Winter is the time for organizing

So far this winter we have just spent our time trying to gather our marbles.  We fix anything that got broken during our busy summer, clean up both in and around the house, and organize.  Not only do we strive to be more organized every winter for our own sanity, it also makes it easier when it comes to tax time.  I also wrecked our Jeep in this lovely winter mess we have outside.  But have no fear, I am okay!  We actually were able to buy a Subaru Outback wagon for carting flowers around in.  And, it's all wheel drive, so no more worries about sliding around in the snow.  Now I feel like I'm ready for dealing with the winter weather, which is probably a good thing since it doesn't look like we are going to get a break until spring comes around.  But on the brighter side of things, we have been able to spend this time inside working on learning Quickbooks, but also planning our crops for next year.  In our fancy new used car, we will be going to Missouri for another grower's conference and visiting a few awesome farms on the way.  We will make sure to document our trip to share!
Have a good holiday season everyone!

ASCFG conference

We just went to the national conference held by the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers.  We learned a lot and look forward to adding some new things to the repertoire.  Here are some photos of our trip.  There is a lot going on at Bear Creek Farms in Stillwater, Oklahoma.  That is where the President of the ASCFG farms, and look at how red that soil is!

CSA week #18... the end

Digging our first successful sweet potato crop :)

Season's End

The little bit of frost we got on Saturday morning has killed off some of the flowers and the one expected on Thursday morning may just finish the flowers off. This is, however, the latest frost we have experienced since we have been farmers. It has been a nice little extra boost to get us ready for the winter though, so it has been appreciated.

We have lots of spinach, salad greens and root crops planted for production through the winter months. We will be producing about 3 times more than we did last winter and hope to pick up some more restaurants on our wholesale accounts. We will also be doing markets through the winter. The Granville market will be every Saturday at the Baptist church on the corner of Broadway and Main Street. The Worthington market will be every week. For more information visit the website http://www.owba.net/winter_farmers_market.htm.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support through the season. This year's CSA was very enjoyable for us and we look forward to providing you all next year. We are going to spend the winter months figuring out the logistics of having a multi-farm CSA, but everything is looking promising. We will definitely let you know as soon as more information is available. The community of people we have gathered around us this year has been great and hopefully you will continue to grow with us. So, thank you again for your understanding and support throughout the season.

Hope the winter treats everyone well. And, if you feel like getting out of the house, come see us at the market. I will be doing the Granville High School craft show on November 6. Or, you can just come out to the farm and pick up some spinach or salad greens. Either way, keep in touch and thank you for being a part of this Community Supported Agriculture program.

What's included this week?

1. Braising mix- great cooked down as a side dish for dinner
2. Lettuce mix
3. Radishes
4. Honey from the bees on our farm
5. Sweet potatoes
6. Butternut Squash- although you have gotten a lot, you can use some to stock up for winter. We have been cutting them into thin medallions and baking them in the oven until they are crispy on the edges. Just put some salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, and/ or sage

Recipe of the Week

Honey Balsamic Vinagrette

3 T olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

1 T honey

salt, pepper, and thyme to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a jar with a lid. Then simply put the lid on and shake before use. The extra can be stored in the fridge, but make sure to shake it up before the next use. The quality of the ingredients you use will change the taste, so pick good olive oil and balsamic. It is worth it!

Thank you for your support, Gretel and Steve

CSA week #17

 We kicked this greenhouse's ars... I mean seriously, that was quick!

Mr. and Mrs. Fixit here

As the season winds down, projects begin which is what has definitely been the case this year. We received the greenhouse on Monday and got everything constructed and all the poles up before the weekend was over. Now we just need to put some lumber on it to help hold the plastic on that still needs stretched. We are fortunate to have some friends that are good with construction :)

We have had our first fire in our wood burning stove and have come to a realization that despite this Indian Summer we are currently experiencing, it is almost time to need firewood up at the house. We haven't begun to split more wood, but luckily in the past couple of years, we have built up our supply. We have been getting the other greenhouses ready for cold weather too. We have to make sure we have it airtight for when it's really cold and needs to retain as much heat as possible.

We are doing the same thing with our house right now replacing a few really old windows and a new storm door. Before we moved in, the house had not been insulated and the windows were pretty much ancient. All of them being made of wood has led them to just rot with contact with moisture, making it impossible to open them in the summer and impossible to close them in the winter time.

After these windows are replaced though, we have just the sliding glass door to replace which will be another year's project. Moving into an old house means lots of upkeep, but for us it also means learning how to fix things as new things break. You know, my parents always made me go to Home Depot with them while we were going out to dinner or something like that, and I hated it, now I can't imagine my life without going to a hardware store. Oh the joys of being all growed up...

What's included this week?

1. Braising mix- greens for cooking. I have been using the greens recipe and adding some brown sugar... sweet and savory!
2. Lettuce mix- Same idea as a spring mix, only a fall mix
3. Turnips because they were so yummy last week
4. Lg pumpkin from Anderson Orchards in Pickerington. For decoration or carving.
5. Butternut Squash
6. Bell peppers

Recipe of the Week

Squash Pot Stickers

1 lb. Butternut squash peeled and seeded, flesh cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds

20 wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen

1/4 cup canola oil

Put squash, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sugar, and salt in a med saucepan. Cover with water; bring to a boil over med-high heat. Cook until squash is very soft, about 12 mins; drain. Transfer to a med bowl; mash with a fork until smooth. Stir in scallions and ginger. Stir together sesame seeds, 1/4 cup water, and remaining 1/2 cup soy sauce in a bowl; set sauce aside. Place 1 scant tablespoon filling in the center of each wrapper; brush edges with water. Bring up corners to make a triangle; press to seal. Place on a baking sheet; freeze until firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add 10 potstickers, and cook, shaking pan frequently, until bottoms are golden brown. Turn pot stickers over; very carefully pour in 1/2 cup water, and cover. Steam until most liquid is evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish; cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil and pot stickers. Serve with dipping sauce.

Thank you for your support, Gretel and Steve

CSA week #15

Wild berries either blackberries or black raspberries.  Whatever they are, they grow all over our place and are everbearing so we love it!  And, back to lettuce season again.  Look at that nice fall mix.

Duck processing

After much deliberation, we decided to process the remaining male ducks we had left. We weren’t sure if we were going to keep one and mate it with the female so we could have little ducklings, but we found out that you need to have 6 females for one drake due to their sex drive. We had four males to one female, poor girl!

So last Sunday, we took them over to a friends house who is a chef so he could help us break them down into pieces and let us borrow his vaccuum sealer. We decided to keep the female because she was laying eggs and we enjoyed having her around. Then, Thursday we had plans to make a nice dinner for ourselves and relax, but we had just a few more things to do outside before we were done. So, we put the dogs out while we got ourselves ready to go outside.

Then we caught our husky with the duck in his mouth?!?! We saved poor Mrs. Duck for a reason, and it just seems ironic that we kept her purposefully, and then our dog was a cold blooded killer. I mean, she was wondering around looking for her pack, so maybe she went into his reach on purpose. Maybe they made a deal, like a suicide pact sort of thing. It was a very somber day here, but she did not die in vain. Instead of making our nice dinner and relaxing, we decided to process the meat that night which led to a quick sandwich for dinner at about 11:30 pm. What a change in our daily plans… RIP Mrs. Duck, you will be missed!

What’s included this week?

1. Butternut squash- can be stored through the winter should you not want to eat them now
2. Radishes
3. Lettuce mix
4. Peppers- hot and sweet
5. Carrots
6. Apples

Recipe of the Week

Butternut Squash Lasagna- it’s like pumpkin ravioli except much easier!

1 T olive oil

2-3 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes***

Salt and pepper

½ cup water

¼ cup butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

4 cups whole milk

pinch of nutmeg

12 no-boil lasagna noodles (one pkg)

2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a heavy, large skillet over medium heat. Add the cubed squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into skillet, cover and simmer over med heat until squash is tender, about 20 mins. Transfer squash into a mixing bowl and mash, add water if necessary. Season squash with more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a med saucepan over med heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a low boil over med high heat. Reduce the heat to med and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. (If you let it thicken too long, it will be too thick. Just add a little bit more liquid and take off heat.) Add the nutmeg. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the over to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter a 13”x9”baking dish. Spread ¾ cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Cover the bottom of pan with one layer lasagna noodles. Spread half of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with ½ cup sauce over the cheese. Repeat layering once more, finishing with a layer of noodles covered only by white sauce.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna and continue baking until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy! This recipe feeds about 8 people, but can freeze for another dinner later should you have a smaller family.

Thank you for your support,

Gretel and Steve

CSA week #16

 Making kraut, shelling beans, and the season for squashes and sweet potatoes... winter here we come!

What do I do with all this food?

Instead of focusing on the newsletter this week, I want to make sure that everyone is getting full use out of the produce that comes with the fall season. Some of it takes more processing in order to utilize all parts of the product, but it is totally worth it.

What’s included this week?

1. Radishes- if you feel like you have been getting too many radishes for you to eat, have no fear… just remove the green tops and store separately. Leaving them on will draw moisture and nutrients from the radish bulb. The radishes can be stored in the refrigerator, in plastic for about 1-2 weeks. If you like the tang of radishes, you can include the greens in the greens recipe provided.
2. Lettuce mix
3. Turnips- remove the greens and store the same as you did with radishes. Then, use the bulbous part in the roasted veggie recipe and the greens in the other… yum! Turnips can also be cooked like mashed potatoes to give your potatoes a little more flavor.
4. Bok Choy- a Chinese cabbage, great in sautés or soups
5. Wild berries- great on top of pancakes, ice cream, cereal
6. Sage- good paired with meat or with root vegetables for a great savory flavor
7. Full share- Arugula

Recipes of the Week

Roasted Root Veggies

3-4 carrots, peeled

1 large sweet potato, peeled

3-4 turnips, quartered

2-3 potatoes

3 T good olive oil

½ salt and ¼ tsp pepper

Sage, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut all the veggies into similarly sized pieces so they cook evenly. Place all the cut veggies in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss well so all pieces are lightly coated. Add salt, pepper, and herbs to taste. Roast for 25-35 minutes until all the veggies are tender, turning once. Garnish with fresh herbs (or for the full share people, sprinkle the baby arugula on top for a nutty flavor).

This recipe is a great one to have in your arsenal. You can use different herbs based on what you have around, sage and thyme also go well with roasted veggies ( but so do rosemary and parsley, so don’t discriminate). You can also use parsnips, celery, beets, or slices of different squashes. Just experiment!

Turnip Greens

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 ½ pounds turnip greens, washed, stemmed, and chopped***

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 cup chicken stock

½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until tender and fragrant. Add the washed and cleaned turnip greens. Mix together. Cook until they have wilted down, about 3 minutes. Add pepper to taste. In a small bowl, whisk the Dijon mustard with the chicken stock. Add to the wilted greens and cook until the liquid has all but evaporated. Add the toasted pecans and serve immediately.

My husband likes them sweet too, so add just a little bit of brown sugar sometimes, but try it this way first.

*** To stem the greens, fold them in half along the stem, then rip the stem away from the leaf starting at the bottom. You can eat the stem too, but they take longer to cook, so chop them up well and put them in first before the leaves.

Thank you for your support,

Gretel and Steve

It's an open house y'all!

Come check me out selling soap at Sue Renner's Open House.  See date and time below.  

Shoot me an email if you are interested in attending and I can give you more details...

I would love to see you there!

Find homemade gifts and sweet treats for you or your loved ones during the holiday season.

CSA week #14

Our chestnut tree has been producing for us, some yummy chestnuts even raw... a little early for chestnuts roasting over an open fire though.








Fall has fallen
The transition into fall is always bittersweet for us. It is nice that we are not going to have to deal with sweltering weather, but is also a gentle reminder that the season is nearing an end. The farmer’s markets go through about the third week in October, which is typically when the first frost date is. Pretty crazy to think about huh?
With markers such as football season, and returning to school, we begin to reflect on the things that we have accomplished in the summer and thinking about what we are going to do through the winter. Our goal is to continue farming through the winter and making soap, and seeing how much the farm can support us without having to get other jobs.
Since I am going to school, it would be nice to be able to just do the farm for now and focus on school without having to work too. Last spring, I was taking classes full time, working full time, and trying to run a business which quickly became too much on my plate. Every year we have tested the waters a little bit more to see how much the business can sustain itself.
After the first year of farming, I quit my full time job as a social worker so we could farm full time in the summer. Slowly, Steve has worked little to none at the coffeeshop, with it first still being a couple days a week, then not through the summer, then last year barely any through the winter, and maybe this year not at all. And as for me, substituting is always an option, but my plan is to not start subbing until I need to.
Between the spinach and greens we will be growing in the winter, and all the soap making, maybe we won’t have to have outside jobs. It is crazy to think how much we have built the business up and kind of scary when your success lies totally on your own shoulders. But, I would much rather that then be working to make someone else’s business successful I suppose. But hopefully between our hard work and some good networking, we will continue to grow.




What’s included this week?
1. Pie pumpkin- great for pies or soup, see instructions below
2. Radishes
3. Lettuce mix
4. Sausage
5. Peppers- hot and sweet




Recipe of the Week
Cooking Fresh Pumpkin
A medium size pumpkin (4 lbs) yields around 1 ½ cups of pureed pumpkin (perfect for filling a pie). Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Place ½” water in a 13”x 9” baking dish and add the pumpkin, cut-side down. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until done. Allow to cool. Scoop out the flesh from the skin; place the flesh in a food processor, and puree. If your puree seems loose and wet, pour it into a fine sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth placed over a bowl to drain off some of the liquid. Then, you can either follow the recipe below which was given to me by a CSA member, or follow your favorite pumpkin pie recipe.




ZESTY PUMPKIN SOUP
¼ C. butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 t. curry powder
½ t. salt
¼ t. ground coriander
1/8 t. crushed red pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 ¾ cups pumpkin



1 cup half and half
Sour cream – chives (optional)

Melt butter, sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add curry, salt, coriander and red pepper; cook 1 min. Add broth; boil gently, uncovered for 15 to 20 mins. Stir in pumpkin and half and half; cook another 5 mins. Pour mixture into blender, cover and blend until creamy. Garnish with sour cream and chives if desired. Makes: 6 cups

I personally enjoy the mixture of sweet and savory when it comes to the nutty flavors of fall, so I also added some chili powder and brown sugar, giving the soup another layer of flavor too.



Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve

CSA week #12... sorry I skipped it!

Homemade pizza made from scratch with all farmer's market ingredients. Too much junk on there to be able to pick it up without it falling apart, so it required fork and knife to eat, but was super delicious!




Farm happenings
The busier we have gotten, the more reliant we have become on our wonderful help. We have two friends helping us out this year for which we are very grateful. There is no way we would be able to do all of this ourselves, that’s for sure.
Along with good people, we have also invested some money in working with better tools too. You would be amazed at the difference between trying to hand weed everything versus being able to use the walk- behind wheel hoe and all the other different garden hoes that we have been using this year.
We also just found out that we were approved for a grant through the Natural Resources Conservation Service for working on season extension with flowers. We are hoping to get the greenhouse up for use this fall, but that seems to be sneaking up on us quick. With the greenhouse ordered, we are now beginning to plan when we can get some extra help out here. There are anywhere from 25-30 hoops and each one is about 7 pieces that you have to put together, drilling metal to metal.
At this point, between raising our own greenhouses and helping others, we have constructed quite a few. It helps to know the method for the madness, but that doesn’t make it any less laborious. So we thought about buying pizza and beer for all of our friends, and seeing how many people we can recruit.
The first year that we decided to put up greenhouses, it took us all winter. It is not so much fun being out in the cold trying to drill through metal. We have to get the ground posts in before the ground freezes, but we were able to do it. Rain or shine, or snow I guess when you do it in the winter. Hopefully this year we can get enough recruits that we won’t have to be bundled up doing it in the snow. I mean at least you are enjoying being outside in the winter time, but I would much rather be throwing snowballs instead!


What’s included this week?

1. Apple Cider from Paige’s Produce… man it’s good!
2. Butternut squash because we are approaching fall quickly J
3. Tomatoes- probably the end, as summer crops are ending soon
4. Potatoes
5. Onions
6. Yams- great like a baked potato with brown sugar and butter inside, or slice real thin and make chips by either frying or baking until crispy… yum!

Recipe of the Week

Tasty Butternut Squash Soup
(I know it’s just barely fall, but this is such a comfort food for me sometimes I just can hardly wait.)
1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
Nutmeg
Salt and ground black pepper

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Serve.

Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve

We made another blog!

http://chickpeasplease.blogspot.com/2010/09/good-work-in-progress-sunny-meadows.html

Check it out!

CSA week #13

Farm cooperative: Working together just like your momma taught you

Through this year, we have realized that we may not be able to do everything on our own, despite how much we would like to. So, we are working on putting together some type of cooperative so that a gathering of farms could provide for a CSA. This year our flower business has expanded so much, that we are just running out of space to grow produce.

We have been in conversation with other growers to see who wants to be involved, and to gather a large variety of things to be provided to the CSA. Then, we could be responsible for spring and fall cool weather crops, soap, and pork; and find another farmer to grow the summer crops so we can focus on our flowers during the busy season. Until we figure this out, I don’t think there is anyway that we would be able to expand the CSA beyond what it is right now.

We will keep you updated on the progress as we have just begun to spread the idea around through our farmer friends in hopes to collect a large array of different types of products that our customers would be interested in. Since we already have a support system built up of interested CSA members, that has been a plus in our conversations with the other farmers since they wouldn’t be starting from scratch. And at this point, working together just seems like the best thing to do rather than abandoning the whole idea of the CSA when we have worked so hard to build it to what it is now.

We will let you know before the end of the season what the plan is for next year, so you can start saving up for the winter payment for the CSA. Being a returning customer, or being early will result in a discount on the price. Once we get established too, we would like to figure out some way to take food stamps or honor senior coupons to ensure more equal access to our produce. That may be a project for next year though, once the cooperative is established. But in the meantime, thanks for your support and continued interest in our farm!

What’s included this week?
1. Bell peppers
2. Soap
3. Onions
4. Tatsoi- an Asian spinach, eat it raw or braised
5. Beans
6. Sweet Corn

Recipe of the Week
Stuffed Peppers
(I love this recipe because you can do lots of variations from whatever is in your fridge)
4 red, green or yellow bell peppers, tops sliced off and chopped up
2 cups leftover rice or couscous
1 cup leftover meat, either ground or chopped up
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 scallions, chopped (or ½ of an onion, diced)

Slice off tops of bell peppers, remove seeds and discard. Chop up the bell pepper tops and place into a large bowl. Add rice or couscous, chopped meat, dried basil, parsley, chopped pepper tops, chicken stock and scallions. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Stuff each pepper with filling and place in a square baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender. I also like to melt my favorite cheese on top too, so in the last 10 minutes of baking, just add it on top and let it get all gooey on top…yum!
Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve

CSA week #11

Press Release

As our business has continued to build on our reputation, we have had some very fortunate encounters. Having a business, we have learned that you are always on in public, even if just going out to dinner. Last year we were given the opportunity to be in Columbus Monthly and the editor liked the picture so much, we even made the cover!

After it came out on newsstands, we went out to dinner to celebrate at Black Creek Bistro, the owner (Kent Peters) recognized us from the cover, and that began our relationship with them. We sold them greens all winter and have continued to sell produce to them since. We were approached by Kent about a month ago to be involved in a tour that was being held for some food writers here in Columbus. He wanted to show them our urban farm too since they would be spending a few days here.

So, a couple weeks ago, we held a tour at our farm for these food writers. They were brought in by an organization called Experience Columbus to give a little more exposure to the scene around town. After the tour, we got to eat at Black Creek Bistro with the group and get to know some of the writers a little better. Kent also purchased a bar of soap for every writer that was at dinner.

It was a great experience and have just been contacted by Country Living magazine as they are going to place my soap in the gift edition of their magazine for the holidays. How exciting! We now are being shown on Ohio magazine’s website too: http://ohiomagazine.com/Main/WishYouWereHere/8.aspx

And to think, it all began with just going out to dinner wanting to support a local business. Now Black Creek has been carrying my soap at the restaurant, I am in the process of building up the shopping cart on my website, and Village Flower Basket in Granville is going to carry my soap too! I may not be substitute teaching until after the holiday soap escapades have ended. Until then, I will just have to be making more soap then I ever could have imagined!

What’s included this week?

Apples- Galas that have not been sprayed, good for snacking

Peppers

Tomatoes

Okra

Squash

Sweet Corn

Recipe of the Week

Bubba’s Shrimp Gumbo (don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients, it’s worth trying)

1 cup butter (2 sticks), plus 1 tablespoon

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 chopped yellow onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup sliced fresh okra

3 cups shrimp stock

2 cups bottled clam juice

(can use any stock for above two ingredients if it’s already in the pantry)

1 cup chopped tomatoes w/ juice

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups cooked smoked sausage, sliced diagonally

2 lbs shrimp, cleaned and deveined

Serving suggestion: Over cooked white rice.

In a large heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt 1 cup of the butter. Add the flour, and cook on low heat until the roux is dark brown; about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring constantly. *Cook's Note: Brown does not mean burnt; if you burn the roux you have to throw it out and start over again.

Add the onions, celery, peppers and garlic and saute until translucent.

Mix in the okra and the remaining ingredients, including the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, and simmer over medium-low heat until thick, about 1 hour. Before serving, remove the bay leaves. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve over white rice, if desired.

Thank you for your support,

Gretel and Steve

Public exposure of the decent kind...

Another write-up from the food writers that paid us a visit. Check out Columbus!

http://heavytable.com/should-you-find-yourself-in-columbus-ohio/

Anyone up for dancing?

Just received this from my friend that instructs my dance class. It's an all adult class, so it's tons of fun, and you get exercise at the same time... Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Hello!

I hope you all enjoyed your summer break! I can't wait to catch up with you all! I am emailing some new dancers as well so I am putting all kinds of information in this email!

I will start off my introducing myself. My name is Katie Irwin-Henry. I began Irish Step dancing when I was five years old. I competed for fifteen years. I went to the world championships held in Ireland seven times, placed fifth in the mid-west championships and eleventh in the nation. After competition I went to the show Lord of the Dance and danced all over the world professionally. I moved to Chicago when I was twenty one to dance professionally with Trinity Dance Company. In January 2010 I completed my certification to teach Irish step dance(T.C.R.G.). I have been teaching with Regan Academy for over a year now.

My class is a fun and vibrant way to workout and meet new people. It is a breeze to get the basics needed for Irish dance in the first class then have a new "jig" by the end of class! I am very excited for the new dance year! Last year we only danced in soft shoes. This year my goal is to have everyone dancing a hornpipe! Which is hard shoe only!! I still have some kinks to work out on class details but wanted everyone to be in the loop. My goal is to start classes the second week of October. Classes will still run the same amount which is $40 per month paid on the first of every month. We have class once a week for an hour. Please do not hesitate to contact me with further questions.

Slainte!

Katie Henry

mailto:Henrykatiehenry2009@hotmail.com

http://www.reganacademy.com/

CSA week #11

Press Release
As our business has continued to build on our reputation, we have had some very fortunate encounters. Having a business, we have learned that you are always on in public, even if just going out to dinner. Last year we were given the opportunity to be in Columbus Monthly and the editor liked the picture so much, we even made the cover!
After it came out on newsstands, we went out to dinner to celebrate at Black Creek Bistro, the owner (Kent Peters) recognized us from the cover, and that began our relationship with them. We sold them greens all winter and have continued to sell produce to them since. We were approached by Kent about a month ago to be involved in a tour that was being held for some food writers here in Columbus. He wanted to show them our urban farm too since they would be spending a few days here.
So, a couple weeks ago, we held a tour at our farm for these food writers. They were brought in by an organization called Experience Columbus to give a little more exposure to the scene around town. After the tour, we got to eat at Black Creek Bistro with the group and get to know some of the writers a little better. Kent also purchased a bar of soap for every writer that was at dinner.
It was a great experience and have just been contacted by Country Living magazine as they are going to place my soap in the gift edition of their magazine for the holidays. How exciting! We now are being shown on Ohio magazine’s website too: http://ohiomagazine.com/Main/WishYouWereHere/8.aspx
And to think, it all began with just going out to dinner wanting to support a local business. Now Black Creek has been carrying my soap at the restaurant, I am in the process of building up the shopping cart on my website, and Village Flower Basket in Granville is going to carry my soap too! I may not be substitute teaching until after the holiday soap escapades have ended. Until then, I will just have to be making more soap then I ever could have imagined!

What’s included this week?
1. Apples- Galas that have not been sprayed, good for snacking
2. Peppers
3. Tomatoes
4. Okra
5. Squash
6. Sweet Corn

Recipe of the Week
Bubba’s Shrimp Gumbo (don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients, it’s worth trying)
1 cup butter (2 sticks), plus 1 tablespoon
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced fresh okra
3 cups shrimp stock
2 cups bottled clam juice
(can use any stock for above two ingredients if it’s already in the pantry)
1 cup chopped tomatoes w/ juice
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked smoked sausage, sliced diagonally
2 lbs shrimp, cleaned and deveined
Serving suggestion: Over cooked white rice.
In a large heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt 1 cup of the butter. Add the flour, and cook on low heat until the roux is dark brown; about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring constantly. *Cook's Note: Brown does not mean burnt; if you burn the roux you have to throw it out and start over again.
Add the onions, celery, peppers and garlic and saute until translucent.
Mix in the okra and the remaining ingredients, including the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, and simmer over medium-low heat until thick, about 1 hour. Before serving, remove the bay leaves. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve over white rice, if desired.

Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve

Press Release

Check out our new write-up.
http://ohiomagazine.com/Main/WishYouWereHere/8.aspx

CSA week #10

Our biggest wedding yet!!

Composting
Although not many households compost, it really cuts down on your output of waste. Instead of having a trash can full of food scraps, you can turn those foods scraps into black gold as the gardener’s call it. As the food breaks down, the food becomes less distinguishable and eventually is a black loose dirt that is spreadable on your garden.
Now you can not compost meat or dairy, but any veggie scraps, or even grass clippings you have can go in. These are considered the “green” part of the composting cycle. Then, you have the “browns” which need to be added to give the pile some body, so you don’t just have one big sloppy mess. This would be fallen leaves, cardboard, paper, or anything that is a little bit more woody (like for us, some of our flower stems count). If you are really good you will have a ratio of about 3 brown: 1 green, but no one’s perfect and neither is composting.
Basically, everything from inside that gets composted goes into a separate trash can with a lid. We eat a lot of veggies and drink a lot of coffee, so it adds up quickly and then is taken outside to the pile. We compost all of our napkins and paper towels (unless they were used to clean up grease or for soap making) and every once in a while I throw a cardboard box in there to make up for the browns I need. We let the pile accumulate until winter when it gets covered with a tarp and we move onto the next year’s pile. In the spring, we will turn the old pile to get it working again and then should be ready to use by fall.
So it takes a while, but it is worth it. You can also get a compost tumbler that hurries the process and contains the compost, although it doesn’t stink like you think it would. Another option is worm composting where you buy some worms that can digest all of these scraps and turn them into worm castings, which are also just as valuable for the garden.
On a more massive scale, Smith Farm Market drops off all of their unsold produce which they dump on our property. We turn it with the front end loader, still cover it in the winter time, and then use the tractor to move piles of it for hand spreading. This stuff is much better than fertilizer because you are increasing soil life and the healthiness of your plants. For more information check out Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Composting or check online. Or if you have any questions, feel free to ask. We are all about trying to get more people to compost and it makes sense even if you just have a flower bed and no garden!

What’s included this week?
1. Cherry Tomatoes
2. Focaccia bread from Lucky Cat Farm- great sandwich bread or to dip in eggs overeasy!
3. Eggs from Roshon Farms- same as last time, we just don’t have enough chickens to get everyone eggs. They are all natural chickens just like ours!
4. Bell peppers
5. Potatoes
6. Garlic

Recipe of the Week
Potatoes Au Gratin
4 potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 onion, sliced into rings
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic, smashed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 1 quart casserole dish. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add smashed garlic, then mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve

CSA week #9

Our first processing session ever- duck breasts for dinner... yum!

Fall planting

It seems like summer may be coming to an end, but we are actually only half way through the CSA as this marks week number 9 of 18. We are now in the process of planting all of our fall crops, which seems crazy since it is so hot out there still. To think about planting cool weather crops means we are nearing fall, although for us it can’t come soon enough. With many days this summer being around 90 degrees, this summer has been a struggle for us. We wilt just as fast as the flowers do out there in the heat.
This fall we are focusing on planting things that will store well through the winter or will withstand some cold weather. That is why you plant them now, because they have to be large enough and developed enough before the frost hits. The first or second week in October is when the frost typically comes, making our transition from summer to winter crops. None of the flowers we grow will survive the frost, so that’s when we officially make the switch to selling just produce which will continue until the first flower blooms again in spring.
This year we’ve got sweet potatoes planted, pie pumpkins, butternut squash and lots of carrots for us to store in the root cellar. We don’t officially have one, but we are going to dig any area to bury some produce as deep enough in the ground stays around 55 degrees even during the winter. Also, once the flowers are gone, our cooler is used for storage of crops. If you think you will need to store some of the product that you get in the fall, look up how to build your own root cellar or the conditions necessary for storage. There is lots of information out there about the proper storing conditions for each root crop. Preserving without canning or freezing is made possible with the help of a root cellar.


What’s included this week?
1. Tomatoes
2. Zucchini
3. Apples- these are from a friend’s farm who does not spray, so they may not look perfect, but they taste good. And, if you don’t want to eat them raw, just cook them up and then you can forget about the blemishes on the outside.
4. Sweet Corn
5. Potatoes
6. Sausage from our pigs- great for breakfast!

Recipe of the Week
Apple Crumb Pie
Filling:
6-8 apples, peeled and thickly sliced
½ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Topping:
¾ cup all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup butter

Toss the apples, sugar, and cinnamon until the apples are well coated. Mix the topping ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Spoon in the apple filling and sprinkle with the crumb topping. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 40-50 minutes until the topping has browned.
This is an alternative to pie with two crusts, but there are plenty of recipes out there for regular apple pie, so I thought I would give you something different to try instead. This one also seemed much easier for the beginning baker.


Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve

CSA week #8

A lovely Caprese Salad- tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil- what can beat that summer treat?

The entrance to our permaculture garden...

Farm Update
Being in the swing of wedding season, it has been kind of crazy here lately. We had two weddings last weekend and actually provided flowers for three weddings this weekend. This is on top of doing the orders for the florists, prepping for Whole Foods, and also going to two markets a week.
Luckily this year, we have had some help. I look back and wonder how we did all this on our own before. We have a floral designer that has been helping with the weddings, and have had a couple employees here at the farm. And, even with help it has still been pretty hectic around here.
Whole Foods would take 1,000 stems of sunflowers from us a week if we could keep up with them. We have been selling them so much that it is hard for us to even keep with having enough for the farmer’s markets. Summer is also the time for both of our birthdays and our wedding anniversary, so we try to squeeze some fun things in there too.
Last night we actually went to a class in Yellow Springs to learn more about Permaculture. This is a theory where perennials are used to build ecosystems that mimic how things would naturally grow in a forest. Meaning, making sure everything included in your garden is serving some purpose. I ordered the books for Steve for Christmas and we were able to go see the author speak about his theory (which is much easier to grasp the concept rather than reading an entire textbook about it).
Dave Jacke spoke about using native plants or reintroducing ones that have been crowded out by monocultures in our current agriculture system. So, to put it in English: we are too focused on having large fields of corn and soybeans that are sprayed with lots of chemicals, deplete the soil, and don’t create habitats for beneficial insects or other animals. In the permaculture theory, you focus more on creating a whole system by planting fruit or nut trees for the canopy above, while having blueberry bushes or rhubarb plants below. This allows you to better utilize your space because you are gardening vertically which is how nature does it, rather than horizontally in rows as most farmers do.
I’m sure it’s really confusing reading it for the first time, as I still didn’t understand everything that he talked about last night, but there is a lot of information out there should you be interested. His name is Dave Jacke and his book is called “Edible Forest Gardening”. You can also look up Bill Mollison, another author who wrote about permaculture. They even talked about turning a small yard into something that will feed your family rather than just a lawn. Very interesting, so check it out!

What’s included this week?
1. Green Beans
2. Tomatoes
3. Basil
4. Squash
5. Okra- slice then coat with egg, dip in flour, and fry. Do not stir it around while it is cooking, let the mixture cook on one side and then flip it all at once. The more you toss it around, the more of the coating will come off of the okra. This can also be used in any stews or stir fry to help thicken.

Recipe of the Week
Simple Spaghetti Sauce
Quart of tomatoes
Handful of basil
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, smashed and diced
Splash of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut any large tomatoes into quarters and put in large sauce pan. The tomatoes will take the longest to cook into sauce. All of the juices will come out of the tomatoes and then you will see the juice start to cook off and evaporate. That is when you add any other ingredients to your sauce. Make sure to stir the mixture often as any sticking to the bottom of the pan will burn during this process. How long you let the tomatoes cook down is really your personal preference. I leave some juices in there for a thinner sauce because I like to toss my cooked pasta into the sauce and absorb some of those juices. This can be used for any Italian dish too, not just spaghetti!

Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve

CSA week #7

Canning and Freezing
As I touched on in the last farm update, I do a lot of canning and preserving food. It takes a lot of hard work and is definitely a hot, sweaty process, but it is worth it in the middle of winter when you are eating things that you know came from your garden. Yes, buying canned goods is easier, but you can’t buy this taste in the store!
With the help of Craigslist this year too, I have built up a nice collection of canning jars with ones ranging from half pints to half gallons. And, I’m not done collecting yet, so if you see any at garage sales, think of me! I have also added a couple crocks to my collection in hopes to make some good fermented sauerkraut, then maybe eventually more fermented vegetables.
There are lots of good books out there with recipes, but jam or pickles I think are a good start. Just don’t use the sugar free pectin mix that is sometimes sold because the recipes do not set up into spreadable jam. You need the sugar in the recipe to help hold everything together no matter how fresh your fruit is. They try to convince you that the fruit has enough natural sugar in it, or that you can add artificial sweeteners, but neither have I found to be actually true.
I have included the recipe for bread and butter pickles, which is a good recipe to start with. There are enough acids and sugars involved, that you don’t even have to put them into a hot water bath. You will, however, need sterilized jars which can be done by placing jars into a 200 degree oven for an hour. This I usually just do before you start cooking the pickles, then they can just sit in there until you are ready for them.
If you are reusing jars, remember that you can’t reuse the lids. You can buy new lids at the store for like $2.00 a package. When you are getting ready to use them, heat some water either by boiling some on the stove, or microwaving until almost too hot to the touch. Then place the lids in the hot water and let them sit while packing the jars. You just need to heat up that rubber ring around the edge of the lid to ensure better sealing.
And, if you don’t have jars to use, even new at the grocery store, they are worth the investment. They are good to reuse for leftovers, or even as drinking glasses. I know my house is small enough I love anything that has a double use.

What’s included this week?
1. Cucumbers
2. Green peppers
3. Onions
4. Sweet Corn- if you feel like you are getting more than you can eat, just scald in boiling water for 4 ½ minutes then place in an ice bath. Then you can scrape the kernels off the cob and put in the freezer for the winter. It is very easy and totally worth it.
5. Potatoes

Recipe of the Week
Bread and Butter Pickles
(a multigenerational recipe)
2 quarts sliced cucumbers
1-2 large green peppers
3 large onions
¼ cup coarse salt
Slice the veggies thinly by hand or use a mandolin if available. Put all veggies in a large pan and mix well. Add 2 trays of ice and let stand for 3 hours. Drain. I usually start the next step before the 3 hours is up, then you can drain and get the cukes ready while the mixture below is coming to a boil. Just before you start the next step, put your jars either in the oven or in a hot water bath.
2 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 Tablespoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
Mix and bring to a boil, then add drained cucumbers and bring to a 2nd boil. You will see the transformation from cukes to pickles as the mixture turns green. While you are waiting for the second boil, prepare the lids as described before. Pack the finished pickles into the jars and make sure they are covered with the juice. You will want to leave 1 inch of space at the top, so don’t overpack. Put lid and ring on them and you are done! You will hear a pop when they seal as they cool down. Unlike dill pickles, you can eat these immediately or store them on the shelf. This recipe yields 4 pints or 2 quarts so can be doubled once you are comfortable with it and want to can more. One batch doesn’t last long in my house. And you can gift it too!

Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve

CSA week #6

Buying Local
Besides Whole Foods, most grocery stores don’t specify where there products are coming from. You may assume, such as bananas and pineapples are obviously not local, but nothing may be specifically labeled. There are also sometimes when I think people would rather not know that their clementines come from Spain, Mexico, or some South American country. We would rather just grab them and go without a second thought. As long as it is available at the grocery store, then it must be in season somewhere right?
Most things that have to endure that long haul in shipping are picked when they are underripe so the skins are harder and so they can ripen throughout the time it takes for them to get to the store. That’s why if you buy a tomato in winter, it may look nice and red on the outside, but is just grainy textured mush on the inside. Buying things that were picked that morning at their optimum freshness just make more sense for our taste buds and nutritionally.
Going to the farmer’s markets is one of my favorite things to do, and not because I am a vendor there. I shopped at farmer’s markets before I even thought about becoming a farmer, mainly because I enjoyed being able to talk to the farmer that grew it with his own two hands, and because everything tasted so much better.
When I was in college, I had organic strawberries in season for the first time, and I swore they were the best strawberries I had ever eaten. Experiences like that get tainted by the fact that strawberries are available all year at the grocery store, most people don’t even know when strawberry season is anymore.
When it comes to the choice of organic or local, to be honest with you, I choose local. I would much rather buy something that was fresh out of the field, then purchase something that has been in the shipping process for multiple days before it gets to me just because it has the organic label. Freshness is the key to taste.
And, I mean ultimately this idea applies to much more than just buying produce. Wouldn’t you rather support your neighborhood, independently owned business than the big corporations? I’m not trying to sound like I’m against the man or anything, but times are tough and small businesses need the support. It’s a hard decision to make, but worth the extra price that you sometimes have to pay for fresh, local produce.

Learn more about being a locavore at
http://www.local-matters.org/ or visit your local farmer’s market.

What’s included this week?
1. Eggs from Roshon Farms
2. Yellow Crookneck squash
3. Tomatoes- Celebrity Supremes, a red hybrid (heirlooms to come)
4. Potatoes
5. Garlic

Recipe of the Week
Frittata (a Spanish omelet)

Goes great with fried potatoes too!

6 eggs, beaten
1-ounce Parmesan, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup chopped roasted squash
1/2 cup chopped country ham (or not if you don’t eat meat)
1 tablespoon parsley leaves
Preheat oven to broil setting.
In medium size bowl, using a fork, blend together eggs, Parmesan, pepper, and salt. Heat 12-inch non-stick, oven safe sauté pan over medium high heat. Add butter to pan and melt. Add squash and ham to pan and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour egg mixture into pan and stir with rubber spatula. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the egg mixture has set on the bottom and begins to set up on top. Sprinkle with parsley. Place pan into oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned and fluffy. Remove from pan and cut into 6 servings. Serve immediately.

This recipe yields 6 servings, so if you don’t want to use all your eggs in one recipe, half it and only feed 3 people. The good thing is that it uses one egg per person so you can stretch them out a little bit!

Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve

CSA week #5

Living a Sustainable Lifestyle
You hear the term thrown around a lot, but what does being sustainable actually mean? Well, it means that you are a system that supports yourself without any outside assistance. In today’s world, it is close to impossible to completely escape it, but it is definitely a goal to strive for.
Here at the farm, we try to do as much for ourselves as we possibly can. First, we grow our own food, which is a first big step. With all of the preserving that I do, our grocery bill is quite minimal. Also, we heat our house with a wood burning stove which means that we are constantly splitting firewood to keep up with our heating needs. But why would you want to live like this?
We take pride in living minimally and although sometimes it is definitely harder than just letting someone else do it, or just going to the grocery store, it is worth it knowing that you are responsible through hard work and perseverance. Don’t get me wrong, some of it is out of necessity as well. Being a farmer isn’t the most well paid job, but if the world was coming to an end, we would know how to support ourselves.
The animals that we raise are a part of the system of being sustainable as well. With the pigs that we had, the chickens, and the ducks, we also provide ourselves with another healthy alternative to buying mass produced meat from the grocery store. Really once you’ve had meat that is raised the proper way, conventional meat just won’t taste the same. And yes, sometimes it is difficult to slaughter the animals that you have worked so hard to raise, but at least you know they led a good life while they were around.
Our chickens figured out how to hop the fence last year and have been completely free-range ever since. This is good for us because we know we have some happy egg layers, and it cost less to feed them when they are out and about eating bugs. They also get fed our kitchen scraps, meaning that they get a well rounded diet.
The pigs are at another farmer’s place because he has more space for them to run around and be happy pigs. We enjoyed the meat so much last year that we are raising another round of pigs. The half a pig that we received in November is actually already been gone for a while because we couldn’t keep our hands off of it. And with raising pigs, preserving food, having fresh eggs, and heating the house with wood, our costs were significantly low this winter. These are the steps that we are taking to try to live a sustainable lifestyle with being off the grid as our eventual goal. What can you do that will help yourself and our environment?

What’s included this week?
1. Brats fresh from our pigs that were processed last week- grill these out with the corn…yum!
2. Bunching onions- aka scallions
3. Sweet corn- soak overnight and then just put on grill with husk on, gives you roasted, fair food-like flavor
4. Carrots
5. Mint- use fresh or hang to dry

Recipe of the Week
Fresh Sun Tea

1 large sun tea container (usually about a gallon in size)
5 tea bags
2 fresh sprigs mint

Place the tea in the bright sun for a few hours. Bring it in and mix in any sweetener that you want while it is still warm, that way the sugar or honey will dissolve. Do not leave out in the sun all day, and don’t try on a cloudy day either. Other than that, it’s pretty plain and simple.

Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve