"Celebrate! Celebrate! Dance to the music!"
- Three Dog Night

What’s in the standard share:

... and if you have an extra-fruit option:
more plums, raspberries or blackberries, and 1 basket of strawberries. Coming soon (1-2 weeks): apricots and peaches!

CALENDAR

July 30, 31, Aug. 1
Children's Mini-camp, Friday eve. to noon Sun. (see details in this newsletter!).

Sat. Sept. 25
Fall Equinox Celebration
3-9 pm
with the Banana Slug String Band!

Sat. Oct 23rd
Halloween Pumpkin Pallooza

Happy Solstice to everyone! Our Celebration last Saturday was filled with priceless moments. Led by the children, we searched for sweet juicy berries. Joe gave an excellent demonstration of goat milking and cheese-making. Debbie and Ken made oodles of dough, plus pesto from just-picked basil, and then together with many helping hands baked pizzas (topped with Joe's cheese and the pesto) which of course were devoured the moment they came out of "Toastie's" (our wood-fired oven) hot belly. Many loaves of bread followed, and were hot and fresh in time for the potluck. As Kuzanga Marimba started playing we gathered in a circle to give thanks, and to welcome the beginning of a new season. We feasted on an abundance of wonderful food which members prepared with care and brought to share. I couldn't help but think how the beauty of food can be felt in every aspect of our lives, and how sharing it in celebration reminds us once again of the interconnectedness of our health, our communities and our environment. As is now the custom, the children (all girls this time!) helped light the bonfire, and we all danced or swayed in its warm glow to the rhythm of Kuzanga's music until darkness settled in. As a fitting finale, Linnea blessed us with her graceful and mesmerising firedance. At Live Earth Farm, we let the land weave its magic to revitalize and nourish our bodies and spirits and embrace the coming of the summer. Many thanks to all who participated and helped to make this another great celebration. – Tom

Mini Camp Announcement
YEAAAHHHHH! It's that time of year again -- time to gather for our annual MINI-CAMP!!!! Many have already registered, and we have space for 5 more families.

WHAT is MINI-CAMP?
Since 1999, CSA members have come with their children to join us for a weekend "camping" stay at the farm. This once-a-year event is designed as a 'camp-out' so families can experience the farm and its peacefulness without the concern of having to drive home at the end of the day. Equipped with baskets, we spend our days harvesting, tasting and discovering the magnificent diversity of fruits, vegetables and herbs growing on the farm, and then prepare a meal from the bounty we harvested. This process is both ambitious and fun, compelling all participants to explore all corners of the land (we currently have about 30 acres in production). It is a time to enjoy being together, to meet other CSA members, and to allow the children to set the pace. Farm games such as finding the 'weirdest' most bizarre-looking fruit or vegetable are popular, and so is pizza making (in our wood-fired oven) with freshly-harvested crops. Our hide-and-seek by moonlight in the orchard has become a tradition among mini-campers! Visits to the farm animals (chickens, goats and our pony, "Peanut") is a must, to make sure that no living creature is left out of the party! Families and kids of all ages are welcome! We limit the number of families to 12 so that we may keep this event relaxing and "low-key" for everyone in-cluding the organizers (i.e. us farmers)!

2004 MINI-CAMP: REGISTRATION & WHAT'S NEW
(If this is your first mini-camp, be sure to read the description above, and feel free to call me (Constance) directly at (831) 763-2340.)

<> WHEN. Mini-camp will start on Friday evening July 30th with a pot-luck, and end on Sunday the August 1st before lunch.
<> COST. The cost is $40 per person (adults and children) to a maximum of $120 per family.
<> WHAT TO BRING. Camping gear (tent, sleeping bags), flashlight, warm clothes, bathing suit and towels, sunscreen, hats, water bottle to carry around. No need for any cooking gear as we will use the farm's facilities to prepare food together. Make sure to bring a dish for the Friday night pot-luck and if you have special dietary needs you are welcome to bring extra food and store it in our fridge.
<> SPECIAL PROJECT. This year we hope to revamp "Toasty" our wood-fired oven! We may therefore get our feet and hands dirty as we (re)experience this amazing process. If you want to see what it was like when we built Toastie in the first place, go to our website www.liveearthfarm.net and click on the "Gallery" link in the left-hand sidebar.
<> MISCELLANEOUS. If you play an instrument, sing, juggle or are a storyteller PLEASE share your gift(s)! We are blessed with a few artists in our CSA community, and when they share their talents we all can all for a moment become enchanted children again...

Last year, everyone really enjoyed simply gathering around a small fire – a very magical space on the farm – Saturday evening and giving thanks to the Earth for being so generously nourishing. We may again this year invite everyone to celebrate our relationship to the land, and if anyone wants to make drawings and/or sculptures around this theme and bring it to the camp please do so!

Again, any questions, contact me (at number above). See you soon!!!! – Constance Broz


Children's Corner
"Does soil sleep?" asked Truxton, one of our younger CSA members, while contemplating the world around him. Vaiva, his mom, passed the question on to Farmer Tom who couldn't come up with a straight answer, therefore while I am doing a little more research on the subject, I will assume that soil never sleeps but rests like any other organism that is alive. More on the subject next week, as I am out of my allotted space! – Tom

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

The solstice celebration was indeed a delight! Down near the dessert end of the potluck table was a dish of this magnificent magenta spread! At first glance it looked like frosting, but turned out to be a really tasty spread for bread (or dip for veggies), made with beets, cream cheese, mayonnaise and lots of garlic (so the sign said). I loved it! So could whoever brought it please give me the proportions (and any preparation tips) so that I can share it with the membership? Thanks!! – Debbie

Plum Upside-Down Cake
from Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook

Topping:
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 C brown sugar
6 ripe plums (about 1 1/4 lbs.)

Batter:
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C whole milk
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Over low heat, melt topping butter in bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan, stirring in the brown sugar until it dissolves. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom, then remove from heat and cool. Cut plums into 1/4" thick wedges and arrange neatly over the brown sugar mixture, covering the bottom completely. Set the pan aside and prepare the cake batter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

With an electric mixer, cream butter with sugar until pale, light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat in egg yolks one at a time, scraping the bowl to make sure all the butter is incorporated. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, and add them to the batter alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they are stiff enough to hold a slight shape. Fold the whites into the batter a third at a time (this helps to lighten the batter before all the egg whites are incorporated). Pour batter into prepared pan and spread it evenly over the plums. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the top is browned and cake pulls away slightly from the edges of the pan. Let cake cool for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cake plate. Serve with whipped cream.

A while ago, a member asked if I’d do a series on salad dressings – well, since we’re getting so much lettuce in our box these days, here’s a good one! I usually make my dressings in small quantities (just enough to freshly dress one salad), but this seems to store well for several weeks, so that makes the quantity not quite so daunting. – Debbie

Moosewood Ginger Miso Dressing
from Moosewood Daily Special
makes about 2 cups

3/4 C canola or other vegetable oil
2 tbsp. dark sesame oil
1/4 C cider or rice vinegar
1/4 C light miso
3 tbsp. grated fresh ginger root
1/2 C water

Combine oils, vinegar, miso and ginger in a blender and whirl until smooth. With blender running, add water in a thin, steady stream; the dressing will become thick and creamy. This dressing will keep for several weeks covered and refrigerated. If it separates, just shake well, whisk, or repurée in blender.
The author says, "A favorite of vegans, this sleek, smooth dressing with its refreshing ginger flavor and almost fluffy consistency is made by carefully blending water into the oil, vinegar and miso. The miso lends a rich, salty taste and contains highly beneficial digestive and antibacterial enzymes. Leftover rice or pasta, seafood and vegetables can be transformed into a salad the next day with this versatile dressing."

*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.