Garlic

After dinner the kids and I love walking around the fields before bed. Well I say walking but most of the time it's running around playing tag or races. This week at the end of our "tour" we stopped and pulled some garlic. The kids were a little crazy, I love experiencing this with them.

We brought the bundles down and placed them on the top tier of pallets to dry. As always a great night.

Box Delivery Week 13

Here is a peek at this week's newsletter:

August 29^th, 2014

Week 13

Here are some of the items you may be receiving in your delivery this week:

Mesclun, Rutabega, Cucumber, Kale, Swiss Chard, Assorted Summer Squash, Royalty Purple and Dragon’s Tongue Beans, Broccoli and Tomatoes!

We’ve had some beautiful days on the farm this week. I’ve also found out that Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with water is a fantastic solution for keeping my squash plants healthy.

Plus we were very excited to see the winter squash growing for example Acorn and Butternut. Also the tomatoes really loved the heat this week, I’m hoping they will be ok as there is a tomatoe blight occurring and mine just started to show signs of being effected. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Zucchini Parmesan

The kids and I tried out this recipe last night. I was shocked at how fast and easy it was. Yum!

Slice 1 large squash (you can use a mixture of varieties) and sliced onion into a pan and sauté on medium heat with olive oil and some salt and pepper. Stir often and cook until soft and slight browning occurs.

Meanwhile heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grate some white chedder cheese, you can add some parmesan too and open a jar of pasta sauce.

Once the squash and onion mixture is ready spoon it into a casserole dish, cover with sauce and then cheese. Place in the oven until heated through and the cheese is melted.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Your Farmer,

Amber

Box Delivery Week 12

Here is a look at this week's delivery and newsletter:

August 22^nd, 2014

Week 12

Here are some of the items you may be receiving in your delivery this week:

Spinach, Beet Greens, Cucumber, Assorted Summer Squash, Royalty Purple and Dragon’s Tongue Beans, Parsley and Thyme. 

I hope all of you had a wonderful week. Yesterday was a very busy day for me and my boys. I had hurt my knee on Thursday doing of all things carrying laundry up the stairs. Anthony and Navarre immediately said they would get up early and help with the harvest the next morning. They have helped a bit before but yesterday they showed what great junior farmers they are! They helped pick beans, made cuttings and were my runners for everything else. Then back inside they sorted and helped me divide the vegetables and take them up to the cooler. It was so much fun.

Today I’ll be making one of our favorites: French Onion Soup. It’s inspired by the thyme which the boys both say smells heavenly.

Combine 3 Tbsp butter, 3 Tbsp oil, 5 large onions thickly sliced, a splash of water and a pinch of salt in a large soup pot. Cover and heat over Medium heat for about 10 minutes until the water evaporates. Remove lid and turn heat to low stirring often for approximately 30 minutes or until the onions are soft and supple.

Add some sprigs of thyme, 6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, and some salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes for the flavours to blend.

Meanwhile toast up some slices of nice bread and grate some cheese. You can use Swiss, Gruyere, Emmental or any other of your favorites. Lately I’ve fallen for a local cheese from Knoydart Farm available at Farmer’s Markets and at Sobeys. It’s certified organic and comes in many varieties. The boys and I love the Poppy and Garlic Cheddar Cheese.

Once the soup is ready remove the twigs of thyme, most of the leaves will have fallen off flavouring the soup. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with toast and sprinkle with cheese. You can then melt the cheese using the oven but please be very careful.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Your Farmer,

Amber

Another Dream Come True

When I was 8, I visited my great aunts farm in Gilbert Plains, Manitoba. A bonus was I was able to see my Great Grandfather’s farm which was just a few miles down the road. No one lived there anymore but all the buildings were still standing. Even though I never had the pleasure of meeting him he has been an inspiration to me. My trip there was wonderful. Looking at the fields being hayed, avoiding cow pies, feeding chickens and loving every minute, a little farmer was born.

Since that day I’ve followed many different pursuits but always came back to the dream of having a farm. It’s now been one year that we’ve been here and it’s proved an amazing adventure with so much more to come.

This week had a fantastic surprise, my fields were hayed. This may not mean much to you but to me it solidified that I had a farm. After months of looking for someone to come and hay, I finally convinced my fabulous neighbor. I paid him for gas and he took all the bales, save two, for his cattle. It was a win-win. Both of us happy and my fields are maintained.

It takes about 3 days of good weather to make hay. First you cut, next, as I call it, “fluff” (I’m sure there is a more technical term), this lets the grass get more air to dry out. Then you rake it into lines and bale it. He has the equipment to do round bales and my barn was made for squares, so I’ll have to store my two in the stables.

The kids had a wonderful time running around the fields watching the haying. I was super excited too. Once the bales were rolled I took the kids up for more photos.

It was late in the evening when my neighbor finished taking all of his bales back to his own barn. He left two by the riding ring for me to roll down to my barn. Unfortunately the electric wire for the pig fencing blocked his way so I had a job to do.

The next day rain was predicted to come overnight. I needed to get them inside. Well, what’s a girl to do but just get it done. One of the bales was a little lopsided and it rolled onto it’s end. Ok I’ll take the other down first. It was slightly nerve wracking. These bales weigh roughly 800 to 950 pounds. As long as I went slow things were manageable.

My view rolling the bale down

I lost it a couple times nearly being run over at the bottom but I made it to the barn around the obstacle course of garden pallets and plant sheds. I had thought of placing both bales into an unused horse stall. Once I reached the threshold at the door of the barn though I had a predicament. For the life of me I could not roll it over the 4 inch step, then I was very annoyed to find it would not roll back. Pushing it out was a real pain in the you know what. My feet kept slipping out from under me. I tried levering it, jumping on it, even kicking the darn thing. Finally adrenaline and pure frustration won out and I got it to roll back out. YES!

The wind up!

I rolled it back about 8 feet from the barn for a wind up. Pushing as hard as I could I rolled it towards the door entrance just missing the door frame. It rolled up on the threshold and slowed almost to a stop. I pushed with all my might swearing and in it rolled. AHA! I might also mention at least 20 chickens were watching these proceedings and I managed not to roll over a single one. I maneuvered the bale into position at the side of the stables. One down one to go.

Ok I need to be smart about this. Levering did not work so… time to get the Honda. I drove the SUV up to the bale and set up a line to pull the bale back onto it’s side.

I got in and slowly pulled forward. It’s working! It flipped onto it’s side and then right back over. “Are you kidding me?” I got out, wrestled with the now tangled line and reset for take 2. This time I went extra slow. It flipped over and then Argh! Rolled upright again! I got out and frankly I’d had enough. I did the unwise thing of putting myself between the car and the bale and pushed with all my might. It must have been slightly off kilter or because the bale was a little uneven but… Victorious! It rolled onto it’s side. I untied the line from the Honda and moved the car down to the barn. Moving this bale was incredibly difficult as it kept rolling off to the side and I was starting to lose my cool. However, I did it. I now have two bales in the stables from my own hay field and that’s pretty cool.

I was exhausted and drenched with sweat. Yes, yes, I know. I need a tractor, I’m working on it.

Box Delivery Week 11

Here is a look at this weeks box delivery and newsletter:

August 15^th, 2014

Week 11

Here are some of the items you may be receiving in your delivery this week:

Spinach, Kale, Cucumber, Assorted Summer Squash, Rutabaga, Royalty Purple and Dragon’s Tongue Beans, Purple Opal and Genovese Basil and Parsley.

This week at the farm was full of hard work. Frankly I’m still recovering. From chopping wood, toting plants up to the field, staking, pruning and then the big one, rolling two round bales weighing over 800lbs each down and into the barn. Whew.

I had some great questions this week about the summer squash, mainly about the Patty Pan or Flying Saucer squash. They are so different it becomes a question of how do I eat it? As with all summer squash they can be sliced up and eaten raw with a dip or you can sauté or steam them. Yes, you can eat the skin. You can also grate them and make zucchini pancakes or zucchini bread.

Also a note about the kale, my family does not eat the stems. Hold a piece of kale by the base of the stem. With your other hand lightly pinch the stem and drag your pinched fingers down to the end of the stem. The leaf should just come right off. I then chop up the leaves and sauté them.

Another new item this week is Rutabaga. This looks like a large turnip. Simply slice off the top and bottom, cut the peel off (only the outside no need to remove the light colored flesh under the skin. Next dice it up to fry or steam. It’s very yummy with some herb butter.

Herb Butter is also very easy. I’ve included basil and parsley this week. Finely chop up the herbs you want to use. Mix them in with some butter or margarine. I sometimes use a little lemon juice or parmesan cheese too.

Have a great weekend!

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me. Also if you have any of your own recipes to share I would love to see them!

Your Farmer,

Amber

Box Delivery Week 10

Here is a peek at this weeks newsletter and what was in the box!

August 10^th, 2014

Week 10

Here are some of the items you may be receiving in your delivery this week:

Green and Yellow Cucumber, Bunching Onions, Green Zest, Varieties of Radish, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Assorted Summer Squash, Royalty Purple and Dragon’s Tongue Beans, Purple Opal and Genovese Basil

The wet weather this week has proved wonderful for the garden and has tested my efforts with repairing the driveway. Both I am pleased to say are doing great. Weeding, mulching, fertilizing continue as well as building new raised beds and planting new seeds. The animals are growing fast especially all the little chicks who are already able to fly up to roost.

The 2 beans in your delivery this week have always been a favourite. Simply steam them and they turn green and yellow. The kids and I also eat them raw.

This week our family will be having another easy recipe with the summer squash. I use all but the patty pan or flying saucer for this one.

Slice them lengthwise, trim the ends and scoop out some of the seeds in the middle. In a bowl I then mix up some Italian bread crumbs (I like these as the dried herbs are already in it), diced tomatoes and onions(you can use bruschetta mix), grated Parmesan cheese and some olive oil. Plus salt and pepper to taste. Spread the mixture in the “squash boats” and bake at 350 degrees in the oven until the squash is soft.

So good! Feel free to add extra Parmesan at the end.

Have a great weekend!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Your Farmer,

Amber

French Drains Installed and Driveway Fixed

After the big rainstorm last week I knew I needed to figure out a solution for my driveway. I showed you all some of the pictures from the washout. My driveway is a steep, long, hard packed pain in the you know what. It's way past time to do something about it.

I'm hoping my solution is the right one. I've built 4 French Drains across the 230 foot driveway 50 feet apart starting at the top. Thankfully I had a bunch of stone delivered up near the greenhouse site about a month ago, so I've been able to use that to both fill the French Drains and to fill 3/4 of the massive ruts which I then topped off with gravel.

Before:

After:

With this farm trusting my instincts has proven true. I have my fingers crossed this will make a huge difference. The hard work will be tested tomorrow night with Hurricane Bertha.

Wash Out

Last Wednesday night I work up to the sound of a driving rain hitting the house. It was pounding down so hard my blankets at the base of my bed were wet. The cat and I were not impressed. I got up and closed all the windows on that side of the house and mopped up. My mother's visiting and she is camping out in the backyard with the kids. I called down and she said they were fine and happy. OK all good. 

Except, I thought "What was the driveway going to be like the next morning?"

Thank goodness I have a 4 wheel drive vehicle. 

My hard work from the previous weekend of making it smoother for my visitors was down the... driveway. I have known I needed to do something for drainage since I moved in but unfortunately it never happened. Frankly I wasn't sure what to do to fix it. I talked with some people at the Feed store and then the Hardware store. I thought digging a trench and installing a perforated pipe and covering it with large stones would be a good option but finding a pipe which can be driven over was not easy. 

The lady at the hardware store gave me some ideas but most I knew would only last short term. I need something that will last me until at least next Spring. I have no interest in dealing with a ice slicked driveway again this winter. I know I can't make it perfect but anything will be an improvement.

The best idea I could come up with was to install a French Drain across the top and then maybe again a few times down the slope. I have the top one nearly completed, its been a while since I slung my pick axe. Feel the burn baby!

Hopefully this is a good option. I wasn't able to get much feedback. It is difficult work. That driveway is as hard as a rock to dig out. I built it on a slant to drain into the large ditch on the eastern side. This is not going to be an easy project but I'll get it done. Never underestimate a determined woman, especially one with no other option! I'm optimistic!

Box Delivery Week 9

Here is a peek at this weeks newsletter:

Week 9

August 1, 2014

Here are some of the items you will be receiving this week:

Beets with greens, Broccoli, Kale, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Cucumber, Assorted varieties of Squash

I was so excited to bring you all our first broccoli of the season plus Beets complete with their beautiful purple greens.

My favorite and easiest way of cooking beet roots: Place them washed with the top and bottoms trimmed, into parchment paper and then wrapped in foil. Place in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until tender. Careful of the steam when you open it! Then once tender hold them still with a fork and scrape off the skin with a butter knife and enjoy. Excellent topped with a mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, thyme and cottage cheese. Always fun to experiment in the kitchen!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Your Farmer,

Amber