“….pray what more can a reasonable man desire, in peaceful times, in ordinary noons, than a sufficient number of ears of green sweet-corn boiled, with the addition of salt?”

Henry David Thoreau, ‘Walden’ (1854)

My sweet corn patch has been the party house for all the wildlife.  Crows, raccoons….I recognize their destructive patterns.  I was telling Brad from Riverview Milling that it looked like some critter was ripping ears off, eating them then making a pile of shucks and cobbs.  He said, “oh that’s a bear”.

Farm news:    Raccoons in the corn,  crows in the corn, bears in the corn?  I rescued most of the corn, went ahead and cleaned it and put it in the cooler.

What’s in the bucket:  tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, purple hull peas  (you have to shell them, but worth the work)  purple potatoes, okra, garlic.

Below is a link on how to dry sweet corn in your oven.  It makes a great snack – or you can rehydrate it and use in recipes.  Plus, it won’t take up room in your freezer and lasts for years if it is kept away from moisture.  Okra is also great dehydrated, but harder to keep from taking in moisture.

Preserving More Than Just Food

“Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don’t they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.”
― Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

The zinnias are gorgeous right now.  They are a burst of color and make me smile whenever I walk down the row.

It is the time of year of endless bounty.  And it will end soon.  My refrigerator is packed.  I can’t even decide what to make for dinner because there are so many veggies coming in right now.

Farm News:  The summer bounty is coming in.  Your bucket will be crammed with goodies because August is looking slim.  I haven’t been able to replant much for fall because of rain, bugs and weeds – so I’m working on it!!  In the mean time – squirrel away some potatoes and cabbage just in case:)

What’s in the bucket:  eggplant or peppers, green beans or field peas, sweet corn, tomatoes….tomatoes…..tomatoes, savoy cabbage, okra, red white and blue potatoes, garlic, parsley, blueberries.

What’s at market:  green beans, field peas, sweet corn, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cabbage, blue and red potatoes, carrots, parsley, zinnia bouquets.  Circle S Beef: roasts, ground beef.

One of our shareholders gave me this recipe.  She said it was a real crowd pleaser.  I haven’t made it yet, but have everything I need and I’m planning on making it this week.  It would go great with some garlic mashed potatoes and a bbq chicken!

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

Letty

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

“Laughter is America’s most important export”   -Walt Disney

Good to remember!!

This week will be short and sweet because of the holiday.  Please don’t forget, the market is on Tuesday this week.

Farm News:  Logan left today.  He promised me we would all take a picture for the blog before he left – but alas, I let him get away:(  We had so much fun – a week is just not long enough!

Flower shares have started!

What’s in the bucket?  Cucumbers, broccoli, cabbage, squash, blue potato, green beans, beets, carrots, basil.

What’s at market? fennel, cucumbers, broccoli, Napa cabbage, red bibb lettuce, green cabbage, celery, carrots, beets, green beans, summer squash, cilantro, parsley, red/white/blue potatoes.  Circle S Beef:  ground beef, roasts, steaks.  Fourth of July Special:  buy one package ground beef or steaks, get one quart red white and blue potatoes FREE.

If you are grilling out for the holiday – try adding something green!!  Grilled broccoli is easy and adds something nutritious to the meal!!

Grilled Broccoli

One head of broccoli – cut into large spears

drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of salt and pepper, toss together in a bowl

Grill until tender and lightly charred, 15 minutes or so.  Sprinkle with lemon or red pepper.

Thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm and Happy 4th of July!!

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”   –Thomas Edison

My onion crop was a failure this year.  Utterly.  I did not have one single onion out of the 1000 that I planted that made a mature onion.

You may say – well that’s OK.  However, those who know me know that I am an onion lover.  I care for my onions, and this is the first year of 15 that I have not raised a crop.   Other things fail, but not onions!

I must have inherited my love for onions from my mother – who does not think a salad complete with out a big slice of purple onion.  A beautiful and proper southern lady, she is not afraid of what she would call the “halitosis” and always carries a mint or so in her pocketbook.  My friends laugh at me because while they are avoiding the repercussions of onions – I am eating mine and theirs too.   The truth is alliums have all kinds of health benefits – mainly known for their ability to fight infection.  So I”m going to go with that as my excuse.

Farm News:  My onion crop failed.  The flies are still terrible.  It has been a bit cooler with the rain this week – that is a plus.  But the biggest news…..LOGAN is coming this week.  I will try to get him to the market with me so everyone can have a chance to visit with him.  He will be here a week and I am so excited to see him.

What’s in the bucket:   Cucumbers, broccoli, Napa cabbage, beets, squash, white potato, fennel, cilantro, celery.  Note:  the girls and I had lots of fennel casualties when  we cultivated the fennel this week.  I think they are getting tired of their garden work!

What’s at market:  cucumbers, Napa cabbage, beets, squash, white potato, fennel, cilantro, red bibb lettuce.  Circle S Beef:  Roasts, ground beef, steaks, stew beef.

Napa cabbage salad with a mexican twist

“Birds are the eyes of heaven, and flies are the spies of hell.”
― Suzy Kassem,

Above – beautiful daikon radishes Jennifer and I pulled and I am storing.  Don’t worry – you’ll see them again:)

Farm News:  The flies are terrible this year.  We had a two year respite because of the drought (only thing good about a drought!).  They were late last year and never really got going – but they are here with a vengeance this year.

You will remember this duo.  Curtis and his horse Rock.  I’ve told you before, Rock is the second love of my life.

Yesterday, I was pulling weeds in the garden and noticed the horses running.  The flies have been bothering all of them, ‘spies of hell’.  I bought fly masks for them to keep the face flies out of their eyes, and periodically spray them with essential oils to repel flies.

But yesterday was serious.  I noticed Rock seemed really stressed, borderline psychotic.  He was lathered with sweat.  He had rubbed his fly mask off and was bobbing his head neurotically and kept bumping the other horses.   I went to check on him and he was panicky – covered in flies and breathing hard.  I brought Rock and the other two horses into the corral.   I started with Rock and sprayed them all off with cool water from the hose.  You could feel the relief in his body language – he lowered his head and started yawning.  Then I sprayed him with fly spray and he didn’t move for a period of time – seemed to be finally resting.

It is important to realize Rock lives up to his name.  He is not easily upset.  He does not worry.  He is entirely trustworthy.  It was unnerving to see him so out of control.  We have him in a lot next to the house now where we can hopefully monitor and control the flies.  Can’t let that boy get into such a state of panic again!

What’s in the bucket?  basil, cilantro, fennel, kohlrabi, last of the lettuce, yellow zephyr squash, heirloom zucchini, snow and sugar snap peas, red norland new potatoes, turnips, Daikon and baby kale.

Curtis and I had this delicious salad the other night – so don’t give up on turnips yet!!  Daikon will work as well, or some of each.  This will make 4 small salads or two dinner salads.

Kale and Turnip salad

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 small white turnips, peeled, cut into matchsticks
• 1 medium sweet-tart apple (such as Pink Lady), cut into matchsticks
• 4 oz. kale, leaves sliced thin as with slaw
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, plus more
• Whisk first four ingredients together.  Arrange veggies on plates.  Add poppy seeds to dressing and lightly dress each salad.

Serve with:  stuffed zucchini or zucchini noodles

Just a warning.  The zucchini are getting out of hand.  You may receive a prize winner.  Don’t despair – they are great for stuffing, frying, making noodles or shredding for zucchini bread.  I threw a handful of shredded zucchini into Curtis’s meatloaf just for fun – he said it was delicious.  Just discard the innermost seedy part.

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

“As the sun shines I will make hay
To keep failure at bay
For there remaineth a pay
For my honest toil each day.”
― Ogwo David Emenike

I am so lucky to have Jennifer helping me this year.  Here she is putting beautiful bunches of radishes together!

Farm News:  Curtis is cutting hay.  He put up 100 round bales last week with the smallest bit of help from me.  Hay is incredibly dependent on weather.  It is a challenging job when mother nature makes the calls!!  And if one is paid in honest toil, Curtis would certainly be a millionaire.

To be continued….. from last week.

After Henry pushed Opie through the fence and out into the field Curtis and I looked at each other.  We knew we needed to move fast to get their attention.  Luckily, the two bulls split and Henry went one direction and Opie ran down the fence.  I grabbed a bucket and went to get some feed (one reason to feed an animal every once and a while:).  We towed Henry back into the lot with Windy.  Even though the fence was in shambles – he stayed in.  Then we had to track Opie down.

Being new, he doesn’t know where all the gates are etc.  He came back up the fence I guess to challenge Henry again.  We lucked out and got him through the gate and into the corral.

Needless to say, we made a plan B.   After fixing fence, we turned Opie out in the lot next to Henry and Windy.  They went through all their shenanigans again, but had a fence between them.  I was afraid they would tear the fence down to get to each other, but they did not.  After about two weeks of living next door, Opie and Henry had settled.  We decided to try turning them out together again.

It was a rainy day.  The ground was wet.  We waited until Henry was down in the woods and not paying attention – opened the gate and let Opie through.  Then we crossed our fingers and waited.

They did tangle a bit.  Henry pushed Opie around the pasture and he slipped a time or two, but luckily no fences down.  After about 30 minutes they settled and have been quiet ever since….

What’s in the Bucket? Kohlrabi, lettuce, turnips with greens, summer squash, a few snow or snap peas, mustard or kale greens.

Kohlrabi are an excellent treat raw.  Chop them up in your salad and enjoy!!

If you are tired of greens, they freeze wonderfully and are so enjoyable mid-summer when they are out of season, or in the winter with a bowl of pinto beans and cornbread.  Just wash them, chop them and plunge them into boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  Then let them cool and freeze them in bags or containers.  You can mix and match – throw them all in there together.

What’s at market?  spinach, arugula, mustard greens, kale, leaf lettuce, bibb lettuce, summer squash, turnips with greens, Daikon radish.

 

Meet Opie.   Opie (otherwise known as Pete) is 3 years old.-  Opie is new to Circle S

Sautèed Daikon Greens with Onion, Garlic and Lemon

2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 onion, cut in thin half-moons
pinch of sea salt
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped small
3 bunches daikon greens (1 bunch is the amount from 1 radish), washed and chopped, and small radishes if still attached
a few slices of fresh lemon

1.  Heat a large sautè pan on medium heat. Add the oil. Add the onion and sea salt as soon as a little piece gently sizzles in the oil. Sautè, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until onion starts getting translucent.

2.  Add the garlic and sautè for 2 minutes.

3.  Add the daikon greens and stir until the greens get coated with the oil and onions. Add a Tbsp or two of water. Cover and let cook until tender, 3-4 minutes.

4.  Remove from heat. Add squeezes of lemon juice when serving, and slice the radishes super thin and use as a garnish

Happy Eating and thanks for buying local food from our farm.

Letty

“Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory.  Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history.”  -Mary Roach

I am reading a book about the rescue of thousands of horses in WW2 by a small group of American soldiers.  A split decision made without complete authorization.  The Lipizzaner breed and the Spanish Riding School would not exist as it does today had it not been for these soldiers.  And they made this decision towards the end of the war – they were tired and hoping to actually make it home.  They went behind enemy lines to help a captured soldier save these horses.

When asked why save the horses, Colonol Frank Reed said “We were so tired of death and destruction.  We wanted to do something beautiful”.

“small triumphs and large hearts…”

A Kill Deer is making a nest in my garden.  A beautiful nest right next to the spinach.  So far, I have dodged it with my horses and my hoe – not an easy task.  For those of you who aren’t familiar…. the Kill Deer acts distressed when you get near her nest.  She limps and drags a wing, it is the most ridiculous thing to see.  I’m thinking this is nature at her worst, but apparently it works because we have Kill Deer all over the farm.  The other day she was doing it right in front of my horses.  Smart, right?

Farm News:  So far, I have not ruined the Kill Deer’s nest.  I will be picking spinach this week, I’m sure it will drive her nuts.  The rain is making my garden so weedy, and that is driving me nuts!!

What’s in the Bucket? Red and green lettuce, spinach, arugula, radish, beet greens, spring onions, mustard greens, kale.

Young beet greens are wonderful raw.  Mix a few in with your arugula salad – or lettuce salad.  Beet greens are good for inflammation – joints, arthritis etc….I am planning to eat my share!!  Also, beet greens are good lightly sauteed with a sprinkle of rice vinegar.

**Note:  This week is supposed to be really rainy.  It is hard for me to get the spinach, arugula, beet greens dry before I put them in the bag.  You may want to spin them in your salad spinner, and put them in a different container right away so they will keep longer.  Same is true for the lettuces and other greens if they are wet when you receive them.  A paper towel in the bag helps with moisture as well.

Recipe of the week:

Shakshuka with Braised Mustard Greens
Serves 3-4 
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 spring onions, chopped (use the entire onion including the greens)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 pound fresh tomatoes, cored and diced, or 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes (juices mostly drained if using canned)
3 cups mustard greens, chopped
3 ounces feta
cilantro for finishing (optional) and thinly sliced radish
3-4 eggs

Heat olive oil on medium-high in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic, cook for 3-4 minutes until soft then stir in cumin, sweet paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook together for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Add in the diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add in the chopped mustard greens then use the back of a large spoon to make burrows for the eggs. Crack the eggs into the tomato sauce and let cook until set, or longer if you prefer.   Top with crumbled feta, sliced radish and cilantro. Serve with corn tortillas and cooked white beans or with pita or hunks of crusty bread.

Happy eating, Happy Memorial Day and thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm.

“Why do farmers farm, given their economic adversities on top of the many frustrations and difficulties normal to farming? And always the answer is: “Love. They must do it for love.” Farmers farm for the love of farming. They love to watch and nurture the growth of plants. They love to live in the presence of animals. They love to work outdoors. They love the weather, maybe even when it is making them miserable. They love to live where they work and to work where they live.

-Wendell Berry

Well, it is that time of year again.  We are looking forward to our 2018 season, the girls and I.   For the moment, the cold winter is making us miserable and we are ready to trade it in for heat and sweat and the work that makes us feel useful.  Please help our farm make it through another fruitful season and sign up for our 2018 CSA.

Circle S CSA sign up 2018