Bennett cooks for crew on organic farm
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff reporter
Hannah Bennett, 25-year-old daughter of Harry and Margie Bennett of Marion, has a unique job from March through October each year.
She prepares noon meals for a field crew that does the work on 25 acres of a farm in Illinois which produces a wide assortment of organically-grown vegetables.
The farm is a CSA, a community-supported agriculture operation. Known as Angelic Organics, it was founded by John Peterson, a farmer who sells shares in the farm to help cover the cost of production.
Many of the shareholders live in Chicago, about 75 miles from the farm. They receive about a three-fourths bushel box of vegetables every week during the growing season.
Angelic Organics is one of the largest CSAs in the country. It has more than 980 shareholders who this year will pay $470 to receive 20 weeks of vegetables (mid-June to October).
Hannah's work at the farm begins in early to mid-March, when she prepares the kitchen for another season. She also has the responsibility of preparing residential areas for field workers and guests. In addition, she establishes and maintains the kitchen garden and flower beds.
At this time of the year she is cooking for nine people, but by mid-summer that number can grow to 20.
She prepares breakfast and lunch for the crew five days a week.
Although Bennett is not a vegetarian, the meals she prepares in the farm's kitchen center around whatever vegetables are in season. She tries to create balanced meals using beans and grains.
Her experiences have made her knowledgeable about vegetables. In spring, she prepares a variety of salads. In June, vegetables such as kale, chard, herbs, scallions, and other cool season produce are in abundance. In August, tomatoes, basil, sweet corn, and sweet peppers dominate. In October, carrots, squash, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts are available.
Hannah says she has learned to prepare some vegetables in advance. When washing lettuce, for instance, she cleans enough for two meals. Some salad vegetables can be cut up ahead of time.
Hannah prepares beets by cooking them in a 375 degree oven in a glass casserole with a little water until soft. The next day, when she is ready to use them, she pulls off the skin and slices them into cold salads.
She says she often improvises and experiments when preparing recipes. She never makes the same dish twice, but she keeps in mind the preferences of her fellow workers.
One of Hannah's creations is the following:
Stuffed Peppers
8 bell peppers, any color
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 carrots, sliced in half-moons 1/2 inch thick
2 stalks celery diced
3 cups cooked rice
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts (cashews, toasted almonds, or walnuts)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. Set upright in baking dish and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add onions and garlic; saute until translucent. Add carrots and celery; continue cooking about 15 minutes or until slightly softened but not mushy. Mix in rice, raisins, nuts, herbs, and seasonings.
Fill peppers with rice mixture and bake for 40 minutes or until peppers soften and rice mixture is heated through. Serve warm.
Hannah saves earnings so that during the off-season she doesn't have to work. She does some traveling and spends time with her family. She also has created several quilts.
She is a 1994 graduate of Marion High School with a fine arts degree from the University of Kansas. After having worked for three years at Angelic Organics, she isn't certain about the future.
"I'm not sure I want to be a cook as a career," she said. "If I stay here too long, it will be the only thing I know how to do. I want to see what else is out there."
Hannah was among several featured in a detailed article about Angelic Organics, "Sharing in the land," which was published April 10 in the Chicago Sun Times. It can be found on the Internet at www.suntimes.com/output/food/foo-news-farm10.html.
CSAs
It is estimated that there are about 1,000 CSAs across the country. The first one was started in 1985 in Massachusetts, then others began in California and the idea spread to the Midwest.
Angelic Organics has a website at angelic-organics.com.
Kansas has at least one CSA, the Rolling Prairie Farmers' Alliance, at Lawrence. According to the Kansas Rural Center, it provides fresh produce to more than 300 customers.
