Recipe for Success

Our farm stand sign, which Dan created in addition to the orchard benches he promised.

I fumbled through our nearly-empty cabinets, searching for the ingredients to some miraculous meal that would show Dan, our loyal friend and volunteer*, how much we appreciated his work here.

It was his last day, and he had completed four benches--with no power tools--at least three ReTreeUS signs, and a couple of bridges that will help us cross over marshy wetlands to access our fields.

The orchard benches and a ReTreeUS sign, all finished and coasted with earth-friendly tung oil.

He spent his evenings designing tomorrow's projects, and was up getting started before breakfast each day. His work was not only functional, but creative, sustainable, and thoughtful, too. He took care with all the details: finding what would have been waste materials, putting them together to last, smoothing out the edges, using finishing products that are beautiful and completely non-toxic to create these educational, inspiring works of art.

The materials--salvaged from waste palates.

He worked with diligence and passion, not only because he loves wood-working, but also because he appreciates our mission. He wanted to be a part of this project to educate kids about the environment, and provide good food to those kids and their families. Now, he and his finished products are inextricable facets of the ReTreeUS program.

Dan coats his benches, and shows the progression of each functional art piece from unfinished to finished.

A bridge for our fields!

Our fields and his benches.

Richard and the rest of the "crew."

To thank him, we had...let's see...garlic, kale, cheese, a box of pasta...milk....olive oil...and slowly, I pieced together a meal from the mish-mash of ingredients I found.

Instead of pesto (because we had no basil), I call it besto--a delicious pasta topping I wish I'd added to our recipe book before sending it to Kickstarter backers. Now, here it is for all of you:

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Besto

...when you haven't gone grocery shopping in a while, but you need a nutritiously delicious meal that says, "I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart." Or, when you just want to find another way to utilize kale.

Serves two people who work regular days, and one who just worked a week of construction, approx. 24/7

You'll need a few leaves of kale (chopped), 3-4 cloves of peeled garlic (depending on how much you like garlic), 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, black pepper, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup milk, dash of dry basil (or fresh, if you have it), a food processor (or a good knife and a lot of patience), plus enough pasta to make 4 servings. Keep on hand: extra oil and some cornstarch, just in case.

Boil water and add the pasta to cook.

In a separate pot on the stove, heat mozzarella, milk and basil on medium-low, stirring frequently until the mixture comes together in a stretchy, yummy sauce. (If it's simply not happening for you, you can add a tiny dash of cornstarch.)

Meanwhile, combine the kale, garlic, olive oil, and cheddar in a food processor. (You might need more oil, if the processor isn't chopping easily or finely enough.) Mix until the ingredients are finely chopped and saucy. (Like pesto, but besto...)

Drain the pasta and put it back its own pot. Pour almost all of the mozzarella sauce and mix to coat the pasta. (Leave the rest of the sauce for later.)

Serve the coated pasta in a bowl, and top with the remaining cheese sauce and a few spoonfuls of besto. Add some black pepper, and give it to that person you're so grateful for. Enjoy the meal together, and know you're eating one of the most nutritious, easiest to grow, vegetables out there.

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After we ate, we thanked Dan again and said goodbye. We looked back at the work he had done and thought about how, even though that last-minute recipe was delicious...volunteers are our recipe for success.


*I call Dan a volunteer, even though we had agreed to purchase some of his benches for our orchards (thanks to our Kickstarter donors). He became a volunteer when he ventured well beyond the call of duty.