ThinGs we've been meaning to share
It has been far too long since the last newsletter. We’re still here. We miss you.
It has been hard to write for all the reasons that progress on any of our to-do lists has been tough this year - the (a)rhythms of work and family over these last many months of COVID.
But it has also been hard to write about blossoms and badgers, or to celebrate or fret about the coming crop (it looks smallish), when there are many other important things to be said and nothing to say that feels right and sufficient. There has been lots to fear this year: fires, losing your home because of a lost job or the country of your birth or your parents’ birth, fear of violence, fear of getting sick or making someone else sick. And so, to keep things in perspective, the fear of writing isn’t such a big problem.
To put it plainly, Black lives matter to us at Flatlands. Black bodies, Black ideas, Black visions for the future, and those of Indigenous people and people of color. We are certainly late to writing this down, and it’s not clear enough in how we talk about our farm and food, but it’s who we are, what we care about, and it’s part of why we started farming.
Agriculture in the US was one of the initial pretexts for enslavement and dispossession, and the legacy carries on through the usurpation and degradation of land, the exploitation and marginalization of Black and Brown people, nationally and globally. Yet, humans need food, and so we work to be a small part of the food system that does not extract data, exploit labor, concentrate power, or imperil ecological resilience. We work to be part of communities that advocate for change and seek new voices. We hope, at the very least, to be no more racist than the systems in which we participate. We strive for the farm to be a contribution to a just and environmentally sustainable world. We want to get people closer to the realities of food production and the influence that land and human labor has on the tastes and textures of life. And yet, systems of economic inequality and privilege still benefit our farm and our family.
What does it mean to do more? These are a few of the folks in ag that we learn from:
There are many more. We turn to some of the people and organizations above for ways to rethink and re-energize our work at Flatlands and day-to-day life. We join them where possible. And in the meantime, we also continue with business as usual - heads down and one foot in front of the other (a sustaining flaw of humans). And in that vein, more of the usual newsletter is below.
On the Farm
What can and should we say about the rest of life on the farm? We report that olives are still growing and animals scamper through the grove - check out the American Badger den we stumbled across near the farm’s riparian corridor. Trees are pulling water from the earth, converting sugars, and storing energy in oils - processes truly remarkable and blissfully mundane. A run of hot weather in August (then September, then October) should have done away with any lingering fruit fly. That same run also fueled massive wildfires up and down the west coast. The LNU Fire burned 350,000+ acres in the hills just west of the farm and came within 10 miles or so. Though friends, neighbors and coworkers have been impacted directly by these fires, the farm has been fine, and besides some smoky workdays - and fewer days outside at the farm for Tanager and Cypress - we’ve been fine as well.
The crop is looking fairly light this year - a symptom of cyclical fluctuation that seems to heighten as trees get older. We’ll be piloting a new harvesting rake and a few other tweaks as we jump into harvest and milling of Leccino olives for our Olio Nuovo.
Dotted red line is LNU fire boundary; dark green dot shows where the farm is.
A badger burrow near the creek. The first we've seen.
OILS
We know many of you are wondering about club renewals. We'll send out more information in a few short weeks - don't worry, you won't miss the next distro (mid-Dec). We’re working to set up a new club management system that will hopefully make all of our lives easier- though you can subscribe/renew at any time.
Since we’ve haven’t written for a long while, below are a few highlights of oils that have been distributed through the club this year. We’re at the end of our 2020 inventory, but still have limited quantities of Harvest Blend, La Volta and Mission Yuzu. If you need some (via mail order or pickup in oakland), email us or order directly from the website.
La Volta Blend: This exciting blend features our first official harvest of Coratina and Aglandau. Planted in 2015 (when we were younger, childless and much less tired), these trees are now large enough to generate a harvest worth milling. Coratina, a variety from Puglia - the heel of the Italian boot - is known for its very high polyphenols and corresponding punch. It’s a powerhouse of an oil and one of the favorite varieties in Italy. Aglandau, a French variety, is fruity and aromatic. We have blended these two with Leccino, which has a more moderate bitterness and less pungency, yielding an oil with an early spiciness, medium to high bitterness and pungency, plus notes of green almond, hay and a subtle undertone of clay. We call this blend La Volta, marking a turn toward the energy of the new planting and varietals, not to mention the need for a planetary “shift”.
Harvest Blend: Standing in contrast to La Volta is this year’s Harvest Blend. With 30% Moraiolo and 70% Frantoio, this is a much softer, rounder oil. Cut grass, green tea, unripe fig - these are elements on the nose. Low bitterness and just a hint of pepper in the finish. This oil is fabulous poured over humus with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt and paprika - a delightful way to dress up this wonderful dip.
Mission Yuzu: This is a special oil that we produce in very limited quantities. The fruit has a fanatical following and is often featured in Korean and Japanese cuisine, as well as cosmetics and aromatherapy. Typically utilized for their zest or the fragrant oils in their skin, Yuzu are intensely aromatic. Milled together with our Mission olives, it yields oil that is one of a kind. Unlike an infused oil, milling and pressing Yuzu directly with the olives make for more nuanced flavor. This year we find a particularly floral profile, with notes of peony and rose; somewhat less fruity and herbal than previous years. The Mission brings a distinct doug fir aroma, not unlike a freshly cut christmas tree.
In the Kitchen
Dinner. We have tried to bring some new inspiration to our kitchen with 6 Seasons, a cookbook we heard about from members Erin (Portland) and Emily & Chaim (Oakland). Recipes frequently call for “a glug” of good olive oil and encourage deviations from the script to suit your taste, pantry or fresh vegetable aisle.
Dessert. Courtesy of CA member Carrie comes a recommendation for “Black Mission Fig and Olive Oil Cake.” From Lei Shishak’s Farm-to-Table Desserts. I’m able to access the recipe here, but email us if you can’t get to it.
Snack. EVOO on yogurt. This recipe comes from KyKy, 4 year old son of California members and friends, Jade & Derrick. KyKy recommends “the best drinkable” oil mixed into yogurt -- a “green grassy hopper” oil.
Freezer. A bit of normalcy late this summer as we finally got to tomatoes. Brushed with olive oil; dusted with salt; 250-ish degree oven for long enough to condense flavor but keep a pocket of pulpy goodness.
For now, be well, wherever you are and whatever you are thinking about. Let us know what’s on your mind. Share inspirations and concerns with us. We’ll be thinking of you as we look at the trees, rakes in hand, nets at our feet to catch and gather. We’ll be thinking of you as we think, listen, and go about the slow work to change how we do this work, how we raise our kids, how we go about life.
- Susan, Colin, Cypress, and Tanager
The Flatlands crew: playing in the grove and looking for fish in the creek.