"Give us thankful hearts in this season of Thanksgiving. May we be thankful for the health and strength, for the sun, and rain and peace..."
– W.E.B. DuBois, from "A Grateful Heart"

What’s in the standard share:

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

CALENDAR

(nothing more scheduled for this season)

DON’T MISS READING THIS IMPORTANT NEWSLETTER!!!

IT'S THE END OF ANOTHER SEASON- THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!! With the completion of every seasonal cycle I am filled with gratitude and inspired by the generosity expressed at so many levels through the farm's extended community. Whether it's the tireless and often forgotten soil organisms, the hard working men and women who bring this land's nourishing treasures to you every week, or you, the dedicated and supporting members of this farm. With the start of our 10th season next year, there are many exciting new developments on the horizon – inspirations sparked by our wonderful and supportive community. I hope you all will be able to benefit from and find the time to participate in them. – Tom

2005 Highlights
1. The Big News!!! In 2005 we will be introducing the option of getting a smaller share, to give you, our members, a more flexible choice in both price and quantity. Our Standard Share will now be referred to (more accurately) as our "Family Share," and the new offering will simply be the "Small Share." The Small Share will have fewer vegetables (and usually, but not always, some fruit), and be suitable for one to two-person households. We hope this will eliminate the need for share-splitting (although you may still split a share if you like!), and also accommodate all those who thought the full share was overwhelming them. We also hope this added flexibility will allow us to increase our membership – please help us out by spreading the word! The Small Share price will be $19/week. Do be patient for our website to reflect this new offering – we hope to have all the new information posted soon.

2. We just signed a long-term lease on an additional 10 acres of beautiful certified organic land. This will allow us to further increase and diversify both our vegetable and fruit production. It means we will be able to supply a greater diversity of produce more consistently throughout the season.

3. We're interested in implementing a volunteer/work-for-trade program next year which would help the farm in areas where labor is in short supply during the peak of the season. Whether it is marketing, harvesting, packing or prepping vegetables, members will have the opportunity to have a more hands-on involvement in the day-to-day operation of the farm.

4. We'll continue to reach out to local schools and make the farm a dynamic place for children to learn about nutrition and growing healthy flavorful food sustainably.

5. We want to start an education program for kids 10 and older who want to get a fun and exciting first-hand experience of being a farmer. This program would be done in small groups of 5 to 10 kids, 3 to 4 days long, once or twice a season.

6. And lastly, we hope to offer both 'Permaculture' and 'Ecological Farming' workshops.

Join our advisory group!!!
As we map out the future (well, at least the next 10 years) we are seeking to get as many members of our community involved as pos-sible by creating a Live Earth Farm Advisory Group. This group will serve to inspire, identify, guide and help implement long- and short-term objectives for the farm. We would love to hear from you if this is something you'd like to participate and support us in. The first exploratory meeting will be Saturday December 18th, Noon to 2pm (potluck lunch) here at the farm. We will e-mail everyone to announce and remind you of the meeting.

Farm News in the 'off-season'
We'll keep you abreast of goings-on at the farm through our winter newsletter, and you can always check our website for the latest information.

2005 Early Registration
[one final reminder, in case ya missed it!!] The deadline for the 2005 Early Registration has been extended until the end of the year, instead of the end of the season. Our objective is to get as many members registered as we can. By committing this year for next season, you will help us rent some additional land to both diversify and increase our production for next year, and also help pay our bills through the winter months and offer our workers year-round employment. Register now and get a discount off next season’s share prices! See our website for details. Thanks for your support! (Note: the website may still say ‘register before Nov. 20th’ but it should be updated by the end of the season to reflect the deadline extension.) – Tom

Gift Certificates!
A unique and healthy gift for friends or family! The holidays are fast approaching, and our gift certificates are a wonderful opportunity to introduce someone to Community Supported Agriculture! Our certificates are beautifully designed and colored, and each comes with a small bag of our very own organic sun-dried tomatoes. We'll either mail the certificate package directly to the gifted party, or we can send it to you if you'd like to wrap it before giving away. You can view a color picture of the certificate (and get ordering information) on our website. Contact us if you like to purchase one for the holiday season!

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

Oh my, big sigh, season’s over, wanna cry! The end of the CSA season is always hard for me to adjust to (I know you’ve all heard me moan about going into withdrawal before!). But... absence makes the heart grow fonder, so hopefully if y’all experience similar pangs of separation you’ll be compelled to ‘re-enlist’ next spring!! And while you’re at it, be sure to talk to everyone you know about Live Earth Farm and their wonderful offerings of seasonal, organic, fresh, local produce, so they’ll want to join too! Take care everyone!! – Debbie

Acorn Squash rings with Honey-Soy Glaze
from an undated Bon Appetit clipping
(modified slightly) serves 4

Nonstick veggie spray [or some oil]
2 acorn squash
3 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Spray with nonstick spray [or brush lightly with oil]. Cut off both ends of each squash, then cut them crosswise into 4 rings each. Scoop out seeds and discard. Place squash rings in a single layer on prepared baking sheet, cover tightly with foil and bake until squash begins to soften, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk next 5 ingredients in a small bowl to blend. Remove foil from squash and brush half the mixture over squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake uncovered 10 minutes. Brush remaining mixture over squash and continue to bake until squash is brown, tender and glazed, about 10 more minutes.

Coconut Poached Carrots
from "Earthly Delights – Everyday Vegetarian Cooking" by Vikki Leng
serves 4

1 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
4 spring onions (scallions), sliced
1 tsp. finely grated orange rind
1 lb. carrots, scrubbed and sliced diagonally
1 C coconut milk
freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil and stir the cardamom, spring onions, orange rind and carrots over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Season to taste with the pepper.

Smoky Bean Salad
from yet another Bon Appetit clipping
serves 6

1 1/2 lbs. green beans, cut diagonally
into 1" pieces
1 15- to 16-oz. can black beans, drained
1 15- to 16-oz. can kidney beans, drained
9 bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 C vegetable oil
1/4 C minced seeded jalapeño chilies
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. (packed) golden brown sugar

Cook green beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain beans; pat dry, transfer to a large bowl. Add black and kidney beans, chill until cold.

Sauté bacon in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Transfer 2 tbsp. bacon drippings from skillet to medium bowl (discard remaining drippings). Add vinegar and remaining ingredients; whisk to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss beans with enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle reserved bacon over and serve.

*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.