I Heart Farms

The Table Awaits (…and a Guessing Game)

Saturday was beautiful. I walked between the raindrops all over downtown Santa Cruz, looking for a client/friend who was hiding at one of three holidays fairs in an 8-block radius. I found her too late, and in a room too dark to photograph her wares. (More on her soon. She is Heidi Schlecht, former owner of the River Street Cafe & Cheese Shop (now owned by the talented Claire Palazzo), and Heidi has renamed her incredible preserves with the Plumline label.)

I headed over to Chocolate bistro next to Bookshop Santa Cruz, hoping to see my friend, the owner and chef, David Jackman. He was there, and we talked about the usual: friends, food, Wikileaks, our involvement with the internet and then…he was leaving. David owns a second restaurant called Backstage Kitchen, next to the Rio Theater. Originally started as a lunch-dinner venue, Backstage now only hosts private parties—absolutely delicious fare, as you can expect from David and his talented team.

THE EVENT

Before leaving, David gave me some news, and invited me to an event that was happening that night. A new enterprise in town is Lightfoot Industries, who hosts "Supper Club" events in a pilot program for at-risk teens. The students get to train in a real restaurant, learning not only professional skills that will serve them in life, but equally important: about sustainable foodways, community, family, and excellent communication. David has generously offered his restaurant for staging the events: professional guest chefs are employed to do the cooking. The work that falls to the teens is as you'd expect: set-up, service, and so on. But it goes further than that.

The HELLman's You Say: "Real Ingredients" Don't Mutate DNA

(Graphic: created by me in Photoshop.)

Though I am loathe to give up top billing to YellowWallFarm.com—about my favorite thing I get to do is shine light on the good and beautiful in the world…well, I've got a barrelful here for Hellman's^® and their completely ludicrous and cynical misuse of the words "real ingredients" when listing what actually goes into their products.

I am aware that Hellman's and Best Foods are the most popular mayonnaises in this country. I am also aware that some people eat ground beef at Taco Bell and McDonald's, so clearly we are a nation who likes to play fast and loose with our food safety.

You might be lulled into a sense of food security with the sincerity of words like "real" and "natural," and even "organic" and "free-range" or "cage-free." Then, last evening another pro-food (real food, not corporate chemicals in boxes and jars) food blogger, "Genie," aka @egratto, tweeted this little nugget:

"So. Hellman's Mayo has an ad campaign claiming they're making it from real ingredients. Here's the nutritional info: http://bit.ly/bWPawC"

And that's when my insta-cynic knew I was about to launch out the gate for a horserace to be the first to find out…WTF, HELLMANN'S?

Yellow Wall Farm ~ Santa Cruz

Pictured above, my newest website design: a collaboration between farmer, Judy Rose Hasty, and me, for Yellow Wall Farm, which she and her husband, Allen, own. I'd received an email from Judy shortly before the EcoFarm conference in January, and mid-February, we hooked up. All I knew is that Yellow Wall Farm—I'll get to the name in a minute—was partnered with Freewheelin' Farm as the "hot weather crop" component of Freewheelin's CSA.

I drove up the road to the farm—one of my favorite roads in the county—and she met me at the gate with dogs a-barking and a big smile. Because all the farmers at Freewheelin' are young, I expected Judy to be one of their generation. I was happy to meet a contemporary of my own age—and that was just the beginning of our commonality.

So the website is still in development, but we'd like to get your input on recipe sites you like, particularly if they are seasonally based.

Obviously, there will be more to come here about Yellow Wall Farm, but I just wanted to have a fresh post up here because—would you look at that? Morning Edition is now following me on Twitter! (I'm @tanabutler.)

Leave your recipe recommendations in the comments, if you would. Thanks!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." —John Muir 

Thanks for visiting! I'm excited about the new work lined up for springtime!

The Fruits of Our Labors

Please see a Community Announcement at the bottom of this post.

I can make no excuses about my absence here, except to say the past months have been fraught with challenges in our family—from health issues to difficult circumstances surrounding Logan's well-being. But I've been inspired by recent events, which I will share with you now.

Monday, a friend visiting from Toronto broadcast (yes, he Tweeted!) that he was seeking photographic inspiration. I suggested a visit to the UCSC Farm & Garden, and he accepted. The day was overcast, which is optimal for photography—no glare, no harsh shadows, and clear colors. We met my daughter up at the Alan Chadwick Garden, a two-acre terraced hillside garden that is predominantly orchard, but which also contains rows of vegetables—lots of over-wintered peppers and some Napa cabbages were present on our visit. 

It was the first time I'd been to the up there in February—everything was muddy, covered in mustard grass and other "weeds" (it's hard for me to call anything green a weed), and sloppily beautiful despite the disorder. The garden is so different in winter. All the bare stone fruit trees—with their gnarled, grey branches—contrasted with the citrus trees, which were bearing heavily amid their dense, dark, waxy leaves. To someone else's eye, there might not be much to see, but I was seeing things in a new way, and I loved it.     

Real Food or Caloric Entertainment? #FAIL, Duncan Hines!

 

First: apologies for the wacky formatting of this post. Typepad launched a "new and improved" interface that is a colossal failure.

Pictured here: a beautiful artichoke display from Prevedelli Farms at the Food & Wine Farm to Table Harvest in Carmel on September 26. I went with Cynthia Sandberg as her VIP guest, and it was glorious. Because this is what real food looks like. Recognizable as food, not some Frankensteined mix of "ingredients" that have been machinated to lose all resemblance to something that nourishes your body cells and well-being.

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that I don't suffer fools gladly, especially on a day when I'm so grouchy that I could kick something for the pleasure of the pain to my foot. And you know that, on a few occasions, someone pimping promoting some fake-food item to ME has caused my innate cynic to haul out the Whack-a-Mole on them.

Case in point: an email this morning from someone representing that titan of nutritious real food caloric entertainment found inside a package inside a box, Duncan Hines. And this is what it said:

The Scoop Around Here

Pictured here: dried beans at Dirty Girl Produce's booth at the Sunday farmers market in Live Oak. Don't they make you want to run your hands through them?

I have no good reason for not writing in so long, except to say that life has been complicated and more than a little tough. We lost custody of our precious little grandson, Logan, last month, when he was restored to his parents. Fortunately, we will be having a shared custody situation again, with Logan's father, for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Logan has started kindergarten, and absolutely loves it. He's happy, he sings all the time, and frequently says, "Wherever my Poppy goes, I'm going, TOO." Here he is pictured in our corn patch, sitting on a stepladder.

He helped grow that corn, he'll have you know.

• • • • • • • • • • •

I Ripped a New Whole (Foods), & Meet Leon Vehaba [I Rant, I Rave]

When I first started this blog in 2005, it was because I wanted people to ask themselves, seeing my pictures and reading these stories, "Where's my pretty little farm? Where's my pretty little farmer?" (Er, handsome/tall, as the case may be.) Case in point: meet Leon Vehaba. (Rave.) [Note: please click all horizontally-oriented photos to enlarge. The life-force is strong in the details.]

I first met Leon in 2007, at the UCSC Farm. He was helping with the annual Harvest Fair, and went out of his way to be helpful to everyone, with enthusiasm, intelligence, and what I know now is his characteristic warmth. Leon impressed enough people at the farm that he was chosen to be one of a handful of apprentices asked to stay through the winter, and mentor the next year's first-year apprentices. This honor is bestowed upon a very committed group of young people, and after his tenure as a Second-Year (or "Seconds," as they're called), Leon decided to stay in the area instead of returning to New York, so that he could join the Board of Directors for the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden. New York's loss is very much our gain.

Being on the Board is not the predominant reason Leon stayed in Santa Cruz, I have to confess. He was hired to manage the farm by Rich and Laura Everett, owners of Everett Family Farm, who clearly recognize Leon's capacity to turn vision into reality. I'm overdue for an update on the goat-wrangling and other activities that are part of the Everett's farm—one of the prettiest little farms you'll ever see. But I am remiss on weeks of writing, so I'll catch this lightning in a bottle while I can. It feels good to write. 

Pictured here: some of the beautiful hand-picked zucchini blossoms carefully tended by Leon, just a couple of miles from my house. Leon's specializing in these at the farmers markets—I don't think anyone else has them. 

If you can't get to them at the local farmers markets (Felton on Tuesday; Westside Santa Cruz on Saturday; Live Oak on Sunday), visit the farm in Soquel at 2111 Old San Jose Road, where their farmstand is open daily. 

These zucchini blossoms are a perfect example of how Leon thinks: knowing that Santa Cruz has a fairly adventuresome collective palate, and not noticing any other farmers offering the blossoms at markets, he decided to grow them. When he became enthralled with all the varieties and possibilities with heirloom tomatoes, I hooked Leon up with the very generous Cynthia Sandberg, whose brain he picked until he was satisfied that his offerings would be attractive and tasty. (Cynthia calls our ilk "tomato kooks." I'm fine with that.)

Leon brings to his work a culinary history (along with a Masters Degree in Sustainable Development), including a stint as a waiter/educator at Blue Hill Stone Barns in upstate New York. He cooks, cans, makes spice blends, and a whole lot of other stuff I can't even name: his skills in the kitchen are matched by his zest for life. Most of our conversations are food-centric: he's often asking me for my take on flavors, combinations, things to grow, and so on. "Value-added" is an understatement, when I view Leon's approach to farming.

Pictured here: Leon's custom salad blend: no limpid baby greens that wilt under a vinaigrette: these are a tad more mature and robust—though simultaneously retain their tenderness. My know-it-all-without-bragging-but-still-maintaining-opinions friend, Joe Cangelosi, loved this salad. (Joe, post in the comments, would ya? Thanks.)

Like every farmer I know, Leon can talk about food: like every farmer I know, he grows food because he loves to eat well. This is a fact that permeates my life, and the lives of all those people who are close to me. There is a depth of thought that attends most every meal, and it's one of the things I love best about living in a farming region. (Notice I did not say "California," or even "the Bay Area.")

Even my ex-husband, whose previous forays into the kitchen involved can openers and frozen entrées, has become an adept cook since his divorce. He's taking pleasure in learning how to shop for fresh produce. Well, more pleasure than he took before, let's say. I don't think he'll ever spend time pondering whether to buy peaches or blueberries, or to try the Ronde de Nice squash instead of plain (beautiful, dark green) zucchini.

So where's the rant, you may be wondering. I needed a good rant to get me out of the creative trepidation I've been experiencing, and a Media Relations employee for Whole Foods Market unwittingly handed it to me yesterday. Bless her heart: I won't name her, for she did nothing wrong. All she did was invite me to the opening of the second Whole Foods Market in Santa Cruz county. She had no idea she threw a lit firecracker into a pile of dry kindling. Bless her heart.

Mind you, I know that Everett Family Farm and other local farmer friends sell to Whole Foods. I don't have any kind of problem with that, of course: I want to them sell everything they grow. But if you read #6, below, you will see why I buy directly from the farmers, and encourage you to do so. And I won't care if you do want to shop at Whole Foods. (It's one place you can get the fabulous pastured eggs from TLC Ranch.) My daughter loves it. (I'm not through with her, though.) 

And now, a miniature rant, not without heart or reason.

Why I Won't Shop at Whole Foods (except for duck eggs, purchased individually and rarely):

1. Santa Cruz is the last place on earth that needs a Whole Foods Market, much less two of them.

We have these resources:

• New Leaf Community Markets (five in the county, and one in Half Moon Bay…see that word "Community?" It means something. It has history and depth and connections.)
• Staff of Life Natural Foods Market
• The Food Bin & Herb Room (more natural foods)
• Shopper's Corner (not such a commitment to organics, but locally owned since 1937, and has a great selection of the things I might be looking for)
• Deluxe Foods of Aptos (ditto what I said about Shopper's Corner) 
• Five SEVEN farmers markets weekly (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, three on Saturday, and one on Sunday)
• Public farmstands (UCSC Farm, twice a week; Everett Family Farm, Crystal Bay Farm, Love Apple Farm, and possibly others)
• Bakeries (that supply wonderful baked goods to local markets)
• VinoCruz; Soif Wine Bar & Store; K Wine & Liquors <--I edited this list, at the suggestion of Fran Grayson, who commented below)

FARMERS MARKETS

• TUESDAY: Felton
• WEDNESDAY: Downtown Santa Cruz
• FRIDAY: Watsonville
• SATURDAY: Cabrillo College [one of the very first in California] in Aptos, Westside Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley
• SUNDAY: Live Oak

2. Whole Foods doesn't know Santa Cruz.

A recent radio ad mentions the store's location on "Soquel Boulevard." Locals know there is no such street: the store is located on Soquel Avenue. Soquel Avenue runs from downtown south, until it crosses Highway One, when it becomes Soquel Drive. A moot point? Simple fact checking. And yes, this is a very minor point, but the ad irks.

And where is the store located? One block away from Shopper's Corner, which naturally has to have a negative impact on that venerated business.

3. Of all the counties in California, only San Francisco is smaller in size (and has over three times our population) than this county.

Maybe San Francisco needs a Whole Foods—though I think there are better options, certainly with the farmers markets. With our county's population at roughly 250K, I don't see the need for a megamart like Whole Foods. Much less TWO, that are literally THREE miles apart. 

As I noted after visiting Whole Foods in Monterey in 2006:

What was it like at Whole Foods (in Monterey)? I spent only $30, and part of that on medicine. My overall impression is that people are dazzled by all the choices—six artisanal bakeries with offerings up to your eyeballs!—but I don't need all the choices. My local natural foods stores (New Leaf Community Markets and Staff of Life) have ample variety in every regard, and what they don't have (a vast wine selection, e.g.), I can easily augment elsewhere. I wouldn't buy produce at Whole Foods, when it's so much cheaper at the farmers market, but if that's what people want to do, and are willing to do, and need to do, bully for them. For myself, I didn't have a single pang of envy or the feeling that I was missing something in never having been inside a Whole Foods, nor do I have any desire to return. I saw what all the fuss was about, and I don't need the fuss. Santa Cruz is covered. 

Razzle dazzle isn't for me. 

4. People don't call it "Whole Paycheck" for nothing. 

This is a universal nickname that isn't even a cliché. I saw tomatoes (in season) for $6/pound, when they were at that time selling for $2/pound at local farmers markets and farmstands. Can you spell "mark-up"?

5. I love my farmers, and I love my farmers markets.

This is really the heart of it.

Going to the market is like going to church for me. The good kind of church, not the kind where they want you Scared Straight! I see so many of my friends, meet new ones, and love the wholesome vibe—kids, music, pretty and healthy food grown with love. I like knowing and talking to the people who grow my food. 

Another case in point: not knowing the research or facts on pesticide use on avocados, I asked one farmer, the father of two young children, "Would you let your kids eat [this, that, or the other thing?" He said "yes" and explained his rationale. The "yes" would have been enough: I trust Josh Thomas, of Thomas Family Farm. They've been farming sustainably since 1971; his father, Jerry started it way back then. 

6. When I buy from the farm, the farm gets all of the money.

Whole Foods doesn't pay the farmers what they would make from direct sales. One family farmer told me that their direct sales comprise more than 95% of their income, between the farmers markets and the farmstand.

• • • • • • • • • • •

You get the point(s). Yes, I realize that Whole Foods is providing jobs, but I doubt those jobs offset the loss of income that would otherwise go to our local economy. Now, if the CEO of Whole Foods wants to move to Santa Cruz, maybe I'd shop there. No, no can do. See reasons 4, 5, and 6, above. Sorry, Mr. Mackey!

Where I'm transparently hypocritical: I buy some things at Safeway (toilet paper, etc., only things on sale with my Club Card). I buy some things at Trader Joe's (knowing it is owned by German brazillionaires*). I buy a very few things a few times a year at Costco. I shop BevMo's 5-Cent seasonal sales (for California wines). I buy my work tools (computers, cameras, etc.) where I can get the best price, usually online. 

Most of these things don't affect the money that I spend on locally farmed/ranched food.

I guess what I'm saying is I don't need another outlet to spend money that won't stay (mostly) in our local economy. My hypocrisy does know some boundaries, you know!

And so I conclude this with the simple thought that originated I Heart Farms. 

Where is your pretty, little farm? 

Who is your pretty little (big, hairy, short, young, old, rustic, etc.) farmer?

Mine are all around me, in the open air. And that is exactly as I like it. 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing. Benjamin Franklin

Farmers: they do things worth writing.

Thanks for visiting.

*Re: "brazillionnaire"...

An advisor comes up to George W. Bush during a meeting and whispers, "There has been a riot in Rio de Janeiro, and six Brazilians are dead." Bush asks, "How many are in a brazillion?"

Where I've Been Since April 8 (Part 1)

Pictured here: our neighbors' darling baby boy, Julian, who occupies a little of my time nearly every day. Because babies are church.

The short answer is that I've been working really, really hard for the "Grow a Farmer" Campaign, on an almost daily basis. The good news there is that we (the board of directors for the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden, and the staff and everyone affiliated with CASFS) have very nearly reached our first goal of $250K. The next goal will be to replace the funds that we took from our resources, which is not like robbing Peter to pay Paul—those funds were for general use, such as scholarships and other needs for apprentices. 

It feels FABULOUS to be in this position, especially given the severity of emotional turmoil surrounding our little grandson's broken leg. (He is fine, after nearly four months in casts, a metal boot, and being careful.) Coming up: swimming lessons for a boy!

I have had several great adventures, including turning fifty (April 30), something I had dreaded badly—turned out to be one of the best birthdays of my life. 

So here's installment #1 of "Where I've Been Since April 8."

April 13: a visit to Love Apple Farm, to meet up with the wonderful Harold McGee, who arrived seeking advice for his new garden in San Francisco. It's been three years since we had dined under redwoods on foraged food and wild boar, and it was a great visit. Cynthia chose some tomatoes especially for his climate (and palate), and he in turn autographed our "McGee" books. 

Any day that one can spend at Love Apple Farm is a blessing, a de-stressing. This was a fine day, indeed, especially because the sweet peas were tall and fragant.

On April 24, I got to do one of my favorite things in the world, which is to cook for the apprentices at the UCSC Farm. This is the annual reception, a couple of weeks after they've arrived. So many new faces, and so much great experience among them. 

I just walked around and met a few folks before heading over to the kitchen to help my darlin' friend, Forrest Cook, get things prepped. Our team (other board members and volunteers) shelled ten pounds of fava beans, peeled 11 dozen hard-boiled eggs, and made a whole lot of other stuff. 

Also got to see Brent Walker (Tennessee's loss, California's gain: he stayed after his apprenticeship last year), who came down from Oakland to make hush puppies for the party. These aren't your mother's hushpuppies: he made some with rye, and some with jalapeños and peppers...best hushpuppies I've ever had. And the only hushpuppies some people have ever had. Brent's now managing the farm for the People's Grocery in Oakland, and is loving it. (Lucky them!)

The very next day, Matthew Sutton, co-president of our board, hosted a pizza and beer fundraiser with some other former apprentices. Some hundreds of people turned out for Matthew's famous wood-fired pizza, live bluegrass, and more: the event raised over $1500 for the "Grow a Farmer" Campaign.

A little later in the week, I headed up to SFO to bring Sam Miller back to Love Apple Farm. Sam's hoping to move from England to start up a farming venture of his own—something that would make a huge number of people I know very happy. We came down coastal Highway One, stopping in Pescadero. First stop: Harley Farms Goat Dairy, where the goats were just coming in to be milked. Well, not this little kid.

There is only one place to eat in Pescadero—rather, only one place worthy of consideration—and that is Duarte's Tavern. And there is one thing that I order every time, weather permitting, and that is the combination bowl of cream of artichoke and cream of green chile soup. Served with fresh, warm bread and butter…

Sam had never had calamari, so we shared a steak sandwich and agreed that it wins Best of Show for All Breeds of Seafood Ensconced in a Perfect Roll. A little beer, a little wine, and that was Pescadero in April.

Coming up next: my birthday, some farm visits, some food-centric happenings, Big Sur, and more.

TWO QUICK ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. If you're going to be downtown Santa Cruz after the farmers market next Wednesday, June 24, see about getting a ticket to the "Grow a Farmer" Summer Soirée. Appetizers and wine, great people…all proceeds benefit the campaign. Also: the Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors will present the "Grow a Farmer" Month proclamation for the month of June. It should be a fine event, and there will be more news about our progress in raising the funds for the apprenticeship housing project.

2. Want a direct way to support a local farm? TLC Ranch (my friends and heroes) are trying to buy the house they've been renting before it gets sold out from under them. For a limited time, you can purchase egg shares at a substantial discount: visit their website for details. 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "I work during my leisure time, and play while I work." —me

Thanks for visiting. More soon. (And thank you, O Generous Blog Sponsor!)

Hi, Dan Barber!

I know, long time no post. Explanations later: this is urgent because Somebody is going to be looking at my blog, or perhaps already has, and I need to look like I've been busy. Which I really have, but on a big project involving my favorite farm. Details to come.

This photograph is of Chef Dan Barber, serving people fortunate enough to attend a farm dinner at the not-completed Blue Hill Stone Barns, back in 2003. It is rare to see a chef serve tables, so this was particularly cool, according to the chef friend I went with, who studied at The French Culinary Institute, where Dan graduated in 1994. (Google is my friend.)

I can't resist the temptation to paraphrase Eve Babitz, in Eve's Hollywood, who has a chapter in her book called "I Met Cary Grant today." The entire contents of the chapter?

"I met Cary Grant today. He looked just like Cary Grant."

Well, I met Dan Barber today. He looked just like Dan Barber.

It wasn't the first time we'd met, but his fame now is meteoric, and deservedly so, because the man can speak.I just hoped he would remember me.

This will be brief, and more is coming tomorrow.

I traveled down to Farmer's Mecca today: the Ecological Farming Association's 29th annual conference, known to one and all as Eco-Farm. It's the best place on earth to be, in my book: part reunion, part college, and as busy as a beehive with networking and excitement. Having eaten last night at Gabriella Café (first time in a long time: there's a new chef there who is really talented and nice), I persuaded owner Paul Cocking (also a friend) to go down with me to hear the Plenary Session, presented by three chefs known for their love and support of farms.

The session?

Celebrity Chefs Raise the Profile of Food System Sustainability
Dan Barber, Blue Hill Restaurant at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Pocantico Hills, NY
Annie Somerville, Greens Restaurant, San Francisco, CA
Judy Wicks, White Dog Cafe, Philadelphia, PA

In short, it was a cosmic blast for me. Dan is brilliant and funny and entertaining. He's like Woody Allen if Woody Allen had a molecule of cute. (Dan has several.) Lucky for me, I'd never heard the particular presentation he gave, though one version is available on YouTube. If you've never heard him speak, try these:

1. Dan Barber at Taste3 Conference in Napa
2. Dan Barber on carrots and castration, also at a Taste3 conference
3. Dan Barber on the transformative power of foie gras

After the presentation, Paul and I wandered down to the exhibition tent, and there was Dan. And a whole bunch of people I know, naturally, including Don Burgett, a fellow member of the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden's board of directors. He told me that Dan had called the farm yesterday and gotten a hasty tour of the farm from Leon Vehaba and Bill Leland, also on the board. (Dan likes us, he really really likes us!)

There is more to come, but let me just whisper something VERY exciting to you all. The project is for the USCS Farm & Garden's apprenticeship program, and you can read all about it here very soon. And Dan Barber is involved.

Meanwhile, Dan...welcome to my little corner of the blogging globe. You're in these pages, and I'll write more soon. Thank you so much for the laughs and the brief chat today. I hope you enjoy your visit: check out the photos, please. That's really where my heart is.

This has been one perfectly perfect day, culminating in the most beautiful liquid gold, gasp-out-loud sunset (we were cresting on a hill with a view of the shimmering and calm Pacific ocean) I've ever seen in my life—and I didn't even reach for my camera. Imagine that. The moment in my heart is ineradicable.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Nature is a collective idea, and, though its essence exists in each individual of the species, can never in its perfection inhabit a single object." —Henry Fuseli

Thanks for visiting! I'm glad to be back, and so excited about the next big news. You'll love it.

EDIT: All kinds of formatting with the new Typepad made things difficult. Tried to clean things up, but oh, dear. And oh, well.

Thanksgiving and Thanks Receiving

I don't have a farm. I don't plant seeds, I bury them. So naturally ("nature" + "ally"), I am grateful to all of the farmers in my life. They're my heroes.

This year in particular, my appreciation has grown enormously, as I have gotten to be good friends with a handful of farmers, with whom my family have shared many beautiful dinners. These farmers and ranchers have not only supplied me with the meat and vegetables on the table, but they have shown me, through good times and bad, what it means to be a real friend.

Pictured above is Love Apple Farm, owned by my friend—more like a sister—Cynthia Sandberg. Tomorrow my family will join hers, and her crew of helpers who've traveled from around the world to work on the farm. I'll get there early to help with the turkey, which we'll cook using local herbs and shiitake mushrooms. My ex-husband and our daughter, as well as his two young sons, will be there, along with my biggest hero, Bob, who's been my partner for over seventeen years. The little grandson we having been raising for four years is out of town, but Logan is truly the center of our gratitude to a beneficent universe for his presence in our lives.