Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Farming

Support urban agriculture through your tax deductible donations

Howdy Long Beach Locals,
 
We would like to invite you to join Long Beach Local as a paying member. Your $25 tax deductible annual membership fee will help us to continue to bring local sustainable agriculture to the city of Long Beach. Long Beach Local depends on your membership in order to be able to fulfill our mission, In return you will receive 10% off our Farm Stand and be the first to get invited to our special events. 
 
Buying direct from our farm eliminates the inefficient transportation of food thus making it possible to distribute fresh and pesticide-free produce year round. This consumer is also supporting ethically and responsibly raised products as well as a sustainable lifestyle. We are creating an urban/ rural connection within our local community.

2011 has been a wonderful year and we know 2012 is going to be even better. Submit your $25 membership fee or any amount before December 31st for a tax-deductible donation and come visit us on the farm.
 
You may mail membership dues to:

Long Beach Local
2076 Eucalyptus Ave
Long Beach, Ca 90806

Happy New Year!
Sasha Kanno and Farm Lot 59

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Friday, November 25, 2011

Greenhouse part 3

The replacement panels have been installed, the doors are on and the greenhouse is ready for irrigation. Today was another beautiful day for working on the farm. Thank you Andy and Craig.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

The Shed

It's on it's way to resurrection. Thanks Mark and the rest of the guys, much appreciated!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Red Garnet Yam and Leek Frittata

Serves: 4-6
Preparation Time: 1 hour
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 large yams or sweet potatoes, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 medium leeks, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
12 extra-large eggs
1/3 cup milk or half-and-half (eyeball it)
A splash of hot sauce
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Heat a 12-inch, nonstick, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, potatoes, leeks and garlic, and cook until the veggies are tender, 6-7 minutes.
Beat eggs together with half-and-half, a splash of hot sauce, some salt and pepper. Pour the eggs in the skillet over the filling. Using a spatula, raise the cooked egg off the bottom of the pan, allowing more of the still-liquid eggs to settle on the bottom of the pan.
When the frittata has set, sprinkle the top with cheese and transfer to the oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes until top is deep golden brown. Remove and let stand 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley, cut into wedges and serve.

Today's Farm Box

Happy Thanksgiving. Today's contents are:

Arugula
Leeks
Butternut Squash
Kale
Carrots
Beets
Sweet Potatoes
Parsley
Rosemary
Celery
Satsumas
Apples

Have a great holiday and make some delicious food to share with you family!

Friday, November 18, 2011

So far so good.

Looks like the electric fence is working. Girls on the inside, coyotes on the outside.
Good job chickies.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Greenhouse part 2

It was a little muddy but great weather. Not hot, just right for working hard.
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Greenhouse

Thank you Andy, Doug, Craig, Mark and Aunt Jen. The greenhouse went up without a hitch. Well, missing a few panels and I lost my mind for a minute there when I couldn't find the bolts. But other than that it was all good.
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Friday, November 11, 2011

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Work day tomorrow and Saturday

Hello Long Beach Locals-

Its official, we are finally allowed to begin working on Farm Lot 59. We will be out there tomorrow and Saturday from 9-12. The farm is located at 2714 California Ave, on California between Spring and Willow. There is a bit of construction happening on California so if you are coming from Cal Heights you should come around and come up from Willow. Please park at the entrance, do not drive down the road to the farm. Please wear closed toed shoes, bring gloves and wear a hat. I would also suggest bringing some water and a snack.

So I don't flood your inbox with too many emails we will be posting all the work days and other awesome happenings in the calendar section on the website. Please check it for up coming classes, Family Days, Farm Stand hours and CSA pick up times and location.

I'm so excited and cannot wait to get this farm built. Thanks again for all the love and support, this is what we have been waiting for. See you tomorrow!

Sasha Kanno

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

California Gardens- tour coming up

The next California Gardens tour is scheduled for Saturday, November 19th, 10:00AM-12:00PM. Due to the upcoming holidays, this will be the last opportunity to visit the property this year. The tour is led by volunteers and will focus on the history, wildlife, plants, and new developments of this exciting property. If you are interested in leading an upcoming tour, please email Grace Lorentzen at gracelorentzen@netscape.net.

This month's tour will be led by:
-Gloria Lorentzen, 7th District Resident

Meeting location and parking available at 2745 Orange Ave., just south of 28th St (between Spring St. and Willow St.).

"The need for recreation opportunities and open space continues to grow in northern, central, and western portions of Long Beach," says Councilmember Johnson. "California Gardens is an opportunity to develop 40 acres of City-owned land into a natural oasis the whole region can enjoy. The proposed park at California Gardens is located at the highest accessible point in Long Beach, offering a 270-degree view of the Pacific Ocean to Palos Verdes to the mountains and Downtown Lost Angeles. After more than 100 years of City ownership, the time has come to start opening this property to the public to enjoy this natural open space in the middle of our city."

The monthly tours are free and open to the public.
*Starting January 2012, the monthly tours will resume on the 3rd Saturday of the month.*

Contact the 7th District office if you have any questions:
(562) 570-7777
district7@longbeach.gov
www.facebook.com/CAGardens.

Persimmon Tart

Adapted from: http://www.deliciouscoma.com/archives/2006/12/persimmon_tart.html Serves: 6-8
Preparation Time: 35 minutes For the Dough:

  • 1 stick (8 Tablespoons) cold unsalted butter

  • 1 1/4 cups (155 g) all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

  • For the Filling:
  • 3 persimmons, peeled, seeded and sliced 1/8-inch thick

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger

  • 1/2 stick (55 g) cold butter, sliced thin

  • Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream

  • Instructions:
    Make dough: Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips until most of mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest lumps about pea-sized. Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water evenly over and gently stir with a fork until incorporated.
    When you squeeze a small handful of the dough, it should hold together without crumbling. If it doesn’t, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition until incorporated (keep testing). Don’t overwork the mixture or add too much water, or your dough will be tough. Form dough: Divide the dough into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once across your work surface in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with a pastry scraper and form it into a disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour. When you are ready to assemble the tart, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 13-inch round and fit it into a 10-inch tart tin, trimming the excess. Arrange the persimmon slices decoratively on the pastry shell, overlapping them. Mix the nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger with the sugar and sprinkle on top of the fruit. Top with butter slices and bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden and the persimmon slices are lightly browned. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

    Turkish Style Braised Leeks

    Original recipe from Aliye over at beachgreens...

    Turkish Style Braised Leeks
    A large amount of my vegetable cooking skills come from my Turkish heritage. There is an entire category of dishes in Turkish cuisine called 'Zeytinyagli', or 'With Olive Oil.' These are basically simple preparations of seasonal vegetables slow cooked in Olive Oil.
    I love the preparation of leeks, partly because people think of leeks as a small part of a dish, not necessarily the star. The simple few ingredients in this dish create something amazingly delicious and comforting. Make sure you use your best olive oil for this dish.

    Serves: 2-3
    Preparation Time: 45 minutes

    1/3 cup olive oil
    1 large onion, finely chopped
    1 large carrot, or 2 small, cut into half moons or rounds
    3-4 leeks, white and light green parts only, thoroughly cleaned, and cut into 1/3 inch rounds
    2/3 cup water
    1 teaspoon sugar
    Salt to taste
    3 Tablespoons white rice
    Juice ½ lemon

    Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat and add onion, cook until starting to soften. Add carrot and cook until starting to soften. Add leeks and stir for a couple of minutes. Add water, sugar and salt. When the water boils, add rice and lemon juice. Cook, covered, on low heat, until rice is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
    This is best served cold, or at room temperature with a squeeze of lemon and a slice of crusty bread.

    Tuesday, November 8, 2011

    Farm Box

    Here's what's in tomorrows box. Yum yum. 

    Kale

    Leeks

    Butternut Squash

    Beets

    Carrot

    Green Beans

    Sweet Potatoes

    Parsley

    Dill

    Persimmon

    Apples


    Thursday, November 3, 2011

    Wednesday, November 2, 2011

    Roosevelt Elm + me

    I'm very excited to announce that I will be working with Roosevelt Elementary on an ongoing basis. We were connected through the Connected Corridor phase 4 grant process. I had Wrigley Garden, which was a phase 3 grant recipient and Growing Green Roots applied for phase 4. I mentored, we connected, they were funded, we built a garden. Their campus is all concrete. Not just concrete I mean its asphalt and a dirt parking lot. That's it. Part of the grant was for beautiful garden murals to be painted. Its a lot cheerier now. So we built the garden boxes, filled them with beautiful soil and plants and then that was kinda it. The teachers did the best they could and I tried as best I could but we really didn't have a plan. Its difficult to coordinate busy teachers who are also parents and ask them to do more. Plus its not like I get paid for this either. But we are all dedicated and today proved it.

    We met together as a group. We planned the rest of the year, we amended soil, we talked, we had a really nice afternoon in the garden on the asphalt. Last night while I was planing today's lessons I thought how much I enjoyed being there with them. I'm not with the students at Roosevelt, I leave that to the professionals. Plus there are way too many classes it could be someones full time job. ( I think people somewhere somehow must get paid for this. Lora from the Chicken Meet Up Group also donates tones of time to North Hollywood High). I just enjoy gardening with friends and talking about life. Its a really nice way to spend the afternoon.

    Farm Lot 59 will still have its beautiful children's garden so no worries there. I'm working with Kathleen Irvine and CSULB to get that going. Its going to be amazing. I really hope the funding comes through for that.

    So that's it. I'm sorry to all the schools that email me to come and help them. I wish I could. I'm going to just stay put with my little Roosevelt and make sure they succeed. I promise we will have classes at the farm to help you get going. We want every school to have a beautiful garden. Not a funded and neglected garden, one that actually thrives.

    Thanks for the support.
    Sasha Kanno