What’s happening on the farm this week?
Week 17 and 18: Hi everyone – So today (this week) is the last of the shares for this growing season. This time of year is always bittersweet for us. We are bummed that we won’t see you all every week, that vegetables and flowers start growing at a snails pace, but then we are getting into a slower time where we can spend more time together as a family. We enjoy watching the change of the season – the fall crisp air, the heritage apple trees producing sweet and tart apples, Sadie realizing what leaves are and how much they are to play in, seeing the cover crops we planted germinate – and the hustle and bustle of a growing season go more dormant to rest for another growing season next year – to start working on ideas and plans for next growing season. This was a hard summer for us – it really tried all of our farming patience. We have learned a lot and take with this knowledge into planning for next year. We know one thing for sure, next year will be easier and more things will grow. It is tricky business having a, organic vegetable farm on clay soil – we were going to harvest potatoes today – the blue ones (those who are on Thursday may get them in your share) but we couldn’t because the soil was way to wet and would have spread blight on those lovely tubers. It is all a great big balancing act. This year was our biggest learning year – our 5 year birthday present from the universe – and we are okay with that because we did not face it alone we had all of you to journey with us this season.
Thank you ….
For picking sugar snap peas with us
For enjoying the lush spinach and greens well into July
For not jumping ship when we told you about the “blight” and “destruction”
For dancing on the hay wagon in heat of summer
For enjoying the sweetness of raw organic heritage corn
For trying new vegetables like tomatillos, Italian heirloom eggplants, and bok choy
For coming out and helping pull weeds, mow, plant, seed, pick, play with Sadie
For eating Kale
For trusting in us
For your thoughtfulness and generosity
For believing in us
For the privilege of being one of the farmers that nourish you and your family
Thanks for being part of our farm, see you next Spring – Adam, Christine and Sadie J
P.S. If and when the brussel sprouts and cabbage decide to fatten up – we will send out an email to let you know – think of it as a bonus in latter October/November. It is also not too late to sign up for Beef Shares – just let us know. You will hear from us later this fall early winter about CSA for the summer of 2010.
What’s in the share this week: Okra, Yellow or Blue Potatoes, Beets, Carrots, Tomatillos, Red Russian Kale, Beet Greens, Chard, pie pumpkins, Winter Squash, and maybe some others.
www.blueheronfarm-vt.blogspot.com CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB and LEAVE COMMENTS TOO
Wool Roving for Sale:
From our sheep – we have Border Leicster Romney Crosses, Icelandic and Shetland Sheep. It is $15 for 6 ounces (special price for CSA members).
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
To help put the veggie part of the farm to bed – please call us 372-3420 or email harmonyvt@yahoo.com. Thanks
How to cook winter squash
In case you've never tried to cook winter squash, it couldn't be simpler: Cut in half with a big sharp knife. Remove seeds. (If you've ever carved a pumpkin, these two steps should be very familiar.) Put in a baking pan (I use glass, metal or ceramic would also work) cut side down, with a little water in the pan. Or rub the cut side with a little oil first. Bake in a medium oven (325, or 350, or 400, etc.) until it's easily pierced with a fork. Remove, and eat. Possible toppings: many like maple syrup, butter, salt and pepper, etc. I've also added my cut, seeded halves of winter squash to the crockpot with some water, and let it cook that way for a few hours. This method works especially well when all you want is the cooked flesh to puree for a soup or other dish.
Pumpkin or Winter Squash Puree
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone Deborah Madison
Easy, versatile and useful, leftovers can fill ravioli, turn into a soup, or be added to muffins, breads, biscuits, and waffles. Preheat oven to 375 F. Halve, seed, and bake 3 pounds pumpkin or winter squash until tender, approx. 30 - 40 mins. Scrape the flesh away from the skin, then beat until smooth with a large wooden spoon This should be easy unless the squash is stringy, in which case, use a food processor or food mill. Stir in butter to taste and season with salt and pepper. Makes about 2 cups. To enrich the puree, grate Gruyére , Fountain, or Emmenthaler into it. Flavor with extra virgin olive oil, or dark sesame oil, or mix in sautéed onions.
Welcome to our Farm! Little stories about our life as organic farmers raising a family on an island in the middle of Lake Champlain
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Hoedown POSTPONED
HI Everyone the Hoedown scheduled for Tomorrow - Sunday - is rescheduled to the end of October due to 100% chance of rain. We will post soon to let you know when it will be. Thanks for understanding. Adam, Christine and Sadie
Monday, September 21, 2009
CSA Journal Week 16
****BLUE HERON FARM HOE-DOWN***
THIS WEEKEND – SUNDAY, September 28 starting at 3:00pm
Please bring a dish to share, your own plate (we have glasses), an instrument
Hay wagon rides starting at 3:30 (the route of hay ride will be down where the sheep are)
Potluck Music Starting at 4:30 – Potluck Dinner starting at 5:00pm
Please park down at the red and green barn – walk to the back field – the path through the cedars– see the sheep and wigwam and lots of fields for the kids to run in. See you Sunday!
What’s happening on the farm this week?
Week 16: Hi everyone – A big thank you to Gene, Kaight’s (CSA member) father who has done an amazing job brush hogging around the farm. There are fields that we do not use during the year and in the fall they need to mowed down and cleared. Gene has spent over 16 hours mowing for us and we are so very lucky and thankful for all of his hard work. Adam is back at his off the farm job full time, and Sadie and I can not use the tractor together so to have someone here that knows how to use a tractor and do some of the long hour jobs – is such a great help! We are thankful also to Kaight and her family for sharing their grandpa with us. We are learning so much from him. Gene comes from a long line of farmers from the Chester, VT area and we learn more every time we are working along side him.
Next week will be the last pick up for the season for on farm, Bebop, Fort and Round Barn. We will try to load you up with as much stuff as we can. The farmstand will remain open until it snows – and you can buy eggs, jars of goodies, wool, garlic, potatoes, etc.
We have winter squash for everyone for the last two weeks of this share. We hope you enjoy them. We brought them in from Rockville Market Farm in Starksboro. Thanks to Keenan and her son for bring them to S. Burlington for us yesterday. We also have corn stalks for anyone who would like to decorate their porches with them. I will try to bring them into Bebop and the Fort drop offs on Thursday. Check out this week/last week’s Seven Days – Sadie and Christine are on the back page of Section A for advertising the Healthy Living Farmers Market. Sadie and Christine went and sold at two markets back to back this weekend, Grand Isle and Healthy Living – with a lot of prep help from Adam. We sold potatoes, garlic, eggs, cookies and cornstalks.
Sadie is pretty pooped today – lots of on time – she is napping right now (11:20am on Monday) I figured her and I would stick close to home today since the last few days have been hectic. This is made possible by the hard work of Adam, and our great volunteers, Gale, Fiona, Ben, Ronnie, Becky and Dude on this Monday morning and work down over the weekend. We made 18 pints of pear sauce on Saturday, working on some tomato sauce this afternoon and it looks like our apple trees are asking us to pick them to make some apple sauce, butter, crisp and pies. We have been enjoying picking raspberries with our neighbors Jim and Meg – Sadie is quite a scout for raspberries – she knows exactly when the berries are ready and picks them so gingerly and then gobbles them up. She also likes to run down the beds shouting “where are you mama” in a sing song voice- “where are you Jim” “Where are you Meg” “Where are you chickens” “Where are you daddy” Sadie and I start out with baskets – one Sadie size and one mama size – she starts filling hers and then realizes – yum – and eats them up and then she goes for mama’s – I have to ration them out so we have some to eat later and freeze. Sadie must eat at least 2 quarts worth of raspberries when she is out there (good thing Jim and Meg don’t weigh herJ).
I love going out my front door, walking across the “yard” and be able to pick berries – actually I am very grateful for where I live because we can get all of our food (well almost all of it) right here on Quaker Rd and if not here we know other farmers who can grow it for us. What an amazing place to be for us and especially our daughter – all the wonderful grandmotherly and grandfatherly friends we have for her, the food that can be raised by us and our neighbors that she can eat, the fields that she can run through to get a banana out of someone’s cookie jarJ, to swing in the big tree in circles, to sit with the sheep, to race the chickens and to sleep looking out at the stars – and to count each and every one. We are blessed.
Thanks for being part of our farm, see you next week – Adam, Christine and Sadie J
What’s in the share this week:Okra, Yellow, Red and Blue Potatoes, Tomatillos, Red Russian Kale, Beet Greens, Winter Squash, Sunflowers, Cornstalks and maybe some others.
BLUE HERON FARM HOE-DOWN –September 27, 2009
The next Blue Heron Farm Hoe-Down will be Sunday, September 27th at 3:00pm – potluck, music, games and hay rides on a now fixed hay wagon. The last hoe down brought fiddles, harmonicas, guitars, bag pipes, accordion, and many silly dances on the hay wagon by all these little farm kiddos. The weather should be a lot cooler and we will have a bon fire this time. We are planning on having it back behind our property near the sheepJ Bring family and friends, food and drink to share, an instrument – all are welcome.
http://www.blueheronfarm-vt.blogspot.com/ CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB and LEAVE COMMENTS TOO
Wool Roving for Sale:
From our sheep – we have Border Leicster Romney Crosses, Icelandic and Shetland Sheep. It is $15 for 6 ounces (special price for CSA members).
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
To help put the veggie part of the farm to bed – please call us 372-3420 or email harmonyvt@yahoo.com. Thanks
Grass fed Beef Shares Now Available:
Blue Heron Farm and Rob Rousseau, farmer in North Hero, have partnered again this year to offer grass fed beef shares this year. Rob has been farming all of his life and his grass fed beef are delicious. We have been getting a share from him the last 3 years and have not bought beef from the store in over 3 years. The cows are able to range on over 150 acres of pasture at his family farm. They are on pasture their whole life. He does not use antibiotics or growth hormones. He does not feed them grain to “fatten” them up. The beef has a sweet taste to it – you can tell they have been on pasture. These cows have had great lives. They are Hereford crossed with Angus and maybe some Highland (I have to double check with RobJ). The beef will be ready over the next couple of months. He had 6 cows to sell – which means 12 halves. He sells it by hanging weight. The price will include processing and putting the cuts of beef in frozen, freezer paper wrapped,1-2 lb packages. You will receive hamburg, stew beef, tenderloin, sirloin, top round, ribs, cube steak, soup bones, london broil, roasts, etc. The price is 2.75 per lb hanging weight. This price may go down – it is dependant an the cost of processing. This is the best deal around for grass fed beef. I have learned a lot about beef processing over the last few years and have asked lots of questions – so here is some info you should know. Hanging weight is the weight that is taken when the beef is hanging after it has been gutted, skin, hooves and head are removed – sorry for the graphic but it important for you to know. The beef needs to hang in the meat cooler for a few weeks and when this happens, there is shrinkage. There is typically about 15- 20% shrinkage from the hanging weight depending on the fat of the cow. So the hanging weight is different from the weight you bring home. For example: last year, we processed a full cow that was 615lbs hanging weight. What we brought home was around 430-440lbs of beef (that was a whole cow). The processing house treats the animals humanely and is USDA inspected and it even has an organic processor license. You can see the cows grazing on Rte 2 in North Hero, South of Shore Acres.
If you are interested in a beef share, please fill out the bottom and send with a $50 deposit by October 15th. The deposit will be deducted from the final price. IF you have any questions, please feel free to call Christine at 372-3420.
Please cut the bottom off and return with payment
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- Name:________________________________________________
- Phone:____________________________________email:_________________________-
- Address:___________________________________________
I would like the following (please circle):
½ Cow – which is around 150 – 200 lbs of beef ( est. 200 -300lbs hanging weight)
Whole cow – which is around 300 – 400lbs of beef( est 500-600 lbs hanging weight)
¼ Cow – which is around 75 – 100lbs of beef (est 100 – 150lbs hanging weight)
Please enclose a deposit of $50. Please make the check out to Rob Rousseau. Mail to Blue Heron Farm, 34 Quaker Rd, Grand Isle, VT 05458
Rest of Payment due at pick up of cut, wrapped and frozen beef sometime in October/November. Limited Payment plans available.
THIS WEEKEND – SUNDAY, September 28 starting at 3:00pm
Please bring a dish to share, your own plate (we have glasses), an instrument
Hay wagon rides starting at 3:30 (the route of hay ride will be down where the sheep are)
Potluck Music Starting at 4:30 – Potluck Dinner starting at 5:00pm
Please park down at the red and green barn – walk to the back field – the path through the cedars– see the sheep and wigwam and lots of fields for the kids to run in. See you Sunday!
What’s happening on the farm this week?
Week 16: Hi everyone – A big thank you to Gene, Kaight’s (CSA member) father who has done an amazing job brush hogging around the farm. There are fields that we do not use during the year and in the fall they need to mowed down and cleared. Gene has spent over 16 hours mowing for us and we are so very lucky and thankful for all of his hard work. Adam is back at his off the farm job full time, and Sadie and I can not use the tractor together so to have someone here that knows how to use a tractor and do some of the long hour jobs – is such a great help! We are thankful also to Kaight and her family for sharing their grandpa with us. We are learning so much from him. Gene comes from a long line of farmers from the Chester, VT area and we learn more every time we are working along side him.
Next week will be the last pick up for the season for on farm, Bebop, Fort and Round Barn. We will try to load you up with as much stuff as we can. The farmstand will remain open until it snows – and you can buy eggs, jars of goodies, wool, garlic, potatoes, etc.
We have winter squash for everyone for the last two weeks of this share. We hope you enjoy them. We brought them in from Rockville Market Farm in Starksboro. Thanks to Keenan and her son for bring them to S. Burlington for us yesterday. We also have corn stalks for anyone who would like to decorate their porches with them. I will try to bring them into Bebop and the Fort drop offs on Thursday. Check out this week/last week’s Seven Days – Sadie and Christine are on the back page of Section A for advertising the Healthy Living Farmers Market. Sadie and Christine went and sold at two markets back to back this weekend, Grand Isle and Healthy Living – with a lot of prep help from Adam. We sold potatoes, garlic, eggs, cookies and cornstalks.
Sadie is pretty pooped today – lots of on time – she is napping right now (11:20am on Monday) I figured her and I would stick close to home today since the last few days have been hectic. This is made possible by the hard work of Adam, and our great volunteers, Gale, Fiona, Ben, Ronnie, Becky and Dude on this Monday morning and work down over the weekend. We made 18 pints of pear sauce on Saturday, working on some tomato sauce this afternoon and it looks like our apple trees are asking us to pick them to make some apple sauce, butter, crisp and pies. We have been enjoying picking raspberries with our neighbors Jim and Meg – Sadie is quite a scout for raspberries – she knows exactly when the berries are ready and picks them so gingerly and then gobbles them up. She also likes to run down the beds shouting “where are you mama” in a sing song voice- “where are you Jim” “Where are you Meg” “Where are you chickens” “Where are you daddy” Sadie and I start out with baskets – one Sadie size and one mama size – she starts filling hers and then realizes – yum – and eats them up and then she goes for mama’s – I have to ration them out so we have some to eat later and freeze. Sadie must eat at least 2 quarts worth of raspberries when she is out there (good thing Jim and Meg don’t weigh herJ).
I love going out my front door, walking across the “yard” and be able to pick berries – actually I am very grateful for where I live because we can get all of our food (well almost all of it) right here on Quaker Rd and if not here we know other farmers who can grow it for us. What an amazing place to be for us and especially our daughter – all the wonderful grandmotherly and grandfatherly friends we have for her, the food that can be raised by us and our neighbors that she can eat, the fields that she can run through to get a banana out of someone’s cookie jarJ, to swing in the big tree in circles, to sit with the sheep, to race the chickens and to sleep looking out at the stars – and to count each and every one. We are blessed.
Thanks for being part of our farm, see you next week – Adam, Christine and Sadie J
What’s in the share this week:Okra, Yellow, Red and Blue Potatoes, Tomatillos, Red Russian Kale, Beet Greens, Winter Squash, Sunflowers, Cornstalks and maybe some others.
BLUE HERON FARM HOE-DOWN –September 27, 2009
The next Blue Heron Farm Hoe-Down will be Sunday, September 27th at 3:00pm – potluck, music, games and hay rides on a now fixed hay wagon. The last hoe down brought fiddles, harmonicas, guitars, bag pipes, accordion, and many silly dances on the hay wagon by all these little farm kiddos. The weather should be a lot cooler and we will have a bon fire this time. We are planning on having it back behind our property near the sheepJ Bring family and friends, food and drink to share, an instrument – all are welcome.
http://www.blueheronfarm-vt.blogspot.com/ CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB and LEAVE COMMENTS TOO
Wool Roving for Sale:
From our sheep – we have Border Leicster Romney Crosses, Icelandic and Shetland Sheep. It is $15 for 6 ounces (special price for CSA members).
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
To help put the veggie part of the farm to bed – please call us 372-3420 or email harmonyvt@yahoo.com. Thanks
Grass fed Beef Shares Now Available:
Blue Heron Farm and Rob Rousseau, farmer in North Hero, have partnered again this year to offer grass fed beef shares this year. Rob has been farming all of his life and his grass fed beef are delicious. We have been getting a share from him the last 3 years and have not bought beef from the store in over 3 years. The cows are able to range on over 150 acres of pasture at his family farm. They are on pasture their whole life. He does not use antibiotics or growth hormones. He does not feed them grain to “fatten” them up. The beef has a sweet taste to it – you can tell they have been on pasture. These cows have had great lives. They are Hereford crossed with Angus and maybe some Highland (I have to double check with RobJ). The beef will be ready over the next couple of months. He had 6 cows to sell – which means 12 halves. He sells it by hanging weight. The price will include processing and putting the cuts of beef in frozen, freezer paper wrapped,1-2 lb packages. You will receive hamburg, stew beef, tenderloin, sirloin, top round, ribs, cube steak, soup bones, london broil, roasts, etc. The price is 2.75 per lb hanging weight. This price may go down – it is dependant an the cost of processing. This is the best deal around for grass fed beef. I have learned a lot about beef processing over the last few years and have asked lots of questions – so here is some info you should know. Hanging weight is the weight that is taken when the beef is hanging after it has been gutted, skin, hooves and head are removed – sorry for the graphic but it important for you to know. The beef needs to hang in the meat cooler for a few weeks and when this happens, there is shrinkage. There is typically about 15- 20% shrinkage from the hanging weight depending on the fat of the cow. So the hanging weight is different from the weight you bring home. For example: last year, we processed a full cow that was 615lbs hanging weight. What we brought home was around 430-440lbs of beef (that was a whole cow). The processing house treats the animals humanely and is USDA inspected and it even has an organic processor license. You can see the cows grazing on Rte 2 in North Hero, South of Shore Acres.
If you are interested in a beef share, please fill out the bottom and send with a $50 deposit by October 15th. The deposit will be deducted from the final price. IF you have any questions, please feel free to call Christine at 372-3420.
Please cut the bottom off and return with payment
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- Name:________________________________________________
- Phone:____________________________________email:_________________________-
- Address:___________________________________________
I would like the following (please circle):
½ Cow – which is around 150 – 200 lbs of beef ( est. 200 -300lbs hanging weight)
Whole cow – which is around 300 – 400lbs of beef( est 500-600 lbs hanging weight)
¼ Cow – which is around 75 – 100lbs of beef (est 100 – 150lbs hanging weight)
Please enclose a deposit of $50. Please make the check out to Rob Rousseau. Mail to Blue Heron Farm, 34 Quaker Rd, Grand Isle, VT 05458
Rest of Payment due at pick up of cut, wrapped and frozen beef sometime in October/November. Limited Payment plans available.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
CSA Journal Posting for Week 15
What’s happening on the farm this week?
Week 15: Hi everyone – A big thank you to Gene, Karen and Gale for coming out to harvest potatoes this morning. These potatoes are beautiful! Adam used the sub soiler on the back of the tractor to break up the potato mounds and as he did this we saw an ocean of red – red and yellow potatoes. Their skins are more intact because they have cured for about a week in the ground. Next week we will have purple potatoes for you and maybe some fingerling. The Kennebec storage potatoes are still growing in the back and they are egging on the cabbage and brussel sprouts to hurry up and catch upJ Another shout goes out to Fiona and Ben for their excellent weeding of the carrots – we are going to rename that field after Fiona and Ben after all their hardwork weedingJ Sadie found a little potato with ears thanks to Karen’s help – she calls it little bear. IT goes along nicely with the heart shaped potato she found last week. The Red Russian Kale in this week’s share is delicious and so very tender – don’t be afraid of it. It has enjoyed this cooler weather. The kale is so tender that Sadie and I eat it raw. While I weeded the Kale and Chard she was sampling it for all you and she gave it to thumbs (arms) upJ I love it when she eats straight out of the field. Hope you enjoyed your sunflowers – more to come this week. And do I dare say this, we could use a bit of rain – the soil is pretty dry…but we have been enjoying this weather and almost every night eating outside watching the harvest moon come up.
Thanks for being part of our farm, see you next week – Adam, Christine and Sadie J
What’s in the share this week:Okra, Yellow, Red and Blue Potatoes, Tomatillos, Onions, Red Russian Kale, celery (?), Sunflowers, Pick your-Own Heirloom Currant Cherry Tomatoes (they are still holding on) and maybe some others.
BLUE HERON FARM HOE-DOWN –September 27, 2009
The next Blue Heron Farm Hoe-Down will be Sunday, September 27th at 3:00pm – potluck, music, games and hay rides on a now fixed hay wagon. The last hoe down brought fiddles, harmonicas, guitars, bag pipes, accordion, and many silly dances on the hay wagon by all these little farm kiddos. The weather should be a lot cooler and we will have a bon fire this time. We are planning on having it back behind our property near the sheepJ Bring family and friends, food and drink to share, an instrument – all are welcome.
www.blueheronfarm-vt.blogspot.com CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB and LEAVE COMMENTS TOO
Wool Roving for Sale:
From our sheep – we have Border Leicster Romney Crosses, Icelandic and Shetland Sheep. It is $15 for 6 ounces (special price for CSA members).
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
To help plant, trellis, and weed – please call us 372-3420 or email harmonyvt@yahoo.com. Thanks
Potato Curryadapted from The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas
6 med. size potatoes3 T Ghee (see recipe below) or oil1 t salt1 t cumin seeds1/2 t mustard seeds (or ground mustard)1 t turmeric1 t ground coriander1 t cayenne pepper2 C water1C plain yogurt2/3 C cooked (but not mushy) sweet peas
Peel the potatoes and dice them as evenly as you can. Heat the Ghee or oil and, when it is warm, add the spices. Let them simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add the potatoes and immediately stir them around and turn them over until they seem evenly coated with Ghee and spices. Continue this process for about 5-10 minutes more, so that some of the potato cubes are a little crisped. Add 2C of water, lower the heat, and simmer slowly for about 1/2 hour, giving an occasional, gentle stir. The potatoes should be tender by this time. Now add the yogurt and the green peas, and heat it all up together for another 5 minutes or so, and serve. Serves 4-6 Ghee (clarified butter) Melt a pound or more of butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. When melted, carefully skim off the foam from the top and discard it. Heat the butter again until it foams, and skim once more. Do this once or twice more, until all the foam is gone. Carefully decant the melted butter into a container, pouring it off until only the fine sediment at the bottom of the pan is left. This Ghee, or clarified butter, will keep well for up to 5-6 weeks without refrigeration.
Tortilla de PatatasAdapted from The Mediterrasian Way by Ric Watson and Trudy Thelander -Serves 2
1 large potato or 3-4 smaller potatoes, cut into small cubes2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil3 scallions, chopped, or ½ red onion chopped2 gypsy peppers, seeds removed and finely diced (or ½ large red bell pepper)4 large eggs1 tablespoon finely chopped parlsey, or green onion tops!½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Preheat the broiler. Steam the potato pieces until just soft enough to eat. (test with a fork. Start testing after about 4 minutes, depends on the size of the cubes) Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook onion and peppers, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the potato and cook, stirring to combine, for another 2 minutes.
Whisk the eggs together in a bowl with the parsley, salt and pepper. Pour the eggs over the vegetables in the skillet, cover, and cook gently over low heat for 8 minutes. Remove the lid and place under the preheated broiler to cook for 1 minute or until the top is set. Cut into wedges and serve. This can easily be served at room temperature or cold.
Giant Crusty and Creamy White Beans with GreensAdapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson
½ pound medium or large dried white beans, cooked3 tablespoons olive oil or clarified butterFine grained sea salt1 onion, coarsely chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped½ baby chard, washed and roughly chopped, or 1 bunch kale, cut into wide ribbonsFresh ground black pepperExtra virgin olive oil for drizzlingFreshly grated parmesan for topping
Drain the beans, then heat the oil or butter over med-high heat in the widest skillet available. Add the beans to the hot pan in a single layer. If you don’t have a big enough skillet, just do the sauté stop in two batches or save the extra beans for another use. Stir to coat the beans with the oil/butter, then let them sit long enough to brown on one side, about 3 or 4 minutes, before turning to brown the other side, also about 3 or 4 minutes. The beans should be golden and a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. Salt to taste, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until the onion softens. Stir in the greens and cook until just beginning to wilt. Remove from the heat and season to taste with a generous dose of salt and pepper. Drizzle with a bit of top-quality extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.
Week 15: Hi everyone – A big thank you to Gene, Karen and Gale for coming out to harvest potatoes this morning. These potatoes are beautiful! Adam used the sub soiler on the back of the tractor to break up the potato mounds and as he did this we saw an ocean of red – red and yellow potatoes. Their skins are more intact because they have cured for about a week in the ground. Next week we will have purple potatoes for you and maybe some fingerling. The Kennebec storage potatoes are still growing in the back and they are egging on the cabbage and brussel sprouts to hurry up and catch upJ Another shout goes out to Fiona and Ben for their excellent weeding of the carrots – we are going to rename that field after Fiona and Ben after all their hardwork weedingJ Sadie found a little potato with ears thanks to Karen’s help – she calls it little bear. IT goes along nicely with the heart shaped potato she found last week. The Red Russian Kale in this week’s share is delicious and so very tender – don’t be afraid of it. It has enjoyed this cooler weather. The kale is so tender that Sadie and I eat it raw. While I weeded the Kale and Chard she was sampling it for all you and she gave it to thumbs (arms) upJ I love it when she eats straight out of the field. Hope you enjoyed your sunflowers – more to come this week. And do I dare say this, we could use a bit of rain – the soil is pretty dry…but we have been enjoying this weather and almost every night eating outside watching the harvest moon come up.
Thanks for being part of our farm, see you next week – Adam, Christine and Sadie J
What’s in the share this week:Okra, Yellow, Red and Blue Potatoes, Tomatillos, Onions, Red Russian Kale, celery (?), Sunflowers, Pick your-Own Heirloom Currant Cherry Tomatoes (they are still holding on) and maybe some others.
BLUE HERON FARM HOE-DOWN –September 27, 2009
The next Blue Heron Farm Hoe-Down will be Sunday, September 27th at 3:00pm – potluck, music, games and hay rides on a now fixed hay wagon. The last hoe down brought fiddles, harmonicas, guitars, bag pipes, accordion, and many silly dances on the hay wagon by all these little farm kiddos. The weather should be a lot cooler and we will have a bon fire this time. We are planning on having it back behind our property near the sheepJ Bring family and friends, food and drink to share, an instrument – all are welcome.
www.blueheronfarm-vt.blogspot.com CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB and LEAVE COMMENTS TOO
Wool Roving for Sale:
From our sheep – we have Border Leicster Romney Crosses, Icelandic and Shetland Sheep. It is $15 for 6 ounces (special price for CSA members).
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
To help plant, trellis, and weed – please call us 372-3420 or email harmonyvt@yahoo.com. Thanks
Potato Curryadapted from The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas
6 med. size potatoes3 T Ghee (see recipe below) or oil1 t salt1 t cumin seeds1/2 t mustard seeds (or ground mustard)1 t turmeric1 t ground coriander1 t cayenne pepper2 C water1C plain yogurt2/3 C cooked (but not mushy) sweet peas
Peel the potatoes and dice them as evenly as you can. Heat the Ghee or oil and, when it is warm, add the spices. Let them simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add the potatoes and immediately stir them around and turn them over until they seem evenly coated with Ghee and spices. Continue this process for about 5-10 minutes more, so that some of the potato cubes are a little crisped. Add 2C of water, lower the heat, and simmer slowly for about 1/2 hour, giving an occasional, gentle stir. The potatoes should be tender by this time. Now add the yogurt and the green peas, and heat it all up together for another 5 minutes or so, and serve. Serves 4-6 Ghee (clarified butter) Melt a pound or more of butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. When melted, carefully skim off the foam from the top and discard it. Heat the butter again until it foams, and skim once more. Do this once or twice more, until all the foam is gone. Carefully decant the melted butter into a container, pouring it off until only the fine sediment at the bottom of the pan is left. This Ghee, or clarified butter, will keep well for up to 5-6 weeks without refrigeration.
Tortilla de PatatasAdapted from The Mediterrasian Way by Ric Watson and Trudy Thelander -Serves 2
1 large potato or 3-4 smaller potatoes, cut into small cubes2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil3 scallions, chopped, or ½ red onion chopped2 gypsy peppers, seeds removed and finely diced (or ½ large red bell pepper)4 large eggs1 tablespoon finely chopped parlsey, or green onion tops!½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Preheat the broiler. Steam the potato pieces until just soft enough to eat. (test with a fork. Start testing after about 4 minutes, depends on the size of the cubes) Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook onion and peppers, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the potato and cook, stirring to combine, for another 2 minutes.
Whisk the eggs together in a bowl with the parsley, salt and pepper. Pour the eggs over the vegetables in the skillet, cover, and cook gently over low heat for 8 minutes. Remove the lid and place under the preheated broiler to cook for 1 minute or until the top is set. Cut into wedges and serve. This can easily be served at room temperature or cold.
Giant Crusty and Creamy White Beans with GreensAdapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson
½ pound medium or large dried white beans, cooked3 tablespoons olive oil or clarified butterFine grained sea salt1 onion, coarsely chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped½ baby chard, washed and roughly chopped, or 1 bunch kale, cut into wide ribbonsFresh ground black pepperExtra virgin olive oil for drizzlingFreshly grated parmesan for topping
Drain the beans, then heat the oil or butter over med-high heat in the widest skillet available. Add the beans to the hot pan in a single layer. If you don’t have a big enough skillet, just do the sauté stop in two batches or save the extra beans for another use. Stir to coat the beans with the oil/butter, then let them sit long enough to brown on one side, about 3 or 4 minutes, before turning to brown the other side, also about 3 or 4 minutes. The beans should be golden and a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. Salt to taste, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until the onion softens. Stir in the greens and cook until just beginning to wilt. Remove from the heat and season to taste with a generous dose of salt and pepper. Drizzle with a bit of top-quality extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Next Blue Heron Hoe Down September 27 at 3:00pm
Here at our farm - come one come all - bring food to share, an instrument and your dancing feet and have a nice fall afternoon here at the farm. These are a few pictures from the last Hoe Down
Week 14 CSA Journal
What’s happening on the farm this week?
Week 14: Hi everyone – we have a few announcements to make in this issue – Please hold on to it and read it - What’s going on at the farm, next hoedown, what the next couple of weeks look like, last pickup week/date for CSA, grass fed beef shares.
We mowed all of our red, blue, yellow and fingerling potatoes down on Monday – they were starting to show signs of blight and as Adam said “better not be greedy” – they probably could have grown longer but we did not want to take the chance. The Kennebec storage potatoes are still growing quite vigorously and we left them standing. We will be harvesting all of the potatoes – with exception to the Kennebecs – over the next few weeks while they cure in the ground. We let them cure in the ground so their skins and toughen up and will be better storage potatoes and will not bruise as easily. The ones you have been getting are freshly dug, have no curing time and will keep okay in a crisper or cool dark place for a short time – these are what you would call “new potatoes”. The yellow potatoes this week are called “Nicola” they are new to us – they are so buttery – we have roasted them on the grill and have also sliced them for French fries – both were very yummy. Also, with organic potatoes – you should keep their skins on them – or how Europeans say “keep their jackets on” – there is a ton of vitamins and minerals just in the skin. Wash them and them cook them up – very yummy and the skins are so tender you can’t even tell they are there. We also picked the last of the field peppers- they were showing signs of blight as well and Adam mowed those down – the tomatillos like the new fresh air and more space they have around themJ We will be planting cover crops to help rebuild and protect the soils. Thanks to Gail and Fiona we got a bit of weeding done with the Basil and carrot beds. We hope you have experimented with the okra – it is a rarity in these parts – Sadie likes to eat it rawJ
The next Blue Heron Farm Hoe-Down will be Sunday, September 27th at 3:00pm – potluck, music, games and hay rides on a now fixed hay wagon. The last hoe down brought fiddles, harmonicas, guitars, bag pipes, accordion, and many silly dances on the hay wagon by all these little farm kiddos. The weather should be a lot cooler and we will have a bon fire this time. We are planning on having it back behind our property near the sheepJ Bring family and friends, food and drink to share, an instrument – all are welcome.
Over the next few weeks, we will be trying the best we can to fill your baskets. The last CSA pickup this year will be the week of September 28th – the 17th week. We will make your baskets twice as full with storage groups to make it a two week pickup. Seniors shares will continue until the first week of October. If some of the crops look like they will mature and not be ready by then, we will have a “call back” sometime in October – we will know this that last week.
This growing season has been a roller coaster. We figure we have had 5 great growing seasons and now this one Mother Nature has decided to “christen” us in. We also figure that we can handle a season like this now – and not give up. We have learned much this growing season and we will put what we learned into the seasons ahead. We are looking to buy in winter squash and beets from another organic farm – we will put them in you share if we get them. What is comforting to know is that we are not the only farm who is struggling this growing season – even farms that have been in existence long before us are struggling with growing crops this year. It is weird to say this but it makes us feel better – that is the weather, our clay soil – we did the best we could – and this is good. This year was not a total washout – we had beautiful and plentiful peas, spinach, broccoli, and others – sometimes you get tunnel vision of where you right now – and I think it is important – that you still look back and to the sides on the this roller coaster rideJ
.
Thanks for being part of our farm, see you next week – Adam, Christine and Sadie J
What’s in the share this week: Clemson Spineless Okra, Yellow, Red and Blue Potatoes, Red Heirloom tomatoes (the last of them) Peppers (sweet/hot), Red and Yellow Onions, Garlic, Pears, Pick-Your-Own Heirloom Mexican Midget Cherry Tomatoes (they are still holding on) and maybe some other treatsJ
Please note: this is what we intend to have in your share as of Monday morning, very early – sometimes there will be changes that day our difference between Monday and Thursdays pickups . I print all the newsletters at one time. Thanks for understanding.)
www.blueheronfarm-vt.blogspot.com CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB and LEAVE COMMENTS TOO
Wool Roving for Sale:
From our sheep – we have Border Leicster Romney Crosses, Icelandic and Shetland Sheep. It is $15 for 6 ounces (special price for CSA members).
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
To help plant, trellis, and weed – please call us 372-3420 or email harmonyvt@yahoo.com. Thanks
Grass fed Beef Shares Now Available:
Blue Heron Farm and Rob Rousseau, farmer in North Hero, have partnered again this year to offer grass fed beef shares this year. Rob has been farming all of his life and his grass fed beef are delicious. We have been getting a share from him the last 3 years and have not bought beef from the store in over 3 years. The cows are able to range on over 150 acres of pasture at his family farm. They are on pasture their whole life. He does not use antibiotics or growth hormones. He does not feed them grain to “fatten” them up. The beef has a sweet taste to it – you can tell they have been on pasture. These cows have had great lives. They are Hereford crossed with Angus and maybe some Highland (I have to double check with RobJ).
The beef will be ready over the next couple of months. He had 6 cows to sell – which means 12 halves. He sells it by hanging weight. The price will include processing and putting the cuts of beef in frozen, freezer paper wrapped,1-2 lb packages. You will receive hamburg, stew beef, tenderloin, sirloin, top round, ribs, cube steak, soup bones, london broil, roasts, etc. The price is 2.75 per lb hanging weight. This price may go down – it is dependant an the cost of processing. This is the best deal around for grass fed beef.
I have learned a lot about beef processing over the last few years and have asked lots of questions – so here is some info you should know. Hanging weight is the weight that is taken when the beef is hanging after it has been gutted, skin, hooves and head are removed – sorry for the graphic but it important for you to know. The beef needs to hang in the meat cooler for a few weeks and when this happens, there is shrinkage. There is typically about 15- 20% shrinkage from the hanging weight depending on the fat of the cow. So the hanging weight is different from the weight you bring home. For example: last year, we processed a full cow that was 615lbs hanging weight. What we brought home was around 430-440lbs of beef (that was a whole cow). The processing house treats the animals humanely and is USDA inspected and it even has an organic processor license. You can see the cows grazing on Rte 2 in North Hero, South of Shore Acres.
If you are interested in a beef share, please fill out the bottom and send with a $50 deposit by October 15th. The deposit will be deducted from the final price. IF you have any questions, please feel free to call Christine at 372-3420.
Please cut the bottom off and return with payment
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- Name:________________________________________________
- Phone:____________________________________email:_________________________-
- Address:___________________________________________
I would like the following (please circle):
½ Cow – which is around 150 – 200 lbs of beef ( est. 200 -300lbs hanging weight)
Whole cow – which is around 300 – 400lbs of beef( est 500-600 lbs hanging weight)
¼ Cow – which is around 75 – 100lbs of beef (est 100 – 150lbs hanging weight)
Please enclose a deposit of $50. Please make the check out to Rob Rousseau. Mail to Blue Heron Farm, 34 Quaker Rd, Grand Isle, VT 05458
Rest of Payment due at pick up of cut, wrapped and frozen beef sometime in October/November. Limited Payment plans available.
Week 14: Hi everyone – we have a few announcements to make in this issue – Please hold on to it and read it - What’s going on at the farm, next hoedown, what the next couple of weeks look like, last pickup week/date for CSA, grass fed beef shares.
We mowed all of our red, blue, yellow and fingerling potatoes down on Monday – they were starting to show signs of blight and as Adam said “better not be greedy” – they probably could have grown longer but we did not want to take the chance. The Kennebec storage potatoes are still growing quite vigorously and we left them standing. We will be harvesting all of the potatoes – with exception to the Kennebecs – over the next few weeks while they cure in the ground. We let them cure in the ground so their skins and toughen up and will be better storage potatoes and will not bruise as easily. The ones you have been getting are freshly dug, have no curing time and will keep okay in a crisper or cool dark place for a short time – these are what you would call “new potatoes”. The yellow potatoes this week are called “Nicola” they are new to us – they are so buttery – we have roasted them on the grill and have also sliced them for French fries – both were very yummy. Also, with organic potatoes – you should keep their skins on them – or how Europeans say “keep their jackets on” – there is a ton of vitamins and minerals just in the skin. Wash them and them cook them up – very yummy and the skins are so tender you can’t even tell they are there. We also picked the last of the field peppers- they were showing signs of blight as well and Adam mowed those down – the tomatillos like the new fresh air and more space they have around themJ We will be planting cover crops to help rebuild and protect the soils. Thanks to Gail and Fiona we got a bit of weeding done with the Basil and carrot beds. We hope you have experimented with the okra – it is a rarity in these parts – Sadie likes to eat it rawJ
The next Blue Heron Farm Hoe-Down will be Sunday, September 27th at 3:00pm – potluck, music, games and hay rides on a now fixed hay wagon. The last hoe down brought fiddles, harmonicas, guitars, bag pipes, accordion, and many silly dances on the hay wagon by all these little farm kiddos. The weather should be a lot cooler and we will have a bon fire this time. We are planning on having it back behind our property near the sheepJ Bring family and friends, food and drink to share, an instrument – all are welcome.
Over the next few weeks, we will be trying the best we can to fill your baskets. The last CSA pickup this year will be the week of September 28th – the 17th week. We will make your baskets twice as full with storage groups to make it a two week pickup. Seniors shares will continue until the first week of October. If some of the crops look like they will mature and not be ready by then, we will have a “call back” sometime in October – we will know this that last week.
This growing season has been a roller coaster. We figure we have had 5 great growing seasons and now this one Mother Nature has decided to “christen” us in. We also figure that we can handle a season like this now – and not give up. We have learned much this growing season and we will put what we learned into the seasons ahead. We are looking to buy in winter squash and beets from another organic farm – we will put them in you share if we get them. What is comforting to know is that we are not the only farm who is struggling this growing season – even farms that have been in existence long before us are struggling with growing crops this year. It is weird to say this but it makes us feel better – that is the weather, our clay soil – we did the best we could – and this is good. This year was not a total washout – we had beautiful and plentiful peas, spinach, broccoli, and others – sometimes you get tunnel vision of where you right now – and I think it is important – that you still look back and to the sides on the this roller coaster rideJ
.
Thanks for being part of our farm, see you next week – Adam, Christine and Sadie J
What’s in the share this week: Clemson Spineless Okra, Yellow, Red and Blue Potatoes, Red Heirloom tomatoes (the last of them) Peppers (sweet/hot), Red and Yellow Onions, Garlic, Pears, Pick-Your-Own Heirloom Mexican Midget Cherry Tomatoes (they are still holding on) and maybe some other treatsJ
Please note: this is what we intend to have in your share as of Monday morning, very early – sometimes there will be changes that day our difference between Monday and Thursdays pickups . I print all the newsletters at one time. Thanks for understanding.)
www.blueheronfarm-vt.blogspot.com CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB and LEAVE COMMENTS TOO
Wool Roving for Sale:
From our sheep – we have Border Leicster Romney Crosses, Icelandic and Shetland Sheep. It is $15 for 6 ounces (special price for CSA members).
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
To help plant, trellis, and weed – please call us 372-3420 or email harmonyvt@yahoo.com. Thanks
Grass fed Beef Shares Now Available:
Blue Heron Farm and Rob Rousseau, farmer in North Hero, have partnered again this year to offer grass fed beef shares this year. Rob has been farming all of his life and his grass fed beef are delicious. We have been getting a share from him the last 3 years and have not bought beef from the store in over 3 years. The cows are able to range on over 150 acres of pasture at his family farm. They are on pasture their whole life. He does not use antibiotics or growth hormones. He does not feed them grain to “fatten” them up. The beef has a sweet taste to it – you can tell they have been on pasture. These cows have had great lives. They are Hereford crossed with Angus and maybe some Highland (I have to double check with RobJ).
The beef will be ready over the next couple of months. He had 6 cows to sell – which means 12 halves. He sells it by hanging weight. The price will include processing and putting the cuts of beef in frozen, freezer paper wrapped,1-2 lb packages. You will receive hamburg, stew beef, tenderloin, sirloin, top round, ribs, cube steak, soup bones, london broil, roasts, etc. The price is 2.75 per lb hanging weight. This price may go down – it is dependant an the cost of processing. This is the best deal around for grass fed beef.
I have learned a lot about beef processing over the last few years and have asked lots of questions – so here is some info you should know. Hanging weight is the weight that is taken when the beef is hanging after it has been gutted, skin, hooves and head are removed – sorry for the graphic but it important for you to know. The beef needs to hang in the meat cooler for a few weeks and when this happens, there is shrinkage. There is typically about 15- 20% shrinkage from the hanging weight depending on the fat of the cow. So the hanging weight is different from the weight you bring home. For example: last year, we processed a full cow that was 615lbs hanging weight. What we brought home was around 430-440lbs of beef (that was a whole cow). The processing house treats the animals humanely and is USDA inspected and it even has an organic processor license. You can see the cows grazing on Rte 2 in North Hero, South of Shore Acres.
If you are interested in a beef share, please fill out the bottom and send with a $50 deposit by October 15th. The deposit will be deducted from the final price. IF you have any questions, please feel free to call Christine at 372-3420.
Please cut the bottom off and return with payment
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- Name:________________________________________________
- Phone:____________________________________email:_________________________-
- Address:___________________________________________
I would like the following (please circle):
½ Cow – which is around 150 – 200 lbs of beef ( est. 200 -300lbs hanging weight)
Whole cow – which is around 300 – 400lbs of beef( est 500-600 lbs hanging weight)
¼ Cow – which is around 75 – 100lbs of beef (est 100 – 150lbs hanging weight)
Please enclose a deposit of $50. Please make the check out to Rob Rousseau. Mail to Blue Heron Farm, 34 Quaker Rd, Grand Isle, VT 05458
Rest of Payment due at pick up of cut, wrapped and frozen beef sometime in October/November. Limited Payment plans available.
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