"We ought not to be blindly against progress,
but against blind progress.
It is all right to despair,
but not to remain despairing.
It is all right to be wrong,
but not to stay wrong.
And it is all right to ask for help."
- David Brower

What’s in the box this week:

... and if you have an extra-fruit share:
1 basket of strawberries and 1 1/2 lbs. apricots

Sat/Sun July 28&29 -
Wood Fired Bread Oven Building project

Sat/Sun Aug. 4&5 - Children’s Mini Camp,
10m Saturday - noon Sunday. Optional early arrival Friday night. (See Member to Member Forum in the 5th Harvest Week's Newsletter for details!)

Sat. Sep 22 - Fall Equinox Celebration,
3pm - 9pm

Sat. Oct 20 - Halloween Pumpkin U-Pick,
all day

What's Up on the Farm
We had another incredible Summer Solstice celebration at the farm last Saturday. By four o'clock everyone living on the farm is scrambling to get things ready: the bonfire is gigantic and needs to be sized down, Peanut is getting a groom to look his best, the materials for making crowns, shields and musical instruments are being gathered, and the face paint is finding its traditional place on the large stump close to the pond. Face painting is such a simple act, and yet is so powerful for a child to do on his or her parent! Once your face looks like a glowing flame, a reminder of the sun's power on that day, it is hard to not join in the playfulness that the children share so generously. Peanut is now the star, and the farm tour is on. People are trickling in, slowly and steadily, to form a most welcoming and thanks-giving community. The Banana Slug String Band comes as a fresh wind tickling... the strawberries plants (and our souls) come with their lyrics about the inter-connectedness of all living beings. Now you know why our strawberries taste so good! The pot-luck table overflows with HOMEMADE dishes: cakes, tarts, cookies, pasta, chili beans, all types of salads... so much so that everyone is fed to satisfaction... even the late-comers who gravitate instinctively towards the bonfire. All too quickly it is time for everyone to depart. It is almost 10pm, and so as a last gesture of gratefulness, each child receives a candle and shares light in the darkness... over 30 small candles held by big hearts are dancing like stars in the sky. Thanks to everyone who came.... and for the ones who where absent, we look forward to being with you for the Fall Equinox. See you soon! - the Live Earth Farm Crew.

Of Interest/Crop of the Week
Among my favorite crops to grow are potatoes. When I joined the Peace Corps in Western Samoa (South Pacific 1985-1988), I introduced this crop to farmers in the higher elevations of the island. There are several thousand varieties that are native to the Andean mountains. Today the potato is the leading vegetable grown worldwide, cultivated everywhere from below sea level to 14,000 feet above. The Spaniards introduced the potato to Europe, however it was only slowly adapted at first since the potato is a member of the potentially poisonous nightshade family, same as your favorite tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. But soon the potato (considered the poor man’s crop) was grown to protect against famine during times of war and grain crop failures. In some countries, such as Ireland, dependence on the potato grew until 1845 when the famous potato blight wiped out most of the crop and catalyzed a severe famine and massive immigration of Irish to the United States. The potato is an excellent source of complex carbohydrate and minerals, particularly potassium (providing the skin is consumed). They are also a good source of vegetable protein. The varieties we grow, ‘Russian Fingerlings’ and ‘Yellow Finns’ are yellow-fleshed and typically denser and creamier in their consistency than other varieties. Later in the season we should also have some red-skinned varieties. All of them make an excellent storage crop.

APRICOTS: This week we are getting some delicious apricots from Gonzales Orchards, a long time apricot grower in Hollister. They are a family farm growing primarily Blenheim apricots which are known for their exceptional flavor. Most of the Apricots are dried and processed into jams and only a smaller percentage is marketed fresh. Over the last 3 years the Gonzales family has transitioned into organic growing methods, and are the only organic apricot growers in the local area. Enjoy these golden treats since they only have a short growing season!!!

Member to Member Forum
Below is a list of upcoming community farm days planned for July through September. These events will be limited to 10-15 people, and serve as an opportunity for you to participate in a day on the farm, and to get to know the land and people who grow your food. I will nail down the dates by next week (so they can be posted in the calendar), but meanwhile I encourage everyone who is interested to call or e-mail me before then. (Phone number and email address are at the bottom of the newsletter.) - Tom

1. Work with "Farmer Tom" for a day: Discover the farmer within you and understand what it takes to start your own farm!!! Lunch included. (Suggested Donation $20). July

2. Salsa Day: Pick tomatoes and make your own salsa. Finish with dinner. (Suggested donation $20) July/August

3. From field to fork: Delicious and creative cooking with the season (Suggested donation $20). September

4. How to dry fruits and vegetables: Get to understand solar drying techniques while working with the dryer located on the farm. (Suggested Donation $20) August
5. Design and grow your own herb garden. (September)

Remember, if you wish to communicate something to the rest of the CSA membership, you may use this forum to do so. To submit something to be included here, please contact the editor (see below) by Sunday to get it into the following week’s newsletter.

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

Talk about serendipity! When trying to choose what recipe to share with you guys this week, I remembered a fabulous apricot pie recipe that I cut out of the Mercury News food section last year (I made it too... and it is YUMMO). So I dig it out of my archives and, lo and behold, guess who the source was for the recipe? Patti Gonzales of Gonzales Orchards (see article above)! I remember they did a feature story on their orchards and this pie recipe got me drooling. It will not disappoint! - Debbie

Irresistible fresh apricot pie

(original recipe was for 2 pies... I halved it - Debbie)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
5 C pitted, sliced fresh apricots (about 2 lbs.)
1 C sugar
2 tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Double-crust pastry for 1 9" pie
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
Cream or beaten egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle lemon juice over apricots. Blend sugar, tapioca, and cinnamon; add to apricots and mix lightly. Let stand 15 minutes. Divide pastry in half. Roll out 1 piece to 1 1/2" larger than inverted pie plate. Fit crust into plate. Add apricot filling. Dot w/butter. Roll out second piece of pastry and cut into 11 strips to arrange lattice-fashion on pie. Trim and flute edge of crust. Brush strips w/cream or beaten egg. Bake for 40 minutes or until fruit in center of pie is cooked.

Note from Debbie: I added zest from a fresh orange for a little zip, but of course this is totally optional!

Note from Patti: If you want to bake the pie later, place filling in a large freezer bag. Dot w/butter. Squeeze our air and seal bag. Place bag into empty 9-inch pie plate, shaping to fit plate. Once frozen, pie plate can be removed. To bake, simply unwrap and place frozen filling in unbaked pie shell, add top crust and bake at 475 degrees for 60 - 70 minutes.

*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.