This season has brought a historic level of rainfall to the northeast. According to the National Weather Service Berkshire county received 10.43 inches of rain in the month of July which is 5.45 inches more than normal (https://www.weather.gov/nerfc/ESSJUL) That’s 100% more than normal. That’s a whole lot of rain. It is an obvious sign of climate change and we are so lucky we didn’t get hit as hard as areas like Vermont, in which some farms were completely wiped out from flooding.

For the most part the crops loved the rain (except if they were underwater) and you know who loved the rain too…the weeds.

The weeds are out of this world this year, turning my nicely made beds to lawn practically. By the time I finish weeding everything I have to start back at the beginning.

I have a complicated relationship with weeding. For one it can be a pesky unglamorous farm task. I would much rather be putting a plant in the ground or harvesting tomatoes. Additionally, it makes me face the reality of playing God and choosing which plant can live and which can die. The emotional toll makes me wonder if it’s worth it.

However, the benefits of weeding are tried and tested. By weeding I’m allowing the crop I want to grow to have all the nutrients and water available to them so they can grow big and strong.

So, I try to flip the script on weeding and think about it more as a meditation. As I’m allowing the crops to breathe by taking out the weeds I let myself breathe alongside them. I get to sort through my own weeds within myself and clear my head for a bit of time. I can think of allowing myself to just be with the plants and check in with them as I check in with myself.

All the best,

Farmer Jamie

P.S fun fact about weeds! Many of them are edible. Common weeds in the northeast are purslane, lambsquarter, and chickweed. At our first shindig we served wood sorrel in our salad that is also a weed! Find out more here! https://modernfarmer.com/2018/07/10-edible-weeds-likely-growing-in-your-yard/

wood sorrel, an edible and delicious weed!

recipe from Chef Madison

charred cabbage with a cream without cream

cabbage over vegan cashew cream sauce (my favorite sauce for everything all the time)

ingredients

charred cabbage
- 1 head of cabbage
- salt
- evoo
cashew cream
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
- 1 garlic clove (if you like garlic)
- 2 tsp capers, drained
- splash of apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp mustard
- any herbs you like (it will make a green sauce!)
- salt
- fresh ground pepper

method

soak the cashews - most recipes will tell you to soak cashews over night - that’s crazy! put a tea kettle on, when the water is boiling, pour it over the cashews (do not put the cashews in the boiling water). let soak for 10 minutes (longer is fine but not needed). that’s it! drain. I just saved you 8 hours.
roast the cabbage - cut the cabbage in half down the center (see below image) keeping leaves attached to the core. then cut the halves in half again down the core, keeping leaves attached. dress generously with extra virgin olive oil and salt. roast at 400 until cabbage is soft and golden brown and charred on the bottom.
make the cashew cream - in a vitamix or high speed blender, add the soaked cashews and all of the cashew cream ingredients. add 1/2 to 3/4 cups of water to get the consistency you enjoy. blend until creamy - at least 1-2 minutes at high speed. taste and add more salt, vinegar and capers to get a flavor you love.
put it all together - arrange cabbage on plate charred side up, pour cashew cream over the charred leaves, add fresh herbs, croutons or grated walnuts over the top to be super fancy (grated walnuts look a lot like parmesan cheese if you use a microplane. its cool). this reminds me of a grilled vegan caesar salad and is delicious warm or cold.
tip: cashew cream can be savory or sweet!! if you want a sweet vegan cream, change out the ingredients for lemon and maple syrup. mmmm.

weeding meditation

tomatoes!

the last word in vegetables