11/16/2011

I didn't forget about the blog, I promise!  We've been pretty busy working when we can to get ready for the winter lay-off (Keith says "pretty busy" is a VAST understatement--which is super true).  This is just a quick update and I'll try to get some recipes posted when I get a little more time!

The days are getting cloudier and cooler, and the nights are getting MUCH colder!  Our greens are suffering a little bit with the lack of sunshine to spur on good green growth, but they're still trudging along.  Our lettuce is growing slowly (mostly because of a series of mishaps that allowed the chickens to ravage it with scratching and digging), the pak choi is gone, the spinach has temporarily stalled but will grow more with this weekend's warmer weather, and even the kale and arugula has began to slow down.

Tomorrow we are being inspected to get licensed to sell our chickens to retail!  We have a handful of interested restaurants that I'm really excited about partnering with--one of which is known for extremely high-quality foods.  Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well for us!

As for the meat birds, we're not 100% on when they'll be processed, but it will be soon.  We've decided that we're shooting ourselves in the foot trying to get them to grow out in this cold weather.  The colder it gets, the more stress they're put under, and the more stress they're under leads to extreme inefficiencies in feed conversion.  They'll be small, but still delicious!  Unfortunately, due to a), my number crunching and b), higher feed costs, we will have to charge more per pound for them in order to keep our pastured poultry endeavour feasible.  Currently, we are going through 60lbs. of feed per day--or about 25$/day in feed.  You can see how the costs quickly blow up!  We're researching ways to decrease our feed costs for next spring, but it looks like they're about as low as they're going to be just because we're raising heritage breed birds and not grain-guzzling, explosive growth spurt fat machines.

 Our layers are slowing waaaay down--eight eggs a day (on a good day!) from thirty birds.  Our baby hens will start laying in mid-December, which will help a lot!  Costs for eggs will stay the same ($3.00/dozen).

We're also looking at equipment (GOF is all growed up!) that will help us increase our yields and decrease our labour next year.  The only thing that's really tying us up is how to efficiently deliver water to our entire three acres.  What a headache that will be!

See you next week (or post--whichever comes first)!

- Keith & Sierra
     (and gimpy Dexter and Oliver!)

Beer Brats and Greens

Sooo, had a DELICIOUS dinner tonight and needed to post it for you all!  Another GREAT way to enjoy your greens!

Beer Brats with Onions and Greens

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz beer
4 bratwurst
lots of greens, chopped

Saute onions in hot oil in large saucepan until tender (about 2 minutes).  Add garlic and heat through. Add brats and brown on both sides.  Pour in beer and bring to simmer.  Reduce heat and cover; simmer gently about 35-40 minutes (watch to make sure the beer doesn't evaporate!  You'll need some to cook the greens in, and your onions will definitely burn if the beer evaporates out).  Add greens and cook until wilted.  Serve immediately.


Soooo good!  We used wheat bread as buns and it was just delicious.  The beer really takes the bite out of arugula.  .. But use a good beer, seriously.  We recommend Fat Tire Ale.  Or Keith does.  He likes it a lot.

Enjoy!

10/22 CSA Pick-Up

Hi guys!  Did you ever think you'd have a pick-up again?  We're trying as hard as we can to keep greens growing for you so that we can make up for the terrible summer season.  Now, we know that greens will never make up for missing a fresh, ripe tomato that is still warm from the sun, but it's better than nothing!

This week's share includes kale, pak choi, arugula, purple basil and green tomatoes (for pictures of the greens, see the previous post).  I've dug up some recipes for you so that you can enjoy these greens and 'maters in their best flavor!  Of course, all of these greens are terrific fresh in salad (you may want to cut the arugula down with another green if you aren't used to the flavour), or you can wilt them in butter or olive oil, or throw them in a stew.  They're so versatile!  Bread and fry green tomato slices for a quick, delicious dose of comfort food.  And don't forget to eat the stalks of the pak choi also--it tastes just like buttery celery.  Throw them in a soup or pasta sauce!

Classic Colcannon

4-6 large potatoes (about 3 pounds)
2 Tbsp. butter
3 c. packed chopped kale leaves
1 c. chopped onion
1/2-2/3 c. milk, warmed
1-2 Tbsp. chopped parsley (1 tsp. dried)
salt and pepper

Peel and cut up potatoes.  Boil in salted water until tender.  Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add kale and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are barely soft.  Drain potatoes and mash them with the milk; mix in kale/onion mixture and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spread in a buttered baking dish and bake at 375* for 20 minutes.  Makes 4-6 servings.

 Kale Souffle

softened butter to grease dish
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
1 2/3 c. milk, warmed
salt and pepper
pinch of cayenne
5 egg yolks
1 c. cooked and finely chopped kale, cooled
1 c. grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill or 2 tsp. dried
7 egg whites, at room temperature

Heat oven to 400*.  Butter bottom and sides of an 8-cup souffle dish or deep, round baking dish; spread buttered areas with Parmesan.  Melt 4 Tbsp. butter in saucepan; stir in flour and cook over low heat several minutes, stirring often.  Whisk in milk until thickened; season with salt, pepper and cayenne.  Cool 10-15 minutes.  Beat in egg yolks one at a time.  Stir in kale, Gruyere and dill.  Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt in a clean bowl with electric beaters until firm peaks form.  Fold a quarter of the whipped egg whites into the kale mixture, then gently fold in the rest (DO NOT OVERMIX).  Gently spread mixture into prepared pan.  Place into oven, reduce heat to 375*, and bake until high, golden, and barely set in the center, 35-40 minutes.  Serve immediately.  Makes 6 servings.

Shelled Cranberry Beans and Arugula

1 1/2 c. shelled fresh cranberry beans
1 tsp. minced garlic
3/4 c. chopped fresh arugula
salt and pepper

Bring a medium potful of salted water to boil.  Add cranberry beans and garlic; simmer until beans are tender, 12-15 minutes.  Drain off nearly all liquid.  Stir in arugula.  Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve immediately.  Makes 2-4 servings.

Raspberry Breakfast Salad

2 Tbsp. raspberry preserves
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. raspberry vinegar (or raspberry balsamic vinegar)
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
5 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
8-10c. assorted salad greens (SOOOO good with arugula!)
1 red apple, thinly sliced
1 c. raspberries

Make dressing:  Combine raspberry preserves, honey, vinegar, and mustard.  Gradually whisk in olive oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  To serve, toss greens with just enough dressing to lightly coat them.  Portion onto plates and garnish with sliced apples and berries.  Makes 6 servings.

Green Tomato and Egg Gratin

1 1/2 c. chopped green tomatoes
6 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
5 Tbsp. butter, divided
3/4 c. soft bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. (preferably unbleached) flour
1 1/2 c. low-fat milk

Heat oven to 350*.  Alternate layers of egg slices and tomatoes in shallow baking dish.  Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan.  Add bread crumbs; stir well.  Melt remaining butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.  Stir in flour and cook, stirring often, 3-4 minutes.  Whisk in milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Pour milk mixture over tomato/egg layers.  Top with bread crumbs.  Bake 35-40 minutes.  Makes 4-6 servings.


Grilled Pork Chops and Pak Choi with Sesame Garlic Glaze

3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 1/2-2 tsp. bottled Vietnamese-style chili garlic sauce
4 pork chops
8 large stalks pak choi (including greens), root ends trimmed

Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce in a large, deep plate or dish.  Place pork chops int he mixture, turning to coat all surfaces.  Let stand at room temperature, turning the chops occasionally while you prepare coals in an outdoor grill to medium heat.  When coals are ready, remove chops from the marinade and grill them until just done (3-4 minutes per side).  Meanwhile, grill the pak choi stalks until tender, about the same amount of time as the chops, basting them with the remaining marinade while they cook.  Serve with rice or an Asian noodle dish.  Makes 4 servings.


I hope you guys enjoy these awesome greens as much as we do!  Feel free to post your favourite recipes for here too.

We're planning bi-weekly pickups currently, but if these greens rebound well, we'll do weekly.  Check here and emails for updates.  If you have any questions, give us a holler on here or on Facebook, or email, or call, or whatever!  Send smoke signals if you'd like, but we may not notice them!

- Keith & Sierra

Pictures!

So, here are the promised photos.  It's epically cold outside, so I just ran out and snapped a few of the polyhouse.  I'll get more up of the chickens and whatnot when I get around to editing them all (seriously, I have an entire SEASON of photos sitting on my desktop computer).

The view down the middle of the polyhouse from about halfway.

Oodles of lettuce seedlings; not sure where to plant these guys.

Onions, onions and more onions--and some leeks.  Where to plant?!

Arugula, mmm!

Kale, looking just gorgeous.

Pak choi, our favourite summer (and now fall) green.

Spinach, not quite ready for harvesting yet.

Itsy bitsy, tiny baby swiss chard, freshly mulched in hay and leaves.

I don't think these tomatoes are ever going to turn.  They're gigantinormous!

Hope this just whets your appetite for fall greens!  They're loving the cool (-slash cold) weather!

We're still kickin; (sort of)

I recently figured out how to tether my phone to my laptop, so hurrah!, we have the internet!

The farm's been dead and dying since July, with our last farmer's market attendance in early July and our last CSA pick-up in .. early August, I believe.  But we've been working really hard on getting greens growing in our polyhouses, and they're looking great!  We had a few pick-ups for apples from a local abandoned orchard, but the fall Bomb-winds foiled us again by knocking most of the Golden Delicious apples off before they were even ripe, so we just called it quits on that one too.  But next year, we'll be taking care of the orchard (hopefully) and have an even better harvest in the fall!

This weekend we're planning on holding our first fall pick-up, which will include arugula, pak choi and kale.  They look awesome!  I'll post pictures soon.  A LOT of pictures.  I honestly forgot about this blog, as I never had access to it before.  But now I'll try to keep it a little more regularly updated!

So, pictures and recipes to follow (tonight or tomorrow).

Thanks to all of our great CSA-ers who have been so understanding and supportive of this terrible season!

- Keith & Sierra

Are you tired of okra yet?

I didn't think it was possible, but I'm about to be.  I was getting to the end of my list of okra recipes when I decided to go ahead and google them.  I found some real gems!  So here's a few of my new recipes for okra, and a few others to go with everything else you guys are stockpiling from shares and your own gardens!

Curried Okra with Onions

Ingredients:

• 1 pound okra, washed, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, quartered and sliced
• dash cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon mild curry powder, or to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a large heavy non-stick or well seasoned iron skillet; add okra and fry for 10 minutes, turning frequently to keep from sticking. When the okra is lightly browned, add remaining ingredients. Continue cooking for an 3 minutes longer, or until onions are tender. Serves 6.

Creole Pizza with Okra and Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 can tomato sauce, (8 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 4 drops red pepper sauce
• 2 cups Bisquick® baking mix
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 package frozen sliced okra, thawed, drained (10 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peeled medium shrimp, thawed  (I'd bet you could substitute chicken for the shrimp, yuck)
• 1 tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Heat oven to 425°. Combine tomato sauce with oregano, basil, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Mix baking mix and the cold water. Roll into 12-inch circle on cookie sheet; pinch edge, forming 1/2-inch rim. Sprinkle shredded Monterey Jack cheese over crust; spread with pizza sauce. Top with pepper, onion, okra, shrimp and chopped tomato. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Bayou Gumbo

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 3/4 to 1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut in bite-size pieces
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups frozen cut okra
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup frozen medium shrimp, cleaned and cooked
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked regular long-grain white rice
• 3 cups chicken broth or water (updated 9/07)

Preparation:

In small saucepan, combine flour and oil; mix well. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring constantly, about 8 to 12 minutes or until mixture turns a light red-brown. Place flour and oil mixture in 3 1/2 to 4-quart crockpot. Stir in all remaining ingredients except shrimp, rice, and broth or water. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours. Add cooked shrimp to the gumbo; mix well. Cover and continue to cook on LOW for 20 minutes longer. Meanwhile, cook rice in the broth or water according to package directions. Serve gumbo over the hot cooked rice.
Serves 6 to 8.

Curried Ketchup

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Pinch ground cloves

Put the tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, curry powder, salt, pepper and cloves into a saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, stir to dissolve the sugar and cook until the tomatoes have broken down and the mixture is slightly thick, about 10 minutes. Pour the mix into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Place in a decorative bowl to serve.
Yield: 1 cup 

 Tomato Onion Tart


1 Pate Brisee dough for a 10" tart
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 and 1/2 Lb yellow onions, sliced
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
6 oz gruyère, grated
1 Lb cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Fit into tart pan, trim, and chill 30 minutes while preparing the onions and preheating the oven.
2. Preheat the oven to 425F with racks in the bottom third and upper third of the oven. If you have a pizza stone, place it on the bottom rack.
3. Set a large, heavy pot oven medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter is melted, add onions and salt. Cook stirring occasionally until onions are tender, about 12 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook stirring occasionally until onions are medium brown, about 45 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar (optional), and cook stirring occasionally until onions are dark nutty brown, about 15 minutes. Take off heat and set aside.
4. Place the tart pan on a cookie sheet. Line the tart shell with parchment paper or foil and dry beans (or some other weigh) and bake in the bottom third of the oven for 18 minutes. Remove parchment paper with beans, lightly poke dough with a fork at 1/4 inch intervals to prevent it from puffing up, and return to the bottom third of the oven for 5 more minutes.
5. Turn down the oven to 375F.
6. Fill the tart shell with caramelized onions. Sprinkle with a layer of gruyère. Arrange cherry tomatoes cut side down in concentric circles starting with the outer circle and working your way in towards the center of the tart. Bake tart on the bottom rack for 15 minutes. Move tart to the top rack and bake until tomatoes are just starting to brown, 15 more minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

 Good luck with all those tomatoes and okra, but remember: learning to be creative and try new things are part of the CSA experience!

Happy cooking!

The pitfalls of wholesale.

I know, I know, my neglect for this poor blog is appalling, but I'm trying to dedicate myself again!  Look for recipes, photos, and farm stories in the (hopefully!) near future!

Our season has been so fickle so far.  Disappointments, shock, and utter disbelief plague us at every turn.  It's been unbelievable, thus far, what has happened to us--a textbook example of the things that happen to a farm, all in our first year!  We've had early crop failures of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage (all of which we hope to get a good crack at again in the fall), overwhelming amounts of weeds coming on, poor time management, horrible harvests, and a crazy storm that collapsed the polyhouse (onto one hundred twenty tomato plants!).  However, we're pulling strong to catch up, and we haven't been horribly affected thus far.  ... Thus far.  Fingers crossed!

Richland Community College's Farmer's Market is going really well.  It's tripled in vendor size since our first week, and it's really looking up!  The crowd is great, and the other vendors are fantastic.  The support between the small farms is tremendous!
 
I feel like this is a great opportunity to educate you all on the evils of buying wholesale produce.  Yes, it's cheap, but, it is impossible for a small farm that actually GROWS their own produce to compete!  Buying bulk cheaply and reselling at a price that completely undercuts neighbouring vendors is a sure way to make sure you have no competition--because everyone else will either close up shop and move to another market, or they will simply be driven out of business.  Take a look around; do the other tents have massive amounts of produce stockpiled for purchase?  Does anyone else have that trailer full of watermelons in big, brown boxes, suspiciously similar to the ones they sit in in your local grocery store?  Ask where, exactly, the produce in question is grown.  Ask if they allow farm tours.  Ask anything that pertains to the produce, and if they stutter, refuse to answer, or plain lie to your face (a sad reality), move on.  Please, support your local farmers.  Prices are higher because we have to sustain ourselves and our families off of the income we get from the markets.  We have to pay for supplies to grow the produce, for labor.  Wholesale "farms" have none of these--or not near as much as someone who would grow all of that themselves.  So the next time you go to your local Farmer's Market, look around--be conscious of the decisions you're making.  Just because you're spending your money at a Market doesn't make it a "green" financial decision.


Looking forward to seeing you all next week at Market, or CSA members on Tuesday for your weekly share!


Happy eating,
Golden Oldies Farm