DEPARTURE

I am taking a departure from my regular ingredient profiling to write of something I have been contemplating a lot recently. I often have the privilege of being surrounded by many politically active peers, and when they discuss their work, it's common for me to feel like I do not do enough, that I am not enough involved in the political world around me. On the flipside, I truly love my work here on the farm, and much of my free time is spent foraging and reading about preservation, cooking, growing... the ways in which I can do my job even better. I realize that no one can possibly do it all. We pick the things we are passionate about and do them in part to keep ourselves from going crazy with options. There are so many worthy causes in the world, and not near enough time or brain for them all, so we choose those that feel like our Path With Heart. And responsible, nutritious, delicious food is truly that Path for me.

Looking deeply at this plate of food, I know that it is not simply a plate put together for my sustenance (though surely I had that in mind.) This plate is social. We convene around the dining table every day and share in the joy of food; we gather in the kitchen to cook together, to praise each other, and to appreciate its source...

This plate, too, is spiritual. I may sit in mindful contemplation of the food as it touches my senses and nourishes my body and be aware of a vital connection between myself and every other part of the natural earth on which this plate depends on for existence...

But most salient to my current concern, this plate IS political. I may not be chalking up the Keene sidewalks with my political messages (as the people next to me currently are) or waving my sign in protest, or getting my wrists cuffed for civil disobedience, but choosing the food that goes on this plate (and the food that stays off it) is a political act, and one I perform every day.

This particular plate of food supports a small, organic farm (our own, in this instance). I am not paying dollars to a company that distributes inferior product bought from a commercial farm, which harms our air, our earth, our bodies, and our taste buds. The food on this plate doesn't come from far away, poisoning our air by the truckload. In fact, it comes from my own backyard. I know exactly what it took to create this food-- the resources spent, the environmental impact, the pay and conditions of those who tended the plants. I can say with certainty exactly what is going in my body, the body I use to farm that food every day.

That realization gave me some peace of mind. There are many things I am not doing, and this probably won't keep me from feeling a touch of envy and longing when I hear about friends marching important streets on important dates for important matters. But I can also sleep well. In part, from exhaustion, but in part as well from the satisfaction that my plate is nutritious, it's social, it's spiritual if I let it be, and yes, it is political. Delicious and political.

So I encourage you to make your plate political too. Not everyone has the ability to walk into a field and pick ripe produce, but everyone I know at least has the option of local, organic, or family-farm based; sometimes all three.

Roasted Delicata Rings: Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F. Slice the squash (you may remove the skins, but we think they're quite tasty and pretty!) into 1/2' thick pieces, and remove the seeds from each middle. Add a single layer to a baking sheet, and coat each ring with olive oil. Add pepper and salt and herbs as desired; this time, we infused the olive oil with rosemary and it was delicious! Chopped parsley also works well. You should be able to detect when they are done by smell and feel, usually after about 20 minutes. They should be tender to a fork and have a delicious rich coating from the oil and the sweetness of the squash. Enjoy!