This week's autumnal equinox highlights for us that we're entering the realm of fall. Mornings are becoming thick flannel-worthy, summer crops will soon slow, we are pulling storage crops and and putting many beds to sleep until next year. Something about the crispness of the air seems to turn us toward sentiment, and so we would like to thank you for journeying with us through this inaugural season. Some of you have been supporting this farm dream of ours for decades, while others of you have just joined us as new CSA members or simply interested members of the community. No matter how you're involved, we're awfully grateful for your interest in and support of what we're doing at Common Name. Seeing your excitement at CSA distribution or at the farmer's market lifts our spirits and pushes us to be ever better farmers and stewards of the land. On Wednesday we will be speaking at an event alongside a number of local poets and writers at the Dikeou Gallery pop-up space on Colfax (312 E Colfax). Everything is free, unticketed, all-ages, and open to the public. The reading will happen outside, with masks, starting around 6:30.
A sleepy little black swallowtail came to rest with us near the farm's lone shade tree.
Harvest List: Red Kuri squash Leeks Potatoes Kale Napa cabbage Daikon radishes Wami wofi (hot) peppers Bok choy Basil Ghost squash (old, overgrown patty pan squash) Rhubarb Please note this list is dependent on weather and crop conditions, not guaranteed or comprehensive.
For a number of weeks at CSA, and for a number of years before the CSA existed, we have been discussing the wider world of plant knowledge and kinship, with an emphasis on the medicinal aspects of plants with two longtime friends and CSA shareholders, Whit and Eric. For the past few years they have been working with a number of medicinal plants, including cannabis, to facilitate and enhance personal and spiritual growth. Whit and Eric have been valued advisors for us in this realm and have kindly consented to make their consultation practice available for CSA shareholders. Given their wizardly appearance, we are calling this Two Wizards Consultation. On Monday October 4 during distribution they will be available for consults between 4-5pm. You can email Whit at whit [dot] griffin [at] protonmail [dot] com to schedule a consult or walk-in during the above hours. They write: "We've experimented with making edibles, capsules and infusions. Most recently we've been making tinctures, which we are really excited about. We make both strain-specific tinctures as well as blends. All of our tinctures use MCT oil as their base. The idea is to meet with others who are interested in using cannabis in an intentional way to further their own meditation practices and inner journeying. We could share our experience and knowledge and provide samples of the tinctures we've been making and using for our own inner work. All consultations would be informal, relaxed, supportive and nonjudgmental. For those interested, oracle decks would be used to foster a dialog about possible avenues of exploration. Additionally, information would be provided about helpful texts, music recommendations and navigational tools that we've learned through our own engagement with these elixirs."
Recipe: Kimchi This recipe was recommended by Juliette. Each person's kimchi is unique to them, and there are so many styles and different ingredients that are all valid and good include. And if you aren't aiming for 8 pounds of kimchi, adjust the recipe accordingly! Makes about 8 pounds (3.6 kg) of Kimchi Ingredients: For salting cabbage: 6 pounds (about 2.7 kg) napa cabbage ½ cup Kosher salt (2.5 ounces: 72 grams) For making porridge: 2 cups water 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour) 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (or brown or white sugar) Vegetables: 2 cups radish matchsticks 1 cup carrot matchsticks 7 to 8 green onions, chopped 1 cup chopped Asian chives (buchu), optional (substitute with 3 green onions, chopped) 1 cup water dropwort (minari), optional Seasonings and spices: ½ cup garlic cloves (24 garlic cloves), minced 2 teaspoon ginger, minced 1 medium onion, minced ½ cup fish sauce ¼ cup fermented salted shrimp (saeujeot) with the salty brine, chopped 2 cups hot pepper flakes (gochugaru) Directions: Prepare and salt the cabbage: To split a cabbage in half without shredding the densely packed leaves inside, first cut a short slit in the base of the cabbage, enough to get a grip on either half, and then gently pull the halves apart so the cabbage splits open. Cut a slit through the core of each half, 2 inches above the stem. You want the cabbage leaves to be loose but still attached to the core.Dunk the halves in a large basin of water to get them wet. Sprinkle the salt between the leaves by lifting up every leaf and getting salt in there. Use more salt closer to the stems, where the leaves are thicker. Let the cabbages rest for 2 hours. Turn over every 30 minutes, so they get well salted. From time to time you can ladle some of the salty water from the bottom of the basin over top of the cabbages if you want to. After 2 hours, wash the cabbage halves a few times under cold running water. Giving them a good washing, to remove the salt and any dirt. As you wash, split the halves into quarters along the slits you cut into earlier. Cut off the cores, and put them in a strainer over a basin so they can drain well. While the cabbage is salting for 2 hours, and in between the times you’re turning it over, you can make the porridge: Combine the water and the sweet rice flour in a small pot. Mix well with a wooden spoon and let it cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until it starts to bubble. Add the sugar and cook 1 more minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and let it cool off completely. Pour cooled porridge into a large mixing bowl. Add garlic, ginger, onion, fish sauce, fermented salted shrimp, and hot pepper flakes. Mix well with the wooden spoon until the mixture turns into a thin paste. Add the radish, carrot, and green onion, plus the Asian chives (or more green onions) and the water dropwort if you’re using them. Mix well. Spread some kimchi paste on each cabbage leaf. When every leaf in a quarter is covered with paste, wrap it around itself into a small packet, and put into your jar, plastic container, or onggi. Eat right away, or let it sit for a few days to ferment. The kimchi will start fermenting a day or two at room temperature, depending on the temperature and humidity of your room. The warmer and more humid it is, the faster the kimchi will ferment. Once it starts to ferment it will smell and taste sour, and pressing on the top of the kimchi with a spoon will release bubbles from beneath.Once it starts to fermented, store in the refrigerator to use as needed. This slows down the fermentation process, which will make the kimchi more and more sour as time goes on.
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