Hi, I'm Cecilia. I started working on the veggie crew at Open Field in 2017. Though I spent last season working on a vegetable farm in Sonoma, I came back to Open Field looking forward to the opportunity of new challenges and new responsibilities. This year I have been focusing mostly on irrigation. Given the drought, it has been a really interesting (and sometimes scary) year to immerse myself in this work. Spending this season trying to problem-solve the water situation with Sarah has allowed me to learn so much about how we can and should use our most precious resource. Though it has been challenging, every week as we adjust to changing weather and changing fields I feel more and more equipped to continue my career as a farmer in California. With less water, I find myself feeling grateful for every vegetable we bring in from the fields.
Even though I do not work with the animals here at Open Field, it feels good to be back on a farm where they are a constant presence. Last week I shared a segment from a Wendell Berry poem called The Farm. We watched Seth bring another round of cows in this week, so it felt appropriate to share it again here.
Eat these good beasts that eat
What you can't eat.
Be thankful
To them and to the plants,
To your small, fertile homeland,
To topsoil, light, and rain
That make you what you are.
Be thankful and repay
Growth with good work and care.
Work done in gratitude,
Kindly, and well, is prayer.
You did not make yourself,
Yet you must keep yourself
By use of other lives.
No gratitude atones
For bad use or too much.
This week’s pick list:
Eggs
Albion Strawberries
Rhonda Beets
Yaya Carrots
Red Gold New Potatoes
Zoey Sweet and Red Long of Tropea Onions
Kolibri Kohlrabi
Solaris Fennel
Summer Squash: Dark Star, Yellowfin, and Cocozelle
Cucumber: Mideast Peace, Summer Dance, Silver Slicer, Sweet Marketmore, and Addis Pickle
Diamond, Money Maker, and Purple Shine Eggplant
Dry Farmed Early Girl Tomatoes
Sora Radishes
Hakurei Turnips
Calypso Celery
Everygreen Hardy Scallions
Garlic: Inchelium Red Soft Neck
Lettuce
Ruby Red Chard
Regiment Spinach
Basil , Cilantro, Dill, and Parsley
Hot Peppers: Bastan Poblano, Czech Black, Jalapeño, Aji Crystal,
Pick your own: padron and shishito peppers, ground cherries, cherry tomatoes, and tomatillos. Along with the flowers, there are shiso, purple and thai basil in the annual field.
Saltonstall Olive Oil
Revolution Bread
Beet-Fennel Soup, from Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook by Dorie Greenspan
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and cut into chunks
1 large red or sweet onion, such as Vidalia, cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves, germ removed
3 sprigs fresh thyme or oregano (optional)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
5 medium red beets, trimmed, peeled and cut into chunks
For serving (optional):
Plain Greek yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche
Strawberries, hulled and cut into small pieces
Cucumber, preferably mini (Persian), peeled (or not) and cut into rounds or small dice
Fresh herbs, minced for sprinkling
Ice cubes
Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into a Dutch oven or large saucepan and warm over low heat. Add the fennel, onion, garlic and herbs, if you’re using them, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften, about 15 minutes; if you need to, add a little more oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the broth and beets, turn up the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 45 minutes, depending on your beets. Don’t be impatient — the beets must be easily pierced with a knife.
To puree the soup, use a blender, either stand or handheld (immersion), or a food processor. Working in batches and discarding the spent herb sprigs when you come to them, puree the soup, giving it just a minute more than you might normally in order to ensure that you get a silky texture.
You can serve the soup hot or let it cool a bit and then refrigerate until it’s thoroughly chilled before serving. If you’ve refrigerated the soup, stir it before serving. Hot or cold, the soup is good with any of the suggested toppings; the strawberries are especially good when the soup is chilled. For the cold version, I like to put a couple of ice cubes in the bowls (or glasses) before I pour in the soup.