Winter

Winter, though officially here for quite some time now, has made itself well known this week.  I'm sure everyone has their own tale of stress and worry related to this unusually cold weather.  Ours is of keeping cows and chickens warm and fed and small plants above freezing.

We plan to have our cows calving in January, February and March so the calves are born before fly and worm season.  It has been a good plan for years now but this weeks' cold temperatures give us pause.  A calf born outside in these temps would have a slim chance of survival.  For the first time in the 9 years Aaron and I have had cows, we begged the use of our neighbors' barn to give shelter to a newborn calf and his mother as well as expectant mothers.  What a relief to see them cozy in there with lots of hay to bed down in!

We decided to go ahead with our seeding plan for the greenhouse even though the forecast told us we would have a big job keeping it warm enough.  We heat some of our benches with a propane hot water heater that pumps hot water thru hoses directly below the seedling trays.  It works really well but twice this week Aaron has had to making plumbing repairs because of frozen pipes.  We heat the air with a wood stove that is keeping the place barely above freezing.  

The chickens...the silly chickens seem not to notice the cold.  They stand in the water trough drinking as ice is forming around the edges of the pan.  And they go to their nesting boxes and lay eggs even today when the high was 13 degrees!

In spite of it all, beets germinate in the hoop-house under floating row cover and the cows give birth to fuzzy coated babies.

Today while 10 degrees and sunny outside, I donned my quilted coveralls and went out to be sure the chickens had water and to collect eggs before they froze.  I went to the heated greenhouse to water newly seeded onions and brassicas.  When I pulled the "inner greenhouse" off of the seeded flats, I was greeted by just sprouting kohlrabi and broccoli.  It really warmed my heart to see those new plants pushing up thru the soil when it is so cold outside and spring feels so far away.  I threw a few logs in the wood stove and headed back to the comfort of our warm house and happy children.

All this is to say, we are doing it again.  We are ready to grow vegetables again.  We have our seeds ordered and our tractors serviced.  We will be back at market and filling CSA boxes with beautiful, fresh vegetables again before we know it!

Beets sprouting in the hoop-house

French Breakfast radishes and drip irrigation under row cover in the hoop-house.

Addiebelle seeding lettuce in the hoop-house.

Cyril holding court

Billy, aka Star Onion, come down from Virginia to help us get the onions going

Addiebelle, Softheart, and Mary

Boss Hog models the warmth of the heated benches where the onions will germinate.

Tinna Winna and the Garlic Crop insulated by ice

A new member of the herd gets his legs under him in the icy pasture.

October 15 or 18 extended CSA

First extended box contains:  1 bunch each of beets, rutabagas, tonda di parigi carrots, dill, radishes; 2 bok choy, 1 head escarole, 1 long island cheese pumpkin, 1 pint of snow peas, 2# mix of red and yellow onions.

The carrots are best for roasting.  Their flavor really comes out when cooked.  The pumpkin will keep for a few months so you don't need to worry about cooking it right away.
I made a good salad the other day of: 
1 pint of snow peas, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 bunch of radishes, ends trimmed and radish cut into thin wedges and greens cut into 1 inch pieces
1 carrot, julienned
1 small red onion cut in thin slices
dressing:
1 T ume plum vinegar
1T red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
splash of lime juice
splash of tamari
black pepper

PUMPKIN SOUP
6 cups roasted pumpkin (to roast pumpkin, cut into large pieces and bake face down on pan with a little water in 350 degree oven for an hour or until soft)
4 T butter or olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1T smoked paprika
1/2tsp cumin
pinch of cayenne
Melt the butter and saute onions, garlic, and spices until translucent.
To them add:
1 apple chopped
4 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 cup water
the pumpkin (I use the skin too in soup)
Let this all cook together for 20 minutes then puree.
Return to a pot and add:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
1/2tsp thyme
1 sprig sage
salt and pepper to taste
Warm to desired temperature and eat!

click on the link below for:
Braised Escarole Recipe

The picture below shows a tool called a "middle-buster" that we use to dig sweet potatoes (among other things).  It pulls most of them to the surface so we can pick them up and see the rest of the clump still in the ground.  We successfully dug the whole crop yesterday and are pleased with the yield and the quality of the roots.  They are now all tucked away in our basement "curing room" where they will sit at 75 degrees for 10 days to toughen their skin so they can be handled without scraping off their skin.  Also during that time the starches will convert to sugars making them sweet.  You'll be seeing some of each variety we grew in your boxes later.

Digging Sweet Potatoes 

October 8 or 11 Box

Danver's Half Long Carrots

Your last regular season CSA box for 2014! small share contains:
2# german butterball potatoes, 1 bunch hakurei turnips, 1 bunch danver's half long carrots, 1 bliss pumpkin, 1 black radish, 1 bulb of garlic and 1 shallot, 1 pint edamame.
Regular shares contain:  4# german butterballs, 1 turnip, 1 carrot, 1 pumpkin, 2-3 black radish, 2 garlic bulb, 1 shallot, 1 quart edamame, 1 bunch beets.

Thank you for participating in our farm share this year!  You have helped us get up and going last spring, kept us going thru the summer, and seen us to the fall.  Because of our responsibility to fill your box each week, we stayed motivated to get things seeded, weeded, planted, and watered on time.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as we have!  We love what we're doing and you help make it possible for us to continue on this adventure! Thank you, thank you!

The german butterball potatoes and bliss pumpkin can be kept for a month or more if you so desire.  The potatoes have a yellow flesh and are great mashed (as well as all other ways you like potatoes).  The pumpkin is, in my opinion, DELICIOUS!  I steamed one in a pot on the stove the other night to see how they are because it is a variety I haven't grown before and I was impressed.  So much so I think we'll grow more of them and less of other varieties next year.  It was great plain and would make excellent pie or soup.
The turnips are a mild variety, great eaten raw in a salad or dipped in pesto.  They are also great caramelized.  The greens are good eating too!

Black Radish Salad
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 large or 2 to 3 small black radishes
1 shallot, cut paper thin
1 T olive oil
salt
1. combine lemon juice and mustard and add oil slowly while beating with a whisk until it emulsifies.
2. grate the radish and add radish and shallot to the above.
3. salt to taste, toss, and eat immediately.

Hakurei Turnips

Bliss Pumpkins

october 1 or 4

small boxes:  1# green beans, 1 bunch carrots, 1# red onions, 1 garlic, 2# russet potatoes, 1 mix root bunch, 1 head of bibb lettuce.
regular boxes:  1# beans, 1 bunch carrots, 1 1/2# red onions, 2 garlic, 3# russet tates, 1 mix root bunch, 1 bibb lettuce, 2 fennel, 1 bunch leeks, some sugar snap peas.

The mix root bunch contains a long white daikon radish, 1 beet, 1 rutabega, 1 turnip (small boxes have a pale yellow turnip, regular boxes have a purple top turnip).  You can tell the rutabega from the turnip by the top.  Rutabega tops are smooth and blueish, turnips are green and rough (pokey).  My thought is that you can use the mix roots and carrots and potatoes to make a soup or to roast all together and enjoy the different flavors beside each other.  The tops can be used to make a nice broth or add them chopped in small  pieces to the soup.  The tops should be cut off the roots and stored in a bag if you don't use them right away.  They will not keep as long as the roots will.  The tops are also good for juicing.
The potatoes haven't been washed and they and the on ions and garlic can be kept outside the refrigerator.
A Good Root Soup Recipe

Next week is the last regular season box!  We will put sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, another winter squash and some more perishable foods in it.  Please remember to bring boxes and clothe bags back.  We are terribly low on the bags and didn't have enough to use for this weeks' boxes.  If you have alot of them, please bring them back.  We wash them so do not worry about washing them first!

Hope you have a good week!

Pictured below are Cate and Hayley who have been picking your vegetables all season.

september 24 or 27

Chard, kale, and broccoli in the field, wash shed in the background

September 24
Small boxes:  2 heads lettuce, 1 bunch radishes, 1 bunch swiss chard, 1# yellow onions, 1 garlic, 1 buttercup squash, 1# mix yellow and green beans.
Regular boxes: all the above and 1/2# more beans and 1 more garlic plus 1# spinach, 1 daikon radish.
September 27 boxes will be a little different probably just kale instead of chard and no yellow beans I think.

I thought we would put big onion and garlic bags in the boxes this week but we didn't have enough time to clean that many so we just put some in. 

Bake the buttercup squash cut in half until soft in 375 degree oven.  In the meantime saute the chard with or without some garlic and onion and add some goat or feta cheese and salt and pepper.  When the squash is soft, scoop it out and combine with the chard and cheese and put it back in the squash shell and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more and eat!

Addiebelle

Sept 17 or 20 Box

Pop driving the tractor

This weeks small shares have:  1 bunch baby carrots, 1 butternut squash, 2 buttercup squash, 1/2 # okra, 1# green snap beans, 1# fingerling potatoes.
Regular boxes have:  1 bunch baby carrots, 1 bunch lacinato kale, 1 1/2# green beans, 3/4# okra, 2# fingerling potatoes, 1 butternut squash, 1 large buttercup squash, 1 1/2# chinese eggplant.

If anyone has run out of onions or garlic and want more, just let us know at your pick up and you can get more.  There will be another bag like you got a few weeks ago in the boxes next week.  Those of you who don't want onions and garlic, please let me know and we'll substitute.

The buttercup squash are the dark green ones.  They have very sweet orange flesh that is somewhat dry.  They are great roasted and eaten plain or used for soup and pie.  They will keep up to 3 months in a dry environment (like your counter or cabinet) out of direct sunlight.

A delicious dinner this week could be:
roast a winter squash in the oven until soft (I cut them in half before baking)
roast whole okra and whole baby carrots together tossed in olive oil and salt and pepper
saute the green beans with a little garlic or onion and some thyme
Enjoy!

My (Anne) parents came to visit last week.  The occasion was Cyril's second birthday.  I am one of 9 children so having a visit from my folks is a great honor.  We couldn't stop work as the to- do list  is ever so long but they dove right in.  We are about wrapped up with transplanting for the fall and Dad drove the tractor while we planted.  Mom helped prepare the plants to go to the field.  We are building another high tunnel (unheated greenhouse) for season extension and they helped Aaron square it up and drive the posts.  Yeehaw! It was all more enjoyable for their presence!

Our farm is on the Family Farm Tour this weekend.  We are working to get it all gussied up and easy to show.  If you're sad you haven't done enough weeding this year, come on out Thursday or Friday and help us pull a few.  We'll give you some winter squash or whatever else you might want from the field.
This weeks' box is 1 of 4 left.  The last box for full season shares is October 8 for Wednesday pickups or October 11 for Saturdays.  Those of you with credit from missed boxes have until the end of the year to spend your credit. (Credit will not carry over to 2015) Our last market will be the last Saturday before Christmas.  I will let you know next week if you have credit and how much. 
I hope you have a great week!

Sept 10 0r 13

Small boxes this week:  1 pint of mountain magic tomatoes, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 bok choy, 1/2# lettuce mix, 2# butternut squash, 2 bell peppers, 2# red potatoes.
Regular boxes this week:  1 pink wonder tomato, 1 bunch cilantro, 2 bok choy, 1# lettuce mix, 4# butternut, 2 bell pepper and a handful of jimmy nardello and pimentos, 2# red potatoes, 1 1/3# green beans.

To stir fry the bok choy, pull the head apart and wash each rib /leaf.  Tear the leaf off the stalk and set in a pile.  Cut the ribs into 1/2 inch wide pieces.  Cut the leaves into strips.  Saute 4 cloves of garlic in olive oil over medium heat.  When starting to brown, add the bok choy ribs and one sweet pepper cut into strips and salt to taste.  Saute until your desired softness over medium high heat.  Add the leaves and turn off the heat and stir until leaves are incorporated and wilted somewhat.  Remove from stove and add a little cilantro.

Cyril and Addiebelle helping with gathering the butternut squash from the barn.