ultimately healthy people and communities.

Seed Definitions:
HEIRLOOM: Heirlooms are open-pollinated varieties
that either pre-date or are unaltered by the last 60 years
of modern breeding work. These varieties have been
passed down from neighbor to neighbor or through
families for generations, and are prized for their unusual
appearance, genetic diversity, and superior flavor.

OPEN-POLLINATED (OP): These varieties have
more genetic diversity and often more variation than
hybrids and can be pollinated by another plant of
the same variety to produce seeds that are “true to
type” – just like the parent plant. If an OP is cross pollinated
by a different variety of the same species,
it will produce seeds that are hybrids.

HYBRID: Created by deliberately crossing two different
parent varieties from the same species, they combine the
best traits of these varieties to produce greater disease
resistance, yield, and uniformity. F1 means “first generation
offspring”. These are not genetically modified but are
created through traditional plant breeding techniques.

WHAT ARE GMOS?
Genetically modified organisms (or GMOs) are varieties that have been
created by adding genetic material from one species into the DNA
sequence of another species, with the intention of introducing new
traits that would not normally exist. The result of genetic modification
by laboratory methods is a combination of genetic materials that could
never occur naturally. This is unlike traditional breeding, wherein
pollen is moved between closely-related plants. Traditional plant
breeders carry pollen from one plant to another by hand or with the
help of insects to produce controlled crosses of two individuals

Seed Companies we support:
www.highmowingseeds.com
www.johnnyseeds.com
www.fedcoseeds.com
www.fruitionseeds.com
www.rareseeds.com

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