19. July 2010 by admin.

 Aaaah, the garlic is curing. Its all bundled and hanging in the barn to air and dry.

Here’s Donna helping to hang the garlic. I like that she wore overalls for the occasion.

Here’s what its like to eat your lunch in the garlic barn:

Sneak preview

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17. October 2009 by ilene.

One of my greatest pleasures on the farm is witnessing my children’s experience of the garden. They inhabit the garden with confidence and comfort, as they snack on sorrel leaves, Long Tom tomatoes, and red peppers. Jonah eats cabbages and peppers like apples. Noah has an eye for what’s ready to harvest, some exciting new vegetable to pull from the ground. They are endlessly entertained during CSA harvests, by helping harvesters collect the goods or playing with visiting children or by themselves, filling toy dump trucks with dirt in the open-sided barn. They love CSA pickup days, when members bring their children to experience the farm. Noah takes kids into the garden to snack on cherry tomatoes together and pick flowers. Jonah offers peppers, with a confidence that makes even skeptical children feel more adventurous with garden snacking.

One quiet evening we ventured out to the garden with the mission of “What’s for dinner?” They ran here and there collecting garden prizes–a mix of sorrel, chard and sweet potato greens, bok choi, green beans, and red peppers, and herbs. Phil and I love the sweet potato greens sauteed, the kids prefer raw sorrel. Bok choi is a raw edible spoon for rice (or dip) with the green part as a wrap. Green beans go fast raw or absolutely gobbled down sauteed with garlic and soy sauce. That was a daily sautee for my kids during the season, and they loved when these were not rationed, but “all you want to eat”. I would say “I’m making them until you say stop.” I wish it were that easy to feed my kids vegetables during the off-season. This is a truth with my kids, and likely with many of the kids who are CSA members–When it comes straight from the garden, especially if they help harvest it, and even more especially if they helped grow it, it is a completely different eating experience for them.

The boys, trekking home with their garden prizes, to make dinner

So busy with this, I haven’t posted in months, but the farm is wrapping up for the season, and I am digging up collected photos to share with you. All summer, I wrote blog posts “in my head” with visual snapshots and all (do other bloggers do this??), but sometimes I actually did document them with a real camera. And its not too late, so the written blog entries may happen as well, coming to you during the cold months as a taste of the summer gone by.

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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

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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:

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