Snow day and seed orders

   We finally got a little snow last Thursday. It was actually kinda nice to pile on my snow pants  and snow boots to go out to do chores. Altho I suspect the animals weren't quite as happy as I was. They were all doing pretty good tho and we gave them all a little extra straw to hunker down in. We hunkered in also (in the house) and looked at the seed catalogues for what we want to order, compiling lists from last year, piling up what we have on hand, sorting, dreaming...ah...

   The bad winds and snow kept us from our deliveries in Chicago on Thursday, so we went to the big city on Friday to deliver. I took Ricky with me...he rides on my head.

   I do have to be careful with him tho. As we cross the streets, some people have the tendency to speed up when driving toward us. I know that happens in the country...but come on folks! A quick whip off of the hat sometimes helps...

   The snow was blowing and drifting across the road when we left the house at 7:30am. The day before was pretty windy so we were glad that we sat it out at home. Chicago got a lot more snow than we did and it wouldn't have been fun driving all day in it...not to mention the crazies (oh, guess I mentioned them above with the Ricky hat huh?).
   We've been excited to take the new seed catalogues to the chefs. Every year we contact a couple of our favorite seed companies and ask for extra catalogues. Then we distribute them to the chefs so they can peruse them for interesting new products they'd like to try. They love getting them and we love hearing their wish lists.
   We ask them to give us their "dream lists" by the end of the month. Then we finish up our orders and mail them in. It is super exciting to see what they would like to try, and it's always fun for us to try new items. We really enjoy growing items that are requested special by our friends. It also helps us to know what to grow, takes a lot of the guess work out of it.
   Today, a Monday that feels very much like a Monday, the snow is already melting off. The chix are happy about that as they HATE walking across the snow. The ducks love the snow and look like penguins as they skid about on their bellies from puddle to puddle.
   I'm cleaning up the plant areas in the house today. Re-potted the cacti garden (one of the only gardens I'm actually good at, even tho they look a little on edge in the pic) and got the upstairs bookcases ready to hold new seedling trays. Then I started work on the downstairs.

   We can fit about 50 flats (36 pots each) in our downstairs planting area. But, we also "borrow" the plugs and extension cords throughout the year. So every year in January I clean up, find all the plugs, buy new extension cords, fill the water jugs, and start filling the plant trays with soil. That way everything is ready to go as soon as the calendar says the timing is right.
   The Stella Natura calendar tells us the best days to plant, so I start figuring out what gets planted first. I seem to be having issues with which way to tilt my head when I take a picture. But, you get the idea...

   Usually I start in mid to late January with some herbs as they take longer to get them big enough to transplant. Then the peppers and cold loving items (like cabbage and bok choi) get started the first of February as they will be transplanted into the greenhouses early and harvested in early April.
   So, back to my Monday work schedule!
    

Still NO Snow

   Today the weather is downright balmy...maybe in the 50's. Yesterday I spent all afternoon with no coat on, just in my shirt sleeves, cleaning up my picket garden area. It just seems so strange! The first of January still and 50's! Will we have a syrup season? 

   It seems that most people I know aren’t too happy about getting snow this time of year. I keep hearing the words, “well, at least we don’t have any snow”. In some ways I agree. It is a real pain in the butt to have to trudge thru drifts of a foot or more in the woods, carrying firewood to a cart, hoping all the time that the tractor (or me) doesn’t get stuck.

   On the other hand…I look at the beautiful pictures of last year…snowy, blue, peaceful. Snow can be nice. It isn’t as bad as the ice storms or the below freezing weather. It blankets the ground, protecting the plants from the hard freezes. It also provides moisture.

   And while some would say, “yes, but we could use some rain for moisture”. Hm. For me I think trudging thru MUD ankle deep is worse than snow that deep. The snow is a little easier to walk in. I’ve lost boots in mud that deep, but never in snow.

   Besides, when it is so nice out then I have to keep working outside. Sometimes it is nice to have that wintery break...otherwise it is a VERY long year. I like sitting inside by the fire, reading or knitting, or looking at seed catalogues...knowing I have a short couple of weeks to enjoy some down time. 

 

   So, to ease the hearts of those who are still waiting for the wintery wonderland (me included)…here’s some pics from last year.

Happy New Year!

   The first day of the new year and all’s well at the farm. The sun is shining and it is about 35 degrees outside, pretty warm for this time of year. There’s a very strong westerly wind, but all the animals are out and enjoying the sunshine and the nice weather.

   Today is the beginning of an annual tradition for us. We’ve decided to begin our seed sorting for the upcoming season and to do so on the first day of each year. It’s one of the most enjoyable and exciting things we do in the winter.

   I have the seeds all laid out on the dining room table in groupings of leaf, cold, root, cucurbits, brassica, mais, etc. It is sooo exciting! We’ll figure out how much we have of everything and then how much we used last season. That will give us a good idea of how much to order for this season.

   We have our favorite seed catalogues on hand…Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek Heirlooms, Fedco, Shumways, and Johnny’s. I love the ones with the most pictures. We always come up with a huge wish list of seed and then have to take a reality check with the money in the bank…usually cutting our huge list down to a quarter of it. But, it is the planning and dreaming that is so much fun!

   Again this year I am reworking my garden that has the picket fence around it. This occurs every other year usually, with mixed results. The fence needs repairs and propped up, the soil needs compost, the gnomes need respecting. A lot to do in there. But, the dreaming is the most exciting part. I plan to grow more herbs, some garden leeks, and my favorite heirloom tomatoes (German Howard), as well as some other interesting things and some nice flowers.

   In about a month and a half we start our syrup season, Mother Nature willing. Firewood collecting began this past fall, but there is a lot more to collect. Last year we had a delightful visit from Lynn Miller of Small Farm Journal. He did a really nice write up in this last issue. If you would like to know more about our farm and see some nice syruping pics, check out the Journal. We love it for all the fantastic homesteading and horse information…more of which we are working slowly toward.

   Here’s wishing all of you a terrific new year!

KNOW YOUR FARMER!

OUR PRODUCTS FROM

OUR FARM!

   WATCH OUT! Do you know if your farmer is raising the products you buy from them? Some farmers are telling their customers that they are raising products...and they aren’t. They buy them from other farmers who do the hard work and who aren’t given the credit for their work.

   WATCH OUT! Some of those products may not be grown safely or humanely. Are you being told those products are “natural”? Is concrete and waste products “natural” for an animal to be raised on? Does your farmer know what is sprayed on a crop if he isn’t growing it?    KNOW YOUR FARMER!

   OUR PLEDGE TO YOU. We grow our own grains and crops on our farm, doing the work ourselves. We raise our own animals on our farm. We will not buy products from another farm and sell it under our good name.

   If we deliver products for another farm we will not only tell you the farm it came from, but be able to give you their contact information. We deliver products for over 20 farms who are members of Stewards of the Land, but their products are labelled with their farm names and the invoice has their farm name on it.

   Farmers work hard and deserve to be respected for the work they do...each of them.

If you haven't seen the "tips of how to know your farmers better" on our website, check it out. I won't list it all here and take up space with it. But, this is becoming a serious issue in some areas. We are concerned of how it affects the good name of the REAL growers. And, also concerned that it can be dangerous for traceability of products and for taking advantage of people and their trust in farmers. Your health and your trust is important to us, take action and make it important to yourselves also!

Winding down? Maybe not quite.

   Hello again! Another few weeks of work before I could get back to y'all. When I started to do this blog last year, I thought I would have piles of time on hand to write. Now that the growing season is almost done...I have more time.
   I guess I didn't realize how much time it really takes to be a food farmer. Oh, I knew we spent a lot of time at it. But, at the same time I was volunteering (part to full time) for the Spence Farm Foundation (see their website at http://www.spencefarmfoundation.org/). So, when they hired a new director to take over (thanks Carolynne! You are terrific!) I figured I'd have piles of free time. Oops.
   But, now that the season is winding down, I'll see what I can do to catch up some.

   I'll start with what is left in the fields. Everyone is always surprised that we are still harvesting into the first of November. There are lots of plants that like the chilly weather. We have beets, five kinds of radishes, turnips of various kinds, onions, and some late pumpkins. There are still thousands of pounds of butternut squash...literally. I bet we have about five hayracks full still.

   Thanks to Tom Leavitt of White Oak Gourmet and the Crop Mob crew for helping to harvest them all. They stretch as far as the eye can see! Well, not really, but some days it feels like it.
   Butternut Squash recipe- We've been using a lot of the squash for ourselves. Marty, who loves to cook, has made oven fries with the squash...delicious.
   They are fairly easy to make....Peel the squash with a veggie peeler, then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Then cut the squash into fry size pieces, toss in olive oil, put on a cooking sheet and put in the oven at 325. You need to flip them and check them often so as to not burn them. Very tasty!
   Another idea is the traditional one of scooping out the seeds, cutting the squash in half and roasting it on a cooking sheet. Then when it is mushy, add some nice spices (I like nutmeg, Marty likes cinnamon), and brown sugar or maple syrup. We also add pecans and dried cranberries.
   Pickled Beets recipe- Today I'm canning another 30 plus pints of pickled beets. I love canning. And I love pickled beets. But, I have one favorite beet that I love best...Bull's Blood Beets. They have purple leaves, a very nice beet flavor, and are dark in color. Very pretty.
      My beet recipe is like this...Wash the beets (some people don't do this but I do). Then I put them in a pot and cover with water and boil until I can stick a fork into them and they are soft but not mushy. Dump them into some cold water and with a kitchen knife, slice off the top and then with your hand slide the skin off. (We feed the skins to the piggies but they are good around the plants outside or in a compost pile also.) Then I chop them up into bite size pieces.
   Follow canning recipes for how to prepare the jars, etc. This is how I do it tho...I like wide mouth jars so I can get my beets out easier. I wash my jars and lids and then put the jars in the oven to warm and then boil the lids. Then, mix 1 cup water/1 cup apple cider vinegar/1 cup sugar and boil in a pot on the stove until the sugar is dissolved. Put the beets in the warm jars, put in the juice until about 1/4 inch from the top. I add a few whole allspice, wipe the lid dry, wipe the rim of the jar dry, and put the lid on and seal with the rim. Then I put them in a hot water bath, water covering the jars, wait until it is boiling (rolling), and then time for 15 minutes. I take the jars out and let them cool and wait for the little POP of the lids...love that sound!

   The trees have all changed color nicely this year and it took quite a while. There are still leaves on quite a few even tho we have had rain and wind the last couple of weeks. It was still 60 degrees yesterday altho it was a chilly southerly wind. So, the weather has been really nice fall weather.
    Last of the news...8 little piglets from Swee on October 9th. All are doing terrific, round and rolly-polly.
They are sucking on beet skins and squash leavings. Cuties!