"Waaaaaaaaahhhh!"
– Elisa Sara Broz, 8:12am Friday 9/17/04

"She's so beautiful!"
– Thomas Broz

What’s in the standard share:

... and if you have an extra-fruit option:
Apples, Warren pears and strawberries

CALENDAR

Sat. Oct 23rd
Fall Equinox Celebration AND Halloween Pumpkin Pallooza (combined)
3pm unitl dark

Ladies and gentleman, we have a brand-spanky-new member!

Elisa Sara Broz was born last Friday, Sept. 17th, at 8:12 am. Weighing in at 7 lbs. 14oz. and measuring 19" long, Tom reports that "she is bonding with mom really well... a great suckler!" Constance and Elisa are in the hospital for a few days while Constance recuperates from her caesarian, but Tom says both are doing well, and that Constance is recovering nicely. "Daddy is already a practiced diaper-changer," quips Tom, and of course Elisa has done her best to keep him on his toes (translation: he’s had very little sleep these past few nights). David, their ten-year-old, is still adapting to the fact that he’s not going to be the only child anymore. Other than that, says Tom, he’s about as interested in the new baby as your typical ten-year-old male.

Fortunately for all, Constance’s mom and sister-in-law are staying at the farm to help out for a few weeks while Constance is recuperating, and so the extra help will be really appreciated.

I am giving Tom the week off (from writing the newsletter), since as you can imagine he has had a few things on his mind recently. He claims he will ‘return to duty’ next week. All of the above info was reported to me just this morning by phone. I told him to relax, and that everyone would forgive him for taking this break, even if it meant that we’d have a short newsletter.

I asked Tom if the rain we had Sunday had any adverse affect on the farm or the crops (I know sometimes it can affect the strawberries, for example), but he said no. He said that the farm got one quick little 5 minute downpour, followed by a little drizzle, then it was gone and the sun came out and dried everything up. San Jose and inland areas seem to have gotten more rain than they did on the coast, he said. What little rain they did have did a nice job of keeping the dust down, but today (Monday) already things are sunny and warm and back to ‘normal.’

And I’m guessing his alternative deer-eradication techniques must’ve done the trick, as I see that green beans are back on the menu! - Debbie

Bulk vs. Box, continued
We are still getting feedback on this issue, and really appreciate (and are keeping track of) all the varied input. The latest contribution by one member brought up yet another good point: if we did the ‘bulk’ option, we could resume offering half-shares, as it would just be a matter of listing on the blackboard how much to take if you get a full share, and how much if you get a half share. (When we pack the boxes, it costs the farm just as much to pack a half share as it does to pack a full share. This was the reason we discontinued the option a few years back. It was not economically viable.) I think we have a fair number of members who split shares, so this would give them more independence, plus the ability to have fresh, but less, produce each week (rather than more every other week). So if anyone has a bright or clever idea as to how make it so the last members who pick up get produce that’s in as good a shape as the first ones (latecomers fear receiving ‘picked-over’ stuff), I’m all ears!

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

I took a couple cookbooks out of the library last week, and here are a few promising recipes I gleaned from one of them: "The New Vegetarian Epicure" by Anna Thomas. – Debbie

Roasted Green Bean Salad with Tomato-Basil dressing
serves 6 to 8 as a first course

2 lbs. thin, tender green beans
1 head garlic
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 large, ripe red tomatoes
a little balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves

Wash and trim the green beans, and separate and peel the cloves of garlic. Reserve one small clove of garlic and toss the remaining cloves and the beans in a bowl with half the olive oil, salt to taste, and a few grinds of black pepper. Spread them evenly over 2 baking sheets and roast them in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Stir and turn the beans at least once in the course of roasting them.

The roasting time will vary with the size of the beans. They are done when they have a somewhat wrinkled and blistered look, with light-brown spots here and there. A marvelous toasty fragrance will alert you.

While the beans are roasting, peel the tomatoes and chop them, keeping all their juice. Mince the reserved clove of garlic. Combine tomatoes, their juice, the garlic, the remaining olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, a little salt and pepper, and the chopped basil. Crush everything together a bit to blend the flavors.

When the beans are ready, transfer them to a big, shallow bowl and pour the tomato dressing over them.Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Tomato and Onion Focaccia
makes 1 large loaf

"Use a good, home-made tomato sauce for this, cooked down until it’s thick. This is delicious with tapenade and a glass of wine." (quote from cookbook)

3 tbsp. fruity green olive oil
2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 C warm water
1 tsp. dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
4 1/2 C white flour
1/2 C thick, puréed tomato sauce

Heat 2 tbsp. of the olive oil in a non-stick pan and cook the chopped onions in it, with a sprinkle of salt. Stir them often over a medium flame until they are limp and golden. Allow them to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, put the warm water in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir in the sugar and leave the mixture in a warm place for a few minutes, until it begins to froth and foam. Stir in the salt and about 2 1/2 C of the flour, making a soft sponge. Leave the sponge to rise, covered with a kitchen towel, for about 30 minutes.

Stir down the sponge and add the tomato sauce and the cooked onions. Stir in more flour, until the dough is too stiff to be stirred with a spoon.

Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured board and begin kneading in as much of the remaining flour as is necessary. Knead gently until the dough is smooth and beginning to pull back. It should still be soft.

Form the dough into a ball. Keeping the board well floured, and turning the dough once or twice, roll it out to a large oval, about an inch thick. Lightly oil a baking sheet, preferably one with edges, and lay the loaf on it. Poke dimples in the bread with your fingers if you like. Cover the dough and let it rise about 40 minutes, or until it is almost doubled in bulk. Brush the top of the bread very gently with the remaining olive oil, and bake the focaccia in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 35 minutes.

Remove it from the pan with the help of a large spatula and transfer it to a wire rack to cool slightly, then cut it in squares to serve.

Stewed Garbanzo Beans and Potatoes in Indian Spices
(I cut this recipe in half as it was originally designed to serve 8 to 10, and I modified it slightly – to use canned garbanzos instead of dried, to save time. – Debbie)
Serves 4 – 5

1 can garbanzo beans
2 medium onions
4 to 6 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
1 tsp. butter
1 lb. potatoes
1 tbsp. whole cumin seeds
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. whole mustard seeds
1 small, hot green chile, trimmed, minced
1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped (about 1 tbsp.)
1 lb. fresh red tomatoes
1/4 to 1/3 C chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 to 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tbsp. Major Grey’s chutney

Peel the onions, halve them lengthwise, and cut them in thick slices. Peel and coarsely chop garlic. Heat peanut oil and butter in a large, non-stick sauté pan and sauté the onions in it, stirring frequently, until it begins to color. Add the chopped garlic and a dash of salt and keep stirring over medium heat until both onions and garlic are golden brown.

Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them in 1-inch chunks. Toast the cumin seeds lightly in a little pan, stirring and watching until they release their fragrance, then grind them briefly in a stone mortar or a spice grinder.

When onions and garlic are ready, add cumin, coriander, cayenne, tumeric, and mustard seeds. Stir over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, the garbanzo beans, and enough water to just barely cover everything in the pan. Bring to a simmer.

Add 1/4 tsp. salt, the chopped hot green chile, and the chopped ginger, stir everything, cover the pan, and leave it to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Scald and peel the tomatoes, trim out their cores, and cut them into wedges or big chunks.

Uncover the pan, add the tomatoes, cilantro leaves, fresh lemon juice, and chutney. Simmer the mixture, uncovered, for about another 10 to 15 minutes. The broth will be thickened, and all the vegetables will be tender, yet still maintaining their separate identities. Taste, and correct the seasoning with a bit more salt or lemon juice if needed.

Serve stew hot, with a rice pilaf, a chutney or two, and a cool yogurt dish.

*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.