"It's all a question of story. We are in trouble just now because we do not have a good story. We are in between stories. The old story, the account of how we fit into it, is no longer ef-fective. Yet we have not learned the new story."
- Thomas Berry, The Dream of the Earth

What’s in the standard share:

... and if you have an extra-fruit option:
Apples, pears and maybe strawberries

CALENDAR

Sat. Oct 23rd
Fall Equinox Celebration AND Halloween Pumpkin Pallooza (combined)
3pm unitl dark

The Banana String Band will be playing!

Blessed Rain. The rain is a welcome relief for all of us; we still were able to host last Saturday's field dinner under a blue sky, but as we walked around the farm one could feel the exhaustion of the land and vegetation from the lack of rain. My own sense of exhaustion is probably intensified as I am now sleeping in 2 to 3 hour intervals, which is part of the package that comes with fatherhood of a newborn.

These first rains will quickly bring an end to our summer crops. Only the peppers, green beans and a little bit of sweet corn from our one and only planting will still garnish our shares for a couple more weeks. In the field everything is prepared for the last plantings of the season: strawberries, garlic, fava beans, some more broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and most importantly our winter cover crop to protect and replenish the soil for next season. – Tom

Fall Harvest Celebration
Don’t forget: this Saturday October 23rd is our Fall Celebration, 3pm 'til dark. The Banana Slug String Band will share their humor and creative spirits through their wonderful earth inspired music. Bring a dish for our traditional potluck, and we recommend a blanket to sit on and something warm to wear in the evening. The children will help press apples into fresh cider and light our bonfire at dusk. Hope to see you all on the 23rd! [If you’ve never been to the farm before, directions are on our website. See Contact Us page.]

Please Support Us with Your Commitment:
A call for Early 2005 Season Registrations
In anticipation of Live Earth Farm’s 10th anniversary next year I am both excited and inspired by how we have grown and diversified over the years as a Community Supported Farm. Much of our efforts have focused on mastering and the many aspects involved of growing into a small organic farm. The technical know-how, diversification, and ecological practices of crop production are now well established, as well as our distribution and marketing practices. The spirit of this farm is to always find ways to create a more direct relationship between you and the farm, to create opportunities for you to experience how and where your food is grown, to learn more about the complexities of providing this food, and to celebrate, together with the children of this community, the magic and wonders of nature we might otherwise forget. It is through this type of cooperation, between farm and community, that a sustainable local food supply will become a reality.

As we try to reach these goals, your commitment as members is the greatest support. As the season comes to a close we ask you to pledge your support by registering early for the upcoming 2005 season. This will allow us to pay our bills through the winter months and offer our workers year-round employment. As an added incentive, if you sign up before the end of this season, you will lock in the equivalent of this year's rates – a $75 savings – because next year we will have to increase the standard share price by $2 – from $23 to $25/week (see instructions by Debbie, below, on how to register early).

Since our last price increase two years ago, operating costs have gone up. In an effort to assure that our workers are as healthy and cared for as any other aspect of the farm, we have been increasingly raising their wages well above the minimum in order for them to afford stable living conditions for themselves and their families. I believe that bettering the conditions of our farm workers is a commitment we should all make. I believe paying fair prices can assure that farm workers are adequately compensated in an equitable manner. We treat our workers fairly and respectfully, although it costs more money, and they are committed and work extremely hard to ensure we can enjoy the wonderful food this land provides.


2005 Early Registration
Within the week our website should be updated to include our '2005 Early Registration' form. Simply print it, fill it out, and mail it in to us with your deposit for $175 (which doubles as your payment for March and April's shares), and you will get next November's shares completely free! That’s a $75 savings!! If you don't have internet access, call me at the farm and I'll set you up by phone (keep in mind I'm only on the farm on Tuesdays and Thursdays; mornings are best). Act soon, as this offer and its accompanying discount expires with the end of this season (aka Saturday November 20th). – Debbie

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

Oooh, I made that curried chicken-apple salad from last week’s newsletter and it was good! This week I created a simple Asian-style soup for using the bok choi that I think you will all like. I’ve made it twice now, I was so happy with it! – Debbie

Spicy Asian Bok Choi Soup
a Debbie original

<> Broth of your choice (beef, chicken or veggie – I happened to use homemade light beef stock I had on hand)
<> One small head bok choi per person
<> Lots of cilantro – several sprigs still connected at root is preferable (Thai style) but not necessary.
<> 2 or 3 paper-thin slices of fresh ginger root per person
<> 1 sm. clove garlic, smashed, per person
<> 1 or more tomatoes, cut in bite-size pieces
<>soy sauce or fish sauce
<> a couple shakes of 'Floy'ds Famous HotLime sauce' (a key lime and habanero pepper sauce) [a graphic designer friend of ours created the labels for this, so we got a couple bottles! I'm pretty sure it is available in stores], or use an equivalent combination of tabasco and lime juice (could substitute lemon if you don’t have lime)

This cooks very quickly, so you want to have all your ingredients, especially the bok choi and cilantro, ready before you start.

Remove any unhappy-looking outer leaves from bok choi then cut off base, separate leaves and wash well to remove dirt. Wash and spin-dry cilantro.

In a flat-bottomed skillet, heat broth with ginger and garlic until it is simmering (I use a skillet rather than a pot so that the tender veggies can be scattered more evenly over the broth). Add bok choi, cilantro and tomatoes and simmer for about 2 minutes, gently poking down greens that seem to be ‘sitting on top’ rather than in the broth so that they cook evenly. Remove from heat, add a splash each of fish or soy sauce (to your saltiness preference), and the ‘hot lime’ sauce, to taste. Serve immediately. This has been delightful for lunch in our newly arrived crisp, fall weather!

Also inspired by cool weather... how long has it been since you’ve had a good ol’ baked apple? - Debbie

Baked Apples
from the All New Joy of Cooking
(edited slightly) serves 4 to 6

4 to 6 firm, tart apples
1/3 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C chopped toasted walnuts
1/4 C raisins (optional)
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp. butter, cut in small pieces
2/3 C water or apple cider

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash and core apples through top, stopping 1/2 inch from the bottom. Combine sugar, nuts, raisins, zest, and spices. Spoon mixture evenly into apples’ cavities and then dot the top of each with a bit of butter. Place apples in a 1 to 1 1/2 qt. baking dish, just large enough to hold them without touching. Pour water or cider into pan, cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Uncover, baste with syrup in bottom of pan, and bake until they are tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes more, depending on variety. Serve apples warm or at room temperature, spooning syrup from pan over each. Optionally serve with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.

‘Gremolata’ is just a foo-foo name for a topping for osso buco usually made of parsley, lemon zest and garlic. Here the only common ingredient between this topping and gremolata is the lemon zest, but you know Bon Appetit; they like to make their recipes sound ‘just so.’ Pretentiousness aside, I still like the sound of this recipe, and I hope you do too! - Debbie

Roasted Broccoli Florets with Toasted Breadcrumb Gremolata
Bon Appetit, October 2004
serves 6

4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 C coarse fresh breadcrumbs
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 lbs. broccoli, cut into florets
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot; sauté until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add breadcrumbs; toast until golden, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to a small bowl. Mix in lemon peel. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss broccoli with 3 tbsp. oil in a large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to distribute. Spread out onto large rimmed baking sheet and roast until stems are crisp-tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Transfer to serving bowl, sprinkle with ‘gremolata’ (breadcrumb mixture) and serve.

Garlic-Infused Green Beans
(sorry, lost source for this recipe altogether! I just have a copy.)
serves 6 as a side dish

4 C string beans or Chinese long beans [how the heck do you measure green beans in ‘cups’? Just use 4 good handfuls.]
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chili pepper, seeded and minced
2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. tamari soy sauce

Wash and trim the beans and break them into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Steam over boiling water until just tender, about 7 minutes. Chill in ice water, then drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet and sauté the garlic and chili for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and tamari, along with the cooked beans. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until very hot, about 1 minute. Transfer to a serving dish.

*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.