The Weekly Bushel #18, 2009
LotFotL
The Weekly Bushel #18
September 14, 2009
Greetings! Hope your weekend was restful. With the kids (yours, not mine) back in school, the leaves of at least a couple select trees beginning to change colors, and the pollen racking so many people's nasal tracks, fall has declared itself no longer too distant a reality. Still plenty of warm days ahead, as is obvious today. But enough of the weather talk. We've got a great share in store for you, and some exciting news too.
Shares til Thanksgiving?
While the premature loss of tomatoes is chagrinning to say the least, our potato crop has thus not been affected by blight. We still have several tons of onions to harvest too, as well as many many types of roots, that will likely be bulk harvested after first frost, and stored. As such, we're exploring the option of extending the CSA season for at least an additional 2 weeks, and hopefully even longer, depending on how late the ground freezes up. Shares would be sold on a weekly or bi-weekly basis until we're out of food to provide an adequate share. Pricing is still to be determined. Included in these shares would be comprised of an assortment of red, yukon gold, and assorted fingerling potatoes, beets, carrots, celeriac, salsify, red and yellow onions, spinach and leafy greens (assuming they survive early frosts), leeks and baby leeks, cauliflower and broccoli, brussel sprouts, turnips of all color, rutabagas, and more. Delivery will be an option, though we may need to shift up when and where things are delivered a bit. If this is as exciting to you as it is to me, let me know that you're interested as soon as possible. I'll be hashing through the details of how all of this will work, largely based on the responses I get from you all. Please respond with thoughts on if you'd prefer a weekly, bi-weekly, or occasional fall/winter share.
I sat down to write about football and this is what I've come up with. Sometimes I wonder about me.
I'm obsessed with football, or so I must be. Whenever I get a break in the action of my indoor activities, my impulses drive me away from whatever I had set next on my list, and onto yahoo sports updates about who said what in which opulent locker room.
If researchers of the social phenomenon of multitasking had time to put my skills to the test, they'd bow their heads low in a humbled expression of honor, immediately quit their day jobs, and convert to the realm of organic farming laborers, or so I dream. I'd have Interns galore, and what records we could keep!
I bring multitasking and football up to make note of just how challenging it is to be clear, complete, and not distracted in this new world of ours. Some of this challenge may be all the more visceral because I'm not sure we've articulated just what we're here for in the first place. Is it the pursuit of money, information, both, or the simple pursuit of that which is in front of us immediately that we're after? All societies need a central vision, and for their members to strive toward that goal. Societies that do not exist to further the pursuits of the women and men who comprise the group surely wouldn't be in existence for very long. This point is self evident. I'm sure the buddhist city that always played Metallica on loud speakers during prayer, the small pirate guild that donated all they stole to local orphanages, and the fishing village that used mass electrocution instead of hooks to catch fish, are all destined for swift ruin, or at least vast redefinition. But more importantly, they are societies that are not contrived toward actions that best benefit the buddhist monks, pirates, or fisherman amongst them. They have a goal, namely to seek enlightenment, steal from people with boats, and catch fish forever.
As humans, we ask questions, often, about what the purpose of life is. This is a bigger question than "so Chauncey, what do you want to be when you grow up." Whether divinely inspired, a necessary condition of our different-but-better evolution from the animal kingdom, or just because "mama says so," it's there.
Some aims need effort to be achieved, and some do not. My focus in this piece is to talk only about aims which take some toiling and are not easily gotten, for any goal achieved without working toward it, is not worth its weight in couchdust. The aim here then is to explore what a good life might look like, and what makes it up, how society's structure plays a role, and also to explore personal responsibility within this construct.
One example of the "good life" comes from my own bastardized recollection of Karl Marx. Marx, the first Marxist (bigger, badder, and meaner than a socialist, plus they drink blood!), had this vision for mankind, and probably mostly for men. He thought that in the societies that followed his principles to a great degree that the average communard (what a word) could live as a woodworker by day, fisherman in the afternoon, and poet in the evening. On its face, what a cohesive life indeed that would be, one rich, full, and rewarding. Your work would benefit society directly, everyday. You'd use tools of all types, each suited to each action, but all of which would require refinement of your skills. It's easy, if you allow yourself to be fanciful, to look at that world with some hippie-esque shades on to see how fulfilling a world that would be. For Marx, I think this was the goal, and communism, or communalism in less large of a form, was the vehicle to get there.
I can't help but wonder how Marx would have factored Facebook into his calculus of the complete life vis a vis living together with others. Would Marx's ideal type also have shattered the freecell record score on each of their computers? What background style would the Ubermensch of Neitzsche put atop his twitter account? Technology at its current stage, brings about innumerable distractions, quickly and with little ease. On the flipside, someone today with little resources, both financial and mentorial, can learn how to fix things, on the spot. Directions on how to gut a fish, finish a cherry cabinet, or appropriately structure a haiku are certainly available on my i phone whenever I must call upon them. Does it matter then to know the things that can be told to you on demand by something outside yourself? It does, of course, if quality is what you seek.
I look back then at my recent football fetish, and my ability to listen to pandora on my phone while typing this and making lunch, all the while seeing what the pundits say about health care reform, and simply wonder this: Is it possible to be the people we wish to be with all forms of information and entertainment so nearby? How much time could Marx's prototype have spent restraining his impulses toward that which was both immediately available and immediately stimulating? And is there a way of being a renaissance person entirely within a computerized world, living full enriching lives around so many decisions? Does a hypertechnical world create paranoid, insecurity, or are the paranoid and insecure simply its only vocal critics?
As great and positive as it is to have all information at your fingertips, and I truly think it's great, I find for myself an inability to master the medium, to patten my life in a way that leads me to use the tools for the jobs they are designed for, and not simply for the end of using the tools. I end up assumming that other people, perhaps with only a chuckle of guilt, find themselves doing this same thing, though it need not be true. If I were a little less id driven, maybe this would be no issue. I'd stay away from my computer more. And truth told, it's of no great consequence that a couple times a day I check out what people are talking about around the NFL, or work on more things than I can adequately pay attention to.
But, this technical isn't something the high minded portions of my being value. It is a release only, from the challenges and drudgery of the day. And the life I lead, feeling quite fulfilled most of the time, shouldn't have this itsy bitsy need for release. A simple answer then is, don't do it.But what does it mean that I want and require such things that i really do not want and require?
In the end though, I'm no shrink, but a hack of a philosopher, I guess, for lack of better words. In that tradition then: So long as life is enriching to you, do as you will with great joy. So long as life is incoherent to you, do as you will with great trepidation. So long as life is disturbing to you, do as little as possible, greatly.
The Food!
As promised, a great share awaits you on wednesday and saturday of this week. We're still giving out what tomatoes we have, and will continue to do so at least this and next week. I know they've been mealy and not impressive at all, but as I figure it, a mealy local tomato, picked a day before being eaten, is still far superior to a mealy one trucked in from never never land, even if it isn't the tomato-slice sandwich-type tomato it should be. Plus, if you're like me, you've waited a very long time for tomato season. We're also rolling out our very first watermelons of the year. We'll start with sunshine (yellow flesh) and then move to more traditional varieties. Next week will see the continuance of potatoes and onions in shares, as well as a return of peppers, and more cauliflower.
This Week's Share
- Winter Squash
- Watermelon or muskmelon
- Baby Bok Choy-use as a salad green if you don't wish to cook it
- Cabbage-red or greeen
- Potatoes-unsure of variety at this time. May be red, yukon, or fingerling
- D'avingnon radishes-not very spicy, but nice and evenly flavored
- Tomatoes-romas or others
- Cauliflower-tasty. some may have slight purple or yellow coloration. nothing to be concerned with, just not perfectly blanched
- Baby leeks-my favorite allium, besided garlic
- Lettuce/salad
- Yellow onions
- Basil-only a couple more weeks. didn't do well in the cold a couple weeks back. won't survive frost
Fixins
Easy Indian Aloo Gobi
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/easygobialoo.htm
Aloo gobi is a vegetarian Indian recipe consisting of spiced potatoes and cauliflower. Although it's been around for years, aloo gobi recently achieved world-wide fame through the popular British football (soccer, if you're American!) film "Bend it Like Beckham". This vegetarian aloo gobi recipe won't disappoint. Vegetarian Indian food is all about the use of a combination of spices for amazing flavors, so make sure you've got the necessary spices on hand before you begin making this aloo gobi recipe. See also: More vegetarian Indian food recipes
Ingredients:
3 potatoes, choppedwater for boiling1 cauliflower, chopped1/2 onion, sliced1 tsp coriander1 tsp cumin1/2 tsp turmeric1/4 tsp ground cloves1/4 tsp ginger2 bay leaves3 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp lemon juice1/3 cup water
Preparation:
Boil the potatoes in water for about 15 minutes, or until just barely tender. Remove from heat and drain. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the spices and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the onion, cauliflower and potatoes.
Allow the veggies to cook for 3 to 5 more minutes, then add the lemon juice and water.
Cover and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until cauliflower is done cooking.
Serve your vegetarian aloo gobi alone or with rice if desired.
Baby Bok Choy Salad
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=165586
Ingredients
4 cups baby bok choy, shredded
2 tbsp pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 green onion, sliced thinly
Dressing:
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsps sugar or sweetener equivalent
Directions
Toss the salad ingredients together.
Mix dressing in a screw top jar (shake shake shake). Pour on salad and toss. Yummy!
Number of Servings: 4
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user RODENTMAMA.
Number of Servings: 4
Rustic Cabbage Soup Recipe
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/rustic-cabbage-soup-recipe.html
This one sounds delicious!!!!
Chances are I'm not making my own stock on the average weeknight. I am a big fan of Rapunzel Herb Bouillon (available at many stores), I use about 1/2 of one cube in a soup like this to kick things off - it makes a nice, light but flavorful broth. I'll crush it into a powder and add it to the pot just before I add water. I had some Rancho Gordo flageolet beans already cooked so I used them here, but no worries if you have to turn to the can. For the vegans out there, just skip the Parmesan, and you're in business.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch of salt
1/2 pound potatoes, skin on, cut 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 cups stock (see head notes)
1 1/2 cups white beans, precooked or canned (drained & rinsed well)
1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
more good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 5 minutes - it's o.k. to uncover to stir a couple times. Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for another minute or two. Add the stock and the beans and bring the pot to a simmer. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a couple more minutes, until the cabbage softens up a bit. Now adjust the seasoning - getting the seasoning right is important or your soup will taste flat and uninteresting. Taste and add more salt if needed, the amount of salt you will need to add will depend on how salty your stock is (varying widely between brands, homemade, etc)...
Serve drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a generous dusting of cheese.
Serves 4.
Thanks for reading, and Happy Eating!Sincerely,
tim huth
LotFotL Community Farm
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