Growing Up In the Garden

Weekly Harvest on the Art Farm

Hello Dear Friends of Moon Bear,

A few things I continue to learn about LIFE from our garden:

- We share this planet (and this plot) with countless other beings. In the garden I am like a god (little g) tending, planting, destroying and harvesting. But in most ways I am just another being, just as dependent on the sun and rains, just playing my particular role.

- Loss happens. Damage happens.  Plants wither unexpectedly and crops fail. Offensive retaliation (like artificial sprays and traps... or violence of any sort) may appear to be the best way to deal with what has hurt us. But this is an illusion. Three measures help with a seemingly sure attack by bugs and fate. One is working with the earth to make the soil rich and loved and vital. The other is to plant and tend as much bounty as possible so the "bad things" cannot overwhelm it. The third is to diversify what you tend.

- Whatever occurs, it's not personal. There is an illusion of ultimate control of weather, deaths, surprise growth, disease and productivity of soil. The earth and sky are going to do what they are going to do. And yet, my actions and attention affect all of these things. My experience and the way I steward my gifts and land seem like the only personal matters.

- I can only take so much from the Earth without letting it rest periodically. This week I did not have enough produce for our market and the CSA. At first I was shocked and embarrassed as I cancelled our table at the Legacy Market. Then I remembered what has transpired this season. The land and I have given all that we can give. So we both rest today, and write to you.

- What we make and nurture is filled with our loving (or non-loving) attention as much as our actions. Just working harder is a dead end when no joy is involved.

- Perhaps my most vital task as a gardener is that of observer and witness. These fruits, grains and veggies are living essences. As such they deserve to be seen for who they are.

- A great adventure can transpire in a hundred foot square patch of dirt. The whole world lives there.

- Everything is a gift from Creator through the Earth.

- Finally, there is a season for everything and a pattern: prepare, sow, tend, harvest, rest, repeat.
Thank you for reading theses musings. I hope the garden that you tend is bringing lessons of beauty and wisdom as you witness it for what it is.

Moon Bear CSA Members: Yes, tomatoes are here. Finally. Many shapes and sizes. And entirely unlike the pasty wannabes in the grocery store. Tomatillos are here too. Sounds like salsa. We have another round of blueberries coming. The corn is only a week away. We'll see most of you at the birthday party on Thursday.

See you in the garden.

Rick

Copyright Rick Sievers, August 2012, All rights reserved.

Recipes: Kale Chips and Turnips!

 Beautiful Turnips 

Don't know what to do with turnips? This is my favorite way to eat them. It's simple and you can freeze the leftovers for later.

Turnip Smash

3 medium turnips, peeled and cubed
 1 large russet or red potato, cubed or 2 pounds of carrots sliced or 1/2 of both.
salt and pepper to taste
¼ or so of  cup milk of choice
1-2 Tbsp butter

Place turnips and potatoes in saucepan and add cold water just enough to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook at a simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Drain the water. Add milk and butter and mash with a potato masher or food processor. Adjust amounts of milk and butter to taste and consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Baked Kale Chips

1 bunch kale – curly works best

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems. Cut into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Allow to cool.

Recipes: Yellow or Green or Purple Beans

These 2 colorful bean recipes come from 101 Cookbooks. We had this one for dinner last night.  I used all 3 colors and  left out the crème fraîche. It was delicious!

Feisty Green Beans

Use a white wine that you'd want to drink after opening. And for those of you looking to speed things up, you don't need to slice the green beans, but it was a good call, the sauce gets into all the nooks and crevices.

I am loving these tri-colored beauties!

1 pound green beans, thinly sliced
1/2 cup / 2.5 oz / 70g golden raisins
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 bay leaves
1/3 cup / 80 ml white wine
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
scant 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup / 120 ml crème fraîche or sour cream
1/4 cup / 3/4 oz / 20g sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup / one handful of finely chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the green beans in a pot of well-salted boiling water for about a minute, just long enough that they lose their raw edge. Drain and dunk in ice-cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again and set aside.

In a small bowl cover the raisins with scalding hot water for five minutes, drain and set aside.

Heat your largest skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, garlic, onion, and bay leaves. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions and garlic start to brown just a bit. Add the wine and cook until it has mostly evaporated. Carefully remove the bay leaves. Stir in the paprika, cumin, coriander, curry powder, salt, crushed red pepper flakes. Stir in the tofu and raisins and cook until heated through, a minute or so. Add the butter and green beans and stir until the butter has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the crème fraiche, then most of the almonds and most of the cilantro. Taste and add more salt and some pepper if you like. Serve topped with any remaining almonds and cilantro.

Serves 4 to 6.

Inspired by a recipe in Anna Getty's Anna Getty's Easy Green Organic, to be published by Chronicle Books, 2010.

Prep time: 30 min - Cook time: 15 min

Yellow Bean Salad

I make this salad with yellow runner beans, but you can certainly make it with green beans! Also, if you tend to like a bit more heat, leave (all or some of) the veins and seeds in the chile pepper.

1 pound / 16 oz yellow runner beans

1 serrano chile, stemmed and seeded
5 green onions, green parts trimmed & reserved
a big handful of cilantro
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 cup coconut milk, well mixed

1- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste

2 big handfuls / 1/2 cup toasted pepitas
1 1/2 cups tiny pan-fried tofu cubes, optional
basil flower garnish, optional

Cut the beans into 1-inch segments on a deep bias. Cook in a pot of well-salted water for just 30 seconds, drain, and run under cold water to stop cooking. Drain, and aggressively shake off as much water as possible. Set aside.

To make the dressing, pulse the chile, onions, cilantro, garlic, salt, and sunflower oil into a paste with a food processor. Pulse in the coconut milk in two additions, before adding the lemon juice to taste, a half tablespoon at a time.

Place the beans in a large bowl with most of the pepitas and tofu cubes (if you're using them). Toss well with a generous amount of the dressing (you'll have plenty of leftover), even so, as I mention up above, this is one of those salads that benefits from over-dressing versus under. Serve in a bowl or platter topped with the remaining pepitas and tofu, and basil flowers if you happen to have them.

Serves 4-6.

Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 10 min

http://www.101cookbooks.com/

Between Sun and Shadow

The power of the Sun is at its zenith.

The Song of the Universe is hovering in the place between shadow and fire.

Her flaming chambered orchestra echoes in my head.

I hear Her in the parched earth.

I know Her voice in the percussion of the sprinkler.

I am Her child, Her lover, Her servant.

~~~

Sing in me, Matron, Virgin, Sister.

Sing in the flashing blue blood of ink.

Sing in the sweat of the labors in the garden.

Sing in the memory of all that is to come.

````

The forecast is for 102 degrees. The garden is bursting past its midlife. Pumpkins have swollen with the color of the sun. The corn waves with rows of silk handkerchiefs. The tree frog slumbers in her shaded forest of rhubarb.

I wish you could be sitting with me, looking out on the bounty. I wish you could witness the earth that has produced nearly eighty bushels of produce so far this year. Ten thousand square feet of compost and root... a microcosm of what the whole earth is for us.

Today, as I take respite from the heat, I contemplate all the blessings that our world so freely gives us. I think of my friends: the sisters I've written with, the brothers I've laughed with, the good people who buy and barter at the market, the beings that inhabit the in between places of dappled shade. Today, I step back and harvest nothing but praise for the garden. I try to see the plants in the garden as family and equals, not just as commodity or food.

May the sun offer you a respite from the hard work of living and evolving. 

May you know your place in the world and feel happy in that knowing.

Moon Bear CSA: Tomatoes are just coming on. All shades of the rainbow are plumping up in the vines. Also, many types of squash and sugar pumpkins are on their way to your home. The boxes will be a little smaller as we crest past the first wave of peak production in the garden. This will give the garden a little breather and allow many of us to catch up with eating the big bounty from last week. Thanks.

See you in the Garden,
Rick

Copyright Rick Sievers, August 2012, ALL Rights Reserved

The American Dream

God, Earth, Spirits, Sun, Rain... 

Bless the people, bless the world, bless my family with the bounty arising from the garden today.

Growing a business is part of the American Dream. Following one's heart callings is also woven into the fabric of our country. May I suggest that being true to your callings and working toward those endeavors with diligence is an act of patriotism. That being different or being kind or being real is like being the fertilizer and water of this country's garden.

I'm reminded of what Stanley Kunitz said about his own life when he was feeling "less than" in the eyes of the world. "I remind myself that to choose to live the life of a poet in the modern superstate is in itself a political action." When he speaks of being a poet, I interpret that to mean any compassionate form of a personal gift you have to give the world.

Last night I tallied the statistics of this first year of a farming business. I counted what I have given as offerings to being an organic farmer. After expenses and adding the benefit of providing my own family with food, I made about .28 cents an hour. Yay, a profit, in our first year. But a hard won profit. Meager in the world's view. But not in mine.

I also tallied some of the gains from being a farmer poet. These were invaluables like connection with people, healthy food, being physically fit, purpose and freedom and having a forum to write. For moments while packing the CSA boxes last week I felt the very visceral tingle of the compassionate spirits all over me. I tasted the sweetness of peas and beets. I saw friends smile when I delivered the boxes. How great is that!

I propose that making a mint (not the plant) is not the American dream. Being yourself while being of service to others, that is the American dream I subscribe to.

For me, being a farmer is about political activism and environmentalism that cuts across party lines. It offers something real and alive in the pantry instead of the dry dead manufactured goods lining our corporate grocery store's shelves. This living produce is possible because of YOU, the ones that believed enough in goodness to invest in the Earth, community and health. Thank you.

I don't think healing in our country is about changing the people in elected office as much as it is about how we build foundations under our longings and callings. One step, one hoe full, one pulled (not sprayed) weed at a time.

Moon Bear CSA: This is the week where your garden is reconfiguring itself. The spring greens are pulling back while the sturdy squash and roots are taking off in the heat. And the tomatoes are coming! The purple and gold and striped and deep red harbingers of high Summer. That's worth celebrating. 

We'll be at Legacy Salmon Creek Farmer's Market from 2:30 'till 7 tomorrow with potatoes, onions, garlic and beets. Come on in for a 25% discount.

See you in the Garden
Rick


Copyright Richard Sievers, August 2012, All Rights Reserved