Green Beans---The beginning of our Color Parade into Fall comes with the delicious, easy to eat, cooked or raw, green bean. Make it fancy and saute with some red onions and kale or keep it simple and steam and eat!
Fennel---Fennel is one of my favorite things to eat. Mild licorice flavor mellows with a simple braising to produce a yummy side dish. Slice off the top and then slice the fennel bulb into a few slices. Saute in olive oil until just brown, then add water, cover and cook very slowly until it is all “melted.” It will get very soft. Try to keep from eating it out of the pan! I’m getting hungry just writing about it!
Broccoli---Green and/or purple. Another simple, steam, blanch or eat raw, vegetable. Easy. Delicious.
Sweet Peppers---Stays Green Bell and Gypsy. Use for salad, stuff with rice, onions, squash. Make the roasted pepper recipe (below) at the same time you roast the tomatoes and you can mix them together. I think that would be really good. Make a stuffing of a little rice, chopped squash/ beans/ kale/ cheese/ onion and bake.
Purple Basil---In case you make the sauce or any other dish. A pretty purple basil to please your palate.
Summer Squash---The last planting is producing. Chop and cook up with the tomato sauce below. Steam up with the beans and some of the kale for a simple vegetable medley.
Red Onions---These summer onions and are sweet cooked up but not raw.
Kale---Kale is a wonderful green to saute up. Pull the leaves off the rib, chop and cook until tender with a little olive oil/ onion. Kale could also be mixed with the beans or added to the stuffing if you want to stuff the peppers. It would also be good added to the spaghetti sauce (add near the end). I have put it on pizzas and it’s wonderful that way as well. For a roasted kale recipe that sounds pretty interesting go to Suite101.com and type in roasted kale.
Tomatoes---Romas. Taking up the rear of the Color Parade into Fall are some nice red, Roma tomatoes. We figured it was time to make a spaghetti sauce. Make the one below or try baking them. To do that, slice in half lengthwise and put in baking dish with some about 2 - 4 Tbsp olive oil mixed with garlic and a bit of basil. Bake, covered at about 425 for about an hour or until the tomatoes are soft and juicy. Cool and scoop all the good tomato stuff out of the tomato, keeping the peel in the pan. Get all the juices. Then mix up with a bit of Parmesan or Asiago cheese and top pasta. It’s good, very aromatic (and warms up the kitchen nicely).

Spaghetti Sauce
All amounts approximate

2 to 3 Tbsp. olive oil

4 cups peeled tomatoes*
1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 sweet pepper (optional)
1 Tbsp. or more, chopped garlic

2 Tbsp. or more fresh basil/ parsley
1 Tbsp. oregano

A bay leaf or two/ salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil and sauté the onions until golden brown. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Simmer, partially covered, for about 15 minutes. Process in a food processor or blender. Return to the pan; add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve over pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.
* Peeling tomatoes is quite simple. Core and put into boiling water for a little less than a minute. Put into ice/cold water. The peels should slip off. If they don't put into the boiling water a bit longer.

Oven-Roasted Peppers
Adapted from The New Cook’s Tour of Sonoma by Michele Anna Jordan

Michele notes that this roasting is a French method which is less messy, a bit more relaxing and ensures that the flesh doesn’t burn. Try it and see what you think.

large red, yellow or orange sweet peppers

olive oil
Kosher salt

Black pepper in a mill
Preheat oven to 375, F. Use a paring knife to remove the stem and seed core of each pepper, and to cut each pepper in half lengthwise. Place the peppers on a large baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil, and toss to coat with the oil. Arrange the peppers, cut side down, in a single layer on the sheet and bake until the skins blister (they do not need to turn black), about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, and use your fingers or a sharp paring knife to pull off the skins. Cut each half in half again, lengthwise, arrange on a large platter, and season with salt and pepper.

RECIPES: Please send me any seasonal recipes you may want to see in the Menu!






Gift Certificates/ Other Gifts: We will have Gift Certificates available for both the Farm Stand and CSA if you are interested for all
your gift-giving needs. We also have gorgeous wool scarves and blankets as well as beautiful chile vinegar to name a few items.


Wool Products: We have some gorgeous hand woven scarves and blankets/ throws from the WE Tierra Shetland Sheep. Stop in the Farm Stand for a look-see.









Come visit: Please all of you who pick up at drop off locations, come visit. We are open Saturdays from 11 to 6 and you are all more than welcome to come take a walk in the field and visit with your vegetables/ fruits.

HONEY: We’ve got honey from the field: Tierra Vegetables Estate Honey. It is really sweet and flavorful. Scott, our beekeeper at Nelson Family Apiary, is using it for his honey of the month! We can put it in your box. We’ve got two sizes: 10 oz for $8.50 and 20 oz for $12.00. Let me know.



PLASTIC BAGS; We need lots of CLEAN plastic bags, please. We go through a lot and are not ordering any more until we can get the non-GMO biodegradable ones.










PICK UP POLICY NOTE: We are experiencing an issue with boxes not being picked up at various locations, including the Farm Stand, on a timely manner. We understand that sometimes you forget or something comes up that you can’t get your box of vegetables. If this happens, please call me at 696-8148 and we will bag it up for those picking up at the farm or hold it at the drop off locations. Otherwise, boxes left over 24 hours will be donated or used by our hosts. Thank you.

Reminder: The Farm Stand is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 to 6:00.

VISIT THE FARM: Please come on in for a visit whenever you can and bring the kids!


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EGGS---Our chickens are starting to lay their eggs! Hooray. These beautiful and delicious eggs are available at the Farm Stand. Better watch out, though: the customers at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market would take them all if we'd let them. You all get priority! Come check them out and see what a really fresh egg looks and tastes like.




Calling all loyal CSA members. We would love to put your recipes in the Menu. If you have anything that you'd like to share, please e-mail me at evie@tierravegetables.com and most likely your recipe (or comment) will make its way to this little Menu.

Regular Season starts May 29th. If you want to sign up and you haven’t yet, please call or e-mail.

Reminder: The Farm Stand is now open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 to about 5:30. Come on in. Bring the kids!