"To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose un-der heaven."
- Ecclesiastes 3:1

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 !***

Member surveys coming soon! Believe it or not, we have grown from farming 2 acres to approximately 30 over the course of the last seven years. Integrating a healthy crop rotation scheme with the increase in production has been critical to the overall health of the farm, but equally important is our objective to always have enough land to sustain an operation that is ecologically, economically, and socially viable. We constantly evaluate and analyze Live Earth Farm on these three principal criteria of viability. Soon it will be your turn to help us in this process. Every year we send out a survey to receive your collective input. Your feedback is like these very special seeds which help us continue to grow as a community supported farm. So keep an eye out for a survey in your box (or online) in the next couple of weeks... and please take the time to respond. It really makes a huge difference to us. - Tom

What's Up on the Farm
The beginning of clear and cool nights as we had this last weekend will soon slow things down in the field, as the shorter days will generate less heat to warm the soil surface for seeds to germinate and plant cells to divide and grow. Most if not all our fall crops were planted in August and early September to give enough time to develop and mature for harvest through the cooler months of October and November. The only exceptions are fast growing crops such as radishes or arugula which only take 20 to 30 days to mature even under cool conditions. As tomatoes, cucumbers and summer squash bid us farewell, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale will appear again, with the new addition of winter squash. Only late plantings of sweet corn, peppers, and green beans will continue into late October, reminding us of the longer and warmer days of summer. Luckily here on the coast our growing season can last into late November. Fall is one of the most beautiful times of year, with little coastal fog and long stretches of Indian Summer days... the first frost on the roof of our cars doesn't generally appear until late November. The regular rainy season won’t get going until December, although this year many farmers predict the rains will start earlier. Beginning in October much of the fields will be planted with cover crops, to protect the soil from heavy rains during the winter months and replenish them with nutrients and organic matter. Cover crops are the backbone of improving soil fertility: about 75% of the land will rest under a lush blanket of mostly legumes (i.e. fava beans, peas, and vetch) and grains. October is also an important month to prepare a new field for strawberries to be planted in early November. The general practice for most farmers in this area is to plant strawberries annually, only leaving a small percentage to grow for two years (second year plants are more prone to disease and typically show less vigor, producing only a flush of fruit in the spring and very little for the rest of the season). Garlic and onions also get planted now, since we like to start harvesting them fresh by early April. The fields that carried a crop during the winter will rest in the summer under a cover crop of Sudan grass or annual buckwheat.

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

Well, a short-content newsletter translates into more room for recipes! Here are a few from my files. - Debbie

Strawberry Carrot Cake
original source unknown

for cake:
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 C oil
1/2 C plain yogurt
1 1/2 C packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 C water
1/2 C chopped pecans
1 C finely shredded carrots
1 C chopped strawberries (or other tangy fruit like pineapple, kiwi, mango...)

for strawberry-cream cheese glaze:
(or use your favorite cream-cheese frosting)
2 oz. light cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. mashed strawberries
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 C powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt cake pan or two 9-inch layer cake pans. (Note: layer cakes come out most easily if pans are greased, then the bottoms lined with waxed paper, then greased again and floured.) Sift together the first six ingredients. In a separate bowl, blend together the oil, yogurt and brown sugar. At low speed, blend in eggs, then water. To this mixture add the dry ingredients, and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. By hand, stir in the pecans, carrots and strawberries until just blended. Pour batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake the bundt cake for 45 to 55 minutes, or the cake layers for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 7 minutes then remove from pan(s). Cool completely. Frost as desired and refrigerate.

To make strawberry-cream cheese glaze:
Beat softened cream cheese, mashed strawberries and vanilla in a small bowl on low speed until blended. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. That's it!

Creamy potato gratin with Gorgonzola, pears and pecans
by Camilla Saulsbury, 1st prize winner of the Y2K Gilroy Garlic Festival Great Garlic Cook-off
(clipped from the SJ Mercury News)

serves 6

10 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 C Marsala wine
1 1/4 C heavy cream
3 large russet potatoes (1 1/2 lbs.), peeled and thinly sliced [just use any of the farm's potatoes – it'll be fine. - Debbie]
2 large pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
8 oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Salt and freshly cracked peper
1 C pecans, lightly toasted and chopped
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

In a small pan filled with water, parboil garlic until tender, about 8 minutes. Place garlic and Marsala in a blender, puree until smooth. Combine with cream and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease an oval au gratin dish or rectangular glass dish and arrange 1/3 each of the potatoes and pears. Dot potatoes with 1/3 of the Gorgonzola and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Top with 1/3 C pecans and 1 tsp. rosemary. Repeat layering 2 more times. Pour garlic-cream sauce mixture over top. Bake, covered with foil, 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20 to 35 minutes longer, or until almost all of cream mixture is absorbed and potatoes are tender.

Roasted Corn Mashed Potatoes
(from an undated Bon Appetit clipping)
Serves 8 (recipe can easily be halved)

4 ears fresh corn, husked
2 tbsp. (about) olive oil
20 garlic cloves, unpeeled
4 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled [optional, in my book!] and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 C (1 stick) butter
1/2 C sour cream
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush corn with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap each ear in foil and place on a baking sheet. Place garlic on another piece of foil, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap up and put on baking sheet with corn. Roast garlic until tender and beginning to brown, about 45 minutes. Roast corn until beginning to brown, turning occasionally, about 1 hour. Squeeze garlic from skins into a medium bowl and mash. Cut corn from cobs [easiest way to do this is to hold cob vertically and carefully cut down the sides with a sharp knife, slicing off the kernels as you go. It is a good idea to make a 'dam' with a towel or something around the edge of your cutting board to contain the falling kernels or they tend to go everywhere! – Debbie]. Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain. Return potatoes to same pot. Mix in butter, sour cream and garlic and mash. Stir in corn, then parsley. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Set aside at room temperature. Rewarm before serving.)

Tuna, Cucumber and Radish Salad
(from an undated SJ Mercury News clipping)
serves 4

3 tbsp. canola oil
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. peeled, minced fresh ginger root
4 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, halved crosswise and thickly sliced
4 radishes, thickly sliced
2 (6 oz.) cans tuna, drained

In a large bowl, whisk together oil and vinegar. Add ginger, scallions, cucumber, radishes and tuna and mix to combine. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours.

*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.