My name is AJ, I am the newest crew member at Open Field Farm. I come as a part of a package deal, with a canine companion named Dolly. She is 12 years old and loves to sunbathe. She's a somewhat ambivalent creature but is very kind and gentle. I/We got to meet a few of you at the all-member meeting, but for those of you I haven't had the opportunity to meet, a brief introduction:
I have been farming in California for the past 12 years, predominantly in vegetable production, followed closely by goats and sheep. I accidentally fell into farming in Mendocino County by volunteering on a family farm, where I fell in love with the family and the soil and the goats. I ended up staying for 5 years.
After that, I picked up a lease agreement with the school district in Willits and ran a 1-acre vegetable plot that provided produce to the community through the farmers market and the school cafeterias.
After 4 years, I burnt out on that project, for various reasons, so I took a 6-month hiatus from farming and worked at a wolf sanctuary in Colorado for 6 months. It was magical to be in the middle of nowhere, with dark skies and waking up to howling hills.
Upon my return to Mendocino County, I joined my best friend and her husband at Tequio Community Farm. I love working with them and it was my longer-term plan to continue that partnership, but farming can be really tough on people and after 8 months of working together, they decided to call it quits for their mental health, which steered my in the direction of Sonoma/Marin County.
For the year and a half before I joined the Open Field crew, I was working at a goat and sheep dairy in Tomales. We had almost 300 animals in total, until the mayhem of lambing and kidding season began, when numbers start to double.
During my time there, I definitely missed soil and other elements of vegetable farming, which is why I was very excited to have the opportunity to work at Open Field.
I'm enjoying participating in a true CSA model here (something that has always intimidated me) and look forward to building community with y'all. I'm hopeful for abundant harvest, and hopefully soon, abundant (visible) smiles.
This Week’s Pick List:
Eggs
Cortland Yellow and Monastrell Red Onions (We recommend storing the red onions in the fridge even though they are cured. They are starting to fade.)
Bora King and Cheong Du Radish
Balena Celeriac (last week!)
Pink Beauty Radishes
Solaris Fennel
Hakurei Turnips
Evergreen Hardy Scallions
Dazzling Blue Kale
Parsley, Basil, Cilantro, and Dill
Regiment Spinach
Head Lettuce (limited amounts this week but there is more coming!)
Albion Strawberries
Single Herb Tea (We are offering our remaining dried herbs in bulk now!)
Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)
Revolution Bread
ALso, I LOVE parsley. Here is a recipe for a parsley salad that I could eat like bowls of spaghetti:
4 oz italian parsley
2 Tbs Fresh lemon Juice (or I use ACV)
7 Tbs Toasted Seame Oil
2 tsp Honey
3 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, sesame oil, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the parsley and sesame seeds and toss to combine. Allow the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving so that flavors meld.