LEF logo (small)
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Live Earth Farm (Com)Post
31st Harvest Week, Season 17
October 29th - November 4th, 2012
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in this issue
What's in the box(es) this week
Seeds of Change: Our Food Chain in Peril
Renew your CSA Membership - Please Sign Up Now
CSA Season Transition Schedule
Notes from the Field
Discovery Program Update
Cooking with Mexican Sweet Corn
Rebecca's Recipes
2012 Calendar

" The future depends on reconnecting with the natural world: knowing our food, regenerating our land, and strengthening our communities. We cannot isolate one aspect of our life from another."
- Wendell Berry



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What's in the box(es) this week
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Occasionally content will differ from this list (typically we make a substitution), but we do our best to give you an accurate projection.

 

Quantities of certain items will be more in the larger shares. Delicate items which are part of your share, like strawberries, are packed outside your box. Quantity to take will be spelled out next to your name on the checklist at your pick-up site. 

 

For any items not from our farm, we will identify the source in parentheses.

 

***Click here for a picture of how to tell share sizes apart at your pick-up site***

 

Family (Large) Share
Fuji apples (will be inside your box)
Arugula
Chard
Mexican corn
Green beans
Kale
Lettuce
Padron peppers
Radishes
Spinach
Tomatillos and hot peppers (mixed bag)
Dry-farmed tomatoes and sweet peppers (mixed bag)
Turnips
Winter squash (Butternut)

Regular (Medium) Share
Fuji apples (will be inside your box)
Arugula
Beets
Broccolini
Chard
Mexican corn
Lettuce
Tomatillos and hot peppers (mixed bag)
Dry-farmed tomatoes and sweet peppers (mixed bag)
Turnips
Winter squash (Butternut)

Budget (Small) Share
Fuji apples (will be inside your box)
Arugula
Chard
Mexican corn
Lettuce
Radishes
Spinach
Tomatillos and hot peppers (mixed bag)
Dry-farmed tomatoes and sweet peppers (mixed bag)
Winter squash (Butternut)

Bread Option
This week's bread will be whole wheat with sesame seeds

Extra Fruit Option
Apples and pears, strawberries, and pineapple guavas   

 

  tomatillos  

Tomatillos  

 


Seeds of Change: Our Food Chain in Peril
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Vote YES on Prop 37 - label GMOs! In nature it is inconceivable that genetic material (DNA) from one organism is inserted into a different species. Imagine exchanging genes from a rat or fish with those of a tomato.  This is nothing unusual, however, with today's DNA technology. GMO corn and soybeans, for example, are grown on millions of acres across the country, largely unchecked as to whether they are harmful to the environment or human health.  As with any life form, once established in its new surroundings, it can replicate, change and spread. The genie is out of the bottle now, difficult or impossible to stuff back.
 
It never seems to stop. We are constantly called upon to preserve and protect our food and environment from corporate and government abuses. How is it that large corporations like Monsanto, hand in hand with our government, somehow keep defining the terms by which we, the public, can claim our rights for clean healthy food, water, air, and soil?  Unless you only eat organic food, right now, without labeling, you can't be sure GMO crops are not part of your daily diet. Currently there is no proof that these crops are not harmful; on the contrary, there are peer-reviewed studies indicating that indeed GMO foods cause detrimental effects on human health and our environment at large. We have become guinea pigs on a large scale, without any choice in the matter. Part of an experiment to which we have never given our consent. At the very least, food containing GMOs should be labeled so that we can have a choice.
 
California's Proposition 37 to label foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is up for a vote on Tuesday, November 6. It is a simple bill, requiring the labeling of genetically engineered foods Typical EU label listing GE ingredients sold in grocery stores in California, just like they're labeled for consumers in over 60 countries around the world (see typical EU label, at right). Big pesticide companies are spending one million dollars a day to confuse California voters about Prop 37. Monsanto and DuPont are the biggest donors, with BASF, Bayer, Dow and Syngenta amounting to over $20 million. Another nearly $20 million is coming from PepsiCo, Nestle, CocaCola and friends. Corporate greed and economic profiteering, not the common public good, is behind the no-vote for Proposition 37.
 
It is important for there to be more transparency in our food system; whether organic or conventionally grown, we should still have the right to know whether our food contains genetically modified organisms and exercise our freedom to choose.
 
 wouldn't you want to know if this was in your food?? 
GMO soybean seed bag  
 
At some level, by claiming our right to choose, we insist on maintaining a more democratic food system, where seeds are not patented and life's diversity is not privatized. Seeds are the first link in our food chain. For centuries farmers have grown food to nourish their communities by saving seeds, working with nature to evolve crop varieties to suit both diverse climates and cultures. Each seed encoded with its own DNA tells a long, winding, and subtle story. It includes the history of how seeds have crossed human hands, how they have been cultivated, selected, and traded, often shaping the destiny of human civilization and cultures across the world.
 
Many of our farm's crops are heirlooms, traded and passed down for many generations. This week, for example, the Aztec Corn or Mexican Sweet Corn you have in your shares is an heirloom. It has been grown for hundreds of years, said to have been introduced into the seed trade in the 1860's, and is good for eating fresh when the kernels are still white. As they turn purple, red, and bluish in color, they become starchier, and once dried can be ground into cornmeal to make tortillas.
 
I always marvel at the powerful simplicity reflected in a seed; our entire operation depends on the availability of these small living treasures of nature. Every time our tractor-mounted seeder rolls over a freshly shaped bed dropping tiny carrot, beet or brassica seeds into shallow furrows, I find it hard to believe that these miniscule, seemingly vulnerable units of life will be able to provide an abundant, nourishing and profitable return. Sometimes I will crawl on all fours, scratching the surface impatiently looking for evidence of life underneath the soil, and am always happy and relieved when seeds germinate, breaking through the soil crust a few days after sowing.
 
Local cultures and markets have promoted crop diversity to thrive for centuries; today the local food movement is helping small farms like ours continue to promote food and crop diversity, building food communities, giving access to diverse healthy local food by marketing directly to stores, businesses, restaurants and through local CSAs and farmer's markets.
 
Every vegetable and fruit you get in your CSA box has a story to tell. It is not the story of scary, unnatural gene recombinations we have to buy into to support the profiteering of a few large corporations. We all participate in shaping the story of these crops. They become part of our lives as we grow, cook, and eat them. By choosing to eat healthy unaltered seasonally grown foods we tune into the story of food grown locally, the history of the land, and the living community we are a part of.

- Tom  
 
below: non-GMO seeds and their respective vegetables... tomato, broccoli, melon, beet.
Heirloom seeds and their respective vegetable  

Renew your CSA Membership - Please Sign Up Now
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Renewal of your CSA membership is important right now. It is a cornerstone in sustaining the health and vitality of Live Earth Farm. Your membership means that all of us - the farm's committed workers and their families - can continue to have stable employment that is meaningful, rewarding and fair. So, thank you to all who have signed up already for the coming season(s). I encourage everyone else to do the same; don't put it off -- take advantage of the discounts and payment options we've devised which we hope will make your financial commitment to the farm a little easier. You can sign up for Winter, next year, or both, but the important thing is just to sign up.
 
There are only 100 winter shares remaining. If you have friends or family you think might be interested, please spread the word. The winter CSA starts in 4 weeks (see below) so make sure you are signed up.

Here's the signup link if you want to go there now.

- Tom  
 

CSA Season Transition Schedule
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Regular Season 2012 
Week 31 - this week
Week 32
Week 33 - final delivery of the season, W/Th/F Nov 14/15/16
 
>>> No deliveries Thanksgiving week <<<
 
Winter Season 2012/2013 
Week 1 - Thursday Nov 29
 

Notes from the Field
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With Halloween at our doorstep, we are reminded that nature's energy is once again turning inward and our popular summer crops are spent, slowly returning back to the soil. In our culture all too often we promote endless youth and growth, and avoid acknowledging the darker, dying and decomposing aspects of life, which actually hold the key to continued fertility. It's time to remove all the stakes and twine used for trellising this year's tomato crop; the last of the green beans will be picked this week; the Mexican corn is a reminder of summer days past; and many of the fields will be put to rest for the winter by seeding them with a legume-rich winter cover crop of purple vetch, bell-beans, peas and wheat. 
 
I can't deny how I wish I could stretch out the abundance of (and increased income associated with) popular summer crops over a longer period. On the other hand, I am seeing a nice transition to our favorite cool-weather crops: the broccoli, romanesco cauliflower, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and turnips will round out the last shares of the season.  Happy Halloween!

- Tom  
 

Discovery Program Update  LEFDP logo
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Hello LEFDP Fans! Just a quick greeting from the Discovery Program desk and a simple request . . .

We had a stellar week last week in the fields with about 180 kids visiting the farm between Wednesday and Friday. It would have been about 240 kids had Monday's visit by Ann Soldo Elementary not been rained out. We admit to relishing those surprise moments of calm, when we can catch up on paperwork, answer phone messages and the like. We also really look forward to Ann Soldo Elementary's rain date.

On Wednesday we hosted 17 new Homeschooling families, which was a pretty good turn out for a wet morning. They were all treated to late season harvests of apples, tomatoes, basil, padron peppers and the last of the strawberries. We cleaned up the quince orchard and took all of the plastics (irrigation hose and mulch) out of the strawberry field. A number of families took home the year-old strawberry plants to give them a new life in home gardens. I look forward to hearing how our Albions do in their new places. We finished our busy morning with well earned apple cider made from Galas and Pippins the kids collected from the ground and trees. On the same day Grace lead a group of first graders from Happy Valley Elementary.

On Thursday Wavecrest Montessori celebrated the Harvest with Squash soup, scarecrow making, and pumpkin carving, while Soquel Parent Education Nursery lead by Kim Woodland and our very own Doug Dirt explored the treats a farm in the fall has to offer. I had an especially good time hosting some very good friends in that class, who showered me with love and hugs.

Friday brought Santa Cruz Children's School to the farm and that is how we were able to host so many kids on the farm in one half week. Our fall dance card is as full as can be with tours running later into November, than ever before. Thank you for making us feel so important to the fall experience for local kids. Now lets just hope the weather holds on this coast.
LEFDP school group activities -- making cider, petting chickens, building scarecrows
A call for help. We are desperately in need of a database to track all of our contacts, volunteers, donations, etc. Yes we are there; we have matured as an organization to the point of needing to centralize our information. All of these well-organized and well-built spreadsheets are just not enough anymore. So we need your advice on what we should use. We have about 2000 contacts, which play multiple roles and we have Filemaker software. We need to organize volunteers, donors, and participants. Please, if you have worked in the land of database management, design, programing or nonprofit management and have advice to share, get in touch with me ASAP. Here are three ways you can help in this area:

* Tell us what to get
* Donate to help us with this purchase (CC Nonprofit, one Filemaker software purchase we are considering, costs $250)
* Help us get the data transferred - it will take some time to transfer the information from our spreadsheets to our new database AND we have lots of new contacts coming in all the time, which need to be added.

Thank you,
Jessica Ridgeway, Director - LEFDPDirector@gmail.com or
Grace Chollar-Webb, Program Coordinator - LEFDPeducation@gmail.com
Live Earth Farm Discovery Program
Seed to Mouth, Farm to Fork, Child to Community Connections

LEFDP row of children's carved pumpkins

Cooking with Mexican Sweet Corn
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This is not your typical sweet corn -- it will be somewhat starchier than the commercial sweet corn, but it is beautiful(!) and delicious, sez Tom, and can be prepared more or less the same as any other corn-on-the-cob. I didn't get any "advance" of this corn so that I might "test" and give you recipes for it, but talked to Tom and here is what he suggests:
 
Mexican sweet corn  
<> cutting the kernels off the cob and sauteeing with a little onion and other veggies, maybe a little sausage or meat of some sort
 
<> boiling on the cob, serving with butter and salt
 
<> grilling (either par-boiling first, then grilling directly to slightly brown the kernels, or peeling back the husks, removing the silk, rubbing with butter, seasonings and salt, fold the husks back over the cob and grill "in its jacket")
 
He does not recommend eating it raw (the way you can with typical sweet corn), as this is when it is the starchiest. It should be cooked to bring out its sweetness. Also, the sooner you cook it, the sweeter it will be. So don't store it for a week or two - eat it within a few days of getting your box.
 
Re: corn worms -- Tom says there has been little sign of them, so we will be getting intact ears; they won't have the tips cut off. Should you happen to get an ear with a worm, they'll only be in the very tip of the cob, which you can easily cut off. I, for one, will have no problem if I should happen to receive corn with worm hitch-hikers, as I have three chickens who will gleefully relieve me of their presence! They will also have a heyday with the cobs after I've eaten off the kernels.
 
- Debbie
 
 
Rebecca's Recipes
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Click here to go to Debbie's recipe database. Rebecca's recipes will be included in the database as well. [What happened to "Notes from Debbie's Kitchen?"]  

 

[email Rebecca]

[Rebecca Mastoris is a chef/teacher at Bauman College, and a partner in Vibrant Foods Catering along with Karen Haralson. Both Karen and Rebecca teach cooking classes at the farm and in town locally - see our 2012 Calendar, below.]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

ITALIAN FARRO with WALNUTS and CHARD

Serves 6

Side dishes perhaps implies a dish that is less important, but a sensational side can make a beautiful plate that is satisfying and delicious. Side dishes, I salute you!

 

2 3/4 cups stock of choice

8 ounces Italian farro or grain of choice

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup coarsely chopped Swiss chard

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil

freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

1. Bring stock, farro, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients.

3. Sometimes I like to season the salad with a sprinkle of olive oil and a generous squeeze of lemon to make it pop!

 

 

CORN RELISH

Makes 4 cups

Serve alongside grilled meats, poultry, or fish.

 

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup raisins

2 tablespoons sweetener of choice

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 sweet pepper, diced

3 cups corn kernels

3 scallion, thinly sliced

 

1. In a large non-aluminum saucepan, combine vinegar, raisins, sweetener, chili powder, salt and cayenne. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 minutes.

2. Add the sweet pepper and cook until pepper is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

3. Remve from heat and stir in corn and scallions. Cool to room temperature. Store the relish in the refrigerator.

 

 

GAZPACHO VERDE

Serves 6

Here, tomatillos stand in for the ripe red tomatoes that are the usual base for this cold summer soup from Spain. Toasted walnuts take the place of the bread that thickens the soup. Green tomatillos make an interesting substitute for the tomatoes.

 

1 pound tomatillos, papery husks removed

1 yellow onion, sliced

2 jalapenos, halved and seeded

1/4 cup walnuts

1 sweet pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 English cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

cayenne pepper to taste

1 jicama, peeled and diced

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.

2. Place tomatillos, onion slices, and jalapenos on prepared baking sheet. Roast until tomatillos and onions are lightly browned and softened, and the jalapenos are blackened and blistered, 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

3. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Spred walnuts on another ungreased baking sheet and toast until fragrant and just beginning to brown, 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

4. Place cooled vegetables and nuts in a blender or food processor along with the sweet pepper, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, and parsley. Process until smooth. Transfer to a non-aluminum bowl and season with sea salt, black pepper and cayenne. Cover and chill for a t least 2-3 hours.

5. Ladle into chilled bowls and garnish each serving with a spoonful of diced jicama.

Serve immediately.

 

 

WARM SPINACH SALAD with BACON and POTATOES

Serves 6

On a night when you prefer to eat lightly, make a spinach salad your main course, accompanied by a slice or two of crusty bread. On another occasion, replace the spinach with arugula.

 

1 1/2 pounds red boiling potatoes (about 6 medium)

6 eggs

sea salt to taste

1 1/2 pounds spinach leaves, tough stems removed

1 red onion, thinly sliced

12 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch wide pieces

3 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar, or to taste

1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra if needed

ground pepper to taste

 

1. Place potatoes and eggs in a large pot with water to cover. Place over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer, and adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Using a slotted spoon, remove eggs after 8 minutes and run under cold water until cool. Add salt to the water and continue cooking potatoes until easily pierced with knife, 10-12 minutes. Drain and let cool. Peel if desired. Halve each potato lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Peel hard-boiled eggs and cut into quarters lengthwise.

2. In a bowl, combine the spinach and red onion. Add the sliced potato.

3. Put bacon in a cold frying pan and place over medium heat. Cook until the bacon begins to crisp and has rendered much of its fat, 5-7 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and add the salad. Remove frying pan from the heat. Pour off nearly all the bacon fat from the pan and discard or reserve for another use. In the same warm frying pan, away from the heat, whisk in the vinegar, and then the olive oil, scraping any brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add the dressing to the salad and toss well. If needed, drizzle a bit more olive oil. Toss again, taste, and adjust seasonings.

4. Transfer the salad to a large serving platter. Arrange egg wedges around the edge and serve at once.

 

 

TOMATILLO SALSA

1 pound tomatillos, papery husks removed, rinsed

1 white onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 jalapenos, halved and seeded

olive oil 

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1/2 lime, juiced

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Cut tomatillos in half and put on parchment-lined baking sheet with the onion, garlic, and jalapenos. Rub with a little olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Roast for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

2. Transfer roasted vegetables and their juices to a food processor or blender. Add cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse until well combined. Taste and adjust if necessary.

 

 

SQUASH SOUP with ASIAN PEAR, APPLE, and GINGER

Serves 12

A comforting soup that is both savory and sweet. Perfect for late summer/early fall when Asian pears and apples are still in season. This tasty soup is high in fiber and carotenes. Use a roasted vegetable stock to add depth of flavor and richness to this soup (see next recipe for roasted vegetable stock).

 

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted, divided

1 large kabocha squash, halved and seeded*

1 medium butternut squash, halved and seeded

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

1 teaspoon minced ginger, or to taste

2 Asian pears, cored and chopped

1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped

8 cups stock

lemon juice to taste

1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish

 

*You can use all butternut squash in the recipe if you don't have any kabocha. 

 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the allspice, cinnamon, salt, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg with 1 tablespoon of the melted coconut oil. Brush inside flesh of squash with spice mixture, reserving any remaining. Arrange squash cut side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or until very soft. Remove from oven and let cool. 

3. While squash is roasting, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the reserved spice mixture in an 8-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and cook until onions turn a light golden brown. Add the shallots, saute for a few minutes, then add ginger, pears, and apples. Continue to cook until the fruit begins to soften, about 5-7 minutes. As the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, deglaze with 1 cup of the broth. Add 3 more cups of broth and simmer gently. 

4. When squash has cooled, scoop out the flesh into the onion-fruit mixture. Mash squash mixture with the back of a wooden spoon and add 4 more cups of stock. Gently simmer another 15 minutes. Ladle the soup into a blender in batches and puree until smooth. Taste and balance with lemon and salt if needed. Add more stock if necessary to thin the soup. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds.

 

 

ROASTED VEGETABLE STOCK

I wanted to share this recipe with you -- it makes a wonderful base for the squash soup, and it is worth the time it takes to make it! Roasting vegetables imparts a deep flavor to this stock. It produces a darker stock that can be used in heartier soups and stews, or as base for other dishes.

 

6 medium carrots, coarsely chopped

3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

4 large parsnips, coarsely chopped

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

2 medium leeks, sliced

8 cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

10 sprigs parsley

6 sprigs thyme

4 fresh sage leaves

 2 bay leaves

3 3/4 quarts water

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Spread vegetables evenly on a large baking sheet. 

3. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until browned, about 30-40 minutes.

4. Transfer roasted vegetables to a large stock pot and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes.

5. Strain stock, pressing out as much liquid as possible.

6. Cool and refrigerate or freeze.

 

 

APPLE-CINNAMON FRUIT BARS

makes 18 bars

 

Crust ingredients:

1 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts) or old-fashioned rolled oats, divided

3/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use brown rice flour)

1/2 cup sugar or sweetener of choice

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

 

Filling ingredients:

6 cups diced apples, divided

1/2 cup apple cider or orange juice

1/2 cup sugar or sweetener of choice

1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

1. To prepare crust: Combine 3/4 cup nuts or oats, both flours, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until nuts are finely ground. Add butter and pulse until well incorporated.

2. Whisk egg, oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract in a small bowl. With the motor running, add this to the mixture in the food processor. Process, then pulse, scraping down the sides, if necessary, until the mixture begins to clump, 30-45 seconds (it will look crumbly). Measure out 1/2 cup of mixture and combine in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup chopped nuts or oats. Set aside for topping.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously coat a 9-by-13 inch dish with oil.

4. To prepare fruit filling and assemble bars: Combine 4 cups apples, cider or orange juice, sugar and arrowroot in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is very thick, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 cups apples, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

5. Transfer the dough to the prepared dish. Spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom to form a crust. Spread apple filling evenly over crust all the way to the edges. Sprinkle reserved topping evenly over the filling and pat lightly.

6. Bake bars for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until crust and topping are lightly brown, 25-30 minutes more. Let cool completely before cutting bars, at least 1 1/2 hours.
Calendar2012 2012 CALENDAR
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Visit our website's events calendar for details.

LEF Discovery Program 4th Annual Fundraiser - "Dig!"
Sept 22nd, 4 - 8pm - click here for more info and to buy tickets

LEF Discovery Program "Wee Ones"
3rd Tuesday of every month, 10:30am - Noon [Apr-Nov, weather permitting]
($10 - $15 per family)
Mothers, fathers, grandparents, caretakers of any kind... bring the babe in your arms [0-3yrs] to experience the diversity of our beautiful organic farm here in Watsonville. We will use our five senses to get to know the natural world around us. The farm is home to over 50 different fruits and vegetables, chicks, chickens, goats, and the many wild members of the Pajaro watershed. RSVP requested.

LEFDP office: (831) 728-2032 or email lefeducation@baymoon.com.

LEF Discovery Program "Small Farmers" 
2nd Wednesday of every month, 10:30am - Noon [Apr-Nov, weather permitting]
($10 - $15 per family)
Similar to our Wee Ones program, above, only designed for 3-6 year olds. 

LEF Discovery Program "Art at the Farm" Summer Camp!
Enroll your child in an art and adventure-filled week-long day camp at Live Earth Farm. Designed for kids age 6-12 yrs. Is your child 13 or older yet interested in getting involved? They may be a candidate for becoming a Leader in Training! Click here for all camp details on our website. (note that if Firefox is your browser, this link behaves oddly and you may need to scroll up on the page to locate the 'Art on the Farm' details.)
Session 1: June 18-22
Session 2: July 16-20

Community Farm Days and Events

We've set aside the dates (so you should too!), and will fill you in on what we're going to do as their time draws nearer. Stay tuned!

Apr 28 - cancelled
May 26 - Strawberries!
July 28 - From Seed to Loaf
Aug 25 - Totally Tomatoes
Sep 29 - Apple U-pick and Cider Pressing (combined with Oct 20 Harvest Celebration)     

 

Celebrations 

As anyone who's attended them in the past will tell you, our farm celebrations are not to be missed! Chock full of activities, farm tours, music, always a pot-luck and bonfire... bring the entire family and enjoy!

<> June 16 - Summer Solstice Celebration (click here for a youtube video of 2009's!)
<> October 20 - Fall Harvest Celebration


Happy Girl Kitchen Workshops at LEF

All workshops include an organic lunch, as well as take-home items from what is made that day -- these workshops are not to be missed!

Apr 15 - Cheesemaking
May 20 - Whole Foods workshop with Stephanie Stein
Jun 9 [Sat] - Cherries & Apricots
Jun 10 [Sun] - Cherries & Apricots    

Jul 28 [Sat] - Pickles!
Jul 29 [Sun] - Pickles!
Aug 11 [Sat] - Tomatoes!
Aug 12 [Sun] - Tomatoes!    

   

"Cooking-from-your-box" classes in Los Gatos

Join chefs and CSA members Rebecca Mastoris and Karen Haralson on the last Sunday of each month at Williams-Sonoma in Los Gatos for this fun and informative session on making great food from what comes in your Live Earth Farm CSA box. For info about the latest class, see "Upcoming Events" on Karen and Rebecca's Vibrant Food Catering website.

 

Contact Information
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Farm/CSA Office phone: (831) 763-2448
LEF Discovery Program Office phone: (831) 728-2032
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(This newsletter is edited and organized by Debbie Palmer, former LEF CSA coordinator.)