The Yin to My Yang

August 03, 2009

Our summer Farm Dinners have been magnificent occasions, and our autumn dinners are sold out! Many, many thanks to the amazing people who work here on the farm.  Sharina, our office manager, had a vacation week of silent meditation, and I tried to fill in for her, but could not be both cheerful and efficient. Chloe and Julie, our high school seniors in the shop, will both follow paths to nursing careers in the autumn, but locally, so we hope they will stay with us too! And we have missed Annie, our hardworking farmers’ market saleswoman with gorgeous face and high-speed knitting, because she’s been away in England for some weeks now.

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Annie on the left. Lesa, shop manager, second from right. Lesa “lost” my farm dinner salespitch under the floorboards, and had to write a “better” one. She looks so mild-mannered, don’t you think?

Our new goatherd, Carrie, has been on the farm getting to know us and her twenty retired goats. She has practical skills (framing, wiring and plumbing her house), is active in the community, and complements our other staff, being quiet and unassuming. Carrie’s been developing a contract with the county to keep the local roadsides clear, and has a weedbusting engagement in Half Moon Bay shortly. TFB is becoming ever slimmer, does not fit into his previous wardrobe, and now appears in an insouciant selection of what most people would describe as pajamas. He and Library John, a Tuesday night poker dinner regular, accompanied us to a magnificent goat dinner in July. The grass-fed goat leg marinated in milk was excellent, and the fromage blanc sorbet dreamy. Finally, Emily, our accountant and the yin to my yang, took a birthday jaunt up to Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes, for a cheesemaking class with me. A fresh pair of eyes - accountant eyes - on the nitty-gritty of dairy pipelines, and sink location, and so forth, is always good! We are soon to serve warm ricotta at weekends, and are testing recipes for goat milk butter and ice cream. Thank you everybody…