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Live Earth Farm (Com)Post
18th Harvest Week, Season 12
July 30th - August 5th, 2007
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(click here for a pdf of the paper
version of this newsletter)
In this issue
--Greetings from Farmer Tom
--Field Notes
--Goat milk/cheese from Summer Meadows Farm still available
--Pictures around the farm
--What's in the box this week
--Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
--Calendar
--Contact Information
" A spark is a little thing, but it can kindle the
world. "
~ Martin Farquhar Tupper
Greetings from Farmer Tom
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The beginnings of Live Earth Farm go back to a garden started 40 years ago by
Alan Chadwick, a brilliant, visionary and charismatic master gardener. The Chadwick
Garden, located on what used to be a poison oak infested hillside on UCSC's campus,
is the site where this man's love for nature inspired an entire generation of
apprentices, gardeners and lovers of the land. I remember 14 years ago, when
I first set foot in this garden; it was truly spellbinding.
Nestled among the native redwood and oak, a path lined with compost piles lead
to a sunny hillside where dozens of impeccably tended garden beds grew an awe-inspiring
diversity of vibrant, lush and beautiful vegetables, flowers, herbs, and fruit
trees. So powerful was the pull to learn, experience, and discover this place
that I decided to apply for a six-month long apprenticeship program. This program
was based on Chadwick's personal, hands-on model of working side-by-side with
teachers, learning from the ground up every technique, every nuance needed to
organically grow beautiful and tasty fruits, vegetables and flowers. During my
time as an apprentice, his legacy sparked in me an irresistible urge to merge
the practical skills and teachings I learned with my dreams and imagination;
the seed of starting my own farm emerged during this time. So with our then 13-month-old
son David in tow, my wife Constance and I ended up buying 20 acres of mismanaged,
overgrazed horse ranch in the western foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains.
That was where we started Live Earth Farm, and the CSA program you are a part
of today.
This past weekend marked the 40th anniversary of Alan Chadwick's arrival. A weekend-long
celebration marked this milestone, and for me it was a wonderful moment of renewal
and inspiration. I was able to witness and acknowledge the ripple effect of his
program throughout the now flourishing sustainable agriculture movement. Thousands
of students have followed the footsteps of Alan Chadwick. The UCSC Farm and Garden
Program is now an integral part of the University's Agroecology program, which
provides an academic backbone for research on sustainable agriculture both in
this country and overseas. Alumni apprentices have started their own farms, inner-city
gardens and even jail gardening programs, like Catherine Sneed did in San Francisco.
There are now teachers, trainers, and educators all over the world that started
in the legacy of Alan Chadwick. Many have either inspired or worked for philanthropic
organizations such as the Kellogg Foundation and companies such as Seeds of Change.
Even restaurants such as Chez Panisse, famous for it’s embracing of sustainable
food and agriculture principles, was inspired originally by Chadwick.
It all goes to show that we can make a difference even when the odds are stacked
against us; a garden can emerge even from the worst possible situations, such
as a rocky scrubland covered with poison oak. As someone so aptly put it: to
Chadwick, gardening was a spiritual endeavor; a way to spread light on a vision
of creation and nature. He saw nature as a giver and forgiver, and the garden
as a teacher of human culture that not only can be beautiful, but also functional
and sustainable.
- Tom
The organic gardens at UCSC (hard to see at the bottom, but they have
a spectacular view of the ocean!):
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Field Notes
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Soon all the stone fruit will soon have come to an end; in a week the last of
the peaches and plums will be harvested. We can expect apples and pears make
their appearance by mid-August, and in the meantime, the strawberries, blackberries,
and raspberries will fill our fruit baskets.
Tomatoes will be abundant, and more
peppers and eggplant will start next week.
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Goat milk/cheese from Summer Meadows Farm still
available
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Some of you who are new or recent members may not be aware that, in addition
to our fruit and veggies, you can
get a raw goat milk (and/or cheese) share from Lynn Selness of Summer Meadows
Farm.
If you are interested, contact Lynn directly (you don't sign up for this
through us). Her phone number is 831.786.8966. You can also click
here to read more about it from a story she wrote for our Week 3 newsletter.
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Pictures around the farm
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Two weeks ago 35 children from an East Palo Alto summer camp came and played
in our fields, enjoying the flavors of summer, baking pizzas in our wood-fired
oven and discovering the magic of this nourishing earth.
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What's in the box this week
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Content differences between Family and Small
Shares are underlined and italicized; items with a “+” in
Family Shares are more in quantity than in Small; anticipated quantities are
in parentheses. Occasionally the content of your share will differ from what's
on this list, but we do our best to give you an accurate projection.
Family Share:
Basil
Beets (bunched) Chiogga/Golden
Carrots
Green beans +
Kale or chard
Leeks
Lettuce +
Mei qing choi
Parsley
Potatoes
Summer squash +
Dry-farmed & heirloom tomatoes +
Cherry tomatoes
Strawberries (1 basket)
Small Share:
Basil
Beets (bunched) Chiogga/Golden
Broccolini
Carrots
Green beans
Lettuce
Spinach
Summer squash
Dry-farmed & heirloom tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Strawberries (1 basket)
Extra Fruit Option:
Weds. fruit shares: 2 baskets strawberries, 2 baskets blackberries
Thurs. fruit shares: 2 baskets strawberries, 2 baskets raspberries
"Strawberry Bounty" Option:
-- stopped for now; will resume with next strawberry flush! --
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Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
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Click
here to go to recipe database
by key ingredient. Hundreds of recipes and ideas. Includes photos of
most farm veggies; helpful for ID-ing things in your box! Also, FYI,
as a rule, I put my own comments within recipes that are not my own inside
square brackets [like this] to distinguish them from the voice of the
recipe-writer. - Debbie
This week's recipe section is all courtesy of Farrell Podgorsek, a longtime
CSA member and frequent contributor. Thanks Farrell! - Debbie
What I'd do with this week's Box
by Farrell Podgorsek
This weeks share has so many of my favorite foods. It will be a tasty
eating week. First thing I do when I get home with my share is
prep some of the veggies. I'll take the lettuce and wash it
in my salad spinner, wrap it in a clean dish towel, and store it in
my lettuce drawer that I keep lined with one of the plastic bags that
the shares come in. I find it keeps very well
all week and it's ready to go. Some carrots and radishes left
over from last week will continue to be used in salads this week. I use a mandoline
to julienne the carrots and radishes before serving. I love how they look and
they absorb the dressing well this way. I'll probably mince a small amount
of
parsley for the salad too. The beets will get washed and
ready for roasting. I'll cook them in the oven along with the chicken I am serving
for dinner tonight. When
soft, the beets will be peeled, cut into any shape I feel like, then topped with
a fruity olive oil, pomegranate vinegar, salt & pepper. If the beet
greens are in good shape, I'll sauté them quickly and serve them under
the beets. While
the beets are roasting I'll toss some carrots with maple syrup,
salt & pepper
and thyme in a baking dish and roast them too. Keep the oven heat medium-low
so the syrup doesn't burn. The summer squash and dry farmed or heirloom tomatoes will
be used for my tomato
and zucchini gratin (recipe in the database). Kale is my favorite
cooking green. I love its sweetness. I'll blanch the
kale, drain it and rough chop it. It will be ready to go for a quick dinner heated
with some cannellini beans and a pinch of hot pepper. I'll serve it with some
grilled sausages. The mei qing choi will be stir-fried with garlic and
ginger. I'll serve it with leftover roast chicken. Spicy stir-fried Green
Beans will
be on the menu this week (see recipe below). I'll use the leeks instead of green
onions this time. Potatoes – I'll boil them in salted, light chicken stock
until tender along with a couple of garlic cloves. I'll drain the stock,
reserving it, then smash the potatoes in the pan and add a couple handfuls of
chopped basil and a small amount of olive oil and enough stock to moisten. These
are just as tasty cold as they are hot. Add some additional stock to the leftovers
since they'll get drier while they sit in the refrigerator. What's left? Cherry
tomatoes don't normally last more than one day. I love to pop them in my mouth
as a snack. If I missed eating a few, I'll toss them in the oven rubbed
with a little olive oil and roast until starting to brown. I'm sure my
daughter will eat all the raspberries right away. Any left will be served with
sliced strawberries on homemade shortcake biscuits (see recipe below), topped
with ice cream and peaches that I cooked with some sweet wine until soft.
Spicy Stir Fried Green Beans and Scallions or Leeks
(Modified from a Cooks Illustrated recipe)
2 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. peanut or canola oil
green beans, stemmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
4 scallions cut into 2 inch pieces, or leeks cut into slim wedges
3 cloves garlic, minced
Mix soy, vinegar, sugar hot pepper flakes and 1 tbsp. water in a small bowl.
Heat large heavy bottomed skillet or wok over high heat. Add oil and swirl. Add
green beans and fry until slightly charred and crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
Add scallions or leeks and cook until they are charred and beans are tender,
another 3-4 minutes. Make a well in the center of the pan and add garlic. Mash
with 1 tsp. oil with back of spatula about 5 seconds. Add liquid and toss vegetables
and garlic until well coated.
Biscuits - Shortcake or Savory
(modified from a recipe from Hell's Backbone Grill in Utah)
Makes 8 biscuits
You can use butter and buttermilk in place of the margarine and soy milk. You
can add spices or herbs – fresh or dry – to vary the flavor. – Farrell
3 tbsp. cornmeal or semolina
2 1/2 C white flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar (increase to 1 T if you want sweeter)
1 stick margarine [or butter], cold and cut into 10 pieces
1 C soy milk soured with 2 tsp. lemon juice
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or liner and sprinkle
with 2 tbsp. semolina or cornmeal. Place dry ingredients in food processor and
pulse to blend. Add margarine [butter] and pulse 10 times. Transfer to a large
bowl. Pour milk over top of dough. Fold ingredients at edges of bowl into the
center using a rubber spatula or plastic dough scraper. Rotate bowl as you fold.
Continue until dough is moist with a few dry patches. Turn out onto floured surface
and pat into a square. Cut in half and stack one half on top of the other. Repeat
flattening, cutting and stacking three more times, flouring board as needed.
Transfer stack to the baking sheet. Pat to 1 inch thick and cut into 2 inch squares.
Bake 15 minutes or until golden.
Fruit Toppings for Shortcakes
Strawberries: Slice strawberries. Mash about half of them in a bowl, adding sugar,
and grated lemon or orange peel (aged Balsamic vinegar is also nice).
Peaches: Peel peaches, cut into slices. Sauté with a pat or two of margarine
[or butter] until beginning to soften. Add some sugar and about 1/4 C or so of
a sweet dessert wine such as a late harvest Riesling and continue to cook over
very low heat for a few minutes. Let the peaches cool in the syrup. They
will absorb most of the syrup.
Plums: Slice plums and sauté with a couple tablespoons of sugar,
about 1/4 C zinfandel wine and some ground star anise - about 1/4-1/2 tsp. is
plenty. You
can grind your own star anise easily in a spice grinder. Let plums cool in the
syrup. *** I puréed some of the plum sauce and added a touch of pomegranate
vinegar to make a sauce to serve with grilled lamb chops. - Farrell
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Calendar of Events
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(see calendar on website for more info)
<> Sat. Jun 23 Summer Solstice Celebration (click
here for a wonderful movie of this year's celebration!)
<>Friday Aug 10, 17, 24, 31, Sept 7 and 14 Mataganza
Garden Sanctuary Internship Program
<> Aug 24-26 Childrens Mini-Camp sold out!
<>
Sat. Oct 20 Fall Harvest Celebration
<> Farm Work Days: Last Friday of each month, starting in June
and running through October. Please contact the farm at least 2 weeks
ahead of time if you want to participate; we need a minimum of 5 people
to hold a work day. Actual dates are: June 29th, July 2th, August 31st,
September 28th, and October 26th. See here for
details!
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Contact Information
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email Debbie at the farm: farmers@cruzio.com
email Debbie at home (with newsletter input or recipes): deb@writerguy.com
phone: 831.763.2448
web: http://www.liveearthfarm.net
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