"When in harmony with the nature of things, you will walk freely and undisturbed."
- Hsin-Hsin Ming, Third Zen Patriarch

What’s in the box this week:

... and if you have an extra-fruit share:
Apples, melons, and strawberries

Upon returning to Live Earth Farm after two months in New York City, it was very clear how imbalanced extreme urban living can be. Only after watching Chewy, one of the farm dogs, roll around in the mud and stretch his paws upward, did I realize how important a small farm is and how the presence of a CSA has the potential to transform America.

When I arrived at Live Earth Farm after being away for two months, I looked around and felt like I returned home. It dawned on me that although I had only lived at Live Earth Farm for one year, I was like a tree which had taken root upon the farm and who decided to leave for a while and live amongst the concrete and glass of New York City. Right then, I felt the power of being connected to a farm and really understood the importance of the concept of CSA. There was something about being connected to a place that grew my food that was very primal; there was something about a farm that was like a magnet, a refuge for seeing the interconnection and simplicity of life. After leaving Live Earth Farm, I have been researching the topic of bio-engineering, the patenting of life, and the overall corporatization of agriculture. As a lawyer, I hope to explore legal avenues in which to challenge agribusiness and the patenting of life. Although this will undoubtedly take place in a court of law, I realized that another way to challenge the corporatization of agriculture is simply to join a CSA and support a small farmer. It appears that farmers opt to sell off their land more quickly when they feel alienated, without a community, and are operating merely as suppliers of produce to huge corporate distributors. By joining a CSA, an instant community is built that not only affirms the farmer's hard work and provides him or her with the incentive to carry on, but makes a profound statement that agriculture is a culture and that corporations have no place in such culture. In part, the CSA is really the front lines of the defense of the small farmer. I thank all the CSA members for taking this stand and like me, although we may not live on the farm, we are like trees out there that know where our home is. - Eric Seifert

What's Up on the Farm
Last week while Thomas and Constance were away from the farm, all of us pooled together to keep the ball rolling. The beauty of this is that just like the earth upon which it sits, the farm keeps abundantly going. The weather has been real cooperative, so again this week we'll have all the items of last week with some melon thrown in to remind us how wonderful it is to live in California in October.

Of Interest
<>MEXICO CITY, September 27, 2001 — Genetically engineered corn imported to Mexico from the U.S. has contaminated a global center of biological diversity for corn. The Mexican government has confirmed that corn varieties from 15 communities in the state of Oaxaca have suffered contamination of 3 to 10 percent. Greenpeace is calling on Mexico to adopt emergency measures to combat this first known example of genetic contamination of a place of origin and diversity for a crop grown around the world as a staple food. In addition, Greenpeace has called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop re-registration of genetically engineered Bt corn. This type of engineered corn is responsible for the contamination in Mexico and is currently up for re-registration in the U.S. on October 15.

"The U.S. has a moral obligation to stop sending GE corn to Mexico, a major world center of diversity," said Ama Marston, Green-peace genetic engineering campaigner. "As the steward of this corn diversity, Mexico should immediately begin testing U.S. corn im-ports to be sure they are free of genetic contamination."

<>This is Debbie talking now, on a completely different subject (but one which we felt would be of interest to our fellow CSA mem-bers). A few of us ventured out last Saturday for this year's Silicon Valley Solar Homes Tour, hosted by the NCSEA (Northern California Solar Energy Association). The NCSEA is a nonprofit membership organization (and sub-member of the larger ASES, American Solar Energy Association, and ISES, International Solar Energy Society), whose desire is to raise awareness about solar alterna-tives to less environmentally friendly energy sources and activate community support for making solar a primary energy choice (think 'sustainability' from an energy point of view). One of the homes we toured was particularly impressive, in that it was an otherwise nondescript '50s suburban tract home, but was completely powered by solar. They wanted to prove that you could live comfortably (electronic gee-gaws; computers, entertainment center, etc.) and yet still sustainably, from an energy perspective. In addition to pow-ering all their lights (compact fluorescent) and other typical electric household components, solar power charged their electric lawn mower, their back-yard waterfall, sensor lights in their organic garden... even their electric car (which they plugged in to a separate solar panel for recharging). They also demonstrated several versions of solar ovens, and even a solar-cooled ice chest for camping! The NCSEA sponsors solar home tours throughout the Bay Area at different times of year, and can be reached at (510) 869-2759 or www.norcalsolar.org.

Member to Member Forum
The owners of the solar home described above actually offer longer, more detailed house tours approximately twice a month on a res-ervation basis. Their names are Eric and Nicole Jorgenson, and their number is (408) 554-2557. If you are at all interested in learning more about solar and home energy conservation, I highly recommend contacting them, as they are both very earnest and enthusiastic about the subject -- as well as extremely knowledgeable!

If you wish to communicate something to the rest of the CSA membership, or start a dialog among members on a particular topic, you may use this forum to do so. Please submit info to the editor (click here) by Sunday to get it into the following week’s issue. Keep in mind that members don't receive newsletters until the following Wednesday and Saturday (if you're reporting on a timely event).

Notes from Debbie’s Kitchen . . . . . . . . Have a recipe you’d like to share? Contact the newsletter editor.

This recipe was given to me by fellow CSA member Sue Burnham. She recommends it highly for its flavor and flexibility. - Debbie.

Mixed Greens Middle Eastern Style
from 108 Recipes/Gourmet Vegetarian Cooking, from Nyinga Institute
Serves 4 to 6

4 bunches greens, leaves sorted & washed, stems removed (Sue says you can use any kind of green, although she has not tried Asian Greens.)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. peanut oil
1 lg. onion, chopped medium-fine
8 - 10 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. sweet paprika
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
2 C canned tomatoes, chopped, with their juice

Use a large pot with a tight-fitting lid and heavy bottom. Coarsely chop greens. Heat oil and sauté onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until they are soft. Stir in herbs and spices. After a minute or so, add greens and salt. Stir vigorously to mix the greens with onions and spices. The greens will shrink as they wilt, so you can add them by the handfuls if they do not fit in the pot all at once.

Turn heat to high, stir in tomatoes with their juice. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, let sim-mer, covered, stirring often to prevent sticking. After about 40 minutes, taste for doneness. If the greens are tender, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until they are fairly dry, with only some liquid showing on the bottom of the pot when stirred aside. Do not leave them unattended until they are finished; they scorch easily.

Comments from Sue: This is a very forgiving recipe. I have used all dried herbs when fresh were not at hand. I have used more or less greens and tomatoes. I have used this recipe over rice, in calzones with pine nuts and feta cheese, and on top of pizza. It also freezes well.

Errata on recipe from last week:
The Baked Pear Pudding recipe had nutmeg in the ingredient list, yet nothing in the instructions as to what to do with it! I noticed my original recipe left instructions out also. But I expect most of you could figure out what to do. I just sprinkle it on top (or mix with the sugar that's added last).

*Click Here* for a link to a comprehensive listing of recipes from Live Earth Farm's newsletters going back as far as our 1998 season! You can search for recipes by harvest week OR by key ingredient. Recipe site is updated weekly.