September 10th

Our Vibrant Friends

The land is on fire. 

Looking at the map, it is all on fire. How is this happening?? This has been a year of how is this happening. We are tired of it. 

As we farm in smoky air, watching fire cloud clusters and apocalyptic color rolling in, we hear trees breaking in the distance, hot winds whipping through. One of our own rushes home to Estacada to pack essentials and evacuate. Her father walks the property, saying goodbye to the land he’s known for nearly 50 years.   

We ourselves, our immediate community, our satellite farms… we all are deep in it. The air feels thick to breathe. We are weighted. Many of us have been for a long long time. 

The thing about fire? Fire in the natural world is a cleansing. It is regeneration. This is not that fire. Wildfire is a burning monster. It is undertow. It is plague. It is a sound in your ear that you hate that just keeps ringing louder. It is the literal air that chokes and frightens and sets off your sensors – this is wrong. Run. 

Wildfires, most especially those lit up on the map of what is happening today, all at once, are not regenerative. They are happening far too often and each time they burn hotter and farther. To ignore that this is change to our climate is to be blind. To think that these fires are exclusively a result of poor forest management is an insult, a falsity, and a danger. 

Sickness. Long overdue racial reckoning. Shared questioning of finance and future in an uncertain world. All have unfolded upon us like wildfire these past few months. We are stumbling beneath the load. For us this may feel new, different. For many these truths have always been a part of living. 

Here and now, nationally, internationally, we have opportunity to collectively enter a new world. These moments of shared disaster both locally and globally ignite an understanding within. There’s a certain sense percolating, that to ignore the reality of what is happening not just to ourselves but also to our neighbors is to be simple, blind, shortsighted, and cruel. 

What will come next? We cannot know. What happens now is a banding together.  We must face reality. We must be empathetic. We must fight for what we know to be right. We must ask hard questions. We must listen to each other. We must have gratitude for all the simple things that give us joy, comfort, and safety each day. We must take care of each other. For those who know how to ask, and for those who would never dreams of asking, we must be there to offer help. 

We must be kind to ourselves and to each other. Be brave.  Have hope. Appreciate the land we have and must strive to keep. And make beautiful food for eachother. 

We love you so much. 

Until next week, with love and gratitude to you and yours,

-- Rosemary Stafford for Vibrant Valley Farm

ROSE’S RECIPE IDEAS OF THE WEEK:

VVF RATATOUILLE

Ingredients

• 2-3 eggplants

• 6 roma tomatoes 

• 2 squashes

• 2 zucchinis

• 6 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 onion, diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced

• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

• 8-10 leaves chopped fresh basil

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme

• Garlic to taste

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Slice the eggplant, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini into very thin rounds, then set aside.

3. Make the sauce! Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12 inch oven safe pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until sot, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir until everything is blended nicely. Remove from heat, and then add the basil. Stir once more, and then smooth the surface of the sauce with a spatula. 

4. Arrange the sliced veggies in alternating patterns on top of the sauce from the outer edge of the pan to the middle of the pan. Take your time to really make it beautiful, listening to your favorite podcast and pondering on the joy of artful food. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Set aside.

5. In a small bowl, mix together the basil, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Spoon the mixture over your elegant vegetables.

6. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, then bake for another 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. 

7. Serve while hot as a main dish or side.

8. Is also delectable served the next day. Simply cover with foil and reheat at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. 

9. Take many photos and brag about it all to yourself and your friends. 

HOW TO START YOUR MORNING: EGG TOAST WITH JIMMY NARDELLOS 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 2 Jimmy Nardello peppers

• ¼ cup fresh whole milk ricotta

• 1 piece of your favorite toasted bread

• Basil leaves to your taste, chopped

• 1 egg

• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a skillet and add your sliced Nardellos with salt to your taste. Cook the peppers until they are softened and starting to brown. Set aside.

2. Cook your egg your way man. Fry it. Poach it. Whisper sweet nothings to it.

3. Whip the ricotta with salt to your liking and spread it on your toasted bread. Top with egg, butter peppers, and a sprinkle of basil, black pepper, and salt. 

4. Eat while staring off into the distance and conjuring hope in your soul. 

F IT, IT’S FALL CHICKEN VEGETABLE SOUP

Note from Rose: I make this soup in a freewheeling fashion. It is a melting pot, literally. Amounts of ingredients need not matter. Just trust your instinct and your taste and add as much, as little, or not at all of any one thing as you like. 

Ingredients

• Carrots, chopped

• Potatoes, chopped

• Turnips, chopped

• Parsnips, chopped

• Celery, chopped

• Shallots, chopped

• White onion, chopped

• Garlic, chopped

• Chicken breasts

• Chicken stock

• Heavy cream

• White wine

• Olive oil

• Thyme

• Rosemary

• Sage

• Parsley

• Oregano

• Parmesan

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• Love

Preparation

1. Chop your carrots, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and celery. Set aside.

2. Chop your onions, scallions, and garlic. Set aside. 

3. Strip and prep/chop your thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano. If all you have is dry, no problemo, delete this step. 

4. Begin heating chicken stock in a large soup pot to a mild boil. Put your chopped veggies into the pot and turn to medium high heat. You can also use salted water with a few dashes of olive oil in place of stock if you prefer. I just like to really go to flavor town.

5. Heat olive oil in a fry pan until shimmering. Add the onion mixture and cook until browned. Add your herb mixture and continue cooking until herbs are softened. Add a good amount of white wine and allow alcohol to transition and flavors to marry. 

6. Pour the contents of your fry pan into your soup pot. Stir to combine elements. 

7. Chop your chicken breasts into small pieces. Drop the chicken directly into your hot pot and stir. 

8. Cook for a while on medium, the pot covered, adding further chicken stock or water as needed to ensure things are juicy. 

9. Once the chicken has cooked, begin adding further accouterments to your taste. Cream. Butter. More wine. More stock. Love. If things curdle for a moment, just keep stirring. All will be well. Keep tasting. 

10. Once the glory is to your liking, ladle into pretty bowls. Garnish with parmesan, and fresh chopped parsley.

11. This soup will be delish immediately but definitely gets better as the days go by. So make a lot my dudes. You’ll be thankful to have it.