By…Farmer Richard
I thought you might find it interesting to know that I
started vegetable farming in Eagan, Minnesota with the help of students from
one of the first Minneapolis Charter schools and a nearby group home for
troubled youth. At the time I also
worked with autistic children at the University of Minnesota and later the St.
Paul School system. While working at the
Dakota County Developmental Learning Center adjacent to my farm, I first became
aware of the positive influence a farm environment could have on children. A seven year old autistic boy who had never
before spoken a word was feeding ears of corn to the horses when he yelled to
me from across the barn, “MORE CORN!!”
Telling this story still brings tears to my eyes. 
Later I was a professional parent to 4-12 year old boys in
“therapeutic foster care.” They lived
with me on my farm and helped care for the animals and raised vegetables which
they sold on the roadside and at markets.
They earned their own money and learned to spend it wisely. They were successful and self-confident. They began to succeed in schoolwork, made
friends and their teachers liked them!
They were a success for the first time in their lives. One of my most dramatic experiences was with
Ronnie. He came to me from Fairview
Hospital psych ward, heavily medicated with anti-psychotic drugs. Once he was off the drugs, we realized he was
very sensitive to food additives which were contributing to some of his
behavioral problems. He went on a strict
diet of organic food with no preservatives, and he was a totally different
boy! Everybody liked this smart, happy,
funny boy and he liked himself. My
lesson learned, food can make a huge difference! |
| Farmer Richard with his son Ari |
The quality of food, connecting with the source, and being an active participant in the process of getting food to the table are all important elements of forming a healthy and holistic diet. I was fortunate to have had some professional parenting training and valuable life experiences before raising my own son. Really it’s about quite simple things, such as we all eat better when we are hungry! If you are filling up on snacks, you won’t be hungry for a meal! Either cut out the snacks or make it something healthy, like carrots. We also had a few simple household rules. Everybody ate a little bit of everything, but had the right to just take a small portion justified by the fact that they “were still learning to like it.” Kids like to be involved in food procurement, preparation, picking up the CSA box and unpacking the contents. Involving children in these acts helps to connect them to the process it takes to get it to the table. As they are learning about new foods, it’s important for them to be able to touch, smell and taste. A visit to the farm can be very formative for young children, even if it’s just one time. As they walk (or run) through the fields they get to see what the plants look like, they figure out how to harvest the food and then get to eat it right in the field! If you’ve ever eaten a warm strawberry right in the field, you know how memorable that can be. My own son, now 29, grew up eating a wide variety of vegetables and is still a very good eater. He still remembers eating daikon radish right out of the field and still counts radishes as one of his favorites.
But it’s not just children!
Adult member lives have also been greatly impacted by participating in
CSA and forming a connection with their farm.
We have great respect for the many adults who have learned how to eat
through a box every week, were brave enough to try unfamiliar foods and have
come to enjoy cooking. They are
committed to taking their healthy lunch to work and putting any extra in the
freezer for winter. Some have been
generous enough to share their recipes with our Facebook group. Adults are also impacted by a farm
visit. At the end of last season we
received this email from a member: “I also
wanted to mention that I have hugely reduced my grocery store purchases of
produce since switching to your CSA and signing up for the fruit share. I cut
back to every other week, as my family has shrunk. I made the occasional trip
to the local farmer's market to supplement as needed. I am a strong believer in
what you are doing. We have been so impressed with your beautiful farm and the
way you manage the land, as we have seen in our two visits for the strawberry
picking. I also love your newsletters and recipes.”
In our busy world, with so many choices and distractions, it
can be a challenge to dive into eating out of a CSA box, but it is so worth
it! Over the 20 plus years we have been
feeding CSA families, we have seen so many examples of what happens when
families commit to CSA and healthy eating.
Yes, for families with children it takes some good parenting skills, but
it results in beautiful, healthy, smart people who grow up and will change the
world. When parents make the choice to
make organic food a priority, children have the opportunity to learn what real
food tastes like and nutritious healthy food tastes good!
Beyond the nutritional value of the food, CSA allows children
and families to connect with the people and source of their food. Eating can just be a passive act, but it
becomes much more meaningful when you know where your food came from and can
form a connection. Whether it’s simply
participating in the weekly ritual of picking up your CSA box and unpacking it,
or it’s the experience of actually visiting the farm, these are memorable
experiences that shape and mold a child’s view of food and where it comes from. We wanted to share a few stories with you,
and then we hope some of you will share your stories with us! 
I love to see the excitement in a child’s face as they get
to harvest their own vegetables and eat them in the field. We’ve had parents nearly faint as they watch
their children run up and down the rows of vegetables in the field. Kids who fuss at the table because they don’t
want to eat their vegetables, and here they are picking and eating them in the
field! There was one little boy who
marched up to Andrea and asked her if she would like him to show her how to
pick the best peas. He confidently
explained how to do so and then picked a few for them to eat so he could prove
his techniques were solid. This was one
of those children who would not eat a vegetable, however his parents told us
that after that visit to the farm he now willingly eats vegetables…if they were
grown at “his” farm by Farmer Richard. 
Some kids find the harvesting experience to be quite
rewarding and we’ve been surprised at some of the vegetables they’ve pulled
from the ground. One little guy pulled a
huge scarlet turnip out of the ground on one farm visit. Strength must run in the family, because we
remember when his older brother (full of excitement) pulled an entire kohlrabi
plant out of the field—roots and all! If
you aren’t familiar with kohlrabi, I’ll tell you that those plants are very
firmly rooted. He was so excited to show
us what he had pulled and when his mother asked him what it was he replied “I
DON’T KNOW!” It didn’t really matter…he
was having a great time. 
Last summer we received this email from a Twin Cities
family: “At dinner the other night, our
two-year-old told my husband, ‘These veggies are from Farmer Richard. He grows
our veggies and brings us our fruit. He's a part of our family.’ Thanks for
letting us raise our boys eating delicious produce and knowing where it comes
from!”
And then there’s this recent story shared with us this past
December 2017. It’s the story of one of
our “grown-up” CSA kids. “My
son came home tonight to say Hi, saw the box and checked the contents, he
was thrilled to see the celeriac and rest of the goodies and grabbed the box
before anyone could tell him no. He then asked if perhaps there was
another celeriac he could have, maybe one from the swap box to take back home.
Alas no, but never in my life could I imagine a 21 year old man seeking
out and excited about celeriac. To have an incredible box in mid-December
and a young man transfixed and transformed by HVF produce is a great kick-off
to the holiday season.”
These are just a few stories, but we know there are many
more. We would love to hear your stories
and would encourage you to share them with us!
How has CSA impacted your family, your children, your health, your
perspectives on food & agriculture?
If you are willing to share your stories, please send us an email, make
a quick video, or just pick up the phone and call!
When I was in my twenties, I set out to do meaningful
work. I may not have chosen the easiest
career in the world, but it has definitely proven to be very meaningful
work. Just as every family has their
“family doctor,” I hope more families will thoughtfully consider who they want
their “family farmer(s)” to be. If you
choose Harmony Valley Farm, we hope you’ll take advantage of the opportunity
you have to come and see your farm for yourself. Even if it’s just one time, we promise you it
will be a memorable experience….and it might even change your life. Welcome back to the Chef’s Corner!
I wanted to share this recipe for Butternut Squash & Caramelized Onion Galette. This recipe looks lengthy, but don’t be
deterred by that. There are three main
components to make before you assemble the galette, but none of the components
are difficult or time consuming to prepare.
Your time investment is in the time it takes to roast the squash,
caramelize the onions and bake the galette.
You can prep the three components in advance and keep them in the refrigerator. This makes for a quick and easy dinner on the
night of your choosing. Just pull out
the components and assemble the galette while the oven is preheating. Pop it in the oven to bake it and dinner is
done.
The beauty of a galette is that it isn’t fussy and it’s very
forgiving. If you shy away from things
that have a pie crust (eg quiche), you might find you’ll like a galette. It’s kind of like a pie, but much more free
form and forgiving—it’s not supposed to be perfect. It’s versatile like a quiche, but you don’t
have to mess with the custard filling.
If you have some left over, it reheats well for breakfast or lunch.
As always, we’d love to know what you’ve been cooking this winter and our Facebook Group is a great place to do that! If you aren’t already a member, click here to join.
See you next month!
Chef Andrea
Butternut Squash & Caramelized Onion Galette
Yield: One hearty
12-inch galette or Two 9-inch galettes
For the Pastry:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface (may
include ½ cup whole wheat flour if you like)
½ tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)
½ cup sour cream
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
⅓ cup ice water
For the Filling:
2 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled & diced (5-6 cups)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp butter
5 medium red or yellow onions (1 ½ pounds), thinly sliced
¼ cup red wine
1 tsp maple syrup
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
2 cups (6 oz) grated fontina or gouda cheese
1 egg, beaten, for glazing the pastry (optional)
- First, make the pastry. In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut the butter into chunks and add them to the bowl. Using a pastry blender, break up the butter into bits until the texture of the flour and butter mixture is like cornmeal, with the biggest bits the size of pebbles.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, vinegar, and water. Pour this over the butter-flour mixture. Stir with a spoon or a rubber spatula just until a dough forms, kneading it once or twice on the counter if needed to bring it together. Pat the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and chill it in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Next, prepare the squash. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Peel the squash, then halve and scoop out the seeds. Cut into ½ to ¾-inch chunks and put in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp of the olive oil and season with ½ tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to thoroughly coat all the pieces, then spread the squash on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender and just starting to brown. You may need to turn the squash once while it is roasting. Once done, remove the squash from the oven and set it aside to cool slightly. Leave the oven on.
- While the squash is roasting, caramelize the onions. Melt 1 Tbsp butter and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the onions and 1 tsp salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and tender, about 25-35 minutes. Don’t try to rush this process. When the onions are very soft, add the wine, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, thyme and sage to the onions. Continue to simmer over medium-low heat until nearly all the wine has been reduced. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Now it’s time to assemble the galette. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 16-17 inch round (or two 11-12 inch rounds). Transfer the pastry to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Spread the onions on the pastry, leaving a 2 to 2 ½ inch border. Spread the roasted squash on top of the onion layer and then spread the grated cheese evenly over the galette filling. Fold the border of pastry over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush the outside crust with egg, if using.
- Bake until the pastry is golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Remove the galette from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide it onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Recipe adapted from Deb Perelman’s book, Smitten Kitchen.
