Circle S Farms

“How Beautiful is the rain!
After the dust and heat,
In the broad and fiery street,
In the narrow lane,
How beautiful is the rain!

How it clatters along the roofs,
Like the tramp of hoofs!
How it gushes and struggles out
From the throat of the overflowing spout!

Across the window-pane
It pours and pours;
And swift and wide,
With a muddy tide,
Like a river down the gutter roars
The rain, the welcome rain!

-“Rain in Summer”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I woke up to rain this morning and cool temps.  Quite a relief from the rest of the week.  Looks like another hot week this week.

This picture is from our new property (we have had it a few years, but finally got the cows moved this spring).  I thought the clouds were beautiful that day.

The flies have been terrible on the animals – and I feel so for them fighting flies in the hot, hot weather.  The cows have scabby, bloody spots on the backs of their front legs from all the fly bites.  They stand in the pond trying to keep them off.  I’m amazed at their ability to eat and live despite such harassment.  I would be in the loony bin.

We are halfway through our short season this year.  The garden has not done as well as last year.   I’m hoping for a good crop of tomatoes, but my peppers are pitiful and my carrots, despite my faithful planting of 6 successions – never came up.  They did beautifully last year in the same garden space – sometimes there are just no explanations!!

Farm News:  Hot!!  Feel like I’m moving in slow motion.  It’s only June – I’m hoping for an early fall.  Our cows will start calving in mid-August.  It will be a tough calving season if it doesn’t cool off and the flies don’t get better.

What’s in the bucket?  Fennel, green cabbage, broccoli, onions, squash, kohlrabi, cucumbers, berries or cherry tomatoes.

LINGUINI WITH FENNEL AND ONIONS

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

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

Letty

Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence. ~Erich Fromm

I have been lucky to have good help over the years (10 years of CSA!!)  Three stand out; well, four counting Curtis – but he never really signed up, and is not hired help.

It seems I get along with and work well with….women who are older than me, but are tougher and work harder than me!!  First in line is my mother-in-law.  I told her years ago, when you quit, I quit!!  Well, this year has been dreadfully hard without her.   She is 80 and could still outwork me.

Second was Bertha – who quit 2 years ago only because she felt like her body was suffering from the years of physical work.  We both cried when she left.

And last, is Twyla – who took Bertha’s place.  She is an old friend, and if anyone could fill Bertha’s shoes, it was Twyla.  Curtis and I have nicknamed her the overachiever.

Well, Twyla got married today, so this blog is a tribute to her and wishing her well.  Of course, she will be on her honeymoon this week, so I will be doing double duty.  And she will be leaving at the end of this season as she is moving to Cleveland.

What’s in the bucket this week:  broccoli, green cabbage, kohlrabi, beets, summer squash, cucumbers, lettuce.

I know everyone is tired of lettuce – but it is such a delicious treat in the hot weather to have a cool salad – and this is probably the last week.  It doesn’t grow in hot weather.

There are three things that pretty much all veggies can go in – salad, pizza and an omelet.

I had an omelet today with broccoli, onions and summer squash.  The Farmer’s Daughter had a quiche listed with Napa cabbage  – so the sky is the limit.

A recipe this week, from the NY times:

INGREDIENTS
3 ½ cups mixed shredded broccoli stems, green cabbage and kohlrabi (peel broccoli stems and kohlrabi before shredding) (about 3/4 pound)
Salt to taste
½ cup cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
½ teaspoons nigella seeds (optional)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt
Freshly ground pepper
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese (optional)
Nutritional Information
PREPARATION
Toss the shredded vegetables with salt to taste and place in a strainer set over a bowl. Refrigerate and let sit for 45 minutes to an hour. Discard the water that accumulates in the bowl and squeeze the shredded vegetables to extract more water. (Note: If you are on a no-sodium diet, omit this step). Transfer to a bowl and toss with the quinoa, dill and nigella seeds.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the lemon juice, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, oil and yogurt. Toss with the shredded vegetables. Add the cottage cheese to the salad and toss, or serve with the cottage cheese spooned on top. Refrigerate in a bowl or in containers until ready to take to work.
Advance preparation: This will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator.

Happy Eating – stay cool- and thanks for buying local food from our farm.

Letty

“Hitch your wagon to a star.”  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

We had a great time with Logan this weekend.  He graduated with flying colors and we had a wonderful visit.  Hoping he will be able to travel this direction this summer.

Farm News:  All the animals and vegetables survived our absence.  My late garden is struggling for some reason.  I seeded carrots 5 times starting in March in my high tunnel and still no luck.  Sometimes it is just that way!  I will try again today.

What’s in the bucket this week?:  summer squash and/or green beans, Napa cabbage, multi colored beets, kohlrabi, lettuce, greens (kale and collard), snow peas or sugar snap peas, radishes.

Napa cabbage and snow pea slaw

Ingredients
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed and strings discarded
1 1/2 pounds Napa cabbage, cut into thin shreds (about 9 cups)
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 tablespoon ginger juice
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions
In a large saucepan of boiling water blanch snow peas 15 seconds and transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain snow peas well and slice thin diagonally. In large bowl toss snow peas with remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

recipe courtesy of Gourmet Magazine

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

Letty

“The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious.

Slavic peoples get their physical characteristics from potatoes, their smoldering inquietude from radishes, their seriousness from beets.

The beet is the melancholy vegetable, the one most willing to suffer. You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip…

The beet is the murderer returned to the scene of the crime. The beet is what happens when the cherry finishes with the carrot. The beet is the ancient ancestor of the autumn moon, bearded, buried, all but fossilized; the dark green sails of the grounded moon-boat stitched with veins of primordial plasma; the kite string that once connected the moon to the Earth now a muddy whisker drilling desperately for rubies.

The beet was Rasputin’s favorite vegetable. You could see it in his eyes.”
― Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfumed

I love Tom Robbins, and just had to put in this quote.  This week is all about roots!!

Farm News:  Potatoes hilled successfully, thanks to friend Georgia who came and helped me hook up the mules.  They are not quite ready yet (the potatoes, that is) but will be soon.

Curtis and I are leaving Thursday to go to Logan’s graduation.  Can’t believe he is graduating from high school.  He has grown up to be such a special person, we are so proud of him.  So remember, if you are a Thursday delivery, it will be Wednesday instead this week.

What’s in the bucket?   roots!! onions, turnips, beets.  Also, Napa cabbage, red and green leaf lettuce, snow or sugar snap peas, mesclun greens mix, basil, and strawberries.

I did a roots mix for dinner the other night.  I cut the beets in wedges and left the sprig of green on the top to be fancy.  I roasted the beets separate from the onions and turnips so they wouldn’t bleed all over everything.  I cut the small onions in half, and cut the turnips in wedges. tossed everything in olive oil, salt and pepper.   Roasted until golden and crispy, and then squeezed a lemon wedge over the top when they came out of the oven.  Delish!!

Following – a simple recipe for a Napa cabbage saute.

Serves 4

Napa cabbage, also known as Chinese cabbage, has crunchy leaves that pair well with a light sauce. Similar to bok choy, but more delicate (use either in this recipe), Napa cabbage is more elegant than regular firm-headed green cabbage. Slice the head of Napa lengthwise in half and remove the core. Roughly chop into 2-inch pieces. Then cook the cabbage in a searing hot skillet – high heat is essential – to caramelize the leaves. Saute in two batches so overcrowding doesn’t steam the vegetables. It’s fast and good for you.

3 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 small head (about 1 pound) Napa cabbage, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 piece fresh ginger ( 1/2 inch), cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil . When it is very hot, add half the cabbage. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes or until leaves begin to brown. Remove them from pan. Use 1 teaspoon of the remaining vegetable oil to cook the remaining cabbage in the same way; remove from the pan.

2. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon vegetable oil to pan. Cook the garlic and ginger, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

3. In a small bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch. Stir the soy sauce into the pan. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil.

4. Return all the cabbage to pan, stirring well to coat it all over. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.

5.Remove from the heat. Stir in the scallions and vinegar.

Thanks for buying local food from Circle S.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
― Helen Keller, The Open Door

Well – I had a runaway trying to hitch my mules today.  I was all excited about hilling potatoes and I haven’t tried out my potato hiller yet.  I had it all hooked up, and the potatoes are definitely ready to hill, and I went to hitch the mules and they acted skittish.  So I went in the arena to line drive them first and they bolted – numerous times – and I just had to let them go and watch them run around and around until they would stop.  Then I would gather up the reins, and they would do it again.

I had been feeling so confident – I guess they knew I needed to come down a notch.

Needless to say, the potatoes never got hilled, better luck next time!!

Farm News:  Dry.  The garden needs more water than my few lines of irrigation can give it.  I have rows of peas, okra and corn trying to come up ,  I hope they can make it.

What’s in the bucket?! Fancy lettuces, snow or sugar snap peas, kale/collard or mustard greens, arugula, turnips with greens, young onions, strawberries.

Everyone wonders what to do with turnips.  I LOVE turnips and put them in everything!  Making a pot of soup? add some sliced turnips.   Making a salad? add some thinly sliced turnips.  Making a pot of greens?  add small cubes of turnips.  Roasting potatoes or vegetables? you know what to do….add turnips.  They’re wonderful slightly bitter flavor gives a little zing to whatever you are having.

If you really aren’t excited about eating greens two weeks in a row, or you just have some left over, make some cooking greens pesto – with mustard, kale, collard or turnip greens.

3 cups oversalted cooked greens, cooled and finely chopped

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, walnuts or pecans

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

enough olive oil to turn it into a thick paste.

combine the first four in a food processor, drizzling in the oil while processing.

Recipe From: An Everlasting Meal

Happy eating and thanks for buying local food from Circle S

“With the advent of spring and beginning of the new harvest season the creators of abundance, our peasants, come out to the fields to sow with good aspirations and hopes.”      – Islom Karimov

I have really gone back in time and bought a cultivator for my mules.  Of course, it’s a new age cultivator. Even though Amish built, it has all kinds of attachments, bells and whistles.  I tried it out for the first time last week and my friends Julie Clark and Georgia Pollock came over to help me.  Above is one of Julie’s photos.

For anyone without experience with horses or large animals – they are powerful creatures (that’s why they call it “horse power” right?).  So attaching something to them that they are not used to can be tricky.  Luckily, Madge and Mack had no problems.

Farm News:  The CSA starts this week and runs 10 weeks.  So far the garden is a bit slow – with the cool spring and rainy weather.  We are starting to see progress now, and hopefully everything will go and grow well.

What’s in the Bucket this week?  red and green butterhead lettuce, greens (kale, turnip, collard, and/or mustard),  spring onions, easter egg radishes, spinach, basil and cilantro and hopefully a few strawberries.

Whenever I find myself eating junk food because I’m “too busy to cook”, I have to remind myself the simplest, best meals are simple.

A snack everyone will love:  clean your radishes and keep them whole or halved in the fridge.  When someone you care about walks in the door, serve them radishes with a bowl of salt and some softened butter.   If you are really crazy about them, serve them strawberries with a bowl of local honey to dip in!!

Another trick (and great for anyone avoiding gluten):  keep a soft spread (hummus, cream cheese, avocado, pimento cheese, peanut butter – anything will work) on hand.  For lunch, spread lettuce leaf or collard or kale leaf with your spread, then load it up with chopped radishes, spring onions, spinach, herbs more greens – whatever floats your boat.  Roll it up and enjoy.  I even make a few if my leaves are smaller and stick a toothpick through to hold them together.  That’s fancy!!

Following – my favorite greens recipe.  It will work with any green, or you can mix them together.

Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway! – John Wayne

Cattle Working

Farm News:  When the calves have all arrived, it’s time to vaccinate, ear tag and castrate the bull calves.   Some people have fancy chutes and equipment, some people catch the calves one a time as they are born before they are fast enough to get away.  At Circle S, we do it the old fashioned way, we have a round up.  We ask our neighbors and friends to come help, we work together and get it done, and then we share laughs and have a cookout.

It’s always a little bit wild when you get horses, cattle and people together.  Two of our friends had young horses (who did GREAT), but Curtis got kicked right off the bat by one of them.  He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Luckily, he was so close to her he didn’t get the full brunt of the kick, and it just knocked him down and made him a little sore.

Above are pictures from this year’s roundup, which was yesterday.

Housekeeping:  LAST WEEK FOR 2014 CSA!!!!  Your shares will be in paper bags.  Please remember to return your buckets.

What’s in the bucket?  Lettuce, kale, spinach, turnips, sweet potatoes, turmeric (see last weeks blog) and dried cayenne peppers (see last week’s blog), Blackberry Jam.

Easy ground beef and kale

Enough for 2
450g (1lb) ground (minced) beef
1-3 small red chillies, finely sliced
1 large bunch kale, finely sliced crosswise
1 lemon

1. Heat a little olive or coconut oil in a large frying pan on a high heat.

2. Add beef and chilli. Stir fry for a few minutes until will browned.

3. Add the kale and continue to cook, stirring now and then until the kale is wilted and tender – another few minutes.

4. Taste and season with salt, pepper & lemon juice.

Thanks for buying local food from Circle S farm!!

 Don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter.  It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.  -Rumi

Housekeeping: If you are a half share and receiving this e-mail, this is your last week.  I will be delivering your share in a paper bag.

Farm News:  Quiet here this week.  The warm weather has made the animals happy and they bask in the sun knowing winter weather is coming.  Our cows have been calving, and 15 out of 16 have had their calves.    The cow, we lovingly named Suzanna after Suzanna at Alexzanna farms had her calf last week.   Suzanna loves her calf and the dogs see stars if they get too close to her.

What’s in the Bucket? Fresh Turmeric Root from Rising Fawn Gardens (Steve and Karen Persinger), dried long Cayenne chilies (you can smash these chilies, tear off the bottom, and shake the red pepper out.  Or grind with mortar and pestle and make a wonderful hot chile powder), kale, red and/or green leaf lettuce, turnips, sweet potatoes.

Fresh turmeric root is a treasure and, in my mind, a superfood.  It possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities.  Turmeric is protective against Alzheimers and Cancer.  People in India have 1/4 the rate of Alzheimers of the US population.  It also slows tumor growth and helps delay liver damage from alcohol consumption.  What a list!!

Substitute 3 times fresh turmeric for dry turmeric in recipes.  Turmeric is wonderful in humus or sauerkraut.   It makes a wonderful tea.  I am including two easy turmeric recipes to get you started – then you can experiment yourself.

Turmeric Rice

Ingredients
1 cup long grain rice
2-1/4 cups vegetable broth
1/8 teaspoon dried turmeric or 1/4 teaspoon fresh turmeric, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins or other dried fruit, chopped
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans, toasted
Cooking Instructions
In a medium sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent. Add garlic, turmeric, and rice, and cook 2-3 minutes. Add broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Add raisins and almonds, and stir gently to combine. Cover and cook 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.

Turmeric Potatoes

2.5 # sweet or white potatoes

1 1/2 t fresh grated turmeric

pinch of chile flakes (use the flakes out of your dried chiles!)

2 T olive oil

sea salt

pepper

Peel potatoes and cut into chunks.  Toss all ingredients together and roast at 375 degrees on metal cookie sheet, flip with spatula half way through,  30-40 minutes or until tender.

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

“There are two types of people;
those who eat kale and those who should.”
~~ Bo Muller-Moore

Which kind do you think this one is??

Farm News:  Bull is finally happy – back in with the cows.  We had to load him in the trailer and take him over to the other pasture so he wouldn’t mow any fences down on his way over there.  I’m guessing his days are numbered at Circle S if he keeps being so destructive.

What’s in the Bucket:  Lettuce, kale, arugula, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, cilantro, my mother-in-law’s Apple Butter.

Kale and White Bean Soup  (6 servings, Main Course)

1 lb dried white beans such as Great Northern, cannellini, or navy
2 onions, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 cups chicken broth
2 qt water
1 (3- by 2-inch) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf (not California)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 lb smoked sausage such as kielbasa (optional), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
8 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 lb kale (preferably lacinato), stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
Accompaniment:provolone toasts
preparation

Cover beans with water by 2 inches in a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, 1 hour. Drain beans in a colander and rinse.

Cook onions in oil in an 8-quart pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beans, broth, 1 quart water, cheese rind, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and rosemary and simmer, uncovered, until beans are just tender, about 50 minutes.

While soup is simmering, brown sausage (if using) in batches in a heavy skillet over moderate heat, turning, then transfer to paper towels to drain.

Stir carrots into soup and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in kale, sausage, and remaining quart water and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper.

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
~Grandpa Jones

I have been busy today making pumpkin marmalade.  I hope it turns out – I saved a few pumpkins so I could do this for my CSA at Thanksgiving.  I will put it in jars tomorrow – wish me luck.

Farm News:  DELIVERY AND PICK UP THIS WEEK IS ON TUESDAY  – the MAIN STREET MARKET is on TUESDAY this week….so you will have time to use all your precious produce for your Thanksgiving meal!!

We’ve had a quieter week this week.  Curtis hurt his arm fencing – so we have been trying to let him rest it.  Can’t seem to keep him from throwing 5 gallon buckets full of water for the animals over the fence though, during the cold spell!

What’s in the Bucket this week:  Arugula, lettuce, kale, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes and pumpkin marmalade.

I wouldn’t dream of sending this recipe out any other week (Ok, maybe Christmas).  Hence the quote at the top!!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

Servings:
2-4
Units: US | Metric
casserole
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup cream (or milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup mini marshmallows (optional)
Directions:

1
Mix all of the casserole ingredients together until well blended.
2
Spread into a buttered casserole dish.
3
Mix topping ingredients (except marshmallows) together and sprinkle over the casserole.
4
Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.
5
Remove from oven.
6
If topping with marshmallows, place them on the casserole and bake for an addition 5-7 minutes or until marshmallows have melted.
7
Serve.

Happy Thanksgiving…Happy Eating and thanks for buying local food from our farm!!