Returning Light

Theres nothing like time and observation for getting to know a place. It’s been dry this January in much of California, beyond dry in places. It must come as a relief to many, especially us Humboldt dwellers. I can’t help but have it remind me of winters just a few short years ago that received good rainfall during November and December, then dried up.

Those years were hard for me. My husband calls me a river otter. I was a water lover from birth, swimming in baby pools, then swimming pools, and onto rivers, lakes and the ocean. The damp misty air that comes with a storm system makes me feel like I can really breathe, like a hug from the sky and particles around me. When I haven’t seen moisture come from a place other than a tap or spigot in a while, I feel something metaphorically akin to a fish out of water. I want a wet winter. Wet winters are what my child self knows and remembers as what winters are.

Here’s where the time piece comes in. When we had a few dry winters, I felt like the world was ending. Quite close to literally. I didn’t want to visit the rivers and see their dropping levels, the static in the air agitating my constitution. Now, I’ve seen several wet years, and several dry years. I am coming to know that even during times of extreme drought, the pendulum is still very, very likely to swing the other way again.

This has taught me to savor and drink up every wet, windy, stormy, and downright nasty day. It has also helped me to see positives that can be gleaned from a dry cool-season.

During those wet years, many farmers on flat and more slowly draining sights couldn’t work their soil until significantly later than usual. This delayed their return to the farmers market in the spring. All it can take is a week or two for ground to be dry enough to work, but during those wet years there was nary a break in the rain long enough to even think of such a thing until late spring.

A dry spell also translates to that crops doing surprisingly well at overwintering this year. With a combination of very few frosts and a pause in moisture, some of the vegetables I’ve been harvesting lately have looked like they could be early spring harvests.

I am still very hopeful that California and other mediterranean climates around the northern hemisphere receive rain in the coming months, but I am also learning to embrace what is, to allow what is to aid me in accomplishing certain goals in a timely way.

For example, started putting in a fence at my new farm site last week. I bought a bunch of t-posts, along with other gently used fence materials from a farmer who was closing up shop. Got a great deal on them as well, which is something I am SO glad for. The seller of the fencing supplies told me that I could drive around, standing in the back of a pickup truck to pound in t-posts. I loved this idea, and was able to execute it, (as opposed to moving a ladder individually forty times), because the ground was dry enough to drive on without worrying about getting stuck.

I have a big year ahead of me, and knocking a couple big ticket items off my list during the next six weeks will really set me up well. For the ability to proceed with ease, I am grateful.

I also recently decided to start a new page on the instagram, about all the things I love that aren’t farming: food, home decor/ projects, thrifting, and whatever else is just me being me. I’m learning to nurture the person beyond the career.

It’s mostly, like, 70-90% food, but there could be curveballs— I am a wonderfully impulsive person.

At times this substack page will simply serve as a place to catalogue recipes I post, and at other times I’m just going to share other (hopefully) relevant thoughts. It’s likely to fluctuate with the seasons: more activity in the late fall and winter, less in the height of spring and summer. But I fully intend to keep at it, because its pretty fun and sweet.

Onto some food:

Arugula Salad: Pomegranate, Balsamic, Pistachios and Goat Cheese

I’ve been working to play with things that could be fun Valentines day dishes, things featuring reds, chocolate, succulent meat, etc, and this quickly thrown together salad came from that brainstorm session—

• 1/2# baby arugula, or larger leaves torn gently

• 1 pomegranate

• goat cheese, or a ripe avocado

• balsamic

• olive oil

• salt and pepper

• pistachios

1. crush the pomegranate from all directions, the cut a square out of the top and express the juice into a vessel that can can be whisked in or shaken

2. add equal the volume in balsamic

3. add equal the volume in olive oil, plus a little— this is a little high on the acidic part of the ratio, but the goat cheese will serve as the rest of the fat in the dressing

4. place arugula, pistachios and goat cheese in a mixing bowl

5. drizzle dressing over the top and toss

   *the pomegranate helps cut the sweetness of the balsamic*

   *the goat cheese should melt into the dressing, consider whisking part of it into the dressing if you are feeling adventurous*

   *if pomegranates aren’t in season, you can grate a roasted beet or juice a blood orange into the dressing, I’m inspired by color over flavor profile here*

Fennel and Kuri Squash Pasta

• 1 bulb of fennel

• 1/2 - 1 yellow onion

• 1/2 a kuri squash, or about 3C

• 2 cloves garlic

• paprika, rosemary, salt and pepper

• a finishing zip: lemon/ balsamic, greek yogurt or kefir. Try what you have on hand!

1. Slice the fennel and onion thinly. fennel can hold onto dirt so add the slices to a bowl of water to allow any sneaky specks to sink to the bottom.

2. Start by sautéing the onion in butter and or olive oil, about 3-4T.

3. Once translucent (its also ok to caramelize them a little, but not necessary), add in the fennel.

4. Once the fennel starts to sweat, add in the seasonings, about 1-2t of each, 1t of salt.

5. Add in squash cut into large-ish cubes, and cover with water, about 2C.

6. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid, steam cooking until the squash is tender.

7. Mash with a potato masher, and add in your finishing zip of choice.

8. Toss with any type of pasta, and grate some cheese over top, sharp cheddar is the only thing I keep stocked at home so its our go-to, but parmesan or any other aged/ dry cheese would work wonderfully.

Thats all for now. Thanks for being here!