To Wyoming and back again... Cart Time!

Is it really almost the end of August?

The past few weeks have been amazing.

I was able to take over 10 days off and travels back to Jackson for a visit with family and friends during our mid-course week break. It was such a refresher thanks to my many great friends back in the hole, the beautiful scenery, the fresh mountain air, and just some days off... with nothing planned- quality hammock time, if you will.

And as the economy tightens and the oil dries up.. air flights get re-arranged. My flight out of Jackson was canceled Sunday night- and while it afforded me an extra day with friends.. (delightful!).. it also meant missing day 1 of my 3rd rotation in the Alan Chadwick "Up" Garden. I'm spending the next 3 weeks on my 'cart' rotation. This means I'm one of a few in charge of harvests, set-up, sales and overall run around for our farm stand on the corner of campus. It's actually quite fun and exciting to see our product packed and stacked so beautifully in one spot. And to watch it fly off the shelves... The regulars definitely know they have to get there right around noon-o'clock on the dot to get the good stuff. Our dry-farmed tomatoes our flourishing (sweet and delicious), a handful of our many apple varieties are coming on, the flowers these days are AMAZING and the sweet corn is standard right now. Fun AND delicious!

As last Tuesday morning rolled around I quickly found out my cart days start at a quarter to 7 in the morning and end 12 or 13 hrs later. Though the energy on the farm has been great and the colors in the field have been so beautiful it doesn't feel like I'm spending so many hours working at this labor of love.

Wednesday we had a class day and Thursday I spent sweatin' in the kitchen -4am-7pm-(another success.. and oh the fun of watching faces as farmies learned I'd fed them zucchini crisp instead of apple), so by the time Friday cart rolled around again I was definitely ready for a weekend of rest and distraction from farm life. Though this didn't stop me from harvesting mad veggies for a dinner in town with friends- freshly grilled sweet corn, sesame green beans, fried green tomatoes, stuffed squash blossoms, coleslaw, parsnips and grilled veggies! ...YUMMM

On that note- it's about to start all over again, so I best get to bed before the night turns into morning.

I hope all is well in your world. Don't forget to smile and let a little love in.

Wondering what to do with those over sized monster zucchinis you suddenly discover rapidly multiplying in your garden? Look no further- this is a sure hit!

Zucchini 'Apple' Crisp:

1 large zuke, peeled, seeded and sliced to look like apple chunks (about 6-7 cups).
Put into saucepan with 3/4 cup lemon juice. Cover and boil 15 min. stirring often.

Then add mixture of:1 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon

Stir well into "apples" and set off stove.
Pour above mixture into a greased 11x9" pan.
Topping:1 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 cup flour, 1 tsp. nutmeg, 1 cup rolled oats, 2/3 cup butter
Mix together til crumbly and sprinkle evenly over "apple" mix.
Bake at 375 degrees till golden brown.

Makes 6 servings.

Preserving the Fun

It's count down time until we break out and see what's happening in the rest of the world. There has been a buzz on the farm, as we prepare for our break week. I do wonder what will happen to us as we emerge from our bubble and check out friends and ongoings away from CASFS. Though as I write this, I'm giddy with excitement to see friends, mountains and music back in Wyoming.

The last few weeks have been fun and busy. Our part of the youth RIC conference was pulled off without a hitch and quite successfully thanks to hard work and inevitable good vibes that emanate from the farm.

I've been keeping busy in my 'free time' (what?!) jamming and fermenting the bounty that lies in the fields- think 4 berry jam (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) and raw kraut with hits of apple/fennel & ginger/jalapeno... oh! and I've had my first taste of farm tomatoes and sweet corn... a sweet, sweet summer it is...

My friends Rob and Chloe from San Francisco drove down for a weekend visit and some friends from Jackson are hopefully showing up on Tuesday for a quick stay. It's nice to see familiar faces and show off the place I'm calling home for the time being.

The field farmies have been busy harvesting and cranking out CSA boxes. I was asked to write a piece for our CSA newsletter last week- so I'm going attach that to give you a sense of my current feelings on life, love and food. And on that note.. Happy Birthday Er!



--As I spend my days working in the field amidst rows and rows of brilliantly colored and shaped fruits and vegetables I see nature at work- providing exactly what we need at this moment in time to meet our nutritional needs. ‘Nutrition’ and ‘Health’ have become tantalizing words these days- thrown about carelessly by the media, relying on the hope of consumers that there is something magic out there that can be tagged and bottled to cure our ailing minds and bodies. Nutritional trends come and go- just about as rapidly as blue jean styles, but the tried and true methods of Mother Earth have been humming along far more reliably that the laboratories can crank out vitamin supplementations.

As a Dietitian, I’m often approached with nutrition questions.. the underlying hope being that I will have something magical and different to say.. advice that will finally work this time! Eating a balance of whole foods in tune with the rhythms of the seasons has been my standard reply for a while now- and as I plant, weed, harvest and eat the bounty of the food grown here I’m reminded and humbled by how important this is. We could never contrive to formulate in a vitamin supplement what nature has taken and molded so beautifully over many years. In the few short months I’ve been living on this California farm (loaded with abundance), I’ve been excited to roll with the days and the seasons; just when you’re getting a bit overloaded with one crop, on comes another to add more zeal and excitement to the dinner preparations. (Speaking of.. be on the lookout for some amazing sweet corn coming next week…) Eating in this way leads us to live in this way; respecting and loving what our world has to offer, and that is the magic answer that I think most people are truly looking for.

-Jen Jacobsen, Lander, WY 1st year apprentice

Rockin' and Rollin'--- mid-program style

It's true... too much time has gone by- and not for a lack of ongoings. Life has been a bit hectic to sit down and write about- but finally today, a calm Sunday morning, I'm making the time.

In last minute style, I bought a ticket home for the 4th (nothing says 4th of July like Lander Wyoming!!) to check on the rents, hang with my brothers and see a few friends in the mix. It was fabulous to be home for a few days. The days were far too few and a bit hectic, but it was a successful trip all in all.

Upon my harried return, I was thrown full boar back into farm life. I was in the middle of my irrigation sub-rotation -field style, the following Tuesday I was signed up to cook (another success... thank you Karen!!) and my first farm visitors showed up! All the way from Switzerland mind you--- via New Zealand, Australia and Fiji. I met Ben and Anja during my last few days in NZ and they were kind enough to go out of their way to take me to the airport in my final hours. Knowing they were soon enough destined for the California shores, I invited them for a stay. Though I didn't have loads of time to dedicate to showing them what Santa Cruz is all about, they were able to experience farm life and a bit of the city on their own- camping next to me, enjoying communal meals, harvesting blueberries, biking through campus etc. Very kind people... I wish them the best back home in their studies! --- Remember--- You're all welcome. It's amazing only the Europeans have thus far taken me up on it. Oh right- Americans don't get vacation days...

Times are a changing... the farm has felt more stress and tension in the past few weeks than previously. The honeymoon is ending. The 2nd year apprentices have been evacuated from their housing situation (the upper rooms in an 18 yr old barn) due to building codes. The rest of us seem to be finding ourselves in that awkward period in a communal living program- the days have become more normal, there is a lot of work to get done, we miss friends and family that we've been neglecting in our busy schedules, we are all good friends- but maybe not close enough just yet to fully explode or decompose in front of. Where do you go when you need a good cry and every sound and movement in your tent is easily overheard in the tent 2 yards on either side?? I've been lucky for my town escape at Chrissi and Stephen's house.

Though on the flip side: I love my hammock, plums are bumpin', rotting on the ground and yeah- I'm almost plummed out, the field harvests are getting smoother and MUCH faster! and I had a great RAW week this past week with 3 fellow farmies. As a challenge to myself and to get a bit more grounded my friend Adelaide and I decided to eat raw with our fellow raw farmie Alden who has taught me a lot about food and the beauty and options of eating a raw diet. Our friend Brian decided to join us, and we had many beautiful meals together, as well as, much laughter and interesting conversation. I felt wonderful on that diet and will try to incorporate more of it into my day to day meals in the future. Nothing against the cooked food, but it did make me stop and realize what exactly I was putting in my mouth and its value to my body and ultimately to our world. And of course, one really can't go wrong with chia, nori, fresh avocados from our trees, sprouts and various seed patés.

So on that note- this week we'll be getting ready to host part of a national youth conference- RIC (Rooted in Community). Imagine hundreds of teens jazzed up on food, farming and sustainability. That's our future folks... keep it rockin'!

Mandolin Tunes

This past week UCSC hosted a Mandolin Festival of classes and fun. The gig was headed up by David Grisman and Mike Marshall. Tracy Grisman was in charge of food preparations and made a visit to our farm for a basket of fresh produce. She was so taken with her experience on the farm that she invited all farm apprentices to any and all of the nightly performances (if anyone was to question our attendance we were to simply say, "Tracy Grisman invited us.") My week was naturally a busy one, but I was able to attend the Friday and Saturday night shows- very casual, low-key and intimate settings. I captured a few photos and videos of the music and even got to chat briefly with David and Tracy. And did I mention- the music was AMAZING!! I know quite a few people who should have been there....

Fires & Fun (but not together...)

A few weeks have gone by. Where have I been? What have I been up to? Well- the title pretty much sums it up, but I'll fill you in on a few more details if you'd like some further reading.
Last week was a busy one. The farm got hit with it's first ever LBAM quarantine. What does that mean you might ask? Well the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) has caused quite a stir in CA-mostly amongst farmers, overhead sprayers, political figures and chemical companies out to get rich. In a nut shell- if a 'suspect larvae' is found on a farm- that crop is quarantined and can't leave the area (or be sold). Suspiciously enough those 'suspect larvae' were found in peak season on our most lucrative crops... raspberries & those lucious beautiful blueberries. How can they still be sold? If highly paid government officials hand inspect each and every berry that leaves the farm for CSA or Cart sales. If 'suspect larvae' are found- the whole batch is withheld. What does it mean for apprentice farmers? We get loads of berries for the kitchen and get to participate in the first ever CASFS blueberry U-pick!! Though us farmies benefited directly from the LBAM quarantine, it's a shady deal that naturally involves mostly money and politics and NOT the health and well being of farmers, land or food consuming citizens. If you want to know more about LBAM and the ins and outs of that little soap box contact me directly.

Last Tuesday I piggy backed nicely on the LBAM quarantine with my second day of cooking with my dear friend Suzie. We made fabulous eats for our fellow farmies starting with most amazing brown butter blueberry muffins and ending with quadruple berry crisp (strawberries, cherries, raspberries and blueberries). Though everyone was singing our praises- you really don't have to do much when your berries have less than 24 hrs off the tree/vine/bush and are naturally sweetened by the sun. Between the berry surprises we entertained with polenta, greens, curries, dal and naan. Fun times in the kitchen for sure!

And as far as those fires... yes, yes the west is burning and I see plumes of smoke & hazes of smoke. I also hear helicopters buzzing around over head carrying fire jumpers, buckets of water and aerial sprays. BUT- the excitement doesn't stop there. Last Friday we had reconvened at 2pm in the veggie shed for the start of our afternoon of work. As we sat chatting and copping with the inevitable post lunch sluggish start to the afternoon we heard... "There might be a fire at the Life Lab!" We all ran down the hill (200 ft away) toward Life Lab to see smoke pouring out of a bordering bush. I heard- "Call 911!!" "Grab hoses!" I saw farmies running, grabbing buckets, hooking up hoses. I looked down and saw a hose- I grabbed it and ran down the hill, trembling I hooked it up to a connection and threaded it through the fence to help douse the fire. Fifteen plus farmies act fast. By the time the fire department was there we were in the midst of water fights with hoses and buckets. Lucky for them because they were on their way to another, bigger fire that had just started about 20 minutes from us and closed down Hwy 1 for a few hours- which we could clearly see from our farm perch. Though it ended simply enough- it really gave some reality to the dry and heat of our daily lives. We were lucky.

The weekend was full of Full Moon, Solstice and Farm Tour fun. We had a lovely Solstice dinner under the Kiwi Arbor on Friday night and an optional day of farm tour in the Pescadero area all day on Saturday. We started the tour at Harley Farm; a goat cheese farmstead (sorry they only sell locally- yes!!- otherwise I'd tell you to be on the look out for the pretty edible flower packaging). There I saw many cute goats and wonderfully sustainable farming practices. Incidentally, a Farmstead is where the animals and milk come from the same place as the product produced (ie- cheese). Something to look for on packaging!
We then headed to my friend Paul's parent's place- Double Dog Farm. His parents are experimenting with growing grains. Wheat, millet, oats etc. Very beautiful! Have any of you ever been in the 2nd story of a barn with a full sized tepee set up on ONE SIDE of it??? There isn't even room here to go on about the food consumed at lunch. Simply amazing...
We then headed down the road to Blue House Farm and helped harvest garlic and participate in their solstice/CSA strawberry shortcake party. Nothing like sun kissed shoulders, kids, banjos and sweet strawberries mingling together on a summer afternoon.
Our final stop, Pie Ranch, was unfortunately cut a bit short. This farm produces products to make pies (eggs, wheat, fruit) in a practically perfect surrounding and hosts a free pot luck/barn dance every third Saturday. For solstice they had slaughtered a goat and made birria to add to the excitement of the season. I was most excited to finally get a chance to partake in these festivities. Unfortunately for many- there was a horrific 5 car/3 fatality accident directly in front of their entry on Hwy 1 right before we arrived. We were blessed to have missed most of the trauma, though there was plenty of commotion, tears and strife as we (and others) arrived for the party. We took a self guided walking tour of the place and made our way back to town. I hope to be back next month. Though- the 2 final farms on our tour were started by and are run by former apprentices so we will also visit again as part of our curriculum.

And then... Dirty and Fun... Jen turned 31!
I had the most monochromatically funly fantastic birthday. Thanks for your love and greetings from afar, I was blessed with a plethora close by as well. How fun are farmies? Thirty seven farmies didn't leak a word of their plan to all dress monochromatically for Jen's Birthday! My breakfast was hilarious as this theme was gradually presented to me. (stay tuned for pictures- they are on Adelaide's camera...) The day continued with Markos playing the accordion and all singing Happy Birthday during our DG walk, many hugs and well wishes, phone calls and chats, a massage from my friend Maggie and blueberry mint (coconut milk based) ice cream with ginger cake. HELLO SWEETNESS!!

Days and harvests continue (along with plenty of weeding...). This week we added fennel...
Just when you start to feel the rhythm, things change. Next week starts my 6 wk rotation in the field. Here come the long, long rows and the big tractor tires.
Stay tuned...

PS-Did you know that kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli raab & collards are all of the genus species Brassica oleracea? Which means they are the exact same plant- selected over time for various different features (ie- flowers, leaves, swollen stems etc) and you can eat all parts of all plants. Hilariously interesting, no?

Ericacea

The blueberries (and mullberries for that matter...) are bumpin'!

My fingers are stained, my belly is full, my heart is content.

The Farm at Low Tide...

Harvest time has come!! This week began our first days of harvest on the farm for the CSA boxes and cart sales. Though the pickings were slim- I have to remind myself most of my family and friends are still dealing with snowy days and freezing nights. On the harvest table we had: broccoli, cauliflower, brassica greens, kale, chard, turnips, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mixed herbs, lettuce, flower bouquets and edible flower baskets. Not too shabby really.

The days continue with many new and foreign words and names trying to be crammed into my brain. I'm struggling with the genius/species of many different and unfamiliar flower varieties. So it goes.

I finished my last week in propagation and have been a stranger to the farm and garden and much of what is being planted out these past three weeks. However, I was able to take part in a dry farmed heirloom tomato planting out experiment in the field. Dry farming (essentially planting out starts very deeply without watering them the entire season and hoping for deep tap-root formation...) is something that is peaking my interest as a potential, exciting venture in the land of WYO. We are also experimenting with different types of fertigation... fish emulsion, nettle/comfrey compost tea and worm casting compost tea.... Stay tuned for results... PS- word on the street is that our dry farmed tomatoes are off the hook in a couple months... literally rotting on the ground as we can't keep up with them all (regardless of CSA, cart, feeding us farmies and canning and dehydrating like mad...) Not on my watch! COME VISIT!!

So amidst all the propagation, fertigation and harvest excitement there were some emotions running high (and low) this week. Yet to be determined if it was the heat, the low-tides and/or the culmination of intense schedule changes and extreme farm bonding over the last month and half, but I'm hoping crawling from tent to tent Friday night-during the annual Tent Crawl down Tent Row (and having a rockin' party in the Farm Center after) has turned those moods and lightened hearts. I do know it has left a large bruise on my right knee. And what we ALL know is... Farm camp is FUN!

On that note- I'm attaching way more pictures that one should on a blog, but also a link at left if you just can't get enough (as is obviously the case with me).

We well young chickens... It's JUNE! :)