Happy new year: We're back in action!

It was a warm, dry, sunny winter day – perhaps, An Inconvenient Truth, but just perfectly beautiful to be outdoors at The Free Farm!
After our two week winter break, Monisha and Stanley greet an early visitor to The Free Farm Stand.
Check-in with workday leader Tree. If I had a hammer: Ro, Sukhi and John install wood frame to vegetable bed. Pretty peppers: red ones ready for harvest! Beautiful people Monisha, Ro and Sukhi hold up beautiful, colorful harvest of broccoli, collard greens, purple lettuce, red and yellow peppers.

Goji berry in hothouse. According to Briahn Kelly-Brennan, L.Ac. who teaches Everyday Healing Foods and Herbs (http://www.ccsf.edu/Resources/Faculty/bkelly/): “young goji berry plant leaves are edible. Traditionally the spring prunings are stripped of leaves, and the stems/twigs are bundled and used to make soup stock, then the leaves are added to the stock (after the stems and stock material is strained out) to make a soup. When the leaves are older they get quite bitter, so tasting before using is a good idea.”Helping to build soil: Go compost team! Corey harvests lettuce where it grows best in the shady labyrinth area. John with Claire and Tree sampling bitter greens to increase their joy! Occupy tent outside The Free Farm along Gough Street? Actually, three homeless neighbors told me that they set-up shelter after another group of homeless moved into their former space. I invited them to join us for lunch and to help themselves to produce at our 1 pm stand. Tree holds up groovy greens. Groovy greens grown here.
Tree harvests yacon from sandy soil.
In response to http://thefreefarm.blogspot.com/2011/05/gombs-pasta.html, Anonymous commented that I missed Beans in Dr. Furhman’s anti-cancer prescription. I first learned about GOMBS from http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/health/dr-joel-fuhrman-cancer-prevention-diet-20110228 (which left out beans), but the related link http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/good_day_ny/medical_headlines/eat-to-live-diet-20110111 included beans. For today’s potluck lunch, I made this gluten-free, low-sodium, cooling GOMBBS salad:
1. Cook 1 lb. sweet potato noodles.
2. Place 1 lb. mung Bean sprouts + 7 oz. enoki Mushroom + 1 cup napa cabbage (Green) chiffonade in colander.
3. Pour cooked noodles with water over sprouts, mushrooms and cabbage in colander. Drain and place blanched ingredients in bowl.
4. Mix ¼ cup chopped Green Onions + ¼ cup chopped cilantro (Green) with blanched ingredients in bowl.
5. Mix ½ cup sesame oil + ½ cup Bragg’s liquid aminos + ¼ cup balsamic vinegar + 1 Tbsp raw honey in jar for dressing.
6. Pour dressing into rest of ingredients in bowl.
7. Garnish with ¼ cup sesame Seeds + ¼ cup goji Berries.
No One Left Hungry with lunch prepared by Stanley, Tree and Wandering Veggie. During lunch, Tree mentioned that The Free Farm turns three years old this month! Please save this date: Saturday, January 28 at 6 pm, for our volunteer appreciation party/dinner celebration! We are looking for musicians that can get people dancing, vegan menu planners and anyone who wants to be on a team to make this event a big success. If you can help, please contact iamtree99@gmail.com.

Tree chats with neighbors who wear cool headgear. Sander plants chives and cilantro, but what's John up to with the wheelbarrow? John takes Sander for a wheelbarrow ride around The Free Farm! Michele harvests strawberries in wintertime! Kat continued work on rainwater catchment system (see http://thefreefarm.blogspot.com/2011/11/ready-for-rainwater-harvesting.html). Here, she lines raised vegetable bed, intended to capture overflow of rainwater.

Tree and Stanley are all smiles :-) :-) :-) Evan's dog Princess Polly is our unofficial mascot. Escargot anyone? Just simmer in butter, garlic, shallots and white wine. Bon appetit! John points out his favorite tree collards while leading tour for this visiting family of four seeking inspiration for planning their own edible garden! Elegance Tree holds up heart-shaped yacon.4 + 4 = Page's work of art to right of rain barrels. Kat explains how raised vegetable bed will receive overflow in rainwater catchment system. Love the sunshine, but would love for rainwater to fill our barrels! Artist couple from Rhode Island came to check out The Free Farm!Truffula tree from Dr. Seuss' The Lorax?

Finally, Tree mentioned that John of Growing Your Greens made a video tour based on his visit to The Free Farm last month at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDSGQYN8l48. If you love armchair travel, sit back and enjoy this 30-minute virtual tour. To experience more, come outside and join us during our volunteer days!

Public Service Announcements:

Wed., Jan. 11, 2012, 6 pm, Jack Norris on Vegan for Life
Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, #42, Embarcadero, SF
Are you considering going vegan, but you're not sure how to start? Are you already committed to an animal-free diet, but are unclear how to get the proper nutrients? Come hear Registered Dietician and Vegan for Life author Jack Norris talk about the keys to maintaining a healthy vegan diet.
http://www.bookpassage.com/event/jack-norris-vegan-life-everything-you-need-know-be-healthy-and-fit-plant-based-diet

Thurs., Jan. 12, 2012, 7:30-9 pm What is a Mushroom Anyway?
Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, SF
J. R. Blair is a past President of the Mycological Society of San Francisco. He is also a Lecturer at San Francisco State University and Director of the Sierra Nevada Field Campus. J.R. will be discussing how mushrooms fit into the scheme of things: what exactly they are, how they fit into the life cycle of the organism, fungal ecology, and how fungi form relationships with other life forms.
http://www.sfns.org/

Mon., Jan. 16, 2012, 7-9 pm The Ecology of Leadership Intro Workshop
Madrone Studios, 1417 15th Street, SF
We live in a time of tremendous global change. And, many of us are feeling significant shifts in our personal lives and the communities in which we live and work. And as unsustainable eco-social paradigms and systems are challenged and composted, we are called to seed and cultivate new visions for our future. But how do we do that effectively? To address that question, we invite you to join one of the powerful circles of change-makers discovering how a practice rooted in deep nature connection, inner transformation, and leadership skill development can revolutionize your life and service in the world. Join our free introductory evening at Madrone Studios - SF. RSVP online http://www.regenerativedesign.org/courses-events/ecology-of-leadership.