This last photo is a bit disturbing: mountains covered in forests of brown, dead pine trees in an area of Colorado. Apparently a small beetle is the cause of the devastation. Climate change will affect us all more severely than we expect, as these bugs move in to new areas and their populations explode. Another reason to read the Green Guide and start doing things to fight global warming. Brighton is doing something about it, is your town?
We visited Full Belly Farm, the CSA I used to be an intern at, where I first got to experience the full-time farming life. They just keep expanding. Over 1200 CSA members, they sell to every local gourmet restaurant in the Bay Area, grow fruits, nuts, sheep, chickens, dry beans, mill their own corn and wheat flour, and the second generation is starting a catering business.
We liked hanging out with their animals. We want to do hens like this-- happy hens that run around eating bugs and green grass. This makes the yolks so orange! And the jersey cows, we want one of those too. (Eventually)
We visited friends in Los Angeles for a few days, and got a glimpse at the glamorous farmers markets in Santa Monica and Hollywood. Things cost a bit more, and there are avocado, citrus fruit, and olive oil vendors, but things are about the same. Except they have this really cool cafe right next to the Hollywood Farmers Market, called the Farmers Kitchen. They use surplus produce from farmers, host classes for the community, and make jams and sauces. Part of the same non-profit that runs the markets. Nice!
And of course, we did some barn dancin'... this at Pie Ranch, near Santa Cruz. I can't wait until we get a barn someday and we can have a string band play for a bunch of smiling people twirling around.
Now on to the urban farms of San Francisco. We had heard much good press about a few projects in particular. Hayes Valley Farm is one amazing place, set on an empty lot (a whole block actually) owned by the city, that used to be a freeway ramp before the '89 earthquake. It had lain vacant since then, becoming a forest of ivy and trash. Some inspired folks turned it into a center for educating urban dwellers about growing food.
Because they only intend on occupying the space temporarily (the lot will no doubt get developed soon-- it is San Francisco after all), they decided to leave the asphalt and concrete in place, and simply build soil on top of it, that they can then move to other gardens when the bulldozers come. What a creative concept! They throw down layers of cardboard 5 feet thick, then a bunch of horse manure, then wood chips-- all of which they can get delivered for almost nothing, and which biodegrade into a rich soil.
They plant lots of leguminous plants to enrich the soil with more nitrogen, and when we visited, they were harvesting swiss chard, collards, broccoli, lettuce, arugula, and more.
Their big mission seems to be community education and empowerment-- we participated in a thorough tour of the place, guided by a volunteer, with 30 other folks. It's a hot spot. People from the neighborhood were weeding, pruning, and harvesting, and learning about beneficial insects and companion plants.
They even had this solar-charging station, where you could sit at a table and plug in your laptop, phone, moped, etc.
Another cool garden project in the city was the "Free Farm" located on a vacant lot where a church had burned down, right downtown. They had beehives, fruit trees, and beautiful crops of fava beans and kale.
We took some time to see a beach or two.
The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is one of the biggest and fanciest around. The historic Ferry Building was renovated to be a permanent indoor market, with local vendors set up to sell things like wild mushrooms, organic beef jerky, and fresh oysters.
One of the largest "stores" in this foodie shopping mall was Capay Farms - the largest CSA in the country. They deliver CSA boxes all over the west coast.
A bit less flashy, but just as noble, is Alemany Farm, located on a piece of unwanted ground in San Francisco-- right next to the freeway, housing projects, and on a steep slope.
But it was inspiring to see how many volunteers came out for the work day. We helped them weed, mulch, and fertilize their apple trees. We had fava greens and kale for dinner.
Another inspiring story is Little City Gardens, a one-acre lot crammed in between rows and rows of houses, hosting two young entrepreneurs who want to see if they can make money farming in the city. An ambitious goal indeed.
They just got started, and plan on selling their crops to restaurants, mostly focusing on salad mixes. Land tenure was the main issue-- with the land valued at two million dollars it would be impossible to buy. Another issue that came up unexpectedly was the fact that it is illegal to sell crops grown in San Francisco! They are working on changing this outdated law, so they can continue on with their business plan.
Me and Brooke in her cabbage and kale rows...
Luke and I attended the Eco-Farm Conference, the biggest organic farming conference on the west coast. We learned LOTS and met a bunch of great people. Here are some photos from a bus tour of farms in the Salinas Valley we went on!
This greenhouse is filled with basil. It smelled great, as you can imagine, and was about 95 degrees. This contraption below is a "Bug-Vac"... organic farmers have to be creative, you know.
You may have seen herbs from this farm in your supermarket-- look for "Jacob's Farm" or "Del Cabo", in little plastic clamshells. Although I applaud them for practicing chemical-free growing, I still question the need for a million square feet of greenhouses and excess consumer packaging for a crop that everyone could grow easily on their back porch (or U-Pick at their local CSA farm!) 
On the bus ride through the valley we passed a lot of fields that looked like this:
Any guess what is growing there?
Strawberries. Yep, almost all the strawberries in the country come from this place. That's right, those Driscoll Berries you bought at Wegman's last week, they were grown in these fields of plastic. The black plastic mulch keeps the weeds down, and warms the soil. You can use straw to keep the weeds down too (that's probably how strawberries got their name). But no one uses straw here, not even the organic growers. Everything is streamlined, and operations are often thousands of acres. And don't even get me started about Methyl Iodide, used for soil fumigation. The land is so expensive, due to amazing soils and nearby development pressure, that farmers can't afford to rest the land in cover crops, or sometimes even plant anything but strawberries. So they have a lot of diseases from growing strawberries after strawberries for years in the same ground. So they sterilize the ground with some pretty nasty chemicals. Below you can see the hedgerow of native plants (on the right) planted by the organic farmer we were visiting-- a stark contrast. A pocket of diversity and verdant life in a sea of sterility. After seeing those expanses of plasticized fields I think differently when I see a strawberry now. Hopefully we can grow some soon!
On our way back to the conference, we stopped by an organic sheep dairy and tasted some delicious cheese. It was run by two young women farmers, and they were just starting out. There is an amazing number of dedicated young people who are getting into the organic farming movement, and it is inspiring to see. I look forward to getting back to the east coast, though, where water is plentiful and land is more affordable.
Oh, and did we mention that we took the train out here? Amtrak, all the way -- New York to California in three days. Can't wait for the ride back.
One thing I have done a lot of in the last few years is give powerpoint presentations about the farm, the CSA model, and the importance of buying local & organic. I've talked to church groups, rotary clubs, business group luncheons, college classrooms, country clubs, and more. Roasted Vegetables (from MarthaStewart.com)
Instead of plain-old white mashed potatoes, get your holiday starch from beta-carotene-rich vegetables such as butternut squash and carrots.
*Farmer Erin's Note: You can use almost any vegetable in this roast. Any winter squash, celeriac, turnips, radishes (they're delicious cooked!), fennel, potatoes, cabbage, onions, garlic, etc. We like throwing in some apple chunks too. Also you can use other herbs like sage, parsley, thyme, etc.
Ingredients
Serves 8
Directions
1. Combine the vegetables and rosemary on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Cover with foil.
2. Place the vegetables on the second rack in the oven. Roast 1 1/2 hours, uncover, and roast 30 minutes longer, tossing occasionally until vegetables are tender and golden brown.
Carrots & Rutabaga Mash
Ingredients
Directions
Boil carrots and rutabaga together until just soft. Drain and add butter. Smash together using either a potato masher or food processor until it looks like a puree. Season with lots of pepper and a little salt. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fresh parsley
Garlicky Kale Crostini (MarthaStewart.com)
Ingredients
Serves 4
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place bread on a large baking sheet. Transfer to oven until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and rub cut sides of bread with 1 clove garlic; set aside.
3. Chop remaining 3 cloves garlic; set aside. Wash and drain kale; do not dry. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add kale and cook, stirring to coat with oil; season with salt. Cover and reduce heat to medium, cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. If leaves begin to scorch, add a splash of water to skillet.
4. Transfer kale to one side of skillet and add 1 tablespoon olive oil to bare side of skillet; add reserved chopped garlic and the red pepper flakes. When garlic is fragrant, stir to combine with kale.
5. Remove skillet from heat and add vinegar; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper; serve on toasted bread slices warm or at room temperature.
Kale Chips
Serves 12 to 15
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss kale with oil, and spread in a single layer on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake, tossing kale and rotating sheets halfway through, until crisp, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets. Sprinkle with lemon zest and salt, and toss to coat.
Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing (from MarthaStewart.com)
Ingredients
Serves 8
Directions
1. Toss 2 large bunches curly kale, center ribs discarded, very thinly sliced crosswise (about 10 cups); 1 yellow, orange, or red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, halved crosswise and thinly sliced lengthwise; and 2 carrots, thinly sliced crosswise, in a large bowl.
2. Puree 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup salted peanuts, 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt in a blender until smooth.
3. Pour dressing over vegetables just before serving. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped.
| 4 | heaping cups coarsely diced kuri squash seeds and skin removed (buy a 2 -3 pound kuri squash) |
| 1 | quart vegetable stock |
| 3 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 1 | medium yellow onion, sliced |
| 1 | sweet apple, cored and sliced |
| 1 | teaspoon ground cinnamon |
| – | Pinch of cayenne pepper |
| 1-2 | teaspoons salt |
| ½ | teaspoon freshly ground pepper |
Creamy Red Kuri Squash Soup with Cinnamon
Louisa Shafia’s new cookbook Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco -Conscious Life
(can substitute any kind of winter squash)
Serves
4-6
Directions
Place the squash in a soup pot with the stock and a dash of salt and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Simmer, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes.
Drain the squash, reserving all the stock.
Using the same pot, over high heat add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add onion and saute until it begins to brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Add the apple, cinnamon, cayenne, and a dash of salt and saute until the apples are soft and lightly browned, about 5-8 minutes.
In batches, if necessary, combine the squash, onion, apple, and stock in a blender. Puree until smooth, adding the remaining tablespoon of olive oil as it blends. Add a little extra stock or water if the soup is too thick.
Taste and season with salt. Serve hot with a few grinds of black pepper.
Parsnip-Apple Mash
Earthy parsnips are sweetened with apples and blended into a delightfully silky puree.
Ingredients
Serves 10 to 12
Directions
1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook parsnips in a single layer until just golden on bottoms, about 10 minutes. Flip, and add apples, water, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Raise heat to medium-high, and simmer, covered, until parsnips and apples are very soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered to retain moisture, until slightly cooled, about 5 minutes. Puree mixture in a blender until smooth. With machine running, add remaining tablespoon butter.
Celery Root & Potato Puree
This easy side dish is an impressively tasteful (and uncomplicated) addition to any holiday meal.
Ingredients
Serves 8
Directions
1. Set a steamer basket in a large pot. Fill with enough water to come just below basket; bring to a boil. Add celery root and potatoes; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Working in batches, transfer celery root, potatoes, half-and-half, and butter to a food processor; puree until smooth. Season with salt. (To store, refrigerate, up to 1 day. Reheat in a heatproof bowl set over, not in, a pan of simmering water.)
Celery Root and Apple Slaw
Celery root, also called celeriac, has a crunchy texture and a mild celery taste that pair well with tart green apple and a savory-sweet dressing. Allow enough time to let the slaw stand so that the flavors have a chance to mingle.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and toss. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
Creamy Celeriac Soup
I've been meaning to pick up some celeriac for awhile now, just because it may be the ugliest vegetable in the grocery store. People are always passing it by, poor thing. On the outside it's a tangled mess of dirty, fuzzy roots and knobs, but once peeled it has the faint aroma of celery, a pale color, and a smooth texture. While I always thought it was simply the root of a celery plant it's actually a related, but separate, species. Above ground it grows a few stalks and leaves, but the majority of the growth happens underground in the root. This preparation, which I found on the River Cottage website, is a very classic French approach to the vegetable, pureed in a soup.
- makes 4 servings –
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1-2 celeriac (about 2 pounds), peeled and roughly chopped
1 large leek, sliced (about 3/4 pound)
1 smallish potato, diced (about 1/4 pound)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
7 tablespoons (3.5 ounces) heavy cream
Salt and pepper
3 slices good thick bacon, cut into 1/2 inch strips
Procedure
1. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the celeriac, potato, garlic, and onion, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables gentle until they soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes until the celeriac is completely tender.
3. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a skillet until just crispy, then drain on paper towels.
4. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth (or use an immersion blender). Return to medium heat, and season to taste. Whisk in the cream and serve immediately, topped with the bacon.
