25. July 2009 by ilene.

Here’s something easy for the new summer crops coming in, I had it for dinner tonight–

Summer Saute Pasta Topping

Sautee onions and garlic until soft
Add sliced eggplant (I used the small rounds of sliced Japanese Eggplant)
Add basil, fresh herbs, chopped fresh tomato. Maybe a dollop of fresh pesto. Or add the pesto to the pasta later.
Cook until soft
Add blanched, chopped greens or zucchini too. Or chopped fresh green beans. I like to keep these veggies especially  zucchini a little crunchy, so I don’t cook that very long.

Add this on top of pasta, with shredded romano or parmesan cheese. A little chevre goat cheese would be wonderful too. More chopped tomatoes.

My family added sausage to this meal, but its enough as is for me. Steak, grilled chicken, any meat would be a good side dish for it. Try to put more veggie saute and less pasta, if you want.

I will have this for dinner so many times this summer, I might get tired of it. We shall see if that is possible!

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »

22. July 2009 by ilene.

It was the last week our CSA members are receiving turnips for this season, but I had forgotten to include a recipe by CSA member, Tracy. So if you still have some in your frig, here’s something to do with them (even if they are getting a little soft in the frig, because, face it, turnips are not likely the first vegetable we gobble up). Maybe you will this way though–

Turnip Browns recipe:

1. Cut it into small pieces and place in cold water and bring to the boil (just like boiling potatoes). When tender (stabs easily with fork), remove from heat and drain well.

2. Meanwhile, chop finely 2 cloves garlic. Combine with 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, pinch of dried chili flakes, and 1/5 teaspoon ground ginger (or freshly grated) (or just salt and pepper; or, cumin and dried chili flakes).

3. After turnips are cooked, heat non-stick skillet on medium-high. Add oil-garlic mixture and a pat of butter to hot pan. Cook until garlic aroma begins. Add turnips and cook until browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spices can be adjusted to fit you preferences. These are good for breakfast, lunch (leftovers), and dinner.

We’ll see you later today,

Tracey

Posted in Recipes, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

22. July 2009 by ilene.

Clark’s Elioak Farm is located on Rte 108 in Ellicott City, Maryland. We stopped in for a visit to their petting farm, and discovered that they are the dedicated folks relocating and restoring The Enchanted Forest figures that I had read about in a newspaper article some time ago. Basically, The Enchanted Forest was a nearby park in Ellicott City from 1955 until 1980. It contained cement structures depicting many of the characters in Mother Goose stories, such as this one of the Old Woman who lived in a shoe:

Since the park never reopened, in 2004 the good folks at Clark’s Farm received permission to relocate and restore as many figures as they could from the original park. Here is the full story. The farm includes hayrides, pony rides, a farm animal petting and feeding area, a wonderful maze to explore and find more Enchanted Forest figures, and plenty of room to run around. Looks like they had pumpkins growing too. There is a small museum of farm historical pieces, and  agriculture education. You can even sit down on a stool by a plastic cow and “milk” it–its udder is full of water which shoots into a bucket from its rubber teats when you milk the cow. I am sure there will be much change and growth to watch for at this farm. It is worth a drive to explore, just as The Enchanted Forest had been for families decades ago.

My kids love to visit farms with animals, here’s Jonah visiting with a goat:

Great photo opps here, even my kids were motivated to pose for photos:

Aww, don’t they look sweet. This one is definitely going to the grandparents.

Asleep with Little Boy Blue:

The Merry Miller’s House:

There was a Crooked Man…and they all lived together in a little crooked house. Here it is:

The three bears house:

And here is Papa Bear:

Take a trip and enjoy exploring yourself! There are tons more of these figures, beyond the ones I documented.

Posted in Other Local Farms | No Comments »

26. June 2009 by ilene.

CSA members received purple top turnips today in their CSA share. I'll get you a photo soon.

Here is a popular recipe that a dear CSA member named Mareena contributed years ago, and its

still a favorite. Mareena moved south but the turnip fritters recipe continues to stay close

to the farm. By popular demand:

Turnip Fritters

2-1/2 cups shredded turnip (peel it first)

1 onion, chopped finely (the recipe called for scallions which I didn't

have)

2 c. flour

1 c. chicken broth (I also didnt' have this so I used water)

1 t. salt

Mix it all up.  Drop by tablespoonful into hot oil--we have a FryDaddy, but

if you did it in a wok the recipe calls for about a cup of oil--and cook

until golden brown.

Dipping sauce--3 T. light soy sauce and 3 T. sweet wine vinegar or cider

vinegar.

Posted in Recipes | No Comments »

20. May 2009 by ilene.

Due to popular demand, we have more heirloom tomato plants ready for sale, in many interesting varieties. And plenty of peppers! Here is your chance to add a magic heirloom tomato to your garden collection, sneak in one more, or start that late garden. You are not too late! Tomatoes will be happy to go in the ground now that it is warming up more consistently, and they may give you tomatoes farther into the fall than earlier plantings.  That’s why we grow a second set.

I will update this list of varieties each evening this week.

ORGANIC HEIRLOOM TOMATO SEEDLING SALE–this weekend!
at House in the Woods Farm

Friday May 22–10am-2pm
Saturday May 23–10am-2pm
Sunday May 24–10am-2pm
Other times and days available, just email or call to set up a visit.

Go to http://www.houseinthewoods.com for more information about the sale.

THANK YOU–Thank you all for a sell-out tomato sale in early May with our first planting of tomatoes. Bring the 4-inch pots back to the sale, or put a bag of them by our mailbox if you are in the neighborhood. We’ll re-use them.  Happy Gardening!

$4 per tomato plant, plus 6% sales tax. Ask about other plants for sale. Return pots to our mailbox and we’ll re-use them!

 
REDS AND PINKS————————————

Black Krim–Dark red beefsteak with rich sweet taste from Black Sea of Russia

Brandywine–Pinkish red, most popular heirloom originated in 1889. 

Purple Calabash—rich red tomato good for saucing. Squatty shape.

 
UNIQUE COLORS————————————-

Valencia-Beautiful round bright orange tomato, mild, fruity sweet like a Valencia orange. From Maine.

Persimmon–Rose-orange like a persimmon, big, sweet. Fruit up to 2 pounds! Vigorous and prolific plants.

Green Zebra–A magic tomato, green with dark green stripes, skin blushes yellow when ripe. Green salsa or even green sauce! A hit for contrast on a potluck platter.

 
PASTES————————————————–

Long Tom–Especially long red paste tomatoes with few seeds and thick walls. Great sauces, good in salads.

Speckled Roma–Paste tomato, Red with a hint of orange and wavy yellow streaks, a beauty!

Black Plum–Russian plum variety, Two-inch elongated plum-shaped dark red fruit. Close to a paste but thinner walls. Sweet and tangy.

 
CHERRIES————————————————

Matt’s Wild Cherry–Mini red wild cherry tomatoes, prolific. Cute little stems with six bite-size tomatoes on each. Kids love ‘em!

Sungold Cherry–Orange, super sweet mini tomato. A rare exception to our heirloom rule in our tomato collection, this hybrid is worth it. Our CSA members eat them all up on the car-ride home.

 
PEPPERS————————————————

Marconi—heirloom long green bell pepper that ripens to red

Purple Beauty—beautiful purple skin, green inside like a regular bell pepper

Biscayne—Mild yellow banana pepper. Prolific

Pimento—Ripens to red faster than bells, tangy but mild, ideal for cooking or           

roasting

Ace—a boxy hybrid green bell pepper that ripens quickly to red

 
PERENNIAL HERBS—————————————————-

Chamomile—beautiful little daisy-like flowers, dry them for tea

Sage and Thyme—great culinary herbs for any herb garden.

--

Ilene Freedman

ilene@houseinthewoods.com

www.houseinthewoods.com

Posted in Greenhouse, Heirloom Tomatoes, On the Farm | 1 Comment »

16. May 2009 by ilene.

An exciting week on the farm. We are very inexperienced with livestock birthing. We are learning! Good thing that these cows like to birth on their own, and don’t want our help. You see she is missing from the herd, you go find her, and there she is, with a calf at her feet. The calf is up and walking within an hour. We should have known Dancey was ready to birth too. We had decided she had another week or two to go…(yes, we know the signs of imminent birth, but we ignored them, OK?). She was mooing at us and Katie, and we thought it was all about the fuss with Katie. Everyone was mooing! While we were busy admiring Katie’s calf, Dancey slipped away to the farthest field and gave birth to a sweet little girl named Kaide (rhymes with Sky-day). Note to self: close off the back fields during birthing time. I hope our friend Kate will be honored that a calf shares her name, and that of her daughter, Kaide. I am sure I chose a different spelling, but that’s where the name comes from. Its a Japanese name which means Maple Leaf. My kids have always liked Kaide’s name, so they chose it eagerly for the calf. Noah chose Kate for the first calf, because its Katie’s calf, so of course. Do not explain to him that these are the same names. Because they are not. Here are some photos.

Kate

The boys visit Kate and Katie.

Now both calves are out on the fields with their mamas. Here is Kaide and then one with her mama, Dancey.

Katie and Kate in the woods, keeping cool.

Here is Clover, Dancey’s calf from last year. A year old. A Heifer, Noah says. Clover is used to getting all the attention, so she spent some time licking the salt off our hands and arms.

Noah waters the Kids Snack Garden. Whenever I was busy in the greenhouse, he would select a few plants to transplant into bigger pots, and he collected them in a couple trays for his snack garden. He would watch over them, fuss with them, water them, add to them. Now it was time to plant the spot. Here is Noah watering his plants. Kids will enjoy snacking from the Kids Garden when they come for CSA veggie pickups.

Posted in Animals, On the Farm | 1 Comment »

10. May 2009 by ilene.

Birth on the farm just in time for Mother’s Day. This sweet little calf arrived yesterday (Saturday) afternoon during the Tomato Sale. Katie didn’t even tell me! She wasn’t with the herd at the end of the day, so Phil and the kids went to check on her and there they were. We saw the babe take its first wobbly step and fall over. It gets around fine now. Happy Mother’s Day, Katie! More photos of mom and babe to come. These are Dexter cows, a small heritage breed.

Posted in Animals, On the Farm | No Comments »

4. May 2009 by ilene.

Thanks everyone, for a fabulous tomato sale! We cleared out the first planting of tomato plants, I still have a few Brandywine and that’s it. I have a second planting of lots of varieties for sale, ready around Memorial Day weekend. All these varieties are available again for the second planting. For sale by appointment.

ORGANIC HEIRLOOM TOMATO VARIETIES FOR SALE. $4/each

REDS AND PINKS————————————

Black Krim–Dark red beefsteak with rich sweet taste from Black Sea of Russia

Arkansas Traveler–One hundred year old heirloom from the south, Arkansas to North Carolina. A lovely round tomato, resistant to cracking and disease. A favorite of ours.

Brandywine–Pinkish red, most popular heirloom originated in 1889.  One pounders! I have tons of Brandywine plants!

Carmello–The French Carmello is popular in Europe for its exceptionally fine flavor. Very productive plants. The grower “de-hybridized” this seed from the original hybrid.

Cherokee Purple–Deep red beefsteak with dark shoulders, originated in Tennessee by the Cherokee tribe. Rich flavor.

Prudens Purple–Beautiful deep pink-red and rich taste like Brandywine. A mainstay slicer on our farm.

Giant Belgium–The name may warn you—this tomato averages 2 pounds but can reach 5 pounds! Great for cooking, canning, or showing off.

UNIQUE COLORS————————————-

Valencia-Beautiful round bright orange tomato, mild, fruity sweet like a Valencia orange. From Maine.

Persimmon–Rose-orange like a persimmon, big, sweet. Fruit up to 2 pounds! Vigorous and prolific plants.

Striped German–A fruity sweet treat! This tomato will show you what heirlooms have to offer—a big sweet tomato with red-yellow stripes with streaked red and yellow juicy flesh.

Pineapple—Just like a Striped German. Pineapple fruity sweet, streaky red-yellow, yummy tomato.

Green Zebra–A magic tomato, green with dark green stripes, skin blushes yellow when ripe. Green salsa or even green sauce! A hit for contrast on a potluck platter.

PASTES————————————————–

Long Tom–Especially long red paste tomatoes with few seeds and thick walls. Great sauces, good in salads.

Speckled Roma–Paste tomato, Red with a hint of orange and wavy yellow streaks, a beauty!

Amish Gold—Paste cross between Amish Paste and the beloved Sungold, a sweet idea.

Black Plum–Russian plum variety, Two-inch elongated plum-shaped dark red fruit. Close to a paste but thinner walls. Sweet and tangy.

CHERRIES————————————————

Matt’s Wild Cherry–Mini red wild cherry tomatoes, prolific. Cute little stems with six bite-size tomatoes on each.

Sungold Cherry–Orange, super sweet mini tomato. A rare exception to our heirloom rule in our tomato collection, this hybrid is worth it. Our CSA members eat them all up on the car-ride home. Kids love ‘em!

We have a few kinds of peppers and eggplant. We have thyme, sage, and chamomile. Sold out of basil.

Posted in Greenhouse, Heirloom Tomatoes | 2 Comments »

3. May 2009 by ilene.

Six weeks in the greenhouse and these plants are beauties. Over 20 varieties of heirloom tomato plants, for our garden and those of our plant customers. You can come by the farm this week on Friday May 8 or Saturday May 9, 10am-5pm, for tomato plants. Email me for directions.

We had a good Pre-sale day today, with some of the regulars stopping by for their tomatoes.  Shannon came for her tomatoes, she has been a customer for years. She keeps a blog called Grown in Frederick. She went home and wrote this post about the sale, read all about it at her blog.

I have the greenhouse set up for the sale, with photos of the tomatoes whole and sliced, above each type of tomato plant. A few years ago we had a Tomato Tasting Festival, and took photos of each type of tomato on the tasting table. The event was fun, and I am still enjoying the ongoing benefit of it– helpful photos I get to use for the sale.

Perennial Chamomile plants for sale:

 By early August, this will be our treat, we can hardly wait:

Posted in Greenhouse, Heirloom Tomatoes | 2 Comments »

3. May 2009 by ilene.

The chicks are three weeks old, so its time for an update. In their first week, they had visitors come to admire the new hatches. Here are CSA members, Heather and Kelsey of the Schwartz family.

Then, with chicks one week old, Noah selected out six chicks for Hannah, put them carefully in a shoebox and we drove to Philadelphia. Here’s Hannah and Noah, on Hannah’s visit to our place in March:

Just shy of Phili, we made covert arrangements to meet on the side of the highway and deliver the contraband to Hannah and her sister Nora and father Chris. We rushed off to a family party in Phili and then met up that evening at Hannah’s house for an overnight visit with Hannah and her family.

Here’s Hannah with her new chicks:

Here’s Jonah and Norah, assistant chick keepers, visiting Norah’s bunny:

Five chicks went to another customer, Phil’s friend nearby. Four chicks were designated “Not for sale” by Jonah and Noah. They include two Naked Necks named Naked and Peckeron, and two yellow chicks named Max and George.  Here they are at three weeks old:

Posted in On the Farm, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »