#January is just taking Autumn for a run to give June some peace after their sleepless night

[plasma-janes]

It's the Day of Enlightenment in the Mabel Household

June starts her day off with a yoga routine, while January takes Autumn on her morning run.

[hyenasnake]

Seasons

New England Sapphic Yearning from yours truly dedicated to my girlfriend

By Elsa M.

•

It wasn’t until I became older that I really started to appreciate New England Seasons.

But somehow I feel I’d appreciate them more with you.

You don’t have four seasons like I do. So all I can do is describe them to you.

-Summer-

You arrive in the early summer, right before I finish my Junior year. I see you for the first time and my heart skips two beats. We can only hug with your family there. A hug that promises a kiss later on when nobody is watching.

Our first “date” is a tour of the lower village. I hope you like the cafe and the art gallery where my father worked for ten long years. For once, I feel at home in the place with you beside me.

We go to the Pride Parade in the city. This is your first pride and my first pride not going alone. We wrap ourselves in all the colors of the rainbow and paint our faces with stardust. We sit on a bench and watch the ducks as if we were two immortals watching the world go by. Maybe we could kiss here.

You become an adult now, and I’m not far behind. I bring you presents, with most of my presents being my affections. That’s the one thing money can’t buy.

Both of us work, but in between work we run barefoot on the beach, cook s’mores, and plan for next summer.

One day we spend a whole afternoon in a field looking up at the clouds. Your fingers entwine with mine and I feel like I’m floating.

It gets hot in the summer, but we snuggle in the cold New England waters. It feels like the perfect temperature with you around.

We sleep under a sky of a thousand stars on an island in the middle of the sea and dream of this exact moment. I’ve never loved anything more in my life. I want to stay like this forever.

I take you to the seal island and we spend the afternoon picking up bones and shells and singing to my seal family. Sometimes wish for a sealskin so I could go back to them, but I wouldn’t want to leave you behind.

We go to the amusement park on the sea a few towns over. You try a crepe for the first time. I hope you like it.

Summer comes to a perfect close. We sit under an ancient elm tree, reading books in the dappled sunlight and waiting for the impending future to arrive. We go to the beach less and less, but still frequently. I’ll miss my ocean.

-Autumn-

In autumn, the trees are aflame with the brightest of leaves.

Shades of crimson, orange, and gold cover the forests as far as the eyes can see.

People come from all over to see the forest fire.

You don’t know peace until you’ve walked through the Maine woods on an October afternoon. The sun shining through the fiery canopy filling you up with warmth. The brown, fallen leaves crunching under your feet. The crisp air hits your nose and you pull your sweater tighter.

There’s nothing like apple picking with someone you love. It’s a good feeling to climb the sturdy branches of an apple tree, looking out across the orchard and up at the blue sky, knowing if you happen to slip and fall someone will catch you. You toast with hot mugs of apple cider and share a warm, sugary donut.

Later on, you can make pie. Of course, it takes self control to not eat all the sugary, cinnamon filling that will go into the pie. I know you’d look adorable covered in flour and laughing your pretty head off.

Pumpkin carving is fun too. Especially when you’re garbage at it like me. They say rural Maine has some of the biggest pumpkins and I can agree because I haven’t seen bigger pumpkins in my short life. It’s fun to throw handfuls of slimy pumpkin pulp at your companions and snack on the roasted seeds. I think back to the old black and white cat my parents had when I was little. She loved to eat the pumpkin pulp. She would be twenty six this year if she was still alive.

November is my least favorite month. The cold rains start to come down but quickly turn into snow. It’s dreary outside and we celebrate a holiday that marks when our cruel ancestors raped and pillaged this land and its people. We celebrate it with people who wouldn’t accept us. We sit in silence, our only comfort being the dog show and our fingers entwined under the table.

-Winter-

Winter in New England is hard. At first it starts out innocent enough with Frost decorating the ground and freezing the dirt. Then it turns into fluffy white snow for Christmas morning.

There’s no peace like standing out on the edge of the woods during a snowstorm. The snow falls around you and you can hear the sound of the wind, the sound of your heart beating, the sound of snowflakes hitting the ground. No traffic. No cars. Everything is quiet. The cold stings your face but you don’t care because it’s so peaceful. You could lay here forever in the silence.

Christmas in my town is lovely. The celebrations leading up to it, the spirit, the warmth inside. It would envelope us in love. For Christmas, I give you my heart.

In January it gets harder, with nor’easters blowing in, January thaw and freeze. By February you don’t want the snow and slush anymore. You want life to return to the earth.

-Spring-

Spring comes after the harsh winter like a breath of fresh air. The wet mud under bare feet, the puddles on the sidewalk, the flowers popping up in the grass, the leaves only just beginning to return to the trees.

We would visit the local farms to see the new babies. You chuckled when I became so happy at seeing the ducklings that I started flapping my hands.

My birthday comes towards the end of April Break. I don’t need a gift from you except for your love. We’re both adults now, but yet still children. We go to Boston for the day, taking the train down. We exchange a promise to each other to support each other in front of a tank with a giant snake. I cherish this day above any others in my life so far.

May comes and so does the impending end of school. We start to pack our things, preparing to leave this place indefinitely. I stand on a bleacher above you as we graduate on an afternoon in June.

And just like that it’s over. We’ve finally done it. We’re free. We celebrate. We go to Pride one last time to celebrate. We go to Boston one last time to celebrate. Then we leave.

I look out on the place I’ve called my home for eighteen years. I remember all the strife and anguish I went through here. I remember all the good. I hold your hand as our plane takes off and we set out for our simple life. Just the two of us, a cat, a dog, and a snake. Five souls leaving for a fresh unknown.

We’ll come back someday. Once you’ve been to New England, you must come back someday. But for now, I’m stepping back and following you into the mysterious unknown.

[edgewaterfarmcsa]

CSA WEEK 17

p i c k l i s t

PARSLEY - REDBOR KALE - SHISHITOS PEPPERS! - HABANADAS PEPPERS! - CAYENNE PEPPER! - JALAPENO PEPPER! - BEETS - BUTTERCUP WINTER SQUASH - CARROTS- HEIRLOOM FIELD TOMATOES - CORN - ONION - GARLIC

Content Warning: this newsletter talks about food, if you are fasting in recognition of the holiest day of the Jewish Calendar, then please feel free to pause until tomorrow…. Ok?

And now let’s get into it: our Summer CSA ends this week! What in the world are we all supposed to eat after this week’s goodies run out? Cereal?! Hot dogs? Nightly takeout from Brownsville Butcher and Pantry? JK, As you all know our Fall CSA begins in a week, so this is certainly not the end of fresh veg for those that signed up.  In fact for many of you, the fun starts next Wednesday (first FALL CSA!) when our efforts go into filling the farmstand with towers of brussel sprouts, bins of onions, trays of greens and if you are smart and gluten friendly- a fresh warm loaf of bread (via add on bread share).

  And as for the fields this week, they did get a light frost two nights in a row.  Some plants are toast but the majority remain and they will continue to kick around until a deep kill frost hits and the fog breaks.  Truthfully, none of us expect the peppers, corn, and cherry tomatoes to stick around much longer, but while they are here, we will love them dearly and pick them with pretend Summer delight.  The brassicas and other greens have no problem with these cool temps, and we have enough greenhouses growing food to keep our bellies full and happy through the Winter Solstice (and beyond?).  

In other field topics, we are all impatiently waiting for the tops on the potatoes to properly dry so we can begin to dig the spud field using our fave large piece of equipment, the potato harvester- this will save an insane amount of time.  We are all a little sick of hand digging and our fingernails could use a break.  For real, the pain of hitting your finger nail into a potato while digging into the soil is a shock to the system for daaaaays.  

But the most pressing topic to really hit today is all the food we ate together these last 17 weeks.  From strawberries in June, to blueberries in July and Melon into the end of September.  We ate like kings and queens! And come January, I guarantee you, the onslaught of Equinox peppers will be missed as you sip on your dried tulsi tea.  Moreover, a huge shout out to all CSAers near (farmstand pick up!) and far (Eastman! The Studio! Novo Nordisk! Windsor! Brownsville!).  I don’t know what the CSA means to you- is it just groceries? Is it more? But for me, the CSA gives my every week real meaning and rhythm.  With the help of so many awesome hands and fellow farmers (Ray, Roy, Garnet, Claire, Denroy, Carlington, Tim, Jasper, Strong, Joe and Mike, Mrs. T and Pam), I get to curate your meals from a field! That is a huge honor and I do not take it lightly.  And bottomline here, a massive cheers to you all for taking a chance on Edgewater this season, and I do hope to check in with you all again in the not too distant future.  

Peace, Love, and Habanadas, Jenny

Pro-tips:

 KALE SALAD WITH ROASTED SQUASH AND FENNEL

FROM START SIMPLE

(the above book is absolutely my go to for nearly all meals, treat yourself:

Copyright © 2020 by Lukas Volger. Published by Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. 

 The dressing - a mix of maple syrup, lemon juice, and olive oil, plus an optional jolt of ginger- could make anything taste good, and the salad, with its autumnal profile, works just as well in holiday menus as it does in packed weekday lunches… Add some crumbled feta if you’d like a tangy creamy element.

 2 cups winter squash cut into bite size pieces

1 to 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup or honey

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons finely grated ginger (optional)

Salt & pepper

1 small fennel, cored (also optional!)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 large bunch of kale (stemmed and torn into bite size pieces

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Parsley, (chopped)

Preheat the oven to 425.  Spread the squash on a baking sheet, then toss with 1 ½ tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with a big pinch of salt and pepper.  Roast until tender, 15-20 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Cool.

Whisk together the remaining1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon juice, maple syrup or honey, and ginger, if using, in a serving bowl.  Cut the fennel (if using) into thinnest-possible shavings, preferable using a mandoline or, if not, a very sharp knife.  Add the fennel and squash to the bowl with the dressing and stir to coat.  Let stand for about 5 minutes, which will soften up the fennel, then add the kale and toss with your hands.  Top with cheese if using and chopped parsley!

Grounding roasted roots with herbed jalapeño yogurt sauce is a beautiful and simple side dish that features a delicious sauce.

PREP TIME:15 MINS/ COOK TIME:1 HR/ TOTAL TIME:1 HR 15 MINS/ SERVINGS 4 -6

ROOTS:

1 lb carrots (5 medium), peeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces

½ lb beets (3 medium/4 small) peeled and chopped into 1-inch wedges

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons za’atar spice

sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

 YOGURT SAUCE:

1 cup mixed herbs, packed (I used parsley, dill & basil), plus extra for garnish

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (I left some of the seeds because I like the heat)

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 tablespoons shelled and salted pistachios, plus extra for garnish

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup thick non-dairy yogurt (see notes for recommendations)

Notes

I would make this a meal by serving it in a grain bowl-style setup with some cooked farro, white beans, and a big handful of chopped/baby greens per person.

I used carrots and beets, but any mixture of root vegetables you like is good. You’ll need 1 ½ pounds.

If you don’t have za’atar spice blend, that’s fine! Just use salt and pepper. The sauce is super flavourful.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9x13x2 baking dish with parchment paper.

Place the chopped carrots and beets in the baking dish and toss them with the olive oil, za’atar, salt and pepper. Once the vegetables are evenly coated, spread them out into a single layer and slide the dish into the oven. Roast the vegetables for 1 hour, taking them out at the halfway point to stir them up and flip them over.

Make the herbed jalapeño yogurt sauce: In a food processor, combine the herbs, jalapeño, garlic, pistachios, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse the machine a few times until everything is finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula  if necessary. Add the non-dairy yogurt to the food processor and pulse until the sauce is fully combined and uniformly light green. Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

To serve: Spread the herbed jalapeño yogurt sauce out on the base of your serving plate. Pile the roasted root vegetables on top of the yogurt sauce.

Garnish the grounding roasted roots and herbed jalapeño yogurt sauce with extra chopped herbs and pistachios. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 Corn!

Heads up yall, this corn was picked on Saturday pre-frost as a just in case frost precaution.  It’s great for soups or freezing for winter!  

To freeze: blanch in boiling water, let cool, remove kernels, put in zip lock bag, and freeze!