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Hello dear friends and happy November/my birthday month to you. I almost can’t believe how long it’s been since we last talked, but we have a toddler now and honestly, I can’t believe how fast anything is moving anymore. I blink and a month goes by, which I was warned would happen, but doesn’t make this phase of life any less surreal. I’m simultaneously exhausted, exalted, and indelibly grateful every moment of every day.
I have so much to share with you, which I’m sure comes as no surprise. Over the last many weeks I’ve accumulated a million and one thoughts, feelings and words as well as several recipes (one of which is no longer seasonal, but I still can’t resist) and today, I’m just going to do my best to get through the most important things. Thanks for being here in this space with me this weekend. I feel your love always and cherish the moments I can find to hide away and write for you all.
The biggest thing that has happened since we last talked is the farm announcement we shared a little over a month ago. We finally communicated to the world (and our community) something my husband Kyle and I had known since early summer: that we are so very happy not running a farm business right now, and though we love/loved the farm we built endlessly (and that phase of our lives for that matter), we are beyond excited for this next chapter filled with more fluidity, less certainty and embracing our own rhythms instead of those of our business.
If you’re new here, you might not know how big this is, or even that my husband and I ran an organic CSA farm together for the last decade: a singular goal and singular dream that ran every other decision of our lives since pretty much the beginning of our love story.
When I look back now, at our farm evolution and journey, it’s abundantly clear how much I needed it: how I yearned for something so all-consuming that it guided my goals and dreams, providing clarity and stability to a girl who’s ideas had always been so big and sprawling that she never knew quite what to make of them. The farm provided a grounding, centering force so strong that I could build my young life upon it. It tethered me to my existence, the literal earth beneath my feet.
And while we were in it, the beautiful building of our exquisite farm and community, I could not imagine a life without it, even though I also did imagine a life without it.
In between moments of being utterly in love with and obsessed with our daily farm existence, there are also memories of absolute knowing throughout— where I wouldn’t commit to the ground we were building on, where I would share with friends in passing that I knew our farm journey was never meant to be a forever journey for me, for us, at least not in a tangible way. A knowing that what we were building was big and lifechanging for both us and our community, permanent forever, but also, not.
I never knew how to share any of this, because I also never knew quite how to understand it myself. How I could be so fully immersed and in love with something while also knowing I didn’t want it forever.
But now we have Lilly and everything makes a little more sense. The ground beneath me has shifted, from a farm business so all-consuming it provided a cohesive force to my own unique, blissfully scattered magic to a child such a strong focal point that my solar system has a new center. And not farming, in this moment, feels just as perfectly right as farming did for all those other years of the last decade.
In this new space, my career has blossomed into the career of my dreams: a chaotic collection of passions, relationships, and good work that isn’t centered around one particular business, but instead (and intentionally) centered around many. Every day looks completely different and somehow also at times completely the same. I support farmers, and farming organizations. I hype local businesses. I create artwork in the form of recipes. I build local economies. I help people travel and explore. I write, I sell, I promote, curate, craft, photograph, and create. All of which brings me so much joy.
I want to tell you everything about all of these pursuits because I know you will enjoy it, the recipes, the resources, the magic, but for now, there’s simply not enough time. Instead, let’s dive into the food highlights of our past six weeks since there’s plenty to cover there.
I have two new creations for you (one perfectly suited to the weather and another from back before the first hard frost when there was still eggplant growing in my garden) as well as a rewrite of an old favorite from my blog (that has been streamlined for simplicity and given new life as a dream toddler breakfast) and a recipe from someone else I’m too obsessed with to skip (no really, it’s the best salad I’ve had in recent memory and the fall flavors are effortlessly on point).
Current Favorite Lunch: ROASTED TURNIP & MUSHROOM SALAD WITH WHEAT BERRIES
Serves 2 as a meal or 4-6 as a salad
Takes 1 hour
1/2 cup warm water
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced, divided
10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and torn
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups purple top turnips, cut into small cubes
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 cup wheat berries (or freekah)
1 small kale bunch (5-7 leaves), stems removed and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup pecan pieces
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Combine warm water, vinegar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk until sugar and salt dissolve into the liquid. Add half the shallots. Let shallots sit in pickling liquid until the salad is ready to assemble. Reserve the remaining shallots to use raw in the salad.
On one large baking sheet, toss mushrooms with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper until well-coated. On a second baking sheet, toss turnips with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, red pepper flakes (if using), additional 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper until well-coated. Roast each for 20-30 minutes, rotating pans and tossing occasionally. Mushrooms will be done closer to 20 minutes and turnips will likely take the full 30. Cook both until lightly browned. Mushrooms should be a little crispy. Turnips should be tender. Toss turnips with maple syrup as soon as you remove them from the oven.
Meanwhile, Add wheat berries or freekah to a small sauce pan with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover with water by at least an inch. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover, and cook gently until the grain is tender, anywhere from 15-25 minutes depending on the grain you are using. Drain.
To serve, combine kale with cooked wheat berries, roasted mushrooms and turnips, drained pickled shallots, raw shallots, and pecans. Toss everything together and adjust seasoning as desired. If you want more richness, add a drizzle of olive oil. More brightness, add some of the pickling liquid. For sweetness, a drizzle of maple syrup. Etc. Enjoy immediately or serve chilled.
Current Favorite Dinner: SAUCY ROASTED EGGPLANT & PORK OVER RICE
This dish, oh my gosh this dish. This is something we’ve been making on repeat for the past couple of months— since eggplant was actually in season. I love it so much I actually roasted and froze a bunch of eggplant from my garden so I can keep making it all winter long.
With crispy, saucy ground pork served over rice with a sprinkling of scallions, this recipe was loosely inspired by Mapo Tofu, though really everything about it is different. I used two local products I am absolutely obsessed with— Madame Chu’s sauces (particularly the sambal and satay peanut)— to make a flavor packed meal that takes very little time and very little effort.
I’m so in love with these sauces I’m going to do something I almost never do, which is suggest you just go out and buy them and support a really badass local woman business owner. (Don’t be surprised when the Edible Madison gift guide tells you to do the same thing— seriously, I’m obsessed). You can find them locally at Willy Street Co-op, Metcalfes, and Conscious Carnivore as well as order them online. I don’t think substitutions would work great, but if I had to suggest something I think gochujang would be good in place of the sambal (or any other sambal sauce) and a combination of finely chopped peanuts, garlic, ginger and brown sugar in lieu of the satay peanut would do alright.
Serves 4
Takes 40 minutes
2-1/2 cups water, divided
Kosher salt
1 cup white rice, rinsed
1 large or 2 medium eggplants, diced (about 4 cups)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 shallots or 1/2 red onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Madame Chu Satay Peanut Nyonya
4 teaspoons Madame Chu Sambal Nyonya
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bring 1 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice, return to a simmer, and cook covered for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and keep covered for 10 minutes. Then remove lid, fluff with a fork and set aside.
On a large baking sheet, combine eggplant with 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Roast until very tender, about 25-30 minutes.
In a large, heavy skillet heat remaining tablespoon olive oil and sesame oil over medium low heat. Add shallots and peppers along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add pork, raise heat to medium, and cook for 10-15 minutes until crispy on the edges. Stir in remaining 1 cup water, soy sauce, vinegar, and both Madame Chu sauces. Simmer on medium until it comes together and is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add roasted eggplant once finished.
Serve pork mixture warm over rice with scallions on top.
Current favorite breakfast
Since we’ve entered the daycare world with Miss Lilly (with a drop off 35 minutes from home and a lot of morning meetings), quick breakfasts that are prepped ahead of time, easy to take on the go (for me) or devour without a massive mess (for her) are ESSENTIAL. I rediscovered this baked oatmeal recipe from my own blog a month ago, simplified it (because if I can ever find a way to skip a step or pan nowadays I sure will), and have been making it on repeat ever since. The revised recipe can be found here. It’s absolutely delicious, simple, and unintentionally vegan.
A little bonus fave recipe from someone else
As a long-time vegetable farmer, I pride myself on knowing how to prepare one heck of a salad (as you can see above). I love making salads that are packed with simple, whole ingredients, take minimal preparations, and have enough heft to feel like a full meal. This recently published Smitten Kitchen recipe reminds me of something I would create myself: oven-crisped shredded cheese (which is officially one of the simplest, prettiest food hacks there is), sugared nuts (I used pecans and pepitas), crisp, fresh apples, and a simple sweet vinaigrette. I’ve made it twice in the last week, plan to bring it to Thanksgiving, and I’m pretty sure that’s just the beginning. Enjoy!
Okay! That’s all for now friends. I hope you have a fantastic rest of your weekend, get outside, and eat something delicious.
-Lauren
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