Weekly Newsletter 5

Week of  July 28 - August 3 2013

We loaded up the truck and headed out to 2 farmers markets this week – Felton on Tuesday and downtown Santa Cruz on Wednesday.  It was fun to be back and always great to be remembered by our old customers.  The first of the Gravenstein Apples were a big hit, and of course our dry farmed tomatoes sold out in a minute.  My helpers Kale and Mia and I did a blind taste test comparing all the beans in the market and I am very proud to say that our Blue Lake green beans won unanimously – hands down! Bartlett pears are off the tree ripening up over the next 7-10 days so you will be getting some in your boxes soon.

This weeks interviews are with our dynamic duo – Kale and Mia, 2 college students from opposite sides of the country that are both here spending the summer working with us!

Caprese Salad

·                    3 tomatoes

·                    3 tablespoons olive oil

·                    1 ½  tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

·                    1 package Fresh mozzarella cheese packed in water

·                    12 - 14 leaves fresh basil, sliced  (or whole!)

·                    Salt to taste

·                    2 or 3 cloves garlic pressed or minced

Instructions

Slice tomatoes about one quarter inch thick and arrange on a plate.  Slice thin discs of mozzarella cheese and place on each tomato. Top with a sprig of basil.  Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pressed garlic. Drizzle over tomatoes. Add salt to taste. Serve.

Zucchini with Cilantro and Corn

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 ½  cups cubed zucchini (about 1 pound)
• 1 cup whole-kernel corn (fresh cut off cob or frozen)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1/4   teaspoon salt
• 1/8  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1.                  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and corn; cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 8 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender.

2.                  Remove from heat, and stir in cilantro and remaining ingredients.

 

Kale Riley (volunteer/intern)

How did you end up working for Casalegno Family Farm?  I was lured by the promise of dry-farmed heirloom tomatoes that taste like sunshine, and home-brewed beer, so I stuck around.

When/why did you become interested in sustainable agriculture, food systems and farming in general?  A couple years ago I spent some time volunteering/interning at the Homeless Garden Project, where I experienced an overwhelming moment of clarity, realizing that nothing made me happier than hard work, food, and sticking my hands in the dirt. I immediately abandoned everything and became a huge plant nerd.

What are you studying (or doing in general) and where do you hope it will take you?  I focus most of my attention on ethnobotany; the study of human relationships with food, ecology, cultivation, etc. It's a good spot to be for someone who switched abruptly from an Anthropology major to an Environmental studies major. I'm especially interested in the ways that human and plant communities reflect and influence each other, as well as exploring how that knowledge can be applied to understanding and alleviating broader societal issues.

What are a few of your aspirations or goals in life?   An early retirement to a library combination lighthouse on a sweet pea/blueberry farm in Maine, alone except for the company of 3 brown cows, a bunny box, and my goldfish Barbara.

 What is your favorite crop to harvest or grow or eat on the farm?  I love eating tomatoes more than I love *almost* anything, so there's that. Garlic is my favorite crop to grow because it takes something like 9+ months from planting until it's ready for you to dig it up, which is such a challenge to my willpower and patience. The sheer intensity of waiting for it to be ready (excepting early pulls of spring garlic and frantic pawing around the plant bases to watch the bulbs grow) turns the one-time harvest into an emotional precipice. It is like gestating a child. When I harvested my home garlic bed this year I cried, so my most embarrassing moment of the year is officially over and done with. Wow I am really into garlic.

What is your favorite farm task or your favorite element of working on the farm?  Fridays are the best because the whole staff shows up to harvest everything and get the CSA boxes together. We hang out and it's always a really happy time.

If you were a fruit or vegetable what would you be and why?  Definitely a prickly pear cactus. They're beautiful, versatile, resilient, and delicious - you can gently scrape off the spines and eat both the tender young cactus pads and bright pink "tunas". Early indigenous peoples throughout the Americas used them not only for food, but for spiritual and medicinal purposes as well. The cochineal- an insect that lives parasitically off the plant - was the first source of non-synthetic red dye and prompted their cultivation in Europe. Their history is complex and fascinating - and I cannot resist a nopales burrito.

What are some of your interests or hobbies?   Reading, cooking, good hoppy beer, fermentation, drip coffee, swimming in the river, holding baby turkeys, hiking/backpacking, embroidery and assorted granny crafts, cast iron pans, and touching sea anemones with my toes, among other things.

Favorite quotation:  "At night I dream that you and I are two plants that grew together, roots entwined, and that you know the earth and the rain like my mouth, since we are made of earth and rain." (Pablo Neruda)

Describe yourself in 3 words. Mia's best friend!

 

Mia Logg (volunteer/intern)

How did you end up working for Casalegno Family Farm?  I sent them a resume containing only office work, and somehow they decided I would be a perfect farmer.

When/why did you become interested in sustainable agriculture, food systems and farming in general?  I studied a book about the organic farm industry in California and wanted to explore the subject for myself.

What are a few of your aspirations or goals in life?  I hope to one day build myself a log cabin, to be named Logg’s Cabin. 

What is your favorite crop to harvest or grow or eat on the farm?  GARLIC. Best smell. Best taste. Goes well with everything.

What is your favorite farm task or your favorite element of working on the farm?  My absolute favorite is collecting eggs from the chickens. It’s sort of like an easter egg hunt, but with the added layer of defending myself against the rooster. 

If you were a fruit or vegetable what would you be and why?  Probably an avocado. They’re delicious, and the best color on the inside!

What is the last book you read?  Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. I liked it because its whole premise is to show how silly the world is.

Favorite quotation:  “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” - Albus Dumbledore 
0Describe yourself in 3 words:  Kale’s Best Friend!