Flirting with fame on the farm
Winter time on the farm is supposed to be a time of rest, a time
when the fields are reveling in the frosty mornings while we are
snug in the house catching up on our reading and only beginning to
ponder the plans for next year.
Flirting with fame on the farm
Winter time on the farm is supposed to be a time of rest, a time when the fields are reveling in the frosty mornings while we are snug in the house catching up on our reading and only beginning to ponder the plans for next year.
These are winters of the past now. With the rise in buying local food, farmers in our parts now grow year round in hoop houses or have land in the southern part of our state to fulfill the demand for their food. With the trend in agriculture being as it has in the last few decades, small farms must embrace the opportunity to survive.
Going in to my sixth year of running a Community Supported Agriculture program (where people buy shares of produce in advance in exchange for a weekly box of fresh food), I recall the first years of our program with amusement over the short season we chose to serve people. We began in May back then, this year we rushed to start the first week of February just to quench the thirst of 150 newcomers who joined us during our six-week break for fear they might lose interest if we waited any longer. Six weeks into our 2008 season, and the interest continues to grow.
A year ago a short blurb in Time magazine ignited a surge in folks interested in connecting to local farms giving me the idea to finally put a press kit together. A year has passed and the components of the kit still are awry throughout my office space. 2008 was going to be the year I finally got this out!
I was on this determined path a couple of weeks ago when a national magazine contacted me to see if I was interested in being part of a story about CSAs. I was elated and immediately found myself moving my press kit project to the bottom of my list and clearing a spot in my schedule to meet with the photographer the following week for a photo shoot.
For a week I was flying high on the prospect of this article, wondering how we would handle serious growth should the article produce it. I practiced my lines, thought about how to display what’s growing now, pondered what crops would be the most beautiful for a glossy magazine.
When the morning came for the shoot, the photographer called an hour before she was scheduled to arrive – her son had come down with the flu so she would have to put it off for another week. A week from then was probably better, I thought. It was quite muddy in the fields from the rain we had had over the weekend and there was none scheduled in the coming days. If all goes well, it would be a perfect sunny, pre-spring day.
The following week we met at the designated farm and while there weren’t any blossoms yet on the cherry trees and of course the apple orchards were barren, the landscape was beautiful and green and calm and the few crops in the field were vibrant hues of greens and reds. Surely the photographer could capture some essence of the beauty of this farm in her lens.
After this we visited my parents’ farm, which promised older buildings and bags of food for our members to make this pretty picture complete. The one thing I knew all along, though, is that even though Hollister doesn’t get snow, it still is a wintry landscape this time of year and knowing that this article will run a few months from now, I could not imagine that what there was to photograph would fit in to the imagery the magazine was looking for. Though the photographer was nice and engaging, in the back of my head I was beginning to wonder if this was a waste of her time.
After she bought a few bags of compost and we exchanged thank you’s, she went on her way. She never said what would be of use for their article, if anything, but my gut tells me while there may be a mention of my CSA in the article, my program will not be a highlight in the magazine per se. But that’s ok. The fact that a national publication noticed us and came to Hollister to see what we are about is a milestone for my program. And you never know – perhaps the barren apple trees will have been enough.
Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Red Pepper Flakes
1 pound dried spaghetti
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, plus more if desired
1/4 cup chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander, reserving 2 tablespoons of the pasta water. The reserved pasta water will help create the sauce. Do not rinse pasta with water — you want to retain the pasta’s natural starches so that the sauce will stick.
In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until light brown and fragrant. It’s important not too burn the garlic or else it will become bitter. Remove and discard the browned garlic. Add the red pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute. Carefully add the reserved pasta water and stir to combine. Place the spaghetti into the pan and mix well for 1 minute.
Remove pan from heat and top with fresh herbs.
Roasted Beet, Spinach & Walnut Salad
5 tbsp olive oil
3-4 beets, whole
1 large onion, cut in half
½ cup walnut pieces
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups spinach, cleaned
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Lightly brush a baking sheet with olive oil and roast beets with onions in a preheated 400 degree oven until beets are tender- approx. 30-45 min. For the last 5 minutes of roasting, add the walnuts to the pan.
Whisk the remaining olive oil with the balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper until well blended. Slice the beets and onions and peel.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and toss with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with feta cheese on top for garnish.
Becky Herbert grew up in Hollister, and today is the proprietor of Eating with the Seasons (eatwiththeseasons.com).
