Circle S Farms

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way.” — Georgia O’Keeffe

OK, obviously not a a Georgia O’Keeffe, but pretty because of the colors and shapes.  My Mom always wanted us to have color on our plates.  And so I think I learned it from her.  But health must come from diversity, and different colors and shapes help create that diversity.

In agriculture these days, I think most of us are missing this piece.  Big Ag plants fields – hundreds of thousands of acres in just corn, just soybeans, just wheat.  And I’m sure it is because of the equipment involved in cultivating and harvesting these crops.  But no field is healthy without diversity.  So all the thousands of acres we plant this way are not healthy.  They do not have diverse wildlife habitat.  They do not have diverse soil organisms.  They do not promote healthy people, healthy environments, healthy animals.

Even for our cows to eat- we hope that our fields have a wild, hearty mix of grasses and legumes, weeds and flowers.  We hope they can grow tall to cover the soil, and provide habitats for birds and other animals, with deep roots and healthy soils.

It all comes back to color.  Color and shapes.  And with that being said…. for this memorial day we have another colorful bucket!

Farm News:  It’s Memorial day but we are still working hard.  Curtis cutting hay today.  And with that comes equipment trouble and usually frustration.  Weather?  Equipment?  Really hard to get hay in the barn.  And when winter comes you want the barn full!

What’s in the bucket?  Romaine, iceberg and bibb lettuce, colorful mixed kale bouquet, pink and purple daikon radishes, purple spring peas, beets, purple kohlrabi, mint.  Do not despair, Romaine and iceberg hold well in the fridge.  Keep some of it…. you will be glad in a few weeks when we are on to potatoes and beans to have that delicious cool lettuce.

The recipe this week is from me – a copycat version of Bread and Butter’s chickpea salad.  Think lettuce wraps for lunch!  You could add some rice to this and make a hearty cool meal for dinner.  Serve with sliced Daikon radishes and spring peas as a dip for friends.  I decided to make it for lunch today to give me a protein boost.  I’m embarrassed to say, I thought it would last the week but I ate it all!

one can chickpeas drained and mashed with a fork

one cup grated or chopped veggies including radishes, kohlrabi or carrots or spring peas.  Broccoli would work.  Anything you like and have in your fridge.

Add a healthy dolop of Mayo – to your liking – and squeeze a wedge of lemon, lime, orange or as a last resort a splash of apple cider vinegar.

sprinkle over the top one Tablespoon mint leaves minced, spring onion tops chopped if you have tons left in your fridge:)

mix together, add salt and pepper to taste.

optional:  serve with cold rice and iceberg lettuce wedges like lettuce wraps

Happy eating, Happy Memorial Day, Thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm!

“Well there’s a full moon in the western sky
And there’s magic in the air.
Ain’t nothin’ I know of, can make you fall in love,
Like a night at the county fair.”
-Chris Ledoux

Whenever I have a giant vegetable I refer to it as a County Fair.  It’s a county fair cabbage, a county fair tomato, a county fair pumpkin.  I tell folks at the market – this is your chance.  Buy the county fair turnip!

The idea of the county fair brings back all kinds of memories to me.  For some reason, I’ve been to county fairs all over the country.  I remember hearing Suzy Boguss at the Teton County Fair in Wyoming.  Rodeo to follow.  And your typical carnival rides and lights.  Magical.

These days I think of County Fairs as funnel cakes and cotton candy, perhaps some 4-H animals.  Maybe some wholesome entertainment.  Curtis and I went to the Chattooga County Fair several years ago.  Chattooga County is still quite agricultural, so lots of kids showing milk cows, sheep etc.  But I wondered what the county fair was like 150 years ago  so…I did the modern thing….I googled it.

“The concept of the “county fair” organized by an agricultural society, was initiated by Elkanah Watson, a New England patriot and farmer.  He earned the title, “Father of US agricultural fairs” by organizing the Berkshire Agricultural Society and creating an event (known then as a Cattle Show) in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in September 1811. It was not a market, and was more than just an exhibit of animals – it was a competition, with prize money ($70) paid for the best exhibits of oxen, cattle, swine and sheep.

Watson worked diligently for many years helping communities organize their own agricultural societies and their respective shows (fairs). By 1819 most counties in New England had organized their own agricultural societies and the movement was spreading into the other states. The nineteenth century closed with almost every state and province having one or more agricultural fair or exhibition.”  -Fairs and expos.com/ history

I love the photo.  I think I would have loved to live 150 years ago.

With small farms disappearing, and big business and technology booming, I wonder what the future is for the County Fair?  I’m afraid it’s not good.

Farm News:  The rain is bringing some county fair items….first of which is the county fair turnip.  Lots of county fair weeds too.

What’s in the bucket?  A bit of a repeat from last week.  We had some heavy rain or hail which beat up the red leaf lettuce.  I’m hoping it will recover.

County Fair turnips with greens (there is a lot of food here folks!)  leaf lettuce, young onions, radishes, spinach, spring peas, kale and/or collard greens, Jones Farm Strawberries.

Following a recipe from Farm Fresh Feasts.com.  This is a great site with lots of CSA advice and recipes on what to do with your share!

The following recipe is adapted from Lois Robertson’s (of City View Curling Club in Ottawa, ON) Zucchini Crepes recipe via the Potomac Curling Club’s Party Party Party Cookbook.  Serve it with the cooked turnip greens – or a fresh cold salad.

Turnip Fritters

“But there’s a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours begins.”
― Mitch Albom

Happy Mother’s Day!

Although I am not a mother myself, I have a Mother.  I guess everyone does… and I am celebrating her today, even though we are not together.  And celebrating the joy that comes with having a lovely, beautiful and devoted Mother.  And her story is where mine begins.

Here on the farm we are witness to many births every year.    Curtis and I love calving season, in the fall.   And while we try not to hover or interfere, there is nothing like watching a new Momma lick her baby calf.

When we move cows we wait for them to “mother up”.  That means we wait for the Mamma cows to find their calves so they can move together.   We had a really cold stretch in December this year.  It came early, and we were unprepared.  We couldn’t get our tractor to start to feed hay, so we moved our cows into a lot that had stockpiled grass in it.    When we got the tractor going a day or 2 later, one Momma cow wouldn’t move.  So unusual, and we couldn’t find her calf.  I looked and looked.  So we left her.

Still that afternoon she was there and I looked and looked again and finally found the calf right under her feet almost.  Fallen into a crevasse.  It was overgrown with grass and weeds.  That calf was trying to get warm and fell in.  His mother wasn’t leaving.  I don’t know how he worked his way so deep into the ground, through the rock shelves, but there was no way of getting him out.   I hadn’t seen the cow eat or go drink in two days.  Through my own tears I heard Curtis say “I’m so sorry sweetheart…” to the cow.

It takes a lot for a mother to give up.

Farm News:  The garden is growing and going.  We had to fortify our deer fence this year because they seem to be getting smarter.  So far so good.  We don’t have many farm flowers yet, though Holly is working on that.  It’s been a cool spring.  So you have a treat….Creekside farm is supplying the flowers this week.  If you haven’t met Morgan at Creekside visit them on instagram (creeksideflowerfarm)

This is the first week for CSA – so to those of you who are new….I will leave a bucket on your porch.  You leave it for me the next week (or 2 weeks if you are a half share) and I will exchange with a new bucket.  If you choose to leave a cooler on the porch, I will be happy to transport your veggies etc into the cooler.

What’s in the bucket? For some reason we have a Christmas theme this week – red and green.  Should have saved it for Christmas in July.

Red and Green spinach, Red and Green leaf lettuce, Red strawberries (Jones farm), Red and Green onions…see where I’m going with this?  Red snow peas and green snap peas,  and lastly Swiss Chard, cilantro and/or mint, and breakfast radishes (these are pink – finally!)

The spinach is wonderful raw or sauteed.  I tried to give everyone plenty for both.  If using in a salad, you might want to tear into pieces or chop because it is mature spinach.  A spinach and strawberry salad?  Oh the strawberries might not last that long!  You can mix the green and red spinach, they have similar flavors.

The other thing I have been doing lately is roasting the spring onions.  I slice them in half, coat with olive oil salt and pepper and roast at 350 degrees until crispy.  Add some radishes (yes I tried this and it was delicious).  Or really special with some roasted potatoes.  Following a recipe from The Table Together

Roasted Spring Onions

When spring has sprung and spring onions are readily available, run don’t walk to your local market and pick up a few bunches. Roasted or grilled and served alongside steak or tucked into tacos, spring onions pack a slight oniony twang with a refreshing level of sweetness! Yield: 4 servings Oven: 425ºF Preparation time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minute

3 bunches spring onions, approximately 10 spring onions in total, bottoms cleaned but the root stem kept intact

2 tablespoons grapeseed or vegetable oil, plus more if needed kosher salt, as desired freshly ground black pepper, as desired

Method: 1. Position oven rack to the top and preheat oven to 425º. 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set to the side. 3. Generously oil, salt and pepper each spring onion and lay in an even layer across the prepared baking sheet. 4. Transfer to preheated 425º oven and allow to roast, flipping halfway through, until golden brown in color, approximately 25 minutes in total. 5. Remove from oven and serve while hot! Kitchen Note: For a crispy finishing touch, consider combining breadcrumbs with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkling on top of the spring onions in the last few minutes of roasting.

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

“If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.”
― Herbert Stein, What I Think: Essays on Economics, Politics, & Life

It is the end of the summer CSA session.  And all good things must come to an end.  It’s why I love the seasons – each brings an end and a beginning.  And tomatoes escort us out of the summer season.  So you will be getting loads of tomatoes – like last week, to help your feelings.

Farm News:  It is the end of the season!  And I will not be offering a fall CSA this year (remember how traumatic last year was when the cows got in the garden.  I am still waking up in the middle of the night over that!) I will, however,  be at Main Street Farmer’s market this fall, so drop by and say hello.

What’s in THE LAST BUCKET?  Well it will be a bag!  A paper bag full of tomatoes, onion, winter squash, cucumbers, maybe a melon, edamame, cherry tomatoes and basil.

OK – I thought I had seen every tomato pie.  But this one caught my eye.  It is pretty much how I make tomato pie but I never put the slices of tomato and basil on the top after it comes out of the oven.  Brilliant!  Because the tomatoes are gorgeous and a shame to hide them.  Also – I love the little cherry tomatoes mixed in.  I put a few in my pie and they added a sweet note.  A great way to end the season, thanks to Paula Deen:)

“Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.”
― Moliere

Let’s hope this is the case for tomatoes.  The trees are loaded with fruit that will not turn red.  So much so that I have started eating them green.  Patience.

Farm News:  The tomatoes will not turn red!  I will be sending you red and green ones this week!  And – the horses broke into the garden.  Well, I say broke in.  There was a crack in the gate.  This happened last fall except it was 80 cows instead of 2 horses.   Perhaps I get negligent at the end of my season?   Luckily, horses don’t like cucumbers or tomatoes.  They do like sweet corn – but the racoons, japanese beetles and crows beat them to most of that!

I am getting peaches from Roy at Jones Farm tomorrow to go in the CSA shares.  They have been so delicious.  Something to look forward to!

What’s in the bucket? Tomatoes, green tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, giant patty pan squash (perfect for stuffing!), pickling cucumbers, edamame soy beans (steam and shell) or field peas (shell),  okra or hot peppers, Jones farm peaches.

What have I been doing with the green tomatoes? you ask.  Making enchiladas of course….my favorite.  But fried green tomatoes are always good.  Look back in the blog for the fantastic Texas pickled green tomato recipe from last year.

I found the following recipe online for green tomato enchilada sauce and it is divine.  Great on eggs – huevos rancheros, or chicken or cheese enchiladas.  I’m going to freeze some.  I think it would also be delicious swirled into some potato soup, or grits.

Recipe follows:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 7-ounce can whole green chiles, drained and chopped
• 1 pound green tomatoes or tomatillos, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup vegetable broth (or 1 vegetarian bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

“The only time you start at the top is when you are digging a hole”.
-Sam Chard

As farmer’s it seems we are always digging a hole. Always starting at the top.  Holes for plants, holes to dig potatoes, post holes for fence, and sadly, holes to bury an animal.

Lately, Diamond and I have been digging potatoes.  She would have been a great search and rescue dog because she loves to search, and she loves to dig, and her nose knows.  But she has been saddled with the task of digging potatoes instead of greater things (I guess I could argue that for myself too.)

Farm News:  I have been bushhogging our fields today and trying to dodge the baby deer.  They are amazing.  Their Mom’s bed them down in the tall brush.  I can see the grass moving first and then out they come – on the run.  Spots a blur.  I jumped up 6 and then had to stop.  Much too stressful.

Still missing Otis.  Curtis and I parked the flatbed where all our four dogs are buried, and at sunset we sit.  Diamond too.  And miss our friends.

What’s in the bucket:  Purple potatoes are back (thanks to Diamond!), Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, cucumbers or summer squash or okra, maybe Silver Queen corn for halfshares that didn’t get any corn last week…  hopefully edamame or field peas.  They are so close….if not – then next week.

As we all know, the internet is a fantastic source for recipes.  I still use my cookbooks now and then, but often I just search what I want to make – so that’s the problem.  What’s for dinner?  Purple potato gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce?  Tomato pie?  Lately Curtis and I have been having cucumber and corn salad with red onions and oil and vinegar dressing.

Here’s how:  cut corn off several ears.  slice cucumbers.  slice a red onion very thin.  drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar.  sprinkle with salt and pepper.

It is better if it sits for an hour or so – but delicious either way.  You could add feta cheese – but why?

At some point this summer you should try my Mother’s gazpacho: (you could add sweet corn to it also:)

Happy Eating, Happy Potato digging and thanks for buying local food from our farm!

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”
― Will Rogers

He came to us one stormy night in April.  Curtis was getting ready for a trip.  Curtis and his horse were going to help work cattle in Missouri.  Curtis tried to run him off.  Tried again.

He was tired and lame.  He had been traveling.  He was looking for a safe place to layover and wait out the storm.    I said, just put him in the utility room.  I’ll let him out tomorrow.

But he piled up on a pasteboard box and slept for 3 days.  He didn’t want to eat or drink or go out, he just wanted to rest.  When he woke up, our journey began.

He was a ramblin’ man.  But he always came back to us.  And eventually, he quit leaving.  We named him Otis after the man who sold us the farm, who passed away shortly after selling it.

Otis loved to run, and dig, and pluck feathers from the chickens… which we discouraged him greatly from doing.  He loved to be held.  He loved to jump in your lap.  He and our cat Lucy had coffee with Curtis every morning, both in his lap.  He made friends.  He made us laugh.  And he brought so many years of comfort and happiness in his presence.

Towards the end, he wasn’t able to do the things he used to.  He loved to eat.  He loved to nap.  But every day he would leap into the air at least once as if to say, I am still here and the world is a beautiful place.   I kept hoping he would sprout wings and fly up to heaven instead of having to suffer.  I imagine that is what happened…he just needed a little help from us.

He has friends on the other side of the rainbow.   He was the last of a generation.  He stayed on to help raise Diamond.  I hope she realizes…I know she misses him too.Farm news:  Hard weekend, saying farewell to one of our pack.  Lots of tears, but joy too in remembering.

What’s in the Bucket:  Sweet corn from Jones Farm, red cabbage, October beans (you must shell these – they look like cannelini beans with a little color when shelled) carrots and/or beets, basil, bay leaves from my friend Daisy’s tree, a few cherry tomatoes, maybe a cucumber or pepper.  A wayward summer squash.  Some summer things just getting started!

I crave salads when it gets so humid and hot – but lettuce is out of season.  Following a great vegan recipe.  Very colorful and delicious.  Use October beans instead of canned beans – cook until tender first and cool.  I think you could make some other substitutions or omissions if need be and this will still be good.

Sweet Corn and Cabbage Salad

Source: 21-Day Vegan Kickstart The colors and textures will seduce you even before you taste this salad’s sweet, cooling flavors. Because the flavor gets even better with time, it’s perfectly portable.

About the Recipe 170 Calories · 8.6 g Protein · 8 g Fiber Dinner Gluten-free · Nut-free

Ingredients Makes 4 Servings

red onion, diced (1) Mexican gray squash or zucchini, diced (2) cucumbers, peeled and diced (2) small tomatoes, diced (4) medium red cabbage (1/4) stalks celery, sliced (4) kernels from 4 ears corn (about 3 cups) sea salt (pinch) fresh lime juice (2 tbsp.) tomatillos, diced, optional (4) fresh cilantro, chopped, optional (4 tbsp.) red beans, rinsed cooked or canned, optional; or sauteed tempeh, optional (2 cups) Swiss chard leaves, sliced, optional (2 cups)

Directions 1. Prep ingredients by dicing the onion, zucchini (try Mexican gray squash as a substitute for the zucchini), peeled cucumbers, and tomatoes. Slice the cabbage and celery, and remove kernels for the corn cobs. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and allow the salad to marinate for at least 30 minutes but preferably 2 hours. You can forgo this step and eat the salad right away, though the flavors won’t be melded quite as much. 2. Options: If you use the tomatillos, peel away the papery part and make sure to wash them before cutting; this removes their sticky outer film and makes them much easier to handle. You can also use frozen corn in this recipe, though it will lack the crispness and sweetness of fresh corn. Want to make this a meal in itself instead of an accompaniment? Add cooked beans or sauteed tempeh and you’ll have a delicious dinner in minutes. Nutrition Facts Per serving Calories: 170 Protein: 8.6 g Carbohydrate: 35 g Sugar: 10 g Total Fat: 1.8 g      Calories from Fat: 8.8% Fiber: 8 g Sodium: 132 mg

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

Definition of freedom
1: the quality or state of being free: such as
a: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action
b: liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : INDEPENDENCE

Happy Independence Day everyone.   I have had a very Independent food week.  It started with these cabbage rolls, then some red, white and blue potatoes – all equally delicious, and onward to blackberry pie.  Oh the choices we have…..

Farm News:  Rain showers and weeds.  Thankful for the rain but not the weeds.  Big tall thorny stalks that bite when you walk through to harvest cabbage or potatoes.  Trying to keep things under control but….

We weaned 20 steers, so a noisy start to the holiday weekend.  The good news, we could not hear the fireworks.  Neither did the horses or dogs!

What’s in the Bucket:   Something old:  onions, fennel, green beans, red, white and blue potatoes…..something new: savoy cabbage, carrots.  I try to keep things changing – but I tend to over plant some things.  Things I love….Onions.   Things Jennifer loves….potatoes.  I can’t explain the cabbage:)  I guess I just want one of every kind – Napa, green, savoy, purple….

So in wondering what to do with all the cabbage I had to revisit the cabbage roll.  I had a customer at the market who bought savoy cabbage every week we had it.  She loved cabbage rolls.  She gave me her recipe but I found it to be kind of bland.  Ground meat wrapped in a cabbage leaf and smothered in tomato sauce.  It was not something I wanted to revisit.

So, in rethinking it, I wanted to get excited about it.  Add a little spice…..so, how about cabbage roll enchiladas.  I came up with a plan.  It turned out delicious (even Curtis said so…although he covered his in BBQ he brought home so I’m unsure his opinion really counts unless you have BBQ).    But, this recipe is all about FREEDOM!  So put BBQ and/or whatever else you please in them and enjoy….here’s how!

1.Remove 8 leaves from your savoy cabbage.  Clean them and steam them or lightly boil.  I cut the thick part of the center rib out first to make them easier to eat and to roll.

2. Make a filling.  I used leftover brown rice, sauteed yellow squash, some broccoli I still had in the fridge, onions (of course).  Stirred it all together and added some sour cream and ground cumin.  Cilantro would be great but I didn’t have any….seeds didn’t come up this year.  I had the thought that leftover mashed potatoes would be quite sinful….next time.  And of course, if you are Curtis, maybe pork BBQ or ground pork or ground meat…if you want extra protein.  Or add beans (does rice and green beans count as a protein? I’m unsure)  maybe black beans.

3. Roll the filling in your cabbage leaves.  Like a burrito, make it like an envelope and roll it up.  If your cabbage leaf busts a hole, you can take a piece off another leaf and patch it.

Cover and smother in your favorite sauce.  I made some enchilada sauce, but store bought would work well too.  Or BBQ sauce.  Or marinara sauce.  I am a big fan of a little kick – so make it spicy if you are game.  Then I topped with grated cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until it is bubbling and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes but don’t burn the cheese on top.

This dish can go so many ways – and it is gluten free.  You could stuff leaves with ricotta and high end mozzarella for a mock cannelloni.  So, let me know what you come up with and how it turns out!

A CSA member also shared this delicious recipe for fennel salad with me.  I will pass it along.  It would go well with mock cannelloni if you go that road….  This will be the last week of fennel, so I wanted to make sure you had the chance.

Fennel Salad with Citrus Dressing

Happy Independence Day!  Celebrate Freedom of Eating!  And thanks for buying local food from our Farm.

“Birds of a feather flock together”  English Proverb

Flock…definition

noun:  1. a number of birds of one kind feeding, resting, or traveling together.

Meet Jessie…

She and her flock are helping us and our flock provide eggs to you this summer.  Michael at Broadfork meadows sold me his chickens and we are still coming up short.  My CSA loves their eggs!

At any rate, I am thankful for Jessie and her flock.  She vends at Main Street Farmer’s market with me (and is President of our Board.)  She has been a farmer friend for a while.  So seems fitting we should be including her happy flock’s eggs in our buckets!  And I wanted all of you to get to meet her via computer if not in person.

Farm News:  BOUNTY OF PRODUCE.  I will overload the buckets this week….

What’s in the Bucket?  Fennel, Daikon, Broccoli ….again?….yeah!  green cabbage, Texas sweet onions, green beans, purple and white potatoes, Turnip root and beets.

Intimidated by roots? Shred those roots and saute them up like hash browns.  Though fennel is not technically a root, it can act like one!  Kraut…you have all you need.  Cabbage plus fennel, daikon, onion, broccoli, you choose.  Fermenting can be lots of fun.  Google that:)

As for me, I will be making all of the above plus the following fennel and broccoli salad….easy and delicious.

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

Food & Wine

Shaved Broccoli and Fennel Salad with Goat Cheese

The combination of creamy goat cheese, fresh herbs, thin and crunchy vegetables with rich olive oil, lemon, and a little salt is addictive. If you have a mandoline, it’s great to use it here.

Total:

20 mins

Yield:

4 to 6

 © Sarah Bolla

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist