Nine months out of the year, temperatures are more or less ideal for leaving fruits and vegetables at your doorstep.  Rarely do we have a problem with spoilage due to extreme temps.

But last year, after a long string of days of record heat right in the middle of berry season, it was clear that we needed to do something to keep the contents of the boxes cooler.  We installed air conditioning in the warehouse so we could assemble the boxes in a climate controlled environment.  The two vehicles that we’ve purchased since last summer are both refrigerated (it adds about $10k to $20k to the cost of a van for it to be refrigerated).  And the big improvement so far this year has been the introduction of thermal blankets in all of our vehicles, that insulate each box and keep the cool air in and the warm air out.  Our efforts to maintain the cold chain are being tested this week, and so far it seems that our investments are paying off.

However, the point at which the box is finally left on your doorstep is the missing link.  Our drivers know to seek out shade, and to consider where the sun is going to be shining over the course of the day.  But even in the shade, the highly perishable items are not going to like being outside of a refrigerator for several hours.  We love to see coolers out that we can transfer the produce into, but we know that’s not a solution for everyone.  (But if it works for you, please leave one out and we will be happy to make good use of it!)

What we’re working towards, and what we need your input on, is whether you’d be willing to put down a $20 to $30 deposit on an insulated cooler, like what Smith Brothers uses for their milk and dairy products.  We also think this is part of the puzzle that will get us closer to handling more perishable products, like dairy and meat.  So, if you would welcome a Terra Organics cooler on your doorstep, please click here to let us know.  Thanks!

Update on Hama Hama

The feedback we’ve received about the quality of Hama Hama products has been encouraging, and this week we’ve moved to simplify the program a little bit.  The bad news is that we won’t have in-the-shell oysters or clams for sale individually.  The good news is that the Weekly Pick of Hama Hama shellfish can now be ordered like all of the rest of our add-ons, by logging into your account and clicking on Manage Add-Ons.  This week it’s 3 pounds of Manila Steamer Clams for $20.

Like all other add-ons and changes to your order, we need to receive all requests by 10 AM, two days before your delivery.

Last Thursday at this time I spoke to Jeff Miller (chef turned organic farmer from Willie Greens in Monroe) and he said it was quite possibly the worst year that he has seen in his 25 years on the farm: 5 flats of berries a week vs 250 last year; 20% germination in the chard and spinach, leaving whole beds virtually empty; wet, soggy ground and no change in the weather on the horizon.

And it was doom and gloom on our farm as well.  The productive spring we had came to a screeching halt as our list of crops ready for harvest shrank to just a handful and the quantity available was way down.  Stuff just hasn’t been growing for the last month!  It’s scary (still) to think that a lousy summer around here can wipe out a farm’s income for the year.  (That should offer a little insight into why we started Terra Organics in the first place…)

Looking back at last year’s newsletters, by the second and third weeks of June we were already into local cherries, broccoli, summer squash, beans(!).  Yet last week the availability of local produce was so wiped out we only had  bunched spinach in the small boxes.

So with the warming this past week, things have started to grow again and Eastern Washington is finally coming on with some fruit.  It looks like all is not lost yet, but we’re still not out of the dark.  It’s going to be an interesting summer for everyone growing food out there.