By Ashley
Adrienne Maree Brown asks in her 'Hurry Slowly' podcast: "are you satisfiable?
Earlier on last weekend I was having a conversation with my dear friend and farmhand badass whe she brought up the idea that "unless it is a perfect sunny 70 degree day, most people will tend to complain one way or the other about the weather." It gave me pause and as the crew is out in our flooded fields harvesting food for CSA, i've been thinking about it. Also, today, I've been thinking of that question Adrienne Maree Browns asked... "Are you satisfiable?" Because at what point in a day will we sit back and enjoy the rain that makes us slow and grow, and trudge and work for what we need? At what point do we stop wishing things were different; because the world is operating in the ways it needs to in order to give itself sustenance? I also have been having a (very quick) think back across Brown's teachings on pleasure and how she derives inspiration from the natural world. Finding beauty from the interdependence we have with the Earth, which is a about 90% of why I personally want to be farming, keeps a days work in perspective. It is cold and work is always hard, but hey! two years ago many farms this size didnt know if they would be able to keep operating because there was no water. Every summer here in California we have less and less snow pack to get us through and we pray for rain. So, I wanted to stop by today and say "My feet are wet and my hands are cold, I cant wait to get back into my warm house and pet my animals, but right now while I'm out here in the wet earth I'm going to laugh when my feet sink into the mud and I'm going to marvel at how full our waterways are. I will remember the animals and pieces of vegatation that are rejoicing in the dampness they waited the hot summer to experience."
CSA barn hours:
Winter: 2:30-6 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in November)
Summer: 2:30-6:30 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in March)
Pick List:
Eggs
Red Norland, Yellow Finn, and La Ratte Fingerling Potatoes
Ailsa Sweet, Shallots, and Monastrell Red Onions
Leeks
Rhonda Beets
Yaya Carrots
Joan Rutabaga
Hablange Parsnips
Mars Celeriac
Purple Top Turnips
Bora King Daikon and Watermelon Radish
Calypso Celery
Primo Green Cabbage and Ruby King Red Cabbage
Kossack Kohlrabi
Finale Fennel
Castelfranco, Rosalba, and Sugarloaf
Joi Choi
White Russian Kale
Ruby Red Chard
Cilantro
Spaghetti, Butternut, Candystick Delicata, Tuffy Acorn, Tetsukabota Winter Squash, and Pie-Pita Pumpkin
Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries
Herbal Tea Blends, Ground Chiles, and Whole Dried Chile peppers (Please bring your own jars!)
Pick your own flowers and herbs
Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)
Kombucha Muffins From Jerrelle Guy, from food52.com
Note: If you are sensitive to the taste of baking soda, you can reduce the baking soda to 2 teaspoons—the muffins will still be fluffy, just not quite as fluffy. If you choose honey, the warm, sweet flavor of honey will come through most prominently. If you use agave, the flavor will be more neutral and you may be able to taste the baking soda more—a flavor I don't mind at all (think: pretzels!), but some people are more sensitive to. Whatever size your muffin cups are, don’t fill them much more than three-quarters full, and adjust the baking time accordingly. (For example, in my small muffin cups, I got 23 muffins and they baked in under 10 minutes.) Jerrelle notes that, to make these muffins vegan, you can use melted dairy-free butter or a neutral oil like grapeseed, safflower, sunflower, or canola oil, and use the agave option rather than the honey.
3 cups (360 grams) white whole-wheat flour or spelt flour
4 teaspoons (10 grams) baking soda (see Note above)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (112 grams) unsalted butter, melted, or neutral oil, plus more for greasing the pan
3/4 cup (180 milliliters) agave or honey
1 (16-ounce [470-milliliter]) bottle plain kombucha
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C or gas mark 7). Oil the wells of a muffin tin and have it nearby.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Pour the melted butter and agave over the dry ingredients, and then pour in the kombucha. Whisk the mixture until just combined. Don’t mix beyond this point or your muffins will be tough.
Immediately scoop the mixture into the muffin wells, and bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C or gas mark 5) and finish cooking for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The initial high heat of the oven will make sure the muffins pop out over the edges of the pan. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with more softened butter, if you like.