“When we would talk about the future in private, I would ask Mark if he really thought we had a chance. Of course we had a chance, he’d say, and anyway, it didn’t matter if this venture failed. In his view, we were already a success, because we were doing something hard and it was something that mattered. You don’t measure things like that with words like success or failure, he said. Satisfaction comes from trying hard things and then going onto the next hard thing, regardless of the outcome. What mattered was whether or not you were moving in a direction you thought was right. This sounded extremely fishy to me.”

Emma and the basil

Sarah Jane and the chard

Thank you Robertsons!

Solution 1: snap traps and a special greenhouse cage designed and built by Uncle Marty Camp

Problem 2: Bunnies, bunnies, and more bunnies. I know understand Elmer Fudd’s hatred of those wascally wabbits.

Solution 2: I am trying remay cloth, I am considering building a rabbit proof fence for next year, I am wondering if I should be an owner of a pellet gun.

Five Loaves Farm Strawberries

I harvest strawberries three times a week. I have made no-cook jam, smoothies, and strawberry rhubarb crumble. Last month I got hooked on the crumble. It was easy, quick and deliciously sweet. Here is the recipe:

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble (from http://smittenkitchen.com)

Ingredients:

Topping:
1 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Zest of one lemon
1/4 pound unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 quart strawberries plus a few extras, hulled, quartered
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl prepare topping, combine flour, baking powder, sugars and lemon zest and add the melted butter. Use fingers to mix until small and large clumps form. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Then prepare filling: Toss rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.

3. Remove topping from refrigerator and cover fruit thickly and evenly with topping. Place pie plate on a baking sheet, and bake until crumble topping is golden brown in places and fruit is bubbling beneath, about 40 to 50 minutes.

This is me, Kayla, and Debra helping at the Community Development Center in Isla Vista.

The noodles quivered as if they were alive, and leapt into my mouth where they vibrated as if playing inaudible music. “It takes a magician to make soba,” I explained to Claudia, as I showed her how to eat the noodles. “They are made of buckwheat, which has no gluten. That means that getting them to hold together is an act of will. They say it takes a year to learn to mix the dough, another year to learn to roll it, a third to learn the correct cut. In Japan they like soba because they taste good. But they like them even more because they are difficult to make. You have to understand that if you are going to understand anything about Japanese food.”

Intern Anthony Waldrop

Intern Kayla Barkett

On Fridays we have a community meeting, veggies are harvested, lunch is prepared and we enjoy our farm fresh meal together. Afterward we have a discussion based on the week’s reading assignments. See below for what is on the syllabus:

1. Defining terms: Sustainable Agriculture, Agroecology, Permaculture, Organic
2. Theology and Agriculture
3. Physical, Biological and Chemical Properties of Soil
4. Food Justice Issues
5. Soil Fertility Management
6. Compost (worm bins, aerobic/hot compost) and Cover Crops
7. Basic Botany for Farmers
8. Propagation and Greenhouse Management
9. Tillage and Irrigation
10. Integrated Pest Management
11. Vegetable Family Characteristics: Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae (Allium), Solanaceae, etc.