Farm Description:
    Contented Acres Produce is an attempt to save a third-generation family farm by way of shifting back to methods that work with nature instead of against her. We concentrate on heirloom and other open-pollinated varieties and sow farm-saved seed for many of our crops. Cover crops, a wide variety of different crops, planting of sunflowers, and allowing many crops to flower and seed have helped to attract beneficial insects to the garden. Thereby the use of any pesticide (we use only NOP approved) has been kept to a bare minimum. So far two acres of the 28-acre family farm has been converted to registered organic production of fresh market fruits and vegetables for on-farm and local markets. In 2004 we added a few perennials with our first strawberries and a handful of fruit trees. In 2007 we expanded our strawberry production with four beds of Camarosa and Albion plants. In the garden we enjoy the beauty of the crops as well as the return of an abundance of earthworms plus birds, toads, and even the heart-stopping glimpse of an occasional snake. At the markets we enjoy meeting our customers and swapping recipes and ideas with our friends who choose to take our produce home with them.

Practices:
    Over forty different varieties are grown on the two-acre market garden making crop rotation constant if not always perfectly orderly. This great variety in a small space also helps keep insect pests in a state of confusion. Fallow sections and cover crops help rejuvenate our soil and add to the mix of different crops growing at any time. Fava beans are our main nitrogen producer as well as a cash crop and incubator for aphid predators and an early spring pollen source for the wild honey bees which help pollinate our crops. A cold frame greenhouse is used to start transplants for many of our main crops. Drip irrigation is used throughout the garden to conserve water and maintain optimum soil moisture for continuous growth. We occasionally add purchased compost and also compost green waste on the farm from city leaf pickup, green yard waste and vegetable scraps from a local restaurant.

Describe your product specialties and highlights:
    Growing year-round in the San Joaquin Valley makes production of many different crops a necessity. We do our best to take advantage of the long summer growing season, often stretching the production of tomatoes, cukes and zucchini into November. Since our winter temperatures rarely reach into the 20s we are able to produce many "spring greens" throughout the winter, although in limited amounts. These crops come to an abrupt end in late spring though, as our highs can soar into the 90s by mid-May. The hot summer temperatures have their good points, too. The flavor of organic tomatoes, cantaloupes and watermelons grown in the valley heat is simply unbeatable. We enjoy growing heirloom varieties familiar to local ethnic groups. Some of the heirlooms we grow were originally propogated by local gardeners who generously shared seed stock with us. We grow Portuguese kale from seed from Portugal, Italian trombocino squash, broccoletti di rapa, and Cocozelle zucchini. All of our garlic is of hardneck varieties which give the best of flavors although their production is markedly lower than the commercial varieties typically grown in California. All of our produce is picked at peak ripeness as late as possible to naturally provide perfect freshness. Contented Acres Produce sold at Farmers Markets is usually less than 24 hours from the garden. Produce sold at the farm is truly just minutes off the vine.

Where we sell our products:
    Mornings at the Garden: Thursdays and Sundays 9 a.m. until noon. 3259 S. Hwy. 33, Gustine, CA 95322 Our CSA program is broken into overlapping 15-week seasons throughout the year. (i.e. Winter, Winter-Spring, Spring, Spring-Summer...) This allows you to receive a fresh-picked market basket each week without committing to an entire year. $165.00 per season for pickup at the garden on assigned days. Local delivery also available.

Web/Mail Order Items:
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