Yesterday was a bittersweet day at the farm. It was my friend Ellen’s last day of farm work for the season. She is heading to grad school and I could not be happier for her. However, selfishly I am sad to not have her by my side for the remainder of the season. It’s tough work being a farmer and having good workers and friends by your side is priceless.
A good farm friend will help you unload stinky compost.
They will pick the perfect green beans at exceptional speed.
They will take the wheel when you begin to show the first signs of heat stroke.
Only the finest turnips are picked when you work with a good friend.
And picking pumpkins on a hot day in August is only possible when your friends make you laugh until you cry.
The best part about having friends on the farm is being able to kick back at the end of the day with a cold beer and hilarious stories from the fields.
It’s also awesome to have farm friends that like to cook as much as I do. The recipe below includes Ellen’s delicious tamari-ginger sauce. I put this sauce on everything!!!
Roasted Summer Vegetable Farro Salad with Tamari-Ginger Sauce.
We served our farro salad with some garlicky collard greens. It was divine!
For the farro salad:
1 medium-sized eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1-2 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
2 red potatoes, chopped
1 medium-sized yellow onion, cut into wedges
1 medium-sized head of broccoli, chopped.
1 cup farro.
For the farro:
Combine 1 cup farro with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until farro is tender.
For the Veggies:
Place all veggies into a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20- 30 minutes. Turning at least once and checking often to make sure nothing burns.
For the Tamari-Ginger Sauce:
1/2 cup tamari
1/2 cup water
1 tbs rice wine vinegar
2 tbs tahini
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup minced scallions
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp maple syrup
Whisk all ingredients together and set aside.
Once veggies and farro are cooked stir them together in a large bowl. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of sauce and serve.
For the collard greens:
1 large bunch of collards. Stems removed and greens chopped.
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups of chicken stock.
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
In a large pan sauté the garlic in the oil. Add the collards. Cook for a minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 45 minutes. Enjoy!
