We have a humble tradition in our farm house of holding hands and taking turns saying at least one thing that we are grateful for before we share food together. It provides a moment of pause in our fast-paced lives to see, feel and recognize one small thing that we have to be grateful for in a sea of beauty and privilege in our lives. There are times when we sit down together calm, cheerful and well-prepared for this ritual, and times when we come to the table hungry, grumpy or still holding on to some kind of burden we have been carrying. I have found that even if we attempt to begin eating without this simple custom, the children feel the gap in our routine and will remind us all that it’s time to say ‘Thankful”. We will all say our ‘thankfuls’ each time, no matter the mood we’re in and this practice can work a magical power of helping us out of a stuck place.
I was recently asked by a CSA member and friend if I believed in God. I was caught off-guard by this question and responded by saying, “Yes, I think so…”. My answer felt unsatisfactory to us both but left me pondering my own response. I should know how to answer this question, but I don’t really. I was raised a Catholic school girl through middle school. God was an image of a man in a robe above the clouds in my head. I used to think that the word ‘God’ was owned by Catholics, Christians and all of the other religious denominations. I felt unsure how to use it and if I was caught using it, I would be called to examination of my beliefs. I no longer identify as a practicing Catholic or clearly belong to any organized religion. So who am I?
It wasn’t until much later in life that I began to see and experience God in a different way. Of course I believe in God! What was I thinking? God is everywhere! I live in God’s country!
I feel highly uncomfortable addressing this issue in a CSA Newsletter because I try to remain neutral on issues of politics and religion in these letters from the farm. I care immensely about possibly offending someone or saying the wrong thing. I am not deeply experienced and well-versed in the vocabulary of religion and spirituality. But it feels good to recognize that I can use the word God and that it is not owned by one religion. It feels a little awkward and rusty coming out of my mouth, but true and righteous nonetheless.
I feel God all around me in my daily work. I feel God in the wind on my cheeks, the sunshine on my back and in the plants and earth between my fingers. I aim to please God in my work of stewarding a small piece of land and tending to it with care and respect. I experience God through the warmth I feel in my chest when I see and embrace my children and husband and friends. I experience God when I am generous and giving. I experience God when I am captivated by the beauty I see on the horizon at sunset, the crimson red veins in the stunning chard leaves, and the bountiful harvest so lovingly packaged to the sound of laughter amongst friends in an old basement of a barn built 100 years ago turned into a produce packing shed on a small family farm.
My church is an open field with a seemingly acient Maple tree standing proudly on top. My fellows are the people who love and accept me. And my practice is hard work, grace and announcing all that I am thankful for before shared meals with my friends and family as my witnesses. My written response here still feels a little unsatisfactory, even to me. But I will continue to practice non-judgement, unending gratitude and servitude to the land and my fellow humans and animals through my words and deeds. This will just have to be good enough for now, but my journey isn’t over yet!
Green Cabbage- This is the Artost variety. Cabbage is great for making coleslaw, egg rolls, sauerkraut, cabbage rolls or whatever you love! It is not a storage variety, but these heads will keep for a bit in the fridge!
Gold Potatoes- Three pounds per member this week. We mostly had a very good potato year this year. We’re happy to be packing three pound bags this week instead of two pounds!
Acorn Squash- Acorn squash is a classic variety and is known for being one of the earliest season varieties out there. Acorns can be used in just about any winter squash recipe you have-even home-made pumpkin pie! They are very versatile! Squash stores best between 50- and 60 degree storage temps. It keeps very well just sitting on your counter in your home. If it was to develope any signs of going bad, that would be your cue to eat it up!
Tomatoes- This could be the final tomato giving of the season! These certainly wouldn’t be the highest quality tomatoes we have shipped all year. If they develope any spots on them, that would be a sign to use those up quickly! The tomato plants on the farm are looking tired and thin these days! Enjoy them while they last! Always allow tomatoes to ripen outside the fridge! Remember to remove them from your plastic bag to ripen with plenty of fresh air around them.
Onion- One onion for your everday needs!
Garlic- This is our Metechi variety. Metechi is a red-skinned garlic with 6-8 cloves per bulb. This is one of our favorite varieties. I bought a very small bag of seed from a man at the Kickapoo Country Fair back in 2009 and we have been propigating it ever since. We had to do a little digging to discover the name of this variety as the farmer didn’t know what it was, other than beautiful!
Sweet Pepper- Just one sweet pepper per member this week. Peppers have slowed down dramatically in production. We are thining we might have one more pepper to share next week, but it’s getting late!
Mint- Aromatic bunches of mint for your tea, tabouli, or for drying. Mint is lovely dried and then used in tea in the winter months.
Carrots- One pound bag per member again this week. These carrots look a little rough because we harvested them and stored them dirty in our cooler for a couple weeks. We barrel washed them before deliveries this week, but they look a little stained. They’re still yummy and fresh though!
Swiss Chard- Almost unbelievably, the chard plants still looked really good this Fall! We noticed thier lush-ness had to harvest these for this week’s box! We made lasagna with chard this week at our house!
Fennel- The fennel varried quite a lot this week in size. Some of them were very sizable, but several of them towards the end of harvest were getting quite small. We appolozie for the smaller fennel, but they are still very tender and add a great flavor to your soups or salads!
Lettuce- Either a red leaf or green leaf lettuce head per member. Some of the heads were small, so you may have receive two small heads. The deer discoverd our lettuce patch and cut into our harvest for this week!
Broccoli- One very fine head of broccoli per member this week. The brcccoli is such a nice treat! Stores best in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Next Week’s Best Guess: Potatoes, squash, cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, onion, garlic, beets?, kale or collards, pepper, spinach?, parsley
Cream of Broccoli and Fennel Soup
Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash
Potato and Swiss Chard Gratin– Bad Manners Recipe
