Box Delivery Week 17

September 26^th, 2014

Week 17

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

Beets, Carrots, Spinach, Arugula, Red Onions, Mixed Kale, Swiss Chard

This week’s delivery is full of gorgeous greens. Stir fry’s and pasta with sautéed veggies is at the top of my list this week. Remember to tear the stems out of the kale before you cook/eat it to enjoy just the leafy goodness.

Unfortunately unbeknownst to me the fence wasn’t closed up last night as I was told and a visitor came in and ate the remaining broccoli, kale and kohlrabi. That was very frustrating to find this morning as I did my chores. Luckily the deer didn’t move into the garden very far and there are many vegetables untouched. Still, it’s not good news.

I still have pork available and a couple beautiful turkeys left.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Your Farmer,

Amber

Autumn

My favorite season has always been Autumn. The glorious colors, crisp air, crunch of leaves, sweaters and of course Halloween. It's a cycle of life, the time where many things start to die off with visits from Jack Frost. 

Only the cold hardy vegetables are still growing up in the fields except I'm babying some beans and young beets. Also there are plants in the little greenhouse. The part of Autumn which I am finding difficult as a farmer is the death of the animals. I made sure this time I was there for the pigs, chickens and the turkeys. I always watch and thank them making sure they are well taken care of. They've all had good lives and this part to me is very important. It was a nearly instant death for all with little to no stress on the animals. Still I took it pretty hard, especially the pigs. Thankfully a wonderful man helped me through saying to keep my chin up and how great it is that I care.

Running this farm on my own with 2 boys is a daunting task. I'm still working on the greenhouse and just when I really can't handle anything else, torrential downpours hit and my driveway washes out again. Yep that day went from bad to worse to horrible. 

Each day I'm picking away at what I can, never seeming to catch up but I've been told "You can only do what you can do. Stop expecting too much of yourself. You are doing great." This gets me back on my feet and ready to go at it again. 

I'm very happy to have sold all the chicken, most of the turkeys are spoken for and over half of the pork is sold with hopefully lots more interest in the remainder. 

My kids are doing awesome. Navarre is adjusting to the new routines and Anthony is now in soccer twice a week. It's a real joy to see how happy they are here and that makes it all worth it. 

Tonight the boys went up to the barn with me to collect eggs and close up. We also went up to the garden and checked on row covers. On the way out, we saw deer tracks. OK, lets deal with it. I took the boys for a walk around the fence line. It was getting dark but with the sunset we managed to find 2 breaks, one very bad on a corner. We went back down to the workshop and I found my tools. I gave Anthony the flashlight and Navarre the drill to carry. Each were talking away, a little nervous out there but knew they were fine with Mom. 3 wires had been knocked off at the southwest corner. I was able to refasten the top one and temporarily secured the other two until I fix them tomorrow. 

As we all came back down, the topic was "What is the cat hunting tonight?" We got inside, up to brush teeth where I pulled out Navarre's loose tooth. Then off to bed with them looking forward to a visit from the tooth fairy. 

With the nights getting cooler I'm wondering when to start up the wood stove. Wood and oil are still on my to do lists. As for now it's down blankets and fun fur quilts keeping us warm. At least the sun still has some heat and I'm really enjoying the stars at night. Everything is going to be great, just have faith.

Black Gold

Yesterday I was able to borrow the truck! I called my friend Wayne and set up to visit at lunch time. He has a big farm over in Northfield and said I could come by when able, to buy some manure. He loaded up the truck using his tractor which took less than 5 minutes. Wish I could unload it that fast.

After the much slower drive home I backed it up near the garden to unload. The kids call the truck "The Beast" as I always have trouble with getting the darn thing into gear and the steering wheel locks up every time I need to start it. Frustrating.

Anthony immediately wanted to help unload, Navarre joining us later too. Love how involved the boys want to be. They are wonderful helpers!

The last 2 feet seemed to take forever! Then I decided all the grooves in the truck liner were designed by someone evil. Still we got it all clean. A quick hose off and it'll be cleaner then before.

I'm happy to have this off my list. The manure is nearly at a state where I can use it so once Spring comes around it will be perfect Black Gold.

Box Delivery Week 16

Here is a look at this week's newsletter:

September 19^th, 2014

Week 16

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

Spinach, Zesty Greens, Radishes, Green Onion, Rutabega, Eggplant and Thyme

It was another incredibly busy week on the farm. Believe it or not I’m still sowing seeds, more crops are being covered nightly with the light frosts and I’m looking forward to also having some sprouts for you soon. The kids are excited about the deer coming to eat all of the windfall apples, we counted 10 the other night. I love my deer fence! The boys are also being wonderful little helpers stacking firewood with me.

For this week in your delivery, I was so excited to have eggplant for you. My little grow house is filled with both peppers and eggplants. Simply slice and sauté your eggplant in olive oil until soft. We like a little grated parmesan on ours.

Also you can peel and cube your Rutabega. In a bowl mix it together with some olive oil and thyme and roast at 350 degrees C till golden. They are a fabulous side with dinner.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Your Farmer,

Amber

Box Delivery Week 15

Here is a peek at this week's newsletter:

September 12^th, 2014

Week 15

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

Spinach, Mesclun, Cucumber, Swiss Chard, Assorted Summer Squash, Parsley, Beets and Radishes.

Cool nights are here. Many plants are now covered in row cover each evening just in case of frost. With such a late spring all of us farmers were hoping for an Indian Summer. Who knows with Mother Nature? The garden is doing well and I am very happy with it’s production.

Starting September 22^nd I will have pork for sale. Please let me know if you are interested in any particular cuts so I can request them. Also if you would like to order a turkey for Thanksgiving I have 7 still available. They are $4.75/pound. The approximate weights are between 10 and 14lbs.

Recipe of the week:

Beets Napoleon

This is one of my favourites. It is a little involved but super easy and a great one for entertaining. You can make the nuts, dressing and prepare the cheese beforehand, and then once the beets are done it just takes minutes to assemble.

Place beets in parchment wrapped in foil and roast in the oven at 350 until soft, usually an hour depending on your oven. Then scrape off the skin and slice into rounds. Keep warm.

Meanwhile:

In a bowl mix: 1 cup pecans, 1/8 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. water, 1/8 tsp salt. Later once the beets come out spread them on a parchment lined baking sheet drizzling the remaining syrup over top. Toast until lightly browned about 7 minutes. Watch, making sure they don’t burn.

In another bowl mix the dressing: Whisk together 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 2 medium shallots, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

Separately, mix ½ an 8oz container of cream cheese with ½ tsp garlic powder. Roll into small bowls, place in a plastic baggie and put in the fridge.

Once everything is done assemble your beet towers. Alternate beet slices with cream cheese balls flattening them out as you build.

On a large platter place some greens, like Mesclun and/or Spinach. Nestle in your beet towers. Scatter some sliced cucumber and your toasted pecans. I also love adding avocado and green onions. Drizzle lightly with the dressing, setting the rest aside for if people want more.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Your Farmer,

Amber

Unexpected Storm

Saturday night an unexpected storm woke me during the night. For as long as I can remember I have loved storms. Thunder and lightning, the rush of the wind and rain. Plus any time I've been able to go and watch the ocean when it's stormy, it's been fantastic. So as you can guess, I'm normally the one whose super excited when a storm is coming, maybe even a little too excited.
However, last Saturday was the first storm that has ever scared me. It hit so hard and fast I was shocked. The thunder was like cannons directly over the house. Everything shook and I was freaked that it had hit the house. I'm not exaggerating. My immediate thoughts were worries for the pigs being scared out in the pasture and for either the house or barn to catch fire or be damaged. Have I mentioned the amazing amount of lightning rods on these 2 buildings? Insane! "Please. Please let them be grounded properly."
The storm brought an incredible downpour which I was thankful for as it meant any lightning strike should be snuffed out. That's when out my window I saw a tree in my neighbour's field hit by lightning. Wow.
I went to check on the kids who slept through the whole thing. How on earth did they manage that?
The storm moved off and gradually the rain tapered off too.
I think the reason this storm caught me so off guard was a combination of it's intensity, closeness and also the fact that it's just me and two kids. A little overwhelming.
Everything turned out fine. All the animals are OK and I emailed the man who inspected the house who said the grounding rods are fine.
So bring on the next storm, but not directly overhead though please.

Freaky Friday

School has started and I am so happy for my boys. Their classrooms are across the hall from each other which makes drop off in the mornings very easy. Plus they are loving coming home on the bus, especially when it's bumpy. I was so touched when both boys were lamenting that they wouldn't be able to help with the harvest on Friday mornings anymore. I admit I was a little lost without them.

Actually yesterday my whole day was difficult. I woke early in the morning to the sound of a chicken whose decided to stop staying in the barn. She unfortunately was caught by a raccoon and I've placed her in the compost pile, back to the earth.

When I went up to feed the pigs by the garden. I had another surprise, 3 deer were staring at me, 2 does and a fawn. Crap. A wire had broken off in 3 spots on the inside corners of the fence. I fully admit I should have done more work on the fence but there's only so much one woman can do.

After driving the boys to school and getting a late start on the harvest then washing and sorting out the deliveries the weather was already heating up.

I grabbed my tools: wire cutters, drill, isolators, and my trusty nail (believe me it's super useful). I started at the main gate and one post at a time took off the wire, stretched it taut and secured it. I have approximately 60 posts 14 feet apart. I admit fantasies of offices with AC were going through my head at times.

I surprisingly made good time but had to let go of the dream of having a shower before heading to Halifax. I hooked up the wires back at the main gate and then ran to fill water buckets, feed the animals and water the peppers and eggplants. My alarm started chirping at me to go pick up the kids at the bus stop.

Back at the farm the boys helped me load up the car and get their things organised for coming into town. Off we went and once I was almost to Halifax that's when I realised I had forgotten to plug the electric fence back in. Good lord girl!

Slightly freaking out I called everyone I could think of. A friend of mine who was visiting Lunenburg, said she would go. Thank goodness. At the farm she called to say everything was fine and the pigs were in their pen sunbathing. What a relief. Fridays are too busy especially this one.

Even with all these difficulties I had some wonderful moments. The kids so excited to help with deliveries, Anthony reciting a book to me they had read in class and later relaxing and having some fun with my friends.

Finding the positives can be hard at times but just keep smiling and know everything is OK.

Box Delivery Week 14

Here is this week's newsletter:

September 5^th, 2014

Week 14

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

Spinach, Arugula, Red and White Onions, Cucumber, Swiss Chard, Assorted Summer Squash, Basil and Tomatoes!

This will probably be the last week for summer squash. Remember you can always freeze the squash for later. I grate or thinly slice the squash then blanche it. Make sure to drain it well after and pat dry with towels before placing in freezer bags. Then when you are craving it again you have it at hand.

I’m nursing the cucumber and winter squash as best I can. All plants eventually succumb to something unfortunately. Also the tomato blight that came with the Hurricane has started to take hold. Keeping my fingers crossed I'll be able to bring more of these veggies to you. Next year will be better once I have them in the greenhouse.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Your Farmer,

Amber