“No one ever remembered a nice day. But no one ever forget the feel of paralyzed fish, the thud of walnut-sized hail against a horse’s flank, or the way a superheated wind could turn your eyes to burlap.”
― Erik Larson

Today, I am feeling the coming storm.  Worrying about the people who are in the line of destruction…misplaced, or sitting in their homes while mother nature wreaks havoc.  Worrying about what will happen here.   Hopeful that our animals will find shelter, that our chicken house won’t blow over like in the tornado.

But – I will be delivering tomorrow.  It may arrive early if it looks like the weather is going to be terrible.    I have picked  a few things today to be ahead of the game.

I’m giving you a last taste of summer this week with okra, peppers and summer squash.  After that – it will most surely be fall!

What’s in the bucket:  red and green lettuce, mustard greens, kale, summer squash, okra, peppers, apples.

What’s at market:  red and green lettuce, kale, turnips with greens, collard, apples, beets.

I have been putting the lettuce and greens in bags to prevent wilting from wind or sun.  I dunk them in water to get most of the dirt off first, then drain, but the lettuce is usually still holding water when it goes in the bag. If you want lettuce and greens to keep longer, but don’t have time to wash and spin everything, just take it out of the bag, lightly dry it with a paper towel or dish towel, turn the bag inside out (dry side) and put the lettuce back in.

There are only so many things you can do with okra.  I’m not a slimy okra and tomatoes person, so I am limited to other, non-slimy okra dishes.  Honestly, my favorite way to eat okra is raw.  That won’t work with okra that has been sitting around for a long time, but if it is fresh and green – yum.

My second favorite way is roasted (or grilled – but who wants to fire the grill up just for okra?)

Roasted Okra (throw some squash and peppers in too if you feel like it):

1. Cut okra in half lengthwise leaving the cap on (yes it is edible:))
2. toss with olive oil to coat, salt, pepper and any other seasoning that you think will taste wonderful.  Sometimes I mince a little garlic to stir in, and sprinkle it with Worcestershire.
3. Spead out on a cookie sheet and roast at 375 until the top starts to brown, then flip and roast until golden brown.  Do not overcrowd cookie sheet or it will be hard to flip.

Happy Eating, Happy Hurricane, stay safe and thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm

Sweat cleanses from the inside.  It comes from places a shower will never reach.  ~George Sheehan

A hand that’s dirty with honest labor is fit to shake with any neighbor. ~Proverb

Two quotes for this labor day!  I will be laboring to bring you your veggies and eggs, and celebrating the joy that hard work brings.  I am lucky to be able to labor at something I love, and it is all of you who make that possible, so from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.

Back to the quotes:  there are days when I feel like the Charlie Brown character pig pen.  My daily chores include garden work, caring for and/or working horses, feeding chickens, moving cows.  Usually by the time I get to mid-day I feel like I have dirt and debris in a cloud around me.   No reason to clean up because my afternoon will be much like morning – so I usually take a shower or bath last thing, right before I go to bed.

I’ll never forget, several years ago, Curtis and Logan and I went out to eat after the market.  Logan and I both looked down at my feet at the same time and laughed – I was wearing my tevas, and my feet were covered in mud and dirt.   No fancy painted toenails for this girl.

Farm News:  The picture is of our cabin interior which is mostly finished.  I’m not much of a housekeeper – but one of our friends and shareholders mentioned a few weeks ago that I haven’t posted any pics.  We love it – and will have been in it for a year in September.  Hard to believe.

We had our first calf today.  The rest of our cows will start calving in October, always an exciting and busy time:)

What’s in the bucket:  head lettuce, white icicle radishes, young turnips with greens, baby beets, kale or collard greens, parsley.

What’s at market:? head lettuce, white icicle radishes, young turnips with greens, baby beets, collard greens, mustard greens, kale, okra, parsley.  Circle S 4 for 10 special:  any 4 $3 items for $10 (you save $2)  Circle S Beef:  steaks, (including filet) roasts, ground beef.

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.
– Winston Churchill

YOUR HORSES OR MINE?                                                                                          photo by Julie Clark

horse·pow·er
/ˈhôrsˌpou(ə)r/
noun
1.a unit of power equal to 550 foot-pounds per second (745.7 watts).

I’m not sure who came up with horsepower as a unit of measurement.  I’m not sure what size horse it is based on, or if it is just a term to define power.

What I know is that horses have been around for a long time.

My mother tells me I was born loving horses.  I wonder if there is something ancient in my memory that connects me to these amazing creatures.   We are all descendants of horse power.  They built our bridges, went into battle, plowed our fields.   We are all indebted to them throughout history.

So, enough with the pontificating.  Curtis mowed one of our hay fields this week.  The girls and I got to rake, which was just a big bunch of fun!!  And good for us all to get out of the garden:)

What’s in the bucket? Field peas or October beans, sunchokes, pie pumpkins or butternut squash, peppers, parsley, okra, spinach or baby kale.

What’s at market:  sunchokes, okra, field peas, parsley, turnip greens, mustard greens, heirloom apples.  Circle S Beef:  ground beef, steaks, roasts.

If you are super tired of okra, it freezes great.  Just chop it how you want it, and put it in freezer bags.  It makes a wonderful addition to winter soups, and is always great baked or fried.

I grew up on a version of artichoke pickle.  I always thought it was the other artichoke- until I started farming and growing the tubers.  These pickles are great alongside greens, with a piece of fish or chicken.

“In the deep sky where there had been a sun, we saw a ring of white silver; a smoking ring, and all the smokes were silver, too; gauzy, fuming, curling, unbelievable. And who had ever seen the sky this color! Not in the earliest morning or at twilight, never before had we seen or dreamed this strange immortal blue in which a few large stars now sparkled as though for the first time in creation.”
― Elizabeth Enright

I hope everyone is excited about the eclipse.  I will be delivering while it is happening, spooky!

I wonder if the animals will be confused.  They have such an innate sense of time, I am sure they will know it isn’t supposed to be dark.  I wonder if the chickens will go in to roost.  I am sure they will.

Farm News:  We weaned some calves this week.  Mostly heifers we will keep.  It is always stressful for Moms and calves – we try to do it in a gentle way.   We separate them with a hot wire, so they can see each other completely and be close. The cows move daily, but have a common area they come back to for water and salt/minerals.  The weaning pen is next to the common area, so the cows can come back to check on their youngsters.

What’s in the bucket:  Apples, okra, radishes, mature arugula, turnip greens.

What’s at market:  Apples, okra, radishes, mature arugula, turnip greens.  Circle S Beef:  steaks, roasts, ground beef.

Arugula grows faster then you can cut it sometimes, and gets spicier with each cutting.  This week you will receive it in bunches.  It is great to wilt and cook, or to make pesto.  You can freeze your pesto in ice cube trays, just like basil pesto, and use later.  FYI you can also make pesto out of radish leaves, turnip greens etc.  It is fun to try different flavors.  This recipe is from Simply Recipes.

“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
― Mark Twain

Well, we finally got our hay shed add on completed.  It was the first of a long list of projects that we had lined up for this summer.  Curtis ended up being stuck with me for help, which is almost as bad as having no help!  I wasn’t strong enough or tall enough to lift the metal off the trailer and hoist it up, so he had to do it.  He would come down the tall ladder, hoist it up, crawl back up the ladder while I held onto the metal, and then pull it up and put it in place.  It was so hot and he worked so hard!  It is finally finished.  We will move onto the next thing.  Good thing he has a week worth of rain to recover and let his body rest!

Farm News:  Hay shed is complete!!

I have finally planted most of the fall crops.  On the list:  arugula, radishes, green beans, summer squash, pumpkins, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, beets, turnips, mustard greens, collard, radicchio, fennel, spinach, sunflowers, potatoes, lettuce.  Whew, I’m ready for a week of rain too:)

It is National Farmers Market Week.  Boy, they have something for everyone don’t they!  Main Street Farmer’s Market is having some special activities, including a pizza dough throwing demo, so bring your friends!  Wednesday 4-6 on the corner of Main and Chestnut street.

What’s in the bucket?  baby butternut squash, field peas, apples, okra, bunch o basil.  The field peas are wet because of the rain.  Shell them or dry them so they won’t get soggy or mold.  Sorry for the inconvenience – mother nature!!

The apples are maturing and becoming less tart. They are also getting bigger, so they are good for eating or cooking.  They will store for months in the fridge, so stockpile them if you have room!  The black stuff on the outside will wash off if you scrub them, it is just evidence that they have not been sprayed with any chemicals!

What’s at market? field peas, apples, basil.  Circle S Beef:  ground beef, roasts, steaks.

Poor Man’s Pesto

2 c. fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 c. walnut pieces or peanuts
2/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 c. shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesean cheese (pecorino is less expensive, but saltier)
Salt to taste

To freeze (or eat!) as is: Pulse the basil, garlic, and walnut pieces in a food processor. Add the olive oil in a steady stream. Remove from the food processor and stir in the cheese. Salt to taste. To freeze, put in ice cube trays and freeze, then pop the cubes out and put them in a mason jar or freezer bag so you can use them one at a time.

Happy Eating and Thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm

“Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.”
― Henry Adams

Every now and then someone will ask me what a typical day is like for me, being a farmer.  It always makes me smile because there is no typical day.  Sometimes that is a great thing, other times it isn’t.

A friend and customer tells me she tastes our love in our food.  On days like yesterday, I wonder if she is going to taste all the cussing.

It started with a group of calves getting in the garden.  I went out to help Curtis run them out, and a cow busted through the wrong paddock gate and led the whole herd through.  My dog took off after two big coyotes and didn’t come back – I thought she was a goner.   I let my two big girls into the alley so I could feed them, and forgot I left the gate open to the back forty, so they took off.

It was lunchtime before I found my dog and got my horses rounded up.   All other plans I had for the morning were shot.

What’s in the bucket:  pie apples, winter squash, tomatoes, okra, potatoes.

What’s at market: pie apples, potatoes, tomatoes.  Circle S Beef:  ground beef, roasts and steaks.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups oats
• ¾ Brown Sugar
• ½ Cup flour
• ½ Cup butter – softened
• 7 Apples
• 2 TBSP Sugar
• 1 TSP Cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together for the Crumble topping. Use a mixer or your clean, dry hands. Blend until all the large chunks are gone. Set Aside
2. Peel and slice 5 apples and place in an 8 x 8 baking dish. Gently toss the apple slices with white sugar and cinnamon
3. Cover apples evenly with Crumble Toppig
4. Bake in the Oven for 35-40 minutes, uncovered.
5. Serve warm with Vanilla Ice Cream

Happy Eating and thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm.

“Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high
There’s a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue.
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”
-Wizard of Oz

“It’s alright to be little bitty, a little home town or a big old city, might as well share, might as well smile, life goes on for a little bitty while” -Alan Jackson

It’s a “little” counter intuitive to us as human beings.  Bigger is always better.  But, I’ve learned as a vegetable grower that smaller is better, too.  The chef’s always want little.  Baby green beans, baby squash, small turnips, small beets, etc. etc.  Harder to pick, but you get to charge a premium.

HOWEVER, it’s really fun to grow something giant.  A county fair winner – a huge monstrous turnip, a whale of a cabbage…..fun.  This year it was carrots.  With all the rain, they just kept getting bigger.  I had so much fun pulling them out of the ground.

Farm News:  Going to be a hot week.  I really kind of hate this time of year.  I am trying to get my summer garden pulled out and my fall garden planted.  The girls and I are sweating it out, trying to brave the jungle of weeds that have been a product of all the rain (no complaints:))

What’s in the bucket?  Edamame soybeans, okra, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, potatoes, parsley.

What’s at market? Edamame soybeans, potatoes, okra, cucumbers, sweet onions.  Circle S Beef:  filets, roasts, ground beef.

Circle S Gazpacho

• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1/2 whole Red Onion, Diced
• 1 whole Large Cucumber, Diced
• 2  large or 2 small whole Tomatoes, Diced
• 1 whole summer squash, Diced
• 2 stalks Celery, Diced
• one seeded jalapeño, chopped ( or don’t seed it if you like super spicy)
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped fine
• 1 dash Salt To Taste
• 1 quart Tomato Juice
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/8 cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 6 dashes Tabasco
• 1 t worcestershire
• 1 dash Black Pepper To Taste

Chop vegetables by hand into small dice, or with a food processor.  Add other ingredients.  Chill and enjoy.  You can serve with crusty bread, as a shrimp cocktail with chilled shrimp, or with chips and a dollop of sour cream.

Happy eating and thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm!!:)

“Farming is a profession of hope.”    -Brian Brett

When I was a kid, there was a horse at the barn named “If It”.  Apparently he was bought off the track and looked pretty rough when he came in.  Someone commented that he was a nice looking horse and his owner said yes, “If it gains 200 # and if it grows some hair back and if it’s feet aren’t sore…..” etc, etc – thus the name stuck “If It”.

I feel like that with the farm.  I walk out and think, it’s going to be a good year……if we have some rain, and if all the cows have calves, and if no deer get into my garden fence, and if the bugs don’t eat all my plants, and if we get our hay crop in etc etc.etc.  So…. farming is a profession of hope and optimism.  Some years things work out better than others, and sometimes we have little control over the outcome!

Farm news:  We have 4 new hens in our flock!  One of my best friends had something killing her hens, and so she offered them to us.  In her words, “otherwise they are going to die”.  Curtis and I have been on the other side of that coin, trying to give hens away when we had problems.  You always want to find a friend who needs them- (we get attached to these critters!)  It’s hard to let them go to a stranger.

We also added three cows to our herd this week, Mabel, Elouise and R.T. (short for Roll Tide).  We bought them from friends as well.  They are beautiful, gentle cows.

What’s  in the bucket?  Kale, savoy cabbage, cucumbers, peppers, celery, carrots, edamame soybeans,  purple potatoes,  basil and a few tomatoes.

What’s at Market:  kale, cucumbers, edamame, red and purple potatoes,  red and green cabbage, carrots,  Chard.  Circle S Beef:  ground beef, roasts, steaks.

Look back at our struggle for freedom,
Trace our present day’s strength to it’s source;
And you’ll find that man’s pathway to glory
Is strewn with the bones of the horse.
~Author Unknown

I think I’ve sent this quote out before, but it seems appropriate for this holiday weekend.  For what represents freedom more profoundly than a horse?

I think of how many horses have fought and died with us throughout history.

Farm News:  Crows!!  They are making me nutty.  They have eaten most of my tomato crop green – didn’t even wait for them to turn red.  I have tied up aluminum pie pans, put up scare crows, you name it.  I see them fly in, and by the time I rush out there, another tomato casualty!!  Rats!  No, not rats, Crows!!

What’s in the bucket this week?  Crow meat!  Just kidding.  Savoy cabbage, carrots or beets, walla walla onions, cucumber, squash, green beans or edamame, Rainbow chard, blue potatoes.

What’s at market?  red cabbage, green cabbage, savoy cabbage, red, white and blue potatoes (in honor of the fourth!), carrots, walla walla onions,  kale.  Circle S Beef:  ground beef, steaks, roast.  Chuck wagon special:  buy any Circle S roast, get 1 quart potatoes, 1 bunch carrots, and 4 walla walla onions 1/2 price (save $4).

If you have 5 heads of cabbage in your fridge, it may be time to make some kraut, or try some Kimchi.

• • 1/2 head napa or white cabbage (mandatory)
  • 3 spring onions (mandatory) – just use your walla walla tops
  • Radishes (daikon, pink, or black) I would not hesitate to use some of those turnips haunting you in your vegetable drawer – just peel them first
  • Cucumbers
  • Carrots
  • Celery stalks

• • 2-3 fresh chili peppers and/or 30 grams (1 ounce) Korean ground chili pepper (gochugaru)
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 piece fresh ginger, about 25 grams (1 ounce)
  • 20 grams (4 teaspoons) fine sea salt
  • 60 ml (1/4 cup) fish sauce (preferably) or soy sauce (if vegan/vegetarian)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

1. 1. Have ready a set of thoroughly clean glass jars with rubber seals amounting to 2 liters (2 quarts) total.
   2. Brush your vegetables to remove any dirt, but don’t scrub them too clean as we need the microorganisms living on their surface to initiate the fermentation.
   3. Trim the vegetables, and weigh them to keep 1.5 kg (3 1/3 pounds) total.
   4. Slice the cabbage into ribbons — I do thin ribbons with a white cabbage, and slightly wider ones with napa cabbage as the leaves are more tender.
   5. If using pink radishes, you can opt to slice all of part of them finely.
   6. Put the rest of the vegetables (radishes, carrots, celery stalks) with the fresh chili peppers if using, garlic, and ginger in a food processor or blender, and pulse until finely chopped.
   7. In a large mixing bowl, put the sliced and chopped vegetables with the salt, fish sauce, and sugar, and mix thoroughly.
   8. Allow to rest at room temperature for 2 to 6 hours; the vegetables will relax and release some of their juices.
   9. Divide among the prepared jars, tamping as you go to remove any air pocket. Leave about 2 to 3 cm (1 inch) of space at the top.
   10. Close the jars and place them on a tray or plate. (Within the first 2 to 3 days, as the fermentation begins, the jars will chirp and sigh, and may leak some juices. Wipe off any liquid without opening.)
   11. Allow to ferment at moderate room temperature without disturbing for at least 5 days, and up to 3 weeks. Once open, keep in the fridge and eat within a year.

Recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini

Happy eating and thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm!!