Don't Forget to Sing (CSA Letter 1)

Oz Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) letter, written in May '11

"Sow the seeds of your heart/
In the soil of the Earth and don't stray far/
Give them life and water and a blessing/
And don't forget to sing, sing..."
-"Lean in" by MaMuse (a female folk-singing duo from Chico, CA)

Dearest CSA members, vegetable connoisseurs, and coast-dwellers,

Michelle ("Moss") here, with a word about your box o' veggies this week. They may be contaminated... with good vibes, a touch of laughter, and a bit of song.

I am a life-loving, bicycle-riding, fresh-flowers-in-my-hair Northern California native who has been on a series of educational adventures for the past year since taking a leave of absence from CSU, Chico. Those adventures include WWOOFing, bike touring, a couple months exploring Guatemala, and volunteering on Common Vision's Fruit Tree Tour which turned urban school yards into fruit orchards via a veggie-oil bus caravan.

And now, in the final stretch of my year off, I am STOKED to be an apprentice here at Oz Farm!

At Oz, we put love into everything we do, and your veggies are no exception. On Fruit Tree Tour, we asked the kids we worked with what 5 things plants need to grow. Most guessed the first four easily- water, air, sun and soil- but the last and most important one of all...?

That's right: love.

If your veggies taste a little richer, a little sweeter, or your smile grows a little wider with every bite, it isn't just because you're putting healthy and delicious, locally and organically grown food into your bodily temple. It's the love, too.

And believe me, we will not forget to sing to them!
Peace and sunshine,
-Moss

Fava Beans (mariquita.com)
2 pound favas, taken out of the pods
1-4 cloves of garlic, chopped AND/OR:
1/2 cup onions, chopped
olive oil

Put the light green favas (that have been removed from the pod) into boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove immediately; rinse in cold water. Take the outer shell off each fava bean, so that you have just the bright emerald green bean. Then cook just the inner brighter green beans in the heated oil with the garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chickpea Spinach Soup (mariquita.com)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 crushed garlic cloves
1 chopped leek or onion
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander powder
3 big potatoes peeled and chopped
16 oz cooked (or canned) chick peas/garbanzo beans
5 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp corn starch
2/3 cups heavy cream or half and half
2 tbsp sesame seed paste
1 bunch spinach, washed and roughly chopped
red chile powder

Heat oil and cook the garlic and onion until soft. Stir the cumin and coriander and cook. Add the stock and the potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer. Add the chick peas and simmer until both are soft. Blend the sesame seed paste, cream and the corn starch. Add the chile powder and mix into the soup. Add the spinach and bring to a boil. Keep stirring. Simmer for 5 minutes, add the salt and pepper and serve.