"If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."
- Carl Sagan

What’s in the Family share:
Beets
Broccoli or cauliflower
Carrots
Cilantro
Cooking greens (chard, red Russian kale or collards)
Fava beans
Green garlic
Lettuce
Radishes
Rutabaga
Strawberries (2 - 3 baskets)

and in the Small share:
Bok choi
Carrots
Cilantro
Cooking greens (see family share)
Fava beans
Green garlic
Lettuce
Rutabaga
Strawberries (1 - 2 baskets)
(some items in small share may be less in quantity than in the family share)

... and if you have an extra-fruit option:
3 more baskets of strawberries!

CALENDAR

Sat. June 4 Permaculture workshop #1 - Water mgmt; swale design/construction

Sat. June 18
Summer Solstice Celebration, field tours 2-5pm, celebration 5-9pm with Kuzanga Marimba again!

July 29, 30, 31
Children's Mini-camp, Friday eve. to noon Sun. (curious? see details in 2004's Week 15 newsletter!)

Sat Aug 6
Permaculture workshop #2 - Design methods; ecological observation and site mapping

Sat. Sept. 24
Fall Equinox Celebration
3-9 pm
with the Banana Slug String Band!

Sat. Oct 8

Permaculture workshop #3 - Polycultures & agroforestry; food forest design and installation

Sat. Oct 22
Halloween Pumpkin Pallooza

Farming and my 8-month-old daughter Elisa have one thing in common: they make you give up any attempt to control time. Elisa, who has no concept of past and future time, understands the world in the moment. She will express what she feels in the moment whether it's discomfort from teething or joy when she plays with her brother. She will express it without delay of thought, with spontaneous sounds. Spending time with Elisa is like entering a time capsule where everything becomes secondary except what's immediately at hand.

With plants, the most valued skill among gardeners or farmers (and probably least mentioned) is that of waiting. In today's world we constantly try to do things 'to save time,' whether it's getting up early, driving faster, or even skipping meals. Walking the fields I half-jokingly urge plants to speed along – "Come on, hurry up, grow faster!" – thinking how we all eagerly wait for tomatoes, corn, melons and cucumbers to show up on our plates. We rush from one thing to the next perpetually poised to seize the future. Plants are different. We can't force them. To respect nature is to respect the natural cycles rather than expect nature to meet our schedules. Plants will not be hurried along, they will take every day and every moment that they require, without thought of future or past. To be impatient is to insist that things be different than they are. Eating with the seasons is an act of attentive waiting, understanding what is happening all around you, and acknowledging all the preparations that have gone into growing the food before it reaches your plate. - Tom

Field Notes (and more) from Farmer Tom
The strawberry patch is starting to really come into full production just in time for our first week of Extra Fruit options! Just to clarify, we are growing three different varieties of strawberries: Camarosa, Seascape and Camino Real. Seascape is our tried and true variety, of which we have planted by far the largest amount (80%). Camarosa is a popular variety in the area, and stands out for its high yield both early and late in the season. Camino Real is a new variety which is everbearing and was recommended for both appearance and flavor, so we're giving it a try. I'll try to get Debbie to take some pictures of the different types and post them on the website so that you can match the ones in your shares. Another important thing to note is that since we pick our berries as ripe as possible to maximize flavor, there is always a chance that some may be bruised or show the first signs of deterioration. We feel that this risk is preferable to members receiving under-ripe, less flavorful berries. Last week we had to pick in the rain, for example, so some of these berries may have developed mold if not consumed quickly.

Volunteers: we are ready. We mentioned that some members could work helping to pack shares in trade for a discount on share cost, and have a small list of willing workers. For now I would like to organize/dedicate Friday for volunteers to help pack. If you're not already on the list of volunteers, and want to be, please call the office and we will contact you in the next couple of weeks. This is also a chance to spend more time on the farm and experience how all the goodies get into the weekly shares. Children are welcome, but with adult supervision only. We cannot be responsible for children on the farm and keeping track of their whereabouts.

Continue spreading the word. Please continue spreading the word about our CSA. We especially are looking for increased membership at this year's many new pick-up locations (and can start new ones too, but only if there is enough interest). There has been great momentum in this year's membership and we'd love to keep it going. Thanks to you all for your help!

Special Discount at Elkhorn Native Plant Nursery for our CSA Members
This local nursery offers many native plants and supports sustainable gardening and farming efforts throughout the Monterey Bay area. [As an example, the farm will receive special discounts for a native hedgerow we are planning to plant this year.] Save an extra 10% off regular and sale prices. The nursery has locations in Moss Landing and Soquel, with a big spring sale going on now through June. For more info go to www.elkhornnursery.com or call (831) 763-1207. For the discount, just mention your Live Earth Farm CSA membership and that you read about it in our newsletter. Locations: Moss Landing (1957 Hwy 1; Fridays year round plus Sat. May 7 and Sat June 2, 8am-4pm.) and Soquel (3621 N. Main St.; Mon-Fri 8am-4pm all year).

Goat Milk and Cheese now available!
Once again, Summer Meadows Farm will be offering shares in their milking goats, and in exchange you can receive a weekly delivery (through our CSA) of raw goat milk, and artisan goat milk products: yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, chevre and/or ricotta. Contact Lynn Selness at 831.786.8966 (home) or 831.345.8033 (cell - only use if no answer at home please). Lynn’s goats are loved like her own children, milked by hand, and all cheeses and preparations done by hand. 1 gallon of milk per week (or equivalent in combination of items) for 4 weeks is $75. This is good stuff folks! Ask anyone who did this last year. Supplies are limited, and will be sold to interested members on a first-come, first-served basis. – Debbie

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

Thanks go out to member Jill McCoy of Willow Glen for her rich full contribution this week! If you think you'd like to try your hand at contributing to 'What I'd do..." drop me a line and I'll put you on the schedule! - Debbie

What I'd do with this week's box
by Jill McCoy of Willow Glen

When I was growing up in the ‘50s, my father ate only three vegetables: canned corn, stewed tomatoes and iceberg lettuce with no dressing. Anything different was just too different. I think Dad would find our weekly bounty absolutely subversive! And aren’t we lucky to have it?

CARROTS. Now that I’m getting quite a stockpile, I’m going to juice them with some limes from our tree. Maybe I’ll add some pineapple or apples or grapefruit. These carrots make incredible juice! You can make carrot bread with the pulp. I’ll use some of them in a broccoli salad or black lentil soup (see recipes below).

STRAWBERRIES. I’ll be drying mine again this week. They’re a great snack; also fabulous in cereal, especially muesli.

FAVA BEANS. I’ll take Tom’s suggested preparation one step further: boil shelled beans 1-2 minutes in salted water. Mean-while, sauté chopped green garlic in olive oil. Add some red pepper flakes and 2 anchovies (I actually use a good-sized squirt of anchovy paste because I don’t usually have just 2 anchovy filets handy.) Skin the favas and add to the pan. Stir to blend and serve with grated Parmesan and freshly ground pepper. I may accompany this with brown rice or pasta.

RUTABAGA. If I roast a chicken this week, I’ll make this while the oven is on:
Root vegetables with gnocchi
Roast diced rutabagas with other root vegetables (carrots, turnip, potatoes) drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt; add cooked gnocchi (potato dumplings) and serve. Maybe add some fresh thyme or rosemary. Note: rutabagas and carrots are denser than potatoes, so they take longer to cook. Make the potato chunks larger, or cook separately and combine when finished.

BEETS. Depending on whether it’s salad or soup weather this week...
Beets in Salad
Roast, peel and slice onto a bed of arugula with toasted walnuts and bleu cheese (use a basic vinaigrette or a Dijon vinaigrette)
Black Lentil Veggie Soup
Cook black lentils (can be found at Whole Foods) in water or stock with vegetables (diced beets, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, plus other veggies if desired, like fennel, kohlrabi, zucchini). Add ground cumin and turmeric to taste. Throw in some leftover diced chicken, if you want. Serve garnished with a squirt of lime and a dollop of plain yogurt. Garnish with cilantro.

CAULIFLOWER. An Italian friend of ours gave us this recipe, and it made my an-chovy-hating husband a devotee of the salty little fish: Sauté a few cloves of garlic in a generous amount of olive oil. Add 1-2 cans of anchovies; stir to break up. Throw in red pepper flakes to taste. Pour over cooked, drained rigatoni and cauliflower; toss to blend thoroughly. Top with bread crumbs and capers.

BROCCOLI. If we get a lot and we have nice fat stems, I’ll make Broccoli Salad: peel and shred broccoli stems. Peel and shred some carrots. Mix with raisins and diced apples. Make a coleslaw-style dressing of mayo, cider vinegar, honey, salt, pepper. Top with toasted walnuts or sunflower seeds. (I’ll cook the broccoli tops separately for another meal.)

CHARD, KALE OR COLLARDS.
Curried greens and tofu
Sauté tofu cubes in peanut oil* with chopped onion and garlic. Add chopped, cooked greens. Stir in a cup or so of chicken broth and some red curry paste (a little goes a long way). Serve over curried rice. Garnish with some chopped peanuts. (*Whole Foods has a roasted peanut oil that packs a lot of flavor.) Cilantro would also be a good garnish for these greens.

Another way to have fun with vegetables: I would recommend getting a couple of appliances: a juicer and a dehydrator. The juicer can do great justice to your carrots, tomatoes, and lots of other vegetables and fruits. And I keep the dehydrator handy and try to do a couple trays whenever I can: strawberries, pears, pineapple, apples, blueberries, apricots, peaches, cherries, plums, persimmons, tomatoes, guavas, figs, kiwis — even zucchini. Just clean, trim, slice and put in the dehydrator. (Using the mesh screens makes removing the slices easy.) I hear you can also use a convection oven to dehydrate. - Jill

*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.