Good morning/goodnight: Final newsletter of 2019

Note: This newsletter was co-written by Heather-Marie and John, though John is in Vietnam.

Heather-Marie in Minnesota

It’s been a surreal month since John left.  The first few days after he left, which also corresponded with the tinyhouse being moved, were particularly lonely, and quite honestly, sad.  I’ve never felt like farming was a “job” that I just showed up to and then left at the end of the day. Once I moved off the farm, I was worried it would feel that way.  I was worried that I’d need to search a little more closely for the little details (the spider web, the birds nest) that I saw over time living in a place. Luckily, I live for those moments and will find ways of making that happen, even if I am just showing up during work hours.   

I have also felt like I’ve been in limbo — so much to be done in the field to wrap-up the season but I couldn’t because of all the veggies that are still growing and waiting for the Fall Share.  And now that those shares were delivered last week, it’s going to be a mad scramble to get the field tilled, plants and equipment removed and garlic planted, etc.

John in Vietnam

A few days ago it dawned on me: Between Heather-Marie and me, there is not a moment on this planet when one of us is not awake. When she goes to bed, I wake up. When she wakes up, I am preparing to sleep. Day after day, the two of us, it feels like we are on a 24-hour watch: One of us is always awake while the sun is over our head. 

Goodmorning/goodnight

Goodnight/goodmorning

It’s been a difficult but transformative time. It has challenged me to think about how large and small our planet is: The actions of each of us on this planet have an impact, no matter where we might be.

I arrived in Vietnam on September 1. Time has moved slowly and quickly all at once. 

There are a lifetime of stories to tell, but for the farm and for all of you, the focus should be on food and vegetables. 

What I’m slowly learning here in Vietnam is that there has always been a local food movement in this culture. On each city block there are food vendors selling meat, produce, vegetables that likely came straight from the farmer to that vendor (or the vendor is the farmer), often delivered that day.

What appears to be new in this country is a concern about producing organically grown produce on land that is managed with the long-term health of the soil and land in mind. 

Last week, I had dinner with a woman who is both a farmer and an anthropologist working with ethnic minority groups in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. We had a great conversation, comparing the local food movement and organic farming in our two countries and agreed that there is much more to learn.  

In the months to come, Heather-Marie and I will be visiting organic farms and hopefully working on them as we try to learn more about how food systems are viewed in other cultures. But we will also explore how local organic food systems work in the urban setting of Ho Chi Minh City where we live.

Heather-Marie in Minnesota

But first, Heather-Marie is working around the clock closing out this farm season.

If we were to give a name to this season, perhaps it would be the year of the potato, or the year of kale, or the year of what the heck are we going to do with all these vegetables?!?

At some point, we will go through and tally up the yields, but suffice to say, we pulled a lot of veggies out of that 1-plus acre of land.

That bounty has challenged us to look outside our normal customer base for new customers. We sold our produce at our Friday farm stand. We sold members additional shares of potatoes, tomatoes, green beans and other produce. We collaborated with Emily and John Beaton of Fairhaven Farm, providing their members with produce from our farm in exchange for them agreeing to start seeds for us in the spring. Heather-Marie even delivered more than 70 pounds of produce to a local food shelf.  And for the first time, we delivered regular and seed garlic to the Whole Foods Coop.

But snow is in the forecast. A plane ticket to Vietnam has been purchased. It’s time to shut things down and take the first step toward preparing for next year’s growing season by planting garlic.  We are going to plant 40 pounds of seed garlic, the most we have ever planted. We are hoping this investment will help broaden our options for sales to restaurants, grocery stores and farmers markets. 

What’s in your share this week

This week, members will receive winter squash, pumpkins, garlic and mini gourds. Here are a few recipes. As always, we hope members will share their own recipes with the group.

Squash That’s Stuffed and Nutty

from Northern Harvest Farm

I love this recipe.  It is absolutely delicious!

• 2 winter squash, halved
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 c walnuts, chopped
• dash of ground cinnamon
• 2 medium apples, chopped
• 1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 c onion, chopped
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 2 c cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake squash face down on a greased baking sheet for 30 minutes or until tender.  Sauté walnuts, apples, and onions in canola oil until onion is clear. Combine with cottage cheese, lemon juice, cinnamon and cheddar cheese; stuff squash halves with mixture.  Bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Delicata Squash Tacos

From Happy Acre Farm

• 1 delicata squash
• 2 sweet peppers, sliced in strips
• ½ -1  jalapeno, minced
• 1 medium candy onion, sliced
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• Handful parsley, minced
• Homemade guacamole
• 2-3 limes
• High heat oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Heat 3 ½ tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the peppers and sautee, stirring every so often, until soft, 15-18 minutes. When they are nearly done, squeeze a lime over them.

Take the delicata and slice it lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and slice the two halves into thin crescents. Take the seeds, toss them in oil and place in a small baking dish, when ready bake until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Once they’re out of the oven toss with salt and let cool.

Heat  ¼ cup oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the garam masala and fry it for a minute, making sure to stay nearby and stir frequently. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium-low, cook for 5 minutes. Add the delicata, stirring to coat in the garam masala oil combination, cover with a lid and let cook. Check 10 minutes later, stir, cover again and let cook until they’re soft, and have a nice brown caramelization, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool, salt to taste.

Heat the tortillas, then place on a large platter. Layer the delicata and the red peppers. Top with a dab of guacamole, some roasted seeds, a sprinkle of parsley and a good squeeze of lime.