"The dynamic principle of fantasy is play, which belongs to the child, and as such it appears to be inconsistent with the principle of serious work. But without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth."
- C.G. Jung

What’s in the box this week:

... and if you have an extra-fruit share:
Strawberries, apples and pears

CALENDAR


Sat. Oct 26 - Halloween Pumpkin U-Pick,
all day

Nov. 20/23 (Weds/Sat) ***Last box !***

A treasured moment for me during this year’s Equinox celebration was sitting next to a young boy and watching his smiling face as he stared, enchanted, into the flames of the bonfire that appeared to dance to the rhythm of marimba music. This, I believe, was our most highly attended seasonal celebration ever. Over the course of the afternoon the farm unfolded into a community celebration of sharing nature’s gifts and our connection to her through the food we share. I firmly believe that the Farm should always serve as a place where our community can experience the pleasures and connections that come with growing food. As we celebrate we express our thanks and manifest in our own unique and spontaneous ways our relationship to nature. It is in that moment that we experience our blessing in the ever evolving path of creation, and discover the little miracles -- in a freshly baked loaf of bread, a fire dance, a sweet freshly picked strawberry, or the colors of a sunflower. Thanks to everyone who attended, and who helped make this such a wonderful celebration. - Tom

Quite an eclectic evening... we had music from Zimbabwe, fire dancing from New Zealand, veggies from the ground beneath our feet, a harvest moon from the night sky, and a day knitted from the pure fibers of gratitude and celebration of life and the land that provides it. I felt privileged to be a part of the celebration and to incorporate my own expression of thanks during the evening. Fire dancing is a great way for me to perform for others. I see it quite simply as something beautiful to watch. I think that we are all mesmerized by fire (some of us more than others), and as a dancer I am entranced every time I perform -- by the sensation of the fire inches away and the beat that the fire moves to. In a way, the element of fire performs for me; I feel like that young boy, in awe and eyes fixed on the phenomenon of the flame. It was amazing dancing alongside the bonfire, to the beat of the marimba band, on the farm and for the people that make this all happen, both members and workers. For all that I give thanks. - Linnea

Hands tell the story of bread: The hands of Farmer Tom and Jackie, early in the morning, pouring flour and mixing the mountains of dough. My sooty hands, snapping the wood to feed the fire roaring in the wood oven. Debbie's agile hands, cutting up the tomatoes and grating the cheese for the pizzas. Then as people start arriving at the farm, many hands large and small come to help: to take the fire out of the oven, to dip into flour and flatten out the balls of pizza dough, or dip into flour and work out the smooth round loaves of sunflower seed bread. Delicate hands leap to heap up cheese, smear pesto and plop juicy tomatoes on the pizzas, and tip the pizzas carefully into the hot clay oven. Then all the hands drum on tables, waiting impatiently for the pizzas to be done. My hands check the clock - three minutes, four minutes, five! Then eager hands bring out the bubbling-hot pizzas and steaming breads one by one. Sure fingers grip the knife and slice up the pizzas and slice open the bread. And then hand after hand reaching out to take a piece, to lift it up to lips, to wipe away crumbs. Happy hands! Thanks to Iris and Emily and Sara and the many, many other hands that helped make the pizza and bread we all enjoyed at the Equinox Festival. - Ken, the bread guy

To see festival pictures go to www.writerguy.com/friends/lef/equinox2002.htm.


Member to Member Forum
Fellow member Amy Hemmert of Santa Cruz weighs in on the topic of school lunch-making: Those of us with children know far too well that making school lunches can be challenging and sometimes frustrating. We start the year with enthusiastic plans to send our children to school with lunches that are nutritious, low-waste, and easy to make. But somehow by the end of September many of us are left feeling bored and in need of fresh ideas. If you’re looking for ways to energize your lunch-making routine, try incorporating as much as you can from your weekly CSA share and pack waste-free lunches as often as possible. Here are a few quick and easy ideas: <> Pack whole or halved strawberries. <> Steam green beans and pack them with your child’s favorite salad dressing as a dip. <> Have your children pack whole carrots with tops* (After eating the roots, they can feed the greens to a school rabbit, or put them in the school compost bin or worm box.) <> Bake a potato and pack your child’s favorite fixings on the side. <> Make a small salad with spinach or lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes and pack it with dressing on the side. <> Make a cucumber salad by sprinkling sliced cucumbers with vinegar and oil or your child’s favorite salad dressing. <> Slice apples and pears*. (Children don’t like to save a half-eaten piece of fruit. Slicing it allows them to eat some at lunch or snack time and save the rest for later.) *Debbie adds a few caveats here: First, carrots stored with the greens attached tend to go limp. Perhaps cut the tops off but lay them in beside the carrots in the lunchbox? Also, cut fruit should be dipped in a water-and-lemon juice bath before packing or it will be brown by lunchtime.

The most earth-friendly way to pack these non-prepackaged foods is to pack a waste-free lunch. It has been estimated that on average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year. That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school! Here are some ideas for making a waste-free lunch: <> Pack lunches in reusable lunchboxes or backpacks. <> Instead of relying on disposable plastic bags, plastic wrap, wax paper, or aluminum foil, pack individual lunch items in reusable containers (tray-like containers that can accommodate several foods at a time tend to be most popular among children, though food storage containers or discarded deli containers work equally well). <> Limit the use of prepackaged foods. Instead, buy foods in larger quantities and recycle the packaging at home. Purchase lunch items from bulk bins and reuse plastic bags. <> Use stainless steel forks and spoons in place of disposable utensils. <> Replace paper napkins with cloth napkins (children can help pick them out!). <> Pack water in a refillable bottle instead of relying on disposable juice boxes, pouches, or cans.

If your mornings are overly hectic, try packing lunches the night before and storing them in the refrigerator overnight. Enlist the help of older children who can help cut up fruits and vegetables, make salad dressings, and fill water bottles. Finally, get those kids to help rinse their lunch containers and put them in the dishwasher. It’s one less thing for you to worry about, and it’ll teach them how to take responsibility for their own mess.

For more information, check out www.wastefreelunches.org or www.laptoplunches.com. Amy has been working hard to promote the concept of waste-free lunches in Santa Cruz county (and ultimately beyond). She has written a book on lunch-making ideas, and also designed a clever re-useable 'laptop lunch' container to help the concept along. Go Amy!

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

An interesting tomato-apple salad recipe submitted by member Sue Burnham, another eggplant recipe, and something for dessert! - Debbie

Cashew, Apple and Tomato Salad
from "the Tomato Cookbook"

2 crisp eating apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 C salted cashews, chopped
4 plum tomatoes, sliced [use the dry-farmed or other small meaty tomato]
lettuce leaves to serve
1 tbsp. fresh dill or parsley for garnish

dressing:
1 tbsp. white or red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. corn oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp. whole grain mustard
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Toss chopped apples with lemon juice in a bowl, then add tomatoes and cashews. Combine dressing ingredients and add to salad mixture, tossing to coat. Serve on lettuce leaves with garnish.

Thyme and lime marinated grilled eggplant slices
Serves 4 - 6
from "Sweet Onions and Sour Cherries"
(modified slightly by Debbie!)

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 to 1/3 C olive oil
3 or 4 oriental eggplant (any color!), cut lengthwise or diagonally into 1/4" slices

Combine all ingredients but eggplant in a shallow glass bowl. Add eggplant slices and turn to coat both sides. Marinate, turning occasionally, while you preheat your grill. Grill eggplant slices about 4 minutes, or just until char marks appear, then turn and cook on other side.

Apple Bundt Cake
from an undated Bon Appetit clipping

4 medium apples (about 1 1/2 lbs.), peeled, and cut into 1/3" pieces
5 tbsp. plus 2 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 lg. eggs
1 C vegetable oil
1/4 C orange juice
1 tbsp. grated orange peel
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 C all purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
powdered sugar for decorating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup bundt pan. Mix apples, 5 tbsp. sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Combine 2 1/2 C sugar, eggs, oil, orange juice and peel, and vanilla in a large bowl; whisk to blend. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Spoon 1 1/2 C batter into prepared bundt pan. Top with half of apple mixture. Cover with 1 1/2 C batter. Top with remaining apples, then batter. Bake until top is brown and tester inserted near center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cake out onto rack. Cool at least 45 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

*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.