7/24/24 Appreciation & Costa Rica backstory of Singing Frogs
Elizabeth writes this newsletter and I have been on vacation this past week, getting home late last night. Thus I cannot give much of a Farm Update. I do know that it was hot! Very hot! Like 100 degrees hot on the farm. I do know that our crew really rocks, you all received emails from Sarah and some of your from Lola too. I did a farm walk this morning and it’s beautiful.
This farm is far far more than Farmer Elizabeth although it is me that you hear from most often… it is the crew who works on the hot days, shows up every morning, seeds, preps, plants, weeds, harvests and tends for the 300 beds, 90 varieties of veggies, 20 varieties of fruits plus 90 varieties of flowers. They are hard working, idealistic and dedicated to building a healthy planet, a healthy food system and growing great food!
AND one of the things that is important about this hard work is that we also get away. Everyone on the farm is getting a major vacation this summer. We all need a balanced life and having a good team is the way this farm does that so even the farm can go on vacation in July.
Costa Rica back story of Singing Frogs
Elizabeth was in Costa Rica, picking up our daughter from a teen service trip along with Paul’s mom. It was a girls trip and it’s focus was animals. We went to the Osa Peninsula, to Corcovado and Piedras Blancas National Parks on the Golfo Dulce. Did we see biodiversity?! It is the MOST biodiverse place on planet Earth (0.001% of Earth’s landmass but 2.5% of Earth’s biodiversity)! Ticos (Costa Ricans) know how to do conservation!
Farmer Paul spent a year getting a Masters in Natural Resources Management from the UN University for Peace in Costa Rica and I spent 3 months doing my masters thesis in Public Health (via Johns Hopkins) there. During this last week, I realized that we forget how much that year and Costa Rica informs what we created and what we do at Singing Frogs Farm.
Here are a few things instilled in us by the practices and research we learned from Costa Rica 20 years ago:
PES or Payment for Ecosystem Services has grown to 550 programs in 36 countries but at the time Costa Rica was the only country in the world with this type of program at the national level. What it means is that land owners can get payment from the government for maintaining ecosystems that benefit the community as a whole. What an idea, much of human activity and especially agriculture has negative externalities but this doesn’t have to be the way. In fact, while Paul was there, research had been presented that hedgerows provided the highest level of ecosystem services (basically providing an edge effect) and as such, Costa Rica changed their program such that hedgerows receive the highest payment. Have you ever done a tour of our farm and had Elizabeth or Paul show you our hedgerows, they are absolutely vital to our vegetable growing and our healthy ecosystem.
A colleague of Paul’s did a study looking at the need for pesticide use on citrus orchards that were contiguous with national parks with healthy ecosystems and those that were far away. There was a 96% reduction in the need for pesticides in the orchards contiguous with health ecosystems. Why? Because there was a balance between predators such as birds, insects and reptiles and the pests. We use NO sprays of any type and we absolutely see that by stewarding habitat, we have greater control of our pests than our neighbors who may occasionally lean on organic pesticides.
As I’m writing this I’m hearing a hawk screech. I walked the farm this morning and I saw birds, a lizard, and predatory wasps plus our crew found a new friend (a weasel they’ve named Millie) in the fields. No, it’s not near the level of biodiversity of Costa Rica by any means, but stewarding the ecosystem as best we can is of utmost importance to us. ngs are in order. But not every trial was a success, or at least the first time.
Produce Notes & Recipes!
This Week’s Box
Panisse Lettuce
Frisée Endive
Toscano Kale
Carrots
Cucumbers (Russell Site) OR Summer Squash
Tomatoes (SR + Harmony) OR Eggplant (SFF & Russell)
Families: Cherry Tomatoes & Basil
We’re excited to have some beautiful Panisse Lettuce for you today but we also have Frisée Endive. This time of year I might use Frisée as a salad. Here’s an idea with Squash but also, I would use on it’s own with a strong dressing, while I would use a lighter dressing with a Panisse Salad.
Summer Squash Ribbon and Frisée Salad (Fine Cooking)
16 oz. squash, a mix of colors (about 2-4)
2 cups frisée, preferably the tender heart portion, torn into 2-inch pieces
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. minced mild green olives, such as Cerignola
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice + 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh mint leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Trim the ends of the zucchini and yellow squash. With a vegetable peeler, shave each zucchini and squash lengthwise into very thin, wide strips, about 1/16 inch thick, until you reach the seed core. Discard the core. Put the squash ribbons and frisée in a serving bowl.
In a small liquid measuring cup, whisk the olive oil, olives, lemon juice and zest, mint, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Toss the dressing into the squash and frisée. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss again and serve.
For the below recipe I would absolutely substitute Frisée!
Eggplant, Escarole and Cremini Sauté (TheUnemployedCook.com) serves 4
heaping cup eggplant, coarsely chopped
1 medium head escarole
6 oz cremini (Baby Bella) mushrooms
olive oil
toasted sesame oil
crushed red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
soy sauce
sea salt
Toss eggplant generously with salt, and set aside. Wash and dry the escarole, removing the core and tough outer leaves. Slice into large, coarse pieces. Brush mushrooms clean, then slice.
Rinse the eggplant well in a colander to remove salt, pat dry. Heat about 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute, then add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add eggplant, and another splash of olive oil, if necessary. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until beginning to brown and release liquids.
Add escarole to pan and drizzle with toasted sesame oil and soy sauce. Toss well to coat and mix with mushrooms and eggplant. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper and cook until escarole is wilting. Serve with a wedge of lemon alongside, if desired.
Summer Veg Rotation!
Today we were able to finish last week’s rotation with all of Santa Rosa plus Harmony getting Red Slicer Tomatoes and Singing Frogs and Russel getting Italian Eggplant.
We’re giving out a mix of globe purple and striped Annina Eggplant. Here is a basic info on Eggplant!
Storage: Eggplant prefers to be kept at about 50° F (warmer than the fridge but cooler than the counter top) - keeping it in the veggie crisper is the closest in summer.
Preparing: Rinse and cut off the stem. Many people like to peel, salt and drain their eggplant to draw out any bitter flavor; however the bitterness associated with eggplant is usually a result of prolonged storage. Many recipes call for salting in order to make the vegetable less watery and more absorbent. Salting is not essential, but can greatly enhance the taste and texture of your dish and is well worth the extra effort. Before farming, I salted eggplant, since growing my own, I never do.
Cooking Ideas:
Stir-fry or sauté 1-inch-cubed eggplant in a very hot wok or sauté pan with peanut or other oil until the eggplant has released much of its water and is very soft.
Brush ½ to 1-inch slices of eggplant with olive oil or melted butter and broil or grill until brown; turn over and brown on the other side. I like to do this along with and summer squash as a hot side dish and put extras in the fridge for roasted veggie sandwiches - YUM!
Pierce a whole eggplant in a few places with a knife, lightly coat with olive oil, bake at 375° F until the eggplant is very soft and has collapsed some, 30 min to 1 hour, depending on the size. One use for the baked interior is Baba Ghanouj.
Kale, Carrot and Avocado Salad
1 bunch kale, stemmed and finely chopped
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 Tbs lemon or lime juice
2 Tbs sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Use your hands or the back of a large spoon to thoroughly mash avocado into kale. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving to allow kale to soften. (My note: I would massage kale and lemon juice or olive oil prior to adding the other ingredients)