By Alyssa
Most of the month of May, I spent on the big tractor, tilling. It’s a funny task, in the kind of attention it requires from you. You repeat the same exact order of operations every ten minutes or so, so it is very repetitive. Yet you still have to maintain strict focus on what you’re doing, paying close attention to the sounds of the tractor and the spader (the implement we use to till), the quality of the tilth, and the direction you are driving.
Unlike AJ, driving in a perfectly straight line does not come so easily to me, especially when the mowing lines aren’t square to the field and there’s nothing else in the field to guide me visually. The first pass of spading is the hardest for me, for keeping everything perfectly lined up. It’s like freehand drawing a straight line on a piece of paper, only you don’t even have the edges of the sheet to guide you. And you’re sitting on the pencil, and you’re going .2 mph. Throw in some low fog so that you have nothing far enough in the distance to sight against, and it becomes an exercise in hilarity.
For the first three weeks of May, I spent most of my work hours tilling. I didn’t touch dirt or plants, or talk with many of my coworkers. I listened to a lot of music. I danced a lot while driving, to entertain myself, but also for back health – I don’t know how you office workers do it, sitting that long seizes everything up for me! I drank coffee every morning, and figured out how to brew my perfect, tiny cup. I worked weird hours, and I didn’t harvest a single thing for almost a month.
But because I was on the tractor, I got to watch so many things I don’t usually get to see, when I’m looking down at the dirt. One week, I started early and watched the sun rise every morning. I felt so lucky. Another morning, I saw a coyote running across the land. Even if I didn’t talk much with the crew, we’d wave in passing to each other and the blackbirds and killdeers kept me company, feeding on the turned up insects behind the tractor. One fearless bird even landed on the tractor bucket, and rode with me for a whole pass of the field. Two killdeers somehow felt safe enough to mate right next to that large, rumbling machine. I saw a group of birds I’d never seen before, greyish-brown with long, curved bills. Vultures and ravens came and said hello.
Every task at the farm can teach me something, if I am open to receiving the lesson. Tilling encourages patience, mindfulness, and focus. It offers a different perspective. It gives me the opportunity to look at the whole farm, big picture, and not just the particular part of the earth I am working in. It gives me time to think, reflect, ponder. And when I get to touch plants, dig my hands into the soil, and be with people again, it is all the sweeter for having had time to miss it.
Upcoming Events: Farm Potluck Friday 6/14 at 5:30 pm!
Open Field Farm 2024 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members
CSA Barn Hours:
Current Summer hours: 2:30-6:30 PM
(Winter hours: 2:30-6PM)
Pick List:
Eggs
Fresh garlic
Kale
Lettuce Mix
Spinach
Parsley and Basil
Strawberries
Pick your own flowers and herbs, mostly in the herb circle and perennials
Sonora Wheat Flour
Tea Blends (Please BYO jars!)
Beef Bone Broth for sale! (Made by Olla Products)
Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)
Revolution Bread on Tuesday and Friday
Beef Noodle Soup
Adapted from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China’s Yunnan Province, by Georgia Freedman
Really, this is just a simple bone broth with noodles and wonderful toppings from one of my favorite cookbooks. I made this for my friend Joyce when she visited me a few weeks ago, and we both loved it so much.
To make the beef broth:
2 lbs osso buco
1.5 lbs beef bones
2 black cardamom pods
2 whole star anise
1 tsp fennel seeds
Combine in a large pot with 12 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off any foam or detritus that comes to the surface. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 3-4 hours.
Add 1 T salt, and strain. Save and dice the cooked meat, to add back in later.
To make the noodle soup:
Dry or fresh rice noodles
Heat 2 cups of strained broth per serving. Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Add noodles and diced beef to the bowl. Serve with toppings of your choice (list below).
Topping options!
Chinese black vinegar / Zhenjiang vinegar (this is really key to adding some complexity to the broth)
Soy sauce
Chili oil or chili flakes
Minced green garlic
Minced, peeled ginger
Thinly sliced scallions
A handful of torn mint
A handful of torn chrysanthemum greens (find them in the herb garden!)
Pickled greens or chilies