This blog was written by our intern Zoe. It seems she has learned a bit more than the techniques of farming.
These past few weeks have really shown me how hard farm work really is. There is always an endless list of tasks to be done, from harvesting to weeding to pruning and everything in between. And this hectic.
Our busy schedule makes days slip by at an eerily rapid pace. I find myself constantly growing happier and happier to be exposed to the amount of effort that it takes to put food in my belly. This is a concept that I think has drifted far away from most people’s realm of consciousness. Farming is something that is so deeply rooted in human existence, a practice that we have utilized since humans became non-nomadic, and will forever utilize until our species becomes extinct. But it is a practice that we have altered so drastically in the past century that it is unable to be called farming. With human’s desire to make everything about this world as easy and effortless as they possibly can, we have lost sight of the importance of the quality of food we eat. Commercial farming practices are so centered on speed and efficiency and keeping costs low that the products they are growing are lacking in that which makes food so wonderful; taste and nutrition. I can’t wrap my head around why we have allowed ourselves to settle for these inferior products.
Why will we eat a tomato with next to no flavor or nutrients just to cut a few dollars off of the grocery bill? It is a never-ending conundrum, stemming from our desire to eat what we want when we want it (even if when we want it, it is far out of it’s growing season). But what people fail to realize is that although money may be saved at the super market, it will later be spent on doctor visits and other medical expenses. We get ill because of all of the pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and all those other scary chemicals that are applied to the crops.
I know that this problem that we’ve created for ourselves is one without a solution. There will always be people who are focused on quantity rather than quality, and this group of people will continue using detrimental practices in order to achieve their goals. So really the only thing that we can do is change our own personal habits, and by supporting this farm that’s exactly what all of you are doing!
Coming to work here this summer has done for me more than I will ever be able to put into words. I feel I am a new and improved version of the person I was when I arrived. The work that I’m doing in order to grow these crops makes me exponentially more appreciative of eating the food that is produced as a result.
I’m starting to think about the end of my stay here, for it is nearing too quickly for my liking, and I know that I will not be able to go back to eating tasteless produce from the grocery store. I’ve started to can some of the vegetables that we are growing which is very new to me and I’m having a lot of fun with it. It’s a really great way to be able to eat good vegetables in the off-season and to avoid those super market veggie-impersonators as much as possible.
Here is a recipe for a beet and quinoa salad with feta cheese and a lemon and honey dressing, it’s a fresh and light dish that’s really great in this hot weather.
Ingredients:
2 good-sized beets
3 cups of cooked quinoa
One red onion
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
However much feta you want
Salt and pepper to taste
Roast the beets until they are tender (you can also boil or steam them but I prefer the taste of roasted beats for this recipe). Dice the cooked beets and the onion into fairly small pieces and toss with the quinoa and the feta cheese. Mix the lemon juice, honey, and olive oil together and dress immediately before serving.
Here are step by step instructions for roasting beets if you do not know how, it is very simple to do but it will take about 40 minutes for them to become tender so make sure you give yourself ample time.
http://localfoods.about.com/od/preparationtips/ss/How-To-Roast-Beets.htm
Full Share:
- Beans 1 lb or cabbage 2 small or 1 large - most likely beans
- Yukon Gold Potatoes 2 lb
- Carrots 1.5 lb or Beets 1.5 lb
- Braising Mustard Mix, Komatsuna, Swiss Chard or Kale - 3/4 lb. Not very much kale.
- Lettuce 3 - 4 heads
- Salad mix 1/2 lb bag
- Cucumbers 4 each or Squash 4 each. We have more squash than cucumbers.
- Green or Purple Peppers, Tomatoes (heirlooms of various sizes) or Eggplant. These are all still in short supply I will do my best to spread them around.
- Honestly it could be any of the above items.
- We have gorgeous bouquets of flowers. Just sunflowers or mixed bouquets.
- Head lettuce
- Hot peppers
- Basil
- Mint
- Anise Hyssop aka Korean Mint
Ideas from members about what to do with an unripe melon. Pickle it, feed it to the chickens or make martinis. I like the last idea best!!!!!!!!!
If in any case you feel an item is unacceptable please contact me and let me know.
A note about the peppers: I was taught by a farmer/mentor to harvest peppers with a blemish. He felt that green or colored they were sweeter with a small blemish. I have to agree and in his 30 years of CSA experience non of his members complained. So you probably will find peppers with a blemish in your box.
Thank you all and have a super week.
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