Farm Food!
So not only do I have a fantastic garden growing more and more every day, I also get to plant, grow, care for and harvest tons of veggies and herbs while also getting paid!! I do not even know what summer was before I formed this healthy/unhealthy obsession with FOOD. This also happened to coincide with becoming vegan, which was also concurrent with every other important catalyst in my life-belief systems! Anyways, Silverwood Organic Farm in Sherborne is a great place to work. For many reasons but also because they put out some seriously delicious produce and I get to reap a little bit of what we sow!
Here I present to you a lunch consisting of a really fun amount of local produce.
I really appreciate the farm-work structure that 'organically' comes about throughout the season.
a). Everyone on the farm contributes equally to the farm. In other words, each job in and of itself is an absolutely necessary component of growing and providing food. Whether it is a seemingly menial task such as weeding carrot beds for 3 hours or something more intense like planting 2 acres of eggplants and tomatoes in the same amount of time. That leads me to...
b). There could potentially be no hierarchy on the day to day. Of course there is because it's a business but let's live in idea-world, where I prefer to linger. Managers work hard, on their sore and bruised knees just as their employees are doing. Workers support each other, share information, and truly depend on one another for each task to get done. It's kind of beautiful.
c). There is a direct relationship between the work you are doing and the product that is sold or provided. Think about it! This doesn't happen often.
I consider myself lucky to be able to work in an environment that makes me think about these very foundational aspects of being human and laboring. Plus what else are you going to think about all day in the sun?
Take advantage of New England's short growing season!!
Here I present to you a lunch consisting of a really fun amount of local produce.
A Salad
Butterhead Red Lettuce, Spinach, Mizuna, Purple Spring Onions, Carrots, Cherries (not local) and a Maple-Balsamic Dressing. Mizuna is an asian mustard green that is great raw in salads. That, the carrots and the onions all came from Atlas Farms/Harvard Square farmers' market! The dressing is a simple rendition of a Pickarski gem in Eco Cuisine. Throw together some balsamic, red wine, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, thyme, lemon zest, garlic, sea salt and olive oil. Multiply by delicate and buttery lettuce from the farm and cheapo cherries from the Euro market and you have a seriously satisfying mouth feel to which you can look forward.
A Pesto
Creamy Spinach-Pistachio Pesto:
1/3 cup pistachios, shelled
2 big cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup basil leaves
1 tsp sea salt
cracked pepper
2 Tb tahini
2 Tb nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 cup of olive oil
juice of one small lemon
A TON OF SPINACH. Enough to fill up your food processor.
Put the pistachios in the processor and pulse a few times to get them semi-ground up. Add the garlic, basil, salt, pepper, tahini, nutritional yeast (if you consume animal products you can replace this with parmesan or whatever!), olive oil and spinach. Process until super smooth. Then add the lemon juice slowly, tasting as you go, adjusting as you see fit. Don't you worry if you have to add a little water to thin out the pesto, it will still all be flavorful and delicious. As always, season as needed. This is great with pasta, on sandwiches, with potatoes, the list is endless. Serve with angel hair if you can! I only had spaghetti in the ol' lazy susan.
1/3 cup pistachios, shelled
2 big cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup basil leaves
1 tsp sea salt
cracked pepper
2 Tb tahini
2 Tb nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 cup of olive oil
juice of one small lemon
A TON OF SPINACH. Enough to fill up your food processor.
Put the pistachios in the processor and pulse a few times to get them semi-ground up. Add the garlic, basil, salt, pepper, tahini, nutritional yeast (if you consume animal products you can replace this with parmesan or whatever!), olive oil and spinach. Process until super smooth. Then add the lemon juice slowly, tasting as you go, adjusting as you see fit. Don't you worry if you have to add a little water to thin out the pesto, it will still all be flavorful and delicious. As always, season as needed. This is great with pasta, on sandwiches, with potatoes, the list is endless. Serve with angel hair if you can! I only had spaghetti in the ol' lazy susan.
I really appreciate the farm-work structure that 'organically' comes about throughout the season.
a). Everyone on the farm contributes equally to the farm. In other words, each job in and of itself is an absolutely necessary component of growing and providing food. Whether it is a seemingly menial task such as weeding carrot beds for 3 hours or something more intense like planting 2 acres of eggplants and tomatoes in the same amount of time. That leads me to...
b). There could potentially be no hierarchy on the day to day. Of course there is because it's a business but let's live in idea-world, where I prefer to linger. Managers work hard, on their sore and bruised knees just as their employees are doing. Workers support each other, share information, and truly depend on one another for each task to get done. It's kind of beautiful.
c). There is a direct relationship between the work you are doing and the product that is sold or provided. Think about it! This doesn't happen often.
I consider myself lucky to be able to work in an environment that makes me think about these very foundational aspects of being human and laboring. Plus what else are you going to think about all day in the sun?
Take advantage of New England's short growing season!!
As always thought provoking commentary from my exceptional daughter. Love you.
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