Well hello there!

Happy fall everyone! Despite much better intentions, it would seem that it's almost October and this farmer has somehow managed to miss corresponding with all of you through this little blog since March. Oops! I hope that you all had a fabulous summer, and have been enjoying the crisp air and sunshine of late too.

I am hoping to get back to blogging much more regularly this autumn (and beyond), but for now I just wanted to say a quick hello, share a brief update and post a couple of recipes (since this is such a terrific time of year for cooking! Hooray for the oven/hours of baking being a welcome house warmer rather than a cruel means of torture!).

As many of you know, I've been keeping myself busy this year with working at Lavender Blue (a lavender farm just east of Sparta) and being involved with the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario. Both of these have let me stay well connected to farming this season, and have kept my brain (very) and beloved wheel hoe (somewhat) busy, which has been good. In the spring, Fairmeadow Farm as we knew it though (harvest bins, vermont cart and all) was tidied up for awhile, and put into storage while the thinking and planning and decision-making for the longer term of the farm is underway. Not surprisingly (if you know me at all!), I am not quite as far along in the process as I had hoped to be by now, but it's not really something to be rushed (and a move, laptop illness (followed by laptop death, sadly), and the general busy-ness of life managed to wheedle their way into things as well)! The focus on planning will recommence shortly though, and thus, there should be more interesting updates to follow. So if you are so inclined, keep reading from time to time. :O) I will say that it was definitely hard and a substantial adjustment not to be farming this summer - and I very definitely missed growing vegetables for all of you lovely people. It really is my hope to farm, the question of the details is what remains.

Along with having a bit more time for ag reading this summer, there was, of course, the ongoing browsing of cookbooks and recipes. While I have been craving and eating a lot of deep leafy greens recently (such as kale, my perennial favourite!), there are of course other wonderful fall cooking muses like cabbage and apples. And so, recipes:

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Sauteed Cabbage with Apple and Onion

Both of these recipes are rather traditional. This one is adapted from the Flavours of Elgin cookbook, published to commemorate the 2010 International Plowing Match, which was held in the county just last week. If you have a copy, the original is found on p.155.

3 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 head red cabbage, cut finely

6 apples, cored and sliced thinly

1 large onion, sliced thinly

3 cloves

1 bay leaf

2 cups water

1 cup vinegar (cider vinegar is nice)

3 Tbsp of something sweet (I prefer to use maple syrup or honey)

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Saute the onion and apple in a large pot over medium heat until the onion is translucent. Add the cloves, bay leaf, cabbage, water, vinegar, maple syrup, and sea salt to taste. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cabbage is tender, about 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. Remove cloves and bay leaf before serving.

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Apple Crisp

From the Fairwinds Farm cookbook. They write: "If you can, use 3 or more different kinds of apples together in a pie or a crisp. The flavour is remarkably deeper. However, any apple will do in a pinch; this is also a great way to "use up" winter apples that have gone soft."

Topping:

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

Bottoming:

3 lbs apples

1 Tbsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp lemon juice

Slice unpeeled apples into a bowl and mix with cinnamon, brown sugar, salt lemon juice. Spread into a large baking pan, about 9x12" or so. Mix together all of the topping ingredients until well combined and starting to form nice crumbles. Spread topping over the apples, and bake at 350F for 45 minutes, until bottoming is bubbling and topping is golden brown.

Mountains and oceans and breakfast nooks and bald eagles

Hi everyone....happy spring! Hope you have all been enjoying the sunshine recently, even if it has meant the return of slightly chilly temps! Maybe I'm just being selfish, but after missing the worst of the cold in February by being out west, I'm kind of happy for an excuse to keep the scarves, mitts and sweaters around for a little while longer (as I rather love scarves, mitts and sweaters)! Early spring tends to come with a rather long "to-do" list as well, which is always something I struggle to keep up with (coming out of hibernation as I tend to have to do following the winter blah months), so I'm alright with late winter being a bit ornery about leaving altogether.

Thought I'd post a few photos from Vancouver Island, to be followed in the next couple of weeks with an update on your Fairmeadow Farmer's long-term farm planning process...but first the pictures!

The first photo of a rather lovely, mountain-framed pasture was taken at the Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, in Parksville. My Aunt and I stopped there for some cheese sampling and a tour on our way up island towards Tofino. I stumbled upon Little Qualicum's "Caerphilly" cheese (a Welsh variety) when I first arrived in Victoria, and was very excited to learn that this small, local dairy was en-route to Tofino (as this may now be my absolute favourite cheese)! Although the pastures were already looking particularly green for mid-February, it was still too wet for the cows (or us) to be out on grass, which was too bad. I would imagine, however, that they (the bovines) are pretty happy to eat in front of that background scenery for as long as they are able in a year - I would be!

The next photo is of the beach at Cox Bay, just south of Tofino. The west coast of the island is absolutely beautiful here, and despite our trip being rudely interrupted by a broken water pump and timing belt in the car (if only mechanical things would choose to break at less inconvenient moments in life!), we were able to enjoy both a gorgeous sunset and a lovely sunrise, following a fantastic trek down Long Beach, part of the Pacific Rim National Park.

Just after getting back to Victoria, Anna, who you may remember from such fabulous farms as Orchard Hill, and such extreme farming moments as this one, came over for a visit, which we kicked off by attending the local Seedy Saturday event. It was great to spend an afternoon musing about vegetable varieties, and hearing about Vancouver Island's first small grain CSA. Anna and I had a nice visit as well, filled with dog-walking and chatting about all things farmy - the latter of which is, conveniently, a mutual love of ours. :O)

I had great expectations at the start of my trip of visiting quite the collection of "four season" organic farms on the west coast actually (for surely, with a climate as moderate as Vancouver Island's, there must be all kinds of year-round CSA's and market gardens to see!), but much to my dismay, I couldn't really find any! I was also rather sad that Victoria doesn't even have a year-round Farmers Market - oh well, I think the two of us alone managed to fill any agricultural discussion quota for the month pretty well, while cooking and hiking and poking around Oak Bay. Speaking of hiking, this photo was taken, overlooking Cordova Bay, after trekking to the top of Mount Douglas, in the provincial park of the same name.

Overall, Victoria was a nice interlude this winter - exploring a small part of the west coast, and visiting with family - though I have to say that I am happy to be home after a long month away (it's hard being separated from one's hoophouse spinach for all that time)! And now all of a sudden it's practically April, and time to roto-till under the hoophouse greens in preparation for Orchard Hill to plant tomatoes in my 'retired' plot this summer!

Maybe it is time for spring to arrive in earnest after all - there are seedlings to start for a little house garden, row cover to sort, and gardening accessories to put into (hopefully only temporary!) storage, all as part of Fairmeadow's wind-down at Orchard Hill. My to-do list is calling, and I'm always happy to throw myself outside for a few hours or days or weeks of spring garden tasks (though I will still have to keep myself tethered at least loosely to my desk as the long term life/farm planning must go on!) ....hope you all have a great week or two and write to you again soon!

Support Bill C-474

Hi everyone! It's been quite awhile since my last post...and a nice little farm(er) update (with pictures!) will be coming before too long, now that my beloved little laptop is back up and working - albeit short a few things that were lost on the old (broken) hard drive. :O(

In the meantime, I would like to encourage any of you who stumble back onto the blog in the next little while to consider writing to your MP (which you can do very easily from CBAN's website here) by April 14th, expressing your support for Bill C-474, which would require that "an analysis of potential harm to export markets be conducted before the sale of any new genetically engineered seed is permitted". This important bill will help stop GE wheat and GE alfalfa from being grown in Canada commercially, and help protect farmers from GE contamination and the loss of important markets, as has happened with both canola and flax.

This issue is critically important for all of us as eaters as well, for if we don't express our concern about GE crops being grown, they will end up at all of our dining room tables, whether they've been invited to dinner or not! Thanks for considering this call to action!

(Early Spring) Greetings from Beautiful BC!

Hi everyone...happy February! Thought I would post a little update from lovely Victoria, BC where I am dog/house-sitting for my Aunt and Uncle for the next month.

Time continues to go very quickly these days - I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since our Winter Market Day! It was wonderful to see everyone who came out to the farm, and happily helped (by taking veggies home) to empty the root cellar! Yay! The only sad consequence, is that the five (hungry) piggies at Orchard Hill will have to make due with a very limited selection of salad this winter as a result. Poor little piggies! Hope you are all enjoying the last few carrots and potatoes (and lbs of cabbage!) of last year though, and, that contrary to what our little furry friend in Wiarton decided earlier this week, spring (and the start of the Orchard Hill season) won't feel too far away.

Last weekend we were all off to Guelph for the annual Organic Conference weekend there. It is always a good chance to attend workshops on various topics related to farming and market gardening, and to catch up with other growers. On the Friday afternoon, Martha and I attended a session on "Pete's Greens", a large organic farm in Vermont growing vegetables (and offering other yummy things like bread and cheese) year round for between 250 and 350 member families. I'm not sure this small farmer would ever enjoy managing such a complex garden, but I learned a lot that can be applied on a smaller scale, including how they grow shoots/sprouts through the winter, which is something I'd be interested in experimenting with at some point down the road!

After coming home from Guelph, it was a bit of a mad dash to organize things for a month away. There was a tizzy of activity in the kitchen as well, roasting and pureeing a squash (or two or four) for freezing in case they couldn't wait till early March to be dealt with. And now I am enjoying a bit of early spring - the crocus' are starting to bloom here, and the last two days have been sunny and around 10 degrees C. Pretty nice! The plan over the next month is to do some reflecting and planning for the longer term around farming...along with hopefully visiting a farm or two for inspiration (and to help with the feelings of farm-withdrawl!) while out here.

Hope all of you are having a good mid-winter too, and to post some pictures before too long. Ta for now!

Price list for our Little Winter Market

For those of you who are curious, or sending a friend to pick up your veggies this weekend, here is the...

Price List for Fairmeadow Farm's Winter Market Day!

Carrots............................$1.75/lb

Regular Potatoes...........$1.50/lb

Specialty Potatoes.........$3/lb

Cabbage........................$1/lb

Squash..........................$2-$4 (depending on size)

Garlic............................$1/bulb or $0.75/6 loose cloves

Onions..........................$1.50/lb

Celeriac.........................$2-$3 (depending on size)

Beets.............................$1.50/lb

Winter Radish...............$0.50 (small) or $1 (daikon)

Dried Beans...................$3/bag

Spinach.........................$5/bag

Kale.......................$3/bag

I will email everyone who has pre-ordered later in the week to let you know if I can fulfill your wish lists in their entirety, or if I will have to limit quantities of the popular veggies of which there are limited quantities (I'm thinking of you, garlic and onions)!

Your little farmer girl will happily accept cash or cheque this weekend (sorry to have excluded that detail from my earlier email!), and is now off to the root cellar/farm to start prepping veggies - have a great Tuesday, and see you on Saturday!

Winter Market Day

Hello everyone - Happy January thaw!

I mentioned the possibility to some of you in December that there would be some produce "leftover" after our CSA season came to an end, and this has turned out to be true! So, since the root cellar has kept things in good shape, and it's January, when we would all do well to keep eating our veggies (local and organically-grown as they are!):

Fairmeadow Farm will be hosting a little Winter Farmers Market Day - this SATURDAY JANUARY 23rd from 11am to 2pm at the farm

If you would like to pre-order your veggies by emailing a list to me (ideally as soon as you can), that would be great and I will do my best to accomodate your preferences, depending on demand - otherwise, it will be first come, first served of what remains unspoken for.

The veggie list is as follows, along with how things will be measured (might be subject to some change):

carrots (by the lb)

potatoes (by the lb):

regular (Agria (yellow fleshed) OR Chieftan (red skinned, white fleshed))

specialty (blue &/OR all red &/OR french fingerling)

cabbage (by number but priced by the lb)

celery root (by number)

beets (either by the lb or by quart - still deciding on that one!)

winter radish (by number)

squash (by number):

mostly butternut, but a few delicata and dumpling too

garlic - very limited quantity (by number)

yellow onions - very limited quantity (by lb)

POSSIBLY spinach and/or kale - limited quantity (by bag):
(subject to the weather being cooperative)
POSSIBLY some dried beans (1 lb bags):

black or soup mix

I will post any further details on the blog this week. If you can't make it next Saturday (and can't send someone to pick-up for you), but are desperate for some veggies and could pick them up on Sunday the 24th, email me and beg for leniency and I might just give in! :O)

Hope all of you are well, and to see some of you on the weekend!

Last Pick-Up Day Dates

Just a reminder that, alas, our season is drawing to a close over the next few days. Thought I'd post the last pick-up day dates for everyone's reference:

Saturday Farm: Dec 19th

Toronto: Dec 20th

Tuesday Farm: Dec 22nd

Keep your fingers and toes warm and see you soon!

Recipes for the holidays

After baking for yesterday afternoon's little soiree, I am very officially in the mood for holiday cooking and eating!

Something I absolutely love about food at this time of year, is how people flock together socially around it, and that it is food, which tends to be at the centre of every culture's winter holiday celebrations. We all have our special recipes and meals, prepared either lovingly, or under anguish, for friends and family in tradition every year. :O) One way or the other, it's something to look forward to!

So, just in time for our last pick-up, here are some festive recipes featuring CSA veggies to get you in the holiday spirit! Whether you're looking forward to plum pudding or jelly doughnuts at the end of your day, I wish you warm meals shared with people you enjoy, and happy times in the kitchen!

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GLAZED (BABY) BEETS

Although this recipe calls for baby beets, I think you could easily substitute tender small or larger beets, such as the ones you might find in your farm basket some week. :O) I would recommend boiling them for a while first, then peeling them and proceeding with the recipe to finish them off!

20 baby beets, scrubbed
2 cups apricot juice
3 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp honey

In a large sauté pan, add the beets and the apricot juice. Cover and cook on medium high heat for 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and honey and cook from another 10 minutes. Pull off the heat and keep covered for an additional 5 minutes. Serve while still warm.

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POTATO SNOWMEN

(from Bob Blumer ("The Surreal Gourmet") on “Twas the Night Before Dinner”, the 2008 Food Network Canada Holiday Special)

3 lb. large potatoes such as Idaho or Yukon Gold
1/4 cup butter
1 cup cream or milk
sea salt to taste

Garnishes:
cloves (eyes)
pink peppercorns (mouth)
carrot (nose)
rosemary (arms)
black peppercorns (buttons)
black olives (hat)

Peel potatoes and cut into 2- inch pieces. Cover potatoes with salted water. Simmer , uncovered, until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander, then mash using a ricer or potato masher. Add butter, and milk or cream. Gently fold. Season with salt.

Using 3 different sizes of ice cream scoops (or dexterously using a couple of spoons), place potato scoops on top of each other, starting with the largest at the bottom and the smallest on the top. Be creative and garnish!

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RUTABAGA SOUFFLE
(Rob Feenie from “A West Coast Christmas” on Food Network Canada)

Serves 4

1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large pot over medium heat bring rutabaga, carrots, onions, chicken stock, ¼ cup butter and brown sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and cook partially covered until vegetables are very tender (about 30 minutes). Remove vegetables, leaving liquid in the pot, and transfer to a food processor. Place a pan over high heat and boil the remaining liquid, stirring constantly until the liquid is reduced to about 1 tablespoon (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the reduced liquid to food processor and puree until very smooth. Transfer to mixing bowl and allow to cool.

When mixture reaches room temperature stir in eggs, flour and baking powder. Season with salt and pepper and transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. Melt remaining butter and toss with chopped pecans. Sprinkle pecans evenly around the edge of the casserole to make a border.

Bake uncovered in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until puffed, firm and golden brown.
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PUMPKIN ORANGE CRANBERRY LOAF

(from “Sugar” and Anna Olsen)

2 c unbleached all-purpose flour (or try substituting whole wheat or spelt flour)

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp each ground cinnamon, cloves and ginger
½ c unsalted butter (at room temp)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c cooked, pureed pumpkin
Zest of one orange
1 tsp vanilla
1 c orange juice (not from concentrate)
1 ½ c fresh or frozen cranberries

Sift dry ingredients together. In separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, then stir in pumpkin, orange zest and vanilla. Stir in juice (it will look curdly and a little gross – don’t worry!). Add dry ingredients in three additions and blend until just incorporated. Fold in the cranberries gently. Bake in a loaf pan at 325 F for 60 to 75 minutes until tester inserted in centre comes out clean.

Recipes from near and far

Hello again! Thanks to all who came to celebrate the harvest and holiday season at the farm yesterday - hopefully you left feeling merry and bright (and only marginally muddy)!

This rather drab day had me thinking of warm, spicy, colourful food from afar (which involves some very local ingredients too, thankfully!). There's nothing like coming in after a weary, dreary winter day to something exotic and festive...

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PARSNIPS WITH MOROCCAN SPICES

(from "Fresh" with Anna Olsen)

2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 pounds parsnips
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp nut oil such as walnut or almond
1 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Toss all spices together and store in an airtight container.

Peel parsnips, cut into 3-inch pieces and place in a baking dish. Heat olive oil and nut oil in a small pan. Add 2 tbsp of the spice mix and stir into oil, heating for a minute. Scrape mixture over parsnips, add salt and toss to coat. Cover dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until parsnips are tender.

Parsnips can be baked in advance and re-heated in the oven to serve. Serves 6.

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AFRICAN PINEAPPLE PEANUT STEW

(from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home)

This is a great way to eat kale if you don't like it...and an even better way if you do!

1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ Tbsp vege oil
½ Tbsp butter
1 bunch kale
2 cups undrained, canned, crushed pineapple
½ cup natural peanut butter
Finely minced jalapeno pepper (or other hot pepper) to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Optional garnishes: crushed skinless peanuts, chopped green onions

Sweat onions and garlic together in the oil and butter over med-low heat for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, wash the greens well, drain and remove the tough main stem; slice into 1 inch wide strips. Add the pineapple (with juice) to the onion mixture and bring to a simmer. Add the greens and cook about 5 minutes, until just tender. Mix in the remaining ingredients and simmer 5 minutes more. Garnish and serve steaming hot over rice or potatoes.

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THAI COCONUT AND ROAST SQUASH SOUP

1 head whole garlic
2 lbs of squash (butternut, kuri, hubbard, or buttercup), poked
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 tsp Thai curry paste (or more to taste)
4c vegetable or chicken stock
½ cup coconut milk

Cut a small slice off the bottom of the whole garlic bulb. Wrap the garlic in foil. Roast the garlic, squash and onion on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet at 350 degrees until tender (about 45-60 minutes). Let sit until cool enough to handle. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the bulb, and peel the squash and remove the seeds. Puree the roasted vegetables with the curry paste and a small amount of stock. Combine the pureed vegetables with the remainder of the stock in a saucepan, bring to a gentle boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Winter Harvest Celebration - this Sunday, Dec 13th!

As most of you know, this has been my last season at Orchard Hill Farm, as our three year incubator arrangement comes to an end this year. It has been so wonderful (beyond words!) to have been a part of things here in one way or another for five years, and to have had two amazing seasons tending to Fairmeadow Farm's CSA garden...so what better excuse to throw a party (not to mention that this happens to be a perfectly festive time of year)?!


Thus, on this coming Sunday (that would be December 13th), our Winter Harvest Celebration will take place from from 1-3pm at the straw cabin at the farm! There will be hot cocoa and apple cider, a toasty woodstove, horse-drawn sleigh rides (if the weather cooperates), and general merriment and visiting as our season winds down.

Things to bring: yourself, any family/friends you'd like to haul along, nibbly food to share (something that doesn't require cutlery!) or a bevvy to share, a mug and something to put food on/in for everyone you're bringing (and, if you dislike sticky fingers as much as I do, a cloth napkin or two as well!), warm clothing (for sleigh rides), and good cheer.

If you're a Saturday farm member, and would like to pick up your veggies on Sunday after the soiree, just send me an email and I'll box your share for you! Also, if you have any questions about the festivities, you can email me about that too!

Hope you're keeping your hats tied on tightly and your mittens dry, and to see many of you this weekend!