Category: Community

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Teamwork

 

Coming off the heels of our farm festival, I am reminded of how important it is to work together or, more importantly, how important each piece is to completing the puzzle. Our annual festival and our weekly “box of good” only happen because people come together and complete the puzzle.
 
Accomplishing these two things is much easier when it is not the farm season. The farm season, at times, seems like a tidal wave crashing upon us, especially when we are planting, harvesting, weeding and trying to maintain some semblance of family life. As the farmer, I am constantly surprising my team with extra vegetables or fruit that they were not planning for because I happen to discover a patch of strawberries or onions or spinach that is ready earlier than I expected. My team is very nimble and can change menus and directions in seconds. 
 
The other day was a prime example of teamwork. Maleah and I are the flower farmers. We have a system in place when it is time to pick flowers. She runs around and gets the asters, cosmos and dahlias and I get the sunflowers, amaranth, calendula, marigolds and straw flowers. She has quite an eye for picking beautiful flowers. Well, the other day she was at a sleepover birthday party and had left earlier that afternoon. The rest of our family was doing some last minute weeding and harvesting for the festival. Maleah and I always start harvesting flowers about a half an hour before dark. Of course, out of habit, I started the flower harvest like normal. At that moment I thought to myself, “What was I thinking, letting Maleah go to a birthday party during harvest time?!?!?” I ran around cutting my usual flowers and then I ran around getting Maleah’s usual flowers, barely finishing as the sun left the horizon. Then it took twice as long to bunch them.
 
That night, I experienced the importance of my seven year old’s help. I got the flowers harvested and arranged, but pinch hitting for Maleah isn’t nearly as much fun or efficient as working with her. I will still let her go to birthday parties, but I will definitely start earlier next time!
 
Farming as a family and a team, 
 
 
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Now that was a Party!

Over 500 of you came out to the farm on a beautiful, pleasantly cool afternoon and based on the smiles and photos on Facebook, people were having a great time.  The Klesick Family Farm festival is the perfect venue for us to connect with our customers.

From farm walks, hay rides and family games, to digging in the dirt with an excavator, this place was hopping, especially during the gunny sack races J. Kiddos were building wooden boats, felting, searching for lost mice in the haze maze and many were getting a farm makeover (AKA face painting)—oh my, we have a host of talented painters on our staff.
 
During this event, my job is to get the farm looking beautiful and make sure the crops are getting harvested and planted as well, but on the day of the festival my team frees me up to visit with you. I am so thankful for the 45 volunteers who give a Saturday to serve our customers—the  are an amazing bunch of people.  Every year we see a lot of the same families, like the Hopkins, Pappases, Monsefs, Fullers, and Elis, rolling in at 10 a.m. and rolling out at 4 p.m..Their kiddos are getting so big and, my, do they look healthy (I am sure that it has to do with their organic home delivery service J)! The connections are so rich, our customers have become friends and that is beautiful.
 
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the potato digging. It almost didn’t happen this year, but our team, at the last minute, added it back in and, voila, a horde of eager future farmers followed me over to the potato patch. I love that moment when I tell the children we are going to harvest potatoes and to stand back as the tractor begins to unearth the bounty. And all of a sudden, as if by magic, these yellow tubers pop out of the ground and time seems to stand still for an instant as a wave of awe comes over the children and there is this palpable energy. And then the kiddos turn that energy into their own personal harvest and for that moment they have become farmers bringing in the harvest. For me, that is the sweetest moment, when our farm brings back memories of the good old days or introduces the wonders of it all to a future farmer.
 
Thank you to my team and thank you to those of you who could spend a Saturday with us, I am truly blessed to be your farmer and host.
 
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Old-Fashioned Farm Celebration!

You are invited to come out to Klesick Family Farm for our annual old-fashioned farm celebration Saturday, August 18th! A fun and wholesome event for the entire family! Free admission!
 
Meet the people behind your “Box of Good” and celebrate the season with us. We will enjoy a fun-filled day with live music, wagon rides, a pioneer play area, face painting, tug-o-war, a balloon toss, a gunny sack race, a pie-eating contest, volleyball, wiffle ball, raffle prizes, farm walks with Tristan, an espresso stand, and a produce stand. Bring a kite to fly, as we’ll have the room.
 
Please Note: We were unable to secure a vendor to BBQ to be at the event this year, so no lunch options will be provided. Please pack a picnic lunch, picnic blanket, chairs, and smiles!
 
The weather is going to be great, so jump in the car and enjoy the drive to our little spot in the picturesque Stillaguamish River valley!
 
Saturday, August 18th
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
24101 Miller Rd
Stanwood, WA 98292
 
Schedule of Events
10:00     Let the Fun Begin!
10:30     Demonstration: Goat Felt by Holly Barnes
11:00     Raffle  w  Farm Walk
11:30     Games: Farm Olympics, Tug-o-War
12:00     Raffle  w  Music: Ben Booher
12:30     Demonstration: Ashley Rodriguez, food blogger  w  Storytelling: by Eldrbarry 
1:00        Raffle  w  Farm Walk
1:30          Games: Gunny Sack Race, Balloon Toss
2:00        Raffle  w  Pie Eating Contest
2:30        Demonstration:  Juicer & Dehydrator  w  Storytelling: by Eldrbarry    
3:00        Raffle  w  Music: Spencer Clem
4:00        Closing of Event
 
Thank you for coming!
Schedule is subject to change
 
Please call us if you have any questions: 360-652-4663
We look forward to seeing you there!
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The Exquisite Cherry

Grandpa would hoist me deep into the branches. Suddenly I was surrounded by a forest of fruit-heavy limbs with hundreds of plump cherries at my disposal. My arms blurred in hurried motion as I picked as fast as I could before Grandpa’s arms grew tired. I looked as if I had come from battle, descending the tree with every inch of me stained with flecks of blood red juice.  
 
Many years later, my husband and I bought our first home. It met much of our criteria, but it was t  he two cherry trees in the front yard that had me signing on the dotted line. Disappointment hit initially as the summer brought forth berries of a light pink hue. They weren’t the cherries that I remember eating with grandpa. I mourned the idea of eating the cherries straight off the tree only briefly, as I quickly learned that sour cherries create the most lovely preserves and pie. We’ve since sold that home and each year I think of those trees hoping that the current owner realizes the treasure they  now have.
 
Chef and author Nigel Slater says, “A bag of cherries is a bag of happiness.” I could not agree more. There is nothing wrong with simply plucking the dense berries from their stem and placing them directly into your mouth. No recipe could be easier or more rewarding. But there are hundreds of creative ways you can incorporate cherries into meals, sweet or savory. 
 
At the end of a summer meal, a large bowl of cherries over ice, served with another large bowl of whipped cream, creates the perfect dessert. Guests are encouraged to dunk the berries deep into the subtly sweet cream, then straight into their mouths. A light dusting of cinnamon onto the cream transcends the dessert even further, as cinnamon and cherries create an endearing union. If chocolate excites you more than cream, simply replace one for the other. Cherries dipped in chocolate –what could be better? You could do this ahead and serve as a lovely after-dinner treat. Simply melt a bowl filled of chocolate, dip cherries in leaving a bit of their brightly colored flesh showing, refrigerate, then bring out to a table filled with happy people upon seeing the arrival of fresh fruit and chocolate.
 
Atop a bed of peppery arugula, cherries soften the greens with their sweetness and add a brilliant pop of color. Shavings of Parmigiano-Regiano are highly recommended. Or start the meal with a platter of cherries atop fresh goat cheese. Serve with crackers or bread. 
 
If the cherries are a bit lacking in flavor it is a tragedy, but not all hope is lost. A bit of time in the oven brings out their natural sweetness and changes the flavor to something new and quite exciting. Toss with a bit of sugar or honey and enjoy over ice cream, yogurt or alone with a spoon.
 
Lately, our cherries disappear too quickly for me to do anything except enjoy my own children getting as much pleasure with them as I do. If we do have a few stragglers or some berries that are less than perfect but still needn’t be wasted, they have become part of our lemonade. A quick muddling of a few cherries with cold lemonade splashed over top instantly feels of summer no matter what it looks like outside.
 
by Ashley Rodriguez
www.notwithoutsalt.com
 
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Good Gates

What an evening! Last week, Joelle and I were heading a thousand different directions between soccer and ballet when, but for a rare moment, our schedules crossed paths. It was 6:30 p.m. and Joelle and I arrived home earlier than expected, so I said, “Let’s go for our walk.” We are able to make a walk a reality a few times a week. As the day was fleeting, we got going and Stephen, our newly accomplished bike rider, accompanied us. About a quarter of the way down the road, towards where we keep the cows, Stephen crashed, “Ouch!” We got him back up, dusted him off, and were off again winding our way towards the cow pasture. Just as we made our way around a turn we noticed that something was amiss.  

 
Initially, I thought out loud, “Hmmm…the neighbors have cows now?” As I gazed towards my side of the road, I realized that the neighbors had my cows now! I took a deep breath. We haven’t had to chase cows since 2005 and it is my least favorite sport. I got on the phone, called a few neighbors, and tried to get another neighbor to stop playing cowboy on his quad! 
 
The cows had lifted a gate off its hinges. The gate was still padlocked to the post, much to the relief of my third son who was the last to use that gate. When we built that fence over a year ago we didn’t turn the hinge posts opposite directions. So, when one of the cows was using the gate as a scratching post it lifted it up and off they went—not a single cow stayed home, imagine that.
 
We got the cows moving forward again, strung a hot wire across the road, barricaded the road with a tractor and truck, and began moving the cows towards the gate. Ahhh, easy as pie. But then they up and bolted through the vestiges of our neighbor’s fence and were gone again. But they were also getting tired. While the teenagers chased cows, I had Nathan, one of my farm hands, reposition the tractor and truck since the cows were now going to be coming down a different direction. When they got to the end of our neighbor’s field and were resting, we repositioned our non-hot hotwire and started moving the cows towards the road. Thankfully, my neighbor had left all of his fence posts in the ground even though there isn’t a single wire attached to them—all that mattered was that the cows thought a fence was there.  
 
Joelle parked her car at the other end of our road and we started moving the cows slowly towards the “hole” in the fence. They didn’t want to go, but one reluctantly stepped through and began to turn the wrong way. “If that cow bolts, we are done! They will be heading to Warm Beach!” I started praying, “NO LORD!” And then, all of a sudden, my petite wife began jumping up and down and waving her turquoise blue coat like she was a matador. Then that cow, not even thinking twice, headed the right direction. I started thanking the Lord because I am sure that cow saw the hosts of Heaven hanging like a halo above her head!
 
A few minutes later, the cows were back at home, the gate was fixed properly, and a good night’s sleep was had by all. 
 
 
 
PS. Meet these adventurous cows in the video below. 

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The rendezvous

Arugula and I first met in a dimly lit restaurant on the edge of an Umbrian town that sat on an ancient stone as if organically formed. The pizza that was served was a welcome reprieve from the usual pasta dinners we enjoyed while in Italy.
 
I was nearly twenty, and yet somehow I had managed to live that long without enjoying the peppery bite of arugula. My memory is unclear as to how or why I ordered the pizza I did, but it turned out to be one of the highlights on my culinary timeline. What arrived to my table was a pizza whose blackened crust extended beyond the plate. The tomato sauce was perfectly simple and floated amid islands of mozzarella. Piled high on top was bright and dramatically pointed leaves of arugula, or rocket as it was referred to there. 
 
Since that fateful night, there is hardly a week that goes by that I don’t enjoy a healthy portion of this fragrant and delightfully spicy green. As with all greens, arugula is very low in calories and packed with plenty of vitamin A and C. So I generously add a handful to salads, top on sandwiches, toss into a simple warm pasta dinner, and process into a powerful pesto.
 
It’s a member of the mustard family and with one bite you’ll recognize that warming, nearly nasal cleansing heat. Spring arugula offers a softer bite than the sun soaked late summer variety. I like them both. Loosely wrapped in a damp paper towel and wrapped in plastic, arugula can last 3 days in the fridge, but mine rarely does as I use it almost immediately. 
 
This arugula-rich dish I have for you today uses the zesty green in two places. Half is blended to make a flavorful pesto made bright with a bit of lemon and the rest is tossed with just warm lentils and sweet, grilled asparagus. The whole dish is brought together with an aged and salty pecorino. It’s healthy, flavorful, and destined to be a favorite spring dish.
 
by Ashley Rodriguez
www.notwithoutsalt.com
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Beef…the way it was meant to be

The good food community is making a difference! Thanks to committed “foodies” and connoisseurs of fine food, “pink slime” is being removed from the market place. And it is not because our beloved USDA or federal government had an issue with the product, but because the consumers spoke up and said, “Enough !”

Last week, Tyson Foods told their major investors to expect a 2-3% drop in sales because of the pink slime issue, and AFA in Pennsylvania, the major supplier (producer) of pink slime, filed for bankruptcy. 
The loss of this “filler” product is going to further cut into the shortage of American beef animals because pink slime was made of beef scraps and then added to hamburger. Without pink slime being added as a filler, it means that more beef will have to be used to replace the loss of this product. Also, because of the drought in the Southwest over the last few years and really high grain prices, many beef operations sold out and got out. The grain prices have been high for lots of reasons, but the primary reason is that a lot of grain is now being grown for ethanol and when farmers compete against automobiles we usually lose.
Ironically, the consumer is the biggest loser. When the cost of fuel increases, so does the cost of food. When farmers have to pay higher fuel prices then it costs more to produce, harvest and get our food to market. Fuel is the 800 pound gorilla in the room and it takes a huge bite out of everyone’s budget.
 
Thankfully, there is an alternative to rising fuel costs and grain-fed meat. Klesick Family Farm has been working with local family farmers since we began in 1997. We have a great network of farmers that care about their animals and raise them with dignity.  And because we are a local grass-based farm and work with other local grass-based farms, we are not contributing to the craziness of petroleum and its world politics. But even more importantly, we are not supporting the unhealthy GMO grain world and our cows are not beholden to Monsanto in any way, shape or form.
 
We still have shares of 2012 grass-fed lamb and beef available. A quarter share of beef is approximately 90 lbs. of meat, filling about two shelves of a large upright freezer, and costs around $6/lb. Imagine that! You can get locally raised, all natural grass-fed hamburger and T-bone (100% true beef) for $6 a pound. By purchasing beef the way it was meant to be, you are not only supporting local farms, but also sending an important message to Monsanto, Tyson Foods and other mega food companies!
 
If you haven’t ordered local meat from our farm or network of local farmers, it is easy, healthy and straight forward. Just click on the meat page at our website or call the office and we can walk you through the process. 

 
In support of local farms and real food,

 
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Cooking with Fresh Herbs

 

My gardening space and knowledge are very limited, so I must plan wisely. Judging from my last year’s success story, herbs were the most abundant and most used. Every time a recipe called for an herb that I had in my garden, I would proudly make my way into the garden carrying scissors and a smile. Cutting a handful of fresh herbs, I would immediately bring them to my nose to inhale their floral scent and not release the fragrance until I returned to the kitchen to stir them in to whatever I was cooking. think I’ll grow only herbs this year,” I commented to my husband, whose eyes tend to glaze over when I mention anything about the garden. He doesn’t have much input when it comes to the yard, but he also didn’t like coffee when we first married and now he roasts his own, so I remain hopeful.

There is little more that improves food than that of the addition of fresh herbs. Depending on the herb, it can brighten, soften, and add intrigue to anything from eggs to cocktails. The moment you slice into their delicate leaves the kitchen is flooded with a fresh and intoxicating perfume. Beyond that, fresh herbs bring with them an added boost of nutrients.

Spring brings with it a variety of fresh herbs. My garden is already brimming with sage, parsley, thyme, chives, and rosemary. With plans in the very near future to add tarragon, mint, oregano, cilantro and basil. Besides rhubarb, the addition of fresh herbs is what I look forward to most as the season changes.

Tips on working with fresh herbs:

Usually when you purchase herbs they come in a quantity quite larger than what the recipe calls for. Prolong the life of your herbs by storing them in water as you would fresh flowers. Doing this not only gives you fresh herbs for longer, but also a lovely decoration for your kitchen sill, something a multi-tasker like myself can get giddy about.

Think of basil as you do mint. Add it to hot water for tea, muddle with sugar and add a bit of rum or gin, and infuse with cream for the base of a herby ice cream. As a member of the mint family, basil adds a similar scent with a bit more interest than just mint alone.

Tuck fresh herbs into your favorite green salad to add more flavor and freshness.

A fine chop of fresh herbs tossed in at the end of the cooking process adds a stunning pop of green and a bright flavor.

by Ashley Rodriguez           

www.notwithoutsalt.com

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Annual “Share the Good” Contest!

It’s our annual Share the Good Contest! Refer your friends and win! Refer your friends to our delivery service and you’ll be entered into our contest for the chance to win a 5-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator (a $238.86 value)!

How it works: The contest takes place March 26 through April 30, 2012. When the person(s) whom you refer to our service signs up for delivery, they must give your name as the person who referred them. When we receive a referral from you, we will enter your name into the drawing for the chance to win. For each additional referral you send our way, your name will go into the drawing in addition to any previous referrals entered within the drawing period.
For example:

Refer 1 person: your name will be entered into the prize drawing once.
Refer your 2nd person: your name will be entered two more times, additional to the previous entry.
Refer your 3rd person: your name will be entered three more times, additional to the other entries, etc.
Refer 4 or more people, and, in addition to having your name entered into the drawing, you will receive a special gift! It’s our way of saying, “Thank you!”

We will choose the winner through random selection on April 30th, 2012. The winner will be notified immediately thereafter.
There will be a second prize for the runner-up: a wonderful gift basket full of delicious organic goodies, arranged by Lori, of Middleton Organic Specialty Foods.

Now for the small print:
• You must be a customer to win.
• Your referral person must actually sign up and place an order to qualify. New customers who create an account, but do not place an order within the March 26-April 30 time period do not qualify as a referral.
• For each person you refer, you will still receive one of our standard referral gifts as a thank you.
We are excited about making your referrals more rewarding! So spread the word and share the good!

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One Family, One Person

I have figuratively been chewing on a piece of alfalfa lately, mulling over how I can—our farm can—make a bigger impact in our local community in our fight against cancer, heart disease, and other health issu es. These diseases are classified by some as being diet and lifestyle-related. Change…it all comes down to change. Changing the way we think, the way we live and the way we eat.

If you, a friend or family member are fighting one of these diseases, you are literally in a fight for your health and your family’s health. This means our community is in a fight for health, which means our state is in the fight and our nation, as well. As I lean on my hoe and contemplate, “What can I do?” I realize that the answer to the question is a question: “What can we do?”

You have already made a huge choice to change—you get a delivery of fresh, healthy, nutrient-rich foods. You are intentional about eating better and in that intentional choice you have improved your family’s health. You have saved time, money, farmland, you have shored up local farm infrastructure and you have sent a message to Corporate America that you are not buying their products. You have also helped our farm support several other local farms which has turned into to more local jobs. Wow, just by getting a delivery of local food, you accomplished all that. All of these benefits come because of one intentional choice, a choice to be a part of the solution, a choice to get a box of good!

I want to thank you for your intentional choice to partner with us, but I want to do more. I want to expand our ability to reach out to those families and that one person, who is fighting for their health.

KFF has personally funded our Healing through Nutrition program with $1000, but we are looking for others to join us as partners in healing.

You can join us in several ways:

1. If you know of a family medically diagnosed with cancer or heart disease, consider purchasing them a box of good. We will discount your purchase 5% if we deliver it and 15% if you deliver it.

2. If you can’t afford to purchase a box of good for a family, send their name to us and we will try and meet the need through donated funds.

3. Consider donating to our Healing through Nutrition program. We will use these funds to bless those families fighting these diseases.

4. Consider organizing a fundraiser at your office, rotary club, church, etc. and open an account for a family you know fighting these diseases. We will do the rest. A few customers have done this and those families (those giving and those receiving) are forever changed.

5. Lastly, please let us know about the ones you know who are fighting these diseases. Just send us an e-mail to [email protected] with their first name and a short biography and we will add them to our prayer list. If they are important to you, they are important to us.

Your farmer and partner in good health,