Circle S Farms

“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children”.         John James Audubon

Hay season again and I am glad to be mostly finished. Curtis gets saddled with all the responsibility of maintaining the equipment and getting it done.  I just do what he tells me😁most of the time.  But inevitably, something breaks while I am using it.  This year was stressful because of the forecast.  Every day chances of rain.  The new (used) baler broke right off the bat.  We managed to limp along with the old baler and almost had it done until the tractor tire blew.   70 percent chance of rain the next day, so I went to the house to get my girls and thought they could pull the hay rake the last few rounds.  Unfortunately, I got them hitched and Judy had a flat tire too.

It did get rained on, but Curtis was able to finish with one tractor and get most of it up  few days later.

What’s in the bucket?  Beets, carrots, cabbage,  fennel, summer squash, sweet red and white onions,  potatoes, cucumbers, dill

What’s at market?  Turnips, kale, potatoes, carrots, beets, fennel, cabbage, onions.  Circle S Beef: roasts, ground beef, steaks.   Back to your roots special:  turnips, carrots, beets, onions, potatoes:  buy any 4 roots for $10 (save $2)

Circle S root vegetable Hash recipe:

Grate carrot, potato, onion, beet, turnip, fennel or any combination.  Rinse with water  drain.  Form into patties or sauté loose in olive oil.  Salt and pepper to taste.

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

“If you don’t hear the crows of the roosters in the mornings, you are one cursed city fellow!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

Ok one rooster, good, 4 roosters, bad.

It is hard for a common person like me to tell a male chicken (cockerel/rooster)  from a female chicken (pullet/hen) until they are a certain age – around 4-6 months.

When we order baby chicks, they are sexed and we order all pullets (females).   However, when I bought chickens this year I wanted mature chickens, so I went and picked out 16 hens and a rooster – or so I thought.

I have been wondering why I wasn’t getting more eggs -even though the hens are young.  When I really started looking and listening – I realized I had three roosters too many!!

Luckily, the farmer I got them from let me “return” the roosters and replace them with hens – otherwise, the only place for them would have been in a soup pot!!

Farm News:  We have 3 more hens and 3 less roosters!!

What’s in the bucket:  Young turnips and greens (last week for these…..I promise!), collard greens, red asian greens, kohlrabi, lettuce, summer squash and/or green beans, sweet onions.

For some reason I’m into raw greens this year.  Mustard and kale greens are great in salads.  Collard greens are wonderful wraps for sandwiches or pinwheels- just take the ribs out.  Also, following, a marinated collard green recipe.  If you don’t like them raw, throw them into a pan and stir fry them after they marinate!!

Marinated Collard Greens

¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
¼ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoon sea salt, divided
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 bunch collard greens, washed
1/8 cup olive oil

In a large bowl, combine apple cider vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, scallions, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon sea salt and pepper. Set aside. Take several collard leaves and roll into a cylinder the shape of a fat cigar. Using a knife, cut the through the collard cylinder, making strips. Repeat steps two and three until you have cut all the collard leaves. Place strips in a large bowl. Pour olive oil on collard strips and sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Massage the oil and salt into the strips until all are well coated. Transfer the collard strips to the bowl with the apple cider vinegar marinade. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but overnight is best.

Servings: 4

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

“Life is for the living.

Death is for the dead.

Let life be like music.

And death a note unsaid.”

― Langston Hughes, The Collected Poems

Curtis’s father passed away last Sunday after a long illness with Alzheimers.  It has been an exhausting journey for all of us, mostly Curtis.  It is a wonderful thing that he is finally at peace.

His funeral was on Friday.  His name was James Curtis Smith and he served in the military, in Germany, during the Cold War.  There were two servicemen who came to the funeral.  One played Taps – I guess that is what the song is called- and it so reminded me of this quote.  It was the most beautiful and mystical thing I’ve ever heard.  Somehow, he let the notes float so it felt like they were taking flight, traveling to some new location.

Farm News:  It has been a hectic time for the last few weeks, so I am hoping the garden has gotten enough care to keep producing.  The rain has been wonderful for the pastures, but makes it hard for fungal diseases in the garden.  Potatoes, tomatoes and squash are particularly susceptible.

What’s in the bucket?  red and green lettuce, spinach, kale, red and green kohlrabi, red and white young onions, young turnips and greens.

Young Turnips and Greens

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1 navel orange, plus 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 pounds young turnips and their greens—turnips halved, greens stemmed and chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 ounces baby spinach (2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

• Preheat the oven to 400;. In a mini food processor, puree the olives; transfer to a bowl. Using a sharp knife, peel the orange, removing all of the bitter white pith. Working over another bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the sections.
  
• On a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle the turnips with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Roast for 20 minutes, until almost tender.
  
• Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add the water and turnip greens, cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the greens are just tender, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  
• Pour the orange juice over the turnips. Roast for 5 minutes longer, until the turnips are tender and glazed; season with salt.
  
• Add the spinach to the greens; toss until wilted. Drizzle the pureed olives onto a platter. Top with the turnips, greens, orange sections and hazelnuts. Serve hot or warm.  

Happy Eating and thanks for buying local from Circle S Farm

“It was true that Blue was just shy of five feet and it was also true that she hadn’t eaten her greens, but she’d done the research and she didn’t think the two were related.”

― Maggie Stiefvater, Blue Lily, Lily Blue

This is your week to eat your greens!  You will get a bucket full of them – it’s up to you to eat them!!

Farm News:  The cows are eating their greens – they have plenty of grass thanks to the rain – let’s hope we get more tomorrow.  The girls are doing their job cultivating between the rows, and the plants are almost big enough to shade out the weeds out in the rows – so everything is going according to plan.  If I could just find an easy solution for the bugs, we would be in business!!

This week’s bucket:  arugula, spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens, kale, spring onions, radishes.

This week at market:  arugula, spicy mesclun, spinach, mustard greens, kale, spring onions, radishes, Circle S Beef.

I love raw mustard greens.  I have been on a mission to find recipes using them raw.  I tried a sweet and hot salad recipe for last Wednesday, which I thought was wonderful – but may not have the broad appeal of the following recipe.  I mean, who doesn’t love a Caesar salad with a bunch of garlicy croutons?

INGREDIENTS

• • 5 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups 3/4-inch cubes crustless country bread
  • 1 cup (packed) coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 4 ounces), divided
  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 1 bunch mustard greens (about 12 ounces), center rib and stem cut from each leaf, leaves cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips
  • 5 teaspoons (or more) fresh lemon juice

PREPARATION

• • Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine anchovies and garlic in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Place bread cubes in medium bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons anchovy oil over, tossing to coat. Sprinkle bread with salt, pepper, and half of cheese; toss to coat.
  • Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Scatter bread on sheet. Bake croutons until crisp and golden, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
  • Measure 8 cups (loosely packed) mustard greens and place in large bowl (reserve any remaining greens for another use). Add croutons and remaining cheese to bowl. Whisk 5 teaspoons lemon juice into remaining anchovy oil; season dressing with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Add dressing to salad; toss to coat.

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

Letty

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”
― Washington Irving

I spent the weekend with my precious mother (and equally precious father).  I was so thankful to get to spend some time with them before our season is in full tilt.

Farm News:  Garden is beginning to take hold.  I am thankful we have had more rain this season, thus far.  Our new flock of chickens are beautiful and starting to be productive.  We are hoping the predators will stay away – and doing everything we can to protect them.

This week’s CSA bucket:  red mustard greens, green mustard greens, arugula, spinach, kale, beet greens, radishes and spring onions.

What’s at market:  arugula, spinach, spring onions, radish, kale, turnip greens.  Circle S Beef:  ground beef, steaks, roasts

I LOVE mustard greens raw.  Cooked – not so much, although some people do.  This is  a wonderful salad – although not all the ingredients are local.  You might be able to substitute strawberries for the mango.

 Mustard Greens Salad with Avocado and Mango

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup mustard greens, chopped
• 2 avocados, halved, pitted, and sliced
• 1 mango, peeled and sliced
• 1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Directions

Whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, lime, and garlic in a small bowl. In a large bowl, add the mustard greens. Pour the dressing over the mustard greens and use clean hands to massage until all the salad ingredients are evenly coated. Toss in the avocado and mango and serve.

Happy eating and thanks for buying local food from our farm:)

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
L. Frank Baum

This year is full of new beginnings.  We are settled into our new cabin and we are excited about a full season in Cloudland this year!!  The last few years I have felt so scattered, going from one place to the next.

We have a new flock of beautiful heritage breed chickens.  They are just beginning to lay eggs, and it feels good to have a rooster and hens in the house again!  It has been way too quiet around here.

I also have a new team,  Jane and Judy.  You will be hearing plenty about my girls – probably more than you wish:)  They are awesome and beautiful.  I found a home for Madge with a new friend and farrier.  She is living a plush life, tucked into a stall during the heat of the day and turned out with her new friends at night.

I bought my girls at a sale in Missouri in March, and I feel as if I am running a bit late.  All of my garden equipment is horse drawn.  I am planning to start Wednesday, May 17.  You will receive another e-mail from me as an official start date.

I am happy to have you all as part of our Circle S Farm CSA this year.  Thanks so much for your support!

Letty

“Hope

Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,

Whispering ‘it will be happier’…”

― Alfred Tennyson

Wishing all a Happy New Year.    I have posted my CSA sign up for 2017.    I am looking forward to a new year,  the challenges, victories and heartbreaks.

Circle-S-CSA-sign-up-2017 (4)

“In shallow holes moles make fools of dragons”  Proverb quotes

In this case, the moles are making a fool of me.  This is what my sweet potatoes looked like.  I should have known.  Lots of mole hills – but Otis (the mole hunting dog) was on siesta most of the summer because of the heat.  And I kept hoping – since they hadn’t eaten beets or carrots or turnips or any of the other roots, that the sweet potatoes would be OK.

Farm News:  No blog last week because of the full moon.  Well, not really the full moon – but the craziness it brought to our calving schedule.  Starting on Sunday – when we found one lone calf sitting in a field a mile away from any of our cows.  Curtis still thinks someone put him over the fence.  It left us both scratching our heads.

So, we found a cow to suit him – the likelies suspect.  A young heifer who looked like she should have had a calf.  We got her in and got the calf rounded up.  She took him, let him nurse, we thought we had it made…..until she actually had a calf a few days later.  SOoooo, what to do with the first calf?

We had another heifer calve the next day.  She had a premature calf – poor little thing could hardly get up.  Curtis  helped her get up after she lay there half the day with no luck- and she managed to nurse her Mom.  We got them in the corral for safe keeping – but the mother was so freaked out she kept stepping on her little calf.  We were afraid she would kill her.  Meanwhile – she decided she liked the orphan calf better and started swooning for him.

So we took the tiny calf and started her on a bottle.  Two days later, the cow decided she didn’t really like the orphan calf either – so we booted her back out and now we are raising two calves on bottles.  It’s as easy to make a bottle for two as it is for one.  I have one more idea for a nurse cow…..I’ll let you know how it turns out.

What’s in the bucket:  This is the last week for CSA so please remember to bring your buckets.  I will put your last share in a paper bag.  Brussels sprouts, beets, sweet potatoes (what I salvaged from the moles), bibb lettuce, kale, collards, herbs (basil and/or dill), Long Island Cheese pumpkin (heirloom).

What’s at market:   Kale, collards, beets, radishes, bibb lettuce, Brussels Sprouts, Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, turnips, rutabaga.  Circle S Beef: roasts, steaks, ground beef.

Following – what to do with your Long Island Cheese pumpkin after you scoop the filling out and carve it!!

Pumpkin Pie- a classic!

1. Prepare moschata squash (butternut types, neck pumpkin or cheese) either by oven roasting in a covered heavy pan with enough liquid to allow the squash to cook until soft without browning, or by allowing cubed squash to cook in a pot of water on top of the stove until tender (check with a fork). Allow the cooked squash to completely drain and cool and puree in a food processor.

2. Add pumpkin pie spices. For every 2 cup of pureed squash add 11/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger, 1/4 teaspoon cloves and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

3. Since you’re essentially making a custard, add your custard ingredients: 2 eggs, 1 can of evaporated milk (or 1 c. of whole milk or light cream) and 3/4 cup sugar for every 2 cups of pureed squash. Everything should be nice and blended to pour into a deep unbaked pie crust.

4. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 45 minutes to an hour depending on your oven and the depth of your pie. Check for firmness toward the end of the baking time (you want a firm custard), but don’t let the pumpkin filling overcook or scorch.

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

“But clouds bellied out in the sultry heat, the sky cracked open with a crimson gash, spewed flame-and the ancient forest began to smoke. By morning there was a mass of booming, fiery tongues, a hissing, crashing, howling all around, half the sky black with smoke, and the bloodied sun just barely visible.”      Yevgeny Zamgatin

We had fires burning on both sides of our farm this week.  This one looked like a nuclear bomb when it started, so frightening!

What’s in the Bucket?  Get back to your roots this week!!  carrots, beets, turnip roots, fennel root, rutabagas and heirloom sweet potato.  Also, a little kale and/or collards to round out the bucket.

What’s at market:  turnip root, kale, collard, rutabaga, broccoli florets.  Circle S Beef:  ground beef, steaks, roasts.   Turnip truck special:  buy one quart turnip root get one free!!

If you are not a fan of turnips and rutabagas, try the following soup.  You can use the fennel in place of the celery.  Taste it before you puree it – I actually prefer it with the chunky veggies in it, so I don’t puree the soup.

Any root vegetable soup

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion or 2 leeks (white and light green part only), chopped
• 2 to 3 celery stalks, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 rosemary or thyme branches
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 1/2 pounds mixed root vegetables (carrot, parsnip, celery root, turnip, rutabaga, sweet or regular potato), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, more for serving
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Flaky sea salt
• Crushed Aleppo, Urfa or other chile flakes, optional
• Grated Parmesan or pecorino, optional

Method

• 1. Melt butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Stir in onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, rosemary and bay leaves; cook 1 minute more. Add root vegetables, 8 cups water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• 2. Remove and discard rosemary branches and bay leaves. Using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. (Alternatively, you can purée the soup in batches in a blender or food processor.) If the soup is too thick, add a little water. Season with lemon juice and more salt to taste.
• 3. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice, flaky salt and crushed chile or grated cheese, if desired.

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

Letty