Fresh: Petaluma Bounty Farm’s diverse harvest

Petaluma Bounty Farm, located on the west side of Petaluma, was founded in 2006 with a mission to help create a more stable food system for local residents, including those who did not have easy access to fresh, local, organic produce.

The farm’s seventh harvest is just winding down, though there is still plenty of produce at the farm’s booth at the Petaluma Certified Farmers Market on Saturdays at Walnut Park. The market wraps up its 2014 season on Nov. 22.

The current harvest includes Delicata squash, Walla Walla onions, Red Russian kale, Lacinato kale, summer squash, arugula, cilantro, parsley, basil and the last of the lettuces. There are a lot of padron peppers, too, still small and thus mild, from a late planting.

The beets are nearly over and chiles such as Jimmy Nardello and Corni di Toro are done, too.

You can usually spot the farm’s booth from a distance, as the harvest is quite diverse and there are usually a lot of gorgeous flowers.

“I’m just picking the last of our flowers,” farm manager Lennie Larkin said late last week, adding that it has been a very good year for flowers and that they may plant more next year. Larkin is wrapping up her second season as the farm’s manager.

The farm is a project of Petaluma Bounty, a nonprofit organization that now comes under the umbrella of Petaluma People’s Service Center.

On leased land, there’s one acre of row crops and a quarter-acre of orchard, with 20 varieties of apples, along with pears, peaches, apricots, pluots and plums.

The farm works with Petaluma Health Center’s Wellness Group, a program for children at risk for chronic disease and their families. During the two-month program, all participating families receive a weekly CSA subscription at no charge.

A CSA program for low-income families, offering a $25-value subscription for $15 a week, is offered from June through October.

Bounty Hunters is a farm project, too, one that uses volunteers to glean unused but wholesome produce at local farms, gardens and orchards.

When the Petaluma market concludes later this month, Petaluma Bounty Farm’s produce will be done for the season, as well, but their work will continue. Throughout the winter months, they will continue to host workshops, volunteer days and other farm activities.

Petaluma Bounty Farm was founded in 2006 and is currently managed by Larkin. Their produce is available at the Petaluma Farmers Market on Saturday from 2 to 5:30 p.m. at Walnut Park from mid May through the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

For more information about the farm’s programs, contact Suzi Grady at 775-3663 ext. 4 or suzi@petalumabounty.com.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 17 books to date, including “Vinaigrettes and Other Dressings.” You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com.