July on the Central Coast

Pictured here, farmer Amy Courtney reaches for the fattest, sweetest blackberries I've ever tasted. Yowsah. It's been six hours, and my fingers are still stained. I'm not complaining.

Earlier today, I visited Free Wheelin' Farm, curious about Amy's experience on Sunday with the Tour d'Organics business, and will post more about that soon. (I need to get there for photos when the sun is lower in the sky.) This was a great visit: Amy is inspirational in every regard, and I want to tell you a lot about her.

Short story: less than one acre, located up the coast from Santa Cruz about six miles. Amy bikes her CSA deliveries to twenty families in Santa Cruz twice a week. I thought, as such, that she would be the darlin' of the Tour d'O, but no-ho-ho-ho-ho. "Are you kidding? Commuter bikers are just the biggest losers in the world to the Lycra Bikahs!"

Oui. Flashbacks of "Breaking Away" come to mind. ("Ahem. We are not bikers, we are cyclists!" was a remark directed Amy's way on Sunday. I'm sure that, in the stifling heat, the chill was refreshing!)

Anyway, more about Amy soon, but for now, the short story is: I was wrong in my previous post about needing proteins on a major bicycle ride. Carbohydrates and electrolytes are the big deal, so good to know that the food served up at Love Apple Farm was adequate. ("Vegan" is quite another thing, and I think the riders should be informed ahead of time. Maybe they were. I don't know why I'm grumpy about the whole thing, but I'm sure I'll get over it.)

Free Wheelin' Farm is an oasis and a treasure, and Amy is blessed in so many ways.

More soon!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." — H. G. Wells

Thanks for visiting.

Comments

[Sue Cancilla-Conde]

Prusch Farm Park Foundation is hosting a Harvest Fair and Exposition this October 7th. We were hoping to exhibit a vintage produce truck and vintage milk truck for the Fair to show the kids. If you can help with this please call Sue at 408 996-3112 or email [email protected]. For more information on the Fair go to www.PruschFarmPark.org. The park houses 4H, Heritage Rare Fruit Orchard, Farm Animals, Old Farm Equipment.

[DF]

Nice blog. Local produce media buzz is going through the roof. I hope it stays that way.

One curiosity-- six miles north of Santa Cruz is the Central Coast? I figured that it would still be Monterey Bay Area. Central Coast, for me, starts somewhere between Carmel and Big Sur. Just a nitpick from a 1984 UCSC grad.