Farming for the environment and a winter time pizza party

 It's been awhile, I know. I've been doing some battling with computers lately, and it has put me back on posting here. Namely I have a perfectly good laptop, but my OS is apparently too old to run most applications. Apparently 5 years is criminally long to hold on to something that cost a whole month's wages...

Anyway, I have also been away so long because Tarra and I had a Leminy Snicket type series of illness. She fell off her bike and broke her arm, got a fever that topped out at 103*. So for her it's been in and out of doctor's, othopedics, radiology, physical therapy- offices. I then cut a good hunk nearly off the end of my finger with a V-slicer got two 102* fevers two weeks apart and have just felt... off since. This has all been playing out since Thanksgiving, and has just recently been just O.K. 

The good news you'll likely assume is that I am self-employed as a farmer and it is winter, so this is the perfect time to be sick because nothing is really happening...right?! Nope. Being self-employed and not going to work means- yes, there is no one to call in sick to (well, besides your farming partner) but because you don't go in, things don't get done! If nothing is getting done, it puts you more behind and an already really, really, really low profit margin gets squeezed. But also, winter is a slower time, meaning there are 40 hours of work to be done, not 70, so missing work is a big deal. 

What on earth are you doing on a winter day? Well, things are still growing, so picking those for veggie subscription boxes, weeding, cleaning up fields, pulling drip tape, organizing tools. What we also should be doing is repairs and maintenence too like fixing the 4 wheel drive on the tractor fixing the other tractor, and countless other things. So even when you're done, you're really never done. 

Wait, what if it's raining, surely there's rest to be had. Nope. Sorry to be such a wet blanket about this but, there is greenhouse work. We've been having rat trouble in the greenhouse. Last spring a rat ate several thousand dollars of potential crops. So we are building rat proof tables. There's taxes coming, book keeping, planning. And even sometimes doing things in the rain...

So, again- why am I doing this? This sounds like an awful lot of work for $3-5 an hour... why? 

One thing I have noticed this winter is how much our farm really does for the environment. We have been planting habitat plants out at our pond in the back. The plants are all natives, some of them flowering for beneficial insects and bees, some of them are habitat for birds and small vertebrates, and the water itself attracts a fair number of animals.  We've seen egrets, cranes, king fishers, Canadian geese, wood ducks, mallards, red winged black birds, kites, red tailed hawks, and many many more birds. There are also lizards, snakes, frogs, toads, rabbits, hares, cayotes, racoons, opossums and every body else! we've even planted milkweed in hopes of the Monarchs finding us!All of that seems pretty worth working my bottom off for, doesn't it?

I think our 40 acre patch is especially important as we are one of very few sets of organic farms in the area. We are a safe haven for these animals with little to no pesticides applied. Here are some pictures of other ways we help animals find safe harbor and how they take us up on it!

Here we've let some broccoli go to flower, mostly because we couldn't pick all we grew. Here on the right you can see a honey bee taking advantage of the rare nectar and pollen in January. The insect in the center is actually a hover fly. It is a beneficial insect, hunting our "pest" insects.

Here's another great picture of the bees enjoying our benign neglect.

We have an owl somewhere in the area. Here is an owl pellet I found and dismantled. Owls eat their prey whole, fur bones and all! The fur and bones can't be digested though and must come back out. Much like a cat-hair ball, they vomit these "pellets" on the wing. Here you can see this owl has taken some kind of small bird and rodent. I am glad to know they are enjoying our all you can eat rodent buffet!

Native bees are strange houseguests. They prefer holes in old logs, or simply to dig a tunnel to overwinter. Here is a set up for those of them who enjoy the holes in trees.

The mud clogged holes mean someone has taken us up on the offer of free housing!

Here is another version of the same idea

Here is one of two- two hundred foot rows of beefwoods. These large conifers are a favorite perching spot of our predator birds. We also have probably several thousand feet of "hedgerow". These are linear plantings of native species intended as either habitat or food for beneficial insects and animals. Things like yarrow, elderberry, milkweed, native grasses and the like all separate our fields and provide our friends with what they need in return for their hard work!

Here is our pond out back at its most beautiful. The bird in the center is a red winged black bird. They're quite the choral group. Each morning and evening they sing to the sun. Its really beautiful

 

Here is the egg case, or ootheca, of the praying mantis. We find these everywhere on tomato stakes, old weed stocks, sides of pallets. The mother mantids try to leave these somewhere safe, dry, and free from predators. Mantids are great predatory bugs and we are always grateful for their help!

   

  This week's recipe is a favorite go to for lazy weekday meals. Its the perfect way to learn to love new veggie combinations and to soothe the omnipresent "bad food" cravings. Pizza! But homemade pizza with slightly healthier crust and full of veggies. Skip Trader Joes dough and try your own! Here is a great no knead recipe that you whip up the night before and just put a lid on! It is ready the next night! Make a double batch and keep it covered tightly with a lid or plastic in the fridge for up to a week (if it lasts that long!). I like to substitute half whole wheat to keep the carb load down. 

Here is the recipe from Bon Appetit: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/no-knead-pizza-dough

For the pizza, please feel free to improvise. Make it how you like it! I love thin crust and am bad about having tomato paste on hand, so my pizza "sauce" is usually just olive oil and garlic. Also, be careful to cut your veggies and other toppings thin/small and go easy. Thick layers of toppings make a soggy crust. Also, consider how you stack your pizza- greens burn so put them under cheese or throw them on the last few minutes. Otherwise- go to town with all the creativity you've got! Also, I highly recommend using pizza stones, a terra cotta planter stands work amazingly (the ones you set under the planter pot to catch the water, it looks like a large dish with a hole in the middle. )This heated up for at least 30 minutes before you toss your pizza in will make for the crispest crust possible in a conventional oven!

Here are two of my favorite combos to make in the winter:

Greens and Citrus Pizza:

 Preheat oven to 450*

Pick some greens:

3-4 large tough greens leaves (kale, chard, collards)-torn

and/or 1-2 cups arugula, spinach, mizuna etc.

Pecorino and mozzarella mixed

Thinly sliced citrus: limequats, kumquats, meyer lemons, limes etc THINLY SLICED

Assemble ingredients in order given. Citrus will burn, but that's delicious. Cook until the bottom of the crust is med-dark brown and/or the cheese begins to brown. Enjoy!

Butternut Pizza:

Thinly sliced parboiled butternut

Mozzerela and/or goat cheese

pepperoni

black olives

green onions

Assemble ingredients in order given. Cook as above. 

What on Earth is a Kohlrabi? What do I do with it? Slaw it! and the Real Deal on Actual Vegetables

There are a lot of veggies we grow in winter that are new to most people we serve. I think the largest reason is the shuttering of farmers markets in the winter. Think about it, google it. Most markets are seasonal, starting in with spring and ending in early fall. Where do the farmers go? Does the farm shut down in the winter? What's going on? 

Well, I can assure you the farm doesn't stop producing here in California. We can farm year-round with little interruption. Rain, frost, mud and all- we're out working. We personally, as a farm, don't go to markets in the winter because they are not profitable. I suspect many farms make this choice. But why? 

Vegetables. 

We just don't like to eat our vegetables as a society. But no, Ashley, I eat all kinds of good stuff in the summer- I practically drown in salsa! Ah, yes, summer "vegetables". I am going to break your heart, but most summer "veggies" are fruit. Tomatoes=fruit. Okra= fruit. Jalapenos= fruit (I fully intended for there to be a tilda over than n...I'm on a roll and I'm not googling hot buttons now!). Even eggplant, tomatillos, bell peppers, the whole summer she-bang is fruit. So yes, salsa is actually a fruit salad. So, what on earth is a real vegetable? 

Roots, shoots, stems, leaves, flowers and florets. 

Is the thing in your hand one of these? Congrats! You're going to eat a real veggie. 

Why don't we like them as much as these other things we thought of as veggies? Well, sugar is one big reason, but taste is the other. Kale, cabbage, bok choi, lettuce, radishes, greens of all kinds are all kind of... green tasting, bitter, leathery, even spicy. They're just not appealing until you've found a way to like them. This is the reason I believe we shut down farmers markets in the winter- we don't buy veggies, making it not financially viable to come to the market, meaning fewer markets and less exposure to "weird" winter vegetation. That sounds like a terrible catch-22. What to do? 

Well, our farm doesn't close in winter, and we have a whole boat-load of things growing that are wonderfully tasty and healthy and get packed in your boxes all winter. So, we'll learn together. 

This week, let's talk about Kohlrabi. 

Kohlrabi is a member of the brassica family. It is related then to broccoli, cabbage, turnips, and brussel sprouts. This fun tidbit comes from Wikipedia, The name comes from the German Kohl ("cabbage") plus Rübe ~ Rabi (Swiss German variant) ("turnip"), because the swollen stem resembles the latter, hence its Austrian name Kohlrübe." Here is how it grows out in our fields.

Yes, it does look like an alien egg or a horrible spider-vegetable hybrid.  I have actually found a soft spot in my heart (and stomach) due to it's flavor and texture. It is crisp, yet yielding so it crunches without being too chewy and tastes a lot like broccoli stem, only better! It is great roasted, stir-fried, tossed into a salad, or grated into a slaw!

They come in purple and green! To break into the goodness, snip or slice off the leaves that are left (they're edible too! eat them like greens!) and peel if you're using a storage variety or don't peel if it's fresh. Wait- how do I know which it is?! Is it smallish- fist sized or less and have a lot of healthy looking leaves? How are those scaby parts where the old leaves were cut off in the field- are they a little scabbed over or do they look leathery? If you have fresh leaves and fresh scabs you have a fresh one! Old or no leaves and old scabbing is a storage variety. Both are good to eat and can be used interchangeably, just peel the storage variety because the skin hardens to protect the plant and doesn't taste good because of it.

Now, you have met and aquainted yourself with your new brassica friend, what should you do with it? SLAW! Here is a fun, easy recipe to try out!

Kohlrabi and Carrot Slaw

1 Bunch carrots- grated or julienned

1 large kohlrabi- grated or julienned

1 bunch radishes- grated or julienned

1 C dried fruit

½ C nuts- chopped

Olive oil

1 Lemon-juiced

Maple syrup

Prep veggies and toss in bowl. Toast nuts and mix in with fruit (I suggest cranberries and your almonds!) Mix oil, lemon, and maple syrup together and dress salad. Enjoy!

Variations:

-Add spice! Hot and sweet!

-Add in a bit of cabbage for a more traditional slaw

-Add sprouts for an extra crunch

-Serve with pulled pork on a sammich!

Enjoy!

Eating with Tender Heart Farms: Fall Celebration Salad and Mid-East Sammich

The most common complaint and cause for farm-box cancellation is, "I don't cook enough". As modern, busy people, I get that the last thing you want to do after 9 hours at the office, gridlock traffic and whatever familial obligations you have- dinner seems a pretty low priority. To be perfectly honest, after a long day of hoeing, transplanting thousands of plants, seeding, or harvesting vegetation- one of the last things I want to do is touch more vegetables. So, I get it...but I don't accept it.

It's a vicious cycle I find myself in often: you're tired don't want to cook, especially anything healthy, so you open the box of mac and cheese, break out the frozen burrito, or dial your trusty neighborhood take-out establishment. We're doing ourselves at least three disservice's here:

1.) This food is almost always not very healthy. It is full of comforting carbs and fats that make us feel satisfied initially, but are lacking in real nourishment like vitamins, minerals, vitamins and the like.
2.) Eating poorly makes us feel more tired...making us eat more poorly.
3.) It costs way more to eat out than to make the same things at home, and you would never add as much fat, sugar or salt as they do with processed foods.

This isn't revolutionary, or even controversial. We all know these things, yet we do it to ourselves anyway. Why? What are we saving time for? I can't answer that for you, but for me, when I engage in time saving dinner solutions, I don't use my saved time any more wisely. I'd wager the same is true for you, even if you'd never admit it out loud.

So what are we to do? Well, if you have come this far, and aren't already typing a scathing comment, you're probably in the boat of "Eating healthier is a priority for me, and I'd like to figure out how to do it more often". It's a long journey, and you have to accept yourself where you are. If you're new, this is all going to be strange and you're going to have to do some learning, actually, a lot of learning. Cooking and eating better takes time. There is planning, buying extra ingredients, stocking your pantry, research, and a lot of trial and error even before  you set in to chop two pounds of vegetation. You've got to assert for yourself that this is what you want and the work is worth it.

I'd like to start a series of blogs titled, "Eating with Tender Heart Farms". In it I will pick and prepare what I pack for my customers every week, proving that two people can easily make it through an average CSA type box each week. Honestly, I do this anyway, probably eating a box and a half, but I will keep track and take pictures so you can see what it looks like to finish a box a week. Please let me know if you think of something else that I can do in this series to help you through like keeping track of time in the kitchen or what else I buy or how much I am spending on extra ingredients or even what I eat the other 4 days I am not cooking the box (yes, one box almost always disappears into 3 meals with leftovers). I will also only use recipes I have given on here this past year so you can cook along with me!

Week 1

Box Contents:

Butternut Squash

Eggplant

Onions

Turnips with tops

Lettuce

Green Mustard

Kale

Radishes

Apples

Cucumber

I took the turnips and their tops, the garlic and the winter squash and added sausage, potatoes and a few pantry/fridge things to make this Autumn Shepherd's Pie. 

Here I took the lettuce, radishes, apple and cucumber and made the Fall Celebrations Salad. The recipe is listed below. The feta, garbanzos, and avocado addition made it really satisfying!

Not Pictured: Eggplant and Greens
Here I took the eggplant, some garlic, kale, onions and the mustard greens and made a dish that really highlights the best qualities of greens and eggplant.

Box= DONE!

Week 2:

Box Contents:

Pak Choi, Kale, Eggplant, Bell Peppers, Acorn Squash, Apples, Garlic, Pomegranate, Kohlrabi

I visited my friend Brooke and Keith's house for a weekend dinner. She bought some really beautiful salmon and we cooked up some brown rice to accent our stir-fry. I used the bell pepper and the pak choi from the box and added onion and tofu. You can find the recipe for an amazing stir-fry sauce Here.

This sandwich was amazing! I have become a huge fan of eggplant and greens together!  This is something to keep handy for lazy evenings. It's quick to make but doesn't taste that way! The recipe for all the components is down below! 

I made this C. Pepo Salad with the acorn squash, apple, pomegranate  and the rest of the kale. I added more lettuce, feta, and I subbed out maple syrup for pomegranate molasses. 

All of these meals were made the week I got the box, and all of them made leftovers for Tarra and my lunch the next day at work. A few made more than one day's leftovers, but seeing as how you only really cook 3 nights a week, that's a good thing for the other 4! 

How do you get through your boxes? What troubles do you have? Let's talk! Let's work it out! 

Here are the recipes for the past two weeks. Every other recipe is linked in the description. 

Fall Celebration Salad

1 head lettuce, chopped

2 apples, cored and sliced

1 bunch radishes, sliced

1 large cucumber, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

Blue cheese to taste

Prep and combine!

Serve with a honey Dijon dressing!

Variations to make it a full meal:

-Add chicken

-Add a hard boiled egg

-Add beans

-Add cooked whole grain

-Add nuts and croutons!

-Add sprouts!

Mid-East Sammich

Eggplant- sliced, drained, fried

Egg-fried

Onion Relish

Kale- chopped &massaged with curry oil

Feta

Slice eggplant, salt pieces and let drain in culinder for 10 min, fry in shallow oil. Fry egg. Assemble sandwich putting feta between egg and eggplant to melt.

Onion Relish

1 large onion-minced

lemon juice

cayenne

Assemble and let sit 20 min

Curry oil

1 tsp ea: ground: cumin, coriander, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon

Add spice to oil, massage into kale (wear gloves!)

Johnson Grass, "Bloody" Tender Heart, and a Turkish Shepherd's Salad

This is my arch nemesis: Johnson grass root. As a weed, it is one of the nastier ones. It grows quick and will shade out and swallow any crop planted near it.  It has taken over a few areas of the farm, and we're doing our darndest to get rid of it. It has a few nasty tricks up it's sleeve though. 

Here is a close up of it's root: You can see that every nub you leave in the ground will grow a new plant. It is also clever enough to "let go" like a lizards tail if you try to pull it out. When left, it will grow like wildfire, sending its root out far, making new grass shoots at every root juncture. 

Digging sometimes leaves too much of the root, so we pulled out the ripper tooth to loosen the soil around the clumps so it would just lift out. In theory anyway...

We did have to go back and re-dig around the edges, aiming to get every bit of root. 

The dog even got into it. 

Here are a few of the "orphan" recipes from summer that got lost. These aren't entirely fall friendly, but you can keep them on tab for next summer! 

"Bloody" Tender Heart

1 large heirloom tomato

1 large bell pepper

1 med onion

2 stalks celery

2 cloves garlic

Spread veggies out in a glass dish sprinkle lightly with salt and olive oil. Roast at *450 until veggies begin to color and wilt (garlic and celery may need to come out first).  Remove veggies and pop into a blender. Strain juice through a large strainer and let cool.

¼ C lemon and lime juice

1 Tbs Tabasco

1 Tbs fresh grated horseradish

½ Tbs Old Bay Seasoning

8 dashes Angastora Bitters

6 oz vokda

2 stalks Celery

Assemble and enjoy! 

Turkish Shepherd’s Salad

1 med onion, sliced

1 head lettuce, chopped

1 bell pepper, diced

2 small cucumbers, diced

1 small bunch radishes, sliced

2 tomatoes, diced

Herbs (parsley, mint, cilantro, basil, dill)

3 green onions, sliced

Prep and toss!

Dressing: 2 lemons, olive oil, fresh ground pepper, musturd powder, honey all to taste

-combine and whisk

Add ins:

Olives of every kind

Feta

Za’atar

Chopped Pita

Toasted Nuts

 

How to butcher a squash: Meet my friends, Cucurbata Pepo and stab/roast them into a fall salad

These beauties are all cultivars of the botanical species: Cucurbata Pepo. Not pictured are the summer squash like zucchini  pattypan or crookneck, though they are also part of this species of squash. The whole cucurbit family as a genus includes: melons, cucumbers, watermelons, gourds, summer and winter squash. These winter squash pictured are all the "oddball" types. With the other winter squash family, "Cucurbata moschata" one method will work with all of them. Here, you must first know which cultivar you are dealing with before you decide where and how it will end up in your meal. 

This one might seem familiar to most people.  We're comfortable stabbing it in the face decoratively and letting it rot on our porch for awhile, but eating it might be new. The best way to break the pumpkin down for cooking is to first find where it likes to sit flat. Sometimes that is this way pictured, and sometimes it is on it's ground spot (where it sat on the ground and is differently colored and slightly flattened). Take a large, heavy chef's knife and stab it in the face, careful of your hands. Once the initial cut is made, tip the pumpkin and continue the cut with the knife longitudinally so you have two mirrored halves. The stem will give you trouble, do your best. Scoop the seeds, and clean and save for roasting! Roast your halved fruit with a bit of oil on a cookie sheet, cut side up on 350* until a knife slides easily though. Let cool out of the oven and scoop out flesh for puree or use a melon baller for putting in salads. You can also stuff these guys and leave the flesh in like a pumpkin bowl, or scoop the flesh out mix in stuffing, and serve in the half. 

This member of C. Pepo is a spaghetti squash. Aptly named for its stringy nature. Like with the pumpkin above, we need to halve it to get to the good stuff. This one is tricky though, as it really doesn't lay flat. A large, heavy knife is your best friend here. Lay it parallel with the knife so you're going to cut it in half the long way, remove all hands, children and pets from the danger zone, and WHACK! I find aiming to use the heavier butt of the knife gives me more umph. Once you have an initial cut, you should be able to finish the job a bit safer. Again, the stem will give you trouble. Gently clean out the seeds (you may eat them) and roast at 350* until tender. When ready, remove and let cool slightly. Take a fork and rake lengthwise to liberate the squash "noodles". People like to eat this like spaghetti with red sauce, but I think a garlic parmesan treatment serves the squashes flavor better. 

This C. Pepo member is an Acorn Squash. It has a thick, firm flesh that is good eating, but not great puree-ing. I love to stuff this one with meaty-bready stuff, topped with cheese and nuts. Though you can scoop out bits with a melon baller once cooked and add to a grain salad, green salad, soup, etc. The breakdown is similar to spaghetti. It probably won't sit very still or flat, so a hands-free WHACK is your best bet. It roasts up the same. 

These two have got to be the most user-friendly, last minute dinner addition, cutest members of C. Pepo.  Pictured here are (left to right) a sweet dumpling and delicata squash. They are thin skinned, thin fleshed beauties that are delicious and simple to use. WHACK them in half, scoop seeds and roast. OR, if you're super in a hurry, stab 6ish times in the face and pop into the microwave following your machines instructions for hard vegetables (likely potato button). These guys also have really thin skin that can be eaten! I love to roast delicata and slice into a salad with peppery, bitter lettuces. 

The recipe below would be wonderful with either the delicata, dumpling, acorn, or pie pumpkin. The spaghetti squash might be too grainy and not sweet enough, but if you really want to- go try it out!

C. Pepo Fall Salad

1lb squash- roasted and sliced or melon balled
1 bunch kale- massaged
1 pomegranate- de-seeded
2 apples- cored and sliced
2  lemons- juiced
1/2 C maple syrup
Olive oil
Pistachios or hazelnuts- toasted

Prep all veggies and fruit- add to bowl. Mix lemon juice, maple syrup, and oil in a separate bowl- salt to taste. Add to salad with toasted nuts and enjoy!

Variations to fill out for a meal:
-Add garbanzos
-Add a whole grain
-Add sprouts
-Add peppery greens like arugula or cress
-Add feta, blue cheese, hard salty cheese, or havarti

Guest Blog: My Dear Friend Brooke, Her Family, and Her Favorite Way to Enjoy Turnips

I would like to introduce my dear friend Brooke. She has has been a friend of mine for at least 5 years. She has been a veggie box subscriber for as long as I have had veggie box subscribers. She has a great story to tell, and I am so proud to be a part of it!

Ok, I’ll admit it. After 30+ years of proudly refusing to eat my vegetables, I love kale. Turnips are delicious. Broccoli is cool. Asparagus is yum. Squashes are fun. Even chard is tasty.

How did I get here? What happened to me? Where did Miss Meat, Potatoes & Bread go? I blame Ashley Thomas and Tender Heart Farms.

I met Ashley years ago through her now wife Tarra, while we all volunteered for LGBT equality here in California. I’ve had the enjoyment of watching Ashley discover her true love, farming, and make her dream happen. Along the way, she subtly introduced me to the wonder of veggies. Here and there, she slipped me crispy pieces of kale, bowls of squash soup and more. But it wasn’t until she started the Tender Heart Farms veggie box that my life changed.

I was so proud to attend her graduation from farm school, and more than happy to help support her dream in return for a chance at eating healthier. At first, I was pretty apprehensive. I stuck to the things I knew – potatoes, lettuce & other salad stuff – and gave anything I didn’t know what to do with to my (literal) guinea pig.

But then I discovered the powers of garlic and olive oil. By their powers combined, everything became tasty! I got excited by my discovery, and started looking forward to experimental cooking. My boyfriend became my new guinea pig, and loved tasting my fun bacon/cabbage, miso/turnip and eggplant/zucchini dishes. In turn, he was inspired to build me a composter for all the leftover bits and pieces, reducing our garbage impact.

I still struggle sometimes, especially with beets (ugh), okra (how??) and peppers, but it’s always fun to see what comes in the box. I love seeing things I’ve never seen before (long beans! kohlrabi!) and searching the internet for fun recipe options. I’m still reluctant to cook anything with more than five ingredients, but I’m learning. And getting healthier. And helping both a young farmer and our awesome agricultural community! I heart Tender Heart, and you should too!

This is Brooke, her boyfriend, Keith, and their fur child: Bijou.

Duck snuggles at Tender Heart Farms!

More fur children: Murphy and Butters.

Butters and Brooke's very long foster project, Bran.

This week's recipe is one of Brooke's favorite ways to enjoy turnips.

Miso Braised Turnips

1 bunch turnips, halved and sliced like moons

1 TBS butter

Enough broth to cover in a saucepot

1 TBS miso paste

Melt butter and slightly brown turnips. Add broth slowly until turnips are covered. Cook on medium until most of the broth has evaporated, stirring often to avoid burning.

Variations:

-Add fried shallots

-Add crumbled bacon

-Add crumbled cheese like blue or parmesean

-Add other roots to the party: carrots, sweet potatoes, rutabega, celery root, parsnips, etc.

I am not superwoman- Recipe Dump: Radishes and Toast, Eggplant Curry, Pumpkin Puree and Pumpkin Pancakes!

I am not perfect. I am just as mortal as all of you, whether I believe it or not. Often, I don't beleive it, and act under the impression that I can work 60 hour weeks, keep house, keep a social life, engage in culinary projects like hot sauce, canning, sour dough starters, kombucha, take up plant breeding, knitting, attend church, keep up with what's current in popular literature, and everything to do with pinterest. Oh, and not get sick.

As you more sensible humans may know, this is not normal, attainable, sustainable, and down time spent in quiet is super important to mental and physical health. So, I am trying something radical- self love. I am trying to be kinder to myself. One of the things I let go is the blog. This beast takes me 3 hours a week to sit and write and countless hours thinking about what I am going to write about during the week. It is a labor of love really, but it was something I let slide.

I plan to come back now and have a few drafts in the works.  In the coming weeks I hope to share some thoughts on how we can help our small, family farmers earn a living wage, a guest blog done by a dear friend and farm box customer, and some more recipes to help you eek out the last ounces of summer.

For this week though, I leave you this picture, of my furry subconscious personified (dogsonified?) and a "recipe dump" to catch you up on the recipes that have been posted in weekly newsletters. So, if you're looking for some late summer/ early fall inspiration for local, seasonal deliciousness- here you are!

I swear he did this to himself. He is not a super fan of getting up early.  

Radishes and Toast

Hate radishes? Me too. Butter makes it better! Here are 5 variations on the classic tea sandwich theme to make you forgive their spicy bite. 

11.)  Grate Radishes and fold into softened butter with a bit of salt- spread onto toast

22.)  Slice radishes thinly and place on buttered toast with a bit of salt and fresh parsley

33.)  Smear feta on toast, add radishes and watercress and drizzle with olive oil

44.)  Butter toast add sliced radishes and green onion and top with a poached egg

55.)  Smear avocado on toast, add sliced radishes with lime and cilantro

Mix fresh herbs into butter (compound butter) and top toast with this and sliced radishes

Eggplant Curry

Hate eggplant? I know, it's hard to love. Give it a try curried topped with raita. You may just learn to love it!

3 Tbs butter
1 Tbs mustard seed
2 Tbs sesame seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion chopped
2 tsp turmeric 
salt to taste
2 eggplants, chopped into 1" cubes
2 C peas

Melt butter and add seeds. Toast until they start to pop. Add onion and turmeric and cook until onions are translucent. Add eggplant and cook until tender, adding water to keep slightly saucy. Add peas and warm through. 

Raita

2 C yogurt
1 tsp cumin seed
salt and cayenne to taste
1/2 C diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
3-4 radishes, sliced thin
1/2 bell pepper
diced cucumber or tomato

Mix everything together in a bowl. Let sit for a few hours. Serve on top of your curry!

Pumpkin Puree

Intimidated by those large squash in the store? Don't be! Don't try to peel it, just hack and roast! Not ready to tackle it yet? Leave it on the porch to decorate your house until you are!

Cut winter squash into manageable pieces. For a round squash, this means wedges, for a long squash this will mean cutting in half. Lightly oil and roast on 350* until it is easily pierced with a knife. Remove, let cool. Scoop flesh from skin with a spoon, not giving much care to the small bits of skin that sneak in, put in blender and blend! You may need to add water and stir a bit to get things going.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 ¼ C flour

2 TBS sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 pinch ea: salt, cinnamon,  ground ginger, cloves, and nutmeg

1 C milk

½ C pumpkin puree

2 TBS melted butter

1 egg

Mix wet and dry separate, then add together, careful not to overmix. Use ¼ C mix for each pancake. Cook like regular pancakes!