Last week we heard from Farmer Katy, now we hear from
Farmer Dan.
(If you missed last week’s issue, CSA
newsletters are posted on our web site.)
Dear CSA Members:
A recent family
gathering gave me another point of view on my choice to be a farmer. Around the
farm, there isn’t much questioning of my farming lifestyle. I work in a tight
group of people who are all committed to the same ideals and we are surrounded
by a very supportive community that believes in what we are doing. My family is
mostly removed from agriculture, though. In my family, it has been a few
generations since anyone actively farmed and their current connection to
agriculture is mostly through what they see in the media or as they drive
through the countryside.
When I was with them
recently, they asked me lots of questions about farm life. Some of the
questions reflected a genuine interest in the work and lifestyle of farming.
How early do I get up? What kind of work do I do? What are the pigs like? Other
questions aren’t spoken out loud but are implied. Isn’t farming too much work?
Isn’t the pay too low? Doesn’t “real” farming require the use of mega-machines
covering mega-acreages?
The attitude behind
these unasked questions is that while what I am doing may be nice, it is, at
best, an anachronism that is limited in scope. I got the feeling that my family
tolerated my farming as a passing thing before I settled down to some real
career (which, ironically, in my family is teaching- not exactly a career path
destined for huge financial rewards). After a few days with them, I almost
started to believe them myself.
Yes, farming is a
lot of work and no, the financial rewards are not overwhelming (although I find
them adequate). Despite this, I enjoy farming nearly every day I do it. I enjoy
being outside, working with nature, and working with a great group of people.
But the best part of being a farmer that assuaged my doubts after visiting with
my family hit me when I returned to the farm and saw the first lettuce coming
in from the field.
Farming at
Dan Demaine
Looking Forward to
Next Week
Anticipated for June 23rd
Arugula
Garlic
scapes or scallions
Lettuce
Rainbow
chard
Snap peas
Japanese turnips
Sunday, June 26
CSA STRAWBERRY
PICKING & PICNIC
Join
farm friends and fellow CSA members for a cool day on the farm!
at Thompson-Finch Farm
518-329-7578
at
518-672-4465
Picnic by the creek, followed by your choice of
activity:
Guided
farm tour with Rachel Schneider
Bringing
home the cows for milking
Helping in
the vegetable garden
Ecology
walk with Conrad and
Claudia Vispo, staff ecologists;
Self-guided
walk
YOU’VE GOT MAIL! It is always exciting to get e-mail from other CSA members, especially when there is a tasty recipe they want to share with everyone else! Thanks to the person who sent in this unsigned message:
“Here’s a recipe
I thought might be good for the first few weeks of harvest, when there’s so
much lettuce:”
Lettuce Soup
Serves 4
1
cup chopped onions, scallions and/or shallots
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 Tablespoons sweet butter
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¾ cup diced peeled potato
8
cups coarsely chopped lettuce leaves
with ribs
or
3/4 lb. salad greens (watercress, arugula,
spinach)
3
cups water
Cook
onion mix & garlic in 2 Tbs. Butter in 4-5 quart heavy pot over moderately
low heat, stirring until softened, 3-5 minutes.
Add
coriander, salt & pepper, and stir 1 minute.
Add
potato, lettuce and water, bring to boil, then reduce to simmer, cook covered
until potato is very soft, about 10 min.
Puree
in small batches, transfer to 2-3 qt. saucepan. Return to simmer, whisk
in rest of butter and salt & pepper to taste.
Bok Choy and Snap Pea Salad
This
fresh and light salad is always a hit on hot days. Serves 4.
In a large bowl, toss together:
2 cups torn lettuce leaves
1½ cups thinly sliced Bok Choy leaves & stems
1½ cups snap peas, raw or blanched, halved crosswise
2 radishes, thinly sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
When ready to serve, pour
your favorite Lemon Vinaigrette dressing over salad and toss. To make your own, Combine these ingredients
in a jar with a lid and shake well:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp. hot pepper sauce
Salt to taste
Penne with Goat Cheese &
Chard
1
large bunch chard
2
large yellow onions
2
Tbs. olive oil
1
tsp. butter
salt
to taste
1
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
(or
2 tsp. red wine vinegar)
5
oz. goat cheese
¾
cup pine nuts
1
lb. penne pasta
½
cup white wine
Wash
the chard thoroughly, cut off the thick stems and save for another use. Chop
the leaves and thin inner stems coarsely.
Chop
the onions and sauté in the olive oil and butter until they are soft and
beginning to color. Add the chard and
toss it together with the onions until it wilts. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for
a few more minutes until the chard is tender.
Toss the chard with tiny bit of salt and the vinegar. Crumble the goat cheese and set aside. Lightly toast the pine nuts, stirring them in
a small skillet over medium heat until they begin to turn golden and fill the
air with a fragrance.
Boil
the penne in several quarts of salted water until it is al dente. Just before it's ready, bring the chard back
to high heat and add the white wine.
Drain the pasta. Add the crumbled
cheese to the hot chard mixture, along with the pasta and mix it all together well. Serve at once on warmed plates; sprinkle each
serving with toasted pine nuts. Serves 6
– 8.
from The New Vegetarian
Epicure, by Anna Thomas