"Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace, praying for the inspiration and the power to fulfill the destiny for which we were created."
- from Week of Prayer for World Peace, 1978

What’s in the box this week:

... and if you have an extra-fruit share:

Strawberries, apples and pears

CALENDAR


Sat. Oct 26 - Halloween Pumpkin U-Pick,
all day

Nov. 20/23 (Weds/Sat) ***Last box !***

U-Pick Pumpkins: I wanted to clear up some confusion about how you will get your pumpkins this year. If you cannot pick one up at our October 26th "U-pick," you are welcome to drop by the farm anytime before or after this date -- even after Halloween if there are any left! You are not limited to the 26th. Unfortunately, this year we simply cannot deliver them with your share, because our delivery truck is just not big enough to fit all the shares, extra fruit, flowers AND pumpkins! I hope you can all make it to the farm.

Annual Farm Survey: This year we wanted to simplify the survey as much as possible for everyone, and so we are putting it directly on the checklist at your pickup location! We will run it for two weeks, as some members split shares and only pick up every other week, and we don't want anyone to feel left out. We hope each of you will take the time to complete this short survey, and if you have the time or inclination to provide us with additional comments or suggestions, feel free to write on the back of the checklist (or email or call). Your candid and honest comments have been an extremely valuable contribution over the years to guiding the development of the farm and its CSA. We would like to respond to your comments in this newsletter, before the season is over, and let you know what suggestions might be integrated into next season’s program or otherwise affect future planning efforts. So, thanks in advance for taking the time to give us your comments and feedback. - Tom

What's Up on the Farm
Kinship Farming: Last week the Kindergarten class from my son’s school came to visit the farm. On our way to the strawberry patch the Hungarian peppers caught our attention, as most of them now have a deep red color. I subsequently picked and bit into one, and remarked that they are sweet, hence their name "Apple Peppers." Many of the children, at first a bit hesitant, soon lost their shyness and started picking and tasting. As I often do when I am surrounded by children, I emphasize how plants are living beings which relate to each other and that they, too, have families and relatives, although they may not always look alike. As I held up a pepper to let the children guess what other family members they belonged to, I first wasn’t expecting an answer, and in my mind I started thinking, "potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant..." when I hear the child next me say convincingly, "They belong to your family!" As we laughed in agreement, I was struck by the realization that by naming, classifying and categorizing, we forget to see the plants, and for that matter all life forms, as kin, sharing one precious home, the Earth! One of my long-term goals is to start saving seeds. This is not just to reduce our dependence on seed companies, but more importantly to provide the continuity in the life cycle of the plants grown on the farm. By saving seeds, we honor the full life cycle of a plant which otherwise gets cut short as soon as parts of it become harvestable for food, i.e. its leaves, roots, flowers, or fruits. I see saving seeds more like raising a family where we not only grow plants for food but also ensure healthy offspring that are potentially better adapted to the local conditions, since seeds purchased from seed companies come from plants often grown in different geographic locations and under different environmental conditions.

Crop Notes
Chinese Shunkyo Radishes: This radish from North China is very distinctive for its smooth pink cylindrical root and crisp, nutty flavor. At first bite it is unusually sweet, but develops a fairly spicy flavor after that. In China radishes are often eaten cooked and sliced or boiled in soups. I recommend you eat this radish just like you would a regular one -- raw, on a sandwich, or in your salad.

Winter Squash: Some of you may not recognize the different varieties of winter squash in your box, and I say this because last week somebody wanted to know whether the Sweet Dumplings can be eaten, or if they just served a decorative purpose. All the winter squash that come in your share are wonderful to eat. Winter squash can be prepared in many different ways. I typically like them baked, but they can also be mashed or pureed and topped with fruits, nuts, seeds, cheese or bread crumbs. Almost any squash puree will substitute for pumpkin in cookies, cakes, puddings, and pies. Also, don’t worry about accumulating them since they can be stored for several months, late into the winter.

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

This week, some more recipes submitted by CSA members. One features broccoli (we haven't had this in a while!), and all are good for using multiple box ingredients! - Debbie

Bean Soup
from member Lori Clemmons of Willow Glen. She says it's great with freshly baked bread, and that her kids really like it!

3 cups mixed dried beans and peas
1 ham hock (optional)
lots of tomatoes, diced (I take skins off first)
1-2 heads Napa cabbage, shredded [I know we don't have this in the box this week, but some of us may still have it in our fridge from last week. If not, you can probably leave it out! – Debbie]
3-5 carrots, diced
3 onions, diced
2 peppers, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, diced
4-6 potatoes, cut in chunks
3 celery stems, diced
3 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. sage
water to cover
salt to taste

Soak the beans and peas overnight. Drain the water. Place in slow cooker (the large size). Add remaining ingredients and water to cover. Cook on high 7-8 hours, checking water level occasionally, adding more if needed. I'm sure you could do this in a pot on top of the stove, I just happen to like the slow-cooker method. If using ham hock, separate the meat from the bone before serving and throw away the bone. The recipe is very forgiving (add or subtract ingredients as you like), as long as you allow enough time to cook the beans and peas till they're soft.

Lasagna
another recipe from Lori, who says, "I'm becoming a master at hiding greens in all kinds of places! This recipe is very forgiving. You don't have to use all of the veggies listed, and I'm sure you could add a few more I haven't thought of. It's a good way to use up lots of things from the box, and makes a huge pan with lots of leftovers for lunches."

SAUCE
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained, or meat substitute
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3-5 cloves garlic, diced
full share of spinach or bok choy, shredded
2 zucchini, diced
5-6 carrots, diced
2-3 peppers, diced
4 cups pasta sauce, homemade or canned (we use Eden Organic Pizza-Pasta Sauce)
5-6 tomatoes, skins removed, diced

PASTA
1 package lasagna noodles, cooked

CHEESES
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
1 lb. ricotta or cottage cheese

Sauté together meat (or meat substitute) with the veggies in olive oil until tender. Add pasta sauce and tomatoes and let simmer for 30 minutes. In large pan, put down a thin layer of sauce, then layer half each noodles, sauce, and cheeses. Layer with remaining noodles, sauce, cheeses and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

Oyster Beef and Broccoli over Rice
serves 2
from member Rick Ehrhart, also of Willow Glen, who sent me this and several other great Chinese recipes that he and his wife make regularly. He says they don't hesitate to substitute any veggies they happen to have on hand for what is called for in the recipes! Note: ingredients are grouped "a", "b", etc, because of the way they're presented in the cookbook -- for ease of preparation - Debbie

1/2 lb. lean beef

a: 1 tbsp. soy sauce
a: 1 tbsp. cooking wine or sherry
a: 1 tbsp. cornstarch

b: 1 green onion, cut in 1 1/2" sections
b: 6 slices ginger root, peeled

c: 1/2 C water
c: 1 1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce
c: 1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
c: 1/2 tbsp. cooking wine or sherry
c: 2 tsp. cornstarch
c: 2 tsp. sugar
c: few drops of sesame oil
c: pinch of pepper

d: 1 C mushrooms
d: 1 C cut-up broccoli, blanched in boiling water until bright green and slightly soft, but still crunchy
d: 12 slices carrot (blanched same way as broccoli, until slightly soft but still crunchy)

2 C cooked rice

1. Cut the beef into 1" x 2" slices. Mix in "a" and marinate. If the mixture is too dry, add a small amount of water. Mix in 1 tbsp. oil before stir-frying to help prevent the meat from sticking together

2. Heat 3 tbsp. oil in a preheated wok. Fry "b" until just fragrant and add the meat. Stir-fry until the meat just changes color. Mix in "c" and heat until bubbly, then mix in "d." Stir-fry quickly over high heat, making sure the meat and vegetables are evenly coated with the sauce.

3. Put half of the rice on each of two serving plates, and spoon the beef-vegetable mixture over the top of each.

Note: other vegetables, such as celery, onion, green pepper, dried black mushroom (soaked until soft) etc., may be substituted for those in "d."

*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.