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Sipping tithonia nector on the way to Mexico
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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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As a farmer, I am slow. Or rather, I am not as fast as some of my other coworkers. In farming, speed is important. With so many tasks demanding attention, it is a good skill to be able to move quickly. Often, when weeding opposite someone, the voice in my head is saying, “gosh they are moving quick, can’t you move any faster than that?” But I can’t.
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I notice that when I try to match a coworker’s pace, pushing myself to be faster and faster, the quality of my work slips. Weeds get missed, vegetables get swapped, flowers don’t get cut. But once I can remind myself that going slower doesn’t make me any less of a valuable worker, I am more able to slip into the farm flow. The farm flow is a wonderful state where the chatter of my mind ceases to have its hold on me, and my body relaxes into the action of whatever I’m doing. It’s a state of peace.
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So why do I still push myself to be faster, and beat myself up when it’s not in my capability? Speed is not just something that valued in farming, but in the larger culture of our world as well. We must always be pushing, always moving to the next great thing. Don’t get me wrong—momentum and direction are incredibly important. But I wonder if we are missing some greater potential for peace in our societal aversion to a slower pace.
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Yet again, I turn to the farm as my teacher. There are monarchs on the farm right now. They sit and sip from our flowers, especially loving the tithonia (Mexican sunflowers) and marigolds. These mighty creatures know the importance of movement and efficiency, traveling over 2,500 miles from the US and Canada to their hibernation grounds in Mexico. But they also know the value of rest, pausing on farms like ours during their mighty trek for a rest and quick bite to eat.
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I am grateful to the farm for reminding me that I can go my own speed and still contribute to something beautiful. That, just like the monarch butterfly, I can fly as fast as I can, slowing down when needed, and still get to where I need to go.
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Butterflies are beautiful and poignant no matter where they end up
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What's available in the store and at market this week?
We are just slightly obsessively watching weather forecasts for patchy frost in mountain valleys this coming Sunday. It doesn't sound like a killing frost so the peppers and eggplant should be fine but it could mean the end to our flowers for the season. Get your dahlias (and other flowers) while they are here!
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The rest of our garden is going to love that patchy frost, sweetening up and getting ready ready for the big one. So we've got plenty of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Beets and carrots too. Leafy greens, kales, collards and Swiss chard. Also a return of some head lettuce, green oakleaf, red leaf and red butter. The cooler nights deepen the color of the red lettuces in the lettuce mix, so it is looking particularly lovely right. Onions, red, yellow and sweet. Potatoes, red, yellow, white and the last of our blues. Plenty of winter squash, all kinds that are good for all kinds of dishes, pies, soups, curries and stews, sliced and roasted or even grilled. Parsley and cilantro.
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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. |
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” Oscar Wilde
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ROAST POTATOES AND GARLIC MAYONNAISE
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2 or 3 springs of thyme or rosemary
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Wash the potatoes, leaving the skins on. If they are small you won’t have to cut them, otherwise cut in half or quarters. Put them in an ovenproof dish and season with salt and pepper. Add herbs and stir the potatoes so they are coated with oil.
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Bake at 350F or 375F, stirring every so often, until tender and browned, about 50 or sixty minutes. The potatoes are served with the garlic mayonnaise on the side.
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Garlic mayo can be made several ways. The easy way is to sauté one SMALL clove of garlic and mix it into a half-cup of mayonnaise. This dish may be finished with a bit of lemon juice if you like. You can also help your child make Aioli, which is fancy garlic mayo.
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GARLICKY KALE – from Chez Panisse Café Cookbook by Alice Waters. Serves 4to six. She was one of the very first to work directly with farmers.
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Remove the stems from the leaves and chop the leaves coarsely. Wash and drain well, but do not dry.
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Heat a large sauté pan, add ¼ cup olive oil and add enough Kale to cover the bottom of the pan, cook over high heat while stirring to rotate leaves. Add more kale as the leaves wilt. When all the kale has been added, season with salt, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally; the cooking time will depend on the age of the kale to get it tender. Young kale can take as little as 5 minutes. When the kale is tender, remove the lid to cook any excess water away.
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Push the kale to one side of the pan and add an extra drizzle of olive oil, the garlic, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the bare spot. When you smell the aroma of the garlic, stir to combine it with the kale.
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Turn off the heat, add a splash of vinegar, and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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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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