Author: Tristan Klesick

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Chilly days and warm fragrant ovens

This time of year my oven is rarely off. My mind swells with satisfaction as the scent of cinnamon and ginger dance through the air mingling with the subtle pine scent wafting from our Christmas tree. It’s a joyous time when something inside me longs to bake each and every day. Rather than acquiring the extra holiday pounds that jiggles like a bowl full of jelly, mimicking that of ol’ St. Nick, I happily share my homemade treats spreading sweet joy to family, friends and neighbors.

 

This season offers a bounty of flavors that love being folded into a rich batter or snuggling up under the heat of the oven. Apples rest under a blanket of sweet and nutty crumble or lay on a bed of buttery-rich dough. Pumpkin gets folded into everything from pancakes to loaf cakes. And my most recent spicy obsession is poached pears. After shedding their skin they get dunked into a warm bath of wine, juice and spices. They tumble around in a simmering broth soaking up the fragrant liquid and return with a soft and tender texture.

Poaching is simply the process of gently simmering food in a liquid. This basic cooking technique is often reserved for fragile food items such as eggs, fish, poultry and fruit. Because of the fragile nature of these foods it is important to keep the heat low and to watch for overcooking which can cause toughness or, in the case of fruit, cause them to fall apart.

Poached pears are impressive and delicious served on their own with a drizzle of warm caramel. They also make a wonderful accompaniment to any sweet custard.

I hope this season finds you in your kitchen warmed by the heat of the oven joyfully creating dishes to be shared with the people who love you and the food you’ve prepared.

Happy Holidays!

 

by Ashley Rodriquez

Chef, food blogger, and full-time mom. You can read more of her writings at www.notwithoutsalt.com

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Let the good food movement roll on!

This last week, I came across a couple of good articles at Rodale Institute that I wanted to share with you.

Lupus, other autoimmune diseases linked to insecticide exposure

A recent study shows that women who use insecticides are at elevated risk for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The results of the yet unpublished study were presented October 2009 at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA.

The study of 75,000 women shows that those who spray insecticides at least six times per year have almost two and a half times the risk of developing lupus and rheumatoid arthritis versus those who do not use insecticides. The risk doubles if insecticides were used in the home for 20 years or more.

“Our new results provide support for the idea that environmental factors may increase susceptibility or trigger the development of autoimmune diseases in some individuals,” said Dr. Christine G. Parks, PhD. She is an epidemiologist with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C., one of the lead researchers who analyzed data from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Observational

“The findings are fairly compelling” because they show the greater and longer the exposure, the greater the risk,” said Darcy Majka, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University, who also analyzed the WHI data. Full story: Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog

 

Herbicide-resistant pigweeds stop combines, make national TV

Cotton and soybean farmers in eastern Arkansas are interviewed in an ABC News story highlighting the potential harvest disruption caused by weeds that chemicals cannot kill. The reporter says that more than 1 million acres may be affected by the problem, long predicted by farmers and weed scientists who advocate for non-chemical weed management.

One farmer interviewed said he had spent $500,000 spraying chemicals this year, and lost the battle against pigweed. The resistant, persistent plant pest forms a hard, fibrous stalk that can be as thick as a baseball bat. A veteran extension agent says he has never seen such a weed threat.

While the coverage focuses on the current-year crisis—and highlights the fallacy of depending on herbicides for  long-term sustainability—glyphosate (the active ingredient in many widely used herbicides) has been losing its impact for years, as our background story illustrates. Full story: ABC News

Science initially came to the rescue to help farmers control  insects and weeds and now that their chemicals are no longer effective or are even causing autoimmune diseases, America is going to go running back to these companies to solve the problem they helped to create.  It sure looks like the fox (aka chemical companies) has the keys to the hen house (aka USDA).  This kind of information speaks loudly for the importance of Organic Agriculture.

Posted on by

Let the good food movement roll on!

This last week, I came across a couple of good articles at Rodale Institute that I wanted to share with you.

 

Lupus, other autoimmune diseases linked to insecticide exposure

A recent study shows that women who use insecticides are at elevated risk for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The results of the yet unpublished study were presented October 2009 at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA.

The study of 75,000 women shows that those who spray insecticides at least six times per year have almost two and a half times the risk of developing lupus and rheumatoid arthritis versus those who do not use insecticides. The risk doubles if insecticides were used in the home for 20 years or more.

“Our new results provide support for the idea that environmental factors may increase susceptibility or trigger the development of autoimmune diseases in some individuals,” said Dr. Christine G. Parks, PhD. She is an epidemiologist with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C., one of the lead researchers who analyzed data from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Observational

“The findings are fairly compelling” because they show the greater and longer the exposure, the greater the risk,” said Darcy Majka, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University, who also analyzed the WHI data. Full story: Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog

 

Herbicide-resistant pigweeds stop combines, make national TV

Cotton and soybean farmers in eastern Arkansas are interviewed in an ABC News story highlighting the potential harvest disruption caused by weeds that chemicals cannot kill. The reporter says that more than 1 million acres may be affected by the problem, long predicted by farmers and weed scientists who advocate for non-chemical weed management.

One farmer interviewed said he had spent $500,000 spraying chemicals this year, and lost the battle against pigweed. The resistant, persistent plant pest forms a hard, fibrous stalk that can be as thick as a baseball bat. A veteran extension agent says he has never seen such a weed threat.

While the coverage focuses on the current-year crisis—and highlights the fallacy of depending on herbicides for  long-term sustainability—glyphosate (the active ingredient in many widely used herbicides) has been losing its impact for years, as our background story illustrates. Full story: ABC News

 

Science initially came to the rescue to help farmers control  insects and weeds and now that their chemicals are no longer effective or are even causing autoimmune diseases, America is going to go running back to these companies to solve the problem they helped to create.  It sure looks like the fox (aka chemical companies) has the keys to the hen house (aka USDA).  This kind of information speaks loudly for the importance of Organic Agriculture.

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Enjoying the Holiday Meals

Enjoying the Holiday Meals

Are you rushing around yet? It’s the season for holiday plans, schedules, trying to find and give that perfect gift, and entertaining friends and family. It’s also a time of dietary excess, increased stress, and let’s not forget colds and flu. Statistics show that December is the most stressful month of the year. That and the cold weather alone can wreak havoc on a person. Rest assured! There are things you can do to prepare yourself for the holidays, and prevent certain discomforts that can accompany this season.

Growing up, in my family, it was considered impolite to not sample food being offered, especially if Grandma made it. We would eat and eat, sometimes having three to four holiday meals in one day! Some of you can no doubt identify with this situation. To help you avoid overeating during the holidays, here are some tips. First, avoid starving yourself early in the day to “save room” for the holiday meal. The easiest way to overeat is to create maximum hunger this way. Small frequent meals are always better. Second, remember to drink plenty of water. This will prevent you from serving and eating a huge portion which you will “have to finish,” since you “don’t want it to go to waste.” Third, decide on a maximum and reasonable portion size for the meal and stick to it. After eating, drink some hot herbal tea to promote relaxation.

With too much good food comes heartburn. To decrease your chance of getting the discomfort and pain of heartburn, start the meal with apple cider vinegar. This helps increase digestive enzymes and break down foods faster. Another way to avoid stomach upset is to use deglycyrrhized licorice (abbreviated DGL). Licorice is an herb that stimulates the cells lining your digestive tract to produce mucus. The mucus, in turn, protects the stomach and esophagus from digestive acid. DGL can help tremendously with heartburn, or excess stomach acid, when it’s food related or if you have esophageal reflux (backflow of stomach acid). A typical prescription is to chew and swallow two 400mg tablets 10 minutes before each meal to help keep your digestive tract in order. Talk to your ND to find out what’s best for you.

by Rebecca Dirks, N.D.

Associate Physician, NW Center for Optimal Health

Marysville, 360-651-9355

Producer & Co-Host, Healthy Living, KSER FM 90.7

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It's November and… 11/17/09

Flooding is something that valley farmers contend with.  We get use to it, sort of, we work around it and sometimes in it, and mostly, hope that the river decides to stay within its banks.  This first flood of the year appears to be mostly benign and for that I am thankful.  I am also thankful that last March, Joelle and I made a choice to move our processing and packing facility off our farm and up to a high spot in Warm Beach.  That choice has provided a significant amount of peace in our lives.  We loved having our operation on the farm, but we had out grown our facilities and needed more space for, both, the actual farming operation and the home delivery business.

In the past we would have two flood fights, as they are called, on our hands.  One, getting our farm equipment, barns and house ready for the River, and two, getting our home delivery business situated and potentially moved to a temporary location. 

I am thankful today that we are only getting our farm prepared for the flood and I am really thankful that it appears to be a minor flood.

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Local farmland: How important is it? 11/06/09

As a farmer, I tend to interact with a lot of other farmers.  We see each other at various meetings and driving between fields.  As a rule farmers tend to be pretty stable folk, we recognize that no matter who is President  of America or Snohomish County Executive we are going to have to plow the fields or milk the cows.  The very nature of farming requires us to be more deliberate. We prune in February, plow in the spring, weed all summer and harvest when the crop is ready. 

Way back in the 50’s, 60’s or even as recent as the 70’s, there never was any doubt that a child or neighbor would take over the farm and keep farming.  Times have changed!  The Average age of farmers is now 57 years old.  And a lot farmland is controlled by this group of farmers and for the most part there aren’t children in the picture to carry on the farm.  Even more troubling is the recent survey of farmers, over the last 10 years, where the number of farmers under 25 years old decreased by 35% and the number of farmers over 75 increased by 25%. Why is this an issue for America, for Snohomish County? It is important because most farmers are older than younger (average 57 years old), they are looking towards retirement and “exploring” their options for the land they own. 

The options at retirement are really limited at this time:

1.  Stop farming, sell the equipment and keep the land to rent to other farmers. (best for society)

2.  Stop farming, sell the equipment and keep the land and not rent it to other farmers. (okay for society)

3.  Stop farming, sell the equipment and the land. (okay for society)

4.  Stop farming, sell the equipment and build houses on the land. (best for the farmer)

5.  Farm till you die and let someone else deal with the issue. (not a solution)

This group controls thousands of acres of farmland in Snohomish County and America and the pressure to develop is going to increase, exponentially, as they look towards retirement.  I suspect that if we, society collectively, do not propose a good alternative to development for these farmers they will become developers by necessity. 

I am working on some ideas that will encourage farmer’s to not develop their land and ensure that there will be land locally to farm for many generations to come.  This is a complex issue and is deeply rooted in property rights and land use issues. 

But right now you, as consumers of the Klesick family farm, are making a huge impact on this issue.  Your support, your purchases send a clear and encouraging message to local farmers.  Keep eating locally and it helps your local farmland remain in farming.

 

Thanks

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Contending with the Elements 10/20/09

Did you feel that crispness last week and then that shift to warm wet weather?  It was about this time of year in 2003 when the Stillaguamish River introduced itself to my family with a significant flood.  Which is the one reason, I rarely grow crops in the winter, because the Stillaguamish River can make itself “known” pretty much anytime from this point on and it is so disheartening to have your vegetable crops flooded.  So right now we are busy putting in cover crops and harvesting the remainder of the winter squash.

I woke up Monday last week with a sort of unexplained uneasiness.  I saw that it was colder than expected and a fairly thick blanket of frost covered the ground and, consequently, our winter squash crops.  Normally, winter squash can handle a frost and we have had a few light ones prior to this one, but the intensity of the cold made this one a little too close for comfort.  I checked on the squash, it was “cold”, we let it thaw (what else could I do, anyway) and everything worked out for the best.  I was thankful for the warming trend and have wasted no time harvesting and storing the crop in our barn.  Now, neither, old man Jack Frost or its friend the Mighty Stilly will be able to lay “claim” to this year’s harvest.

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A New Year

A new year brings with it lots of enthusiasm. This new year we are excited to be able to bring to you a fun new look! Over the last few months we have been working on developing a new logo for the business, and have been using it “unofficially” until NOW! We are excited to roll it out and explain why we chose the tagline, a box of good. Your box of fresh produce directly impacts both you and our community for good. 

 

a box of good

 • good organic quality. Organic and local foods are bursting with flavor! We hand select the highest quality produce for our customers. Our customers enjoy delicious foods, while keeping harmful chemicals off their plates. 

• good variety and selection. Our menus are designed each week to showcase the bounty of fresh produce available, focusing on quality, in season offerings. 

• good value. Our produce is competitively priced with local grocery stores, and it also comes right to your door, saving you time and gas.

• good service. Our whole focus is to bless our customers and help them eat healthier. From the moment the order is placed to when it is received, we are fanatic about exceeding expectations.

• good nutrition. Nutrition is not an accident. Organic farmers concentrate on building a healthy soil to in turn enhance the nutritional value of their crops. 

• good health. It doesn’t happen by chance. Eating healthy is a choice that pays healthy dividends. Our bodies need a daily variety of organic fruits and vegetables in order to fight disease, and to function at it’s best. 

• good convenience. Eating healthy is hard enough, but having to shop for quality and value complicates the process. Receiving our home delivery box makes it easier and more convenient to eat healthy.

• good information. Our newsletters provide insight to the farm season, educational material, and local musings from the farmer. We also have monthly writings from a local Naturopathic doctor regarding health and diet related topics. 

• good recipes. We supply fun and inspiring, simple recipes with each newsletter. 

• good helpful produce tips. We provide useful produce tips on various items within the box, making sure to provide information on items that may be new or unusual to the customer. 

• good for the local community. Local farms provide access to fresh local food and provide local food security, limiting our need to rely on other regions and nations. At the Klesick Family Farm we cherish our local community and partner with our customers to provide the needy of our area with quality organic produce.

• good for the environment. Organic farming practices benefit not only personal health, but also the health of our immediate environment and of our world. Farms provide important homes to untold numbers of critters, above and below the ground. Our farms also provide open space, and in Western Washington much of our farmland is the reservoir for rivers that flood. 

• good for future generations. By supporting our farm and home delivery service our customers are also making an investment in future generations. Because we, at the Klesick Family Farm, believe so strongly in the importance of keeping local agriculture alive, we make it a priority to actively support farming at a local county planning level. We also engage in a multitude of speaking events, sharing on topics anywhere from “farming practices” to “why save farmland” to telling preschoolers why it’s cool to be a farmer. 

Every time you receive a box of produce you are not only reaping the benefit of convenience, healthy food, simple recipes, and a great value. You are impacting the world and making a difference… a good difference!

 

 

Tristan, for the Klesick Family Farm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KNOW YOUR PRODUCE 

 

Celery Root, or Celeriac, is an ugly, but delicious root.  It is not the bulb or base of regular celery.  It tastes like a cross between strong celery and parsley with a nutty twist.  To prepare, cut off the top and bottom.  Peel with a very sharp knife.  Cube celery root and cook it in boiling salted water about 10 minutes. Celery root is good with potato purees, soups and stews.  Celery Root is rich in phosphorous and potassium. In recipes calling for cauliflower, celery root makes a great and unexpected substitute. Carnival winter squash is similar to Acorn and can be prepared the same way. Carnival squash should be stored in a cool dark place.  Do not refrigerate.  As with all produce items, first wash and scrub outside of squash so that when cutting squash dirt does not get on the flesh.  Be careful when cutting raw squash.  Use a large, heavy knife, work slowly, gently rocking the knife or the squash while cutting.  With a spoon , scrape all seeds and strings from the center cavity.  Asian Pears are technically a member of the pear family, but resembles an apple in shape and texture.  Ripe Asian Pears are hard and fragrant.  Ripe pears can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks

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Flooding 01/27/09


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The recent flooding has taken its toll on many families, but this last weekend, the community put a lot of energy into cleaning up and it looks and feels markedly better. At one point I was visiting with a homeowner and a volunteer during lunch and wouldn’t you know it, right there in the middle of a recently flooded flower bed was some fall crocuses peeking out. A beautiful reminder that this flood and cleanup will be a memory soon and spring is coming.