Category: Our blog

If you could start your dream project, and you knew in your heart that you would not fail (not the reality of failing just the fear around it), how big would you dream?

What is your personal dream project? What does it look like? What are the parts that make it really appealing to you? That make you really want to do it?

Ok, story time.

(Clips from a Soil For Water Case Study on Glade Road Growing in 2023. Thanks so much to Eric Bendfeldt of Virginia Cooperative Extension and NCAT for creating the Soil For Water series. Full video available here.)

It’s 2008 and I’m 25. I’m in grad school in a basement cubicle on campus and it’s midday on a gorgeous August day. I’m getting antsy sitting at my desk and I decide to go for a bike ride during lunch.

My boyfriend was working on a farm called Greenstar off Glade Road. Further down Glade Road, I had seen a sign on the fence of another piece of farm property that was going to be auctioned off. And today just happened to be that auction day.

So I ride my bike out Glade Road because it’s pretty out there anyway and the auction is just getting underway. There aren’t many people there, maybe less than 20. There’s a map of the property laid out that says there’s a stream at the bottom, old-growth oaks and hickory on the hill, and even more pasture land in the back. It’s a really pretty piece of open land.

And I watch the auction begin. I see the two bidders it comes down to. There’s a final bid, the gavel goes down, the auction is done and an older man I’d never seen before is the winner. Another older guy standing next to me chuckles, elbows me, and jokes why I didn’t bid. I wish. The auction ends. I go back to school.

Fast forward a couple of years to spring 2010. My then-boyfriend-now husband is wrapping up his 2-year internship at Greenstar Farm and he was about to start a part-time job at VT’s college farm at Kentland. I’d finished grad school and despite having applied for over 50 jobs (and I kept count) I wasn’t getting any callbacks, interviews, nothing.

One Saturday my husband comes home from a volunteer day at the YMCA community garden and says, “You know who I met today? That guy who bought the farmland on Glade. He said he’d show it to us sometime.” So that is how we met Pat.

Nothing was really coming my way that I wanted to pursue job-wise and JP’s interest in farming was at least, well, interesting. So why not entertain the thought of pursuing a farm?

We did do a little looking around elsewhere at farm property that we could buy ourselves. But what we could afford was always really far out, typically in rocky or thin soil or wooded. It wasn’t looking likely that we would be able to buy our own piece anywhere within 30 miles of a town.

So we toured Pat’s land with him. And we liked the place. We put together a proposal and he was good with our proposal. We moved forward with starting our farm here. Basically, he would rent the land to us and pay for some capital improvements.

I love looking back at our proposal then from 2010. It lists everything. It’s as if you asked an 8-year-old to write a farm plan. Remember that big dream I told you to think about? Our imagination was unbridled. We proposed an orchard, u-pick berries, vegetables, value-added farm produce, cider mill, camps, tours, livestock, aquaculture, more.

We did dream big, which was awesome.

Here’s my journal entry from April 14, 2010.

“JP and I are in the start of starting a small farm operation in Blacksburg. A nice 48-acre pasture across the Brown Farm was sold at auction in 2008 to a man named Pat. Well now it is almost 2 years, a masters degree and 50 job applications later and JP and I are thinking that maybe staying in Blacksburg and starting a farm at our age is not such a shabby idea…We have so many things to learn…a lot! But we are taking notes and keeping a journal and making a lot of contacts. It is exhausting and intimidating at times, especially since it is someone else’s land…But I am confident we will come out on top in the end, even if we have to learn some hard lessons in the meantime.

…We have gotten a lot of support from a broad audience…at least they are all positive to our faces, though we are also looking for critiques, too. I think we are finding a lot of those on our own.”

We started that first year coming up with ideas, visiting other farms, talking to other folks about our ideas, and starting some small gardens, initially on the small, flattest area just in front of the barn. We started selling at the Blacksburg Farmers Market. At our first market, we had a table in the back with just fresh onions, yellow squash, and zucchini. We were hoping to bring in $100. We brought in $227. It was like that each week, making a little bit more than we expected, which encouraged us, and putting nearly it all back into the farm. 

They say it takes a village to raise a child. I say it takes a village to start a farm. Lots of our friends showed up to help. Some had a lot of mechanical knowledge and helped us build small tools. Some kept their ears open for cheap equipment. Several helped volunteer with the actual garden work, planting, harvesting, weeding, weeding, weeding.

We got to know the family that lives just down from here who also offered to rent their 3-acre parcel to us. So now we’re renting two pieces of land from two separate families. And they’re both great.

We grow bit by bit. We go to farming conferences. We visit other farms. We watch YouTube videos. We build greenhouses and they get crushed in the wind. We raise heritage turkeys and half fly away and the other half get eaten by a fox. We make sure we have a stunning display at the farmers market and show respect to every potential customer. We make mistakes. We fix them.

I’m so grateful I never got that real job after grad school. For me, a bad day here was better than a good day in a cube. Did I really want to be doing database management for the EPA? Would I be spending all my hard-earned real-job salary on therapy, mourning my lack of time outdoors? Trying hard to save money to retire early to start a farm?

The seasonality of farming sets you up on a cycle of perpetual opportunities for optimism. “So this one thing didn’t go well this year, but I think I know why and it will be better next year if I just try again.” Farming is like that. Gratefully, it has been for us.

I found the secret end-all of all skincare products. It’s all the things: healing, moisturizing, soothing and non-toxic.  Economical, minimally-processed, organically available and locally-produced.  And it was right under my snout all these years.

I discovered lard for skincare. No scowling. I invite you to take my lard-softened hand and allow me guide you there…

Lard is the main ingredient in our bar soaps, body balms and lip balms, made in small batches for us by Elisabeth of Antonina’s Garden (website coming soon). Lard? On your skin? Yes. Here are just a few reasons to clean and moisturize with it.  Lard mimics our natural skin oils. It has similar pH, lipid balance, cellular make-up and natural collagens to our skin. It’s in first place when is comes to a skincare ingredient that is closest to our own skin. Our porcine compatibility is the reason why pigs are sought out medically for skin grafts, organ transplants and enzyme replacement therapies. Thank you, honorable pig. Lard makes our soaps and balms especially nourishing, more so than plant-based soaps. Lard is a gentle and natural way to cleanse your skin and moisturize without clogging your pores, even for acne-prone skin.

Nearly all off-the-shelf soaps and moisturizers are made with toxic junk like factory-processed detergents, plantation-imported palm oil and contain microplastics and worse. Eww! Don’t put that on you! Now, not all lard is created equal. Do not rub Kroger lard on your face. Reread that last line. Happy lard comes from happy pigs. Vitamin D-rich lard comes from pastured pigs that have been exposed to sunlight. When you use lard on your skin, you’re soaking up all of that Vitamin D. Lard is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin E and Vitamin A. It’s packed full of vitamins to give you healthy, glowing skin. Moreso even than tallow. Lard for our soaps and balms comes from, get this, our own happy Berkshire pigs. Downright gleeful pigs, out in the sun, snooting around the pastures and fed organic. How great is it that we can use the whole animal and reduce waste? From farm to home workshop to here, our soaps and balms are made not only with your health in mind, but with consideration for the world around you.

So many ways you can use lard balm…

• hand moisturizer
• cuticle care
• face moisturizer
• body moisturizer
• lip balm
• heel care for dry, cracked heels
• wound care
• scar care
• belly balm for pregnant belly or stretch marks
• baby bottom care (unscented available)
• leave-in hair conditioner
• eye-make up remover
• lovers cream (yaknowwhatimean, unscented available)
• local holiday gifts

Crafted with care for you!

Fall is such a landmark time on a farm. Besides a lot of hearty, cool season crops coming in like cabbage and sweet potatoes, a new round of fresh meats is ready as well. Today we wrapped up our fall round of Pekin ducks. They came out so lovely! We get a little better each time. I love raising ducks because I feel like they have more expressive personalities than chickens (louder, wetter, cuter…). I’ve also practiced a lot this fall cooking duck. Here’s what I’m learning.

One of the reasons I appreciate duck is how much you get from one. Two duck breasts, parted off and simply seared just right, make an elegant and unique dinner. Whenever I nail a duck breast dinner, I chuckle at how easily I’m able to have a top-class restaurant-style meal in my own home.

The duck legs and wings I put right in a roasting pan, as is, with no other additions (not that I have anything against other ingredients, I’m just reeeealy busy). I slow cook them, covered, for several hours at 250 deg F. During this time the fat renders out of the parts into the baking dish. After cooking like this for 3-4 hours, I remove from the oven and pour the fat off (through a strainer) into mason jars to use for cooking later. Once the meaty parts have cooled, I get in there and pull the meat off. Oh, my, how succulent duck confit is. It’s like juicy, rich pulled pork, without being pulled pork (maybe for meals where you have non-pork eaters?). Try my duck carnitas recipe below to become a believer.

Besides the obvious meat, you also get several ounces of duck fat for cooking other meals and with the bones you can make a hearty duck stock. So many gifts, from one humble creature! Thank you, duck.

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Recipe for Easy Duck Herbed Carnitas (with blueberry sauce and goat cheese)

Ingredients

• 2 duck leg quarters and 2 wings (either parted from a whole duck or from our duck confit kit)
• 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, minced (like parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme or oregano)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6-8 thin flat breads
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1.5 cups of blueberries, cooked down to a sauce
• 4 oz soft goat cheese, like chevre

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 deg F. Place the duck parts and herbs in an oven-proof crock and put lid on. Bake for 3 -4 hrs, until the meat easily pulls from the bones.

Remove crock from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Carefully strain the meat into a colander, over a pot to collect the strained fat below (pour off the fat into mason jar to use later).

Once the meat has cooled enough to handle, pull it from the bones (you can discard the bones or use to make duck stock). Salt and pepper the duck meat to taste. Spread out into a single layer on a baking sheet. Move the baking sheet to the top rack of the oven and bake at 400 deg until the tips start to become crisp, about 10 minutes.

Top warmed flat breads with pulled duck meat, minced shallots, blueberry sauce and a coin of goat cheese. Serve warm immediately.

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Recipe for Duck Egg Cake with Duck fat and Rosemary by Hank Shaw

Ingredients

• 4 duck eggs
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 7 tablespoons duck fat or butter (melted)
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, lemon verbena, sage or winter savory (minced)
• 1 1/2 cup pastry flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• healthy pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with butter.

Crack the duck eggs into a large bowl, add the sugar, and beat with a whisk until well combined and slightly frothy. Drizzle in the oil and duck fat while stirring the mixture. Once the fat is well incorporated into the mixture, sprinkle the rosemary on top.

In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using the whisk, stir the flour into the egg-fat mixture until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes. Stick a toothpick into the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If not, bake for another 10 minutes.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack. Slice and eat warm or at room temperature.

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Recipe for Simple Seared Duck Breast (with ginger garlic soy sauce glaze)

Ingredients
2 boneless duck breasts
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 Score the skin on the breast in a cross hatch pattern; cut into the fat but take care to not cut into the meat below

Season meat and skin-side with salt and pepper

Put the breast skin-side down in a cold (as in, not preheated) heavy-bottomed skillet. Turn skillet on to medium heat.

Render the meat-side for about 10-12 minutes, until the skin is crispy and some of the fat has cooked out

Carefully, pour off some of the rendered duck fat into a heat-proof glass jar, like a mason jar.

Put the duck breast back in the pan, meat-side down, and cook about 5-7 minutes more on medium heat, until a meat thermometer reads ~152 deg at the center. Take care to not overcook it. Duck breast is best medium-rare, with some pink in the center

Remove the breast from the skillet, tent with foil and allow to rest at least 10 minutes

Slice and serve with just a plain soy sauce drizzle or the glaze recipe below, over rice and your favorite lightly steamed veggies.

Farm friend, have we got a pretty pink treat for you. It’s our just-harvested baby ginger.

We have small sections (0.25 lb) for just $5 to try right away and even have bulk 2 lb quantities of fresh baby ginger that you can freeze and enjoy all winter.

Juicy and sassy, baby ginger is not as spicy hot as its dried out counterpart. And you can use it easily in all the ways you love.

Grate or thinly slice directly from the root and use like this:

– Minced with garlic into your favorite stir-fry veggies for a burst of flavor
– Steeped in hot water for an instant tummy soother
– Grated into homemade vinaigrette salad dressing (which is simply olive oil, your favorite vinegar and salt)
– Blended into smoothies or homemade mango lassis 
– Added to your favorite pumpkin soup recipe for a cozy flavor change-up (see recipe below)

Yes, this tropical super food CAN grow right here in southwest Virginia.
In fact, baby ginger is only available locally because its shelf life fresh makes it nearly impossible to ship without drying down industrially. You’ve never seen it in Kroger, right?

Ginger is already famous for promoting immunity, reducing nausea and easing inflammation. But did you know that baby ginger is higher in its signature beneficial compounds than dried ginger?

Research at VSU has shown that baby ginger has about two to three times the antioxidant activity of dried ginger and over two times the polyphenols (read: good-smelling beneficial compounds).

All the dried ginger you see in grocery stores comes from oh so far away. And was harvested months ago. And was likely sprayed with chemicals for shipping. Don’t feed yourself that!

Our fresh baby ginger is Certified Naturally Grown, with the same strict standards as USDA certified organic.

We only have it fresh here at the beginning of fall so come see us at the farm stand this week and pick some up.
Remember, fresh ginger freezes well so get the 2 lb bulk deal and freeze so that you can cook with it all winter long.

Here’s what I do to freeze baby ginger and use through the winter: I trim the stems then I freeze the rhizomes whole in a ziplock bag. When I want to use it, I pull out a frozen knob, grate/microplane off from the frozen what I want to use, and put the rest back in the bag, into the freezer.

Enjoy a warm mug of apple cider with baby ginger tonight.
Cheers!

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Recipe for Baby Ginger & Butternut Squash Soup

Prevent your butternut soup from getting boring by adding a healthy dose of grated baby ginger. For a variation, blend in a can of unsweetened coconut milk at the end to make the soup more filling and increase its tropical aroma.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• ½ tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh baby ginger
• 3 to 4 cups vegetable broth
• Freshly ground black pepper

For serving

• Chopped parsley
• Toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• Crusty bread

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper and sauté until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the squash and cook until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the garlic, sage, rosemary, and ginger. Stir and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant, then add 3 cups of the broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the squash is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Let cool slightly and pour the soup into a blender, working in batches if necessary, and blend until smooth. If your soup is too thick, add up to 1 cup more broth (or a can of coconut milk) and blend. Season to taste and serve with parsley, pepitas, and crusty bread.

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Recipe for Sesame Ginger Dressing (which can also be a marinade or stir-fry sauce)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (or sub coconut aminos)
• 2-3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
• Optional if you want a creamy dressing: add 1 tablespoon tahini or cashew butter

Instructions

Make the dressing by whisking together the following in a medium bowl or shaking in a mason jar: sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and fresh ginger. If you want a creamier dressing, add in a tablespoon of tahini or cashew butter.

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Recipe for Japanese Pickled Ginger (gari)

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

• 4 ounces fresh ginger (washed thoroughly but no need to peel if young and thin-skinned), sliced paper-thin with a mandoline or vegetable peeler
• 2 cups water
• Several thin slices of raw beet (optional, for added color)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus an extra sprinkle
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar (cider, white wine vinegar may be used)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)

Instructions

Sprinkle the ginger (and the raw beet slices, if using) lightly with salt and put in a lidded jar, preferably first sterilized with boiling water. Add the vinegar to a stainless steel saucepan, and bring it to a boil, stirring in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Use a funnel to pour the hot liquid over the ginger, mixing well (it should completely cover the slices).

Tightly cover the jar, allow it to cool to room temperature and refrigerate. The pickled ginger, which is ready to eat after several hours, keeps well in the refrigerator for up to six months.

 

Hot and sultry one minute and storming the next. That’s what Blacksburg is like right now. We’re in a good mood here regardless because pepper season is upon us. There’re lots of types of peppers, all great in their own way.

I’ll break down for you my favorite ways to use what we offer.

Sweet Italian frying peppers (aka Carmens)- By far, our sweetest pepper. Elongated “bull’s horn” shape. These peppers freeze, roast and fry superbly. They are my go-to sweet pepper, raw or cooked. *Bulk deal available.

Bell peppers– Sweet and crunchy with a thicker wall than sweet Italian frying peppers. Great for roasted stuffed peppers. *Bulk deal available.

Lunchbox– oh, man. The perfect snackable size, small core, few seeds and oh, so sweet! Great for raw snacking or grilling whole. Kids love them.

Banana– Crisp, prolific and great for pickling. *Bulk deal available.

Mad Hatter– New this year, a sweet pepper with a fun, funky shape. You may detect very slight heat near the ribs and seeds but really a harmless pepper.

Shishito– Small & green with a thin wall. Legend says 1 in 20 are hot. Blister in a hot skillet for a star bbq appetizer.

Cherry– Red, round, sweet & crisp. Slight heat, but by no means a killer.  Serve stuffed with cream cheese and roasted to win over your object of desire.

Poblano– Dark green and flat bell shape with medium heat. Classic stuffed with cheese for chile rellenos.

Jalapeño–  Thick wall, green and hot. Excellent in salsa and stuffed with cheese for jalapeno poppers.

Cayenne– Hot, red & skinny with thin wall. Easy to chop without getting hot pepper juice all over your hands. Longer shelf life than other hot peppers since it’s not as juicy.

Habañero– Our hottest pepper. Small, crumply shape with waxy orange coating. Shines with carrots for a stellar sweet & hot sauce.

Peppers are the pinnacle summer vegetable. But they won’t last all year. 

Pick up a bulk specials on peppers for you to freeze and pickle to your heart’s content.

Sweet Italian frying peppers and bell peppers are some of the easiest veggies to freeze because they don’t require any blanching as most raw veggies do.

Just slice, bag and freeze.

 

Recipe for Peperonata (sauteed bell peppers with tomato, onion and garlic)
by Vicki Wasik

This makes a nice side veggie hot, or chilled, it’s a great spread on bread or can be tossed with cooked pasta or quinoa.  If you want to make it a whole meal, along with the pasta, stir in 2 cups of cooked chickpeas or white beans or lentils and serve over salad mix.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons of  extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 medium cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, root end removed and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 large bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
Tomatoes, chopped, to make 2 cups
1 sprig basil,  sliced into ribbons, with stem discarded (or save for veggie broth) or 1/2 teaspoon dried
Sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a heavy skill, heat 4 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until just starting to turn golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in onions, increase heat to medium-high, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 20 minutes.

Transfer to a large pot and add tomatoes and basil and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower heat to maintain simmer. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers are very soft, about 1 hour. Stir in remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir in vinegar and the sugar or honey, if necessary.  Serve right away, or chill, then serve reheated, slightly chilled, or at room temperature.

 

I’m a salad lover. I’m one of those people that feels a meal is not complete without a mound of leafy greens. Besides rounding out the color on your plate, salads also add a vibrant dose of nutrients and minerals and help you feel more full which may dissuade you from overeating heavier foods you’d regret later.

So here’re ways I incorporate leafy and other greens into meals that even picky eaters enjoy.

Basic leafy greens salad– A standard item at our farm stand, year round, is lettuce mix. It is a variety of red and green tender baby lettuce leaves cut at a young age. We also have a variation we call salad mix which is lettuce mix with added baby brassica greens like baby red and green mustard for added flavor and color. The greens are typically washed, dried and ready to serve right out of the bag (though you can give them your own rinse if you like).

Lettuce mix is so easy to use because there is no prep needed other than dressing. So many weeknight dinners or quick picnic lunches have a simply dumped the bag right into a bowl, dressed and was out the door. This may sound odd, but lettuce mix is the softest green we grow and so most people find it easy to chew and hence eat.

Dressing ideas– here’s where you can express your self. My personal go-to dressing is balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a crushed garlic clove, a pinch each of salt and pepper and some dried thyme. This dressing is easy to make from items in my cabinet and satisfies all the needs for bright-tangy-filling-salty that I tend to seek out in a dressing.

In fact, many great dressings can be made from condiments sitting around your fridge or cabinet. Here’re what I reach for most, in whatever combination strikes me that day:

I’m a label reader (or at least a glancer). I avoid dressings with high fructose corn syrup, sugar, soybean oil, canola oil, MSG and ingredients I generally can’t pronounce.

Want to make your salad sweeter (dare I say, more kid friendly?)

• Add some fruit slices on top of the greens like apples, peaches, grapes or dried cranberries
• Sneak in a spoonful of prepared fruit jam to vinaigrette salad dressing
• Use a balsamic glaze instead of balsamic vinegar for an added sweetness boost

Want to make your salad more filling? Protein is Queen. Here are some addition possibilities:

• Nuts (try unsalted and salt the full salad to your liking before serving)
• Cottage cheese
• Cheese chunks of choice (mozzarella, feta, colby jack, etc)
• Rinsed canned beans
• Cooked lentils
• Sliced serving of cooked fish, chicken, steak or pork chop

Though a basic lettuce mix salad with vinaigrette is what I use the most, here are some other simply leafy combos you can try:

Breakfast salad– Arugula and apples slices dressed with jam vinaigrette or maple syrup. I love this because it makes me feel better about the big stack of maple-syrup cover pancakes or powdered sugar donuts I’m having so early in the day.

Massaged kale salad– Raw kale hand-worked with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette, toasted pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, cooked quinoa.

Bok choy salad– Chopped bok choy and sliced salad turnips, dressed with tahini, rive wine vinegar and liquid aminos. Serve over sushi rice and top with chopped peanuts

Caprese salad– Sliced mountain magic tomatoes, leaf basil, mozzarella slices or pearls, balsamic glaze drizzle. Add sliced cucumbers for extra color and crunch.

Roasted veggie salad– Pre-roasted beets, delicta squash or eggplant, feta, fresh herb vinaigrette, lettuce mix, arugula or spinach. Add combos of hot cooked veggies with fresh raw greens for a filling presentation-grade dish.

Use your imagination! What can you come up with?

Dear Diary,

Here’s a home process I use each year to put up lots of jars of tomato sauce to use through the winter. I’ll say up front that I do not waterbath for this method. There are rules I follow in order to can in this way, with the end result being a very acidic (pH less than 4.3), uniform tomato-only sauce into sanitized jars. Acidity and sealed jars are the protective super powers of this sauce against spoilage and botulism.

My Personal Rules

-Ingredients are just tomatoes. Ripe, but not overripe. Rinsed and quartered. Blemishes and cores cut out. This means no garlic, onions, herbs, spices, sugar or other vegetables. Adding ingredients other than tomatoes can make it less acidic, thus reducing its high-acidity super powers. The only other potential ingredients I may add, after the tomatoes have cooked down, are vinegar (helps lower the pH) or salt (does not affect pH but improves flavor).

–This is a blended, uniform, reduced-tomato sauce, not just jarred whole tomatoes. I reduce the raw tomatoes by cooking out excess water to about 35-40% of their raw weight. I reduce the tomatoes by cooking them down in one of these ways:

• Cooking down in a stock pot (I use one with a heavy bottom to prevent burning and without a lid) on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring every 30 minutes (takes about 4-6 hrs)
• Roasting in the oven in open trays, rotating the pans and stirring halfway through (fastest method; takes about 2-2.5 hrs at 450 deg F)
• In a slow cooker (like a Crock pot), on high setting, with the lid cracked to allow evaporation overnight (most hands-off method and can be plugged into a garage or protected porch so my kitchen doesn’t heat up so much; takes about 8 hrs)

For both the roasting method and the slow cooker method, after they have cooked down, I transfer to the stock pot in order to blend the cooked tomatoes into sauce with the immersion blender.

I blend the cooked down tomatoes in a stainless-steel stock pot with an electric immersion blender. Seeds and skins (chopped fine by the blending process) don’t bother me so I leave them in (though others may food-mill them out before blending). Having a blended sauce helps assures a consistent pH throughout the jar.

The pH of the sauce at this point is pretty low (acidic). The batches I’ve tested ranged in pH from 3.9-4.2. I have a pH meter kit at home which comes with 4.0 and 7.0 calibrating liquids. pH meters are readily available online. Food safety experts consider foods with pH below 4.6 safe against botulism.

-I ladle hot, bubbling tomato sauce into hot, sanitized glass mason jars, with sanitized lids and rims. I use my dishwasher in “Sanitize” mode to initially clean the jars. Then, about 20 minutes before I’m ready to jar, I put them in the oven at 200 deg. I boil water to pour over the lids and rims that I’ll use. I’ve found that name-brand lids and rims are better quality than knock-off brands from online. The blended sauce is simmering and bubbling hot as I ladle it into the hot, prepared jars, one at a time. I’s all so hot! Long sleeves and gloves help protect me from hot splatter.

I use a ladle and mason jar funnel to fill jars with just a sliver of head space. I wipe the glass lip with a clean paper towel, and cap with a clean lid and rim. I hand-tighten then flip the jars upside down to cool. Once they are cooled, after several hours, I check that the lid is sucked in and the jars sealed. I’ve found the jars to be shelf-stable at this point, as long as the seal stays air-tight.

And what do I do with the sauce then?

This tomato sauce is just concentrated, unsalted tomatoes. Here are my favorite ways to use it, especially in the winter, when I’m craving summer flavors and nutrients. I dress up the tomato sauce at meal prep time in these ways once I pop open a jar:

• Marinara for pasta or pizza- add salt, caramelized onions, garlic, basil, oregano, fennel seed, splash of red wine or anchovy paste for extra flavor.
• Chili base– add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, paprika, beans and browned ground pork.
• Tomato soup with buttery toast- mix equal parts tomato sauce, whole milk and chicken stock/vegetable broth. Add salt, butter and herbs to flavor.
• Salsa for homemade nachos- add salt, minced onion, garlic, lime juice, cumin and olive oil.

Breakdown

When I did the math on a batch this week:

~ 22.4 lbs of our farm’s whole heirloom tomato seconds

Trimmed down to:

~17.6 lbs of raw, quartered tomatoes

Which after roasting in the oven (spread out in 3 roasting dishes) for 2 hrs at 450 deg F, reduced down to:

~6.8 lbs sauce (so reduced to 39% of raw chop, by weight)

The reduced tomato sauce pH measured at 4.0 with my home pH meter. I packed the hot sauce into exactly 3 one-quart jars (which equals 6 pints).

 

Ah, late May- what a time.

The kids are out for summer.
Your university buddies are in vacation mode.
Sounds like time to grill some chicken!

Our first fresh chicken of the season turned out beautifully.

And you know they’re super good for you because they’ve been grazing on cover crops and snacking on all-organic whole grain feed since we put them outside here. Grocery store chicken doesn’t even come close.

We’re also now fully stocked on all your favorite ways to have chicken.

Here’s the lineup:

Spatchcock chicken– a new farmer favorite! Also called a butterfly cut, grills flat and cooks fast.

Whole chicken– Whole chicken is the best value poultry we sell. Roast whole with a simple herb rub for no-work week-night dinner.

Leg Quarters– Most flavorful cut with thigh and drum attached. Great smothered in your favorite bbq sauce.

Boneless breast– Cooks fast and versatile for skillet fajitas, baked in bread crumbs or for seasoned chicken sandwiches.

Wings– No one eats wings alone (but you can if you want to). Share them with your best buds and your favorite summer beverage.

Backs, necks and feet– Make bone broth! Need I say more? When you’re not into assembling dinner, heat up a mug of broth with some scallions and grated ginger and be on your merry way. Your gut will thank you.

Hearts– Protein-packed into bite-size servings. Marinate, skewer and grill the Brazilian way.

Liver– This woman-farmer’s favorite. Summer brunch with homemade chicken liver pate is a girls’ best friend. Iron and vitamin A abound. Add plenty of maple syrup and fresh herbs if pate is not your thing…yet. I didn’t grow up eating liver but I do now.

We’ll have more fresh chicken days this summer than ever.

See our fresh poultry schedule and reserve chicken here.

Bok bok awesome!

Recipe for Grilled Fennel and Spatchcocked Chicken
Adapted from Susie Bulloch

Ingredients

• 1 3-3.5 lb spatchcocked chicken (meaning backbone removed and ribs flattened)
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced lengthwise into 1/2″ cross-sections

Instructions

• Preheat. Set your grill to two-zone heating to 350 degrees F.
• Dress. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Lay chicken flat on baking sheet. Drizzle dressing on all sides of chicken. On a separate plate, drizzle remaining oil on fennel sections and set aside.
• Smoke. Place chicken on indirect heat on the grill and cook for approximately 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 145 degrees F.
• Direct heat. Transfer chicken to direct heat side of the grill. Leave on direct heat for 5-7 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees F. At this time also arrange fennel sections around chicken on grill.
• Rest and serve. Remove fennel and chicken from heat to cutting board or serving platter and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy.

A Farm Share membership is where you subscribe upfront for a whole season of our fresh veggies (or meat or eggs). Our members vest in us, both financially and in moral support, and we in turn do our best to treat you right.

Here’s a guide I’ll have online all season to use as a quick reference for members, all about how farm share membership works and covers FAQ’s.

The 2024 Main Season veggie share is 26 weeks long, May 7- Oct 29.

You can pick up any day of the week, any time. Pick up is technically open 24/7 and is self-serve (all that described below).

We have an attendant on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 am – 5:30 pm and Saturdays from 10 am – 3 pm to help out. Best selection is typically on the days we have an attendant.

Please remember to bring your own bags. We are trying to cut down on our plastic bag usage.

We share a location and parking lot with Rising Silo Brewery (run by a different family). Be aware the parking lot typically fills up Friday and Saturday evenings.

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On any given week you can choose from either the market-style option OR the pre-packed bin option (both explained below).

This is how it works:

• You have 30 points each week for small shares and (40 points for large share members).

• We display our full produce selection from the farm in the glass face cooler and on the tables. Each item is labeled with a dollar amount. The point value of each veggie for share members is the WHOLE NUMBER of the written cost. To make the math easier for you, the point value of each veggie item is rounded down to the WHOLE NUMBER. So for example, if microgreens are labeled at $4.65, the farm share point value is 4 points. If a bag of carrots is labeled $6.25, the farm share point value is 6 points.

• Additionally, we have some items available in bulk, by the pound. Examples include tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, onions and more this year. Here are instructions for using your points for them:

1. Pick out your desired quantities from the bulk/loose item bins set up near the scale (not all items are available by the lb).
2. Put your items on the scale attached to the iPad kiosk. Just put one veggie type on the scale at a time. Tap the item on the screen and select the “By the pound” variation.
3. The weight should electronically read over to the iPad from the scale and show a price on the top of the lightbox on the screen. Round down to the whole number of the price as the “point value” for those items.
4. Tap “X” on the upper right of the veggie lightbox to exit out of that vegetable. You do not need to tap “Add” and start a tally on the iPad. Repeat for other bulk vegetables you are getting.
5. Here’s a video explaining how the scale-system works for bulk-items by weight.

• We also have some pre-packed bins with the week’s best selection available for folks that don’t want to make decisions and just want to grab-n-go. The bins are available around the left-side of the cooler display, in next to the pre-order pick up shelves. Please pack the bin’s contents into your own bag each week. The bin’s weekly point value is 30 for small shares and 40 for large shares.

• Once you have made your selection and counted up your points, you’re good to go. You don’t need to officially “check out” with us or “sign-off” in any way.

• If you miss a week, you can use those “missed points” to get extra veggies when you are here. You keep track of your own “balance” in this case; it’s not something we need to track for you.

• Likewise, you can opt to come twice a week and split your weekly points up that way. For example, you can come Tuesday and use 15 and Friday and use 15. Again, this is not something we keep track of for you but rather trust you to track yourself averaging at 30 points/week for small shares (40 points/week for large shares).

• If you are out one week you can either have someone else pick up for you (feel free to send them this guide link).

• Eggs are NOT available for points for the spring and main season shares. You can purchase a weekly Egg Share here. Honey, soap, and meats are not available as part of the veggie share and can be purchased separately.

• We’ll send out a weekly newsletter highlighting a vegetable each week with a recipe. If you’re sharing your farm share with a buddy and want to add an additional email to the list, contact me.

Additional member-only benefits

• Free kitchen equipment library– Our goal with the kitchen equipment library is that our members get the most our of their farm share veggies and have fun in the kitchen while they do it. Here’s our catalog of kitchen equipment you can borrow for free for one week intervals.
• Free U-pick flowers– JP drew up a beautiful U-pick flower plot this season that will run around July-September. We’ll be charging entry to the public this year but our farm share members can visit it any time for free.
• You’re welcome to walk the farm. Farm share members are welcome to walk the farm anytime, dawn-to-dusk and see exactly how it’s all grown. ABSOLUTELY NO DOGS ALLOWED. Know that we have 2 livestock guardian dogs, Cosmo and Ellie. You can say hi to them then leave them alone to do their jobs. The net fences around the animals are typically electrified. Do not touch the net fences or try to get in with or pick up any animals.

Whew! You survived the guide.

We grow for you! We’re always striving to make our farm share better for you. This year we have a survey link that’s open all season where you can send us anonymous and constructive feedback at any point during the farm share.

Thank you so much for being members and please don’t hesitate to ask if any questions come up for you.

-Sally

(Expert tip- never bring the veggies inside)

Kids are way more likely to eat veggies by pulling from their own garden plants than from a plate at mealtime. Here we provide tips for starting a kid-friendly vegetable garden or porch containers so that they graze on more fresh food and less junk. We’ll also offer our favorite combos to get kids to eat more veggies, on the go and at the table.

I’m just guessing here, but…if you have kids you very likely have these priorities for them in mind:

1. That they feel loved and are happy.
2. That they eat nutritious food to help them grow up healthy and strong.
3. That they’re getting outdoors a lot and are not glued to a device indoors.

These goals are easy to say and harder to stick with. The hustle and bustle runaround of school, work, activities are enough to leave the whole family exhausted.

So how can we get our kids to actually seek out fresh veggies when they’re craving a snack?

We’ve found the best way is to not even try to serve veggies on a plate. Trust me here- we are professional vegetable growers and our kids rarely eat veggies from a plate sitting down at meal time.

They DO however eat them directly from the garden during a stroll, as they’re passing by a container cherry tomato plant on the porch, or even when they’re walking through the farm stand and see an open bin of carrots inviting them to take one.

So what are some easy (talking real easy) veggies to grow in any ground space that they’ll go for?

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Here are some basic tips for growing easily munchable veggies.

• Put your garden or containers as close to the house as possible. Right outside your doorstep or place you pass multiple times daily is best, even if the space is small.
• Constructed raised beds are pretty but definitely not required.
• Veggies don’t have to be in their own plot. Small planting spaces are just fine. You’re not trying to homestead here so if the spot near your door is big enough for one head of lettuce only then just do that. You can mix veggie plants here and there too with perennial landscaping (make sure its unsprayed).
• Make the soil the best you can to get started by purchasing or adding compost to planting holes. Look for “Raised bed potting mix” to fill containers rather than bags marked “top soil”. Make sure your base contains some compost. Buy the best mix you can to get plants off to best start possible. Your plants may start and stay weak unless you nurture their soil nutrition and add compost at the start.
• Purchase seedlings from actual growers like at the Farmers Market or Crows Nest. Avoid big-box store seedlings because those plants are grown to look nice and not necessarily be healthy (they’re typically pumped up with fertilizer and will be stunted and not hardy or accustomed to real life garden conditions).
• Add a small amount of a balanced organic fertilizer, like 5-4-3. Read package instructions for application. If you add too much fertilizer your plants will be leafy with few fruits and may attract aphids if they have too much nitrogen.
• Plants need space to thrive. Don’t overcrowd them in containers or gardens. Minimum container size: for herbs, 1 gallon; for other plants, 5 -10 gallons.
• Mulches and landscape fabrics can really help keep weeds at bay, keep moisture in your soil and help warm it. Insect-net and row covers can help protect vulnerable crops without needing pesticides.
• Certain crops only do well in certain seasons. For example, you’ll have best success with lettuce, spinach, radishes, broccoli and salad turnips during spring and fall only. Veggies best in the summer include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and melons.

Select veggies that can be eaten raw, straight out of little hands. For example, go for cucumbers over summer squash.

Here’re our favorite right-from-the-garden veggies:

Garden Veggie	Kid garden growing tips
Cherry tomatoes	For containers, get bush-type plants (Sungold)
Romaine or any Lettuce	Direct seed or transplant. Plant often (every 1-2 weeks)
Herbs	Easy and seedlings are readily available. Try dill, basil, parsley, bronze fennel.
Carrots	Can be grown all year. Keep seeds moist to germinate. Do shallow seedings in deep loose soil.
Spinach	Cool season only. Direct seed Sept-mid April.
Microgreens	Can be grown indoors in a windowsill. Start with a good potting soil or even just peat. Best seeds for microgreens are broccoli. Ready 10-14 days from seed to harvest. Harvest with scissors. Refresh tray and start again.
Green onions	Can plant directly from purchased green onions. Harvest tops and leave bulb to keep growing. Treat as a cut & come again crop
Salad turnips (hakurai)	Spring/Fall (cool season crop Quick growing and germinate easily but insects love them so cover with row cover or insect net as soon as you seed them.
Sugar snap peas	Get in early (early April). Watch out for rabbits (net or row cover). Trellis makes them easier to pick.
Ground cherries/Husk cherries	Treat like cherry tomatoes for container planting.
Cucumbers	Only grown when soil’s warm. Wait until late May to plant seeds or seedlings. Prune off first set of flowers to get stronger plants at onset. Cover with row cover to protect from cucumber beetles.
Sweet lunchbox peppers	Plant when ground is warm (late May) and no sooner. Focus on growing a healthy plant (not fruits) so prune off first initial clusters of flowers. Sweet, colorful (red, orange, yellow) peppers come with ripening. Leave green ones on plant to ripen. Don’t eat raw green peppers.
Strawberries	Buy plants ready to go.
Melons	Select small varieties that can be eaten in one sitting and have shorter maturity times (less time for something to go wrong). Use landscape fabric to warm the ground and keep weeds down. Plant in full sun. Make sure you fertilize the soil. Be patient because they take a long time to grow

Ok, so you don’t have time to garden much but want your littles (and you) to eat more veggies. These are vegetables that are easy to incorporate in meal time without much fuss or even cooking in most cases. Put small (maybe super small) portions out to start if you have a hesitant eater. Consider even tiny tastings by kids a success.

Meal time veggie	Plating tips
Cherry tomatoes	Need no explanation
Carrots, Celery	Slice into sticks
Kohlrabi, Salad turnips	Peel and slice. Serve with dip like hummus, black bean dip or ranch
Spinach	Blend (sneak) into pizza sauce/dips/pesto
Microgreens	Sprinkle on everything- sandwiches, soup, tacos, nachos, bagels, pizza…
Leafy lettuce	Just serve 1 leaf. Make it like finger food that they can simply pick up with their fingers to eat

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The last trick I’ll share is the captive audience veggie snack kit. By this I mean that I pack veggies with me for snacks on the go. My go-to mobile veggie snack is carrots because they’re sweet, sturdy and pack well.

If you’re travelling in the car or take a break on a bike ride or at the park and they ask for a snack from you, you hand them a carrot, they see clearly that there are no other options, then they eat it without fuss. And they find they like it. If you brought other snacks too either don’t let them know this at first or offer it after they’ve tried the veggie.

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Certain vegetables are not good for raw eating and should be cooked first. The vegetables listed below are much more digestible cooked or contain low levels of toxins that are neutralized by heat during cooking.

Vegetables we avoid raw include:

• Green beans (or any raw legumes)
• Edamame (edible soybeans)
• Green peppers (or any green/unripe night shade like green peppers, tomatoes)
• Potatoes
• Beets

Remember, even if you kids are just eating a monochrome tan plate of chicken nuggets every night when you sit down to eat, you can be happy knowing they snacked on veggies during the day in motion before you even sat down.

If all else fails, kids can always grab a veggie snack at our farm stand. Look for our kids’ bin of free veggies next time you’re by!