Recipe Roundup: Grapefruit

Grapefruit offers a refreshing, bright flavor with a hint of sweetness to many dishes. We've gathered some of our favorite recipes to help brighten up your winter days.

Spice It Up: Cloves

About

Cloves are made from the unopened flower buds of the clove tree, a small tropical member of the evergreen family. The tree is native to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, also known as the “Spice Islands”, although it’s also grown in Madagascar and Tanzania. When the flower buds change from a pale green color to a bright red color, they are harvested and dried. Named after its distinctive shape, the word clove comes from the Latin word clavus, meaning nail. The dried flower buds can be used for cooking and seasoning as well as medicinal purposes

Spice It Up: Vanilla

The word vanilla is sometimes used for things that are boring, blah or basic. However, true food lovers know that vanilla is anything but plain. Its complex flavor profile, laborious growing process and interesting history all contribute to what makes this spice so intriguing.

About

It grows as a vine and can be up to 300 feet long. The vine features pale green-yellow flowers that, when pollinated, grow a fruit that looks like a string bean. It takes about nine months for a vanilla pod to ripen, and then it must undergo a long and tedious curing process. The little specks that you can see in high-quality vanilla bean ice cream are the tiny black speeds that fill vanilla pods.

Easy Party Appetizers

With the holidays just around the corner, you'll likely find that your calendar is filling up quickly. Whether it's a family gathering, an ugly sweater party, an office potluck, or friends coming into town, the season is filled with festivities. When you don't want to show up empty-handed, and you don't want to spend all day in the kitchen, we've got you covered! These appetizers are easy, require only a few ingredients, can be put together last minute and will definitely be popular at parties. We like to keep some of these items on hand for any last-minute events that may pop up, or for surprise guests that may pop in.

Spice It Up: Nutmeg

Nutmeg and Mace

Nutmeg comes from an Indonesian tropical evergreen tree that actually produces two spices, nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg is the pit, or seed, of the fruit, and mace is the lacy bright red webbing that surrounds the shell of the pit. The mace is typically removed, dried and ground into a spicy and pungent powder that is used for baking and is often found in doughnuts. The nutmeg seed is dried slowly over an eight week period and can either be left whole or grated into a powder. Cultivating nutmeg is a true test of patience as the nutmeg tree takes seven to nine years to produce fruit after being planted.

Breakfast Gift Basket Giveaway

We’ve all heard it a million times before: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Whether you’re grabbing breakfast on the go or treating yourself to a decadent brunch, this Breakfast Gift Basket will have you covered. It’s the perfect gift for any breakfast-lover in your life, regardless if they’re a rise-and-shine morning person or a lounge-in-bed-all-day kind of person. These breakfast items are all hand-crafted with time and care by artisanal food makers. We’re sure you’ll love them as much as we do!

Ultimate Guide to a Farm-To-Table Thanksgiving

Whether you're preparing for a traditional turkey dinner, or a not-so-traditional, modern meal, we've got you covered.

It takes hard work—and maybe lack of sleep!—to pull off an "effortless" Thanksgiving meal. So this year we've decided to help you save time, and pull together the ultimate Thanksgiving meal with this easy guide.

Spice It Up: Cinnamon

The leaves are changing colors, the days are getting shorter, and the air is getting cooler. Fall is in full swing and one of our favorite things about the season is the delicious food that comes with it. Butternut squash soup, persimmons sliced on our salads, pumpkin-flavored everything… and although it’s technically available year-round, we absolutely love the abundance of cinnamon that comes with the cooler weather. Whether it’s sprinkled over oatmeal, folded into baked goods, or steeped in hot apple cider, we can’t get enough of this delicious spice!

How To Cook Spaghetti Squash

Is it just us, or does spaghetti squash feel like one of the best-kept secrets in produce? It's spaghetti... that's squash... and all you have to do is cook the squash. Follow our easy, step-by-step instructions below.

Know Your Farmer: ReGrained

Upcycling with ReGrained

ReGrained founders Daniel Kurzrock and Jordan Schwartz met as undergrad students at UCLA. Like most college students on a budget, they were looking to save money so they learned how to brew their own beer. They quickly discovered that each batch of beer also produced a grain that looked and smelled like oatmeal. In the beginning, they threw all of it away, as most brewers do.

Fig Folly

 From the Fields - Thaddeus

Precious heat units are beginning to disappear. The hot summer days have come to an end, and our farm finds both of its feet solidly planted into fall. The cool nights have turned the fig orchard yellow, some of their leaves fully browning and falling to the ground. I chuckle at the memory of when these fig trees were my responsibility for the first time.

Healthy Halloween Treats

Spooky season is upon us! With Halloween right around the corner, you may find yourself surrounded by tricks and treats, particularly treats. Between costume party desserts, the candy bowl at work, and the kids' trick-or-treating goodies, we think it's time to celebrate the season with some healthy Halloween snacks.

Wine and Cheese: The Perfect Pair

5 Tips for a Perfect Pairing

1. Pair intense wine with equally intense cheese
Bolder, more intense, fuller flavored cheeses can stand up to the higher tannins of big-bodied wines. Wines with less than 12% ABV will taste better with a lighter, more delicate cheese.

Office Lunch Inspiration

The back-to-school shopping is done, the supplies are secured, and the school forms are (hopefully) signed. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out our back-to-school lunch ideas. But don’t worry – we didn’t save all the good ideas for the kids!

Summer's End

Farm News 

Our first planting of heirloom tomatoes is nearing the end of its season. Seeded in the greenhouse in January, these tiny transplants were tucked into the field in March and have been producing fruit since June.

Simple & Stylish Party Secrets to Wow Your Friends

Time for some classy upgrades to the typical hot dogs and hamburgers. Instead, we teamed up with with Veronica Leslie of HealthDoll.Co to provide you with some easy, yet stylish fare to excite your friends, while keeping your prep time minimal before and during your party. We will help you make cocktails (and mocktails), appetizers, main dishes and dessert that will prove a memorable experience for all. And you’ll have enough energy to enjoy your own party, too!

Olive Oil Tasting Tips

The highest grade an olive oil can receive is “Extra Virgin,” but what does that really mean? Extra virgin olive oil is made by crushing fresh olives, and then applying mechanical pressure to extract their rich, flavorful oils.

Back To School Lunch Ideas

Time is flying this summer! You still have a few more weeks of freedom, but back-to-school is just around the corner. We know life can get hectic, and school lunches can get boring. We want to help! Here are some quick ideas you can prep ahead to make mornings a little easier, and keep tummies full of healthy - and fun! - meals.

Recipe Roundup: Watermelon

Summertime and watermelons go hand-in-hand. Watermelons make for a sweet, juicy delicious treat; especially on a hot day.

Guide to Heirloom Tomatoes

For most people, summer conjures up images of warm weather, pool parties, summer camp and beach trips. For us (and for the other serious foodies out there), summer means one thing: heirloom tomatoes! We wait all year for these flavorful juicy fruits to ripen and be harvested, so they can finally make their way into your farm box. We only have a few months to savor these little gems; make the most of them using our heirloom tomato guide!

Easy Ways To Enjoy Grilled Summer Veggies

Once you have your desired veggies in hand, fire up the grill and get ready to chill. Preparing veggies is quick and easy during grilling season, perfect to throw on the grill for a sweet and smoky flavor. Some of our favorite veggies for the outdoor barbecue are asparagus, zucchini, whole garlic, mushrooms (choose your favs), green onions, whole garlic, tomatoes (shh! I know it’s really a fruit), and sweet corn. For dessert (make some room veggies!), add a couple of nectarines or peaches for a perfect ending to your evening.

Summer Harvest

Farm News

Our apricots are here! All that pruning, cover-crop growing, blossoming and irrigation came together to put out an amazing set of fruit on our trees. This is among the first stone fruit of the California season and is certainly the first piece of stone fruit being harvested from our farm. The Royal Blenheim apricot is an heirloom variety, one of the originals!

Here's to a Scrumptious Summer!

Summer is finally here! The temperature has been rising, excitement has been building, and our mouths have been watering in anticipation of all of the beautiful summer produce that is coming our way. Bright juicy peaches, vibrant strawberries, deep red plums, multi-hued heirloom tomatoes, vivid green peppers, a rainbow of summer squash…the list goes on and on.

Let’s Make Cool Treats

Summer is around the corner and temps are on the rise. There are many easy and refreshing treats you can make to help you beat the heat. You can incorporate our seasonal fruits like strawberries, plums, peaches, kiwi, watermelon, lemon, and blueberries too.

How to Care for Stone Fruit & Recipe Roundup

During stone fruit season, we’re often asked how to best store fresh apricots, peaches, nectarines,  plums, pluots, peacotums and apriums. Keep these helpful tips in mind:

Cooking With Scraps Book Giveaway!

When author Lindsay-Jean Hard was working on her master’s degree, the city she was living in only accepted #1 and #2 plastics for recycling. All other recyclables were simply thrown away. Frustrated by this, Lindsay set up recycling bins throughout her building with signs showing which items could be thrown away in each bin.

Busy Farm Days

Farm News

I will miss the puffy white clouds that meander without cause over the last days of spring. The hills that the clouds stain with their dark shadows are no longer green with the moisture of spring. I suppose technically they are green, but they are not the pure green of grass that has water. They are kind of green with patches of golden grass forming here and there. However, the oak trees are green. Their explosion of new leaves from the spring have matured, and soon, they will be the only green patches on the hills.

Lettuce Get Inspired | National Salad Month

We may typically take the easy route and make what my mother-in-law likes to call the “honeymoon salad” because it’s lettuce alone (get it, let us alone). This month let’s stretch ourselves just a little to make more delicious and nutritious salads that challenge the traditional idea of a salad and that may even leave out the lettuce altogether–see ya later lettuce, have a good honeymoon.

Let’s Veg Out Together!

An abundance of springtime fruits and veggies are available to add to your farm box this week! What a perfect time to showcase vibrant produce for National Vegetarian Week. An increasing number of people are interested in plant-based meals, some for the nutritional benefit, some looking to add a sustainable practice, and others in search of economic value. Practicing plant-based living can feel great, while promoting health and well-being. Whether you are a vegetarian, meat-eater, pescatarian, flexitarian or vegan, eating more veggie food is a delicious way to do your part for the environment too. We have seven suggested activities you can do to veg out!

Food Memories from our Farm Family

Food holds a special place in all of our hearts. It connects us to our community and it bridges generations. The taste, smell and texture of food can be powerful, evoking emotion and eliciting memories. With one bite you can find yourself transported back into your childhood kitchen or your grandparent's garden. Our food memories are made stronger by the fact that all five of your senses are utilized when eating, so you may even find that you can smell your great-aunt's perfume or hear your grandfather's radio playing in the background. Food is embedded in our relationships with loved ones. In honor of Mother's Day, we asked Farm Fresh To You employees to share some of their favorite food memories and the foods that make them nostalgic. We hope you enjoy their stories and we hope they spark some sentimental memories in you as well!

Mother's Day Brunch Recipe Roundup

Treat mom to a homemade brunch this year featuring fresh organic produce from the farm. We've rounded up some of our favorite brunch recipes (including some fun adult beverages) that the special women in your life will love! Enjoy your brunch this weekend and be sure to let us know what you decide to make.

Mother's Day Cookbook GIveaway

"The Davis Farmers Market has long been at the vanguard in this nation, and it has led the way for the thousands of markets that have sprung up around the country. … This book is a beautiful tribute to the people who have kept this market alive and vibrant for nearly 40 years, with every recipe a little love letter to the farmers who grow the ingredients.”

– Alice Waters

The Davis Farmers Market Cookbook (revised edition) celebrates seasonal recipes that utilize ingredients from the market's local vendors and producers. Author and market co-founder Ann M. Evans introduces many of the family farms (including our farm, Capay Organic) in these pages, giving readers the opportunity to get to know the people who produce and sell the foods they buy each week.

Spring is in the Air: 5 Ways to Naturally Freshen Up Your Home For Spring

We’ve been enjoying the beautiful clear skies and rising temperatures here in California. It’s time to open up your windows, clear out the stale air, and replace it with a fresh clean fragrance. To fill your home with the warm welcoming scents of spring, we suggest these easy, natural, DIY air fresheners.

Earth Day Tips & Tricks for Reducing Food Waste

In the United States, it's estimated that 40% of food goes uneaten, and the average family throws away over $1300 every year in the form of food waste. This translates to increased methane emissions in landfills and depleted resources. Plus, food waste is water waste. Wasting one pound of tomatoes is the equivalent of a five-minute shower! In honor of Earth Day, we're sharing a roundup of meal planning tips, food storage tips, and cooking tips that will lead to less waste at home. Not only will it benefit Earth by lowering your carbon footprint and conserving resources, saving food will save you money too!

Meatless Monday

The concept behind Meatless Monday is very simple: refrain from eating meat for one day a week. By doing so, you can make a positive impact on your health, the environment, and animal welfare while practicing mindful eating and experiencing the joy of fresh fruits and vegetables.

All About Strawberries

Your cheering has been heard, STRAWBERRIES are the champion of our NCAA-style bracketed March Madness Produce Playoffs!! We’re celebrating our winner by sharing some fun facts, helpful tips and our favorite recipes featuring strawberries below.

10 Questions with Chef Brendan Collins

We're looking forward to our Seasonal Dinner with Farmer & Chef at Wilshire Restaurant on April 11th. These dinners provide a unique experience to sit down with farmer and chef, enjoy a meal together and share about the mutual passion for sustainable and organic practices.

Stuck In Spring

Farm News

The fruits of spring’s spectacular bloom of our apricot trees are visible – literally. They are tiny, but recognizable green apricots. The flowers that attracted the pollinating insects are still hanging on, but barely. They are beat up and drying, but like parents, they are happy to be upstaged by the little ones. From the branches of the rusty, red apricot bark, true leaves are beginning to emerge. Soon those leaves will shade out the branches and provide much needed protection to the apricot gems.

Winter Transition

Farm News

This is the month when winter transitions to spring, but I certainly cannot feel it. Skies are clear. Grass is green, and the fruit trees are thinking about breaking their buds into flowers but it is too cold. The early morning ice on my windshield and the sheets of ice on the puddles are holding onto winter.

Love on the Farm: Mary and Joe

Joe started working for Farm Fresh To You over a decade ago, and shortly after starting with us, he brought his wife Mary on board. Joe will be celebrating 11 years as a delivery driver this May and Mary, our Route Delivery Operations Manager - the mastermind of our logistics department, will be celebrating 9 years in June.

Rushing Water And Deep Mud

Farm News

It’s hard to walk around the farm with all the mud; driving is even more difficult. There are a few main graveled drives through the farm that are drivable, but even those leave the trace of the wheels through the gravelly, muddy mixture. Parking next to the canal bridge, I get out and start walking down the roads. There is a squishing and crackling sound under my feet. Since sometime last night, the rain stopped for a moment. There are deep clouds hanging overhead, but nothing is falling from them besides their shadows.

Love on the Farm: Samantha & Brandon

Brandon and Samantha started dating in 2013 and have spent quite a bit of time on the farm. Samantha is a super nanny and has watched all 12 of Barnes-Barsotti kids. Samantha and Brandon are frequent visitors to our Farm Fresh To You farm events and festivals.

Love on the Farm: Michael & Liz

Michael and Liz met in San Francisco, but their relationship flourished in Yolo County, where Liz is from.

Food From The Heart

Happy Valentine’s Day! Call us romantics, but we’re feeling the love here at Farm Fresh To You today. We love all of our farm box members who support local farmers, organic produce and sustainable practices. We love our family of passionate employees who share in our values and work hard as a team. We also love all of the amazing artisan food purveyors that we get to work with. If there’s one thing we really love, it’s delicious food, and it’s even better when we get to share it with you! Today we want to take a moment to introduce you to some of our partners that make their food with love.

We Love Jam

The owners of We Love Jam began making jam for fun from the Blenheim apricot tree in their backyard. Each summer, they picked fresh fruit from the 80-year-old tree and made jam to share with their friends and family. On a whim, they sent some jars to food magazines, and Food & Wine magazine loved it so much they called it the best jam they’ve ever tried in their February 2002 issue. Overnight, what started as a hobby became a successful business.

“We still make everything by hand and source our fruit from local farms. Everything is made in our own custom-made commercial kitchen. As owners, we are directly involved in every facet of this business. It doesn’t get more hands-on than this. It is very rewarding working with local farms and making our customers happy.”

Theo

Theo is passionate about changing the world through chocolate. As the first Organic and Fair Trade certified chocolate factory in North America, they believe that the finest chocolate should be created in an entirely ethical and regenerative fashion.

“As a company rooted in cocoa, our mission is to create a more beautiful, compassionate, and enduring world by responsibly making delicious and inspiring products for everyone. This is why our co-founder Joe Whinney pioneered the first supply of organic cocoa into the US in 1994, and we remain committed to making amazing fair trade and organic bean-to-bar chocolate today. If you’ve ever had a Theo treat, we hope you’ll find that our love for creating delicious chocolate is evident in each bite.”

Old Dog Ranch

Old Dog Ranch is a fifth-generation family farm on the Calaveras River in San Joaquin County, California. The family has lived and farmed at the ranch since 1912. Growing up on the ranch (which is named for two of the family’s beloved, long-lived canine companions), Mollie Sitkin loved experimenting with ingredients picked from the fields and orchards just outside her kitchen door. Today, Mollie makes the Old Dog Ranch line of walnut snacks and walnut butters with organic Chandler walnuts from an orchard her father planted the year she was born.

“I’ve always loved serving delicious things to people and seeing them smile, but being able to grow the ingredients and make the snacks healthy takes it to a whole new level for me. Freshness and growing high-quality walnuts are the most important thing for our family business.”

Upper Crust Bakery

Upper Crust Bakery started baking bread 33 years ago in 1986. It was started by a husband-and-wife team Mo and Trudy Kalinsky in Northern California. Together, they made a perfect duo. He was passionate about the science of bread baking, and she was the face of the business and an amazing salesperson. Their son grew up in the bakery learning the craft.

Their son, Lorin, ended up building a career for himself in entrepreneurship and technology. He started a family of his own, and they split their time between living in the Bay Area and France. In 2013, his family relocated back to California. His love for baking was rekindled and with his parents’ blessing, he took over the business in 2017.

“It’s an exciting time to be in the good food business. We feel privileged to live in what is one of the most fertile, productive agricultural regions in the world. People are passionate about supporting local agriculture and eating well. Because of our presence at dozens of farmers markets across Northern California, our bakery has established unique links to many of the family farms and agricultural producers in our region. We source local ingredients and support local agriculture whenever possible, and we are proud to provide good food to our community.”

Chivas

About 15 years ago, founder, Donna, learned about the nutritional benefits of drinking raw goat milk and decided to buy two French Alpine goats. Receiving 2 gallons of fresh milk a day, she taught herself to make cheeses, yogurts, ice creams, and eventually, soap! Donna used to have what her kids would call “alligator skin” -- super dry and flaky -- but, her homemade goat milk soap transformed her skin! Her friends and family loved the soaps so much too, that she kept making more. With the help of her daughter, Lauren, Donna’s DIY home project soon turned into what is now Chivas Skin Care. Donna and Lauren created the business because they wanted to share with others the same wonderful products that Donna had formulated for her family.

“Farm-fresh milk is the number 1 ingredient in all of our soaps, making each bar ultra-rich and creamy. Goat milk is the foundation of our soaps, and we believe that a high-quality soap like ours should be the foundation of any skincare routine. The better quality the soap, the less lotions and potions are needed. 

We use high-quality and all-natural ingredients in our soaps, which make them only that much more gentle, soothing and nourishing for the skin. We use food-grade olive oil, plant-based, essential oils, sustainable palm oil, and fair trade shea butter. We do NOT use any fragrances, perfumes, artificial colorants, preservatives or the like. When you read our ingredients list you can understand each ingredient. We always joke, “you really could wash your mouth out with this soap."

How To Add Their Delicious Products to Your Delivery:

CSA members - head on over to our online Farm Stand Market to customize your upcoming delivery. Market is open from noon on Thursday until 6 pm, 2 days before your scheduled delivery day. After you confirm your produce items, click the orange button "Confirm and Continue To Other Farm Products" to add the products to your delivery.

Not part of our farm family? Find out if we deliver to your neighborhood.

Love on the Farm: Thaddeus & Moyra

Thaddeus and Moyra met at the San Francisco Ferry Building in the summer of 2004. Moyra was home from college, working at Bay Crossings and Cowgirl Creamery, and living with her parents. Thad was working at our Farm Fresh To You store and splitting his time between living on the farm and in San Francisco.