FRIENDS AND TOMATOES.
We were so lucky to have a dear friend of Jesse's stay with us last week, and while he was here, he helped us finish stringing up our tomatoes in our garden by the cabin. The garden is looking lovely, and the tomato plants are doing well. We have been dreaming about tomato sandwiches for weeks now....thanks for the help Aaron!
GROUNDING.
It has occurred to me over these last few weeks just how much I need the garden. Last Saturday, for example, and several of the previous Saturdays, when I came home from market I found myself physically compelled to spend the last few hours of the day in the garden. And not because I had something specific to get done––I was simply in need of some grounding.Because it can be polarizing and contentious, I rarely talk about religion on the blog. We want this to be a place for anyone to come and not feel preached to (about religion––no guarantees when it comes to food ethics), and I will not fully betray that here. But I must address religion in order to talk about my relationship to the garden––to grounding––because it is unlike any relationship I've had before. With work, with church, I have never felt about a place like I feel about the garden. I go there to think and, in my own way, to be with God.For most of my life I have been more or less agnostic: never fully comfortable with the idea of believing in something inherently intangible; never fully comfortable believing in nothing. But the garden is a place where my feelings about religion resolve themselves. In the garden I have no need for faith in something greater than myself because, come Spring, I rapidly find myself almost buried in the proof of it. I spend most of my days just trying to keep all the proof from swallowing the carrot bed, from pecking the tomatoes, from grazing the sweet potatoes.I've written about this before, about how as the farmer I work to create an environment in which food can grow, but something else altogether does the growing––something I can't see. And when I go to the gardens on Saturday evenings, or any day really, I feel as if I am connecting to that force, and working alongside it. As I work I can feel my body calming, my anxiety slowing and with each row I cultivate, I become more and more at peace.I love going to market and enjoy selling food, but I need the garden. I need the garden like some might need Sunday Church or to have The Bible or The Koran or The Torah or The Big Lebowski at their bedsides. I go there for answers and I go there for grounding, which for me simply means to re-connect to the land, to Nature, to a force I cannot explain. And most Saturdays you can find me in the garden, trying to keep my perspective on why we do all this, dirty, sun-burned, sweat-drenched and working alongside God, taking care of this bountiful paradise we inherited. It feels funny to say, but I am without a doubt the most religious I've ever been, and all that has changed is that now I listen to the garden.- Jesse.
NATHAN AND MICHELLE.
We have fallen madly in love with our Bowling Green farming community over the last year or so, and two of the leaders of that amazing local food movement are building a commercial kitchen. Michelle and Nathan of Need More Acres are absolutely irrepressible in their devotion to this community and they inspire us dearly. When people like Wendell Berry say "think globally and act locally," these are the people making that a reality. That is why we would like you to join us in helping them––as they helped us when we were in need––in funding their commercial kitchen on their brand new farm.Recognizing that not all consumers who want to support local food can cook all of their own meals, Nathan and Michelle's goal is to help give schools and customers a chance to buy prepared foods made with local ingredients. Of course, to sell prepared foods one must first meet the state and local requirements which is where the commercial kitchen comes into play.This wonderful new site they are using, Kiva Zip, allows you to loan or donate money to projects, and the loans are paid back over time and without interest. Please join us in supporting this amazing couple.- Jesse.
SPICY GARLIC SCAPE RELISH RECIPE.
Every year in the late Spring we pick off the flower stems growing on top of our hard neck garlic – the scape, or pigtail, as the flower is often referred. Removing these undeveloped flowers encourages the garlic plant to put its energy into creating a larger bulb for later harvest. But farmers soon find themselves with as many scapes as they have garlic plants. Luckily for us, garlic scapes are a special kind of tasty.Scapes taste a bit like garlicky green onions, and are great in stir-fry or salad. But still, if you have a lot of garlic, it's hard to use them all before they lose their freshness. That is why this easy relish is an excellent way to keep the scapes around a little longer and to turn them into an exciting and versatile summer condiment.Makes one quart.
Cut your scapes into inch-long pieces. Toss in mixing bowl with lemon zest, and peppercorns then stuff into mason jar until at least three quarters full. Dissolve salt into room temperature, non-chlorinated water then pour brine over scape mixture in jar. Fill jar within one inch of top. Since this is a ferment, you'll need to leave room for expansion. Place a small sandwich bag of water overtop of the ferment to keep the solids submerged below the brine. Cover jar with small piece of cloth and secure with string or rubber band. Set the relish on the countertop to ferment for at least seven days then transfer to either a dark cellar or refrigerator while waiting for fresh peppers to come in season. It's nice to allow the flavors to marry for at least a week or two, longer if possible. When fresh peppers are available, blend garlic scapes in food processor with fresh peppers and cilantro (if desired). Serve as salsa, our use as a relish with your summer grilling. Anything from eggs to potato hash to hamburgers will find this spicy relish to be an ideal compliment. Keep in refrigerator or cellar between uses. Will last months in right conditions.