March 26th, 2021
Atika
This cheese's name means "two" in the language of the Coast Miwok who originally inhabited the land where Tomales Farmstead Creamery now operates. TWO milks come together, sheep and goat, to create a gorgeous ridged, mottled rind which surrounds a flaky, yellow-white cheese. Initial aromas of buttered wheat toast, wildflowers and sour cream give way to flavors of roasted almonds and sweet cream. And for TWO weeks in a row we've sold out of it. But, worry not, it will be restocked on Monday, just in time to add it on to your order!
Ground Beef
True Grass Farms is back! By buying their ground beef (and the FEED Bin!), you're choosing to be an active participant in reforming of our food system, contributing to the health of our environment and cultivating a better future of our world, one burger...meatball...pot pie at a time. Find it on our storefront again this Monday, March 29th.
.:: Attention Food Mechanic Bin Recipients ::.
Today we said goodbye to the South Sebastopol salad haven, Food Mechanic. FEED Sonoma will be facilitating the upcoming Tuesday (March 30th) pick up at Food Mechanic during the same hours (11am-3pm). And as of Friday, April 2nd, we'll be offering Sebastopol pickups at another location, just 1 mile South.
West County's legacy CSA farm, Laguna Farms, is ending their chapter at the Cooper Road location and composting their longstanding CSA program. Ignacio "Nacho" will carry on the legacy, selling produce grown at Laguna's other location through farmers market and wholesale channels. Those of us missing Laguna's earthly delights can still visit Nacho at the Farmers Market in Sebastopol (You may even find his produce in your future bins, starting with pac choi and leeks dispersed through next week's Tuesday/Wednesday builds)!!
FEED has actually been using this location as a drop spot to aggregate produce from farms for distribution for a while now, and moving forward it will also be Sebastopol's public FEED Bin drop spot! The location will be monitored by one of our employees on Tuesdays and Fridays from 11am-3pm starting next Friday, April 2nd. We'll be sending more information to Sebastopol FEED Bin supporters early next week, if that's you, stay tuned!
.:: Rodef Sholom Pickup Goes PUBLIC ::.
Rodef Sholom, a formerly private pickup location in San Rafael is now open to the public! Pickup available on Saturday mornings. Learn more about this hub and others at www.feedsonoma.com/hubs.
Call it justice or social action, at Congregation Rodef Sholom, we call it tikkun olam. Our congregation supported agriculture program with FEED is another expression of our commitment to collective liberation. We believe it is our responsibility to act—boldly and powerfully—to bring healing, justice, dignity, and peace to the earth, which is inextricable from sustainable farming and food equity!
By hosting a public FEED Bin pick-up site, Rodef Sholom will fortify our longstanding tradition of partnering with myriad organizations committed to shattering systems of oppression. We also strive to forge new connections that expand our web of care—all while continuing to take social justice action and to host events, programs, and worship rooted in transforming culture. Rodef's recent (virtual) programming even included a "Food, Faith, and Farming" panel featuring speakers from Hazon, the Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative, and FEED Sonoma's very own Tim Page!
In addition to programming, Rodef, in partnership with Venetia Valley School and Old Gallinas Children's Center, is now hosting an on-site Marin Community Fridge, an all volunteer-run mutual aid space with free food for all, no questions asked. Yes, Rodef volunteers will stock the fridge in part with bountiful FEED produce bins! Please stay tuned for how you can support this collaboration by visiting https://www.rodefsholom.org/lend-a-hand.html soon. Together, and in partnership, we believe we can help support the bio-regional food system now and for future generations, healing ourselves, the collective, and the earth.
From our Producers :: Field Notes
We are seeding peppers, tomatoes and flowers now, along with our weekly lettuce successions and the greenhouses are filling up fast. Trucks loaded with compost and new equipment are rolling in. The cover crop is ripe and ready to be incorporated and some of the new crew is starting. We have all of the things in place to be ready for the growing season, with one (blaring) exception. Water. The dry conditions of this winter have not saturated the soils, the water table is low, and even our contract with the City of Santa Rosa is shaky at best. Last we heard, we will likely be operating with 40% of the water we had in 2020. After years of following instructions from the City to be conservative with water, I do not think we can reduce our consumption that drastically and still produce as much food or jobs for the community. We are doing our best to prepare for an extreme reduction in water by creating new systems, updating irrigation equipment and making “worst case” crop reduction plans. We were poised to have an excellent season in 2021, to grow more food, offer more jobs and make a living. Alas, we are farmers and not every year can be a great year.
Water stress accounted for, we are still optimistic. We will have a good year one way or another. This one may just take a bit more work, a starry-eyed disposition and a lot of creativity.
Second greenhouse is going up, pallet fires a plenty, cover crops coming down, and fresh beds laying in wait!
This is our fourth spring here in Sebastopol. Gavin and I have put in a lot of long days here. And, yet again, this season is testing us in new ways. We keep growing, keeping pushing, and it’s a constant give and take, of communication and giving space. Working together always feels right even though dividing and conquering is also
integral. It’s been a little rocky start to the season but I think we’re on the right track!