Good Food from Healthy Farms
Terra Organics News
Terra Organics Experience Contest: Winning Entry #2
Oct 5th
Caroline S.’s Experience:
Baby Alexander at about 5 months, covered in applesauce.
Realizing that the first few months with a new baby were likely to be filled with exhaustion, last year we decided to order our first Terra Organics a few weeks before our baby arrived. I cannot even begin to describe what a relief it was to know that every week, a substantial portion of our grocery shopping was already handled, with the added bonus of finding all kinds of fantastic seasonal produce at our doorstep. With a schedule that is pressed for time these days, it is great to have some really interesting (and new) recipes to try. Everyone (baby included) ate Fettuccine with Rainbow Chard and White Beans last night, and a few weeks ago Summer Beets with Mint were a huge success.
As our child began to reach the age for solids, we decided to try a grain cereal first. I made the cereal somewhat reluctantly, as it looked (and smelled) way too much like wallpaper paste to have any substantial nutritive value. The processed portion of the “processed food” experience seemed to outweigh the food element. None of this seemed designed to introduce a baby to real food with textures and taste. Our son was even less thrilled. I took one look at the pasty cereal in the bowl, glanced over at the fresh apples from Terra Organics in the fruit basket and decided to make a batch of homemade applesauce with cinnamon. Within minutes the bowl was empty. And our baby has become a very healthy, enthusiastic, and adventurous eater. Pluots in the box this week? They will be gone before our next order arrives. Carrots? He toddles around the playground with handfuls of cut up cooked carrots. Grapes are sliced up and vanish. Do you have any idea how many grapes a small child can eat in one sitting? We need to up our grape orders. Zucchini cooked with pepper and onions? He will eat them for days in a row. Sliced cherries are taken to playdates, and gleefully shared with others. Nectarines have been a favorite of late, and the discovery that pressing on a cube of watermelon or cantaloupe produces a juicy mess is apparently one of the great joys of childhood.
Our toddler now eats so much produce that a few months ago we switched over to the larger, regular box. Our only request? Could Terra start please a laundry service too? We haven’t yet figured out how to successfully remove the beet stains, raspberry smears and crushed blueberries from his clothing.
Caroline S. and David W. were winners in our Terra Organics Experience Contest. Email etrotter@terra-organics.com with your Terra experience if you want to share your it on our blog.
Terra Organics Experience Contest: Winners!
Oct 4th
Thanks to all who submitted to our first ever Terra Organics Experience Contest. After consideration of all of the entries, we decided to split the Grand Prize between two of our favorites. Congratulations to Kelly T. and Caroline S. You’ve both won a $100 coupon to the Terra Organics webstore as well as a free T-shirt from the Terra Organics mech shop. We’re so proud of our submissions that we wanted to share them. We’re always excited to hear about what your Terra Organics experience is like. So feel free to email us or let us know how you’re liking your boxes on Facebook.
Winning Entry #1 – Kelly T.’s Experience:
My name is Kelly and I have been a customer of Terra-organics for almost a year. I am a stay at home mom of four and much of my time is spent taking kids from here to there and keeping up with the house work. If I have to run an errand that means I would have to take all four out with me and that is just torcher. I have been trying to simplify my life. In doing that I have built up a food storage so I only have to go to the store every three months. It was the weekly stuff like getting bread, milk and fresh fruits and veggies that was making it hard. I was dreading those trips. So I went in search of a company or companies that delivered.
I was excited when I found Terra-Organics. Not only was I able to get fresh fruits and vegetables delivered to my door but they were organic too. Now I was a little hesitant because I wasn’t sure about the pricing and what if something is wrong with the order, but I decided to test it out. My first box showed up and it was so nice to see that the produce not only arrived on time, was priced well but it looked amazing. So I put it in the fridge and before I knew it my children had eaten it all. I couldn’t wait for our next box. When it should up again, on time and with everything looking nice I was hooked.
My children know that on Thursday our box will show up. It is like Christmas for them to see what new fruit or vegetable I am going to have them try or what did I order for the week. My husband loved when the kumquat’s were in season. I think the best story I have to share is of my latest box we just got.
We had been on vacation and when I got home I quickly got on-line to order our produce for the week. It wasn’t anything special just our normal type of order. But when we got it there was a HUGE surprise. I mean literally a HUGE surprise. Every week I order lettuce and each week it comes but this week when it came it was Gigantic. When I showed my kids it they all said “WOW that is Huge! What is it?” I quickly told them it was lettuce. The look on my youngest son when he held it up was awesome. (see photo). He could barely hold it up and it was bigger than his head.
Terra-organics has not only allowed me to not have to go out and do my weekly shopping but it has allowed me to introduce new items to my children and they eat it all up. We are all looking forward to our next shipment to see what kind of goodies or HUGE surprises will be in there.
We’ll share our other winning entry later this week! Email etrotter@terra-organics.com with your Terra experience if you want to share your it on our blog.
Fruit from Cliffside Orchards
Sep 22nd
One of the first orchards we worked with from Eastern Washington, and some of the nicest people you will ever meet, Jeff and Jeanette Herman from Cliffside Orchard have been growing in Kettle Falls, WA since 1982 (they hold WSDA Organic Certificate #30). We used to get apricots and peaches before the fall fruit – and in a good year, we may again in the future – but this year it all sold on the east side of the state. Good for them but bad for you and me. This year they have lots of extra Gala, McIntosh and Empire apples and Bosc and Bartlett pears. Next week it’s Galas and Bartletts.
It’s a time of transition here at Terra Organics. We have two goodbyes to say in the next two weeks:
Billy has been part of our team for only a few short months, a summer job between University of Puget Sound and graduate school at UW. He was a great utility guy, doing 90% of the farm runs throughout the summer and wholesale deliveries and putting orders together. Good luck, Billy!
Sadly, next week is Rebecca’s last week at Terra. With us for a little more than a year, she was a great addition to the office staff and has ably and professionally handled most of the emails and phone calls that come into us. We wish her the best in her new pursuits in Costa Rica (!) and will also be looking to find a replacement in the coming weeks. If you have experience in customer service, and would like to be a part of our team, please email a resume and brief letter of introduction to jobs@terra-organics.com.
Both Billy and Rebecca will be helping out at Tahoma Farms for this year’s HarvestFest on Saturday, October 1st.
Here are some of the highlights and specials for the upcoming week:
- Tahoma Mini Cantaloupe! Only $2.25 each
- Tahoma Cherry Tomatoes! Only $2.75 per pint
- more Tahoma Tomatoes by the case! 10# cases available for $15
- Kiwi Berries, Asian Pears and more great Plums and Pluots, all from the Northwest
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
Terra Organics Experience Contest: Deadline Extended!!!
Sep 20th
Hey Terra fans,
We’ve extended the deadline for our Experience Contest an extra week because we love hearing about your experience with Terra Organics produce. The new deadline is September 28th, 2011. So be sure to send your article or video in to etrotter@terra-organics.com by then.
Remember, you could win TWO MONTHS OF FREE ORGANIC PRODUCE.
Check out the full Contest instructions here.
Terra Event: HarvestFest 2011
Sep 20th
Join us at Tahoma Farms as we reflect on the hard work this summer and have fun with pumpkins, face-painting, a scavenger hunt, a cooking demonstration, hay rides and grilled corn on the cob. HarvestFest 2011 is a county-wide day of farm activities and Tahoma Farms will once again open its doors to the public for this FREE event on Saturday, October 1, 2011. Click on the poster to the left for more details.
Let us know you’re coming – Facebook Event Page
or email info@terra-organics.com
The Best of the Local Season
Sep 16th
This could quite possibly be the best week of the year for local, organic produce, when summer and fall collide into one incredible cornucopia. The summer fruits – tomatoes, peaches, nectarines – are still tantalizingly sweet and juicy. The apples, pears, winter squash and root vegetables all warm the kitchen and the soul in the way that only comfort foods can. It’s a time when life – at least on the farm – slows down considerably, and we turn our eye towards the festivities of celebrating the harvest.
We have two great events lined up this year.
The first is all about reflecting on the hard work and having fun with pumpkins, face-painting, a scavenger hunt, a cooking demonstration, hay rides and grilled corn on the cob. HarvestFest 2011 is a county-wide day of farm activities and Tahoma Farms will once again open its doors to the public for this FREE event on Saturday, October 1, 2011.
On Saturday, October 15, we will be planting native trees, shrubs, vines and ground covers at Tahoma Farms to aid in wildlife habitat and soil conservation. The event will end with a farm tour at noon, where we will look at cover crops, winter vegetables and what’s going on in the greenhouse. Refreshments and free produce for all who attend to help us plant close to 1,000 plants!
Here are some of the highlights and specials for the upcoming week:
- Tahoma Mini Cantaloupe! Only $2 each
- Tahoma Cherry Tomatoes! Sungold and Sweet Million, only $2.50 per pint
- Tahoma Slicer Tomatoes! $2.75 per pound and 10# cases available for $15
- Honeycrisp Apples! They’re baaack!!
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
WOW: Washington Organic Week
Sep 9th
Washington Organic Week! aka WOW! is a week long, statewide, celebration of Washington organic agriculture organized by Tilth Producers of Washington. The goal of WOW! is to connect consumers to Washington organic growers and products. WOW! provides the public with opportunities to learn more about the healthiest, freshest and most environmentally friendly food available.
Tilth Producers plans and executes the WOW! campaign in an effort to increase the public’s understanding about the value of organic agriculture to their health, to the economy and to the vitality of their community.
Last week we highlighted the work of the PCC Farmland Trust and this week we want to tell you about the important work that Tilth Producers of Washington does to advance organic agriculture in this state.
Their flagship program is an annual grower’s conference which attracts businesses, educators, non-profits and farmers from across the state and beyond to gather and share the latest in organic farming techniques, trends and tales. For some in the industry, it is the event of the year – an opportunity to relax and reflect after a long, hard growing season and to connect with friends and take new ideas back to the farm.
In addition, Tilth Producers publishes a quarterly journal, again with the goal of expanding the knowledge-base and teaching new techniques of the trade. They have a placement service that works to connect new, aspiring farmers with established farms across the state. And they develop policy, create marketing and promotional campaigns and host farm tours, in conjunction with WSU, as a way to further propagate the technical and practical know-how of farmers around the state.
We thank them for the work they do on our behalf. If you’re inclined to support their work we will be including brochures in next week’s boxes and you, too, can be come a ‘friend of the farmer!’
Here are some of the highlights and specials for the upcoming week:
- WA-grown melons of all shapes and sizes – a juicy and sweet classic summer treat!
- First of the season NW-grown pears – choose from Bartlett or Tosca varieties
- More delicious WA-grown yellow peaches – Sweet Dream variety this week!
- Mediterranean delights – Eggplant, Basil, Peppers, Figs
- Sungold and Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes – enjoy the local tomato season while it lasts!
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
Announcing Healthy Kids Box!
Sep 8th
We’re proud to announce the addition of a new box to our roster of standard boxes. Introducing the Healthy Kids Box! This box contains easy to enjoy, easy to prepare foods for growing kids. Tasty organics like baby-cut carrots, apples, melons, corn, cucumbers and more. This box is perfect for lunch boxes, after-school snacks and play-dates.
The Healthy Kids Box will be available for you and your kids to try out starting next week!
Week of Sept 12: CSA Box
Sep 6th
Some glamor shots of the week’s Tahoma Farms CSA Box including cucumber, radishes, rainbow chard, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and more goodies.
The Terra Organics Experience Competition
Sep 6th
Here at Terra, being able to provide families, businesses and everyone that loves organics with a selection of fantastic fruits and vegetables keeps us warm and fuzzy inside. We also love hearing about how much you’re enjoying your produce boxes and what you’re doing with ‘em. We love it when you Yelp us, post something on our Facebook page or Tweet your love for Terra, which is why we wanted to offer a way in which we could reward you for sharing your Terra Organics experience.
Here’s How It Works:
-
Write an article or make a short video about an experience you had with Terra Organics (good experiences only please
). The more creative, the better chance you have at becoming a finalist. Your article/video may include:- Who you are
- How long you’ve been getting produce from Terra
- A recipe/cooking show starring you
- Relevant photos in articles* (*bonus points)
- What getting produce from Terra means to you
- A funny story that relates to your produce box
- Kids’/friends’/family’s reaction to produce box
-
Email your article/video link (and any relevant materials) to etrotter@terra-organics.com by September 21, 2011 @ 5pm PST.
-
Our panel will choose our favorite articles as finalists and post them on our blog over the following week.
-
YOU vote for you favorite article.
-
The top three voted submissions receive fabulous prizes.
Prizes:
2nd Runner-Up: A Terra Organics T-Shirt of your choosing
1st Runner-Up: $50 Credit (2 weeks of FREE standard boxes) & a Terra Organics T-Shirt of your choosing
GRAND PRIZE: $200 Credit (2 MONTHS of FREE standard boxes) & a Terra Organics T-Shirt of your choosing
We’re extremely excited to learn more about your Terra Organics experience. Whether you’re interest in participating in this competition or not, we always want to know how our produce is treating you. Email info@terra-organics.com if you ever have any comments.
We can’t wait to see your submissions!! (If you have a question about the competition, please let us know in the comments.)
