“A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.”
- English proverb

Although it doesn't have to be such a great distance to feel like I am really off the farm, both our families (Constance's and mine) live in Europe, and that left us with no choice – the grandparents demanded to see Elisa (our 11-month-old daughter ). I had a great time, even if the farmers markets I visited were disappointing in terms of selection, flavor and overall availability of organic produce. I am grateful for the escape, and that things kept running smoothly during my week-long absence. My thanks to everyone on the Live Earth Farm team!!!!

The devastating impact of hurricane Katrina is hard to integrate into one's psyche. Any natural event of this size strikes at the heart of our own temporary but interconnected existence on this planet. Natural phenomena of this magnitude confront us with our own survival instincts, exposing the most extreme of human behav-iors. These extreme behaviors can range from compassionate and heroic to violent and dangerous. Listening to the victims' stories and seeing the images of death and destruction can easily make one feel defeated or inconsequential. It is scary to realize that the basic infrastructure which supplies us with fuel, electricity, and food on a daily basis (and which we take for granted) is extremely vulnerable and fragile.

What farming has taught me is that many forces of nature are out of our control yet still affect our production. It's very humbling. I try to explore more deeply my relationship with nature, whether it is a greater awareness of the landscape, the fields, the plants and animals, the weather, or the soils. Being in more direct contact with the outdoors reduces the illusion of nature: she's a teacher, a force – inviting us to explore directly our own true nature. Hurricane Katrina is surely a reminder of our illusionary lifestyle and politics of attempted control and dominion of the natural world. – Tom

Field Notes from Farmer Tom
In the field the weather is slowly changing and I can already feel Fall around the corner. Don't forget to mark your calendars for our upcoming Fall Equinox celebration. Trees are losing their leaves, the Earth is dry and even more telling are the pears and apples starting to show up in your shares. These will be our main fruit in the fall. The strawberries are slowing down (which some of you might find as a relief since we've been sending them your way since late March), yet some of you are like my son: addicted to them and disappointed the season is slowing. This week the corn will be a bit more mature and the kernels more filled out. Sorry if your corn last week was still too immature. From here on out, if it's not strawberries or raspberries, we will be placing the fruit directly into your share box. Only the extra fruit share will still be separate and quantities marked on the pick-up list.

Reminder for the Equinox celebration!!
Since late winter we've been continuously preparing the earth, planting, caring for, and harvesting crops... like an ongoing and ever-turning wheel. Now the time has come when nights are getting colder and days shorter. The first pumpkins are donning their colorful orange dresses, and some trees, like our river birches, are turning yellow. Twice a year time is in balance – the days are just as long as the nights. These events are known as Equinoxes, and mark the beginning of Spring and Fall respectively. In the Spring we celebrate the beginning of our planting season, and with the coming of Fall we acknowledge and celebrate the land's generosity, and the harvest received from our plantings. Every year we celebrate the seasonal changes, so we invite everyone to join us on Saturday September 24th for our Fall Equinox Celebration – 3pm 'til dark. The Banana Slug String Band will share their humor and creative spirits through their wonderful earth inspired music. There will still be strawberries and blackberries available for picking, and we'll bake bread and press the first harvested apples into cider. Bring a dish for our traditional potluck, and we recommend a blanket to sit on and something warm to wear in the evening. The children will help light our traditional bonfire to welcome the new season. Hope to see you all on the 24th.

(scroll down for recipes)

Notes from Debbie’s Kitchen . . . . . . . . Have a recipe you’d like to share? Contact Debbie. Member Caroline Martin sent in the first recipe below. She says, “This is my husband's favorite way to eat green beans. I've served it to many a visitor and it's always a hit.” - Debbie.

Green Beans with Tomato Nuggets
Adapted from The New Gourmet Light cookbook by Greer Underwood

1 lb. green beans
1 tomato, peeled and diced
juice of half a lemon
couple cloves of garlic, sliced thin
2 tsp. butter
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Steam the green beans until just tender and hold aside. Melt the butter in a pot, add the garlic (use as much or little as you like) and let it cook while stirring for a minute, then add the tomatoes. Cook and stir another minute, then add the beans. Con-tinue to stir until they are coated and warmed.

Here are two interesting and easy recipes from a cookbook called “The Gardener’s Cookbook.”

Crunchy Red Cabbage-Ginger Slaw
Barbara Tropp, China Moon restaurant, SF
serves 6 [quick to prepare, but note fridge time]

¼ C pickled ginger juice
Sugar and kosher salt, to taste
1 lb. red cabbage
2 tbsp. pickled ginger, minced
Garnish of toasted black sesame seeds
1 green scallion, sliced

[At least 12 hours, ideally 2 to 3 days in advance, make the slaw. Taste the pickled ginger juice if you are using a commercial variety and adjust to your taste with sugar and salt.] Core red cabbage and slice crosswise into fine shreds. Combine the sliced cabbage, pickled ginger juice and pickled ginger. Press the slaw into a glass casserole dish, seal and refrigerate over-night to several days, stirring occasionally. The cabbage will turn hot pink. Before serving garnish with toasted black sesame seeds and green scallion rings. The slaw stays delicious for a week or more.

Cold Almond and Cucumber Soup
Mario Leon-Iriarte, Dali restaurant
serves 6

¾ C blanched almonds
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp. salt
4 C vegetable stock
½ cucumber, peeled, seeded
4 tbsp. sherry or wine vinegar
5 tbsp. olive oil
18 red or green seedless grapes

In a blender or food processor, blend almonds, garlic and salt with a little vegetable stock until almonds turn milky. Add the cucumber, then slowly the oil and then the vinegar. Finally, add the rest of the vegetable stock. Serve very cold and garnish with grapes.

And lastly, here is a recipe I’ve been saving since last year that was given to me by a friend just after the season ended. I’ve been waiting for the return of the pears to share this with you!

Pear-Rosemary Bread
Mark Buchignani
makes one 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf

2 C unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 lb. (about 2 large) pears, cored, peeled and chopped
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
Grated zest of ½ lemon
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temp.
1/3 C plus 1 tbsp. sugar
2 lg. eggs
1 fresh rosemary sprig

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a loaf pan, set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and toss well with a fork or a wire whisk.

Purée pears in a blender or food processor, then stir in the chopped rosemary, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

Beat the butter and the 1/3 C of sugar in a medium bowl until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. (Don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled now.) Alternately stir in the pear purée and the flour mixture, mixing only until all the flour is blended in.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes. Dip the rosemary sprig in water, then in the 1 tbsp. sugar, and place the sprig on top of the loaf. Continue baking another 35 to 40 minutes, or until the loaf is brown and springs back at the touch.

Let loaf cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then unmold and let cool to room temperature on the rack. Wrap the loaf in plastic and store overnight before slicing.

*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.