"Think Locally, Act Neighborly. I won't hold it against anyone for acting or thinking globally, but it seems too complex to me. Acting neighborly is something we know."
- Tod Murphy, owner/manager of 'The Farmer's Diner' in Barre, Vermont

What’s in the standard share:

... and if you have an extra-fruit option:
Strawberries, raspberries, Sungold cherry tomatoes and a mixed bag of peaches, plums and apricots!

CALENDAR


Aug 8, 9, 10 - Children’s Mini Camp
Friday evening to noon Sunday

Sat. Sep 20 - Fall Equinox Celebration
3pm - 9pm
with the Banana Slug String Band!

Sat. Oct 26 Halloween Pumpkin Palooza
all day.
the Banana Slug String Band will play here too!

By the time you receive this newsletter, Tom will be back in town, but for now Linnea and I are forging ahead on our own to get this to you this week! Fortunately while Tom was away the weather has been cooperative, and Juan and company have been keeping a close and careful eye on the crops.
– Debbie

Education and Grants
A Snapshot into the Dreamworld of Live Earth Farm [from Linnea Beckett, our 2nd year intern and this year's educational programs organizer]. Since the beginning of the season, approximately 250 students from different schools and walks of life have visited the farm. Together we've laughed, played, run around and soaked up the unending bounty of this amazing place (and learned a whole lot in the process). These visits have really clarified for me how important it is to open the farm to educational experiences, but as it stands the process is not financially sustainable. What this means is... it is time to write a grant! We are working with CAFF (Community Alliance with Family Farmers -- a non-profit we've mentioned here before), that is building their own farm-to-school program and is well versed in grant writing. Our dream? To bring students of all ages to the farm, give them the opportunity to be outside, learn about the life cycle of a plant, the importance of wildlife on the farm, what dirt is all about, how their food grows, the different methods California uses to produce food, and most important of all, to give the student a safe and alive place to explore the potential of their imaginations and develop their own connection with the land. I will be working on this grant for the rest of the summer (or until it is done). This is a new step for me and the farm, but I know there is a wealth of knowledge out there, especially among our community of members. If anyone has any tips, comments, advice or great ideas about grant writing, let me know! 831 763 2448. I'd love to hear how we could make this dream come true.

Slow Food
Hi all, this is Debbie. I've wanted to write about this important movement for some time (note: much of the wording below is not my own -- I have extracted bits from publications and websites, only because they write better than I do!). The Slow Food movement started in Italy in the late '80s, originally as a backlash to the entire concept of 'fast food.' It became an international movement in 1989 and has grown hugely since then, and for good reason. Slow Food is an association that proudly calls itself 'eco-gastronomic,' and draws its energy not so much from what it is against as what it is for – a preservation of the social value of good food in con-necting people with each other, their communities and their land. People have responded to this growing movement, because they have become tired of buying the same things, eating the same foods and living the same lives. With these interests in mind, Slow Food's mission is to create a robust, active movement that protects taste, culture and the environment as universal social values. People have become increasingly removed from their food sources by both distance and processing, and Slow Food is very much about reversing that trend. It is a loosely knit organization built on eating with a conscience. Slow Food members frequent farmers markets, champion organic products and structure their meetings around good food cooked from scratch with the best (local/seasonal) ingredients.

Slow Food USA, for example, states that it is an educational organization dedicated to stewardship of the land and ecologically sound food production; to the revival of the kitchen and the table as centers of pleasure, culture and community; to the invigoration and proliferation of regional, seasonal culinary traditions; and to living a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life. The organization's guiding principles are Sustainability (recognizing the interdependence of people with one another and with our environment; caring for the land and protecting biodiversity for today's communities and future generations; promoting pure food that is local, seasonal and organically grown), Cultural Diversity (recognizing food as a language that expresses cultural diversity; preserving the myriad traditions of the table; cultivating and reinvigorating a sense of community and place), Pleasure and Quality in Everyday Life (celebrating the diverse expressions of our earth's bounty; appreciating and encouraging creativity, passion and beauty; respecting and supporting artisans who grow, produce, market, prepare and serve wholesome food), Inclusiveness (following democratic principles in a spirit of sharing and service; educating members and others about Slow Food's mission; dedicating ourselves to local cooperation and global collaboration), and Authenticity and Integrity (insuring our values are embodied by all staff, board members and convivium leaders; manifesting these values in all of our events, projects and publications; committing ourselves to partnerships with like-minded individuals and organizations).

If you're curious and would like more information, there are many local chapters or 'convivia.' Try visiting any of the following web-sites: www.slowfoodusa.org, www.slowfoodsv.com, or www.slowfoodsantacruz.org.

Ordering Almonds or Goat Cheese
In both cases, contact the seller directly to place your order and to pay (do not order through Live Earth Farm). We will deliver your order (usually) the following week with your share.

From Anderson Almonds, a certified organic, small, family-owned and operated farm, you can get almonds or almond but-ter. Almonds are available raw, roasted, or roasted and salted. Almond butter comes in 15 oz. jars. Prices: 5 lbs. almonds + 1 jar almond butter, $32; Almonds only (5 lbs.), $25. Almond butter only, $10, or a 6-pak of jars for $32. A case (25 lbs.) of almonds (raw only) is $120. Contact Mele (rhymes with 'jelly') Anderson at (209) 667-7494 or go to their website at www.andersonalmonds.com.

From Summer Meadows Farm, just across the Pajaro Valley from Live Earth Farm, you can get raw goat milk chevre or ri-cotta, made fresh then frozen, and delivered (frozen) and left in a cooler at your pick-up site. Prices: either cheese is $6 for a half-pound, or get a half-pound a week for 4 weeks for $24. Supply is somewhat limited. Contact Lynn Selness at (831) 345-8033 to place your order, then mail your check to Summer Meadows Farm, 405 Webb Road, Watsonville, CA 95076.

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

I have been waiting for fingerling potatoes to show up in our shares in order to tell you about this one! - Debbie

Salt crusted fingering potatoes
Tom introduced me to this last winter at the farm, with some of the last fingerlings of the season (I think this is the way his dad makes them). They have the appeal of potato chips or fries, in that you are com-pelled to have just one more, just one more... Essentially all you do is scrub the little fingerlings well (do not peel) and put into a pan with water just to cover and a few teaspoonfuls or more of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce temp. and simmer, uncovered (or partly covered), 15 – 20 minutes until water is mostly gone and there is a whitish coating on the potatoes and the pot. Lift out potatoes and eat!


Spinach and Tofu Paneer
from This Can't Be Tofu! by Deborah Madison
serves 3 to 4

Deborah M. says, "For a long time it seemed to me that there was more than a superficial resemblance between the white Indian cheese called paneer and tofu. When I finally made the classic Indian dish of spinach and paneer using tofu, it tasted amazingly at home in the cumin, ginger and chile-laced sauce. There's a little going back and forth between the skillet and a food processor, but this is an easy dish to make. I serve it over rice with a sprinkling of toasted black sesame seeds."

1 carton firm or soft tofu
1 large bunch spinach, stems discarded, leaves well washed
1 jalapeño chile, seeded, coarsely chopped
1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped
1-inch knob ginger, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 C diced onion
2 tbsp. ghee, butter or vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp., plus a pinch nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 C half-and-half
1/3 C yogurt

1. Dice tofu into pieces about the size of sugar cubes or smaller. Bring 6C water to a boil, add 1 tsp. salt and lower heat to a simmer. Add tofu, turn off heat, and leave 4 to 5 min. Drain in a colander and set aside.

2. Steam spinach until wilted, then remove to a cutting board and chop. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out excess water.

3. Put chiles, ginger, garlic and onion in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Heat ghee or butter in a nonstick skillet, add onion mixture and cook over med. heat, stirring frequently, 5 min.

4. Add 1 tsp. salt, the cumin, nutmeg, cayenne and 1C water. Simmer 5 min, then return mixture to food processor, add spinach and puree.

5. Return mixture to skillet, add half-and-half and tofu, and simmer about 5 min. Turn off heat and stir in yogurt. Serve over basmati rice.

*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 key ingredient. Recipe site is updated weekly during the season.