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Live Earth Farm (Com)Post
8th Harvest Week, Season 13
May 26th - June 1st, 2008
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In this issue
--Greetings from Farmer Tom
--What's Up on the Farm
--Goat milk shares still available
--Family Share vs Small Shares
--Pictures around the farm
--What's in the box this week
--Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
--Calendar of Events
--Contact Information
"Only by choosing among the many possibilities life
has to offer and continuously offering it freely to its possibilities,
can we keep it."
~ Wendell Berry
Greetings from Farmer Tom
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Early last Thursday morning when I turned on the faucet to brush my teeth, I was jerked awake by a gurgling sound and the realization that the farm was without water. The last few drops coming out of the pipe were barely enough to wet my toothbrush. I always panic when that happens; my thoughts start racing as I hurry out of the house to the most likely source of the problem - the well and water-storage tank. The water level in the tank was full, which meant the well pump was operating, but there was no pressure in the system. This meant the problem was somewhere in the booster-pump. I checked the fuses and circuit breakers, but no luck; something had to be wrong with the pump itself. So I called Maggiora Brothers (a local well drilling and pump repair operation) at 6:30am, surprised to find Mike Maggiora (the owner) was already in the office. He assured me someone would be coming out at 8am, when they opened for business.
It was then I noticed that ashes were falling from the sky. I looked
up and saw that the morning fog was swirling and mixing with yellow and
white plumes of smoke. As the first rays of light peeked over the
Santa Cruz Mountains to the east of us, the landscape was bathed in pale,
dreary colors. Something was seriously wrong; where was the fire
coming from? I sensed a second wave of panic. I grabbed my
bike and rode to the top of the ridge to get a better view of the farm.
As I approached the ridge, I could see that the entire sky northwest
of us (towards Corralitos and Browns Valley) was filled with thick billowing
clouds of smoke. There was a huge wildfire fire somewhere, but how
far away was it?? I had no idea.
At 7am the crew started early, picking strawberries for Thursday’s CSA delivery. The truck typically leaves the farm at 9am. I called Juan to find out if he heard of or saw anything about a fire. He hadn't, but reported seeing ashes falling where they were, too. At home, Constance and the kids were already up. David had this big grin on his face; his school, Mt Madonna, was closed because of the fire. His final exam in History just "went up in smoke," he joked.
The local news reported about a raging wildfire starting somewhere on an abandoned wooded lot on Summit Road, near Loma Prieta. The fire, which started at 5am, had already consumed over 700 acres of very fuel-rich forest in less than 2 hours. The news reports were showing the fire spreading southeast towards Corralitos, along Eureka Canyon. The weather forecast predicted strong gusty winds out of the east to northeast, which was not in our favor. By 11am, 40 to 50 mile-per-hour winds were coming straight at us from where the fire was burning; the air quality was so bad that I sent all the workers home.
Last week we had to stop work because of a record heat wave; this week it was a fire. The wind was blowing hard. The tall stand of Eucalyptus trees next to our house was bending and swaying... with a sudden chill I remember the Oakland Hills inferno, where Eucalyptus trees were the main source fueling the fire.
By around 2pm the sky looked ominous; Bernadette, Brian, Gillian, and two visitors were starting to prepare to evacuate the animals; the baby chicks were placed in boxes, and the larger delivery truck was kept at the ready, in case we had to quickly evacuate the goats.
Then I saw Maggiora's red repair truck arrive with a new booster pump. What a relief; it was quite frightening to consider a wildfire approaching... and us with no water. An hour later, the farm had water again. In addition to everything else of course, the seedlings in the green house were getting thirsty.
Then all of a sudden everything felt different. The wind started to shift, blowing out of the northwest, away from us instead of straight at us. My entire body started to relax; shortly thereafter, KSBW news reported the wind shift I had felt. The fire seemed to be changing course, heading towards the summit and possibly Uvas Canyon on the other side of Summit Rd. The smoke cleared, and the afternoon sunshine was a welcome change. Although the fire probably never posed a direct danger to the farm, it sure bullied us into being nervous and scared.
By Saturday the fire was still not contained, but any sense of imminent danger was gone. Many people have had to evacuate, and some suffered material losses. Fortunately no one died. Thank you to the many people who called, concerned about our well being and offering their help. I hope now we can enjoy a few weeks of calm and more predictable farming conditions. Then again... who has ever heard of normal and predictable farming conditions?
- Tom
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What's Up on the Farm
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This week will be our last week of getting garlic for awhile; we will harvest
it all and lay it in the sun to dry and cure. The next time you see garlic in
your boxes it will resemble the more familiar dry bulbs. The Napa cabbage is
just coming in; although it is only in the Family Shares this week, we should
have it in both by next week. Next week we should also have leeks; summer squash
is getting close, dill and radicchio are on their way. Once again, the unseasonably
cool weather slows the growth. In about 2 weeks we should be seeing the first
of our blackberries in the Extra Fruit option.
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Goat milk shares still available
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Lynn Selness of Summer Meadows Farm says she still has a few ‘shares’ available in her goat milk CSA (note that this is NOT arranged or paid for through Live Earth Farm; you make all arrangements with Lynn, and she simply piggy-backs the delivery of milk and cheese to you via our deliveries to our members). For more information, please click here to download a pdf about her program.
One new thing to note (Weston A. Price Foundation members and followers of Sally Fallon’s ‘Nourishing Traditions’ will likely be interested in this): Lynn has fresh whey available too. Whey is excellent for baking, fermenting, and other things. There is a nominal additional cost for getting whey, to cover the cost of bottling etc. Ask Lynn for details.
Lynn can be contacted at: 831.786.8966.
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Family Shares vs Small Shares
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Hi everyone, Debbie here. Every week I get at least one call
from a member who is left with the wrong size share because someone else,
accidentally or unintentionally, took the wrong size. We only leave off
the exact number of Family and Small boxes, and the sites are on the honor
system, so we need everyone's cooperation to make this work. (Mind you,
one or two out of 650 is a pretty low error rate, but try explaining that
to the person that got shorted.) My suspicion is that our members
aren't the cause, but rather someone sent in their place (friend, spouse,
neighbor) to pick up for them and who was not given proper instructions.
Another possibility is the 'white' vs 'brown' box thing is not 100% --
the 'brown' boxes do indeed have blue-and-white white printing on them
("Fresh California Fruits and Vegetables"), but they are brown on top,
bottom and ends. The 'white' boxes are all white -- top, bottom
and sides -- and have various printing on them. Below is a picture;
the Small shares are on the left, Family on the right.
So please, take your time when you go to pick up your share, be observant
of these differences, and if you ever have someone else pick up your share
for you, be sure to explain this to them. Have them read the instructions
in the front of the binder, and all should go well. Thanks!!!
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Pictures around the farm
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No too many pictures this week -- the fire was, you might say, all consuming...
The
sky dimmed with yellow smoke really blotted out the sun.
Above,
Bernie and a friend pack the chicks into boxes in case we needed to evacuate.
Once the wind shifted, we could see where the fire was coming from. Not
so very far away!
What's in the box this week
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Content differences between Family and Small
Shares are in red; items
with a “+” in
Family Shares are more in quantity than in Small; anticipated quantities, if
any, are in parentheses, as are the source of any produce if not from Live Earth
Farm (LEF). Occasionally content will differ
from this list (typically we will make a substitution), but we do our best to
give you an accurate projection.
Family Share:
Arugula +
Carrots
Cauliflower (Lakeside)
Chard
Garlic
Kale
Lettuce +
Napa cabbage
Onions +
Radishes
Spinach +
Strawberries (should
be 3 baskets; always go by checklist at pickup site for final number)
Small Share:
Arugula
Broccoli
Carrots
Collard greens
Garlic
Lettuce
Onions
Radishes
Spinach
Strawberries (should
be 2 baskets; always go by checklist at pickup site for final number)
"Extra Fruit" Option:
4 baskets of strawberries (ditto)
Fruit "Bounty" Option:
also 4 baskets of strawberries (ditto)
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Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
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Click
here to go to recipe database
I’ll hold off on Napa cabbage recipes until next week, when it is in both
shares, but this week everyone is getting lots of beautiful spinach! Here’s
my favorite way to prepare it:
Debbie’s sautéed spinach and garlic
lots and lots of fresh, washed spinach leaves (stems okay too, just not
the root)
a generous amount of chopped fresh garlic
olive oil and salt
vinegar (I like to use a sherry or champagne vinegar, but try whatever you like)
a big pot or wok or skillet with a lid
Heat oil in pot/skillet/wok over medium-high heat and then add garlic. Stir and
sauté a brief minute, then start adding the spinach in big handfuls. Sprinkle
in salt as you go, stirring often and adding just a small splash of water here
and there as necessary (note that if you just washed the spinach, leave the water
clinging to the leaves; no need to spin them dry. You may not need to add additional
water in this case). The water step is important but tricky; you need that little
bit of added moisture to wilt the spinach, but you don’t want to add so
much as to end up with a puddle at the bottom of the pot.
The spinach will wilt quickly, so you should be able to add it all in pretty
short order. Depending on what else you’re cooking, you can either just
mind the spinach until it is done (it’s done when the spinach is all wilted),
or cover it for a minute while you do something else... just don’t leave
it too long. This really is a short process.
When the spinach has just wilted, splash in the vinegar and sauté just
a little bit more, to evaporate some of the excess moisture. Taste for salt and
serve! Sautésd spinach is great with SO many different things... any kind
of meat, chicken or fish; it’s great paired with sweet potatoes or winter
squash (though right now is not winter squash season, unless you cooked and froze
some from last winter!).
We are also getting LOTS of delectable strawberries
right now... isn’t
it wonderful?? So I was surprised to hear from longtime member and recipe contributor
Farrell Podgorsek, who said, “I came back from veggie pickup and was surprised – some
members did not pick up [all] their strawberries because they could not use that
many in one week!” She asked if I had run any strawberry-keeping suggestions
recently, and I hadn’t, so here are her suggestions:
Farrell’s strawberry using and storing tips
“I sort through my berries when I bring them home - I use the ripest
berries first, saving the others for later in the week. I cut some up
and put them in a separate container for topping breakfast cereal in the morning
- my family will eat them if they are ready to go. If it comes along
to Tuesday [she picks up on Thursdays] and we haven't finished them all yet,
I place washed berries on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them, then put them
in a ziploc bag. [I don't even wash them before freezing; just hull them. -
Debbie]
“We use these berries for smoothies, or eat them frozen like a popsicle.
Cut berries can also be added to muffins, sprinkled with sugar or our new favorite,
sweet agave nectar (Trader Joes), and used to top pancakes or waffles, or used
to top ice cream or frozen yogurt. They can also be mashed with sugar and cooked
for a few minutes. They will hold in the refrigerator and make a great jam to
top toast or shortcakes.”
-- Farrell closes with, “Happy to take anyone’s leftover berries!
:)” but of course now that you know what to do with them I’m afraid
she may be disappointed...
Farrell also had this great tip for storing bread,
and although it is not a ‘veggie’ in
our box, we do have the new Bread Option this year, so I think it appropriate
to share this info [my two cents is in square brackets]:
Farrell’s tips for Companion Bakers bread
“Hearty breads [like the kind Companion Bakers makes] store well
if placed cut side down on the counter [or other flat surface, like a cutting
board?]. Do
not put them in a bag. Simply cut from one end of the loaf, and place that
cut end flat on the counter. The
moisture will gravitate down to the cut end, and will be blocked by the counter
from escaping. It will hold well up to 3 days in many cases. This
method only works with thick-crusted breads – don't try it with a soft
crusted bread like challah.”
Member Sumit Sen sent me another great Indian cauliflower recipe a few weeks
ago, which he found online and forwarded to me. It uses a lot of black pepper,
which is unusual and interesting. The story to go with the recipe is fun, so
if you have the time, click
here to go to the source and read it. Meanwhile, here is the recipe:
'Magical Peppercorn' Cauliflower Korma
~ 1/3 C cashews
1 tsp. garlic paste or 2-3 chopped garlic cloves
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
3/4 C water or chicken or vegetable broth
Masala 1:
2 tbsp. coriander seeds
1/2-1 tsp. black peppercorns
3 tbsp. white poppy seeds
Masala 2:
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds (M.P. uses 1 tsp.)
1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1. Dry roast the cashews until they are fragrant and a few shades darker. Set
aside.
2. Dry roast “Masala 1” and transfer into the coffee grinder. Grind
until it forms a powder. Then add the cashews and garlic paste. Grind into a
paste form. Optionally you can add a bit of water to the paste.
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil until it is sizzle-hot, then add “Masala
2.” As soon as the black mustard seeds have quit popping, add the paste
and turmeric. Sauté for about 10 minutes and stir constantly so it doesn’t
burn.
4. Add the cauliflower, salt and the broth or water and cook for 10-15 minutes
(or until it is tender), stirring occasionally.
Speaking of cauliflower, member Celesta Birnbaum
reminded me about a very interesting recipe in February’s Bon Appetit
called “Cauliflower Steak.” It
originally included a separate cauliflower pureé that you were supposed
to serve it upon, but she thought that ‘sounded too gross’ however
the idea of the steaks themselves intrigued her. She says the steaks didn’t
really need a sauce, but it might be good with something herby, or with some
roasted garlic or shallot kind of thing. Of the steaks themselves, she says, “I
can't tell you how good they were. They completely caramelized from all this
intense heat.” [You know me; I love roasted cauliflower!] Here’s
the modified recipe:
Cauliflower Steaks
Bon Appetit Magazine, Feb 08; serves 2 [modified
slightly; pureé option
omitted]
1 head cauliflower
2 tbsp. vegetable oil plus additional for brushing
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a sharp heavy knife and starting at top center
of the cauliflower head, cut two 1-inch thick slices, cutting through the stem
end. [Save the rest of the head for another use.]
Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Brush
cauliflower steaks with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add steaks to
skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer skillet
to oven and bake cauliflower steaks until tender, about 10 minutes.
Here’s a recipe that can be used with any of the greens in this week’s
box:
Sautéed greens with cannellini beans and
garlic
serves 4 to 6; from an un-dated Bon Appetit clipping, slightly modified.
The recipe says, “A great side dish, but also a nice vegetarian dinner
when made with vegetable broth and served over rice.”
5 tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced [or more, if using green garlic!]
¼ tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1 large bunch of greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, or broccoli rabe
[or collards or chard]; about 1 lb.)
1 C (or more) vegetable or chicken broth
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
1 tsp. (or more) Sherry wine vinegar
Depending on which greens you use, remove stems [kale, collards, chard] or not
[spinach, mustard greens, broccoli rabe].
Heat 4 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and
dried crushed pepper; stir until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add greens
by large handfuls; stir just until beginning to wilt before adding more, tossing
with tongs to coat with oil. [This sounds a lot like my sautéed spinach
recipe, above!] Add 1 C of roth, cover, and simmer until greens are just tender,
adding more broth by tablespoonfuls if dry, 1 to 10 minutes, depending on type
of greens. Add beans; simmer uncovered until beans are heated through and liquid
is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp. vinegar. Season with salt
and pepper, and more vinegar if desired; drizzle with additional olive oil and
serve.
Lastly, every year I get questions from people
about how to use radishes other than in salad.
Surprisingly, they can be cooked – added to stir-frys for
crunch and color – or puréed into a salad
dressing, but my
favorite way to eat them is still in radish
sandwiches! People who’ve been
members for a long time hear this from me each year, but if you’re new,
and have NOT tried this yet... you definitely want to!!
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2008 Calendar of Events
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For details on events listed
below, please Click
here to go to the calendar page on our website.
Santa Cruz Permaculture Design course - one weekend/month for
6 months, Feb-July
Spring "Six Thursdays" Mataganza Garden Internship - every
Thursday from May 1st through June 5th, 10am - 5pm, in the Mataganza
Garden Sanctuary at Live Earth Farm.
Herbalism Classes at Live Earth Farm:
<>Herbal First Aid - March 15-16
<>Medicine Making - May 10-11
<> Cooking with Herbs - July 19-20
Mataganza Garden Sanctuary Open House and Fundraiser -
Sunday June 8th, 3-8pm
Summer Solstice Celebration - Saturday June 21st
Children's Mini-Camp - July 11th - 13th (Friday evening thorugh Sunday
noon)
Fall Equinox Cob Building Workshop and Campout - Sept. 20 and 21
Fine Farm Feast - Oct 4th
Fall Harvest Celebration - later in October (date TBA)
Contact Information
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email Debbie at the farm (for any farm or CSA share-related business): farmers@cruzio.com
email Debbie at home (with newsletter input or recipes): deb@writerguy.com
farm phone: 831.763.2448
website: http://www.liveearthfarm.net
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