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What's happening on the farm right now:
The edition was written by our apprentice, Theo Gould.
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This past Sunday evening and Monday, I had the great privilege to attend an earth based Yom Kippur service. Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement and is the holiest day of the year. It is a day of fasting, of emptying yourself out, not just of food and water, but also of all of the ways we have committed wrongdoing in the past year. We recognize where we have missed the mark. Where we have messed up. We humble ourselves in the knowledge that it is our mistakes, not our accomplishments, that make us connected. Then, we ask for forgiveness.
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What a radical act, forgiveness is. How different our world would be if, instead of carrying shame for our mistakes, we asked forgiveness: to others, to the world, and to ourselves.
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One of the relationships that I asked forgiveness for during Yom Kippur was to the Earth. My connection with the Earth is complicated. How can I love something so deeply and feel that I am failing as well?
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I feel shame that I am not doing more to be a climate activist, to repair what I can. I worry that I am not doing my part. In this shame, I sometimes fall into a spiral of sorrow. I begin to believe there is nothing I can do to make a difference.
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This is part of the reason that I sought out farming in the first place. I wanted to restore my relationship with the Earth. I wanted to tend something.
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Of course, on a farm, there is no greater relationship than the one between the farmer and their soil. It is quite literally the foundation in which all things grow. On the farm, we tend the soil as best we can. We rotate crops so that the fields are not being depleted in the same way consecutively. When we are done with a field, we spread cover crop to replenish what we have taken. Each season, there is 2 -3 fields that are entirely fallow, meaning that there is nothing planted other than cover crop for the whole season.
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Recently I tilled the fallow field after the cover crop was spread. This was to turn in the cover crop seeds and churn up the soil. Even from up on the tractor, I could see how beautiful and rich the soil was. It was dark black, and the smell was deep and moist. I felt a joy so great I could shout. Look at this beauty I am tending! Look at what we can create with care, intention, and rest.
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Here’s the thing: the Earth wants to forgive you.
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Our world is hurting, yes. There are never ending natural disasters and destruction. We can see the fault is our own. Yet nothing will ever change if we continue to operate in cycles of shame. We must turn towards our mistakes— those that we committed ourselves and those that happened outside of our control— and honor where we have gone wrong. Where we have not done enough. And then, we must forgive.
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For me, the repair has come in connection. I spend much of my day in silence, listening to the natural world around me, with my hands in the soil.
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How can you notice the Earth today? Perhaps you can tend your garden, or put your feet in the grass, or maybe you can just notice the way the leaves are changing on the tree outside your window.
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Yom Kippur is a somber holiday, because it calls us to confront our shadows. As the days shorten and darkness encroaches, it is community that helps us return to the light. You, the readers of this newsletter and buyers of our offerings, are part of the farm as well. You are part of the tending.
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Yom Kippur is also a call to remember the preciousness of our life. It asks us to recommit to living in joy, in connection, in community. May we have the courage to continue making our life a blessing.
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Tay harvesting celosia for drying and that sky again
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Michael shucking the popcorn. It's hanging to dry in the greenhouse now and will be ready for popping in about three weeks
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What's available in the store and at market this week?
Broccoli and cabbage are in the online store and will be at market along with some beauitful cauliflower. We have lots of gorgeous sweet peppers and many, many varieties of winter squash, potatoes and onions. The red rossa di milanos are running low, so if you like red onions, get some soon. They are our best storing onion, so no need to be afraid of stocking up. We've got parsley, cilantro and basil. Lettuce mix and a few heads of lettuce. The kales and collards seem to have fully recovered from the hail a few weeks ago and are dark green and tender. Beets with tops. Carrots are back again. They are super sweet. There's nothing like a fall carrot. Tomatoes aren't in the store any more but we'll have a few at market.
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Dahlias are looking lovely as always but especially so now in the cooler weather. They are a miracle flower, just getting better and better even after already blooming for months! Celoisas and gromphrena for drying.
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North Asheville Tailgate Market hours are
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Saturdays 8am-12pm on the campus of UNC Asheville.
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River Arts District Farmers Market hours are
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Wednesdays 3-6pm at the Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Drive.
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John's Recipe of the Week
| John Loyd is our dear friend, neighbor, CSA worker member and a gourmet Southern cook. His delightful observations on gardening and cooking appear here each week. |
“People who love to eat are always the best people.” Julia Child
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COAL-ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH - Saveur – This South African recipe is easy and interesting. Cooking takes an hour or so. This is all about roasting directly on the fire.
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4 small butternut squash (about ½ pound each), halved lengthwise and seeded. Try to get them all about the same size.
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4 medium heads of garlic, top trimmer
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½ cup olive oil, plus more for serving
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Black pepper and flaky sea salt, for the finish
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Preheat your charcoal grill to medium-high. In a bowl, soak 5 feet of kitchen twine in water.
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Set the squash halves cut sides up, making sure to keep the corresponding halves together. Add the garlic bulbs to the hollow of every other squash half. Add the herbs to the other empty halves. Drizzle the squash with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Reassemble the halves, then tie with top and bottom of each squash with the twine.
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Place the squash directly on the coals: let cook rotating with tongs every 15 minutes to char evenly all over (if the strings burn away, simply balance the squash halves atop each other). Remove when the squash gives no resistance when pierced with a paring knife, 45-60 minutes.
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Open the squash and remove the garlic and thyme. Top the cut sides with flaky sea salt, more black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve
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ROASTED POTATOES with FRESH HERBS – Bon Appetit January 2011 – 8 servings. This recipe works well with all root vegetables. Be sure to keep an eye on it while cooking, so as not to over roast the dish.
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5 large garlic cloves, peeled
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¼ cup Italian parsley, and more for the garnish
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3 pounds of small potatoes, halved lengthwise – fingerlings are a great choice
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Preheat oven to 375F and using a garlic press, squeeze garlic into a large bowl. Whisk in oil and herbs, add potatoes and toss.
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Spread potatoes on a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and brow, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
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Your farmers, Vanessa and Alex
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Love the flowers. Honor the vegetables. Let the weeds go!
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- Cheri Huber and Ashwini Narayanan
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