“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.”
― Mark Twain

Delivering tomorrow on Halloween Eve.  This quote and picture of the moon seemed fitting.

Perhaps I will hand out heads of cauliflower and broccoli to all the misfortunate trick or treaters….trick or treat?

Well I myself would consider it a treat.  As Broccoli and Cauliflower are two things I look forward to in spring and fall.  Like the beautiful moon.

Farm News:    Our cows will start calving any day now….I have been doing a daily rain dance, but no luck!  Ponds really low, some have run out.

This is the first time I have ever been able to get October beans to actually come in in October:)

Next week is the last week for Fall Blast CSA.

What’s in the bucket?  Broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, sweet potatoes, October beans, peppers.

Following is a NY times recipe for Roasted Cauliflower.  Feel free to throw some broccoli florets and peppers in with the Cauliflower, it will be delicious.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

“It’s so dry the trees are bribing the dogs.”

-Charles Martin, Chasing Fireflies

Not a drop of rain last Friday and Saturday.  Our best chance for weeks.  And two fires in the neighborhood, not to mention our hayfield and tractor, which almost burned up when a passer by threw out a cigarette.  When I was a kid it was Smokey the bear who taught us about fire danger.  So I was curious, who came up with Smokey?  And of course, wikipedia told me the answer.  Highlights:

Smokey Bear is an American campaign and advertising icon of the U.S. Forest Service in the Wildfire Prevention Campaign, which is the longest-running public service announcement campaign in United States history……

Although the U.S. Forest Service fought wildfires long before World War II, the war brought a new importance and urgency to the effort. At the time, many experienced firefighters and other able-bodied men were serving in the armed forces, leaving fewer at home to fight wildfires….

and, of course my favorite part….

The living symbol of Smokey Bear was a five-pound, three-month old American black bear cub who was found in the spring of 1950 after the Capitan Gap fire, a wildfire that burned in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico.    Smokey had climbed a tree to escape the blaze, but his paws and hind legs had been burned. Local crews who had come from New Mexico and Texas to fight the blaze removed the cub from the tree.

OK, I’m really going down the rabbit hole here, or rather, going up the bear tree.  This bear turned out to be a celebrity.  He was transported by air to the National Zoo where he lived for 26 years eating peanut butter sandwiches, bluefish and trout.  He was given a real bear wife, Goldie bear (remember her?) and a prodigy, another orphan bear who took his place when he died.  He was even given his own zip code to handle all of his mail.

When he died, he was transported back to New Mexico to be buried in Smokey Bear Historical Park.  Wall Street Journal and New York times both printed his obituary.

Would that we could all be so famous!

So, I finally get to my point….as Smokey would say “Only YOU can prevent WILDFIRES.”

What’s in the bucket?   Lettuce, beets and/or carrots, kohlrabi, broccoli, mustard greens, green beans and dill.

Following a recipe for Mustard greens, Kohlrabi and carrot salad from Washington Post

• 8 cups lightly packed mustard greens (from about 2 small bunches, or 1 large; about 12 ounces)
• 1 large carrot, scrubbed well
• 1 bulb green kohlrabi
• 2 teaspoons white sesame seeds (unhulled, if possible)
• One 3/4 -ounce piece young ginger root
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon boiled cider (see related recipe; may substitute pomegranate molasses)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Step 1

   Tear the mustard greens into large, bite-size pieces; rinse them in a bowl of cool water, then spin dry. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Step 2

   Trim the carrot. Trim and peel the kohlrabi; cut each into matchstick-size strips (julienne) and add to the mustard greens.

3. Step 3

   Toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the seeds are lightly browned; this should take about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small plate to cool.

4. Step 4

   Cut the ginger and garlic into small pieces. Use a mortar and pestle to pound the garlic and ginger with 1/8 teaspoon of salt to form a pastelike mixture. Transfer to a bowl.

5. Step 5

   Alternately, smash the garlic and ginger with the flat side of a knife, then mince.

6. Step 6

   Add the vinegar, the boiled cider and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the bowl, then gradually whisk in the oil to form an emulsified dressing. Pour it over the greens; use your hands to gently toss the salad. Taste, and add salt and/or cracked black pepper as needed.

7. Step 7

   Divide evenly among individual plates; garnish with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve right away.

Happy Eating, Happy Fall Blast, thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farms, and remember “Only YOU can prevent Forest Fires”.

“Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul… but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October.”
― Peggy Toney Horton

As a farmer, each season brings different chores.  And… like eating seasonal food, I am always ready for the next season.  I am always ready to trade summer squash and tomatoes for lettuce and kale.

But, Fall is my favorite.

Our cows calve in November.  Fall means long walks with the dogs.  Checking cows.  Cooler weather.

Fall is shorter days.  Fall is time to prepare a meal.  Fall is time to read a book.  Fall is foraging for mushrooms, persimmons, walnuts.

Sometimes I am asked about my daily routine.  What time do I rise in the morning?  How long do I work into the evening?  The answer is always daylight until dark.  In the summer, I am weary.  In the winter, I go dormant like a giant tree.  I loose my leaves and gather my energy.  Spring is just around the corner.

Not to say that there are not chores.  Feeding hay.  Fencing.  Things that get neglected during the busy season.  Nevertheless, Fall is a splendid change of pace.

With that being said, this week kicks off our fall blast CSA.  The last of summer, the first of fall.  4 weeks.

What’s in the bucket? Green beans, sweet peppers, cilantro, kale, carrots, bibb lettuce, red leaf lettuce, Napa cabbage.

What to cook?

Carrot and Napa Salad with Tumeric and Mustard seed

• 1/2 lb carrots, washed and peeled

• 1/2 lb Napa, washed

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• ½ teaspoon salt

• handful cilantro, chopped

• handful raw cashews, or roasted salted peanuts, chopped

• squeeze of lemon

1 Grate the washed and peeled carrots and set aside in a bowl.  Thinly slice or grate Napa cabbage and add to carrots.

2 Heat a saucepan to medium and add olive oil. Then add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and turmeric just until you hear the first seeds pop, then remove from heat.

3 Pour the infused oil on the Napa and the carrots. Add salt, cilantro, cashews or peanuts, and lemon and toss.

And

Mayo Clinic Green beans and sweet pepper stir fry

Ingredients
1 pound green beans, stems trimmed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin slices
1/2 teaspoon chili paste or red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cut the beans into 2-inch pieces. Bring a large saucepan 3/4 full of water to a boil. Add the beans and cook until they turn bright green and are tender-crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Drain the beans, then plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and toss and stir for about 1 minute. Add the beans and saute for 1 minute longer. Add the chili paste and garlic and stir for 1 minute. The beans will be tender and bright green. Drizzle with the sesame oil and season with the salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

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

“Well a good dog on the ground’s worth three in the saddle,
No matter where you’re from
Been many good dog was a friend to a man
But Sam was the greatest one” -Sturgill Simpson

I was raised in the city.  When I was a little girl,  most days you would find me sitting on the back steps with our dogs.  There would have been lots of tail wagging and nodding as they listened to my problems.  Folks claimed someone switched babies in the hospital,  and there was some poor little city girl stuck way out in the country in Mecklenburg County.  But I know I got my love of plants and animals from my mother.  I did not, however, inherit her grace, elegance and charm when dealing with people.

I have always been a bit of an introvert.  That’s why farming has been a wonderful lifestyle for me.  I think we sometimes idealize farms as these utopian places where “troubles melt like lemon drops”.  That is not true.  However you will still sometimes find me on the back steps with my dogs.  They are my companions, my therapists, my friends.  When I look out my window, I see cows, horses, chickens.  At my feet, there is always a heartbeat.    This is what makes me feel like I am not alone.

And so this, the last week of the Dog Days CSA, I thank you for supporting our farm.  And I thank them for the pocket fulls of happiness they give me everyday.

Farm News:  This is the last week of the Dog Days CSA.  I will be delivering in paper bags so be sure to leave your bucket for me.

The next CSA FAll BLAST begins October 16 and ends November 6.  I will be contacting those of you who signed up next week.   Also, beef quarters and packages will be going out October and Early December.  I will let you know when to expect your beef!

What’s in the bucket?  This last week will be a treat.  You will get either a Long Island Cheese pumpkin or a Blue Hubbard squash.  Both huge winter squashes.  The folks who have been buying them at market tell me they prepare them, and freeze them for use all winter.  Alternately, you can use them as a Halloween pumpkin or table decoration:)…or both, they should keep for a while.

Also, peppers (yes, again!  lucky duck!)  And kale, and sweet potatoes, and maybe a few green beans.  They are trying to come in, despite the deer trimming.

I love hearing recipes at the market.  I asked a market customer a few weeks back what she was doing with the Blue Hubbard squash she bought.  She told me….”my Mom makes the best pumpkin pies with these, I’m going to try”.  I asked her recipe.  She said she would find out for me and let me know.

The next week she came back and said….the recipe on the back of the Libby’s pumpkin can is what she uses.  She just substitutes the roasted blue hubbard.  So – following is the Libby’s pumpkin pie recipe.  I think it will work for Long Island Cheese or Blue hubbard.  Just prepare a pumpkin puree out of the roasted squash or pumpkin (sweet potatoes will probably work too) and follow the recipe.

The last wine pairing, from Scenic City Wines, is a port.  Matt tells me it is from one of the oldest wineries in Portugal.

C. N. Kopke Fine Tawny Port

Libby’s Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 t salt

1 3/4 t pumpkin spice

2 large eggs

15 ounces pumpkin puree

1 can evaporated milk

1 unbaked pie shell

whipped cream (optional)

Mix sugar, salt and spice in a small bowl.  Beat eggs in a large bowl, add pumpkin and sugar spice mixture.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into a pie shell and bake in a preheated 425 degree oven 15 minutes.  Decrease heat to 350 degrees and bake 40-50 minutes until a knife comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack 2 hours.  Serve immediately topped with whipped cream, or refrigerate.

Happy Eating, Happy Pumpkin Pie, and Happy Dog Days End.  Thanks for supporting and buying local produce from Circle S Farm.

“If ever in doubt, throw a pepper in the air. If it fails to come down, you have gone mad, so don’t trust in anything.”    -Gregory Maguire

Never have I grown so many peppers.  Jennifer helped me trellis them this year, perhaps that is why.  We usually let the plants get heavy and fall to the ground.

Dog days is nearly over, and the weather feels like fall is coming.  Two more weeks of Dog Days CSA.  We have had enough of these hot, hazy dog days, the dogs and I.

Farm News:  The Dog Days CSA ends September 26.  If you are a half share, your delivery tomorrow will come in a paper bag instead of a bucket.

I am planning to start Fall blast October 16, so there will be a two week break.  I will be in touch if you signed up for Fall Blast CSA.

What’s in the bucket?  Peppers!  Again?….you say.   Perhaps you wish you were mad so you could throw them into the air and they would not come down!

Sweet potatoes, beets or baby turnips, Red Russian kale, Poblano peppers, sweet peppers, cilantro.

Pickle them!  You can cut up sweet and hot, mash them into the same jar.  They will all be hot then, mind you.  Boil white vinegar, add sugar, salt and a little water to taste.  Pour over your peppers.  Now they are quick pickled and will last in your fridge for a month or more.  Curtis and I can go through a jar every week.  We eat them on beans, sandwiches, quesadillas, grits, rice, crackers, burgers, potatoes….need I keep going?

Following, a recipe from Chili pepper madness.com.  You may need more ideas from this site if you throw your peppers up and they all come down!  Or more wine….right?

The pairing for this recipe from Scenic City Wine.  This is a good one – really compliments the mildly spicy flavor of this dish.

Biokult Naken Österreich

Stuffed Poblanos

“The serpent, the king, the tiger, the stinging wasp, the small child, the dog owned by other people, and the fool: these seven ought not to be awakened from sleep”  -Chanakya

With the cooler temperatures, I decided it was time to put my big girls back to work.  That, and I have broken every other piece of equipment we use in the garden this summer including the tiller that goes on the tractor.  We have had that for over 20 years.

It takes time to talk the girls into work.  Every morning I wake up and look out the window at them standing like this.  Fighting flies.  Waiting for breakfast.

I have to feed them in the corral to catch them, then brush them and love on them for a few days.  Also, I had to pull my cultivator out of the weeds and get it ready for work.  So, Saturday, I felt like we were ready.

I fed the big girls.  I moved all the drip tape and other obstacles from the garden.  Then, I went to attach my row weeding implement to the cultivator.  Drug it out of the weeds and hmmm….where are all those black insects coming from?  Rats, no bees!….a nest in the pipe of the implement I am dragging.  To the house for the can of wasp spray.

I killed that nest,  and then…off to harness the horses.  We don’t have a horse barn (perhaps that is apparent by now), so my harness lives on a saw horse in a shed beside our hay barn.

Harness is heavy.  The hames that go across the neck are metal, and the chains that pull the cultivator are heavy duty chains.  In order to carry a harness, I put the britching and chains on my shoulder, then add the belly strap, then pick up the hames, one in each hand and drag it to the horses.

In this case, the weeds had grown up around the shed so I would be dragging through high weeds and a gate, then through the corral.

When I picked up the first harness I saw a yellow jacket on it.  After inspecting the harness I did not see a nest attached, so through the weeds I go.

When I went to get the second harness, I had to pick up some of the chains, and straps to get them pulled off the sawhorse.  I guess I bumped the red wagon they were sitting behind.   I had already put the harness over my shoulder and was reaching for the hames, and here they came, the yellow and black assassins.    I was determined not to be run out by those bees, but after the first sting I decided to drop the harness and run for cover.  Tip and Diamond too.  I looked but still could not see the nest.   Stubborn to continue with my endeavor, I went around to the other side.  After tripping and wading through all the stacked lumber and other stuff farmers tend to accumulate, I reached the wagon.  It looked like the nest was under a tarp stashed towards the back of the wagon.  I decided it was a two person job to kill those bees.  When Curtis got home I said….I think one of us needs to lift the tarp and the other needs to spray it.  He looked at me and said “I think I would like to be the one holding the spray can”.

Needless to say, maybe that is a job for next weekend.  Perhaps we drag the wagon out so we have a clear path to runaway.

So the big girls went back out in the field to wait for fall, and frost  and….no more bees!  And I am stuck with hand tools that I have not broken….yet!

Farm News:  some interesting facts about yellow jackets

*Yellow jackets live in some pretty strange places. If you go into an outbuilding or shed, you might find yourself face to face with a lot of angry yellow jackets. This is because they get into these places and build their nests in old furniture, stacked materials, and other unexpected things.
*Yellow jackets sting multiple times. Unlike many bees, these wasps don’t have a barb on their stinger. That means that, not only will they live long after they’ve stung you, they can sting you several times. So, it is no fun running into even a small nest of yellow jackets.

(got that right)

This time of year there are nests everywhere….and bees get meaner in the fall.  At least the hornets kill flies….so I give them a pass.  Honey bees and carpenter bees are pollinators, so I give them a gold star.  All others in my book…”no fun”.

What’s in the bucket?  Pepper Pallooza….pickle them, ferment and make hot sauce, stuff and freeze them.  They are the highlight this week.  Also, North Georgia Candy Roaster.   These squash were cultivated by the Native Americans right here in North Georgia.  And I quote another farmer in saying they are “Sweeter than a butternut…Better than a sweet potato.”  Cut them in half and roast like any other winter squash.

Also…Okra, Arugula (makes excellent pesto), bunches of mixed kale, last of the summer squash and zucchini and/or eggplant, more Daikon (Yay!)… quick pickle them if they are adding up in your produce drawer:)  I had hoped for green beans  by now….but the deer and rabbits have been nipping the tender tops off and stunted them.

And the recipe and wine pairing from Scenic City Wines for the week….ratatouille.

Francesca Castaldi “Rosable” Rosato Colline Novaresi

I have a whole row of eggplant.  I thought I would have thousands by now.  But only a few trickling in.  Bugs love eggplant leaves.

This is a no recipe recipe.  Use what you have….lots of peppers, summer squash, an eggplant if you have it.

Ingredients:

2-3 sweet peppers, yellow, red or purple

eggplant and/or summer squash zucchini sliced thinly – enough to fill your skillet

half of an onion, thinly sliced

one clove of garlic, minced

2 T butter or olive oil or mix

one large tomato or 2 small

salt and pepper, parsley to taste, dried or fresh

grated mozzarella or parmesan

1.  Stir fry veggies in oil or butter.  You might want to do the eggplant first separately if you don’t want it to be too mushy, then add when other veggies are done.  But I am a fan of throwing it all in there together.  Salt, parsley and pepper to taste
2. slice tomatoes and lay over the top of your veggies in the skillet.  A light sprinkle of salt on the tomatoes.  Cover and continue to cook over low heat until the tomatoes render there juices.
3. Heat oven to about 350 degrees.  Remove lid and sprinkle mozzarella and/or parmesan over the top.  Cook until bubbly and cheese is melted.  Serve with short pasta such as penne or shells, or rice or crusty bread.

Happy eating, happy yellow jackets, and thanks for buying local food from Circle S Farm!

“Anyone who has a continuous smile on his face conceals a toughness that is almost frightening.”
― Greta Garbo

Monday is Labor Day.  So we will be laboring and smiling.  Looking forward to bringing lots of delicious food to you for Labor Day dinner!

Farm News:  Halfway through the Dog Days session, and I’m feeling the seasons change.  Days are a little shorter.  Produce is a little more like fall.  Winter squash coming in, sweet potatoes are ready to dig.  So this week will be some of the last of summer, and some of the first of fall.

What’s in the Bucket?  Okra, sweet peppers, maybe a summer squash, daikon radish, turnip greens, arugula, butternut squash, mint.

A friend at the market suggested a way to cook the longer, tougher okra which is fantastic.  Cut them in quarters, fry them in olive oil and they turn out like french fries.  Dip them in hot sauce, or ketchup or any sauce of your choice.  This will be the last week for okra, so take advantage….

Following….Recipe and wine pairing for the week: 

From Food and Wine

“No man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one.”
― Elbert Hubbard

Farmers don’t really get vacations, weekends, or holidays.  Saturdays and Sundays are just like every other day.  Labor day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day….just like every other day.

We plan times to leave.  Usually something dramatic happens.

I remember, Curtis and I years ago, planned a ski trip with family.  Got up to feed cows on our way to the airport, and a cow was dead as a doornail.  Right outside our neighbor’s window.   Hmmmm….called a friend with a bulldozer and hoped for the best:)  We ended up coming home early for a different cow that had milk fever and a horse with a serious foot injury.  Maybe we should have seen the bad omen!

There is no day off.  Animals and plants need to have water and care.  They get sick, sometimes…  there are predators.  Even if your management is holistic and organic.

So….most of the time Curtis and I travel separately.  Someone is always at the farm.  Jennifer and Josh take care of things when we really need to get away together, and they are amazing.

Farm News:  Diamond and I snuck away to NC mountains to visit my parents this weekend.  Soooooo much cooler.  We did not want to come home.  But weeds, heat and a tired Curtis welcomed us back.

What’s in the bucket?:  Sweet potato greens, Daikon radish, summer squash, spaghetti squash, a tomato?, baby kale, turnip greens, sweet peppers, hot chili peppers.

I tried this Congolese sweet potato greens recipe a while back.  It is fantastic, even Curtis raved about it. Serve with rice, and protein if you wish (beans, tofu, or meat)

And of course….it has a wine pairing from Scenic City Wine

Bodegas Frontonio “Microcosmico” Garnacha Valdejalón

Congolese Sweet potato greens

2 bunches sweet potato greens, leaves separated from main stem, washed and sliced thin

2 fresh tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

hot peppers and sweet peppers, to taste

2 T creamy peanut butter

1 T salt

3 cups water

1 tsp smoked paprika

Bring water, PB, salt and smoked paprika to a slow boil

Meanwhile, put tomatoes, onion, garlic, sweet pepper in a food processor

add tomato mixture and sweet potato greens to water etc and simmer 20 minutes

Serve with rice, salted fish or protein of choice

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

“We often miss opportunity because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work”
― Thomas A. Edison

Continuing on with the Dog Days strategy.  The lovely cool weather has been wonderful, and I got all my fall plant starts in….broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, cabbage, turnip greens, kalebration kale mix, arugula.  But Temps are creeping up and I’m feeling back into Dog Days.

So the pups and I made time for some paddle boarding yesterday.

Not that we missed any work.  These guys take chickens and egg gathering pretty seriously.

Farm News:  rabbits are eating my plants.  Started with a beautiful row of green beans.  Covered them.  Now they are eating my broccoli starts.  Rats!….  No Rabbits!  But I did feel kinda bad when I hit one of them with the mower:(  A rabbit, that is.

What’s in the bucket?  Spaghetti squash, basil, a summer squash, a few tomatoes….end of the season….yay!  poblano peppers, daikon radish with greens, and lovely first cutting arugula.

This recipe takes some time.  I’m usually not excited about that….but I multi-tasked.  Put the spaghetti squash in and did some bookwork…housework.   It’s in the oven now.   So I can’t tell you how it turned out but I think it will be delicious.  AND…..the wine pairing is….

Zlatan Otok ‘Bilo Idro’ Marina Cuvée Croatia

You can pick it up at Scenic City Wines in St. Elmo (closed on Monday)

This is a NY Times (highly rated) recipe

In ancient Greece and Rome, the Dog Days were believed to be a time of drought, bad luck, and unrest, when dogs and men alike would be driven mad by the extreme heat!  -Farmer’s Almanac

Well I’ve been mad most of my life, but the heat doesn’t help.  However, I can’t tell that it makes the dogs grumpy.  They take dips in the pond, drink lots of water, and keep right up.

Farm News:  Too hot to move very fast.  Horses sweaty by 9 AM.   They come to the water trough and let me spray them down with cool water.  Everything looking for shade (including me).   But the dogs, Diamond and Tip seem to be handling it OK.  Dog Days!

Ok, after coming clean about my lack of love for tomatoes last week, I have something new to talk about.  Green tomatoes.  I kind of love them.  I just read this week….you shouldn’t eat them raw.   Kind of like the green on potatoes, they have a toxin.   However, I have come to love them cooked.  So the recipe this week….green tomato and potato curry.    I love this recipe.  NO shopping here.  Just herbs you probably have in your cabinet, oil, and the vegetables.  Super easy to make, and remember how.  It will work with squash and green beans, or cabbage and sweet potatoes this fall.  And Matt’s wine pairing is the perfect match  (Matt Olson…Scenic City Wine in St. Elmo)

Fabrizio Vella “Biologico Non Filtrato” Bianco Terre Siciliane

What’s in the bucket:  GREEN TOMATOES…..okra, potatoes, garlic, red slicing tomatoes (I won’t deny you these!) sweet onions, mint.

Green Tomato Curry with Potatoes and Garlic from Raghavan Iyer’s 660 Curries