Kinderpunsch/Non-Alcoholic Warm Punch with Apple Cider

Food, Folks and Fun by Jillian Wade

Kinderpunsch/Non-Alcoholic Warm Punch with Apple Cider

From: Food, Folks and Fun by Jillian Wade
https://foodfolksandfun.net/kinderpunsch

Apple cider, cherry juice, orange juice, and warm winter spices like cinnamon, cloves, and star anise make this the best warm Christmas Kinderpunsch recipe! This crockpot Kinderpunsch recipe serves eight and costs about $6.12 to make, which is only $0.77 per serving. Being a non-drinker, my favorite hot beverages to get at Christmas markets are hot apple cider and Kinderpunsch! 

Equipment slow cooker

• ladle

• ball infuser

Recipe

• 2 cups apple cider

• 2 cups cherry juice

• 2 cups orange juice

• 2 cups water

• 10 whole cloves

• 3 cinnamon sticks

• 2 whole star anise

• 4 bags herbal hibiscus tea/ caffeine-free

• Granulated sugar to taste

Garnishes

• Cinnamon sticks

• Orange slices 

• Star anise

STEP ONE: First, pour the liquids into the slow cooker. Be sure to use a large slow cooker.

STEP TWO:  Next, add the cloves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise to the liquid. Cook on high for three hours or low for six hours. Then, add the tea bags while draping the strings over the side of the slow cooker. Let the tea bags steep for fifteen minutes. Add sugar to taste. 

STEP THREE: Finally, keep the slow cooker on warm until ready to serve. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, orange slices, or star anise and enjoy!

• You can keep this punch on warm in your slow cooker for up to 24 hours. At hour 12, the punch may become a bit too concentrated. I sometimes add a cup of water around this time. 
• If you can’t find cherry juice, then try pomegranate juice. 
• You can use any floral or citrus tea if you cannot locate hibiscus tea.
• I like to keep the whole cloves in a stainless steel tea diffuser so they don’t end up in my cup. 

Enjoy!!

Savory and Sweet Roasted Carrots

Image from Lord Byron’s Kitchen

Savory and Sweet

Roasted Carrots

Surprisingly simple, yet extremely delicious, this is one of my most popular holiday recipes!

• Prep Time 5 mins

• Cook Time 45 mins

• Total Time 50 mins

• Servings 7

• Author: Lord Byron’s Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk together the olive oil, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
When peeling the carrots, I left the tops on just for presentation, but you can remove them.
Line the carrots up on the baking sheet.
Drizzle over the olive oil mixture and roll the carrots to cover them in the oil.
Roast the carrots for 40 minutes, turning once at the 25-minute mark.
Serve immediately with chopped parsley for garnish

BLUE RIBBON CARROT CAKE

From Portland’s Palette

page 224

BLUE RIBBON CARROT CAKE

CAKE:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can pineapple, crushed and drained
2 cups carrots, grated
3 1/2 ounces shredded coconut
1 cup seedless raisins
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

GLAZE:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter (½ cube)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


FROSTING:
1/4 cup butter (½2 cube), room temperature
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon orange peel, grated


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Generously grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or two 9-inch cake pans.

САКЕ:
Sift four, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, Add oil, buttermilk, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Add flour mixture, pineapple, carrots, coconut, raisins and walnuts and stir well.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.


BUTTERMILK GLAZE:
In a small saucepan over high heat, combine sugar, baking soda, buttermilk, butter and corn syrup. Bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Set glaze aside until cake is baked.
Remove cake from oven and slowly pour glaze over the hot cake.
Cool cake in pan until glaze is totally absorbed, about 15 minutes.

FROSTING:
In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add vanilla, powdered sugar, orange juice and orange peel. Mix until smooth. Frost cake and refrigerate until frosting is set. Serve cake chilled.

EXTREMELY MOIST, RICH CAKE
CHILL: Several hours
TEMPERATURE: Preheat 350 degrees
BAKE: 45 to 55 minutes
YiELD: 20 to 24 servings
Notes: The cake may be baked, glazed; frozen and frosted later or frosted and refrigerated for several days.

Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew

Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew

From My Bowl Author: Caitlin Shoemaker

Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew

This Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew is healthy, hearty, and satisfying. It’s a perfect dinner dish – and you only need one pot to make it!

• Author: Caitlin Shoemaker

• Prep Time: 10 minutes

• Cook Time: 30 minutes

• Total Time: 40 minutes

• Yield: Serves 6-8 1x

• Method: Stovetop

• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

• 3–5 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon salt-free curry powder

• 1/2 tablespoon cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (reduce or omit for less spice)

• 1 6-ounce (170 g) can tomato paste

• 1/3 cup (85 g) natural peanut butter

• 1 28-ounce (790 g) can diced tomatoes

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes (about 5 cups)

• 1 1/2 cups (309 g) dry red lentils, rinsed

• 3 cups (700 ml) vegetable broth

• Salt, to taste

• Optional: fresh cilantro and cooked brown rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot to medium heat and add a splash of water or neutral cooking oil. Add the onion to the pot and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the ginger and garlic to the pot and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the curry powder, cumin, and cayenne and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.

2. Stir the tomato paste and peanut butter into the mixture; once dissolved, add the diced tomatoes, sweet potatoes, red lentils, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer over low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils have fully cooked.

3. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh cilantro; serve warm. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to one week, or the freezer for up to two months.

This recipe is at: https://frommybowl.com/sweet-potato-peanut-stew/

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Martha Stewart

Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Servings: 4 

Cozy up with a bowl of our favorite fall soup—that also happens to be super easy to make.

The Pumpkin — Choose a sugar pumpkin that feels heavy for its size and does not have any soft spots. Store it at room temperature until you make the soup.
Alternatives — Instead of sugar pumpkins, you can use other winter squash in our Roasted Pumpkin Soup recipe. Kabocha, calabaza, and Hubbard are the best alternatives. 

 Ingredients

• 2 ¾ pounds sugar pumpkin or butternut squash, halved and seeded

• 1 onion, peeled and quartered through the stem

• 1 garlic clove, peeled

• ½ cup olive oil

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

• 5 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium vegetable stock

Directions
Preheat oven, cut pumpkin and toss with oil: 
Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut pumpkin into 2-inch pieces.

Combine pumpkin, onion, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Add oil and 2 teaspoons salt; toss to coat, then spread in a single layer.
Roast pumpkin:  Roast until pumpkin is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes, rotating pan and tossing vegetables halfway through. Let cool, then remove skins.
Place vegetables in saucepan and add stock: 
Transfer vegetables to a medium saucepan; heat over medium. Pour in 2 cups stock.
Puree, add remaining stock: 
Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. With the blender running, slowly add remaining 3 cups stock, and puree until smooth.
Heat, and serve: 
Bring soup just to a simmer. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm until serving.
Storing 
Transfer the soup to airtight containers and cool completely before refrigerating. The soup will last for four to five days. Reheat it thoroughly on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Freezing 
Pumpkin soup is easy to freeze. Make sure the soup has cooled before freezing in freezer-safe airtight containers (Freeze in batches rather than one large container. So you can thaw what you need for one meal.) Leave some room at the top of the containers as the soup will expand as it freezes. Avoid freezing pumpkin soup that contains cream or additions like nuts or croutons. Pumpkin soup will last two to three months in the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions 
What thickens pumpkin soup?
There are several ways to thicken pumpkin soup. The easiest method is to reduce the soup by cooking off some of the liquid. Alternatively, use a slurry of all-purpose flour or cornstarch and water, add a teaspoon or two of either thickener to a small bowl and stir in 2 to 3 teaspoons of the soup to create a slurry. Then stir the slurry into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the thickener to work and to make sure any raw flour flavor cooks off.
Why is my pumpkin soup gritty?
The most common cause of gritty pumpkin soup is if the pumpkin was not cooked enough. If it is not roasted sufficiently to become soft, it will not puree smoothly and the result can be a gritty soup.
Why is my pumpkin soup watery?
Your pumpkin soup might be watery if you didn't use a sugar pumpkin. Some varieties of pumpkin have a more watery texture and this would result in a thinner, more watery soup.
Other Pumpkin Soup Recipes to Try: 
Pumpkin Soup With Wild Rice and Apples
Pumpkin Chestnut Soup
Ginger Squash Soup With Parmesan Croutons
Pumpkin Soup With Pimenton and Preserved Lemon
Jamaican-Style Pumpkin Soup
This recipe is from MarthaStewart.com

Updated on September 13, 2023 by Victoria Spencer

Pork Chops with Apples and Bacon

It's apple season with an abundance this year!  We are also fortunate to have two island farmers who currently have locally raised pork chops and bacon for purchase. Brian Stahl of Winney Farm and Brian MacWhorter of Butler Green.  You can find both farmers at our Bainbridge Island Farmers' Market  every Saturday from 10 to 2pm until the end of November.
Enjoy!

Pork Chops with Apples and Bacon
Food and Wine Magazine

By Anna Theoktisto  Published on August 19, 2024

This 30-minute, one-pan dinner features tender pork chops bathed in a sweet and smoky bacon-and-apple sauce that’s brightened with mustard and herbs.

Ingredients

• 3 small Fuji apples
• 4 bone-in rib-cut pork chops (about 1 inch thick)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 2 sprigs sage
• 2 large shallots, sliced (about 1 cup)
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions

1  -  Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut 2 apples in half; set aside. Cut the remaining apple into thin slices; cover lightly with plastic wrap, and set aside. Season pork chops evenly with pepper and 2 1/4 teaspoons salt. Heat oil in a large oven-safe skillet over high until smoking. Cook pork chops, undisturbed, until browned on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer pork chops, browned side up, to a large plate; set aside.

2 -  Wipe skillet clean, and add bacon. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until rendered and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate, reserving drippings in skillet; set aside.

3 -   Return skillet with drippings to medium-high. Add sage and halved apples, cut sides down; cook, undisturbed, until sage is crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer sage to plate with bacon. Add sliced apple and shallots to skillet with halved apples. Cook, stirring often, until shallots are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in flour; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add apple cider and mustard. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat.

4 -  Place pork chops, browned side up, in skillet, nestling apple halves between pork chops. Sprinkle with bacon. Transfer skillet to preheated oven; bake until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of pork registers 140°F, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven; season to taste with salt. Garnish with crisped sage.

This recipe originally appeared in Food & Wine Magazine, September 2024

Asian Lettuce Wraps

With so many amazing fresh, island-grown vegetables now available at Farmers' Markets and roadside farm stands, (FindingFreshBainbridge.com) hope you’ll stock up and try with fun recipe utilizing lettuce, carrots, onions, basil, cucumber, bean sprouts and more!

Asian Lettuce Wraps Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Asian Lettuce Wraps 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar 
• 12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves
• 1 medium cucumber, julienned
• 1 medium carrot, julienned
• 2 cups bean sprouts

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add turkey; cook 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Add jalapeno, green onions and garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in basil, lime juice, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and sugar; heat through.

2. To serve, place turkey mixture in lettuce leaves; top with cucumber, carrot and bean sprouts. Fold lettuce over filling.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/asian-lettuce-wraps/

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Homeschoolers TOUR Winney Farm

Baby Lamb with Penny

On a chilly May afternoon, Farmers Brian and Penny Stahl hosted an educational farm tour for a group of homeschooling families at their historic Winney Farm. As luck would have it, a lamb had been born the night before, so the students and their families were in for a real treat, which included the honor of choosing the little guy’s name, Dandelion.  The children also got to see a rowdy litter of piglets who were as curious about their visitors as the students were about them!

Farmers Brian and Penny gave a first-class, realistic tour of life on the farm, beginning in their fowl processing room, where chickens and turkeys, in season, are made ready for market and daily eggs are washed and packaged. Students got a front row seat to the newest lambs getting ear tags and Farmer Brian even let the homeschoolers pick which number was given to which lamb.

Winney Farm Piglets

Wanting the kids to see all the “behind the scenes” look at life on the farm, Brian and Penny even used the occasion of this tour to band two little lambs, a process important for hygiene and health for each individual and the entire herd. Several students and their parents commented on how they appreciated getting to be involved with what they called “real” farm chores and not just a petting zoo approach to their farm visit.

Next on the tour was a visit with Winney’s Alpaca pair, Cindy Lou and Norma Jean and two horses that have been part of Penny’s life for a long time; 38-year-old Mama, Sunny and 27-year-old son, Blue. Last stop was the Winney Farm Store, where students were excited to see honey, baked goods, produce and meats from animals raised on the farm.

Each went home with a sticker, a physical reminder of the day, but much more, a brain full of new facts, a heart full of love for the new animal friends they made and will continue to visit and a new understanding and appreciation for how much work it takes to grow and raise the food we eat and enjoy!  Thank you Farmer Brian & Penny!

Odyssey Nature and Garden Club to Food Forest

Spring is certainly in the air and the Nature and Garden club students from Odyssey got to experience it first hand on a recent field trip to Bainbridge Island’s Native Food Forest. Even the gentle rain falling didn’t damper the spirits of this energetic group of learners who came to experience this site in person after studying it in the classroom last month. Each student brought with them a native flower that they had studied and grown in their classroom and they transplanted their seedlings at the Welcome sign.

Heather Burger as teacher

Next time YOU visit the site, be sure to look for these colorful lupine, milkweed and yellow rockets to greet you, a gift from these students! Next, each was given a cupful of native wildflowers seeds as they helped Friends of the Farms increase the variety of wildflowers in our meadows. (Check out the link to the video below to see those seeds fly, covering a large area with the help of our Odyssey gardeners!)

Executive Director, Heather Burger as teacher

The field trip continued with students walking along the edible snacking trail and learning more about locating and identifying key pollinators - bees, bugs, birds, butterflies and bats – though none of the last were present during our afternoon tour! Last, in the shadow of the trees towering in the ravine, students created wildlife creatures on paper, using foraged pinecones, grasses, flowers, sticks, lichen/moss, leaves and more. Such an awesome day for Friends of the Farms to be with these amazing Odyssey students and introduce them to this magical spot to explore and enjoy anytime on their own.

Odyssey school field trip to the Food Forest

Hope you take some time to visit the Native Food Forest yourself, anytime, dawn to dusk – located off Charles Place, NE/NE Lovgreen Road, B.I. and find as much wonder and joy as our Nature and Garden Club students did this day!

Little Bug-Eyed Creature—Friend or Foe?

My good friend Polly across the island from me.

Species Mantis religiosa - European Mantis

_______

Working in my garden early this September, I was surprised and thrilled to find a three-inch-long green Praying Mantis clinging to the underside of a drying allium.  I had never seen one outside of Eastern Washington or Oregon (I had always thought they were warm climate creatures), so naturally I happily snapped a picture and sent it off to all of my friends and family.

A week later, a friend from across the island sent an image back, ecstatic that they too had found a Mantis in their garden! Coincidence? Curious, I posted about it on Nextdoor.com/Bainbridge. Four more people reported Mantis sightings from this year. So, now I have to wonder: What is going on here?! And is this a good thing? A bad thing? Another sign of climate change?

While I’m certainly no Mantis expert (I’m sure that many of you know more than I do), I have done some reading since coming across my little (or not so little) garden guest. Here are a couple of things that I learned:

1. Praying Mantises are not, after all, native to the Pacific Northwest. In fact, they aren’t native to the US at all.

According to National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects & Spiders,

“This Mantid was accidentally introduced in 1899 on nursery stock from southern Europe. At a time when Gypsy Moth Caterpillars were burgeoning in the eastern states, it was recognized almost immediately as a beneficial predator. They were introduced in the 1930's into the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia for Grasshopper control. They have been for many years sold commercially as egg cases for garden insect control (as well as Chinese Mantids, and occasionally other species). However, Mantids are so cannibalistic that they are rarely numerous enough to have much effect in depleting caterpillar populations.” (p. 397) (Meaning they eat each other.)

2. They eat pretty much anything.

The Journal of the San Juans wrote the following in a 2017 article titled, “Praying Mantis—Beautiful but Invasive”:

“…several reports of the European Praying Mantis in the San Juan Islands, as well as a live specimen for confirmation. This is a concern for the conservation of pollinators and other beneficial insects that mantids will eat indiscriminately. Mantids eat everything they can subdue, and do not distinguish between, what humans regard as harmful or beneficial insects.”

(Read the full article here: https://www.sanjuanjournal.com/life/praying-mantis-beautiful-but-invasive/)

Now, this article in particular gave me pause. I’ve seen a video of a Praying Mantis killing a hummingbird and, sorry Praying Mantis, but if you touch my birds it’s a serious demotion for you in my books. And now, of course, I’m sitting in my garden imagining that strange little bug-eyed creature decimating my bumble bees. But on the other hand, there are plenty of pests out there that I wouldn’t mind siccing them on.

So, after all my reading (even that last article) I’m still on the fence. Are they good or bad to have in my garden? Does the possibility of pest control outweigh the danger to my birds and bees? And, if not, what can I do to protect from this invader?

Visitor in my garden this September

I would love to hear your opinions and stories, and to learn from any of you out there who might know more about the Praying Mantis and its possible implications for our Pacific Northwest. Drop me an email at: info@friendsofthefarms.org.

Thanks for reading,
Tami Meader

European Mantis Appearance

This species of praying mantis is light green, with a little variation in color tone. The species is easily distinguished from other species by the pattern on the inside of the front legs. Most species of praying mantis have small dots or specks at this part of its legs, but Mantis religiosa has a very clear pattern: at the top of the legs there is a black spot with a white dot in the middle. This mimics the eye of a predator. There are also yellow dots on this part of the forearm. The lower parts of the front legs have a yellow dot. The pictures will clarify this.

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In this image with my friend, you can just make out the black spot with the white dot in the middle identifying it as a European mantis.

Cider Release Party Was a Huge Success and Soggy Fun!!

https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=7f7e19d206b907fce3fe6c92c&id=418c6e39c1

Zachary Fulton

Zachary Fulton
Seed Saver Superstar

by Erin Hill

When I write pieces for the Friends of the Farms newsletter, something I’ve been doing for almost three years now, it usually starts with an interview. The subject and I talk (really they talk, I listen), and sometimes we tour their garden or farm or yard. Tami Meader, a current Board member, takes beautiful photos and in the end it’s easy for me to craft a small window into the person’s life.

This piece, on Bainbridge Island Farmer Zachary Fulton, stands out from all the others. To start, I didn’t interview him. Heather Burger (FOTF Executive Director) did, along with Tami. From their notes I’m attempting to create an idea in your minds about a member of our community that I’ve never even met! That would be hard enough, but after reading their notes I am absolutely kicking myself for missing the opportunity to sit down with Zac and hear his stories firsthand.

---

Meet Zac

Zachary Fulton was born in El Paso, Texas. A move to Athens, Ohio at age 16 dumped a Texan teenager amidst back-to-the-earth hippies, and his growing awareness of farms, farmer’s markets and the local food economy lit a fire that continued to grow. Ten years later, at age 26, Zac was ready to be a farmer but hardly knew where to start.

A desire for adventure took him to Mancos, Colorado. where he interned at a local farm for $100 a week, living in a horse barn they called the "Zac Shack." Internship over, and still deciding his next career move, Zac set out on an 800-mile bicycle ride. His meanderings took him all the way to the headwaters of the Rio Grande and down to San Diego. Switching from bike to car, he headed east again, landing in Albuquerque. All these travels did add up to a big adventure but didn’t exactly pay the bills. At one point on the ride he ran out of food and water, and a friend gave him a beer and a pound of ground beef to get him through the night. But no water.

So how does a Texan in New Mexico end up farming on a small island in Washington?

Looking to dig even deeper into farming as a profession, Zachary searched for available internships on the ATTRA website (a great resource for anyone interested in pursuing sustainable agriculture). He came across Brian MacWhorter and Butler Green Farms and applied. Brian response was swift: "Come now!"

It’s not often said about farming, so when it is it’s worth printing in bold: for Zachary, interning at Butler Green Farms was “mind-blowing”. He had never before seen vegetable farming turn a profit and had never before seen a farmer lease farmland rather than owning it himself. Witnessing and being a part of what Brian MacWhorter has created opened his eyes to a different way of farming… sustainable for both the farm and the farmer.

All good things must come to an end, however, and after his first season at Butler Green Zachary set off on another bike ride, this time from Berkeley to Yosemite to Death Valley, Joshua Tree and on to San Diego. Only the young are able to sustain themselves on peanut butter, anchovies, and 12 cans of beer, but even Zachary was feeling the call for vegetables. Stumbling across a stand selling cucumbers, Zac bought a dozen and ate them straight, reveling in their crisp cool snap. His traipsing wound further south, into Baja California, before the siren song of another season of work on Bainbridge Island called and he turned his wheels back north.

The next three seasons found Zachary working full time at Butler Green as Irrigation Manager. It seems, this time, that life in the Pacific Northwest has stuck; Zachary now lives and farms on the north end of Bainbridge Island. Asked what his current favorite plant is, Zac told us “The Purple Hopi String Bean” that he grows from seeds gifted to him by Lee Ann at Laughing Wolf Farm. Growing seeds is more than just ensuring you have food; it’s culture and history, which resonates with Zachary. Last season he planted an 80’ x 200’ space with beans, garlic, flax, dill, onions and Root Beer Popcorn, all heirloom strains for the purpose of seed saving -- his passion.

Zachary is the first to admit that what he’s seeking is a “radically different lifestyle”, one that is built upon an understanding that we are on stolen ground. This is land that the Suquamish and other tribes farmed but did not own, and now other people own it. He's trying to wake up, listen, learn, and participate in a way that is not based on maximizing financial gain but by building community and feeding all people. His worldview is influenced by the people he’s met as he’s journeyed, and he envisions a world where food is not used to exploit land and people. Where people care for one another and no one slips through the cracks.

“I’m hopeful when I see the succession farming that's taking place, as Akio mentored farmers Karen Selvar, Betsey Wittick, Brian MacWhorter and others, they too are mentoring the next generation.” He admires local farmers like John Chang, who for years has donated to Helpline House 100% of the food he grows on half an acre of land owned by the City of Bainbridge Island and managed by Friends of the Farms.

He is inspired by the work being done at the Seattle BIPOC Organic Farm and Food Bank whose mission is for every single person to have clean water and organic food. They partner with farms and co-ops, and help promote and mobilize small farms, most of which are currently struggling.

He is committed to learning from places like Soul Fire Farm, an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm committed to uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system, training the next generation of activist-farmers and strengthening the movements for food sovereignty and community self-determination.

And he finds hope in an awareness that farming is part of an ecosystem as seen through the regenerative farming mindset espoused by Jean-Martin Fortier, a Québécois farmer, author, educator and advocate for ecological, human-scale and economically viable sustainable agriculture.

A rolling stone gathers no moss, and I wouldn’t hold my breath expecting such a traveling soul to stay on our small island forever. But, for now, for this moment, Zachary is here sharing his heart and his passions with us. We’re lucky to have him, and I for one, can’t wait to meet him.

-Erin Hill

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On Seed Saving

I am always looking for low hanging fruit. I tell myself it’s not laziness, but efficiency to start with what is within easy reach and then move on to the harder stuff.

There is plenty to tackle. Take your pick:

• The Anthropocene, where Humans have such an enormous impact on the planet that there is a mass extinction of other creatures.
• Climate Change. Turns out burning fossil fuels, diverting rivers, mining for rare earth metals… might not be great for the planet.
• Polar Bears. We should all be panicking about Polar Bears.
• Patented seeds. Did you know that lots of companies have patented their own seed? That means it’s impossible for the farmer (or backyard gardener) to save or share seeds. Do you ever even own something if you can’t save or share it?
  • The trouble with patented seeds: The Sobering Details Behind the Latest Seed Monopoly Chart

As fewer and fewer varieties take over market share, the same tomato available everywhere, all the time, genetic diversity is lost. All of our current foods evolved (many at our own hand) from their wild relatives. We rely not only on those heirloom plants, but their still-wild cousins to ensure there is a robust, diverse genetic pool.

Saving seed, selecting and growing old varietals, is one way that everyone with even the smallest plot of land can become a participant in protecting that diversity. When we grow seeds for their flavor, their beauty, their flower and fragrance, or their medicinal quality, we choose to ensure that seed’s survival to the next growing season, the next year. We participate as a caretaker, an enjoyer of that plant’s existence. We hand the present forward, before it becomes history.

This winter, when you’re dreaming about long summer days, watering barefoot or pulling weeds with one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, you can join other Americans across the country who grow heirloom seed, and take your place preserving the past and ensuring the future.

If you want to learn more you can check out the Open Source Seed Initiative, or Seed Savers Exchange.
Happy Growing,
Erin