I am grateful for the foggy weather of late. This morning the fog was so dense it felt like delicate raindrops on my face. There were large drops falling off the roof and the leaves. Water is always on my mind but it is even more intense this year. The pond is lower than it has ever been since we have lived here. It did not fully recharge last winter as we had such low rainfall and very little runoff. Each time I crest the hill and see it, my heart sinks. Then I remember the delicious food that it is growing and my hope returns.
We have adjusted our crop plan to use as little as possible while still providing abundance for all of us. The silver lining is that we are learning what we can grow with less, what to prioritize, and we are making lasting adjustments. The difficult part is the unpredictability of the future. What will this winter bring? We hope the pond recharges. We hope that we are not pushing our resources beyond their capacities. But eight years on a property is a very short time to begin know it. As well, with climate change, everything is changing and the unpredictability is growing.
I listened to the Climate Action Commission Town Hall this Saturday. I am grateful for the commissioners who are volunteering their time to tackle this difficult issue and crafting a path forward for us all. Please follow along and take the survey to participate in the process. (https://cityofpetaluma.org/climate-action-commission/)
This week’s pick list:
Eggs
Albion Strawberries
Rhonda Beets
Yaya Carrots
Red Gold New Potatoes
Zoey Sweet and Red Long of Tropea Onions
Summer Squash: Dark Star, Yellowfin, and Cocozelle
Cucumber: Mideast Peace, Summer Dance, Silver Slicer, Sweet Marketmore, and Addis Pickle
Diamond, Money Maker, and Purple Shine Eggplant
Pink Beauty Radishes
Hakurei Turnips
Calypso Celery
Everygreen Hardy Scallions
Alto Leeks (We plant these spring leeks in clumps and harvest them young and tender.)
Garlic: Inchelium Red Soft Neck
Lettuce
Ruby Red Chard
Regiment Spinach
Basil , Cilantro, Dill, and Parsley
Pick your own padron and shishito peppers are starting! Along with the flowers, there are shiso, purple and thai basil in the annual field.
Saltonstall Olive Oil
Steak Salad With Celery, Strawberry, Feta, Lemon and Chile, from sfchronicle.com
This simple salad might just make you do a double take. It combines the underappreciated workhorse celery with the beloved strawberry, all in a bright, spicy and salty vinaigrette. As for the strawberries with steak, it really works and is delicious. Trust. This is one of the rare occasions in which a firmer, underripe berry is preferred to perfectly ripe, so it maintains texture in the salad. All these ingredients can easily be found at any grocery store right now. But consider using multiple, or different, types of chile flakes, or Parmesan instead of feta cheese.
1 pound steak seasoned with 1 teaspoon sea salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Sea salt
3 stalks celery
1½ cups whole fresh strawberries (200 grams), not overripe
½ bunch scallions, sliced thinly
1 lemon, juiced
½ teaspoon chile flakes
½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
3 ounces feta cheese, sliced thin, or Parmesan
1 bunch parsley, leaves plucked
Rub the steak with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and let sit on the counter to temper.
While the steak is tempering, make the salad. Slice the celery stalks against the grain and on a ¼-inch bias. (The celery should be green through and through: avoid dry-looking, white, holey celery parts of the stalks.) Transfer to a medium bowl. Trim the tops off the strawberries and slice lengthwise ¼-inch thick. Add the berries to the bowl with the celery along with the scallions and lemon juice. Add the chile flakes, black pepper, feta cheese, the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss to combine. Let these ingredients marinate.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high. Once hot, add the oiled steak to the pan and cook, until deeply browned and a crust has formed, about 4 minutes. Turn the steak over and cook until that side is equally browned and medium-rare. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5-7 minutes.
Once rested, add the parsley leaves to the salad and slice the steak against the grain. Serve the steak with the salad and, if desired, more black pepper and flake salt on top.
Roasted Strawberry Granita
Serve this in chilled bowls or glassware. Roasting the strawberries is certainly optional. However, this quick roasting technique will concentrate flavor and create a rich syrup that will easily puree quickly in your food processor or blender. This size batch of granita will also give you many spoonfuls of midnight snacks, afternoon pick-me-ups and proper after-rich-dinner sweet endings. Re-fluff the granita with a sharp-edged fork if you see the fruit syrup separate from the ice crystals after a few days. This is a cold dessert, and since cold dulls our senses, you want the berry puree to be highly “seasoned.” Adjust the sugar, salt and acidity levels before freezing. Adding a splash of lemon juice can help brighten this dessert.
Granita
4½ cups whole strawberries (634 grams), about 2 green baskets, rinsed and tops sliced
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Almond butter cream
1 cup heavy cream
1½ tablespoon almond butter, or other creamy nut butter such as peanut or tahini
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup almonds, lightly toasted and casually chopped, if using
To make the granita: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a medium baking pan in the oven to preheat. This will allow the strawberries to quickly roast and not stew.
Set aside a few berries for garnish. With the rest of the berries, cut them into quarters if they are larger than your thumb, leaving you with evenly sized pieces that will cook at the same rate. Toss them with the sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Carefully take the preheated pan out of the oven and add the seasoned berries, then place the pan back into the oven. Roast for 10 minutes, uncovered, until soft and ready to burst. While still warm, add the roasted berries, their juice and ⅔ cup water to a blender or food processor. Blend until pureed. Taste. The puree should taste highly seasoned with sugar yet still bright; add a splash of lemon juice if it’s overly sweet.
Pour the puree through a fine wire mesh strainer, using a rubber spatula to help push it through, leaving behind excess seeds. Doing this assures a light texture in the final product. Pour puree into a wide glass, plastic or stainless steel container about 1 to 2 inches deep. A loaf pan can work, or even a 2-quart glass Pyrex baking pan. Freeze for at least 4 hours.
Once fully frozen, place the container on a cool surface and with a strong-willed fork or a metal pastry scraper, begin to make long regular cuts into the granita. The goal is small, evenly sized flaky ice crystals. If the granita begins to melt, transfer back to the freezer and resume after a few minutes. You’ll be tempted to scrape just enough for an immediate bowl but continue to scrape until it’s all flaky.
To make the almond butter cream: Just before serving, quarter the reserved strawberries. In a bowl you will use for whipping, add a small amount of heavy cream to the almond butter and whisk or stir to loosen it up. Add the rest of the cream and sugar and whip by hand with a whisk or in a standing mixer until you have almost-stiff peaks.
Serve the almond butter cream in chilled bowls or glasses topped with the granita, reserved fresh strawberries and toasted almonds, if using.