"I remember with gratitude the fruits of the labors of others, which I have shared as a part of the normal experience of daily living."
- Howard Thurman, Blessings at Year End (from A Grateful Heart)

What’s in the box this week:

... and if you have an extra-fruit share:
Dried apples, fresh apples, guavas

Last Reminder: Some of you still have not let us know whether or not you wish to receive your last (Thanksgiving) share next week. If you haven’t done so, please call us or check off your choice on the sign-off sheet at your drop-off site. We must hear from you one way or the other by Sunday Nov. 18th. We will not pack your share if we haven’t heard from you!! Also, many of you still haven’t filled out the farm survey. Please take a few minutes and fill it out. Your feedback is important for us. If you need an extra copy please take one from the extras attached to the clipboard. Thank you.

What's Up on the Farm
A couple of weeks ago when showing a visitor the farm, we walked by the compost pile behind our barn. Instinctively I stuck my hand in the pile and grabbed a handful of the stuff -- warm, moist, dark, and loose -- sticking my nose into it and running it through my fingers, assessing the quality of the pile. My visitor, with a puzzled look on his face, asked what I was doing. I encouraged him to do the same thing, while I explained how compost helps me grow better soil. Thinking of soil is at the heart of growing food. Raised in the city, I first learned about agriculture through books, and by listening to experts, consultants and farm advisors. But none of that taught me how to actually relate to the world of soil and plants. In more traditional agrarian societies a child learned by riding on its mother’s back while she was working in the fields... whereas most of us learned nothing of the kind, strapped instead into the back seats of our cars, stuck in traffic. I remember when I enrolled in a seven months farming/gardening apprenticeship at UC Santa Cruz. Much of what I learned was what good soil looks, feels, and smells like. "If you eat, soil is your business," explains Michael Abelman, organic farmer extraordinaire of Fairview Gardens, in his book "On Good Land". "We need to reconnect with our roots," he says, "and a wonderful way to do so is to grow food for yourself and your family."

I listened anxiously to the weather report predicting rain for this weekend, as I hurried back from delivering our shares in Willow Glen and Los Gatos last Saturday to spread compost in the fields and sow our winter cover crop. This may be our last chance before next spring to work the soil for planting. We all worked feverishly as we saw the grey clouds move in. By late afternoon the first drops started falling as I was making the last pass to cover the seed. We all felt this deep satisfaction for having beat the rain and left the soil in good shape for its winter rest.


Member to Member Forum
ONE more issue after this one – last chance to get your communiqués in to the rest of the membership before the season ends!!

If you wish to communicate something to the rest of the CSA membership, or start a dialog among members on a particular topic, you may use this forum to do so. Please submit info to the editor (click here) by Monday morning 10am to get it into that week’s issue. Keep in mind that members don't receive newsletters until the following Wednesday and Saturday (if you're reporting on a timely event).

Crop of the Week
And we proudly announce the return of our popular, good looking, nourishing, and long-storing... RED CABBAGE. Since we didn’t have much cabbage this year I know they will be a hit in the last two shares of the season. Cabbage is perhaps the most globally cultivated of all the plants in the brassica (mustard) family. It is eaten in almost every country around the world. With many different varieties available, cabbage adapts to many climates. Fermented cabbage dishes, such as sauerkraut in northern Europe and kim chee in Korea, were an early and widespread form of food preservation that has nourished humanity for centuries. The fall variety of cabbage will grow into tight, dense heads and therefore store for a longer period -- from 3 weeks to sometimes 2 months. Although composed of 90% water, cabbage holds a significant quantity of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A and C, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Red cabbage has more vitamin C than its green cousin, and tastes wonderful grated raw into your salad. Cabbage also has medicinal value as a digestive aid and intestinal cleanser. - Adapted from "From Asparagus to Zucchini" by the Madison CSA Coalition.

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

Lots of good recipes this week! - Debbie

I guess we need at least one red cabbage recipe here, but remember there are other good ones on the recipe page of the website.

Red Cabbage Slaw
from Taqueria Gila Monster Restaurant
makes 3 – 4 quarts

1 head red cabbage
1 lb. carrots
1 bunch cilantro
1/3 C freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 C apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. ancho chili powder

Quarter and core red cabbage. Slice thinly by hand or in a food processor. Peel and grate carrots. Chop cilantro. Toss all ingredients. Let stand one hour before serving. Toss again. Serve as a garnish for tacos, as a side dish for sandwiches, or as a picnic salad.

The following recipe was recommended to me last year by fellow CSA member Sue Burnham. I've made it and it's easy and delicious, and since we've been getting lots of peppers, it seemed like the ideal candidate for the newsletter!

Pepper Sauce
excerpted from Enchanted Broccoli Forest

6 medium-sized peppers, assorted colors
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried thyme
3 cloves garlic
freshly ground black pepper and crushed red pepper, to taste
1 - 2 tbsp. red wine or balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 C tomatoes (optional)

Remove stems, seeds and inner membranes (ribs) from peppers then cut into long strips. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet or dutch oven. Add peppers, salt and herbs and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until just barely tender. Add garlic, cook 5 more minutes. Stir in ground black and crushed dried red peppers and vinegar to taste. Serve over pasta or rice, or room temperature over thick slices of sourdough bread!

Preparation tip: if serving over pasta, start pasta water boiling as you begin the sauce – it cooks up pretty quickly.

I liked the sound of this one since we're getting lemons this week!

Chard stuffed with lemon rice
(from an undated SJ Merc. clipping)
serves 8 as a side dish

Salt
8 large chard leaves, stems cut away at the bottom
1 C arborio rice
1 large egg yolk
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 tbsp. lemon juice
(preparation tip: remember to zest the lemon before you juice it!! – Debbie)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
16 large sage leaves

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 2 tsp. salt and the chard leaves. Cook just until chard is tender, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer chard to a clean kitchen towel. Lay chard flat and blot dry. Cool completely. Add rice to pot with boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender, about 15 minutes (water will not be all absorbed). While rice is cooking, whisk egg yolk, cheese, lemon zest and juice together in a small bowl. When rice is tender, drain and return to pot. Stir in egg mixture until rice is evenly coated. Add 1 tbsp. butter, stir to melt/distribute, and add salt to taste. Cool rice mixture for several minutes. Place 1/3 C rice mixture in center of each chard leaf. Fold edges over to seal and make neat bundles. Heat remaining 3 tbsp. butter and sage in a large skillet over medium heat. When sage leaves are lightly crisped, use a fork to transfer them to a small plate. Add chard bundles to empty pan, seam side down, and sauté, turning once, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer chard bundles to a serving platter, and garnish with fried sage leaves. Serve immediately.

*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.