Full Belly Farm Review
FULL BELLY FARM
Full Belly Farm is located in the Capay Valley of California. The 400-acre farm has been operating as a certified organic farm since 1985. Their CSA program offers vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, preserves, baked goods, oils, and seasonal organic floral bouquets, all of which originate from their farm. Full Belly Farm hosts many activities and tours for locals, such as pizza nights and farm dinners. These events aim to communicate the importance of sustainable farming for our generation and to set standards for generations to come.
THE WEBSITE EXPERIENCE
Before I started my Full Belly Farm review, I spent some time perusing the website which was filled with photographs of their produce and farmland. The section named "In this week's farm box" provided a list of produce found in the current CSA box. Each listed item was hyperlinked to additional literature on the produce including storage suggestions, preparation tips, and recipe ideas.
GETTING STARTED
Full Belly Farm's homepage.
The site offers one size box made to feed a family of 2-3, depending on the cooking frequency of the individual.
PLACING THE ORDER
Here are the choices:
Starter Box, 4 Pick Ups, at $76 ($19 per box)
Seasonal Box, 12 Pick Ups, at $210 ($17.50 per box)
Annual Box, 48 Pick Ups, at $792 ($16.50 per box)
Flowers at $8.50 per bouquet
Add-ons: A variety of products made at the farm such as preserves, baked goods, grains, oils and nuts.
Frequency:
Every Week
Every Other Week
Every Three Weeks
Every Month
Full Belly Farm allowed me to specify my start date and frequency of delivery with a minimum commitment of 4 boxes. The Farm also permitted me to skip a week, cancel a week, or donate a week’s box to the Good Food Community Fund. For my Full Belly Farm review, I opted for a starter box at $76 (for 4 pick ups), with a frequency of one per month. Plus, I added on a jar of quince butter to kick off the first week. After the four week commitment, Full Belly Farm made it quite easy to cancel the service.
Although not featured on the website, I received an email stating that organic pasture-razed animal products are available for current CSA members to purchase.
CUSTOMIZATION
There was not much customization available for my Full Belly Farm CSA. The website provided a seasonal crop timeline where I could view what would potentially arrive in my CSA-box.
DELIVERY
For my Full Belly Farm review, I had the option of choosing home/office delivery (an additional $7 per week) or pick up at one of several locations throughout the greater Bay Area and Sacramento. I opted to pick up my box, as this method had proven to be very seamless and efficient for me thus far.
When I placed my order I immediately received an email confirming my pick up location.
The day before my pick up, an email newsletter was sent that listed the produce I would receive. It also included storage tips and recipes. That same day a farm representative rang me on the telephone and provided me with a point of reference in case I had any questions about the CSA, the pick up, or the process as a whole.
UNBOXING
The contents of the produce box.
I arrived at my pick up site. Opening up the gray box with my name on it, I saw a variety of fresh produce items that were waiting for me to take home. I carefully placed each of the seven items, plus my quince butter, into a cloth bag I had brought with me (Full Belly Farm reuses their plastic shipping boxes).
Here is what was included:
Collard Greens
Romaine Lettuce
Broccoli
Onion
Mizuna
New Potatoes
Strawberries
Quince Butter: This was my add on - they make the butter at the farm.
What a great selection, especially for $19! I set up my produce from my Full Belly Farm review on a shelf in my fridge and got to planning some meals.
Full Belly Farm review produce in my fridge.
PREPARING THE FOOD
I sautéed the collard greens with some chopped garlic and onion and let it simmer in a cup of vegetable broth, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes for about 40 minutes or until tender.
And here are a few of my meals.
MY MEALS
MEAL #1: PASTA WITH BROCCOLI PESTO
I pulled a package of Trader Joe’s Quinoa & Brown Rice spaghetti from the pantry, grabbed my broccoli from my Full Belly Farm review box, and whipped up a really easy and flavorful recipe The Farm had listed on their website: Pasta with Broccoli Pesto. I followed the recipe pretty closely, although I subbed out the heavy cream for unsweetened almond milk and nixed the parmesan cheese.
MEAL #2: VEGAN STRAWBERRY PANCAKES
I wanted to take the batch of strawberries I received as part of my Full Belly Farm review and eat them whole, one after another, until they were all gone and in my belly. But I refrained and decided to construct some pancakes. I went through a few iterations to find a pretty well-balanced pancake recipe that delivered a smooth and moist consistency. After I made my batter, I formed small pancakes in my pan. Pre-pancake flip, I added some sliced strawberries which became soft like jam once it was time for the pancake to land on my plate.
Meal #3: VEGGIE BREAKFAST FEAST FOR ONE
I whipped up a massive breakfast for one last weekend. I wanted to make sure I did what I could with the beautiful and full spring onion I received, green top and all, so I treated it as two separate ingredients. First, I sliced the onion bulb into large rings and coated them with seasoned panko crumbs. Those went into the oven to bake, alongside a tray of new potatoes, sliced, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and turmeric. With the green onion tops, I sliced and sautéd them in some oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes for 5 minutes. Before serving, I tossed them in a small bowl with coconut aminos and a tsp of raw honey. Next up, a quick 3-minute sauté of the mizuna, a light mustard green that paired really well with my roasted potatoes. These delicate greens had a very special and distinct taste to them. They wilted much faster than spinach and had a thickness comparable to arugula, even lighter actually.
RECAP
The communication at Full Belly Farm was top notch. As a new CSA subscriber I received a phone call from a member of the farm. This established a point of contact and a more tangible relationship moving forward with the program.
I received in-depth information about each produce item I received for my Full Belly Farm review. It was great to learn how to properly store my produce, and I appreciated all of the recipes on the website that were easily accessible and simple to recreate. I had a strong understanding of what was coming my way prior to picking up the produce box. I was also pleased with the variety.
This was my first time purchasing an add-on from a farms’ selection of other goods (baked, dairy, meat, etc), and I went with a jar of their homemade quince butter. It had the same texture as unsweetened apple butter and tasted very similar, too.
Check out my final summary of produce delivery services found here!
