May 30th Farm Workshop

Baia Nicchia Winter Squash

May 30th workshop: Squash, Shell Beans and more.
There are still spaces available for this workshop.

Main Topics: Squash diversity. Squash varieties that double as both summer and winter squash. Squash growing tips. Fresh, dried shell beans. Shell beans as summer cover crops. Shell beans that double as fresh snap beans.

Hands-on activities: Transplanting squash. cooking and seasoning squash. Squash Blossom cooking demonstration.

Take home: Squash seeds and seedlings. Shell beans. Fresh produce including squash blossoms, New Zealand Spinach, edible flowers (including Nasturtium and Safflower), uncommon herbs, mints, farm-blended herb teas. We will also have tomato (new striped cherries) and pepper (Mareko Fana and Dolce di Minervino) available for workshop attendees to take home.


Participation at workshops is limited to 20 persons. The cost for each workshop is $60, and each participant will take home at least $40 worth of plants, seeds and/or produce from the workshop.

Workshops are conducted at our farm, which is part of the Sunol AgPark. They run from 11AM-2PM, on the last Wednesday of the month. All workshops include a light, vegetarian lunch.

To sign up:
1. email us to reserve a spot in a workshop, or workshops (see our profile for our email address).
2. We will email back, confirming availability. We will tell you where to send a check.
3. Send a check within one week (we will refund cancellations made 48 hours ahead of time), or pay at event if signing up less than a week before the workshop.

On the day of the workshop, plan to arrive between 10:45 and 11AM. We will meet you in the Sunol water temple parking lot. For directions see here.

June 27th workshop: Tomato Trellising, Mustard Seed Harvest and Frying Peppers.

There are still spaces available for this workshop.

Main Topics: Tomato growing methods. Pepper growing methods. Frying pepper harvesting methods. Mustard seed harvest, seed saving and use.

2012 Winter Squash

Terremoto: A work in progress

It's not squash season yet, although we are only a few weeks away from selling Potimarron pumpkin blossoms. However , we are in the middle of planting, and we are very excited about this year's crop. We grow a number of excellent varieties of winter squash, including:

Butternut Rugosa -- Deep orange flesh. Fantastic depth of flavor. We will also be selling immature Butternut Rugosa (Rugosa Verde). Rugosa Verde was a hit at Gather restaurant last fall, and it was during a visit to the field by Chef Sean Baker that we discovered that Butternut Rugosa, like Potimarron, is a better summer squash than typical summer squash.

Kikuza -- Edible skin. Light flavor. Keeps up to 6 months.

Chirimen -- Creamy, complex flavor. Best used 1-2 months after harvest (October or November), as black-green skin fades to orange. Edible skin caramelizes when roasted in small slices.

Galeux d'Eysines -- Light, very sweet flavor. Excellent for pies. When used as vegetable, cook lightly.

Potimarron -- Chestnut Pumpkin. Superlative soup squash. Soft edible skin should be pureed into soup. Also excellent sauteed with skin on. Our best guess is that with Potimarron the French got ahold of a Red Kuri-type squash and tweaked it.

Triamble -- Savory, complex flavor. Keeps up to 2 years without loss of flavor.

Terremoto -- Sweeter than Triamble. Keeps up to 1 year. Excellent balance of sweet and savory. This is a variety that we are breeding. It's pretty much done.

To read more about our winter squash, please see Food Gal, Oliveto and Edible East Bay.

Last year supply did not meet demand. This year we are growing more squash, in an effort to keep up with customer demand. Buyers interested in securing deliveries of squash this fall should email us to pre-order. We will try to accomodate all pre-orders, and we will guarantee delivery of pre-orders accompanied by a 15% deposit.

Artisan Seeds

New in 2012: Striped Cherry Tomatoes

We have formed a new business with FrogsLeap Farm in Minnesota. This new joint venture is called Artisan Seeds. Over the past few years our two farms have independently set up breeding programs with strikingly similar goals. Now we have joined forces, and over the next few years we will introduce unique new varieties each year.

In 2012 we will start by releasing six new varieties of striped cherry tomatoes. Three are long "julienne"-type cherry tomatoes, similar in shape to Maglia Rosa and Blush. The other three are round. More about the release of these varieties can be found at the website of our collaborators at AP Whaley Seed Company. Individual seed packets of the new varieties will be available exclusively through an online website and store which Artisan Seeds will launch fall 2012.

A couple of the new varieties we will be introducing later this year are Sunrise Bumble Bee and Captain Lucky. We bred Sunrise Bumble Bee, and Captain Lucky was bred by North Carolina breeder Millard Murdock. One of our goals at Artisan Seeds is to release the outstanding varieties of other independent breeders, with part of the price feeding back to them in royalty payments so they can continue to innovate.

Outstanding in the Field

An "Outstanding" dinner table

For the third year in a row we will be hosting an Outstanding In The Field event at our farm. This year the chef will be Sean Baker at Gather, and we will be co-hosting with his long-time collaborators at Lindencroft Farm.

The event will be on June 30th, which means we will likely be contributing cherry tomatoes, squash blossoms, edible radish pods, New Zealand spinach, Potimarron Jeune, Nasturtium flowers and leaves, snap beans, Ethiopian mustards, dried Mareko Fana peppers and/or other assorted crops. Steven and Linda Butler, of Lindencroft Farm, will be contributing an array of incredible spring/early summer produce, much of which can be seen on their blog.

This year, attendees at our event will be getting complimentary Highland Kale and Mareko Fana seeds at the dinner. These wonderful varieties came to us via Menkir Tamrat, who will also be present for the farm tour, and for the meal itself.

Note: This event is sold out.

Sunday Menlo Park Farmers' Market

Our stand at the Menlo Park Farmers' Market

We will not be at the farmers' market this week.

We will be back March 18th with brochures for our new Backer Pick produce subscriptions. We will also have loose herb tea, Highland Kale, Highland Mustard, Arugula flowers, Radish flowers, Edible Radish Pods and other things.

Goodbye "CSA" -- Hello "Backer Pick"

Sunrise Bumble Bee -- Plants available only to Backers in 2012

What is a “Backer Pick”?
It is a modified produce subscription. It's like a CSA subscription, but without a defined season, or weekly box value. Instead of a weekly box of produce with a set value, the Backer Pick is a pre-paid produce subscription that can be used any week of the year for all available produce items in the amounts needed. Customers who purchase a Backer Pick subscription are our farm's “Backers” and they are purchasing the “Pick” of our produce. Backers get a discount, as well as bonus items and priority on items in short supply.

There is no obligation to receive any produce on any given week. There is also no limit to the amount that can be taken during any specific week. For example, If you want to take $100 worth of tomato plants one week in April, and never take anything again until tomato and pepper season, that is fine with us. You can also come weekly, and take approximately the same amount of produce each week, if that is your preference.

How much does it cost?
There are three subscription prices -- $100, $200 and $500. The $100 subscription entitles the subscriber to $110 worth of produce. The $200 subscription entitles the subscriber to $230 worth of produce. The $500 subscription entitles the subscriber to $600 worth of produce.

How does it work?
Once you pay your fee, we issue a card with your name, and “$2” symbols on it (55 symbols if you purchase a $100 subscription, 115 symbols if you purchase a $200 subscription, 300 symbols if you purchase a $500 subscription). We will bring this card to every market we set up, to record your produce picks. Whenever you pick up produce from us, we cross out the appropriate number of $2 symbols, until your card has no value left. There is no limit on how fast or slow you pick up produce.

Selected Products
Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes, yuzu fruit, yuzu leaves, sweet peppers, hot peppers (Padron, Mareko Fana, Aji Amarillo), frying peppers, winter squash, flint corn, shell beans, eggplant, herb teas, basil, microgreens, spicy mustard greens. highland kale, highland mustard, arugula flowers, pea shoots, snow peas, spigariello, herb tea, tomato seedlings, pepper seedlings, herb seedlings, herbs, microgreens, radish pods, mustard-making kits, summer squash, snap beans, sea spinach, herbs, Korean melons, squash blossoms, cucumbers, unique vegetable seeds, edible chrysanthemum and flowers, safflower flowers, nasturtium flowers, radish flowers, baby vegetables.

Backer Priority, Bonus Items and Exclusives
Our Backers get priority on items we grow in limited amounts – including San Marzano tomatoes, Yuzu fruit and other items. In some cases, our backers may be the only ones to get products in limited supply. In other cases, they will be able to purchase them earlier in the season.

2012 March sign-up bonuses:

$100 – seed pack (or 2 seedlings) of Sunrise Bumble Bee (see above, available only to backers in 2012)

$200 – seed packs (or 2 seedlings each) for 3 new cherry tomatoes, all available only to backers in 2012

$500 – seed packs (or 2 seedlings each) for 6 new cherry tomatoes, plus one free Wednesday farm workshop.

Pick-up sites

Jazz Café in Sunol: Thursday Noon-3PM (Nov- Mar) or Noon-6PM (Apr to Oct). Other days added during peak tomato season.

Menlo Park Farmers’ Market: Sunday 9AM-1PM

Produce may be picked up at either site. Backers may also email 48-hours in advance to reserve produce at either site. Produce may also be picked up at our farm at other times by pre-arrangement.

To sign up -- send a check for $100, $200 or $500 to Baia Nicchia, P.O. Box 428, Sunol, CA 94586. Please send your name, address, Email Address and Phone # with your check. We will have your Backer Card at the next farm stand or market, and we will email a confirmation. You may also sign up at our Sunol farm stand or at the Menlo Park Farmers’ Market

Note: Until April 2nd, please sign up for backer picks at our kickstarter project. You will get extra perks if you do. To sign up on kickstarter, you simply "pledge" the appropriate amount for a backer pick, and choose it as a "reward"

Fresh Ground Honey Mustard

Yellow and Brown Mustard Seed

This past week we had a mustard workshop at the farm. We made some honey mustard out of a blend of yellow mustard seed, brown mustard seed and Highland Kale mustard seed. Here is the recipe:

1 cup mustard seed (may be yellow mustard, brown mustard or other types of mustard seed, or mustard seed blends, according to your tastes)

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup chopped pine nuts

1 cup cold water

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons of salt

3 teaspoons honey (we used Mattole Valley Forest honey purchased from Jim Talboy at the Menlo Park Farmers' Market -- this is a very unique tanoak honey that is a perfect compliment for the mustard)

Soak the mustard seeds in cold water for 2 hours. Drain, and add fresh cold water. Use a food processor or blender to "grind" the mustard. Mortar and pestle may be used, but is not necessary. Add the other ingredients, and blend/process to desired consistency. Add vinegar. Mix. Pour into a glass jar. The mustard can be stored refrigerated for several months.

Potimarron and Potimarron Jeune

Potimarron Jeune

Potimarron (Chestnut Pumpkin)

A few years ago we were filling some boxes of mixed summer squash for a restaurant customer. We didn't have quite enough, so we started tasting the immature winter squash, to see if any of them could fill in, in a pinch.

One of the winter squash varieties we were growing, Potimarron, did more than just fill in. It was better than any of the zucchini and patty pan already in the boxes. The flavor is clean, without bitterness, and the squash can be eaten like apples. On the other hand, there is a depth of flavor that standard summer squash do not have. Finally, the flesh is fine grained and dense, so squash can be grilled, souped and steamed. Light cooking is fine, because there is no bitterness to vanquish.

Over time, we have pretty much stopped growing summer squash. Instead, we harvest young Potimarron (Potimarron Jeune), and sell it as summer squash.

Potimarron, is also one of the main winter squash we sell. It is unparalleled for use in soups, and the soft orange skin can be pureed into the soup -- no peeling necessary. In fact, the skin is where much of the chestnut flavor is located.

People seem to be catching on to this squash. Last month, when we went to order seeds from Seed Savers Exchange, they did not have any bulk packages left. We were forced to buy lots of individual seed packets. So, if you want to try this variety this year, you may want to order seeds today.

A Stroke of Luck

Captain Lucky (photo by S. Anderson)

Green-When-Ripe beefsteak tomatoes like Cherokee Green and Malachite Box are crazy good. Their flavor is out-of-this-world. One reason they are not already featured on menus as prominently as Cherokee Purple and other beefsteak superstars is that they are hard to get from farm to chef efficiently. Because the optimum picking window is marked by very subtle color and softening changes, even the best picking crew will pick large amounts of under-ripe or too-soft tomatoes. The under-ripe ones usually never attain full flavor, and the soft ones can not be boxed, shipped and sold in time.

The super-hero tomato that fixes this problem, and may well bring green-when-ripe beefsteaks to the general populace is Captain Lucky.

Captain Lucky is a relatively new variety bred by Millard Murdock in North Carolina. It is essentially a green-when-ripe tomato that has a bit of surface color and marbling -- and this color gives a small farmers like us the cues we need to harvest it efficiently, at just the right time! We will be selling Captain Lucky fruits this summer, and packets of seeds next fall and winter when we launch the Artisan Seeds online store.

Mareko Fana Diversity

Some Mareko Fana peppers are red. Most are brown.

Mareko Fana comes in many shapes.

The Mareko Fana that Menkir Tamrat brought us two years ago is probably best characterized as a "land race". Some are short, some are long. Most are brown but some are red. Most are thick-fleshed, but some are thin-skinned and delicate.

We are going to be evaluating and playing around with the diversity of our populations for a long time to come. However, in the short term we are selecting for two types of Mareko Fana:

Mareko Fana: Brown and thick-fleshed. Excellent for making Berbere spice. We typically use these mature, and dry them before use.

Mareko Fana Red: Red, thin-skinned and delicate. Fantastic as a frying pepper. We typically pick many of these young, and sell (or eat) them as frying peppers. The taste is mild when they are young.

Polenta Ruvido

Red Flint Corn Polenta

Note added November 15th: We are SOLD OUT of Floriani Red Flint Corn for 2011. For polenta see Community Grains. For seed see Fedco (they should have seed in December) or Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (they say they will have seed available later this month).


Polenta is made of ground corn meal, which includes the germ. Most polenta is made from yellow flint corn, but Floriani Red Flint Corn makes a wonderful red-flecked polenta, which permeates the menu at Oliveto where we first tasted it.

Floriani Red Flint Corn is an heirloom variety selected by small farmers in the valley north of Valsugana in northern Italy for the past 200 years. It has recently, however, been brought back to the US and it is grown on a relatively small scale for Community Grains which sells it as ground polenta.

We grew a small plot on our farm this past summer and we are also making Red Flint Corn available -- but not as finished polenta. We are selling 2 lb bags of unground corn at our farm stand and at the Menlo Park farmers' market.

Flint corn is very hard when it is dry, but we have found that Red Flint Corn can be processed into polenta using a standard blender or food processor. You just have to boil it for at least an hour before you grind it wet. After that, it still needs to be cooked over low heat for at about 3 more hours.

Polenta Ruvido

One advantage of using unground Red Flint Corn is that you can grind it (and re-grind it) to the level desired. We do not grind until our polenta is as smooth as the polenta from Community Grains. We like the added texture of our polenta ruvido (rough polenta).

Polenta Ruvido recipe:

1. Boil Red Flint Corn (with 3 parts water) for at least an hour, until grains start visibly splitting and softening

2. Let cool, and grind corn in blender or food processor. For polenta ruvido, it is not necessary to grind to uniform texture. Note: Additional cooking and grinding may be necessary for a uniform, smooth texture.

3. Cook over low heat for 2-3 additional hours, stirring occasionally. Add water as needed.

4. Add butter and salt to taste. Season as desired.


Popping Red Flint Corn

Red Flint Corn makes great popcorn too. However, only about 40% of the kernels of our fresh harvested corn will pop. To increase popping efficiency simply dry the corn in an oven at 125 degrees Farenheit, or let it dry for a few weeks (out of the bag) in a cupboard or on a counter.

Directions to the farm

Location of our farm in Sunol

Red arrow indicates 4-way stop sign. Blue dot is the Sunol Water Temple. Yellow rectangle is our field.

We farm adjacent to the Sunol Water Temple, and the site is open from 9-3 on weekdays. Drop-in visitors and groups are welcome. Please contact us ahead to check on our availability. Our email address can be found in our blog profile.

Formal tours and/or educational workshops can be arranged by us, or by SAGE.