Dear CSA Members:
Seth Travins is another multi - talented member of the
Hawthorne Valley Farm staff. He is the knowledgeable maker of
our delicious sauerkraut and other lacto-fermented products. He
is also the director of the older students Summer Camp - an
outdoor based camp which works with the farmers for two months
each year. In addition, Seth is an especially talented local
musician. He is the partner of Katy, our gardener and they make
a great team. Though they work in different areas of the farm,
they support each other in a wonderful way. Seth actually
attended the Waldorf School in Garden City, which is also one of
our CSA sites. The interweaving of all our lives is touching and
heartening to me as I watch the next generation of folks willing
to care for Hawthorne Valley step forward.
Rachel Schneider, CSA Coordinator
Anticipated Harvest
for August 28th
- Broccoli (for some)
- Chard
- Cucumbers
- Green Beans
- Lettuce
- Onions
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
Here it is, the middle of August, with the decreasing daylight
a reminder that autumn is nearing. The cucumbers, which I ferment
into pickles, are no longer growing like they did because August
conditions make the plants less productive than in the month of
July. Another different thing about August is that the two
groups of 14 teenagers that stayed at the Field Camp site,
situated in the grove out past the vegetable fields, are no
longer working on the farm.
Many Field Campers come from NYC and other urban areas, and
they actually love being in the "sticks." Many return year after
year, with some coming back to be camp counselors. Whether any
become farmers (and some might) is not the goal of the Field
Camp. It is to share the possibilities of a working farm and
community with these teenagers so it will stay with them for the
rest of their lives.
For the past two months I have had the pleasure of working
with these campers. At Hawthorne Valley there are many places
where teenagers can be very helpful, and the work that they do is
tremendous. A workday can start as early as 4:30 AM chasing the
cows into the barn. At 5:30 AM, one camper reported to the bakery
to shape bread loaves, make cookies and help with the early
morning tasks. At 6:30 AM on certain days, two more campers
helped wash lettuce for the CSA, Farm Store, and Green
Market.
The campers would work from 9:30 until noon in the garden, in
the calf and pig pens mucking out manure, in the Farm Store Deli,
assisting resident ecologists Claudia and Conrad Vispo, in the
Dairy Plant, and preparing meals in the camp dining hall.
Despite the earlier rise (no pun intended), the bakery always
proved to be a favorite work station, and the camper/baker would
often work in the bakery until noon.
Hard work is not just what the Field Camp is about. There is
time to relax, sing, swim, read, write and get to know peers in a
way that a busy urban school schedule does not allow for. Of
course, being at Hawthorne Valley, they get a chance to eat, and
food is often a topic of conversation, and how appropriate.
As the autumn comes closer and school will soon start there is
still the trace of summer work that was done here on the farm.
You will see it in the onions, garlic, and other fall crops that
were growing during June and July. It is preserved in jars of
fermented pickles and barrels of sauerkraut which campers helped
me make and package. And it also lives in the hearts of those
that were a part of the Field Camp.
Seth Travins
Shock! Horror! Panic! No, that’s not
the reaction to the recent blackout, that’s the response I
get whenever I ask you to send me material for upcoming issues of
this weekly CSA newsletter. Either that or my repeated requests
are merely met with mailbox silence.
As a result, it is getting awfully lonely out here in
newsletter-land!
So whether it is handwritten, typed, or photocopied; sent via
e-mail, snail mail, or dropped off at the site; containing
recipes, anecdotes or other share-related items – just send
it all to me!
If I don’t hear from you soon, the September issues will
look like this:
Where’s the Tofu?
Okay, if you haven’t figured it out by now, most of the
recipes in this newsletter are the ones that I make at home.
That means that, in addition to the CSA fruits and vegetables,
the recipes often contain meat, poultry, and/or dairy
products.The recipes also reflect my own cooking style, which leans
more towards kitchen experimentation rather than culinary
expertise. Most of the recipes can be adjusted to use whatever
you have on hand and are still quite tasty if not followed
exactly.
So, if certain ingredients aren’t staples in your house,
try leaving them out or making a substitution. And let me know
how it turns out. If you’d like to share your tofu
recipes, I’ll print them in upcoming issues. Of course,
when I make it at home, I’ll probably substitute in some
cooked chicken…
Beet Tartare with Horseradish and Caraway
4 SERVINGS
1 ½ pounds medium beets
2 tsp caraway seeds
1/3 cup minced red onion
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp finely grated fresh horseradish or drained prepared
horseradish
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1 Tbsp finely chopped capers
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tsp minced chives
2 tsp minced parsley
½ tsp fresh lemon juice
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Put the beets in a baking
dish, cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour, or until tender.
When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel and coarsely grate
them.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the caraway seeds over
moderate heat for 1 minute. Transfer to a work surface to cool,
then finely chop.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the red onion with the olive oil,
horseradish, anchovies, vinegar, capers and caraway seeds. Fold
in the beets and season with salt and pepper. Cover and
refrigerate for 1 hour. Stir in the chives, parsley and lemon
juice and serve.
by Eberhard Müller, Food and Wine, September
2003
