Save the date: Harvest Festival!

Hello friends!

You are all warmly invited to our annual Harvest Festival on Thursday October 24th at 7pm. This year, we're hosting it in Portland (instead of at the farm in Lisbon) so it's easier to attend!

Come to Mayo Street Arts, right around the corner from our Boyd Street Urban Farm to:

• celebrate the Fresh Start Farms growers (Esperanza, Batula, Seynab, Mohamed, Jabril, Hawa, Khadija, Mekhan, and Hussein) who are graduating from our farmer training program this year;
• view a photo exhibit of Fresh Start Farms growers' portraits, taken by professional photographer Amy Temple during her years of volunteering at the farm;
• meet our Youth Growers and Culinary Crew members: high-schoolers who are learning how to be growers, leaders, chefs, and contributors to our community;
• get a sneak peak at the Grow Cart: a tricycle-powered mobile farm stand built by MECA graduate, Hannah Merchant, which will debut next spring;
• purchase Cultivating Community's brand new cookbook, "Beyond the Vegetable" hot off the press for our official book release;
• sample a delicious multicultural feast and enjoy music and dancing!

A more formal invitation will follow. Feel free to bring family and friends. We hope you can come!

Learn a little bit more about Jabril, one of the graduating farmers, and visit Jabril on Thursdays at the Redbank/Brickhill farm stand in South Portland (584 Westbrook Street).

JABRIL ABDI

“I was a farmer when I was young, and now I am a farmer again. I will always be a farmer. If anybody says that farms and farming is no good, they are wrong, and they will know that when their stomachs are empty.”

        Jabril has been farming his whole life. When he arrived in Lewiston, he was told about the project and joined some of his friends out in the field. He already had knowledge, and familiarity with farming, it seemed natural for him to start planting seeds. Although the soil that he digs in here is different, and more consistent than the soil in Africa, which, in places, is red, white & brown.”

Although he has sold his product before too, here it is different: “Here you put everything out on the table, you have to advertise yourself” instead of just letting your product speak for you. That makes it hard to market here, but his children are involved with his business, especially the marketing end of it. When I asked him what his favorite part of his business is, he saw it all as interchangeable. He plants the seeds, he invests so that he can give at the markets in exchange for financial support. “I am happy to be at the market selling, it means that my investment is working, and people are lining up to support me.”

Lettuce, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, are his favorite, and most are new to him, but he knows that if you don’t have those on your table, customers won’t come by. “If my customers come to my farm, I know they will be happy with what they see. I would love it if my customers would tell their friends about me, and about our program. Let people support us, because even if you have nothing, you can put seeds into the ground.”

A Weekend at Farmers Markets

On Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of rising early and setting out to visit six different farmers who had already been up for hours, and were just putting the finishing touches on their displays as i walked up to say hello. The morning was stunning, with perfect light and just the slightest chill in the air. The displays were even more beautiful, carrots and radishes and bell peppers piled high. I left each market feeling in awe of each farmer in the program.


Sweet, crunchy carrots at John Yangas Portland Farmers Market Stand




Christines table cloth adds a personal touch to her display at the Portland Farmers Market




Fennel! This flavor can bring the most mundane of stir fries or fish dishes to a whole new level




Ground Cherries on the left, Tomatillos on the right. Ground Cherries are such a delicious suprise everytime you pull back the husk and pop one in your mouth! Tomatillos make great salsa verde to accompay tacos or enchilladas.





Jabril takes a moment to admire his display at the Saco Farmers Market

 



The sun shines through these bunching onions at Husseins Kennebunk Stand




French Breakfast Radishes and Kale at Jabrils Saco Market




Seynab piles her beets and carrots high at the Kennebunk Market!




Seynab greeted old friends and customers at the Kennebunk Farmers Market



Farmer Story ~ Seyanb Ali

      Seynab knows that everything is harder without English, and when she came to the US, her English was “zero.” She didn’t know what she would do, but she soon found common ground when she heard about this program; farming the land was a language she knew. Seynab has been at the core of the program since the beginning and is a role model for farmers new to the program.   Although farming is a common language, Seynab noted that while her English was improving, she was also learning new ways to work with this new land, new climate and new marketing opportunities.

      The language of this earth had new subtleties. In Somalia, people don’t get trained in farming, they “know what farming is, they wait for the rain, for the river to flood the banks, and they know when it is a good time to plant. There is celebration to mark all these passages, before planting and after harvesting”. This is something that has carried over, and the traditions continue. Another difference in the languages of these two countries is the markets, the way things are sold, what costumers expect. “In Africa, they put a couple tomatoes on the table. Here they have to pile the tables high!” She shakes her head in amused confusion.

        Seynab has become used to new vegetables here: beets, arugula, spinach, radishes and lettuce. And she eats everything, except the radishes, and she knows there are people out there with a similar aversion! (We laugh together). Parts of her business are still very difficult. Though she knows countless ways to cook delicious kohlrabi and collard recipes (she is a fantastic cook), she has a hard time communicating this at the market. She wants her costumers to know that her process of farming, though difficult and challenging, is simple without any sprays or pesticides: “we start the vegetables in the greenhouse, then at the end of April, we put the vegetables in the ground, and harvest for our costumers when they are ready”. Everything is grown organically, the way it was done in Africa, and the way it should always be done here.

The miracle of growing food on our farm, for your home...

The miracle of growing food is so beautifully illustrated in This wonderful video of Rosy. A documentary student came to our farm in Lisbon a few weeks ago to get to know Rosy, and through this video, shows the spirit of what it is the farmers do.

The obstacles facing us sometimes seem like mountains that are too hard to overtake, and yet what Rosy is saying here is that we do overcome them, everytime we show up at the farm in the morning, and each time one of you brings our vegetables into your home. The word 'miraculous' is very aptly used here, though we so often forget to see the miraculous.

We are now into our fifth week of CSA, and the bags are starting to hold new colors and textures as August's bounty makes its way into our lives. The long anticipated summer favorites will be arriving soon, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn and eggplant. It is often funny to see the eagerness around the newly arrived small zicchini, or tomatoes. In four weeks time, we will be trying to auction them off at any price, hoping to see less and less of the brugeouning shapes and colors.





Kustancia Ounde

      Read Kustancias story, and then visit her at the Boyd St. Urban Farmstand Wednesdays 2-5.

      My name is Kustancia Ounde and I am 56 years old. I am a farmer from Southern Sudan. In Sudan we started our farming season in March. It starts raining in March. It rains until June when the sun comes back and starts to dry everything out. It rains again in July. I grew all sorts of fresh vegetables, millet, sorghum, pumpkins, white beans, other kinds of beans, cabbage, and greens. In May we planted red sorghum, cassava, sweet potatoes and corn. In June we planted cotton and in July we planted sesame and corn for a second time. During the heavy rains, the termites leave their mounds. In March and April we harvested four kinds of mushrooms that grow out of the sides of the termite mounds when it is raining. In January and February we did lots of fishing and hunting. At home we kept pigs, goats, ducks, and chickens.

        I have been farming in Maine for four years and it is very different than farming in Sudan. In Sudan we had our corn fields planted very near the village but we had to walk about 1.5 miles to get to our sorghum fields. We also had to walk very far every day to gather firewood.

        My children are interested in farming. With the moneywe made from farming, they were able to attend school. They also helped me grow mangos. I like farming in Maine. If I stay home, I am tired. When I come to the farm, I get to talk to people and have a job to do. My favorite part of farming here is when I have vegetables and I can go to the market to sell them and talk to the people who come to the market. I need help going to the market and help growing my vegetables. I eat vegetables – all of them – and a little meat. I love vegetables and salad. I eat everything I grow.

Do vegetables inspire Community? We think so.

What  is missing from this beautiful farmstand picture?

          Why the farmer who grew it all, of course! At every farmstand, there is a least one customer who asks: "who grew all this?" It is with pride that the farmer responds: "I did!".

Yesterday, at our Wholefoods farmstand, two Bosnian women stopped by. We have seen them everyweek, at one farmstand or another, since we opened. They buy Swiss Chard that they will use it in a traditional Bosnian Dish called “Pita” where the chard is cooked into an egg, cream, and cheese base. More familliar faces stop by, CSA customers picking up their bags and regular customers, looking for their familliar kale fix, or scoping out some new additions piled up on cool and wet burlap.

 

The red and yellow stalked swiss chard with deep green leaves made an appearance alongside curly Wintorbor and Toscano Kale bunches.

Some brand new veggies graced our stand this week as well. Tender new potatoes, summer squash and zucchini, cucumbers, Indian basil, and beautiful fennel! We saw Bok Choi, beets and green Beans on Habiba Noors stand, and colorful heads of lettuce on both.    

     

In the heat yesterday, we were joking that the greens were "napping" since they began to wilt. Here is a wonderful tip for reviving greens that are "napping". Place them in a bowl of cold water for a while, or even overnight in the fridge. They will spring right back to life! Check out more tips in this blog post: Also, we have included some great recipe ideas for the veggies appearing on the stands and in your CSA shares, and dont forget about our resources right here on the blog, vegetable identification and recipes!

    Swiss Chard and Beet Salad

    Green bean and Spring Onion Salad

    Charred Mexican Zucchini

  and five tried and true delicious summer salads

This week on the farm, and in your CSA bag

         By the second week of CSA, we are just beginning to get into a rhythm of sorts. All the planning, the sweat, the teaching, the learning, the relearning and the laughing....is finally made visible in the bags of vegetables delivered to waiting CSA members, and the packed cars ready to drive off to market.





Seynab Harvests Garlic Scapes

  

         But...the real reward happens at the point of caring, and at the point of connection. In a way, it seems like a miracle that the plants decided to grow again this year. It feels like this every year. It somehow takes us all by surprise. Regardless, the fields bloom and put forth fruit (though perhaps we should not take this for granted). What we really do not take for granted, however, is the way that each farmer grows into his or her business, taking such care to cultivate beautiful fields and connections with customers. It is more than just growing a business, it is becoming a part of this community, and at the very same time, changing the culture of this community through sustainable agriculture, and sustainable economy. Every person involved with this project is responsible for this local, yet global, shift.

           For creative uses for the shades of green in your bag, see our previous post. The squash plants are starting to trumpet forth blossoms and small tender zucchini and yellow summer squash fingers. Thanks to our intern Emma for sharing some of her favorite recipes for these, plus the beets and kale that are finding their way into your bags!




 ~Summer Squash....
is a surprisingly versatile vegetable, from breads, to patties, to dipping sauces, squash does it all. The easiest, though space consuming way to eat zucchini is to cup into slices, of whatever thickness you prefer—I usually do ¼ inch thick slices—and then simply put on an oiled pan with some salt and pepper, or even garlic or hot pepper, flip once and cook until soft to enjoy as a tasty and healthy side to any main course. Zucchini can also be a delicious addition to a Tzatziki dipping sauce—traditionally a Greek yogurt based sauce. Blend spinach, kale, garlic, scapes, salt and zucchini with a touch of olive oil in a food processor or blender, and stir that mixture into a bowl of plain yogurt for a delicious and healthy ranch or cheese sauce replacement. Flavoring like dill, parsley, or cilantro, can make the dipping sauce a bit for flavorful when standing alone, or alongside a wheat cracker. This can even be used in place of mayo on a sandwich as a healthy alternative. Squash can also be a main course when stuffed with cooked grains, ricotta or feta, herbs and onions. 




The Fields become brighter on these foggy grey days

 

~Superfood smoothies...
can be a great way to get veggies into your diet—especially ones that can be hard to incorporate, like kale and beets. As a rule of thumb when experimenting with these smoothies chop all hard veggies that would usually be roasted—carrots, or beets—and tear leafy greens—like kale or spinach—before putting them into a blender. Add berries, orange juice, bananas, skinned apples, any kind of juice (orange, apple, or grapefruit are some easy ones that mix well with many ingredients) or lemonade to add some sweetness to the sometimes bitter or strong veggie flavor. If you notice your smoothie isn’t mixing, or old mixing the bottom add a little more juice, and push all the ingredients down, and mixing should happen quite a bit faster. Supplements like chia seeds, wheat germ, oatmeal, protein powder, yogurt, and flax can be added to any recipe for a smoothie that is filling and nutritious. Adding some more exotic fruits, like mangos, acai berries or agave syrup, can add texture flavor and hidden nutrients. These are a great way to get nutrients, especially vitamins that are usually only taken in in small quantities. They can really come in handy for people on the go—make a batch on Sunday night and grab a glass each morning for a quick and healthy nutrient packed breakfast, or pack in a water bottle for lunch! Our favorite smoothie vegetables are avocado, beets, kale, carrots, and spinach—you’ll be surprised how the fruit flavor complements these vegetables.

Super Beet Smoothie

1 Chopped beet

4-6 leaves of kale, torn

1 loose cup of whole frozen berries

1 banana, broken

1 cup orange juice

Blend all ingredients, options for additions 3 table spoons of yogurt, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 tablespoon chia or flax seeds. Can replace orange juice with lemonade for a summery tang.

Green Power Smoothie

6 leaves of kale

1 skinned and chopped apple

½ avocado

½ cup frozen blueberries

1 banana

1 cup lemonade

Just blend all ingredients and enjoy!