November 17th

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday.  It is not cluttered with gifts or thoughts of glitter and trim.  The day is set around being thankful.  Simple and sweet.  Of course being a farmer, I am surrounded by good food.  And the bounty of it is humbling.  A season of hard work, sweat and sometimes tears goes into this food, but in the beginning it started from a small seed.  The wonderous growth of a plant never ceases to amaze me.  And now we will feast.  May your holiday be filled with the wonderous gift of food and simple thankgivings.

The cooler is so packed with storage veggies, I have to open the door slowly so potato sacks don't come tumbling out. I still have another 24 crates of onions and potatoes to sqeeze in there before the temps drop too low!

Generally November is my least favorite month of the year. I think of it as cold, wet, dreary. In fact it is time of year we usually sneak away from the farm for a week and head south to a sandy beach. Sometimes we return (still wearing our sandals) and step off the plane into snow or near zero temps--our car barely starting after it has sat idle for so long. But this year I dawned my chacos and cotton skirt and felt extremely warm. Yesterday I walked around the farm and fully enjoyed the patchwork of green across the fields. Everything looked so alive, vibrant and rich. It is nice to be home.

Since it has been so warm--we will have greens at pick up today!!! Now I know some of you say that you don't like kale, but if there were ever a time to try it--this is it!!! The colder nights have sweetened it nicely and it makes one feel strong and energized, like Popeye and his spinach.  Seriously.  I love this website where they say "Kale is king....and it is a dreamfood" 

Thanksgiving Harvest: kale, tat soi, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, pumpkins, winter squash, onions, garlic, beets, cranberries, apples and homemade rolls

Thank you for sharing in our harvest!  Blessings on your meal, Keena

Week 5, June 22nd and 25th

Happy Father's Day, Dora!!!

Saturday Dudley's eggs cracked open and 7 little ducks popped out! They are too cute : ) Be sure to say hello to them, but please move slowly and don't crowd her too much, she is very protective and nervous. Dora is so proud.

After you see the baby ducks, head up to the house barn to see the baby turkeys. They arrived on Thursday and are super cute as well. Please be careful of their pole holding up the heat lamps...it's a little precarious.

Veggie of the Week: The Radish

Some of you may recall a slew of radishes around this time last year, well here we are again. Can you believe an entire year has gone by since you ate a fresh radish?!! I do not grow loads of them just to say I have vegetables to give you though. They are said to be a great companion plant to squashes, helping to keep squash bugs away. So this is why they are a little alter than early spring too...I do not plant them until I seed my winter squash which is done after frost danger. (That is what the following photo is...an interplanting of winter squash and radish.)
How do I eat them? Of course everyone knows a raw radish can go in a salad, but did you know you can eat the greens cooked too?
What is the nutritional value?

• Radishes have high contents of vitamin C, which is a well-known cancer-preventing antioxidant element.
• The greens (leaves) of radish contain 6 times the vitamin C normally found in the root. Also the leaves have substantial quantity of iron, calcium, and thiamine.
• As radishes are a good source of potassium, folic acid, and molybdenum, it provides energy at the cellular level, develops the nervous system, and also functions the kidneys.
• Radishes help in relieving constipation as it contains high amounts of carbohydrates. It aids in digestion and improves liver health, as the sulfur-based phytochemicals help induce bile secretion.
• Also, with the presence of potassium, radishes aid in better kidney and urinary tract health.
• If you are on a diet plan, consuming radish on a daily basis can help you lose weight. It contains very low calories, makes you feel full without eating too much, and has high amounts of water contents.

How do I store them? I like to wash them, remove the tops (store those separate) and place the roots in a container with a lid--it's like a mini crisper!

Be sure to check out last year's blogs for recipes too--there are great greens recipes (Greens Pasta Pie), a radish dip to die for as well as a radish top soup!!!

This week's loot: lettuce, radish, the last of the hakureis (for now), tat soi, pac choi, spinach, beet greens, scapes, oregano, strawberries?

Next week's loot: lettuce, greens, baby carrots, shell peas?

Recipes: Sauteed Radishes and Sugar Snaps with Dill (I don't have all of the ingredients yet for this recipe, but I will and I just didn't want to miss putting it out there, it sounded so good!) Adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2004

1 tablespoon butter1

tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots

12 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed, strings removed

2 cups thinly sliced radishes (about 1 large bunch)

1/4 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon dill seeds

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Melt butter with oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add sugar snap peas, cook for one to two minutes, and radishes sauteing until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Add orange juice and dill seeds; stir 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped dill. Transfer to bowl; serve.

Greens PieKendallScottWellness.com
Holistic Health Coaching
1 large bunch greens, de-stemmed, washed and chopped (kale, collards, swiss chard)
½ yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced (or approx. 1 tsp)
6-8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled or chopped into small pieces
5-6 large mushrooms, chopped
3 eggs
1 cup brown rice
¼ cup pine nuts (optional)
􀂃 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
􀂃 Cook brown rice in water until water is absorbed. Spread rice in bottom and about
one inch up sides of pie plate or any glass/ceramic dish. Use hands or spoon to
press firmly to create the “crust.”
􀂃 Blanch greens in hot water for about one minute, drain water, then place in bowl.
(This step can be skipped, and greens can be added to mixture raw.)
􀂃 Add all other ingredients to greens in bowl and stir until everything is coated with
egg.
􀂃 Pour mixture over rice and sprinkle top with pine nuts.
􀂃 Bake in oven for approximately 30 minutes. The top should just begin to turn
golden brown.
􀂃 Cut and serve like pie.
Yields 6-8 servings
Also try adding: diced tomatoes, scallions, peppers, tofu, pre-cooked beans, pumpkin
seeds, chicken, ham, diced parsnips, turnips or carrots.
©2009 Kendall Scott Wellness. All Rights Reserved.

Week 20--The Fall Harvest

The pick your own pumpkin party and potluck was a blast! Thanks for all who came (and helped move all the pumpkins!) The food was fabulous and it was fun getting to know all of you better!

And, of course, Simon had a blast too. He helped to pick out the perfect pumpkin and to make sure there were no mice hitchhiking on them : )

This past week, I was busy harvesting rutabagas, cleaning onions and popping garlic. Today I will plant the garlic and cover it with a neat bed of straw. Soon all that will be left in the gardens for harvest are hearty greens like kale and spinach.

...Speaking of Spinach...these last two weeks will be full of greens! Fill up on them, because this is it until spring! They will keep in your fridge in a perforated plastic bag for at least a week. You may also chose to make soups or pies with them and freeze, or blanch the greens for 2 minutes, drain and freeze. Stock up for winter : )

Half the cows go this Thursday. I am sold out this year, but it isn't too early to sign up for 2010--the pork and beef go fast!

The turkeys go on Friday---I still have some left to sell. And I have lowered the price to $3.50/#, what a deal!!!!

This Week's Loot: lettuce mix, spinach, chard, kale, potatoes, carrots, onions, chinese cabbage, tat soi, pac choi, pumpkins

Next Week's Loot: lettuce?, kale, leeks, onions, potatoes, carrots, beets, winter squash, fennel

Stir-Fried Kale and Spinach with Hazelnuts

1/2 cup hazelnuts

2 Tbs olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

10 cups kale and spinach, chopped

salt and pepper

1. toast hazelnuts in a n ungreased skillet, stir constantly for about 5 minutes, then chop when cool

2. Saute onion and garlic, add greens in batches, stir fry until tender, about 8 minutes

3. stir in hazelnuts

Apple Flavored Winter Squash Cake

1 stick butter, room temp

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups cooked winter squash

1/2 cup apple cider

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp bkg soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp ginger

1. Beat butter until fluffy. Beat in sugar until mixed. Add eggs, one at at time. Add squash and cider, mix well.

2. Sift flour bkg soda, salt and spices. Add to cream mixture in batches.

3. Pour into a buttered and floured bundt pan

4. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and pour on glaze.

Apple Cider Glaze

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup apple cider

Sift sugar into a bowl. Whisk in cider until smooth, pour over cooled cake right away

Week 19--The Blessing of Fall

October 13 and 16th
Quack! Quack! Dora says, "Eat turkey, not duck!"

I've been washing hundreds of pounds of carrots this last week for storage and Dora has been in duck heaven! She stands under the screen and gets showered by wash water. And buries her bill into the puddles looking for slugs, while Simon sits in the driveway and watches the cows. These past few weeks have been beautiful, and even though I am soooo busy, I must say I am blessed!

Speaking of washing...I really do wash your greens before your get them. But be ware that you need to wash them again. I find most things easiest to chop first, then rinse. The pine needles have made a blanket over all my fields, (it's quite pretty actually). I have tried to pick them out of your produce, but there may be a rouge one...or two left!

Well the weather has quickly changed and I have been in "full tilt boogie", as my friend Jill would say, harvesting. I am hoping for a few more nice days to gets next year's garlic in the ground. I usually plant it mid October and then mulch it with straw. It waits in the ground until the longer days of April and then slowly little green garlic tops emerge. This week you may see me "popping" the garlic cloves, or removing them from the bulb. I pick the biggest and most perfect looking cloves to plant so that the new bulbs will be free of disease and as big as possible; the clove size you plant dictates the size of the bulb to come. Maybe this year I will be planting the garlic through a layer of snow? That would be a first : )

This Week's Loot: Lettuce, Kale, Kohlrabi, Peppers, Tomatilloes, Spaghetti Squash, Carrots, Potatoes, Onions, Cabbage

Next Week's Loot: Lettuce mix, spinach, pac choi, carrots, onions, potatoes, chard, pumpkins
Kohlrabi--This fun "swollen stem" can be eaten raw or cooked. Try it both ways and see which way you like best! If you find the skin tough, you may peel it, although if you are cooking it,you may not need to.

Kohl-Slaw

3 kholrabi, peeled and chopped

1 cup finely shredded cabbage

1 small onion

1 apple, diced

1/2 c currents or raisins

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl. Toss in oil and cider. Cover and refrigerate a few hours to let flavors blend.

Kale Pie

10 inch pie crust

4 cups chopped kale leaves

1 Tbs olive oil

2 small onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs

1 cup feta cheese

1/2 c half and half

1/2 tsp salt

Boil kale for about 3 minutes (wilted but still bright green). Allow to drip dry.

Saute onions, garlic until onions are turning golden.

Lightly beat eggs. Add feta half and half, kale, onions and salt. Stir and then pour into crust. Bake until center of pie is firm, 40 minutes at 375.