1 pound eggplant, sliced crosswise into 1-inch thick rounds (1 medium-sized eggplant)

olive oil

1 pound zucchini, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and sliced into 1/2-inch thick half-moons (or substitute 1 large sweet potato)

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 large heirloom tomatoes

3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

3 sprigs fresh thyme (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil, optional

Preheat oven to 400F.

Arrange eggplant rounds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Pour some olive oil in a small bowl and brush onto the eggplant. Flip the slices and brush the second sides as well, taking care that each has a thin coating of oil. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through, until soft and lightly browned on each side. Remove from the oven and cool. Cut into rough 1-inch pieces. Set aside. If using a sweet potato, cut into 1-inch rounds then quarter each round, drizzle with some olive oil and roast with the eggplant.

Warm 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large soup or stock pot. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan, taking care to leave behind any excess oil and set it aside.

Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until just tender but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, thyme, and bay leaf and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant and zucchini (or sweet potato), stir to incorporate, and cook until everything is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Discard the bay leaf and stir in the basil, if using.

Serve hot or at room temperature, with Maldon sea salt, if you happen to be so lucky to have some around.

8 small- to medium-sized shallots, trimmed, papers still on, halved
2 small heads of garlic, trimmed, papers still on, halved
6 baby carrots from the garden, scrubbed and trimmed
fennel fronds from 1 head of fennel
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 quarts cold purified water

Place all of the above into a large stockpot, about 8 to 10 quarts in size. Bring to a gentle simmer (see head note), watching for bubbles to come gently to the surface, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Strain. Cool to room temperature. Freeze in small batches for later use.

The book that came with me this trip was Masanobu Fukuoka’s “The One-Straw Revolution”. His four principles of natural farming (no cultivation, no chemical fertilizer or prepared compost, no weeding by tillage or herbicides, and no dependence on chemicals) stand in stark contrast to agribusiness in America. It’s an eye-opener. A really convincing read. I’m looking forward to the day when I can go to any old grocery store (not just a natural food co-op) and see that the entire produce aisle is “no spray. nada. zip. zilch” (and local and seasonal, of course). Imagine not having to look carefully at labels for the words “Organic. Grown in Washington”. In my perfect world, we’d all be farming sustainably.

I encourage you to take a look at what is happening over at Shepherd’s Grain. Karl and Fred, along with 33 other growers, are growing wheat using sustainable practices. It’s one example of how environmental health, social justice, and economic profitability can work together to bring you the best wheat possible. Try some soon!

Other great resources for sustainable farming include:

Shepherd’s Grain

www.shepherdsgrain.com

Certified sustainable flour from family farms

www.stone-buhr.com

Find the Farmer

www.findthefarmer.com where you can trace your bag of flour back to the family farm where the grain was grown

Life is full of rhythms and whether we pay attention or not we all rely on those rhythms to carry us through the days, weeks, months, and seasons (My son takes this truth quite literally as he loves to make little rhythms with his mouth wherever he goes–a veritable sound track for life that he composes on the fly).

Oftentimes the rhythms of our lives center around things our culture says are vital, so it’s nice to have some healthy rhythms in place to refresh yourself, draw your family together, and nourish community. For our family, going to Jubilee Farm each week and visiting the Sammamish Farmers Market each Wednesday provide a rhythm I’m coming to value more and more.

As we learn to eat local, we’re also aligning ourselves with the rhythms of the Puget Sound and it’s a rhythm I seem to enjoy more than ever in summer (kale is great, but it never stands up to basil, tomatoes, or blueberries). After winding our way through the market this afternoon, tasting an olive here and sampling some cherries there, we finally settled on a bag of beautiful Bing Cherries from Calhoun Family Fruit in Wapato. One more reminder that summer is here, whether or not the weather has a clue.

As the farmers market drew to a close, the kids mounted their bikes and we headed home enjoying those juicy globes of red and gold and laughing along the way. And I didn’t for a second miss the rhythms that always seem to take over my day.

What rhythms refresh you and your family?

When we started our CSA fifteen years ago, there was only one other CSA in King County. In fact, there were probably no more than the two of us in the entire state. The other, of course, was our good friend Claire Thomas at the Root Connection. Along with Claire we’ve watched many dozens of CSAs start over the years, and we’re thrilled to see this happen.

But a change has occurred lately, and there is some lack of clarity now about what a CSA actually is. Two of my neighbors, for example, who used to call themselves “CSAs” still farm, and still deliver produce, but recently decided to no longer call themselves CSAs. Why?

Well, there is a kind of tacit agreement among farmers about what constitutes a CSA. One of the essential elements in a CSA is that during the local growing season the food provided in the boxes is grown on the farm. Not just some of it, but all of it. That’s a pretty high standard. So high, that many farmers who choose not to keep this standard have chosen of their own accord – taking the lexical “high ground” one might say – to not call themselves CSAs any longer. There is a lot of confusion about who is a CSA, as evidenced by a recent “five best CSAs in Seattle” listing in which four of the five “best” were not CSAs under this accepted understanding of what a CSA is. In fact, the number one “CSA” on this list isn’t even a farm and doesn’t grow anything! I suppose that people can call themselves anything they want, but it does make it confusing for consumers who want to support a local, organic farm rather than a wholesale food brokerage warehouse in Seattle!

Another accepted characteristic of a CSA is that the membership of a “true” CSA takes a risk in being a member. If crops fail, members of a CSA will share in the loss. On farms that offer home delivery services rather than CSAs, failed crops, or just crops not planted because they are too much work, can be purchased wholesale and sold retail. This practice certainly entails less work and more gain, and customers of delivery services have a kind of guarantee that CSA members do not enjoy; they are signing on for a sure thing. Maybe this is where the “smart money” goes, as there is little risk.

But just as there is little risk, there is also, I think, less reward. One of the huge benefits of joining a real CSA is that you join a community of committed people who together take a risk for the value of supporting local agriculture. There is a chance things won’t turn out, that some weeks members will pay more for their box than it could be purchased from other sources. But there’s also a chance – and this chance increases as farmers become better farmers – that the experience of the farmers will pay off and members will get more than they paid for each box (something that doesn’t happen with delivery services). Then the members and the farmers win in two ways. First, they have taken an action based on values rather than a “sure return,” and, when it works out (like last year) their risk is rewarded with great bounty. In either event, the sense of being a part of the growing revolution that challenges the same old “food business as usual” is something that gives members of CSAs a great deal of satisfaction and empowerment. Being a part of the local food movement brings health, fulfillment and a sense of participation in the process of bringing safe food to your table.

I readily admit that if convenience, price and guaranteed supply are the ultimate values one holds in purchasing vegetables, the home delivery services might on occasion win over our CSA. But for people who recognize that we need a fundamental change in the way agriculture occurs in our country, the CSA model that we practice is, I believe (along with most or all of you, I’m sure – I am preaching to the choir!), an investment in the kind of future you want to have for yourselves and for the next generation. Maybe other options would sometimes yield more short-term return on investment. But with a true CSA, you are investing in more than a single week or even a single year’s return. You are investing in a future that includes local, organic, family farming, safe food and a healthier environment. In the long term, that’s an investment that will pay huge dividends.

Beyond the distinctives of actually being a CSA (rather than just calling ourselves one), our farm is not simply “organic,” but is “Biodynamic.” That means that beyond the bare requirements for legal certification – which, by the way, aren’t much – we have committed ourselves to becoming truly sustainable. And you who support us are likewise, vicariously in this regard, committing yourselves to long-term sustainability as well. It’s not easy. As I’ve often said, you can get “certified” organic in a minute – by just writing a check. The biodynamic practice, which is nothing short of the sustainability of farming traditions that have stood the test of time, takes a long time to establish.

The essential characteristic of providing one’s own fertility from the farm, when engaged from the first-generation, takes a full generation to establish. But the fact that the desire to be sustainable can’t be instantly gratified makes it even more valuable. Wendy and I have worked for years already, and we are committed to working for the rest of our lives to moving this farm toward being truly sustainable. We feel that is an investment that is worthwhile for our lives, and we are pleased that so many of you demonstrated by your commitment to this farm that you stand with us in our decision to pay the price of sustainability.

We couldn’t do this alone. We couldn’t do this with a membership whose primary concern is their own convenience or even their own short-term “return on the investment.” Wendy and I are investing in the long term, trying to create a truly sustainable farm, and we are thankful that so many from the community have come along and joined us with that as our primary common goal.

“Alleycat Acres is a urban farming collective that transforms vacant spaces to create a network of sustainable urban farms that reconnect people to food while helping to increase food security on a community level. An essential part of this plan is working with the farmers who pioneered the reunion of sustainability and agriculture. We meet with Erick Haakenson, owner of Jubilee Farm in Carnation, Wash., to discuss how rural and urban farms can work together to feed local communities, provide jobs and reconnect people to the land and each other. We believe that together, with help from people like you, we can grow a revolution.”

Be sure to check out this brief video Sean and his team put together after their visit with Erick:

[vimeo clip_id="12097872"]

The Farmer’s Market season has officially begun and many people, including myself, have already had an opportunity to grab a market bag, a few dollars, and a friend and head out (rain or shine) with elated delight! As much as I love kale, and really I do…it is one vegetable that I carefully portion out onto mine and my husband’s plate…almost to exacting gram measurements. If it appeared like my portion was larger, he would snatch an olive oil dressed leaf and kindly pass a complement across the table, “You sauteed this perfectly tonight”.

In any case, it’s time to move on from kale to the season’s more bright and tender greens: sorrel and arugula. I’m sure you’re familiar with the latter, a young and bitter green with a nice peppery bite. But have you tried sorrel? I hadn’t until yesterday. To say you should too would be an understatement. It really is one of those “must do” tasks, like you would floss your teeth in the morning, it should become habitual. It’s tart and lemony and gives a most welcome addition to sauces, soups, and salads.

I brought the greens home and quickly threw a vegetarian dinner together with some pantry staples. At the end of dinner, I eyed a few remaining greens on my husbands plate and said a complement in passing, “You julienned the sorrel so beautifully”.

Orecchiette with Wilted Sorrel and Arugula: A vegetarian market dinner

1 1/2 cups dried good orecchiette
2 handfuls fresh young arugula, leaves trimmed
1 handful fresh sorrel
1/2 of a small red onion (about 1/4 cup minced)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
freshly grated pecorino romano, to taste
a drizzle of red wine vinegar or lemon juice
sea salt

some additional thoughts…

note: the sorrel will turn a more yellow-looking, even brown, color when subjected to heat! but the flavor will remain intensely citrusy!

options:
add pistachio nuts
for an addition of meat, use pancetta

Mr. Berry has made an immeasurable contribution to reforming agriculture and life in America with his philosophy of “this much and not more”. We’d love to hear your thoughts after you’ve had a chance to check it out.

Chris

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMlvvZvXcPY