Farmers, investors await soil boom

During these mercurial early spring days – when your spirits are lifted by sunshine only to be dashed a few moments later by pelting hail – one surefire source of optimism is local farmer Alicia Best. She’s the ebullient farm manager at Penrith Farms in Newport, Wash.

“This weather has me anxious to be outside in the soil,” said Best, describing the farm at the headwaters of the Spokane River, where she irrigates two acres of organically-grown produce with water straight from an artesian spring. “This is absolutely one of the most magical places on the face of the earth and I am right where I am meant to be.”

Best is especially enthusiastic as she prepares to offer CSA shares for the first time this season. CSA stands for community-supported agriculture; it is sometimes referred to as a farm “subscription.”

Whatever you call it, for many farmers’ market devotees, purchasing a CSA share is the next logical step in their quest for fresh local food.

In a CSA, customers pay the farmer upfront in the spring for a share of the farm’s produce and in return receive a weekly basket or box of the farm’s harvest throughout the growing season. It’s a beneficial system for both, providing cash for farmers in their income-challenged spring months and giving buyers straight-from-the-field produce throughout the season at what usually works out to be a bargain price. Getting to know the people who grew the food is a free benefit.

“The most important part of CSA is getting fresh food from someone I trust and know has my best interest at heart,” said Angela Potts, a shareholder at Greentree Naturals in Sandpoint since 2000.

“We are forever encouraging our members to visit the farm,” said Diane Green of Greentree Naturals. “CSA is all about community – it is about our community supporting us as farmers by subscribing to a share of our gardens and us providing a value for their investment in our farm.”

One of the largest CSA programs in the region, Washington State University’s organic farm in Pullman, offers around 100 shares from its three acres. Manager Brad Jaeckel admits that it can be stressful to uphold that sizable commitment week after week, especially when dealing with contingencies such as field mice or hail or frost. “But the best part is getting to know all the different people that participate and knowing where all the food that I grow is going,” Jaeckel said.

Costs of CSA shares vary from farm to farm, but generally customers can choose from a smaller share for one or two people or a larger, family-sized share. Besides the usual selection of produce (baby greens salad mix, strawberries, carrots, potatoes, peas, beans, tomatoes, fennel, chard, kale, peppers, basil. … The mouthwatering list goes on and on), some farms offer eggs, meat, farm-produced jams or honey, cut flowers and herbs.

Penrith Farms is a little different in that it also operates as a therapeutic residential community for people ages 18 to 26 who “are having trouble transitioning to adulthood,” Best said. “There are trained professionals who work with the residents, but my responsibility as farm manager is simply to offer them the opportunity to work in the gardens.”

That gives Best, an aspiring educator as well as farmer, an additional challenge beyond the usual ones of weather, pests and weeds, but she says it’s worth it. It also deepens the connection between the farm and the community.

“I had one guy last year who said that food would never taste as good as it did last summer, since he had helped grow it and knew what it took to produce it,” Best said. “I don’t expect the residents here to end up as farmers, but I do feel I’m helping create the next generation of farmers’ market customers.”

Greentree Naturals has offered CSA shares since 1998, making owners Green and Thom Sadoski some of the more experienced CSA farmers in the region, although the concept dates back to the 1960s. Like farmers’ markets, CSA programs are rapidly growing in popularity around the country.

Best grew up in “suburbia,” studied herbal medicine at the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies in Colorado, then moved to Sandpoint in 2003 after deciding that her passion was for organic farming. Best spent three years as an apprentice at Greentree Naturals. She put her experience to the test in her first season at Penrith last year by marketing her produce at the weekly Liberty Lake Farmers’ Market and at a health food store in Newport, where her greenhouse-grown salad mix has been wildly popular all winter long.

Last year Best also sold produce to the Meals on Wheels program but still found herself with more garden bounty than she knew what to do with.

“I gave a lot away to Food Not Bombs, a nonprofit in Spokane that does a meal for the homeless. I just want to know that what I grow won’t end up rotting in the field, and with a CSA program, it’s nice because I’ll know where my food will go,” Best said.

When we talked, Best was looking forward to making connections with other local farmers at a CSA workshop held in Newport last Wednesday, taught by Diane Green.

“I don’t know everything,” Best said, “although I don’t like to admit that.”

Green, in turn, has plenty to teach budding CSA farmers. “Start small, provide the best that your gardens have to offer, do an end-of-the-season survey, and educate your customers about the produce you are providing,” Green said. “For instance, the first year we put kohlrabi in the bag without explaining what it was. We had customers eating the leaves and throwing away the vegetable! Hence, we explain what it is and how to eat it.”

Dilled Green Beans and New Potatoes

From Diane Green, Greentree Naturals, Sandpoint

1/2 pound small new potatoes, quartered

1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed, broken into 2-inch pieces

1/4 cup nonfat sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed

1/8 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

In medium saucepan, bring about 2 cups water to a boil. Add potatoes and green beans; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 9 to 11 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all remaining ingredients; blend well. Drain vegetables; rinse with cold water to cool slightly. Place in serving bowl. Add sour cream mixture, toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time.

Yield: Makes 8 (1/2-cup) servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 67 calories, .4 grams fat (no saturated fat, 5 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 180 milligrams sodium.

Herbed Beets with Horseradish Sauce

From Tamra Stallings, Prairieland Community Supported Agriculture, Illinois

2 pounds beets, peeled, and cut into chunks

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or other mild vinegar

2 tablespoons horseradish

Toasted walnut halves or pieces, to taste

2 tablespoons chopped chives, optional

Chopped prosciutto or shaved Serrano ham, to taste, optional

Toss together beets, thyme, salt and pepper and bake at 400 degrees until tender. (Note: Smaller chunks cook more quickly). Allow to cool.

Meanwhile whisk together olive oil, vinegar and horseradish. Toss beets with dressing once they’ve cooled. Serve on top of a bed of arugula or steamed beet greens. Top with toasted walnut halves or pieces, chives and prosciutto, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 195 calories, 9.5 grams fat (1.3 grams saturated, 41 percent fat calories), 6 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, 3 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 860 milligrams sodium.

Kohlrabi Gratin

From Anna Barnes, Prairieland Community Supported Agriculture, Illinois

4 to 6 kohlrabi with leaves

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

1 clove garlic or 1/2 garlic scape, thinly sliced

2 to 3 tablespoons sliced green or bulb onion

3 to 4 cups stock

3 to 4 tablespoons flour

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 ounces sharp cheddar or other strong cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove greens from kohlrabi and set aside. Cut off roots and tops of kohlrabi and trim off fibrous outer layer. Slice into 1/4-inch slices or cube into 1/2-inch pieces. Wash greens. Remove stems using a knife to make v-cuts in the leaves. Stack several leaves together, roll like a cigar, and thinly slice into strips 1/8- to 1/4-inch wide. Repeat.

In a large pan bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add leaves. Test for tenderness and bitterness. Cook until leaves are on the verge of losing their bright green color. Remove and drain. In a large saute pan, heat butter or oil. Sauté garlic and onion for 2 minutes. Remove, set aside. Add 3 cups stock to pan, bring to a low boil. Add kohlrabi bulb pieces. Cook until tender crisp. Remove from pan. Remove 1 cup stock and into it stir 3 or 4 tablespoons flour. Add back to stock in sauté pan. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Stir to prevent lumps. Add onion, kohlrabi, and kohlrabi leaves. Coat with sauce. Add 1/2 to 1 cup more stock if mixture is too dry. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a greased 2 to 3 quart dish. Top with grated cheese. Bake until cheese is brown, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.