{ Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter {

Anticipated August 12^th

· Basil

· Chard

· Cucumbers

· Lettuce

· Scallions

· String Beans

· Summer Squash or Zucchini

Claudia and Conrad Vispo are amazing folks. As PhD ecologists, she is a botanist and he is a biologist, we are privileged to have them as part of our staff. They have, over the past year, filled us with wonder as they explore our valley and teach us about the plant and animal friends that surround and interact with the farm on a daily basis.

Their programs are housed in our farm store and include an ongoing inventory of all our valley wildlife, three separate projects to study our water, our pasture management and our cover cropping techniques in the garden, and even a project to help us count the miles our food travels to reach us at the farm store. The Vispo family (including their two year old son, Otter) are an inspiration for their keen and ongoing interest and reverence for the natural world!

Rachel Schneider, CSA Coordinator

Dear CSA Members:

There are decisions in farming as sure as there are weeds. They are both perk and pitfall. These choices – where to plant, when to till, what animals to raise – are what let the farmer express him or herself, it is what adds the art. At the same time, it is decision-making that adds the risk, the possible responsibility for mistakes and the unpleasant duty of ‘hard decisions’ such as who to cull from a herd.

How are decisions made and what information is necessary? Basically, the farmer must know his/her crops, land and/or animals and, in addition, be willing to make the decisions. The knowledge applied to a decision can include ‘gut feelings’ based on experience, and such scientific data as soil chemistry or milk-based evaluations of an individual cow’s health. The key is that the need for a decision is realized and relevant information sought.

As a farmer, one’s decisions can be right, wrong or good enough. Sometimes the worst occurrence is that of bypassing, consciously or unconsciously, a decision. One might consciously decide to do nothing in a particular instance but by simply recognizing that a point of choice has arisen means that one has realized one’s stewardship responsibility and is a good farmer, at least in that sense.

In relation to our natural surroundings and environment, we are as a people less often ‘good farmers’. There are various reasons for this, some involve the pressures of circumstance. However, many involve simply the innocent overlooking of the fact that there is a decision to be made. Our natural surroundings are composed of numerous seasons, sequences and patterns that occur far from the knowing of most. These might be the meanderings of a stream, the wax and wane of vole populations, or the seasonal progression of butterfly species on a meadow. Trivia to some, these are in fact indicators of Nature’s health, just as pounds of tomatoes, rate of pasture regrowth, or white cell count in milk tell us about the health of our farm.

There are admirable institutional efforts to study the health of our land, but we have lost much of our own hands-on knowledge. This is an unfortunate trend in a democracy. My little call is thus not for a particular decision, but rather simply for awareness. We have slipped unthinkingly towards a society that is increasingly isolated from its surroundings while, at the same time, increasingly affecting those surroundings. There is a need to ‘know the farm’ better, and it is this need that makes programs of citizen science and outdoor based environmental education so important. Being a good citizen, like being a good farmer, entails more than just waking up each morning. It entails engaging heart, mind and senses in trying to understand one’s surroundings and in identifying the decisions that it is our responsibility and privilege to make.

For more information about the Farmscape Ecology Program and how to be involved, contact us (Conrad or Claudia) at 518 672 7500 ext 254, crvispo@wisc.edu, or c/o Hawthorne Valley Farm, 327 Route 21C, Ghent, NY 12075. Some of our work is described on our web page, www.hawthornevalleyfarm.org/fep/fep.htm.

Fennel

If you’ve never used fennel before, here are some tips from Just Food:

All parts of the plant are edible. Cut off the stalks where they meet the bulb, then rinse bulb & stalks.

Bulb - a mild licorice flavor that decreases when cooked. Cut in quarters and remove the tough core. Serve bulb raw in salads (sprinkle with lemon juice to avoid discoloration) or try it grilled, sautéed, baked, braised, or steamed.

Stalks – Best suited for flavoring soups or making stews. Peel the stalk first, or cook and strain it out later.

Leaves – Add raw to salads or use just like dill. Delicious with lemon & butter on baked or broiled fish. Fennel leaves can be dried as any other herb - hang a bunch upside down in a cool well-ventilated place, loosely covered with a paper bag to keep off the dust. When completely dry, store in a glass or plastic container with a tightly fitting lid.

Orange Scented Lamb with Fennel & Greens

This is great served over bulgur with a side dish of steamed green beans dressed with a hot, sweet mustard.

6 ounces boneless leg of lamb

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 ½ pounds fennel, washed and trimmed

3 scallions, cut into thin rounds

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 pound assorted bitter greens (chard, beet greens, kale, etc.)

½ cup broth

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Grated zest from 1 orange

Salt & freshly ground pepper

Wash and dry lamb and cut into 1/8-inch thick strips. Heat a non-stick pan until very hot; reduce heat to medium-high. Add oil and sauté lamb until it is brown on both sides. Remove lamb from pan but reserve juices.

Remove tough core from fennel, then slice fennel into thin strips. Add to the pan with lamb juices and brown. Add scallions and garlic to pan with fennel and continue cooking. When fennel is lightly browned, add the greens, stock & vinegar. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Stir orange zest into pan and add lamb. Heat thoroughly and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

HVF Walks & Tours

Aug 21 Summer Weeds Walk

Aug 28 Farm Tour

Sept 18 Woods & Hedges Walk

RiverdaleCSA@aol.com

Israeli Couscous Salad with Fennel and Goat Cheese

1 medium fennel bulb
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sliced fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 cup couscous, cooked
Lettuce leaves
2.5-oz goat cheese, crumbled
Garnish: fennel fronds

Trim base from fennel bulb; cut bulb into thin strips, reserving fronds for garnish, if desired. Whisk together olive oil and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add fennel strips, bell pepper, olives, and green onions, tossing to coat. Add couscous, and toss lightly.

Arrange lettuce on 6 plates. Top with couscous mixture. Sprinkle with goat cheese, and garnish with fennel fronds, if desired.

Yield: Makes 6 servings
Southern Living, DECEMBER 2000