Monday, July 29, 2019

July 30th and Aug 2nd

HOT HOT HOT

Picking raspberries has been most delightful.  They are bright and cheerful and taste so delicious.  We usually pick for the the last hour or so of work, or I do so on my "time off" as a "relaxant".


The Pick Your Own garden is looking magnificent as usual.  I am so thankful for this place we call home and are happy to share it with you.


Zach bought a fat tire bike last summer and its main purpose has been an Irrigation Mobile.  The little cart he tows behind full of irrigation equipment.  It's been great!  Using the truck was a little overkill and now that we are down to just one, we found ourselves fighting over it.  So the bike has been a great solution and he loves zipping around the farm on it to turn on/off irrigation and say hi to the pigs.  I am thankful he finds irrigation work so entertaining as for me it is a lot of extra time I would rather spend doing something else....like picking raspberries : )


This Week's Bounty: lettuce, arugula, red onion, scallion, fennel, kohl rabi, beets, baby carrots, cucumber, zucchini, summer squash, scapes, basil, dill, cilantro...

The Farmer's Table: 
*summer cooked turkey (with the A/C on!) the last of last years spuds, fresh salad
*zucchini casserole with sour cream, yogurt and dill


Tuesday, July 23, 2019

July 23rd and 26th

Ruby Red 

Raspberries!  What a treat to pick these rubies.  They survived a tough winter and I am thankful for the abundance.  Pick your own opens this week -- one of the many benefits of being a shareholder at Little Ridge Farm!  If you are not a shareholder already, check out our website for all we have to offer; www.LittleRidgeFarm.com


The summer's color has been magnificent.  Although we started with too much rain, it seems to have settled into nearly the perfect amount.  Irrigating takes a lot of time, not nearly as efficient as nature, so I am happy to get the weekly rain events.  The crops (and weeds) are looking good.  We are busy keeping up with both.  I am blown away that it is nearly August.  The plus side is that the diversity of crops available changes every week and I am excited to see the fruits of our labor come into the barn!


THANK YOU to all who participated in last week's annual fund raiser for our area food bank, LACO.  Your donation helps hundreds of local residents find better food security.  This money is used to "purchase" food from The Good Shepherd food bank at pennies on the dollar so it is an incredible value.  


This Week's Bounty: lettuce, chard, zuchinni, summer squash, chinese or green cabbage, hakurei turnip, red onions, garlic scapes, dill, cilantro, basil

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

July 16th and 19th

Bright Sun, Warm Days

Zucchinis and Summer Squash have arrived!!  Half of these plants were planted directly into a puddle back in early June, but they are making a come back with this drier warmer weather!  As a farmer, I am very excited to have this new product available, but any of you who have grown zucchini knows that without a daily check, these guys can quickly become baseball bats : )  So now starts my daily haul of hefty produce.  Cucumbers will be on their way soon!!


The little turkeys are growing bigger by the day.  They have discovered their legs and wings and are now running around like they are on an airstrip and perching on top of anything they can find.  But mostly they sleep, all snuggled in the warm sun.


Shiitakes are better than ever, be sure to give them a try!!


Scallion, celeriac, garlic scape and carrot....our seasonal version of the Italians' foundation to any good red sauce (onion, celery, garlic and carrot).  Of course we used some frozen 2018 tomatoes....get some from the chest freezer and try it yourself : )

*Reminder that the PYO garden has basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and parsley!


Donate to our Local Food bank this week buy purchasing an 
ice cream cone or a Get Sticky Fruit Bar!!


This Week's Bounty: lettuce, scallions, zuchinni/summer squash, kale, beets with greens, hakurei with greens, kohl rabi, garlic scapes, dill, basil

The Farmer's Table (A snippet of what we eat with our and other local product)
*Sauteed hakurei turnip and greens, parsley and LRF hot sausage on pasta (or not)
*Chard Lasagna (use instead of noodles), sauteed broccoli and mushrooms
* LRF Tenderloin salad with homemade Italian Dressing
*Broccoli, Shiitake, Sausage Frittata


Tuesday, July 9, 2019

July 9th and 12th

Summer's Bounty

Today has been a busy harvest day!  Lots to chose from, but I think I have settled on some perfect ingredients for a summer meal. Garlic Scapes are a new addition to your plate this week.  They are the flowering stalk of garlic.  Some argue that by nipping it off, more energy goes into producing a bigger bulb.  Either way it does not hurt the plant and the scapes taste great!  They are juicier than garlic with a lighter flavor.  They can be sauteed, pureed, fried, pickled, used in a flower arrangement...so many unique uses!!


While we do not have enough strawberries to open for PYO, we have been harvesting enough to put in the freezer for Winter Shares, and jam as well as have a few quarts for sale at pick up.  They look gorgeous and taste delightful.  I enlisted free labor (Mom and Dad) to help top them for freezing : )
Berry picking is one of my favorite farm tasks. It's a hard pill to swallow knowing that I will not make my money back for labor and materials we put into growing them last year. Although I am very sad we cannot open the patch for PYO, I am thankful we are getting what we can and I am hopeful the plants will regrow and be happier for next year!  


PYO Flower Garden opens this week!  The kaleidoscope of colors is brilliant.  Be sure not to cut too low as some of the plants are still growing.  Let these intricate beauties brighten your day!!



Get Sticky

Eat a Treat for LACO (our local food bank)
It's our annual food bank fundraiser next week, July 16th and 19th
And while we will still have Big Dipper ice cream, we are also going to have some locally made ice pops containing locally sourced fruit!!


This Week's Bounty: lettuce, radicchio, beets with greens, hakurei with greens, broccoli, green cabbage, scallions, garlic scapes and parsley

Monday, July 1, 2019

July 2nd and 5th

Summer Rains

Although we did not need any more rain this weekend, I will admit I enjoyed the thunderstorms.  The rolling thunder, darkened skies and streaks of lightening.  The air feels so alive and the sky so near.  This week looks quite a bit drier and warmer so I am excited to see how much the plants grow!!


The pigs are delighted to be in fresh pasture.  It was actually bitter sweet to move them because the field was so sweet and beautifully picturesque with daisies and clover, I didn't want the pigs to crush it.  But this is why we grow it, so the pigs have a place to frolic and fresh greens to eat.  

We have a bit of pork left to sell for October pick up....if anyone is interested, let me know!

 
And this past week we received our Turkeys.  Yes, it is quite amazing, they come in the mail.  They are hatched in Ohio and then sent overnight to our post office.  For such a long journey, they do amazingly well.  This bunch has been quite chatty, but also super friendly.  They have taken a quick liking to their new "moms" (Simon and I : )  Be sure to visit them often!

Hope your summer meals are tasting scrumptious! 


This Week's Bounty: lettuce, spinach? radish, chinese cabbage, hakurei turnip....

The Farmer's Table: (A glimpse into what we ate this week using LRF and other local goods)
*beef briskett with rhubarb bbq
*radish and spinach greens sauteed in fat back
*super yum crudites -- kohl rabi, radish and broccoli with a yogurt dill dip
*FLUX -- if you have not dined there yet, do!!  We had amazing meals there Saturday night.  Our friends there do an incredible job with our produce and other local products, be sure to check them out!