Elliot

There’s nothing like fresh elk tracks and decimated lettuce heads and butchered corn stalks and carrot tops to get one all fired up about the year we’re having at Tahoma Farms. Talking to Terry from Terry’s Berries today and, in her estimation, it could quite possibly be the worst season she’s seen in some 20-odd years of growing in the Puyallup Valley. As if there weren’t enough challenges, oversized deer with oversized appetites just love our vegetables. You can now hear talk radio and periodic explosions at all hours on the farm as we try to keep them at bay while working with the State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife on other mitigation strategies.

In the meantime, we’re still cranking to get the most out of the year that we can. The fall crops are looking great – roots, winter squash, brussels sprouts – but the summer vegetables – especially the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant – look like they could go either way. With a couple more weeks of nice weather, we will be swimming in sungold tomatoes; if the cold ascends as fast as the dark, we will have green tomatoes and take a huge hit financially. At this point, the farm and Terra Organics are mutually dependent and the success or failure of one has a huge impact on the other.

When we do our crop planning in the winter, each seed or transplant that goes into the ground is destined for one outlet or another, whether it’s the farmers market, through the Tahoma CSA box, or one of the other Terra Organics boxes. If some crop is not available because of weather, elk or some other pest or disease that results in a crop failure, we don’t pass on the losses, like some other programs, but instead find another item on the farm or, in some instances, the same item from another farm. We also have a lot of flexibility built into our system: you can customize your order, and stop and start as you wish, for instance.

But we bristle at the suggestion that we are somehow less authentic than the farm down the street that only sells to the farmers market, or only sells what she grows, or only works the field herself. There are a lot of options out there for those that seek an alternative to the mainstream big-box retailers. And for the most part, they are all good options. We have tried to stay true to our mission of providing quality organics at a price that is fair for you and for the grower, with the convenience of delivery, while supporting local and regional growers first.

We are excited at this time of year by the selection and freshness of what we have to offer; 100% of the vegetables in the standard boxes are from Tahoma Farms this week. It doesn’t get any better than this, folks! Enjoy, and thank you for your support!

Here are some of the highlights and specials for the upcoming week:

• Juicy and sweet Melons from Inaba Farms in Wapato, WA
• Tahoma Kales and Lettuces, only $1.75/ea.
• Tahoma Cherry and Slicer Tomatoes – it’s finally local tomato seaon!
• Purple, Red, Yellow, and Fingerling Potatoes from Tahoma

Below is a preview of the standard box contents for next week.

If you have an order scheduled for this upcoming week, you will receive an email notifying you when the web store has been opened for your delivery day.

If you need to make any changes to your subscription, schedule a vacation or make a payment Click Here to Login to Your Account

Sincerely,

The Terra Organics Team