Moser Good Eats and Good Times: March 2018

Black Chasm Cavern

What better day to blog than on this gray, rainy Saturday. Here’s the challenge…Verne and I have done very little over the past few months that’s blog-worthy. We started the new year with a bang working our resolutions (mostly downsizing to-do’s) with a vengeance and continued in that vein into the beginning of February when we seemed to go into hibernation-mode with the change in spring-like weather to winter-freezing temperatures, including several days of snow, followed by days and weeks of rain. This next week is supposed to return to warmer weather and as a result I’m hoping we’ll feel motivated to return to the barn and continue working our list.

Last year about this time we joined the local CSA (community supported agriculture) program that I wrote about in earlier blogs. The program was suspended in December for two reasons: winter is a slower time of year, agriculturally speaking, as there is very little variety in produce being grown and harvested, especially in the foothill communities; and, the program decided to use this time to upgrade to a new computer system, which has taken an inordinate amount of time. It’s nearly the end of March (lettuce, root vegetable, and citrus season) and we’re just now hearing sounds suggesting the CSA will be up and running sometime in April. Until that happens, I have continued to receive weekly newsletters, which include a list of member farmers and the produce they are currently harvesting. In early February we decided to visit a couple of the farms, something I’ve wanted to do since joining the CSA in 2017. Our first experience was uneventful, with an exchange of emails which included an order for carrots, arugula, and other greens. My order was left at the entry to the farm in an ice chest. I was directed to place the money in an envelope, which was found in the chest. That was it. Very clandestine. I never met the farmer(s), but the veggies were fine, although I’ve never in my life seen such weird, gnarly carrots.

Locally-grown carrots - they tasted better than they look!

The following week we decided to combine a visit to my grape-growing (MFP) friends in Plymouth with a trip to another CSA farm, Abbondanza. What an experience! The owner, Daniel D’Agostini, is the reason I love and support community agriculture. Knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and gracious, Daniel met us at the car with a warm hand-shake and introduction. We spent the next hour learning about him and his family-owned farm, walking through the raised beds and seeding shed, meeting an exchange student there to learn Daniel’s bio-dynamic farming methods, and visiting his art studio with walls covered with his photos and a copy of his book, "Into the Earth: A Wine Cave Renaissance” on full display. While a sign next to the front door stated “No Cats and No Shoes,” one of his two house cats roamed freely in the studio. We did our part, however, and respectfully removed our shoes. The floor as well as the doors were created from reclaimed/restored wood. I’ve included a picture of an interior door that leads to his workspace and darkroom as an example of his craftsmanship. This door reminds me of a quilt square made in the log cabin style.

Daniel D'Agostini's handiwork - what an amazing door made of reclaimed wood

The entire time we walked and talked, Daniel collected a large bowl of various greens and edible flowers from his garden. We savored three large salads that week, enjoying every bite as we remembered our visit to Abbondanza. Whether or not there is any health benefit in eating locally-grown, organic food, there is something so special about meeting the salt of the earth people who grow it that I would pay extra just for the experience. And we do!

Daniel talking and picking our greens

A bed of lettuce

Later in February we enjoyed a weekend with the Rausch family. We don’t see the kids near enough and the two grandsons, Matthew and Logan, have grown like weeds. What cute, smart, and well-behaved little boys. Kudos to their parents, Verne’s oldest daughter Lara and her husband Rick. The big event of the weekend was a trip to Black Chasm Cavern. We’ve been there numerous times and considered foregoing another trip, but last minute decided to go. Glad we did. It never disappoints. We’ve not had the same guide twice and with each new docent learn something different about the cave. There are several other caves in the Amador County area, but none with helictite crystal formations, present in only 5% of the caves in the world.

Here are a few pictures from our visit to Black Chasm…