Farmers Market Newsletter Sample

MARIQUITA FARM NEWSLETTER

Issue Number 179–May 9th, 2003

http://www.mariquita.com

Table of Contents:

1) Featured This Week:

2) List of products this week

3) Julia's notes

4) Eat Me

5) Fava Upick Details

6) Photo Links

7) Dinner in the Field on May 26th, Memorial Day

8) Recipes

9) About this newsletter

10) Weather Link

11) Ferry Plaza Farmers Market: Where and When and Where to Park

12) Unsubscribe

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1) Featured this Week at Mariquita Farm: Arugula and Sunshine

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2) This Week at The Mariquita Market Stall:

Vegetables: Arugula, Fava Beans, Spring Garlic, Quelites de Ceniza, Purple Plum Radishes

Herbs this week: Marjoram, Greek Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, and Thyme

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3) from Julia: Fava Upick this Saturday, 12-5. Reply to this email for directions. See Andy's article below for literary details, and facts below that for technical details.

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4) Eat Me?

On the threshold of Wonderland Alice ate from a little cake decorated with currants that spelled out "eat me" and she grew taller. Alice drank from a little bottle labeled "drink me" and she grew smaller. "Curiouser and curiouser," thought Alice, for it seemed as though nothing was impossible any longer. Modern agriculture has fallen down a hole into a weird world, too, and farmers find themselves reaching out for one kind of chemical input to make commercial organisms grow larger and another to make uncommercial life shrink or go away. The chemical industry's most enthusiastic boosters suggest that we all live in a world where nothing is impossible any longer, but whether their products can usher us all into a synthetic wonderland is an topic for debate.

It is true that agricultural yields, measured over a short term in the absence of any full cost accounting, can be shown to have dramatically risen with the introduction of chemical fertilizers and biocides. It is also true that chemical by-products, drifts, and runoffs have contaminated our air, soil, and water resources. Partisans and lobbyists for every perspective around this complex knot of issues wield their statistics like mallets. It's an important controversy, all right; it's about how we feed and clothe ourselves - pretty basic - but I find the arguments depressing, warped, and wonky. I get bored. Besides, as someone who talks too much anyway, I find non-verbal logic more compelling. I invite you to come down to my farm this Saturday and experience the issue the way I do.

As you enter our gate a three acre field lies to your right planted out in melons and potatoes. Because the weed pressure is so intense in this field (first year of production!) I've planted the melons right through a sun blocking, black plastic mulch-film. Our farm is alive with beetles that might chew the young melons to death so I've cloaked them in a translucent, permeable, reusable woven fiberglass fabric for their protection. Walk between the silvery white rows and you might see little nettles and quelites popping up. These "weeds" can be read as indicators that point to a soil that is rich and well-drained. Is it any surprise that these plants should themselves be nutritious and tasty to eat? Stoop and touch them. The nettle will sting you and the quelites feel soft as velvet, two polar opposite expressions of vitality. As far as I'm concerned touch is an argument worth listening to.

Continue past a hedge of elderberry trees just beginning to flower and you will see a small stand of tomatoes. The tomatoes are young and healthy. Inside of two weeks we will stake them. Breathe deeply. Can you smell the sweet fragrance of the elderblossoms on the breeze? Maybe we are irrigating with kelp on the farm. Can you smell the briny ocean? Pass another elderhedge and you come to planting of 30,000 basil plants, six varieties in all. On a warm day when they are full grown you can smell them too. Aroma is an argument that is hard to refute.

Stop and listen. You may hear hawks, crows, quail, or songbirds. If the sun is out you will hear the buzz of bees gathering nectar in the fava patch or flying over head in the elder flowers. Enter the favas and push your way through the thick stand. You will likely startle a pheasant. The pheasant will likely startle you, too, as it explodes into flight right at your feet. The ancient Chinese said the sound of a pheasant's sudden flight was the awakening of yang, and the opposite of a snake's yin hiss. You'll find little garter snakes on our farm too, if you look. Yin and yang, birds and bees, pheasant and snake: nature's music is beyond logic.

When you get to the end of the fava planting you have reached the end of our farm. A grassy buffer divides the properties I farm from the neighbor's large conventional tomato field. Scalded by chemical salts, withered by herbicides, and left bare to erode under winter rains my neighbor's field represents everything distorted about our agriculture. It is anonymous, contaminated, monocultural production under absentee ownership, managed with short term vision that sees cheapness as the highest value. Eat me?

When I looked today they were tractoring up the ground to break the cement-like crust that had developed over the winter so they could drill in preplant chemicals. Since these guys have no use for crop rotation strategies I'm guessing their next step will be to transplant tomatoes again. ...and again...until the land is too wasted and riven with disease. Then they'll move on to some other ground. The next lessee will then fumigate in an effort to "control" the pathogens they cultivated with their unbalanced farming practices. If you walk any further you're trespassing on their land so you might as well turn your back. Maybe this farmer's bank account feels good, smells good, and sounds good, but I wonder.

Looking north again you'll see tall cover crops swaying in the breeze. Ten lifetimes wouldn't be enough for me to learn all the complex biotic relationships at work in a healthy agricultural ecosystem...or how I as a farmer can best foster them in our present economic climate. Our farm can improve alot but our favas are beautiful. The elders are beautiful. All of the bugs and critters creeping and crawling and flying are beautiful. Sometimes the crops are beautiful. Shouldn't beauty be an argument? Touch me, smell me, hear me, see me, and if I'm beautiful you'll want to eat me and drink me too. My idea of wonderland is a place where people have an opportunity to know what kind of world they are buying into when they spend their money. So come on down. Pick some favas. Let the kids play hide and go seek in the beans. Enjoy a spring day and keep your eyes open. You just might see a rabbit, or a caterpillar on a mushroom.

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5) Fava Upick this Saturday at our farm in Hollister

Saturday, May 10th from 12 noon to 5pm in Hollister, CA. (About 2 hours or a little less from SF).

First 5 pounds of favas you pick are free, after that they will be 50 cents a pound. All are welcome.

Andy has inherited a huge cauldron and plans on boiling water in it over a fire so you can make edamame-style favas right there. (yes, he finally gave up on making fava bean soup for everyone, he would have to put all the crew on shelling the favas the day or two before, and they have too much spring planting to do!) Andy will also have a barbeque going, you're welcome to bring something to grill. Bring other food to share or to eat on your own, or just come to pick favas and leave, we're flexible. RSVP by replying to this email for directions. Please do this by Friday night, I won't check email after about 7pm Friday until Sunday night or Monday morning. (Andy will likely have a sign out on Saturday afternoon.)

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6) Photo Link

Here's a photo of our arugula bunches. We treat it as a vegetable, not an herb. (the bunches are generous) http://www.mariquita.com/images/photogallery/arugula.jpg

And a link to the photo gallery in case you have DSL and time:

http://www.mariquita.com/images/photogallery/f.html

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7) Dinner in the Field in Watsonville on Memorial Day

on Monday, May 26th, we will have a farm dinner in the middle of the field at High Ground Organics. High Ground is our partner farm in our Community Supported Agriculture program we call Two Small Farms. Joseph Manzare of Globe in San Francisco will prepare an elegant meal, featuring the produce of both our farms. Josh Jensen of Calera Vineyards in Hollister will pour wines to match the courses. Andy of Mariquita and Stephen of High Ground will be there to answer questions about farming; Stephen will give a tour of his unique farm: half is in conservation and wild habitat rehabilitation, the other half is in organic farming, thanks to special easements that will keep the land that way in perpetuity. Stephen's beds of organic flowers and his strawberries should be at their peak.

A portion of the proceeds of this dinner will go to Literacy for Environmental Justice: a non profit in San Francisco helping connect youth of Hunters Point and other neighborhoods get involved to improve their communities. One project they are working on is getting food into the neighborhood of Hunters Point. Many residents go to convenience stores to purchase food because there isn't much of a grocery store there. One of their projects is to work with these existing convenience stores to carry produce. Some folks from LEJ will join us at the meal and tell us a little more about what they are up to.

Thanks to Larry Bain of Jardinere and Acme Chop House for connecting us up with Cece at Literacy for Environmental Justice.

Details of the meal:

-$80 includes tax, tip and wine.

-4pm Monday, May 26th at High Ground Organics in Watsonville.

-Includes farm tour, Calera wines, and a GREAT meal.

-If you're interested you can email a reply to this newsletter, or call the office at 831.761.3226 and leave a message.

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8) Recipes gathered by Julia

Greens Tacos

This recipe is one of my favorite breakfast recipes, but of course it would work at any time of day. Andy and I ate these this morning. Please note the amounts given are approximate, I don't measure anything when I make these. Serves 2-3

3/4 pounds greens, cleaned well and sliced into approximate1 inch pieces (today I used arugula and radish greens, leaving the radish ‘roots' in the fridge to be munched on later. the greens are good to eat, but they don't last long!)

2 teaspoons cooking oil

2 stalks green garlic, cleaned as a leek and chopped, or another alium family, whatever you have on hand (onion, green onion, garlic, leek.....)

Pinch red pepper flakes or cayenne

2 Tablespoons cream cheese

4-6 small corn tortillas or 2-3 larger flour ones

Heat the oil and add the garlic, having the greens ready to go, and cook garlic for about 30 seconds. Then add greens and cook until bright green and wilted, add red pepper (and salt and black pepper if you like). Take off heat and stir in cream cheese. Heat tortillas, divide filling among them. Eat and enjoy.

ARUGULA PESTO SAUCE eat with artichokes, noodles, toast, carrot sticks...

3 cups packed arugula (about 3/4 pound), washed well and spun dry

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted golden and cooled

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large garlic clove, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup hot water plus additional if desired

In a food processor pulse together all ingredients except oil and water until arugula is chopped fine. With motor running add oil in a stream, blending mixture until smooth. Sauce may be made up to this point 1 week ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap. Bring sauce to room temperature to continue. Stir in 1/4 cup hot water plus additional for thinner consistency if desired.

ARUGULA, MUSHROOM, AND RADISH SALAD

2 large bunches of arugula, coarse stems discarded and the leaves washed well and spun dry (about 8 packed cups)

2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms

1 cup shredded radish

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Parmesan curls formed with a vegetable peeler

Combine the arugula, mushrooms, and the radish, drizzle the oil over the salad, and toss the salad gently. Toss with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, and serve it topped with the Parmesan. Serves 4 to 6. adapted from Gourmet July 1993

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9) About this newsletter This is a free weekly e-newsletter put out by Andy Griffin and Julia Wiley, owners of Mariquita Farm. We started this newsletter in 1999 because we saw a demand for information about where and how food is produced, especially sustainably grown food. If you know of folks who would like to subscribe to this e-letter, forward this to them and they can sign up. Thanks. -Julia

http://mariquita.com/news/news.html http://www.mariquita.com

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10) This is the weather link we use:

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/TotalForecast/Monterey/CA006.html

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11) WHERE AND WHEN IS THE FERRY PLAZA FARMERS MARKET?

Every Saturday, rain or shine, 8am-1:30pm at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. This farmers' market is touted as the best in the Bay area for seasonal and local sustainably produced food. Our stall is near the statue of Gandhi. Where to park?? Check this link to see a map of parking possibilities: http://www.mariquita.com/Farmers%20Market/parking.htm

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