Posts from — March 2007

One of the privileges of starting canvas is the opportunity to meet with many interesting people, including those whose aim is to work with the magazine in some way. Recently, we met with two such people and I was pleased to hear that they described canvas’ “role” in the community as vital.

In talking we learned that our visitors were currently on a path of life and career reassessment and that they were hoping to apply the lessons they learned about personal/professional fulfillment to a relationship with canvas. They talked about the way we may be able to help them in their life journeys based on the essence of what they sense about us through the pages of the magazine and website.

Many of the people I’ve met through canvas have been unbelievable individuals. When we launched the magazine, I knew the mindset of the audience with which we were trying to connect but I’ve still been impressed with the passion and conviction of the people I’ve met through this endeavor.

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The other day I had lunch with a client, who is also my friend, along with one of his associates. We were talking about the things that mentally block each of us, as individuals. I shared with them that I have trouble accepting success and at times it’s an inhibitor for me. We talked about how this is common for many people.

This has been on my mind lately because the success of canvas with readers has been overwhelming and beyond anything we would have imagined at this stage. Although I relish the feedback we’ve gotten and occasionally mist up when people tell me the positive impact the magazine is making, I still struggle to deal with our success. As we become more established and well-known, the demands on us are increasing and we’re faced with the daily challenge of accomplishing everything ‘re already committed to while meeting these new demands in order to be even more successful.

In my previous corporate life it was easier; I basically sacrificed my personal balance for the good of the company–and detriment of my family. Despite my sacrifices, I still rarely accepted my success. I was always said I’m was just doing my job.

Today I’m trying to balance both success and family, even declining invites to events that I’m sure might have furthered the goals of canvas sooner. Often they also happen to be events I’d enjoy attending. But I’ve committed not to repeat my past behavior.

I guess I’m old enough now to realize the ability to live a balanced might actually further our success rather than hinder it.

Still I wonder what blocks many of us from getting to this realization. In my last blog post I talked about the labels we get early in life, perhaps these labels are part of the problem.,. Or is it something else? I once worked for a guy who talked about a lobster pot and the lobsters trying to crawl out being pulled back in by the others to die along side them. Maybe that’s an analogy for us all. Are we all afraid that if we try to climb out someone will pull us back in?

I don’t know the answer right now, but I know we’d all be better off just accepting life as it comes, not worrying about how we’re labeled or whether we’ll get pulled under,. It would be far better to just try and live in the moment and enjoy the ride. One of my associates tells me when I learn to just accept, whatever it is life hands me, life will be that much easier.

I’m trying–and along the way hope to enjoy our success.

Fresh-grown Asian greens and vegetables herald the growing season at Sang Lee Farms

Written by: Cindy Krezel

As sunlit hours increase daily and the ground begins to stir with new growth, we often find that our palates are ahead of the season. We long for those fresh-picked veggies that are still months away. If you feel this way, now is the perfect time for a trip to the North Fork’s Sang Lee Farms, where fresh greens are grown in 16 greenhouses all winter long.

Sang Lee Farms , Peconic, began growing produce on the North Fork of Long Island more than 50 years ago, when the Lee brothers found and filled a niche growing Asian greens and vegetables such as baby bok choi, snow pea shoots and mizuna, a Japanese arugula.

At that time, those specialty plants weren’t being grown by any of the local, conventional farms. The Lees created and ran a thriving business, supplying Chinatowns up and down the Eastern seaboard, cities from Montreal to Atlanta, and even as far west as Chicago.

When his father, George Kim Lee, died in 1980, Fred Lee took over what had become a rapidly changing business. Increasingly, produce was imported and grown with a host of chemical enhancements at prices few local farms could match and wholesaling produce grew tougher each year for small farmers.

By the late 1980s, Lee and his wife, Karen, began experimenting with more natural ways of growing produce as a way of appealing to retail customers. This was also due to the discovery of the North Fork as a tourist destination: Visitors included city dwellers who appreciated homegrown produce and were interested in the process of producing fresh-grown fruits and vegetables.

By 1995, the Lees made the promise to themselves that each introduction to their crops would be grown as close to organically as possible. According to Karen Lee, Sang Lee Farms now grows more than 200 items naturally, using only organically approved materials and some conventional fertilizers.

The quality of the produce paid off quickly in sales, and in 1998 the Lees opened a farm stand to serve retail customers. As the stand grew more popular, they also added many more familiar vegetables, such as carrots, beets, heirloom tomatoes and herbs. They created a U-Pick section of the farm, where buyers can experience the joy of picking their own fresh tomatoes off of the vine.

In 1999, Martha Stewart taped a segment of her television show The Martha Stewart Show at Sang Lee Farms. At the end of filming, the television crew, having had a chance to taste the delicious produce, asked how they could get fresh Sang Lee greens delivered. In response, Karen Lee tested many different shipping methods before finding one she liked—and Mesclun By Mail was born. Today, Sang Lee Farms schedules weekly deliveries all over Long Island and New York, and regularly ships its produce as far away as California and Las Vegas. Sang Lee Farms carefully bubble wraps freshly cut greens, packs them with gel packs, then ships them in FedEx boxes so that the produce will arrive in perfect condition.

The farm’s most popular items by far are its mesclun and petal mesclun mixes. Rather than plant premixed seed, as most mesclun growers do, the Lees prefer to plant 12 to 15 different leafy greens separately, then cut and mix them by hand to ensure the best possible color and flavor ratio. A combination of eight lettuces and five to six Asian greens, including sweet pea shoots and mizuna, are combined into a rich, multilayered flavor and texture. Petal mesclun mix includes seasonal, edible flowers for added richness, flavor and gorgeous color.

While field-grown greens have a certain crispness, from growing in strong sun and wind, greenhouse-grown greens are more delicate, with an almost buttery taste and velvety feel that Karen Lee prefers. “The texture is so soft, it’s indescribable.” Mesclun and petal mesclun mixes are available now, as are a wide selection of salad dressings, fresh-made pestos, canned jellies, pickled vegetables, including a delicious vegetarian kimchee (spicy, pickled cabbage) and an assortment of dips and dressings, all made from Sang Lee’s own herbs and produce.

And this year, as part of their commitment to growing healthful, appealing food, the Lees are embarking on the costly process of becoming certified as organic growers, which involves many steps and voluminous documentation. Despite the difficulties, says Fred Lee, they intend to press on. “Growing organically, and having the certification to prove it, is where we want to be as an organization,” he says.

The farm stand is open Thursdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in February and March; daily from April 1 to Oct. 30. Mesclun By Mail is available from Oct. 1 to April 30. Sang Lee Farms, 25180 County Rd. 48, Peconic (631) 734-7001, or sangleefarms.com

Sautéed Baby Bok Choi
Serves 4
Courtesy of Fred and Karen Lee, this recipe offers an exotic change from spinach or escarole.

1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
½-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
6 heads baby bok choi, root-end trimmed then sliced lengthwise and rinsed carefully
1 tablespoon Sang Lee Stir Fry Sauce or organic low-sodium soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a deep, wide sauté pan or a wok. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add baby bok choi and toss well. Sauté the bok choi for two to three minutes, or until just wilting. Remove while the bok choi is still slightly crisp, and drizzle it with the stir fry sauce or soy sauce. Season with pepper.