Gardening technologies

By each and every day, our technology is becoming better and better. It is making our lives easier in so many ways. Besides that, it is also making our lives more interesting! Do you use all the benefits of the technology? How about VR? If you are a gamer, then you definitely enjoy it, and you will enjoy it even more in the future. How about a VPN connection? It allows you to reach all the restricted content you can find on the web. Besides that, you are also able to hide your IP address through a Virtual Private Network whenever you want, right?

In this article, we will talk about the best gardening technologies which will make your life much easier and your garden much prettier. Let’s start! I am sure that one of these will become your favorite one very soon!

  FLYMO 1200 R. Are you searching for the best automatic lawnmower? If you didn’t know, your lawn can be cut by literally every day and you don’t need to put any effort into doing it. It is a smart technological achievement which works in silence and suits every garden, regardlessly on the shape and size of it. You can enjoy your beer while FLYMO 1200 R takes care of the lawn.

  A true multitasker. This product cannot be named better than a true multi-tasker! It is a BATAVIA 3-IN-1 ELECTRIC GARDEN WEED KILLER HOT AIR GUN AND BBQ LIGHTER. Wow! Starting a BBQ may be a hard task, but not with this great technological invention. Besides that, you won’t need to worry about weed anymore, because it kills it in seconds. Striping the paint is another hard job you used to do, but not anymore.

  GARDENTAGS. Gardeners also like to hang out and they are very friendly. For that purpose, we need to represent you the Instagram for gardeners! It is a free app which will bring a lot of fun into your life. Besides that, it is a crowdsource information. Share your gardening problems and ideas with people like you! Everything is better with friends!

  Herbert. A Kickstarter project that came from Austria definitely gained a lot of popularity. This is a hydroponic vertical garden which can be directly installed to the interior wall. It can grow up to more than 15 different plants. But, that is not all. Herbert wanted to make it all even more special, so this technological invention is also able to be plugged in into the LED light. Beautiful and efficient at once!

  Gardening will become more and more fun, and besides that, much easier. Just think about the Internet of Things too for a bit and all the changes it will bring to us all.

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2018 Delivery Pick Up Site List

**As of April 2018 our CSA is filled to capacity. We are keeping waiting lists and some space *may* open up in summer. If you’re interested in being on the waiting list please email Shelley with your name, phone #, address, and at least 2 preferred to pick up sites from below. Thanks for all your patience. Meantime: do sign up for our free CSA newsletter for news from the farm, you’re welcome to attend events that are open to the public such as uptick tomato day, restore the wetlands days at High Ground, etc. -Shelley, Julia, and Jeanne

We know that some farmers from the Southern states are having an issue with the Internet connection. For this, we found a good option which is worth to use take a few minutes to read about VPN meaning in mobile it may help you to access all other needed information for your farms/business. 

-Silicon Valley, the Peninsula, and San Francisco on Wednesdays -Santa Cruz County, Los Gatos, Monterey, Salinas, Morgan Hill, and Gilroy on Thursdays Peninsula and South Bay on Fridays

On Wednesdays we deliver produce to the pickup sites in:

Burlingame (in San Mateo ): off of East Poplar Ave and Monte Diablo Ave. (3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.) Cupertino: Countess Dr. , near Bollinger & Miller (12:30pm-10:30 pm) Los Altos: Near Loyola Corners (1:30 pm-10:30 pm) Los Gatos : (in San Jose) Union Avenue, north of Hwy. 85 near Charmeran Avenue (11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.) Mountain View : (in Sunnyvale) Off West El Camino near 85 (2:30 pm – 11 pm) Palo Alto: on La Para near El Camino and Arastradero (2 p.m.-10 pm) Palo Alto : on Ross Road, near Oregon and Middlefield (1:30 p.m.- 10 pm) Palo Alto : Stanford West apartments , off of Sand Hill Road, near Stanford Medical Center (1pm – 10pm)  Palo Alto: Stanford at Escondido Village (11 am to 8 p.m.)  Portola Valley : near intersection of Alpine and Portola Road (11am. to 11 p.m.)  San Carlos : near San Carlos Ave and Club Drive (4:00 pm – 11 p.m.) San Francisco/Mission : on Folsom, between 25th and 26th Streets (2:30 pm – 10pm)  San Francisco/Richmond : Near 46th and Geary (2 pm – 9pm)  San Francisco / Outer Sunset : Near corner of Judah and 28th (1:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.) San Francisco/Inner Sunset: near the corner of 9th and Pacheco (1:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.)  San Francisco/SOMA: near 5th and Howard (2:30 pm to 8:30 pm) San Jose Downtown : Near 15th Street and San Salvador, near SJSU (3:30 pm to 10 pm) San Jose :  Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church – near Hamilton & Meridian (4:30pm – midnight) San Jose/Rosegarden : Shasta Ave. near San Carlos and Park Ave (4 pm to 9 pm)  San Jose Willow Glen 1: near intersection of Willow and Lincoln (4:15 pm to 8 pm) San Jose Willow Glen 2: near Almaden Expressway and Koch Lane (5 pm to 9 pm: we’ll try to get there earlier…) San Mateo : Near Hillsdale and Norfolk (3:30 pm to 10pm) Santa Clara : near El Camino and Bowers (3 pm to 9pm) Saratoga – Quito Rd. on Quito Road , just south of 85. (noon to 11 p.m.) Sunnyvale : Near 101 and N. Mathilda Ave. , near Columbia Park (2 pm to 10 pm)  Woodside/Redwood City: near Woodside Road and Alameda de las Pulgas (11 am to 8 pm)

On Thursdays we deliver produce to the pickup sites in:

Aptos: Ledyard Way – off Soquel Drive, near the public library (10 am -11pm) Capitola: 49th Avenue off of Wharf Rd., just accross from Shadowbrook’s main parking lot (3:30 pm -9pm) Carmel Taylor Road: off of Atherton Road, (1:30 pm to 10 pm) Corralitos: Aldridge Ln. just around the corner from the Sausage Market (11am – 11pm) Gilroy: Near intersection of Mantelli and Rancho Hills (4 pm -11 pm) La Selva Beach: Aptos Academy, just off San Andreas Rd. (9:30am – 6pm: they close and lock the gate after by 6 pm, you must be able to pick up box in the time frame listed) Live Oak (Santa Cruz): Off 17 the Avenue, near Chanticleer Avenue and Mattison Lane (4:30pm-10pm) Los Gatos: Izorah Way near intersection of Los Gatos Blvd and Blossom Hill Road (11:45am to 11 pm.) Los Gatos/San Jose: off of Blossom Hill Road , near Leigh Ave. (12:15 pm to 9 pm) Monterey: At the  Unitarian Church off Hwy 1 at PG Hwy 68 exit (1 pm – 9:30 pm) Monterey: at a business on Highway 68 near Olmstead/airport. (noon to 7 pm) Monterey: MIIS (Monterey Institute of International Studies) near downtown Monterey (12 pm to 9pm) Morgan Hill: Off Hwy 1, between Cochrane and East Dunne (3:30pm-midnight) Pacific Grove : Just off Lighthouse near Caledonia Park (1 pm -9 pm)  Rio Del Mar: On Kenneth Drive off of Club Drive (11 am -9 pm) Salinas: Riker Street, off of West Blanco Road (2:30 pm -8 pm) Santa Cruz: Fairmount Ave., between Branciforte and Morrissey (4 pm -10 pm) Santa Cruz: Linden St. near Water Street and North Branciforte (3:30 pm – 9 pm) Santa Cruz: On Oceanview Ave. near  Shoppers Corner (3 pm -10 pm) Santa Cruz Downtown: on Maple, near Laurel and Chestnut (2:30 pm – 10:30 pm) Santa Cruz Westside: Gharkey St. near Continental, off of Bay (2 pm – 9 pm) Santa Cruz Westside: High St. at the First Congregational Church near UCSC (1:15 pm to midnight) Scotts Valley: off of Bean Creek Road, near the middle school (10:30am to 11 pm) Scotts Valley North: Off of Glenwood Drive , near Granite Creek exit & Hwy 17. (11 am to 8 pm) * New Location * Seaside: Near Broadway and Noche Buena Street (11am to 8pm) Soquel: Near Main St. and Soquel Dr. (3 pm-midnight) Watsonville: Bronson Street off of Martinelli (10:30 am to 9 pm) Watsonville just off Hwy 1, Green Valley Road exit (10:00 am to 5 pm)

On Fridays: we deliver produce to the pickup sites in:

Los Altos Downtown: Hawthorne off of S. San Antonio Rd, near Foothill, (noon to 11 pm) Los Gatos Downtown: close to intersection of Hwy 9 and Santa Cruz Ave, near Bachman Park (11 am to 11 pm) Mountain View: central Mountain View, near Miramonte and El Camino Real (2 p.m. to 10 p.m.) West Menlo Park: near the Alameda and Valparaiso Avenue , (1 pm to 8p.m.) Menlo Park Coleman: on Coleman Avenue near the intersection with Willow Road , (1:30 pm. to 10 p.m.) Palo Alto Bryant Street: intersects with Embarcadero Road .  Near Town and Country Village., (12:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.) Palo Alto Cornell Street: near Stanford’s Escondido Village , (12 p.m. to 9 p.m.) Saratoga: off of Saratoga Ave, just south of Hwy 85 (11 am to 10 pm) Sunnyvale: near Lawrence Expressway and East Homestead Road, off of Lochnivar Ave., (11:30 am to 9 pm )

NOTE: We don’t give exact addresses on the website to keep a little privacy for our pick up site hosts. We can give you more specifics when you sign up.

Interested in becoming a member? To get the exact address of each delivery call us at (831)786-0625.

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Freeze-drying technology for fruit and vegetables

About technology

Freeze-drying technology refers to the method of dehydrating frozen fruits and vegetables under a vacuum. In the process, the moisture part of the foods takes a gaseous form directly from a solid state without going through the in-between liquid state. This technology is a very complicated scientific process and became popular when NASA used it to create freeze-dried ice cream for its astronauts. Now, the technology is being used for drying and preserving a significant number of food products including fruits, vegetables, and meats, amongst others. Interestingly, the size and shape of the dried products remain similar to original frozen material and provide excellent stability. Freeze-drying technology brings in several benefits, some of the key ones being:

The foods become very light once the water gets removed from them.

It makes portability quite easier for a large volume of foods and leads to cheaper transportation costs.

Freeze-dried foods retain most of their taste, size, shape and nutritional value.

The foods reconstitute to their actual state when kept in water.

Refrigeration isn’t required for freeze-dried foods, since they’re shelf stable at room temperature and can remain intact for months or even years.

Low water activity virtually removes microbiological hazards.

Almost any kind of ingredient or food can be freeze-dried regardless of its solid or liquid state.

How can the technology help to reduce food waste and increase incomes for farmers?

Somewhere between 20 to 40% of fruits and vegetables developed on farms never make it to the markets due to aesthetic reasons. With the help of freeze-drying technology, the cosmetics of the foods remain intact for a prolonged period. Thus, they can be easily transported to supermarkets while keeping their nutritional and other values untouched.

Freeze dry industries started their operations by purchasing and processing farm seconds like bananas, strawberries, apples, etc. and then selling the freeze-dried product through the internet. Despite the high nature of freeze-drying machines, now farmers have become able to earn money from a product that was otherwise considered a waste.

For developing countries, the impact of freeze-drying technology is highly valuable due to several key factors. From a technical viewpoint, this method is one of the easiest and most convenient among food preservation methods than other commercial preservation techniques. Besides, availability of different kind of machines makes it a flexible way in which degradation of food quality is minimum, provided proper application procedures are adhered to.

The key factor driving the growth of the global freeze-dried market is the superior quality of the end products compared to other food-drying technology products. This market was valued at a whopping USD 46.94 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach USD 66.53 billion by 2021 at a CAGR of 7.23%.

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Basket

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Basket

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Cauliflower

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Carrots

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Peppers

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Apples

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Strawberries

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Meal Delivery Kits Focused on Organic Farming

Even though we’d always rather have a CSA box over a meal delivery service, if you can’t resist the temptation to order a meal kit, we’ve come up with our list of the best options. While Blue Apron might be the most recognizable name in the space, we were disappointed to read Blue Apron reviews and discover that this service does not offer organic ingredients. The following meal delivery services are committed to sourcing organic produce from regional farmers and ranchers (people a lot like us!). If you’re going to order meal delivery, give one of these great companies a try:

Green Chef

Green Chef offers fresh organic ingredients that are certified organic by CCOF and carry the USDA Organic symbol. Their ingredients are fresh and sustainably sourced and range from wild-caught salmon to GMO-free soybeans. They use no synthetic pesticides, no genetically modified organisms, no artificial ingredients, and no growth hormones or antibiotics. There are flexible delivery days that you choose with no commitments. You can skip a week when you need or want to, and you don’t have to be at home. Deliveries will come in insulated, refrigerated boxes.

Sample Menu Items: Veggie Quesadillas and Greek Chicken Flatbread

Estimated Price Per Meal: $10.49+

Dietary Options: Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Paleo

Promotions: 2 free meals with first order

Where They Ship: Throughout the United States except Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington, and to limited areas in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Oregon.

Sun Basket

Sun Basket provides Organic and non-GMO ingredients plus delicious recipes delivered weekly. You choose approximately three meals a week from about ten different options. You can skip weeks when you prefer. Each kit includes organic and non-GMO produce; humanely raised antibiotic and hormone-free meat, and seafood approved by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Watch List.

Sample Menu Items: Chicken tikka masala with basmati rice and naan; Beef and broccoli teriyaki with jasmine rice

Estimated Price Per Meal: $11.49

Dietary Options: Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Paleo

Promotions: 3 free meals with first order

Where They Ship: Currently shipping to the following states: AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, UT, VA, WA, WV, VT, & parts of AR.

Green Blender

Each week, you’ll get five smoothie recipes and all the ingredients you’ll need to make ten smoothies. Recipes include produce and superfoods, and they focus on working with organic and local farms. No minimum subscriptions and you can pause, skip, or cancel at any time.

Sample Menu Items: Strawberry Banana Creamsicle and Green Apple Almond

Estimated Price Per Meal: $3.90-$4.90

Dietary Options: Vegan

Promotions: Standard to receive 20% off the first box

Where They Ship: Most parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Washington DC, Wisconsin, West Virginia

Chef’d

Chef’d source from organic farmers where possible including all herbs. All organic ingredients are labeled. They also strive for GMO-free ingredients. Chef’d is not a subscription service at all. Instead, you fill up your shopping cart like you would in a grocery store.

Sample Menu Items: Beef Bourguignon and One Pan Orecchiette Pasta

Estimated Price Per Meal: $11-$25

Dietary Options: Paleo, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, Vegan

Promotions: Invite friends, get $10

Where They Ship: All zip codes located in the Contiguous United States.

PeachDish

PeachDish sources organic, local, and sustainable ingredients whenever possible. They always look to purchase those ingredients first. This company puts a fun, southern twist on the healthy food subscription (you can also try as a guest!). You pick a delivery date based on your zip code and can skip weeks when you need to.

Sample Menu Items: Georgia Grown Ribeye and Kevin Clark’s Comfy Chicken

Estimated Price Per Meal: $12.50

Dietary Options: Vegetarian

Promotions: None

Where They Ship: Atlanta and Nationwide

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