Good Food from Healthy Farms
Coolers, Terra Blend, Specials
Jul 21st
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our email regarding the quality issues we’ve been dealing with recently. Your communication and feedback is critical to the improvement of our operations. Please remember that your satisfaction is important to us and we count on you letting us know whenever you have an issue with your delivery.
This is the last week to take advantage of our discounted refundable deposit for produce coolers. Order one before the price goes up to $30 (closer to our actual cost for each cooler). They look sharp and they help keep the produce fresh!
Did you know that we are carrying organic coffee now? The ‘Terra Blend’ is roasted and packaged for us by Bluebeard Coffee Roasters of Tacoma. This Guatemalan organic whole bean is from Finca Bourbon, where the Echevarria family has grown their old-world Bourbon varietal coffees since 1878. Hints of summertime fruit define this yummy medium-bodied shade grown coffee. Order it from our webstore and let us know what you think!
Highlights and Specials for the Upcoming Week:
- Tahoma Farms Fava Beans, only $1.25/lb
- Yellow Crookneck, Zucchini, and Mixed Summer Squash – a summer favorite from Tahoma and other NW farms!
- Raspberries from Terry’s Berries in Puyallup are available in bulk quantities – order a half flat (6 6-oz containers) for $14, or a full flat (12 6-oz containers) for $27 – yum!
- Get your green on with Tahoma Farms kales, chards, collards, and lettuces – it’s definitely salad season!
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.
Featured Veggie: Escarole
Jul 20th
scordo.com
A variety of endive, escarole is a hearty green that thrives late into the growing season. Escarole can be eaten raw or gently cooked. It has a slightly bitter taste, like other endives, which can be tamed when cooked—try adding to soups, stews, or pasta dishes. However, if you don’t mind its assertive flavor, escarole can be a zesty addition to green salads. This week we have escarole from Tahoma Farms.
Terra Blend, Mid-Summer Gathering, Potluck
Jul 15th
Terra Organics is now offering organic coffee beans from Bluebeard Roasters of Tacoma. The featured ‘Terra Blend’ is the Organic Guatemala Finca Bourbon, an organic shade-grown bean defined by hints of crisp apple, cherry and honey. Finca (farm) Bourbon is a family owned plantation that has been producing coffee since 1878. One of the oldest farms producing coffee in Guatemala, the farm is located in Patzun, between Atitlan and Acatenango, and is the only coffee plantation in this part of the country.
The farm altitude ranges from 1,500 to 2,425 meters and most of the coffee trees in production are more than 70 years old with some over 100 years old. Finca Bourbon was first certified organic in 1996 by OCIA.
Finca Bourbon coffee is grown in volcanic soil under a full canopy of shade, and the farm is certified Bird-Friendly by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. The size of the farm is 286 hectares and with about 96 hectares under cultivation, the rest of the farm is a protected forest preserve.
Enjoy this whole bean coffee from Finca Bourbon at a discounted introductory price for this week only. Find it in our webstore under ‘more stuff’.
Join us this Sunday, the 17th from noon to 3pm for our Mid-Summer Gathering at Tahoma Farms. See our farm at the peak of the season when strawberries and snap peas are still in the fields with parsnips and pumpkins right behind them. Feel free to bring a picnic, spend some time along the river, and come with good walking shoes if you want to go on the guided tour at 12:30. We will have drinks and snacks on hand and will be mingling all afternoon.
Our address at Tahoma Farms is 21108 Orville Road East, Orting, WA 98360. We hope to see you there!
Tacoma Community garden enthusiasts! Save the Date for the Garden Leadership Summer Potluck which will be meeting on Tuesday, July 19th at 6pm to share food and community and our learning about community gardens. Come see old friends meet new ones!
What is a Garden Leader? Any of you who feel a responsibility to the overall health and success of your community garden. You may be officially called the ‘site coordinator’ or ‘president’ or ‘secretary’ or not – it doesn’t matter if you have a title – if you feel connected to and responsible for your garden – you are a garden leader. It doesn’t even matter if you have a garden yet – if you are interested in being a part of the Community Garden movement or starting your own, please come. Contact Kristen McIvor at kristenm@cascadeland.org for location information or visit www.cascadeland.org.
Got your cooler? Protect your produce and save yourself the hassle of remembering to leave your boxes out each week. Terra Organics coolers are now available in the webstore under ‘more stuff’ for a refundable deposit of $25.00. Check it out.
Highlights and Specials for the Upcoming Week:
- Lots of beautiful greens from Tahoma Farms (kales, lettuces, etc.) - check out the Web Store for our selection!
- WA-grown Rainier and Bing Cherries
- Yellow Summer Squash from Inaba Farms (Wapato, WA), only $1.50/lb
- CA-grown Slicer and Heirloom Tomatoes
Featured Veggie: Garlic Scapes
Jul 14th
Garlic scapes are the “flower stalks” of hardneck garlic plants, although they do not produce flowers. The stalks start to appear a month or so after the first leaves. While many gardeners simply toss their scapes in the compost, garlic scapes are both edible and delicious. Chop them into salads or use them as a topping, as you would with scallions. Or, sauté lightly and mix into pasta or cooked greens.
Featured Veggie: Summer Squash
Jul 7th
Summer squash belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, and is a relative of winter squashes, melons, and cucumbers. The delicate flavor and creamy flesh of summer squash is a perfect addition to any summer meal. Summer squash is fragile and should be handled to with care to avoid bruising. Try summer squash steamed or sautéed, added to pastas, or grated over sandwiches or salads.
Terra Coffee, Tahoma Farms Visit, Strawberries
Jul 7th
Join us on the 17th of July from noon to 3pm for a fun and relaxing afternoon at Tahoma Farms in Orting, WA. Take a tour with us through the fields and see how the summer crops are coming along, or stroll down to the Puyallup River and see what a certified Salmon Safe riparian area looks like. Snacks and drinks will be provided, and you are welcome to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the banks of the river or in the shelter of one of our barns. If the strawberry patch maintains its current momentum, you’ll have a chance to pick your own berries-bring a container! Look for an EVITE in your inbox and send us your RSVP from there. We look forward to spending the afternoon with you!
Keep your fruits and veggie fresh with a Terra Organics produce cooler. Custom designed and insulated, each cooler is 16.5 inches wide, and 13 inches high with a lid that opens 180 degrees. Painted white with the Terra Organics logo- they are simple and unobtrusive. (You can take a look at one in the webstore if you are curious.) For a refundable deposit of $25 you can have one delivered with your next order. Visit the webstore or send us an email letting us know you’d like one and we’ll add it for you.
Attention coffee lovers/addicts: beginning July 15th we will be offering you a certified organic whole bean coffee from Bluebeard Coffee Roasters. The ‘Terra Blend’ will feature organic coffee from family farms from various countries in Latin and South America, Africa and Indonesia. Our first run of coffee will be from the Finca Bourbon in Guatemala where the Echevarria family has grown their old-world Bourbon varietal coffees since 1878. (We’re giving you a week’s notice so you’ll have time to remember to add it to your Terra grocery list for next week’s ordering.)
Strawberry eaters!!!! If you are buying local and organic strawberries, it is prudent to plan on eating or preparing them the day you get them.
As always, if you have issues or concerns with your order, please contact us.
Highlights and Specials for the upcoming week:
· Tender and flavorful Garlic Scapes from Nash’s (Sequim, WA), $2.25/bunch
· WA-grown Bing cherries, $5.50/lb
· Tahoma Farms Mustard Greens for $2.00/bunch
· Tahoma’s first Broccoli and Zucchini of the season
· Discounts on all Bluebird grain products – see Web Store for product details and pricing.
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
The Cooler the Better
Jun 30th
The Terra Organics Coolers are finally here! For a refundable deposit of $25 you can now protect your produce from the heat of the summer and the freezing temperatures of winter with a Terra Organics cooler. Custom designed and manufactured for your needs, each cooler is 16.5 inches wide, and 12 inches high with a lid that opens 180 degrees. Fully insulated, and painted white with the Terra Organics logo, they are unobtrusive and easy on the eye. Order one from our webstore under ‘more stuff’, and we will deliver it with your next order.
Save the date! You are invited to bring the kiddos and meet us for a fun and relaxing afternoon at Tahoma Farms in Orting on Sunday, July 17th from noon to 3pm. Take a tour with us through the fields and see how the summer crops are coming along, or stroll down to the Puyallup River and see what a certified Salmon Safe riparian area looks like. Snacks and drinks will be provided, and if the strawberry patch maintains its current momentum, you’ll have a chance to pick your own berries. We look forward to seeing you there!
We will have flats and half-flats of strawberries from Tahoma in limited quantities this week. We have put a few in the web store but don’t want to overcommit. If you do not find them in the web store it means that all known available flats and half-flats have been sold. We will release more to the store as they become available. You can also send us an email telling us how many flats or half-flats you would like and we will then add to your order, as available, on a first-come first-served basis.
We hope you enjoy a safe and happy Independence Day.
Highlights and Specials for the upcoming week:
· First of the season WA-grown apricots, $2.25/lb
· WA-grown Chelan cherries, $5.50/lb
· Snow peas from Alvarez Farms in Mabton, WA, at $2.50 per ½ lb bag
· Black Splendor plums, $2.50/lb
· Vine tomatoes (BC, Canada) at $2.50/lb
· Discounts on all Bluebird grain products – see Web Store for product details and pricing.
Please keep in touch and let us know how you are enjoying your produce by emailing info@terra-organics.com.
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
Featured Veggie: Mustad Greens
Jun 29th
A member of the cruciferous vegetable family, mustard shares the same cancer-preventing benefits of broccoli, cabbage and kale. The pungent, peppery greens can be prepared raw or cooked—if you enjoy the mustardy flavor, try them raw in a salad; if you find them a little too strong for your palate, cooking can tame their flavor.
Salmon Safe
Jun 23rd
Although we’ve seen the sun appear a couple of days this week, it’s hard to believe that summer has officially begun. Lucky for us the early season crops like lettuce, kale, chard and strawberries are growing beautifully. Tahoma Farms CSA box subscribers will receive the first of the season’s strawberries next week. We are expecting our quantities to increase over the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out for them in the webstore.
Today we are pleased to announce that Tahoma Farms has received its Salmon Safe certification. The decline of salmon populations has become one of the most pressing environmental concerns facing our region, and Tahoma Farms is actively working to protect water quality and habitat along our stretch of the Puyallup River. Some of the practices that we have put into place include maintaining a buffer of trees and vegetation along the stream banks, and controlling erosion by cover cropping bare soil. Practices such as these help to improve passage for migrating fish and restore the health of critical riparian ecosystems. Click here to read more about Washington’s Salmon Safe program and certification process.
If you’d like to add free money to your Terra Organics account this summer keep spreading the word to your friends about us. When they sign up with us all they need to do is give us your name and you will receive a $10 credit. Once you have received 10 credits we’ll apply an additional $100. Look in our webstore for our very lovely wallet size referral cards (free) to have them added to your next order.
Highlights and Specials for the upcoming week:
· First of the season WA-grown apricots, $2.25/lb
· WA-grown Chelan cherries, $5.50/lb
· Snow peas from Alvarez Farms in Mabton, WA, at $2.50 per ½ lb bag
· Black Splendor plums, $2.50/lb
· Vine tomatoes (BC, Canada) at $2.50/lb
· Discounts on all Bluebird grain products – see Web Store for product details and pricing.
Please keep in touch and let us know how you are enjoying your produce by emailing info@terra-organics.com.
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
Strawberries!
Jun 16th
We are ridiculously close to having our very own Strawberries and with the heat we’re expecting at the beginning of next week, one of summer’s true pleasures is almost upon us after a long, fruitless winter. We will also have them for sale by the flat, for those that want to freeze, jam, bake or otherwise consume lots of strawberries over a short (or long) period of time.
For now, we have some exciting local offerings from Eastern Washington – English Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, Green Cabbage and even Red Cherries – and a selection of 18 veggies from Tahoma Farms in the web store. Over the course of the local season, we will see an additional 35 to 40 different crops coming from Tahoma Farms and in the web store. How’s that for flexibility and selection? This time last year we only had the ability to manage 20 items or so. And when we move into a bigger space at the end of this month we will have the capacity for even more items. We think it’s all pretty exciting and we hope you do too!
Some of the local specials available in the web store for your Terra Organics order next week:
- Willie Greens Baby Spinach at $3.50 per 1/2 pound bag
- Tahoma Rainbow Carrots at $3.00 per bunch
- Yakima Asparagus for $6.00 per pound
- Tahoma Mustard Greens at $2.75 per bunch
- Yakima English Peas at $3.50 per pound
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
