~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Live Earth Farm (Com)Post
2nd Harvest Week, Season 12
April 9th - 15th, 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(click here for a pdf of the paper
version of this newsletter)
In this issue
--Greetings from Farmer Tom
--Calendar Change!! (for Outstanding in the Field Dinner)
--Crop Notes
--"Friends of Live Earth Farm" yahoo group starting (repeat)
--Know others that would like to receive this e-newsletter?
--Pictures around the farm
--What's in the box this week
--Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
--Calendar
"It's all here... the seasons will show you how nothing is ever really gone but keeps turning out and over again and again and again. We set the seeds, speak to the sky, nurture the plants, drink the rain, give back to the soil, curse the cold, dance to the sun, sing with the wind, weep at the passing, dream with the moon."
~ from a poem by Sherrie Mickel
Greetings from Farmer Tom
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last week I had to run an errand at the local supermarket. When I walked
through the produce department I noticed that the aisles were stacked
with green beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini... even eggplant.
I felt somewhat out of place surrounded by a bounty of summer crops in
early April; in our own fields we are only just now planting these same
crops, and I don't expect to harvest any of them until at least late May
or early June.
It is easy to lose track of the seasonal ebb and flow of
the foods we eat with a trip to the supermarket, where everything seems
to be in constant abundance regardless of what's in season locally.
One of the fundamental benefits of being a CSA member is cooking and eating
in rhythm with the seasons. It is almost like eating from your own
garden; the selection of vegetables will change gradually as the season
progresses, and so will the quantity. You will also discover that crops
can be eaten at different stages of maturity (you would never know this
if you only got your food from the store). For example, the garlic and
the onions youre getting now are young, with fresh green stalks and still
immature bulbs; they are milder in flavor than mature, dry-stored garlic
and onions, and also convenient to cook with. Your carrots right now,
on the other hand, are fully mature, having been planted in November of
last year and grown slowly throughout the winter. This slow winter growing
gives them a very distinguished sweet earth rich flavor. Yet later in
the season we will cycle into new plantings of carrots, so youll get
to experience them at all stages, from young and tender to mature and
full flavored.
Although none of us have to hunt, gather or grow our own
food in order to survive, respecting the seasonal lifecycles still
brings us more into balance with nature. The fewer middlemen between
us and the earth, the more we can see and appreciate our relationship
to her. So here you have it: the only middlemen between the soil and
your kitchen sink are us, your farmers! Now that we have electronic
newsletters with the ability to include photos you can get a better "picture" of
the many hands and minds who operate this farm (see photos below). Tom
<back to top>
Calendar Change!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scheduled date for the kickoff dinner in the "Outstanding in the
Field" series, which will be happening here at Live Earth Farm, is Saturday
June 9th, not the 2nd, as was listed last week. Stay tuned
for more information about this fabulous event in an upcoming newsletter! If
you'd like to see what past dinners were like, go to the OITF website
at http://www.outstandinginthefield.com.
<back to top>
Crop Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week we hope everyone enjoys their strawberries! The onions are still young
and can be used like spring onions. The broccoli in your shares is from Lakeside
Organic Gardens. It is young, tender and beautiful (rather than fat mature stalks)
and so will be bagged. The rutabagas this week have all been topped and should
be loose in your box. We cleaned the field, so this will be the last of them
for the season. Next week we hope to introduce you to the first tender fava beans
of the season! Also next week we should have some young and beautiful Mei Quing
Choi (similar to bok choi).
<back to top>
"Friends of Live Earth Farm" yahoo group starting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(This is a repeat from last week, in case there
was anyone who missed it! Debbie)
Have
you ever wished you had a place to connect with other Live Earth Farm CSA members?
Someplace to arrange carpools to farm events (or just to pick up your share!),
swap shares or share items, talk recipes, share photos or just plain exchange
insights, ideas and experiences about your farm? Well nows your chance! CSA
member Marina Peregrino is launching a new Yahoo Group just for friends and members
of Live Earth Farm. This list will be completely member driven, not run by anyone
at the farm. Although Debbie or Tom may choose to look on or occasionally contribute,
they are not on duty here. If you have any business with the farm, contact the
farm directly. Want to join this Yahoo group? In any browser window, go to groups.yahoo.com
then under Find a Yahoo! Group enter LEFCSAfriend (or type in the whole link
and go there directly: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LEFCSAfriend). Once there,
click on Join This Group and follow the instructions. Membership to this group
is restricted which means that only people who sign up can participate. Marina
will be the group moderator. Any CSA member or friend of Live Earth Farm is welcome
to join!
<back to top>
Know others that would like to receive
this e-newsletter?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With this new email format for sending newsletters, we can easily add anyone
to our list to receive them! Just email me at the farm with the person's
first and last name and email address (or have them email me directly at
farmers@cruzio.com). I'll add them
to the list, and they'll start receiving newsletters the following week!
- Debbie
<back to top>
Pictures around the farm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First, some shots of our workers...
Here is Juan on our big Kubota, just starting to form the beds in one field in
preparation for our peppers and eggplant. It takes 3 days to get the field to
this stage: first, Juan has to disk under the cover crop, then compost is added,
followed by a deep tillage, then a shallow tillage, then a final pass to level
the field. Here is the level field before the beds are formed. Still more must
be done before planting: the beds need to be watered, then we wait for the weeds
to flush out then, till the beds to remove them. Then and only then do
we plant the young peppers and eggplants which we started from seed in the greenhouse.
Alejandro, Lupe, and Johnni harvesting the last of the rutabagas.
Bernadette milking one of the goats.
Our "worker bees" (literally!)
----------------------------------------------------------
A little bit of crop ID-ing! Clockwise
from upper left: red Russian kale, dinosaur kale (also called Lacinato
kale), young onions (tubular green leaves, onioney smell), and green
garlic (flat v-shaped
leaves, garlickey smell). Note that green garlic is indistinguishable
visually from leeks at this stage. You have to use your nose!
----------------------------------------------------------
Lastly, the latest in cute baby goats! Tom says there were two more
babies born just on Friday; above is Sara Lyon and Charles Limbaugh's
daughter Willow holding one of the newbies. Thanks for sending the
pictures Sara!
<back to top>
What's in the box this week
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Items with a “+” in
Family Shares are more in quantity than in Small. Numbers in parentheses are
for known quantities. Please
be aware that occasionally there are last minute substitutions and changes not
reflected in this newsletter, but Farmer Tom will always do his best to see you
get a good value in your share!
(No content differences this week - only quantity differences. Make sure you
take your produce from the correct sized box: white boxes = Family Shares,
brown boxes = Small Shares!)
Family Share:
Red beets (lg. bunch 5-6)
Broccoli (Lakeside) +
Red cabbage
Carrots +
Chard
Cilantro
Green garlic (2)
Kale (dinosaur or red Russian)
Lettuce (2)
Green onions
Rutabagas (topped, loose)
Strawberries (2 bskts.)
Small Share:
Red beets (lg. bunch 5-6)
Broccoli (Lakeside)
Red cabbage
Carrots
Chard
Cilantro
Green garlic (1)
Kale (dinosaur or red Russian)
Lettuce (1)
Green onions
Rutabagas (topped, loose)
Strawberries (1 bskt.)
Extra Fruit Option:
(doesn’t start ‘til May)
Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Received a couple recipes from friends and members which I’ll
share with you here. Also, a few more miscellaneous tips (people seemed
to like this). – Debbie
More on Beets (beet greens)
This week’s beets are from a new planting. Tom says the variety is “Red
Ace” – nice, round beets with lovely dark green tops. It’s
the tops I want to talk to you about this week. Many people don’t realize
that beet greens are edible (and wonderful!). What’s important to know
is that you need to separate the beet greens from the roots when storing them.
If you leave the tops attached, what happens is they continue to draw nutrients
and moisture from the root, eventually causing it to become soft and rubbery
(this holds true for all root veggies, including carrots). So when you get your
beets home, cut the leaves off the roots. Store the roots in a bag in the fridge.
Drop the leaves into a sink full of water and swish ‘em around to get off
any dirt, then pinch or cut the leaves from the stems (stems are perfectly edible
too – so keep or remove them to your liking), spin them in a salad spinner,
then lay out on paper towels (or thin cotton dish towels or floursack towels),
roll up with the towel and store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Be sure to gently
squeeze out as much air as you can, as the greens will keep longer. The toweling
wicks the water away from the greens (wet greens rot quicker), yet still maintain
a bit of humidity, which keeps them fresher. The greens can be used the same
way you would use chard.
Beet and Rutabaga storage
Both beets and rutabagas should keep well for up to several weeks stored in a
plastic bag in your fridge. Don’t panic if you can’t use ‘em
up this week!
Freezing greens
A couple people asked me about this. Yes greens can be frozen
for later use. This applies to beet greens, chard, kale, spin-ach, and collard
greens. In all cases but the spinach, Id recommend freezing the greens only,
not the stems. The veggies need to be rather uniform to blanch evenly (If youre
hard core and want to freeze the stems too, just do them separately and blanch
them a little longer). So: blanch leaves in boiling salted water for 2 min-utes,
then immediately cool (immerse in ice water or run under cold tap water until
completely cooled). Drain away as much water as you can (a gentle squeeze works),
chop, then freeze in an airtight container leaving maybe ¼ to ½ head-room. When
you go to cook with them later, allow them to partially thaw, so you can break
them apart before cooking (oth-erwise the veggies on the outside will overcook
before the innermost ones are done). Use thawed greens in soups, stews, stir-fries,
or just cook through and topped with a little vinegar or lemon juice, and maybe
some olive oil and a little salt.
Beetroot with Lemon Dressing
modified from Irish Food & Cooking by Biddy
White Lennon and Georgina Campbell (given to me by my friend Terri Small)
1 lb. evenly sized raw beets (without
tops)
Grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 C olive oil [Terri said the recipe called for 2/3 C but she said
that sounded like too much!]
Sea salt and ground pepper
Chopped fresh chives to garnish (optional)
Cook beets in a large pan of
salted boiling water for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain and
allow to cool. Peel (skins slip off easily) and slice into wedges into
a bowl. Add the lemon rind and juice, and the oil; season to taste with
salt and pepper. Mix gently in the dressing and serve, adding a sprinkling
of chopped chives if you like.
Baked Salmon in green garlic purée
created by member Lisa Bautista!
Lisa says, I took a (smaller) stalk of green garlic and cut it into
1" pieces,
half a preserved lemon* (I didn't rinse it off because I wanted the salt)
and about 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper. I blended it all with enough
olive oil to make a paste. I placed a salmon fillet on a piece of foil,
slathered it with the green garlic goo, wrapped it up and baked until
done. Yummy!
*If share members don't have preserved lemons, they could
use the juice and pulp from a lemon with about 1/2 tsp. of salt as a
substitution.
Cilantro Pesto
compiled by Debbie from conversation with Randy Robinson of Vino
Locale in Palo Alto
Ingredients:
lots of fresh cilantro
Italian parsley, or alternatively some kale
grated fresh parmesan, crumbled queso fresco, or any other similar cheese
good olive oil
garlic (just a little bit)
lime juice
maybe a bit of balsamic vinegar (see discussion)
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, or some crushed red pepper flakes
[and in the summer, when we have red peppers, Randy says it's great to
blend in some roasted red peppers as well! We don't have peppers now though,
so it is fine to leave this out]
This is a good way to use up lots of that wonderful fresh cilantro we've
been getting. Randy says that since cilantro is very pungent, it is nice
to mellow it out a bit. Most cilantro pesto recipes do this by adding
Italian parsley. Randy will use the parsley, but says he's also used some
kale to equally good effect and people at his restaurant loved it. He
says the ratio of cilantro to parsley or kale should be roughly 3 to 1. The
balsamic vinegar, Randy says, adds a bit of richness, but is not absolutely
necessary. You can make the recipe more "Southwest" by using the queso
fresco, lime juice and crushed red pepper, or more Mediterranean with
the parmesan and black pepper (he likes the lime juice in both versions
though; "lime juice just goes great with cilantro" he says).
It's easy to make using a food processor. Start with your greens and pulse
until moderately well chopped. Add cheese (quantity not so critical -
use more or less, to your taste), garlic [if you're going to use some
of the farm's green garlic, add it in the beginning with the greens so
it gets chopped up too], and everything else but the olive oil and process
until fairly fine. Then with processor running, add olive oil slowly through
the feed tube until you achieve the desired consistency.
Randy likes to serve his cilantro pesto on crostini, but it would also
be good on pasta, or stirred into rice as a side dish, or with grilled
fish, chicken or meat. Use it wherever you might use standard basil pesto.
How about inside
a wrap-style sandwich with cream cheese and other goodies? How about in
a tuna salad instead of mayo?
Bonnie's (Red) Cabbage Cucamonga
from "More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden" by Renee Shepherd and Fran
Raboff
serves 6 to 8
[with my comments added in square brackets - Debbie]
"A meatless casserole that is delicious the first day and also makes
great leftovers. Good potluck dish too!"
5 to 6 large potatoes, boiled and made into mashed potatoes; use butter,
milk, salt and pepper to your taste [and consider substituting rutabaga
for some or the potato!]
1 tbsp. each olive oil and butter
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped [or a stalk of green garlic, chopped
- remember, the green garlic is much milder than regular clove garlic]
1 small head red cabbage
freshly ground pepper
2 C shredded medium Cheddar cheese
2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 tbsp. sweet paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter,
add garlic and sauté just until fragrant [the green garlic will
take a little longer]. Add shredded cabbage and sauté until just wilted,
not soft. Stir in lots of freshly ground pepper.
Spread mashed potatoes in a lightly greased 9 x 12-inch baking dish.
Cover with sautéed cabbage and Cheddar cheese, then sprinkle over feta
and top with paprika. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until hot and cheese has
melted.
<back to top>
Calendar of Events
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(see calendar on website for more info)
<>
Sat. Jun 9 Outstanding in the Field Dinner
<> Sat. Jun 23 Summer Solstice
Celebration
<> July 10-14 Teen Adventure Camp
<> Aug 24-26 Childrens Mini-Camp
<>
Sat. Oct 20 Fall Harvest Celebration
<back to top>
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email the farm: farmers@cruzio.com
email Debbie with newsletter input or recipes: deb@writerguy.com
phone: 831.763.2448
web: http://www.liveearthfarm.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~