CSA Share Notes:

If you were stress-eating leading up to the election, or are stress-eating now sitting with its’ results, perhaps I can nudge you to make a loving shift, and instead *nourish* yourself and those around you. Regardless of wether you find yourself on a winning side or a losing side, the hard work of serving our communities, nourishing our families, stewarding the land -and for those of us who are parents, raising good humans- this work never changes, never ends, and is the most important work we can do. It is steady, and provides a continual invitation to us all. So here at the farm, we’re all remaining focused on the work that matters.

Many of you know Wendell Berry’s writings were often our guiding light as we embarked on the path of farming. As a contrarian farmer, pacifist, poet, and conservationist, his work has long inspired us. He said of the 2016 election, “I’m still on the losing side and that’s where I’ve taken up my residence … If Hillary Clinton had won, I would still be on the losing side. And I would just have to go to work.”

In a poem written upon the launch of the Vietnam war, he wrote these words that remind me this week, and always, to remain focused on the work:

 

February 2, 1968
In the dark of the moon, in flying snow, in the dead of winter,

war spreading, families dying, the world in danger,

I walk the rocky hillside, sowing clover.

 

The sower isn’t ignorant or callous, he’s simply determined to do that which will bring forth a good future.

Planting clover is an action of faith and hope. Your seeds are scattered in the fall, the crop grows extremely slowly through all the winter months. It blooms in the early spring, long before the wildflowers bloom, and provides a first food source for hungry pollinators like native bees and butterflies after they emerge from their winter slumber. All the while the relationship between your soil microbes and your clover roots are performing a bit of alchemy, binding nitrogen – the critical macronutrient which all plants require- from the air, into little pockets of gold along the plant roots. Most plants cannot do this for themselves, but clover can do it for themselves and for others. Once the summer heat sets in, the resultant death and decay of the clover is what finally releases this nitrogen in bioavailable form into the soil, where it can be used by your next crop planting.  Even if you have no idea what you should plant in that spot next year, growing clover is a choice that creates possibility.

So indeed, sowing clover is an act not only of hope, but also of great love for a place and its’ future.

May we all sow seeds that might bear the sort of fruit we desire in our communities and in our culture.

…

Perhaps part of your work this week could be feeding yourself well.  And the seasonal crops that are ready in early November are all a part of nature’s plan to ensure you’re deeply nourished with the vitamin rich leafy greens as we head into the season’s shorter fall days. Your body, mind, and spirit need these vitamins and deep connection to nature they bring, so EAT IT UP!

Salads for lunch, side salads with dinner, jumbo salads as your main course, all packed with delicious toppings, and nourishing fats, of course.

A few new salad protein ideas to get you started (I shared other inspo last week, you can scroll back):

• Grilled chicken breast and anchovies (YES ANCHOVIES!) on an authentic Caesar salad
• Beef Burger Bowls.  Made from well-seasoned crumbled ground beef.  I like it in big chunks, not too broken up. This is my new favorite way to do bunless burgers, because with a bed of lettuce, I can go crazy on the extra toppings: avocado, bacon, bubbies pickles, mushrooms, blue cheese, whatever my heart desires!
• Lemony Mediterranean chicken are excellent on lettuce or spinach with kalamata olives and feta.
• Beef Koftas (my favorite Kashmiri/Pakistani recipe!) served without the sauce, right atop any tasty salad green, with roasted chickpeas or cooked lentils and a simple olive oil dressing. We love garam masala around here!
• Your favorite traditional canned tuna or canned salmon salad is really good served on a bed of our Asian Spring mix rather than with crackers or on bread. Living that low-carb life around here these days and loving it!

By the way, friends: we had rain, and lots of it!  We’re delighted, but this splashes a substantial amount of sand and grit up onto the plants and we do not have time to get all your veggies squeaky clean.  We do a post-harvest rinse that takes care of some of the dirt, but you’re going to want to really wash your veggies this week.

Here’s your vegetable line-up:

• Radish – everyone received a huge bunch of our Easter Egg radishes, or our newest radish variety, a solid red beauty. First time growing these. We hope you like them.
• Turnips – Large shares received our Purple Top turnips, (everyone else should get them next week) These are a southern heirloom, and are very good prepared the traditional way. You can do this with your collards, too, or our Asian Spring Mix (which is all in the turnip family, too). Even kale is amazing prepared this way. And if you want to make a big batch, add those crops ALL TOGETHER to make yourself a “whole mess” of greens like my South Carolinian Grandmama did.
  • Cook a slice or three of chopped bacon till cooked, but tender
  • Add some olive oil or butter and cook a chopped onion, couple cloves of garlic, and your chopped up turnip roots. Saute till turnips are about 90% tender.
  • Next add your sliced ribbons of turnip greens and lightly saute until they’re as tender as you like them.  Serve up and top with a bit of pepper vinegar, tobasco, or a drizzle of olive oil, and plenty of salt.
  • Vegetarian note: if you don’t do pork, you could saute some umami-packed mushrooms, and a bit of sun dried tomato for a different end result that would be incredibly delicious
• Arugula – For everyone this week.  This peppery green is fantastic in a fresh salad with nuts, fruit, and good cheese. I like pear/walnut/parmesan, or apple/pecan/chevre. Definitely toss in some sliced radishes!
• Broccoli – Only enough for the Regular shares this week, but there appears to be lots more in our future!
• Leaf Lettuce –  Large and Mini shares this week received this super tender and beautiful mix.
• Head Lettuce –  Regular shares received a red summer crisp called Cherokee.
• Kale – Large shares received Red Russian kale, Regular shares received collards, and Mini shares received Red Russian kale. Not getting through all your kale/collards fast enough?  They freeze WONDERFULLY. Simply rough-chop and toss in a gallon ziploc and freeze.
  • If you haven’t made a massaged kale salad yet with seasonal blackberries, raspberries, pear, or *persimmon*, what are you waiting for?!  Slice your kale into ribbons, generously top with good olive oil and kosher salt, and with well-scrubbed hands, begin rubbing and massaging those leaves together in handfuls until they are silky and smooth. Once the cellulose is a little broken down and everything is a super vibrant green,  top with your fruit of choice, a little red onion, a bit of feta perhaps.
• Bell Peppers/ Italian peppers — Everyone is receiving just a couple of peppers. I kind of can’t believe these plants are still producing so many months after we planted them, but here we are! Rock on, peppers!
• Kohlrabi – This wacky plant is so cool, and incredibly delicious. Head here to learn all about it. We’ve got a great kohlrabi cole slaw recipe you can try. Asian Spring Mix would be great in it, as would thin sliced radishes, turnips, or pac choi, as well. It’s a VERY adaptable recipe. You can store this crop for quite a long time, so if you want to, you can hang onto it and wait till you receive more of them (probably in 1 or 2 more weeks) to prepare a larger dish with them.

Veggie Storage tips:

• Everything wants to be washed well before cooking, but keep the dirt on till then, to prevent faster spoilage.
• Peppers, radishes, turnips, broccoli, kohlrabi, and all the leafy greens want to be in your fridge. Seal them up in a bag or container to retain moisture for longest storage life.
• Roots will store best when severed from their tops, and stored separately (remember the tops are edible, too!)

We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this week. Tag us on Instagram or Facebook, showing us how you’ve used your CSA share.

Your farmers, Jess & Justin

 

Regular Share

 

 

Regular Share top left to right: Collards, arugula, red head lettuce, radishes, (2nd row) Kohlrabi, bell peppers, Italian pepper, cayenne pepper, broccoli.

Large Share

 

 

Large Share top left to right: Red Russian Kale, arugula, leaf lettuce, radishes, (center)bell peppers, Italian peppers, jalapenos and cayenne pepper,

(bottom row) Kohlrabi,  Purple Top Turnips.

Mini Share

 

 

Mini Share top left to right: Red Russian Kale, arugula, leaf lettuce, radishes, (center) bell peppers, and cayenne peppers,