cabbage with cockles

Jared (probably the best farm intern ever) had to leave the farm. I miss him. He was only twenty but he was my peer and buddy and sous chef. I don't think I ever told him, but I really enjoyed cooking with him. We had an easy collaboration. He'd have an idea for dinner, maybe a dish, and I would add elements to make it more of a meal, then we would cook together. He might chop things and watch a simmering pot while I showed him how to clean the clams. It was an easy collaboration as I said because I was teaching but I wasn't bossy or pushy; we talked about the objective and completed it. It worked well. Of course, we bickered the whole time like aged sisters.

Jared worked so hard while he was here. I always felt like an old lazy person next to him. He was up before everyone doing chores and most days the last to quit. Maybe twelve hour days six days a week. And then he had the energy for all his other pet project;painting on drift wood, making beer and the worst dandelion wine ever, hunting bull frogs for me to cook, biking to the beach to collect horsetail for bio-dynamic preps. His motivation was inspirational.

Christina was always saying that he would make a great farmer one day. He has that certain awareness that I see in all the old timers around here. An ability to really see what going on around them. I just hope he stays on this path and doesn't get distracted by all the crap of this life.

Anyways, we collected clams a few weeks back. Jared was a natural and got tons, way more than me. I made asian inspired dish of sauteed green cabbage with them. It was delicious.

Cabbage with Clams and purple Basil

1 small head of green cabbage chopped into squares
10 large clams like cockles or butter clams
2 small mild hot peppers such as anaheims sliced into rings
3 cloves garlic
1 small white onion julienne
2 Tbs bacon or chicken fat
Juice of the clams
1/2 cup puple basil flowers if not available use the leaves

Collect clams from beach and soak them overnight in sea water with corn meal

Use a oyster shucker or a butter knive to open the clams. Do this over a bowl to collect the juice which will be used later. Seperate the clam into its body parts.

Sautee the onion in the bacon fat for about five minutes and then add the garlic and pepper and cook for a minute or two add the cabbage and cook slowly until soft. When mostly cooked add the clam juice

In a separate pan sautee the clams very quickly until just cooked and add to the cabbage

Toss with basil and season with salt