Fairmeadow Farm

Well hello there!

2010-09-27T16:10:00.010-04:00

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

2010-03-29T17:59:00.010-04:00

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 Chees eworks, 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

2010-03-24T08:54:00.006-04:00

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!

2010-02-05T17:05:00.003-05:00

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

2010-01-19T10:44:00.016-05:00

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

2010-01-19T10:24:00.007-05:00

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

2009-12-17T22:32:00.003-05:00

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

2009-12-14T19:37:00.013-05:00

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

2009-12-14T18:57:00.010-05:00

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!

2009-12-10T22:32:00.007-05:00

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!

Fall Photos and a Harrowing Garden Tale

2009-12-07T22:12:00.009-05:00

It is really rather enjoyable, when everything outside is dying back, and the all the fall colours are muted, and the sky is greyTo walk down to the garden, and step into the hoophouse, to find it full of deep leafy green things that are quite content to keep growing!

Even I remain amazed, that despite the chilling wind, and ever shorter days

These hearty few vegetables hang on for us into the winter...and thank goodness!

Aside from the greens in said hoophouse, the garden is pretty well empty aside from the last leeks and carrots...which is great, as the light snow falling was beautiful this morning, but inevitably won't stay that way for long! Even Caesar isn't cavorting around Fairmeadow's fields with the same enthusiasm he had earlier this fall, although he is still managing to catch one or two mice every harvest day.

And in regards to those little pesties, I had my comeuppance last week. After a summer of delighting in their capture and torment, a fall of banishing them from the root cellar, and an afternoon of digging carrots, I was attempting to take one away from the puppy so that he would follow me up to the farmhouse (as it was getting dark) - when the fiesty beast (the mouse, not the dog) turned around and bit me right on the finger! And it really hurt! (i actually still have the little teeth marks/puncture wounds to prove it!) I understand that this is karma, fair and unrepenting, so I'm choosing to accept my fate and try to make peace with these furry foes...somehow...

In the meantime, happy late fall/early winter to one and all!

Recipes for Weeks 3 and 4

2009-11-19T14:56:00.010-05:00

I'll keep the blabbing to a minimum today, in favour of leaving you more time to spend in the kitchen, cooking and eating! Thanks to CSA members Linda Easton and Jenny Parr for submitting a couple of their tried and true recipes - I know I'm really looking forward to making them in the next week or two.

See everyone soon, at the farm or in the city, and I do promise to post a farm update soon (with more veggie pictures), and details on the upcoming harvest celebration..... Until then, take care and have an enjoyable end to the week!

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BEET, RED ONION AND ORANGE SALAD

1 ½ lbs fresh beets
Red onion, thinly sliced
2 large navel oranges, peeled and sectioned

Dressing:
¼ c red wine vinegar
¼ c fresh orange juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp orange zest
½ c olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Wash the beets well, leaving the root and small bit of stem intact (to help control bleeding). Cook in salted water 30 to 40 minutes until tender. Drain, and when they are cool enough to handle (you can rinse them under a bit of cold water to speed this up if you’d like), peel and slice them. Toss together with the onion, orange sections and dressing.

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SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Makes two generous servings

1 potato peeled and quartered
2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups milk

¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch each sea salt, freshly ground pepper and ground nutmeg
1/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (or substitute havarti if you prefer)
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 ½ cups shredded Swiss chard

Boil the potato until tender. Drain and let cool. Thinly slice. Overlap in greased 3 cup shallow oven-proof dish.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, heat butter over medium meat; cook onion and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisking constantly, add milk, ½ cup at a time. Whisk in cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Reduce heat to low; simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses.

Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce over the potato. Top with Swiss chard, pressing to compact. Pour remaining sauce over top. Bake in 400 degree oven until bubbly and browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

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CABBAGE ROLLS
(from “Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favourites”).

1 large head green cabbage or napa (Chinese) cabbage
2 medium onions
2 tsp olive oil
3 ½ cups chopped mushrooms
1 cup grated carrots
3 – 6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
¼ tsp dried thyme (or substitute fresh!)
½ tsp dried dill
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp miso
12 ounces of firm tofu, mashed
1 cup tomato juice

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, core the green cabbage and finely chop the onions. If using napa cabbage, pull off 12 large leaves and blanche them for about 2 minutes. Carefully plunge the cabbage into the boiling water, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the leaves pull away easily from the head. (Use two forks to test the readiness of the cabbage, one to steady the head in the water and the other to try to loosen a test leaf). Set aside 12 leaves to cool while you prepare the filling.

In a large skillet, sauté the onions in the oil for about 10 minutes until translucent. Add the mushrooms, carrots, and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Stir in the thyme, dill, and parsley and continue to cook until the mushrooms become soft and juicy. Add the lemon juice, soy sauce, miso and mashed tofu and mix well. When the tofu is heated through, remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Assemble the rolls: put about ½ cup of filling at the broad end of each cabbage leaf, fold the side edges toward the center over the filling, and then roll up lengthwise. Place the rolls, seam side down, in an unoiled 9 x 12 inch baking pan and pour the tomato juice over them. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes, until hot and steaming. Serve these on a bed of brown rice.

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SESAME-SAUTEED CARROTS
(from the Autumn 2009 Food and Drink magazine)

1 lb carrots
2 tsp sunflower or canola oil
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp honey
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Trim off the ends of the carrots. Gently scrub under running water to remove any sand and grit. Cut crosswise on a diagonal into 1/8 inch (3 mm) slices.

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oils over high heat. Add carrots and sesame seeds and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until just starting to wilt. Transfer to a warmed serving dish and sprinkle with lemon juice and honey and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serves 4 to 6.

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PARSNIP FRITTERS

1 cup mashed parsnips

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

Enough milk to make batter

Boil parsnips until tender. Drain and mash. Add other ingredients and then add milk and stir until smooth. Drop by spoonful into hot fat (in a cast iron skillet if you have one, or a frying/sauté pan) and fry until well browned. Drain on paper towel.
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SQUASH AND KALE RISOTTO
(from “Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favourites”).

4 ½ cups vegetable stock
1 cup minced onions
3 tsp olive oil
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups peeled and cubed winter squash (3/4 to 1-inch cubes)
3 cups stemmed and chopped kale, packed
1/8 to ¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring the vegetable stock to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, preferably non-stick, sauté the onions in 2 tsp of the oil for about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add more oil, if necessary, to prevent sticking. Using a wooden spoon to avoid breaking the grains, add the rice and stir until it is well coated with oil. Add the wine. When it is absorbed (it won’t take long), ladle in 2 ½ cups of the simmering stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently for 2 to 3 minutes between each addition, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the squash and kale and stir. Continue adding ½ cup of broth every few minutes for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until all of the stock has been added and the rice is tender but firm. Add the nutmeg, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste. Remove the risotto from the heat, stir in the cheese, and serve immediately. Serves 4.

One last little work bee

2009-11-02T23:41:00.005-05:00

Hello again...one more quick post before bedtime! Somehow, November has crept up slowly and is here already....and tomorrow, being November 3rd (a Tuesday), would be the date of our last little work bee (which I almost forgot about to be honest with you)! If any of you did not forget, you are welcome to join me at the farm in the morning for some weeding and mulching in the hoophouse (so we can have chickweed free late greens!), or, if it seems more prudent at the time, some harvesting of celery root in the garden. It may be a bit drippy out, and slightly chilly accordingly....so dress appropriately.

Recipes for Week 2

2009-11-02T22:13:00.010-05:00

Hello everyone! Hope your November is off to a great start - mine certainly is, especially after gaining an extra hour yesterday ("free" time is always much appreciated by this farmer)!

At long last, here are a few recipes to help inspire your cooking of what may or may not remain of week 2's veggies. I've got quite the stock pile of recipes to post over the next few weeks, so brace yourselves (you would be shocked, and possibly even apalled, at how much time I can spend reading through cookbooks and browsing recipes once I get going)! Happy times in the kitchen and at the table for all!

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SPINACH SALAD DRESSING

(from one of the "Best of Bridge" series cookbooks. I don't think I've known anyone who hasn't loved this salad when they've had it. And you can cut back on the sugar a bit if you'd like and it's really almost as good!)

1/3 c sugar
½ c sunflower oil
¼ c white vinegar
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
¼ tsp paprika
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tsp finely minced onion

Combine all dressing ingredients together and shake well. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve over fresh, tender spinach leaves.

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PARSNIP AND PEAMEAL CHOWDER

(from the Autumn 2009 “Food and Drink” magazine)

Although I have yet to make this soup, it looks pretty yummy. But if you need a break from soup, try roasting parsnips alongside of carrots, tossed lightly with melted butter, olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and some finely grated fresh ginger…also yum! Or, if you need more soup, look up the recipe for Winter Warmer soup posted here.

“A chowder is any kind of chunky soup, not necessarily fish-based. Parsnips are an underrated vegetable with a rich, sweet taste but you could substitute carrots or turnips if desired…”

1 Tbsp each vegetable oil and butter
2 oz peameal bacon, diced
1 cup (or 1 large) onion, diced
1 or 2 medium to large potatoes, diced
2 cups parsnips, peeled and diced
4 cups good chicken or vegetable stock
½ Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Pinch cayenne
½ cup cream or whole milk
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¾ tsp paprika

Heat the oil and butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add bacon and fry for 2 minutes or until any fat has rendered. Add onions and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and parsnips and continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring well to combine.

Pour in stock and season with thyme and cayenne. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add cream (or milk) and parsley and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Serve garnished with a sprinkle of paprika.

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BUTTERNUT VEGETABLE SOUP

(from AllRecipes.com, and recommended by a CSA member-family who made and enjoyed it last week!)

"A thick, creamy butternut and bean soup is loaded with colorful, tasty vegetables - potatoes, onion, carrots, and kale. Serve with crusty bread."

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup finely diced onion
2 tsp minced garlic
4 large carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
8-12 cups vegetable or chicken broth (depending on how thick/thin you'd like your soup)
2 potatoes, cubed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or substitute a few fresh thyme sprigs!)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups finely chopped kale leaves
1 (16 ounce) can great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

Heat the oil and butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots and butternut squash; cook and stir until squash begins to brown, about 15 minutes.

Pour in the broth. Stir in the red potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in the kale and great Northern beans, and simmer until the kale is tender, about 10 minutes.

Pour about 3 cups of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full (you may have to do this in two batches). Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Return the pureed portion of the soup to the soup pot, leaving the remaining soup chunky. Alternately, you can use an immersion blender and partially puree the soup right in the cooking pot.

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and finally...A NOTE ON ENDIVE

(from "Farmer John's Cookbook", p. 64)

"Endive and escarole both have a slightly bitter flavour, endive more so than escarole. These greens are perfect partners in a raw salad, especially if a sweeter green - such as red leaf lettuce - is mixed in. Herbs like parsley, fennel, mint and basil and even young and tender mesclun mix can add sweetness as well. Endive and escarole can also be cut into strips and added to soups. My favourite way to indulge in their romantic flavours is to use the younger inner leaves in a salad and have the larger, more bitter leaves in a cooked dish at the same meal. Cooking tends to bring a sweet flavour to the leaves. I also usually add roasted nuts and something sweet - like raisins, anise hyssop, or chopped sun-dried tomatoes - to any salad that contains anything slightly bitter..."

First Farm Pick-Ups This Week and Recipes!

2009-10-12T22:40:00.005-04:00

Hello all! Here at long last, the start of the Fall CSA season has officially arrived! Toronto members had their first pick-up on Thanksgiving Saturday, and the first farm pick-ups are this week (Tues Oct 13th and Sat Oct 17th). So, that means it's time for recipes as well! I hope some of you will scroll through the blog archives for some of last year's recipes too, but I will post a few new ones alongside each of this year's pick-ups also.

Starting things off for us is a pumpkin pie recipe - because who doesn't love starting with dessert?! Don't worry...the first and second course recipes will be up by the end of the week! See everyone at the farm soon!
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PUMPKIN PIE FILLING
(from the Martha Stewart cookbook that my Mum has...which I realize is not very helpful as a reference...I'll look up the title the next time I'm at home...promise!)

2 c pumpkin or winter squash puree (cooked)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
½ c cream or milk
½ c brown sugar
½ tsp each allspice, ginger, cinnamon and salt

Puree everything together in a mixing bowl. Fills one 8” pie crust.

Winter Harvest Celebration (Rescheduled)

2009-09-29T07:43:00.007-04:00

A few of you may have found the post mentioning the Fall Harvest Potluck - which was originally going to be this Sunday, Oct 4. Back in the summer when I set the date, I didn't realize that Orchard Hill Farm's Harvest Potluck was scheduled for last weekend (...or that the weather was going to be quite as unruly the first week of October)!

So, given that many of Fairmeadow's CSA members were already out to the farm last Sunday (enjoying some nice fall sunshine I might add), I thought it best to reschedule for later in the season - and the date is now officially Sunday, December 13th from 1 - 3pm. I'll make sure there are plenty of hot bevvys to keep everyone toasty and we can have a nice gathering around a camp fire or wood stove depending on the weather...along with horse drawn rides (and some food, of course!)...to celebrate Fairmeadow Farm's second season. More details to come closer to the time!

Tuesday's Work Bee - Squash Harvest!

2009-09-28T19:43:00.010-04:00

Well, despite the rainy forecast for tomorrow, the show (or, in our case, the squash harvest) must still go on!

Hopefully a few of you will brave the elements (in appropriate rain attire) and join me for a couple of hours in the garden gathering up squash and pumpkins Tuesday afternoon. The work bee will take place from 1:30 to 4 pm....cross your fingers and toes that the rain stays away and it isn't quite as blustery as today!

We actually had two hail storms pass through the farm this morning - thank goodness the Orchard Hill bunch and I could cram into the hoophouse in the garden for shelter! The spinach wasn't as lucky though (not being able to get up and join us) - some of the larger leaves are slightly worse for wear, but it did the best it could to withstand the pelting.

Thanks very much to CSA member Ross Lemon for passing on a few photos he's taken around the farm recently! In today's post we have the pumpkin patch, the onions curing in the hoophouse after their harvest, and Caesar, Ken and Martha's puppy, helping me thin seedlings. I had to put this last one in since he's been quite the helpful farmhand this summer - he is an expert mouser despite not even being a year old, and offers fantastic moral support through all kinds of farm tasks (especially those related to possibly finding mice such as mulching and laying out old row cover). I can't believe that the last of those transplants went into the hoophouse last week - only a few more late salad greens to seed now, and all the planting is finished for the year!

It's not too late to sign up for this fall!

2009-09-16T09:28:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to do a quick post letting everyone know that it is definitely not too late to join Fairmeadow Farm's Fall and Early Winter CSA for the 2009 season!

There is still a fair bit of space, and membership is open to both new and returning members. For those of you who have already joined, please pass along a brochure or the farm's contact info to anyone you know who might be interested in joining us this year!

Busy time of year!

2009-09-15T19:48:00.009-04:00

Well, I realized that it has been an awfully long time since there was a farm update posted on this little blog....so here it is!

August seemed to disappear very quickly, and somehow it's already the middle of September. The last month has been filled with a lot of transplanting and seeding...the outdoor salad crops (like lettuce) are on their way for the fall, and the spinach in particular is looking beautiful!

There was also a fair bit of harvesting going on, some on schedule, and some a little early due to the rather ridiculous cool, wet weather this summer. As such, the onions are curing away in the warmth and shelter of the hoophouse, and the potatoes have been dug, and as of yesterday afternoon are all tucked away in the root cellar waiting for the pick-ups to begin. Both of those crops require a major harvest effort - my sister Lindsay came to help me dig potatoes, and is my absolute farming hero....she spent two and a half days with me on hands and knees in the garden and helped me get all 85 bushels in (each bushel weighs 60 lbs!).

Regular rainy days also made it a little easier to fit in some canning and other food preserving over the last while. Although late blight wreaked havoc in the garden, the tomatoes tried hard to ripen at least some of their fruits (good job little tomatoes!), meaning I could bottle at least some tomato sauce for the winter and next year.

All of the rain also kept the weeds coming with avengeance. But doing a weeding sweep of the garden every two weeks or so gives me the chance to look at each and every plant in the garden, such as these gorgeous cabbages, which are by far some of my favourite plants to look at. They are a deep blue-green and have started forming into heads. When parts of the garden are winding down, it's always nice to see sections of the garden that are just coming into their prime.

I do enjoy tucking things in though, so to speak. Yesterday, Gena, Jasmin, Winnie and I got all of the empty ground seeded down to fall rye, to hold the soil and retain nutrients over the winter. It feels very good to know that that's done, and it will be nice not to have to keep cultivating to keep the weeds down....now it's all up to the rye, and outgrowing weeds is one of its very special talents.

All in all, this is a very busy time of year! Later this week there is a Draft Horse Workshop at Orchard Hill Farm, which I help teach. It's always a nice change of pace, but means all the garden work for this week has to be squished into three days. Hopefully, like Blaze here, I will somehow manage to squeeze in a little nap or two between tasks! Happy September everyone!

Wednesday's Work Bee - Thinning Carrots!

2009-08-09T10:25:00.014-04:00

Hello! Hope none of you got caught in yesterday afternoon's rain shower....I happened to be out in the garden, thinning carrots when it started to pour. I really wanted to finish the row I was working on, but when I noticed the rain filling up my knee-prints behind me (making a series of little lakes down the field), I thought I better quit before I completely compacted the soil! A bit of rain will be good for the veggies though (a few things were starting to look a bit droopy in the heat), and if the sun shines like it's supposed to this week, that will be all the better!

So, this week's WORK BEE is scheduled for Wednesday (Aug 12th), from 9-11 am and we'll be working on thinning the carrots (thanks to CSA members Julie and Robin for helping thin the beets already!).
When you get to the farm, drive right down the gravel lane (almost 1 km), past the row of poplars, down to Fairmeadow Farm's gardens. You should see me in the carrot patch past the large hoophouse.

If you have a pair of thin garden gloves (that will leave you with good finger dexterity) you can bring them along, otherwise all you really need are your hands! Thinning requires kneeling or sitting on the ground, so a pair of pants that can get dirty are in order as well. The weather is supposed to be sunny and warm, and thinning is quite a relaxing job so it should be a very enjoyable morning. For those of you who would like some drama on the farm, however, feel free to ask about: a) Colorado Potato Beetle; b) late blight; c) mildew (either powdery or downy); and/or d) deer. There are, of course, always joys and challenges in farming; it would seem, however, that the weather has come down in favour of the challenges this year. Good thing there are so many different veggies in the garden...at least half of them are bound to be happy!

Too Rainy for Thinning Carrots?

2009-07-24T14:35:00.002-04:00

Hello again! Just a quick post to say that it sounds like it will be rather wet out tomorrow afternoon (Sat July 25), which means that thinning carrots might not be a very enjoyable (or prudent) thing to do! I'll probably try to putter in the garden anyways (and may start the thinning if it isn't thunderstorming), so I'll be around the farm all day, but please don't feel obliged to join me if it's stormy (and I may have to head for shelter if it's really pouring!). If anyone has some time next week (presuming it clears up one of these days!), and would like to come out when the sun is shining, just let me know and we can coordinate! Hope everyone is having a happy Friday!

2009 Fall CSA Info

2009-07-24T08:40:00.020-04:00

Fairmeadow Farm is very excited to be growing for 130 shareholders in it’s second season of Community Supported Agriculture in 2009! Below are the most important details, and more can be found in the brochure. Members will receive a welcome package in the mail or through email before the start of the harvest season. For a brochure and application form, please email the Fairmeadow Farmer (Michelle), at the email address found at the bottom of the blog! There is still space left for the 2009 season....become a member of Fairmeadow Farm today!

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The Season: In 2009 the season will run for 12 weeks, from the week of Oct 12th through the week of Dec 21st for farm members, and Oct 5th through December 14th for Toronto members. Pick-ups will be every other week (6 altogether).

The Vegetables: Members will receive a diversity of organically-grown fresh greens, root vegetables, and storage crops over the season, taking home between 10 and 14 different items each pick-up. Produce will be displayed market-style, so that you can choose which bunch of greens or winter squash looks most yummy to you, and there will also be some choice in which vegetables you’d like to take home (and the Trade Box will return this season...every pick-up day, I promise!). The full list of produce members can expect is below.

• Arugula • Beets • Broccoli • Brussel Sprouts •
• Cabbage • Carrots • Cauliflower • Celery Root •
• Endive/Escarole • Garlic • Herbs • Kale • Leeks • Lettuce •
• Mesclun • Napa Cabbage • Onions •
• Parsnips • Potatoes • Pumpkins •
• Rutabaga • Spinach • Squash • Swiss Chard • Tender Turnips •
• Winter Radish •

Pick-Up Locations: Produce will be available for garden members to pick up directly at Orchard Hill Farm (near Sparta), and a small number of shares will also be delivered to Toronto (pick-up in North York). For farm pick-ups, there will be two pick-up days each week, Tuesday and Saturday. Members sign up for whichever day works better for them, and can come to the farm any time between 11am and 7pm on their pick-up day to fetch their vegetables. Toronto members get their vegetables on Saturdays (though the last pick-up is a Sunday), and can come any time between 1pm and 7pm on pick-up days.

Share Size and Pricing: There is one share size offered, which is geared to keep 2 adults who cook at home (or entertain), or a small family, nicely stocked with vegetables for two weeks. The produce is intended to last members for that time, and will store easily in the fridge, or keep well in a cool, dark spot (suggestions for keeping your vegetables happy in your house will be provided before the first pick-up!). The share price for members picking up at the farm is $250 ($260 if you choose the extended payment, see brochure), and for members in Toronto it is $325 for the season ($340 with the extended payment option).

Payment Options: One of the main reasons the CSA model was originally developed, with members paying for their shares up front, was to address the fact that most of the costs associated with growing produce are incurred early in the spring. It is for this reason that we ask and encourage members to pay the entire cost of their share up front, if they can.
If this is not possible, we offer an extended payment option. A $50 deposit is due with your application to hold your spot in the garden, along with two post-dated cheques for the balance (please see the chart on the registration form for more details).

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2009 PICK UP DATES

Please mark your calendars!

TUESDAY FARM PICK-UPS
Oct 13
Oct 27
Nov 10
Nov 24
Dec 8
Dec 22

SATURDAY FARM PICK-UPS
Oct 17
Oct 31
Nov 14
Nov 28
Dec 12
Dec 19

TORONTO PICK-UPS
Oct 10
Oct 24
Nov 7
Nov 21
Dec 5
Dec 20

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Bad Weather Policy

Since the season runs from mid-October through late December, it’s very likely that at some point we’ll get sleet or snow that might make driving out to the farm or around Toronto difficult or impossible. In the event of bad weather, I will hold produce for members until the roads are clear and coming to collect your veggies is possible. So please don’t worry about driving in slippery or low-visibility conditions, and check the blog (or give me a call) on your pick-up day if you’re not sure about the weather!

Tentative Work Bee Schedule (and a Harvest Potluck too)!

2009-07-16T13:54:00.005-04:00

Well, it only took until July but it seems that things in the garden are finally in pretty good shape, and, dare I say it, are all caught up...for a minute or two anyways! The potatoes have had their second hilling, all the straw/hay mulch has been spread, the squash have made their debut from underneath the row cover, and everything has been weeded for another week.

Hard to believe, but the carrots and beets have all been seeded for the fall as well, and the first of the garlic will be dug this week. Garlic is ready to harvest in late July, once the leaves have started to die back. It needs to be hung in a cool, shady spot for a few weeks to cure, and then it can be stored into the winter. The variety I'll harvest first is called "Fishlake #4", which is a softneck type with a pretty reddish blush, and good storage qualities.

Below is the tentative WORK BEE SCHEDULE for the summer and fall...a chance for you to come out to the farm and see the garden, get your hands a little dirty, and hopefully have a nice time chatting with other members and your farmer amongst the plants! Some of these tasks are a bit weather dependent, so please check the blog or send me an email if it's threatening to be rainy (or a big rain has just passed). I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with anyone who can make it out, and would like to volunteer their time towards the worthwhile cause of tending their future vegetables!

Come prepared with thin garden gloves if you have them, comfortable shoes, clothes that can definitely get dirty, and knees/backs that are good enough to bend up and down, and probably kneel or sit on the ground at some point.

Saturday July 25, 1:30-4pm:

an afternoon of thinning carrots...let me tell you how exciting this is! it's pretty exciting!

Wednesday August 12, 9-11am:
more carrot and beet thinning...because it would be unfair to limit the thinning fun to just one afternoon!

Tuesday September 29, 1:30-4pm:

squash harvest! always a very satisfying effort!

Sunday October 4, 1-5pm:

potato harvest, followed by the first annual HARVEST POTLUCK! Come out to help pick-up potatoes from 1-3pm (the horses will dig them for us), and then stay for the harvest potluck supper from 3-5pm. More details to come on this one!

Tuesday November 3, 8:30-11:30am:

let the late fall harvest continue, of some combination of celery root, cabbage, leeks, carrots, parsnips, etc. we'll work away at harvesting whatever is still in the garden.

The strawberries have arrived!

2009-06-09T10:21:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone….happy June!

This posting is to let you know that the strawberry season is upon us (yay!), and to announce that this year, Fairmeadow Farm will have its very own organically grown quarts of strawberries available for sale for $5/quart (picked lovingly each week as long as the berries last)! :O) If you’re interested in purchasing some this month (either at the farm, or in Toronto), please read on for dates and details!

If you live near the farm, the first berries will be available for sale this Saturday, June 13, and also next Tuesday, June 16. It’s hard to predict how the berries will come along – if you would like to send me an email with the number of boxes you’d be interested in taking (and perhaps even which of those days you would prefer to pick up), I will do my best to accommodate special orders. Otherwise, it will be first come first served at the farm on Saturday and Tuesday, starting anytime after 11am. If you do send me an email, I will let you know how many boxes I have once I’ve done the harvest, and what day is looking best. The address of the farm for those of you who haven’t been there before is 45415 Fruit Ridge Line. It’s on the south side of the road, between Yarmouth Centre and Quaker Roads, north of the village of Sparta if you’re looking at a map. There will hopefully be more berries available later this month as well – please email me if you’re interested in getting berry updates via email, or check the blog for details.

If you live in Toronto, the plan is to bring freshly picked berries into the city for Sunday June 21, and probably another date or two as well (either earlier that week, or sometime the following week) – it all depends on how the plants yield, and how the berries come along (and how much interest there is). Again, if you would like to send me an email with the number of boxes you might be interested in taking, I will do my best to accommodate special orders. I will let you know what day(s) I’ll be in the city as far in advance as I can, and for those of you “attached” to my Mum or Dad, you can talk with them about possibly hauling berries into their workplaces for you (the only trick is keeping the berries as cool as possible). :O) Otherwise, we’ll set up a little farm market in the Fairmeadow Farm pick-up room at 63 Fairmeadow Ave, and you can collect your berries there as usual. If there would be any interest, I could probably also bring some spinach, mesclun and herbs along as well – you can let me know in an email. I will be sure to post any info on the blog as well.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a little more rain this week (to help the berries come along), then a nice steady stretch of sunshine and warm weather for some sweet, perfectly juicy fruits!

Hope all is well with everyone, and to see you all before too long!

More Spring Things

2009-05-10T18:14:00.009-04:00

What says spring more than baby rabbits popping up here, there, and everywhere? I can't think of too much really! This photo is of three little ones that Annika (last season's very helpful Waldorf student from Germany) and I looked after for awhile last May...they were very cute, especially when they figured out how to jump out of the bushel basket they were living in!

It seems that rain is also very "in" this spring - which is fine by me, although it has made it a little tricky to fit in all of the garden work between showers recently. On this week's agenda, rain or shine though, is to plant the leeks and onions, mulch the garlic, and finish the plowing (amongst many, many other things!). The onions had all been sitting outside in their trays for the last week, happily awaiting transplanting, however, given tonight's FROST WARNING, I dutifully schlepped them all back inside the hobbit house, lest they get nipped on the lawn. The strawberries, which are now blooming rather earnestly in the garden, also got tucked in under two layers of row cover this afternoon - as I'm not sure whether my sister Kelly could ever forgive a crop failure when it comes to her beloved "strawbeezlies".

Be sure to start checking the blog more regularly, as I hope before too long to post information about this year's CSA, ordering strawberries (yes, that's right, strawberries in June!), and some work bees to be scheduled throughout the summer. Happy spring everyone!

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RISOTTO WITH LEMON AND MINT
(from "Risotto: 30 simply delicious vegetarian recipes from an Italian kitchen" by Ursula Ferrigno)

Although risotto is a bit of a labour of love, it is SO delicious and well worth the effort! Think about tossing in some fresh peas once they’re in season!

4 cups vegetable stock
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 – 5 shallots, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 ½ cups arborio rice (or any other risotto rice, such as carnaroli if you can find it!)
1/3 cup white wine
1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
2 Tbsp light cream
A handful of fresh mint, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the stock in a saucepan. Heat until almost boiling, then reduce the heat until barely simmering to keep it hot.

Heat the butter and oil in a deep skillet or heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the garlic.

Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until the grains are well coated and glistening, about 1 minute. Pour in the wine and stir until it has been completely absorbed.

Add 1 ladle of hot stock and simmer, stirring until it has been absorbed. Continue to add the stock at intervals and cook as before, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender but firm (al dente), about 18-20 minutes.

Add the Parmesan, lemon zest, cream, mint, salt and pepper. Mix well. Remove from the heat, cover, and let rest for 2 minutes.

Spoon into warmed bowls, top with chopped mint, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

Spring has Sprung

2009-04-05T11:48:00.005-04:00

Very excitingly, the onion and leek seedlings are coming up well in the living room after being seeded in late March! I love watching them grow, as they emerge from the soil folded over on themselves, and then over a period of days, slowly unfurl their top halves and start reaching upwards for the light, deepening in green all the while. It looks like they're doing yoga in unison...thousands of allium babies in their own interpretation of the sun salutation. Fun!

I am trying my best not to watch them too obsessively, however, which is quite the challenge let me tell you. From where I sit at my laptop in the dining room (trying to finish off my garden planning, mapping and scheduling), there is a clear line of sight to the seedling shelves. I struggle mightily with this distraction on a daily basis - you see, there is a fine line between keeping an eye on how they're growing along, and obsessive-compulsively monitoring for any signs of change or unhappiness. My personality tends to pull me towards the latter, which is not good: a) because they seem to catch on and start to act out in rebellion; and b) because there are many other things that need attention at this time of year. I'm hoping that by admitting this tendency of mine on the blog, it might inspire me to change my ways. Or I could just move to the other end of the dining room I suppose... :O)

In other spring farm news, the next batch of potting soil is all mixed and waiting to be used to start some summer crops (tomatoes, peppers and eggplant), along with the herbs and eventually pumpkins and squash in May. On this week's to-do list are: renovating the hobbit house, taking my soil tests and working out what soil amendments are needed this spring, and getting the garden ready to start the first field work. This entails many little tidy-up jobs like collecting the row cover fabric left in the garden last fall (that had been protecting the late salad crops and herbs), picking up the rock piles (used to hold down the row cover), and flagging the areas that need to be plowed and/or cultivated this month. I will also be able to start cultivating the garlic before too long, and then mulch it with straw to help keep the soil cool and moist (just the way it likes it).

Lots to do in any event...thank goodness the days are getting longer and warmer!

Keep Canadian Sugar GM-Free

2009-04-03T15:52:00.004-04:00

I'm appealing to everyone who reads the blog in the next week to PLEASE take up the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network's call to write Lantic Sugar and ask them NOT to accept GM (genetically modified) sugar beets for processing into sugar in Canada this spring.

From the CBAN website: Lantic Inc. is the only Canadian sugar company that processes sugar beet and it is the last GM-Free sugar beet processing company in North America. It is deciding now if it will accept GM sugar beets for the first time - the beets will be planted in Alberta in April. You can learn more about this issue (and how to take some simple action on it) here.

This issue is of particular importance for organic vegetable growers, as any GM-pollen contamination of table beet and swiss chard seed (which are closely related to sugar beets) would result in the loss of these crops to organic growers (and eaters). Yes, that means possibly no more organic beets or chard for anyone. Even if you are not a great fan of table beets, this issue has much broader implications for all of us - please take a minute or two to read the Ecological Farmer's Association Policy on Genetically Modified Organisms for some additional background information here.

Mid-Winter Update

2009-02-10T18:10:00.008-05:00

Somehow it is already February, and it has been a whole month since the end of our first CSA season. It doesn't seem like that long ago that the toboggan was hauling vegetables out of the snow-covered root cellar, that all of your your delightful selves were at the farm picking up your produce, and that Jasmin, Gena and I (along with the trusty sleigh) braced ourselves against the galing wind to return the washed harvest bins to the hoophouse. But, my day planner tells me that it is so (as do the balmy weather and longer days), and thus I thought it high time for a little update from Fairmeadow!

Things have remained rather busy for this farmer this winter, what with conferences (three days of the annual Guelph Organic Conference at the end of January), meetings (very excitingly, I am a new board member for the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario), chores, general farm tidy-up, and working a few days a week up at Orchard Hill Farm. But, having things to do is always good - and there has been some time for catching up with friends and family (such as my friend Eleanor, pictured below in front of the sweet corn at Ferme La Terre Bleue a few summers ago), attending some very enjoyable potlucks, and generally being domestic (which is my favourite thing to do in the winter).

This week, the planning for the 2009 garden will get underway in earnest though, as the first seedlings (onions, leeks, and celery root) will need to be started in four or five weeks. Sometime soon I will be sending out a little "Member Feedback Form" to all of you - asking for your thoughts on what you liked, didn't like, would like to see, etc. I hope you will take a few minutes to fill it out and send it back, as I really do value your input, and can definitely tinker with my garden planning for the upcoming season.

What else to report? For the most part, the animals at the farm have been behaving themselves, which is always nice. Mumma cat does wish that I would devote at least fifteen minutes every day to snuzzling with her, but alas, that just hasn't been possible. She also wishes that Caesar (Ken and Martha's incredibly adorable puppy) would just go away, but that is not going to happen either (much to her dismay, but not to mine!). The rest of this month is going to fly by, I think - with Orchard Hill's logging workshop coming up, a field trip to visit another very experienced market gardener for some advice next week, and another ecological farming conference at the end of the month. And then it will be March, and time to get growing!

Hope you are able to enjoy this mild weather while it lasts, and look forward to a few more farm updates before spring (and the growing season) officially arrives! Ta for now!

Long Overdue Bean Recipes

2009-02-10T16:42:00.010-05:00

Hello Fairmeadow Farm followers!

I realize that some recipe-posting is long overdue, so here, for those of you who still have some dried beans hiding in a cupboard somewhere, are a few recipes to try while there is still snow outside and you feel like eating warm and comforting winter fare. A little mid-winter farm update will follow as well!

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BAKED BEANS (try using the soup beans in this recipe)

2 c dried beans
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
1/3 c molasses
1 onion, diced
1 c stewed tomatoes
1 tsp dry mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
4 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Rinse the beans and cover with plenty of cold water in a saucepan. Let them soak overnight or over day.

Drain the beans, rinse them again and then cover them again with water (by at least one inch). Bring to a boil over med-high heat, throw in the bay leaf and one clove of garlic and simmer gently until tender over med-low heat (45 minutes to 1 hour).

When done (tender), drain, combine with remaining ingredients and mix well. Bake in a covered casserole dish for 3 hours in a slow oven. Uncover for the last hour.
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BLACK BEAN TORTILLA FILLING
This recipe has always met with rave reviews!

TO COOK THE BEANS:

Dried Black Turtle Beans
1 clove garlic
1-2 bay leaves
sea salt to taste

Pour beans onto a baking sheet and sort through them quickly, removing any bad or cracked beans and bits of chaff that your farmer might have missed! Put the beans in a colander and rinse them under cold water.

Soak beans in a pot for 8-12 hours (or overnight) in plenty of fresh water. Drain and rinse beans. Put into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cover with at least 1 inch of fresh water. Peel and smash 1 clove of garlic and add to the beans with 1 or 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer beans (covered) until tender, adding more water if necessary. Add salt to taste 3/4 way through cooking, to season the beans without making them tough. When beans are tender (usually takes at least 45 minutes to 1 hour, but sometimes more), remove bay leaves (but the garlic can stay), pour off the cooking liquid but reserve it (!), and set both the beans and liquid aside.

FOR THE FILLING:

Onion(s), chopped
Sweet Bell Pepper(s), any colour, chopped
Jalapeno Pepper(s), finely minced (seeds removed for a milder hot) AND/OR crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Zest and Juice of a Lime (or two)....you can substitute lemons if you'd like
Ground Cumin
Ground Coriander
A bit of chili powder (optional) if you'd like
Cooked Black Turtle Beans
Canned Tomatoes of some sort, diced if they need to be
Sea Salt
Chopped fresh cilantro

In a skillet, sweat the onion and bell peppers (covered) over med-low heat in vege oil and/or a bit of butter until soft. Turn up the heat a little and add minced jalapenos, grated lime zest, ground spices, salt, and more minced garlic if you'd like also (don’t forget you’ll add some when you add the beans). I use more cumin than coriander (maybe in a ratio of 4:1), and I use fairly liberal quantities. Stir to keep everything from sticking/burning, and saute for a minute or two until the spices are toasted and the liquid from the onions/peppers has mostly evaporated. Still over med to med-high heat, add the lime juice and stir to "deglaze" the pan. Remove from heat.Stir the onion mixture into the beans and add enough of the reserved bean cooking liquid and canned tomatoes with juice so that the beans are well moistened (should be a little soupy, but the beans shouldn't be completely free floating). Bring to a simmer over med or med-low heat, stirring as needed to keep the beans from burning (and you have to watch them because they are a bit prone to sticking).

After everything has cooked together for a few minutes, taste and adjust the seasonings as needed – add more spices/tomatoes/salt if it's bland in any of those areas, jalapenos if it's not spicy enough, lime juice if it doesn’t taste zippy enough, etc. Simmer gently, stirring somewhat frequently, until it's thickened to the consistency that you'd like. If it gets too thick, add some more tomato juice or bean cooking liquid. At the end of the cooking, add chopped fresh cilantro to taste. Enjoy!
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BLACK BEAN DIP
(from the “Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home” cookbook)

2 c cooked (drained) black beans
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground coriander
Pinch of cayenne
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste

Mash or blend everything together (I would recommend using a food processor if you have one), until thoroughly combined. Adjust seasoning to taste, and serve garnished with toasted chopped walnuts and/or minced Spanish olives if you feel so inclined.

Pick-Up Update for Saturday Farm and Toronto Members

2008-12-27T09:39:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and are able to enjoy some well deserved rest and relaxation before the start of the new year!

So here is the official update for the Saturday Farm and Toronto delivery members whose pick-ups were postponed. (Though I must start again with an apology for the circumstances that necessitated the whole thing, and a very genuine thank you for your understanding)!

SATURDAY FARM MEMBERS: As the majority of members who responded said they would be happy with (or would prefer) a double share of vegetables on the January 10th pick-up (as many will be away over the next week or two), I've decided that this might just be the simplest/best option for farm management as well! So again, the next Saturday farm pick will be on January 10th, and members who missed the holiday box will receive a double share of vegetables then.

TORONTO DELIVERY MEMBERS: I am planning on getting your vegetables out of the root cellar today (Dec 27), and bringing them with me into the city tonight (or at the latest, tomorrow morning). I wasn't actually able to get to Toronto for Christmas, but better late than never I hope! I will send Toronto members an email when the vegetables and I have arrived in the city, and you will be able to come over the next few days (say between Dec 28th and Dec 31st) at your convenience, to pick-them up.

If anyone needs to get in touch over the next few days please send me an email, or you can give me a call on my cell phone (416-433-5405), or leave a message for me at home (519-773-3341).

Thank you all so much again for being as great as you are, and I hope you're all having a happy and healthy holiday.

Warmest wishes to all,
Michelle

WEEK 4 RECIPES

2008-12-08T20:22:00.007-05:00

Hello hello again! Hope everyone's week is off to a nice snowy start (while it lasts say the weather people) - it really is very pretty once the wind stops blowing for a moment or two and you can actually see everything outside!

I hope all of the Saturday members are recovering from their harrowing trips to and from the farm on the weekend - I am sorry that the weather turned so nasty mid-afternoon, but your dedication to your veggies is admirable! I hope you (like I) was able to enjoy a quiet day in on Sunday to make up for being out in the gales and squalls the day before. The horses certainly were happy to come in from the cold (in fact there were a few squabbles to figure out who was going to come in first)!

Below are this week's recipes. I hope you enjoy yet more seasonal cooking (and even desserts with vegetables...yummy)! Look for an email from me this week with the contents of next week's pre-holiday bountiful box of veggies, among other fun things.....

Take care and stay warm!

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RUSSIAN CABBAGE BORSCHT

This recipe was passed on from CSA member Pat Weiler, and is from Allrecipes.com. She told me a neighbour made a very close variation using Fairmeadow Farm veggies and it was delicious! Although it calls for red cabbage, we're sure green or savoy could be substituted in a pinch...

1 ½ cups thinly sliced potatoes
1 cup thinly sliced beets
4 cups vegetable stock or water
2 Tbsp. butter
1 ½ cups chopped onions
1 tsp. caraway seed (optional)
2 tsp. salt
½ celeriac, chopped
1 large carrot, sliced
3 cups coarsely chopped red cabbage
Black pepper to taste
¼ tsp. fresh dill
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 cup tomato puree
Sour cream for garnish

Place sliced potatoes and beets in a medium saucepan over high heat; cover with stock and boil until the vegetables are tender. Remove potatoes and beets with a slotted spoon, and reserve stock.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, caraway seeds and salt; cook until onions become soft and translucent. Then stir in celery, carrots and cabbage. Mix in reserved stock; cook, covered, until all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add potatoes and beets to the skillet. Season with black pepper and dill. Stir in cider vinegar, honey and tomato puree. Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer at least 30 minutes. Serve topped with sour cream and extra chopped dill if you’d like.

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BRUSSEL SPROUTS WITH PECANS

This is a recipe shared by Toronto CSA member Judy Huntington, who I happen to know is quite the little chef! This recipe, however, is from the December 2002 issue of "Cooking Light", but meets her high standards!

2 teaspoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8 cups halved and thinly sliced Brussel sprouts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
8 teaspoons coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in Brussels sprouts; sauté 2 minutes. Add broth and sugar; cook 5 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with pecans.
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PUMPKIN OR SQUASH CUSTARD

And who says just because you're in a vegetable CSA you shouldn't be able to have your cake (okay, custard) and eat it too?! For the other dessert-fiends out there, this recipe was tested for the first time at our house two weekends ago, and didn't last long!

1 ½ cups milk
4 large eggs
½ cup maple syrup
¾ cup cooked, pureed pumpkin or squash
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. allspice
½ tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a small saucepan, heat milk to scalding. Meanwhile, whisk eggs and maple syrup together in a bowl until smooth. When scalded, add milk very slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling! Add the remaining ingredients, and mix until smooth and well blended.

Pour into six ramekin dishes, and place the ramekins in a larger oven-proof dish or casserole (such as a 9 x 11 inch pyrex). Fill the larger dish with boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins (this water bath will help regulate the temperature of these delightful little custard cups as they bake)! Bake until the custards are just set, but still quiver in the centre, about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the ramekins carefully from the water bath and let them cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes – then cover and refrigerate until chilled. Serve plain or topped with whipped cream.

Our Little Winter CSA

2008-11-26T18:46:00.017-05:00

So, it was over the past two winters, curled up in the office of my parents' nice cozy house, that I planned this little farm.

What fun, I thought, to be working out in the garden on beautiful fall days, harvesting picture perfect root vegetables in the sun, while a gentle breeze of crisp fall air kept everything cool, and colourful leaves rustled in the background. I could wear sweaters, I thought (I love sweaters!)....maybe even a hat on chilly mornings. It would be so much nicer than slogging away in the heat and humidity of the summer...

Little did I know, however, that this Fall and Early Winter CSA would literally meet such an early winter! I was certainly surprised! (which is perhaps not so good since I'm the farmer....) :O)

In any event, I just had to post a few photos of last week's garden escapades! Thanks to Anna McFaul, Orchard Hill's intern extraordinaire, for trekking through the snow with me to find the carrots.!

Huge thanks also to the farm members who braved the elements over the last week to come help with harvest and washing! And we're talking extreme farming here!

And thanks to Ken as well for taking the photos.

These ones are definitely going in the album entitled "My First Year Farming"...

But, as you can see in the photos, we're still smiling! Farming really is fun, even if a it's a little crazy sometimes! Anything for the best CSA members around, and the veggies we all love!

Saturday Pick-Up - Weather Update (Fri eve)

2008-11-21T21:32:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone - thought I would post a quick weather update as of Friday night. At the moment, the roads are clear and the farm lane and yard have been plowed. And after some extreme harvesting yesterday (pictures to come!), and washing today, the vegetables are just about ready to go as well! So, depending on the weather tonight, at the moment the pick-up is a go for tomorrow.

I will post another update in the morning, however, closer to the time. Of course, I hope everyone uses their own discretion about driving out here, and please don't worry about driving in conditions you don't feel comfortable with.

Hope you have a great night, stay cozy, and hopefully I'll see everyone tomorrow! And remember to check the blog in the morning for a final weather update!

RECIPES FOR WEEK 3

2008-11-16T22:05:00.010-05:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend, and is managing to stay toasty and warm despite the very November-ish weather outside! I just had a load of firewood delivered today, which is making me and my woodstove very happy! I plan to enjoy many a good meal in its company this winter, and hope all of you have a delightful fireplace in your life as well (or in the least, that you can borrow one for awhile)!

In between all of the eating and being cozy by the stove, I will of course be out in the garden, harvesting the cabbage, carrots, leeks and parsnips in earnest! With all of the cold temps and snow being forecasted I think it's time to get as much as possible into the root cellar. So alas, there will be no more carrots with their tops, much to the dismay of Gwen and the rest of her barnyard companions. Not to worry though, they have lots of good hay to eat, and I'm sure someone will rustle up the odd apple or two for them to have as a treat before too much time passes!

Looking forward to seeing everyone again this week, and hope you're enjoying the vegetables! Below are this week's recipes!

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RED CABBAGE BRAISED WITH MAPLE SYRUP (from a cookbook I can't remember the name of....that I wrote out while I was on a small farm in Maine learning how to make syrup by hand!)

Excellent served with duck, pork, chicken or game.

5 slices bacon, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 tart, medium-firm apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
½ head red cabbage, finely shredded
1 bay leaf
½ c maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a wide, oven-proof sauté pan (or if you don’t have one that can go in the oven, cook everything in a frying pan initially and then transfer to a casserole dish), sauté the bacon until almost crisp. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp of fat, add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and cover. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Serves 4-6.

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RUTABAGA AND APPLE CASSEROLE (can’t remember where it’s from either…seems to be a problem this week!…but a Jory family classic recipe!)

1 large rutabaga
1 Tbsp butter
2 apples
¼ c brown sugar
Pinch of cinnamon

Crust:
1/3 c flour
1/3 c brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter

Peel rutabaga, and then dice into ¾ inch chunks. Cook (steam or boil) until tender in a large saucepan, then drain and mash the rutabaga with the butter. While the rutabaga is cooking, peel and slice the apples, and toss them with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Grease a large casserole dish lightly and arrange the mashed rutabaga and sliced apples alternately in layers (beginning and ending with rutabaga). Combine the crust ingredients until crumbly in texture and sprinkle on the top of the casserole. Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour, until bubbling and browned on top.

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BAKED STUFFED SQUASH

Butternut, delicata, dumpling or acorn squash (enough for at least ½ for each person).

Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, brush the skin with olive oil and bake flesh side down in a pan at 350 degrees F until tender.

Meanwhile make a stuffing – I often use some kind of organic ground meat sautéed with leeks, onions and garlic, and mixed with brown rice and herbs (any of thyme, parsley, oregano, sage, rosemary, lovage….), but you can make a delicious vegetarian stuffing easily as well, and can include finely chopped sautéed or roasted veggies like onions, celery root, carrots… whatever you have and feel like using!

In any event, once the squash is finished roasting, take it out of the oven, turn over the halves, stuff and return to the oven for a minute or two until everything is piping hot. Serve right away.

MORE RECIPES FOR WEEK 2

2008-11-10T22:57:00.009-05:00

Although I love ASIAN GREENS simply steamed and tossed with soy sauce and a little sauteed garlic and fresh minced ginger (or minced candied ginger for a treat), they are also great in mixed vegetable stir-frys.

Below is one of my favourite sauces for stir-fried or steamed veggies (including CSA garden carrots, garlic, winter radishes, kale...the list could go on!). You should toss in the greens with the sauce at the last moment so that they wilt as the sauce is heated through, but still retain their bright green colour.

SPICY PEANUT STIR-FRY SAUCE
(from "Chef at Home" and Michael Smith)

1 c natural peanut butter (made from just peanuts)
Zest and juice of 2 limes
¼ c brown sugar
¼ c soy sauce
Red pepper flakes or finely minced fresh hot pepper (such as jalapeno) to taste

Very easy – just combine and puree everything together using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender. You can mix it by hand too, but it’s slow going at the start with the peanut butter. Toss with steamed or stir-fried vegetables near the end of cooking, and cook just until the sauce is heated through and the greens are wilted.

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You can use FALL RADISH the same way you would spring radish - shredded or sliced wafer thin raw in salads - or you can stir-fry it (try the above recipe), to bring out it's milder side.

I do love Daikon radish raw in salads though - it is the mildest of the bunch, and very juicy and crisp. All of the fall radishes are also great grated into salads with celeriac or cabbage. Below is another great Moosewood recipe if you still have some cabbage from the first pick-up...it's a very pretty salad with the pink and purple flair of the radishes...

ASIAN CABBAGE SLAW
(from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home)

Shredded cabbage, grated carrot, grated fall or winter radish (and julienned sweet pepper if you feel so inclined)
Optional garnishes: chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing:
2 Tbsp sunflower oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp grated fresh ginger
Finely minced hot pepper (like jalapeno) or red pepper flakes to taste (if you’d like to spice it up a bit)

Whisk dressing ingredients together and adjust seasoning to taste. Toss with the shredded vegetables and garnish as you see fit!

WEEK 2 RECIPES

2008-11-10T20:49:00.016-05:00

Hello again, oh beloved members of mine! Sorry for the delay in posting these recipes...although November seems to have definitely settled in around us now, the garden is still keeping this farmer rather busy! But then again, it is all about keeping your vegetables happy out there in the cold and blustery wind (and slowly getting them into the much more "cozy" root cellar...yay)! I hope that these recipes and ideas continue to make them happy on your plates and in your little tummies too!

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WARM ROASTED BEET and ARUGULA SALAD
(from the Gardeners’ Community Cookbook)

1 bunch beets
2 c washed and spun arugula

Dressing:
3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place beets in a baking dish and sprinkle with water. Cover and roast until fork tender (about 1 hour depending on the size of the beets). Meanwhile make the dressing by whisking all of the ingredients together. When beets are cool enough to handle, remove their skins and slice into rounds (if they’re baby beets you don’t need to remove the skins). Assemble the salad while the beets are still very warm so that the arugula wilts. Serve right away.

A variation of this recipe that I’ve had that’s very yummy is to add good quality feta cheese along with the warm beets just before dressing.

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BEET GREEN (OR SWISS CHARD) GRATIN
(from "Good Eats" and Alton Brown)

1 Tbsp butter
12 oz sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb beet greens or swiss chard, washed well and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp salt
¾ cup crumbled crackers (recommended: Ritz crackers)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sweat. Add the greens and mix well. Remove pan from heat. Season to taste.

In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, ricotta, parmesan and salt. Combine everything and put into a lightly oiled 9 x 11 inch baking dish. Top with the crumbled crackers and bake for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
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CELERIAC REMOULADE
(from "The Barefoot Contessa" and Ina Garten)

1 medium or large celeriac
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup good mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp whole-grain mustard
2 tsp white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Peel the celery root, and then shred using a stand grater or food processor fitted with a coarse grating blade. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients to make the dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss as much dressing with the shredded celery root as you’d like, and refrigerate for a couple of hours to let the flavours come together. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Celery root is a great! vegetable, though some people would argue that it lacks a certain something when it comes to looks. I say whatever it's missing in the beautiful vegetable department it makes up for in taste! Along with trying the above recipe, celeriac can be used in:

Soups and stews: dice and use as you would celery; and

Salads: great alone (like in "Celeriac Remoulade"), or in combination with shredded winter radish, cabbage or carrot (or apple or whatever else seems fall and wintery and strikes your fancy)!

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CREAMY POTATO KALE SOUP
(from The Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favourites Cookbook)

1 cup finely chopped onions
2/3 cup finely chopped leeks
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive or sunflower oil
4 cups stock
4 cups coarsely chopped potatoes
¼ tsp ground fennel or anise seeds
½ cup diced celeriac
2 Tbsp white wine
½ tsp dried dill
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp minced scallions (if you have them)
1 ½ Tbsp minced fresh basil
½ cup evaporated skimmed milk
4 cups loosely packed shredded kale
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)

In a large soup pot, sauté the onions, leeks and salt in the oil on very low heat for about 7 minutes, until tender. Add the stock and bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes, fennel, celeriac, wine and dill. Simmer for about 20 minutes, covered, until the potatoes are tender. In a blender or food processor (or using an immersion blender), puree the soup in batches (or in the pot) until smooth.

In a separate pot, gently boil or steam the kale until just tender. Drain, and stir it into the soup. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and lemon juice, if desired. Carefully reheat the soup until it is very hot but not boiling.

Kale is also delicious steamed and mixed with creamy mashed potatoes and sliced sausage (such as Orchard Hill Farm's very own smoked or fresh seasoned pork sausage).

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SPICY POTATOES AND SPINACH

(from the Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers Cookbook)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 minced fresh chile or ½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 ½ cups sliced onions
2 lbs potatoes
1 tsp salt
15-oz can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp lemon juice
~ ½ lb spinach

Heat the oil and butter in a pot on med-high heat. Add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the cumin and fennel seeds. Sirt for a few seconds and add the chile or red pepper flakes and the onions. Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, scrub or peel the potatoes and cut them in wedges (about 6 cups). Add the potato wedges, salt and 1 cup of water to the onions, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just tender.

Stir in the tomatoes and lemon juice and cook, covered, until the potatoes are done, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and simmer until the leaves are wilted.

You can top this stew of sorts with plain yogurt and chopped fresh cilantro if you like, and serve it alongside of naan bread, or on a bed of rice, with mango chutney.

WEEK 1 RECIPES

2008-10-24T23:21:00.010-04:00

Here are a few recipes to kick off the start of the Fall CSA season, featuring some of this week's vegetables. I hope you enjoy them, and if you have any recipes you'd like to share, just email them to me and I'll try and post them on the blog! Happy cooking (and, of course, feasting too)!

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GREENS SAUTEED WITH GARLIC, RAISINS AND PINE NUTS
(from the Gardeners’ Community Cookbook)

1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ c raisins
1Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
¼ tsp salt
1 bunch hearty greens (kale, collards, swiss chard or asian greens), shredded, washed and drained
½ cup toasted pine nuts
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onions, garlic, raisins and salt together until the onions are soft. Add the greens (and a little water if needed), cover and steam until tender, tossing occasionally. Remove from heat and toss with toasted pine nuts and balsamic vinegar. Serve right away.
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WINTER WARMER SOUP
(from The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking)

3 medium carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large potato, chopped
1 large parsnip, chopped
1 small or medium rutabaga, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 piece fresh ginger, grated
1 ¼ c milk
3 tbsp cream
2 tbsp dill
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Put the carrots, potato, parsnip, turnip and onion into a large saucepan with the oil and butter. Fry lightly, then cover and sweat the vegetables on very low heat for 15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Pour in the water, bring to a boil and season well. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Strain the vegetables, reserving the stock, add the ginger and puree in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Return the puree and stock to the pan. Add the milk and stir while the soup gently reheats. Remove from the heat, stir in the cream, dill, lemon juice and extra seasoning, if necessary. Reheat the soup, if you wish, but do not allow it to boil as you do, or it may curdle.
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ORANGE BRUSSEL SPROUTS
This recipe is a variation of one that Jamie and Nora Quinn, farmers at Ferme La Terre Bleue in Elgin, QC make, and it's very yummy! To those people who think they hate brussel sprouts, I say try this recipe and then reconsider!

1 Tbsp EACH olive oil and butter (or a little more)
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
brussel sprouts, washed, trimmed and halved lengthwise
zest and juice of 1 orange
salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt butter and olive oil together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the brussel sprouts and some salt to taste and saute a few minutes more, until the sprouts are starting to brown a bit. Stir in the orange juice and zest (and some water if needed), cover with a lid and steam until the brussel sprouts are JUST tender (don't overcook them! they should still be a nice green and a little firm when you're done!). Season to taste and serve right away.

Pick-Ups Start This Week!

2008-10-19T11:17:00.008-04:00

Hello members! Just a quick post to remind you that the farm pick-ups start this week (that's Tuesday Oct 21st and Saturday Oct 25th)! You can come to the farm anytime between 11am and 7pm, and please remember to bring your own bags or containers (and of course, re-usable ones are always best)! If you have extra shopping bags or boxes kicking around your house it would be great if you could bring those for the pick-up room as well - there are always weeks when we need extras for those who forget.

For new members, you can find a map to the farm here. It's located at 45415 Fruit Ridge Line, which is one road north of Sparta Line, between Quaker Rd and Yarmouth Centre Line.

Looking forward to seeing everyone this week!

Toronto Delivery Details

2008-10-19T10:49:00.008-04:00

Most of the details about what vegetables members will receive and how the Fairmeadow Farm CSA works can be found in the brochure, but here are the specific details about the Toronto deliveries:

The cost for Toronto members is $300 (which includes the delivery fee into the city), and the pick-up location will be at my parents house in North York – near Yonge St. and York Mills Rd. (if you want to look it up on a map, the exact address is 63 Fairmeadow Ave).

There are six deliveries (the dates are Nov 1, Nov 15, Nov 29, Dec 13, Dec 23 and Jan 13), and each time members will receive a variety of fresh greens (like mesclun salad mix and spinach), root and storage veggies (like onions, carrots, potatoes and cabbage), herbs and dried beans. The full list is in the brochure, and everything is grown organically at the farm by the horses and myself! :O)

Members can come to get their produce anytime after 1 pm on the pick-up day, and the vegetables will be displayed market style, so you can choose which bunch of carrots or bulb of garlic looks best to you. Really, it's almost like going to a little farmers market, except that you have paid for everything in advance. There will be some choice in which vegetables you take home each week, and what you get from week to week changes a bit so hopefully no one gets bored of anything!

The share size is geared for two adults who cook at home (or entertain), or a small family for two weeks. But of course it depends a bit on how many vegetables you eat. Recipes will be given each week to help you with ideas, and most things will store easily for that time and longer. If you like to cook ahead of time and freeze dishes or extra vegetables for later that is also a great way to use some of the produce.

You can make one full payment of $300 when you submit your membership application, or you can choose the extended payment option (which does include a $10 admin fee). With this choice, there is a $50 deposit due with the application, and then you can submit two post-dated cheques, each for $130, for any two of: today’s date, Nov 1 or Dec 1. But I can be flexible if this schedule isn’t possible for you – so if you need to talk to me about other payment options, please contact me.

Farm Pick-Up Day Schedule

2008-10-02T09:35:00.008-04:00

A number of members have asked recently about when the pick-ups start, and which weeks have pick-ups, so below is the full schedule of pick-ups this fall/winter at the farm. As a reminder as well, members can come anytime between 11am and 7pm to fetch their vegetables, and if you can't make it on your scheduled pick up day, you are welcome to send a friend/neighbour/family member to collect your share for you, or let me know in advance if you need to come on the alternate pick-up day that week, or can't make it at all.

For those members in Toronto, the schedule will go up soon! Hope everyone is as excited as I am for the start of the season, and thanks to everyone who attended the garden walk last Sunday! What perfect fall weather we had!

TUESDAY PICK-UP DATES

Oct 21

Nov 4

Nov 18

Dec 2

Dec 16

Jan 6

SATURDAY PICK-UP DATES

Oct 25

Nov 8

Nov 22

Dec 6

Dec 20

Jan 10

Fall is Here (so obviously it's time for soup)!

2008-10-02T08:52:00.008-04:00

Zeus and I were talking in the barn the other day about how much we love comfort food when it gets chilly outside. I start craving soups like they're going out of style, and he just can't eat enough hay!

Since fall seems to have definitely settled in (and my appetite for the fruits of summer is fading), I thought I'd post a recipe for 'Leek and Potato Soup', a classic comfort soup if there ever was one! I'm not actually sure where this recipe came from...I have it written out in my little book of favourites, and so alas, I cannot give credit were it's due. This is a yummy one, however, so I thought I'd share it just the same.

(This might also have something to do with having spent two days last week digging and collecting potatoes, and happily noting the nice deep blue-green colour of the leeks every time I walk past them in the garden!).

For those who haven't cooked with leeks before, the easiest way to clean them (and they need to be cleaned well to remove the grit that finds its way between the layers of the leek!), is to first chop off the tough green leaves, but leave the root intact. Next, cut the leeks in half lengthwise, then rinse them well under cool water, separating the layers with your fingers to let the water rinse the grit out from between them (the root will keep everything together). When clean, cut off the root end and slice the leek halves crossways into 1 cm wide pieces.

LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

6 cups peeled, cubed potatoes
1 cup chopped leeks
4 cups stock or water
2 cups milk
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 Tbsp. flour

In a large soup kettle, combine potatoes, leeks and stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add the milk. Mash or puree the soup in small batches. Return soup to heat and bring back to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, cream together butter and flour; whisk into soup, stirring constantly until thickened slightly. Makes 4-6 servings.

The Hoophouse and Fall Garden Walk

2008-09-07T11:46:00.012-04:00

Hi people - I thought a little farm update was long overdue (oops, how did two whole months pass since my last post?!)! Things have been super busy in the garden, but the vegetables are starting to roll in which is nice. The garlic is all cleaned and ready to go, the last of the onions are curing as we speak, half the dried beans have been harvested and await threshing, and I'll start digging potatoes this week. The picture to the right is of the squash and pumpkins soon after they made their garden debut in June. It's hard to believe that they too will be harvested within the month! The fall harvest crunch has definitely arrived, which should keep me and the Orchard Hill bunch on their toes for the next 6 weeks - at least the great rain we just had will save irrigating, and make some carrot, parsnip, beet and cabbage plants very happy.

Also very exciting is that the hoophouse (the future home of your late greens and mesclun) is finally up, thanks to a lot of help from CSA members Neil and Robin, and friends Lisa, Sarah, Kamil, Ian, Jocelyn and Kieran. It couldn't have happened without so many clever hands working together on it, and I'm very appreciative of all the help! Yay work bees! I'm also ecstatic to report that it withstood Thursday night's high winds, and is still happily standing (with plastic intact) exactly where we put it. :O)

I also wanted to announce the date of the Fairmeadow Farm Fall Garden Walk - a chance for members (and anyone they'd like to bring with them) to come and visit the garden before the season starts - on Sunday, September 28th from 1-2 pm. For those of you in Orchard Hill Farm's summer CSA, you might notice that this is right before their Fall Harvest Party later that afternoon...I hope if you were planning on attending their pot-luck you can come a little early for the walk (or, if you come for the walk I hope you can stay for the party!). I am really looking forward to meeting everyone that I haven't yet, answering any questions you might have, and touring the garden as half of it winds down, and the other half just gets into the swing of things. Hope you can make it! The walk will take place at the farm, and the address and a map can be found further down on the blog.

And lastly, there is still quite a bit of space left in the garden, so please pass along a brochure or the farm's contact info to anyone who you think might be interested in joining. With the enticement of fresh, yummy vegetables right through to January, the opportunity to support a small, local farm, and the possibility that we too might have grown a giant winter radish baby (such as the one I am holding pictured at left from last year), who could resist becoming a member?! I hope no one!

(I personally cannot tell you how much I love coming across random and amazing vegetables, such as eggplant with noses, and carrots with perfect arms and legs. I have high hopes for at least a few funny potatoes!)

Hazy (but not so lazy) Summer Days

2008-07-08T12:41:00.004-04:00

Hello hello! Welcome to the first little summer garden update on the newly created Fairmeadow Farm CSA blog (thanks SO much to Neil Hubert for his amazing efforts at getting it up and running, and for creating such a lovely brochure for the farm too)!

It's just starting to rain here, which is going to make some potato and squash plants very happy. I can't believe that it's already July, and that more than half the garden is planted and growing along. The garlic will be ready to harvest within a few weeks, the leeks and onions are starting to bulb, and the dried bean plants are in bloom. The early carrots will be seeded sometime later this week, and the last cabbage plants should be big enough to transplant within a couple weeks also.

Hmmm....what else to report? Maybe that's it for now, but I hope to put up some pictures of the garden soon (as soon as I have some spare time to finish my roll of film and take it in for processing)! Thanks very much to everyone in Orchard Hill's CSA for all their encouragement this season, and of course to Ken and Martha for their daily help on any number of fronts (not to mention, all of the hard work of Gena, Jasmin, Gwen, Winnie, and even Zeus in the garden). Gwen did help herself to a few mouthfuls of bean plants last week, which hopefully you won't mind. She said she was particularly hungry, and really did need that mid-afternoon snack to get her through all the cultivating. I tried to tell her that in future it would be better if she could wait until dinner to eat. I'm not sure she heard me though.

Welcome to Fairmeadow Farm

2008-06-27T19:24:00.003-04:00

Fairmeadow Farm is located on 4 acres of land at Orchard Hill Farm, which runs a 160 member CSA garden in the summer. It grew from a chat between Ken and Martha Laing (the Orchard Hill Farmers) and Michelle Jory (the Fairmeadow Farmer, and former Orchard Hill apprentice) one December evening in 2006. Almost all of the garden work at Fairmeadow Farm is done using draft horses, and everything is grown using organic practices that help build the soil and enhance biodiversity.

You can read a bit about the history and philosophy of Community Supported Agriculture in the posting below.

The Season: In 2008, the Fairmeadow Farm season will run for 12 weeks from the week of Oct 20th through the week of Jan 5th. Pick-ups will be every other week.

Pick-Up Locations: Produce will be available for garden members to pick up directly at Orchard Hill Farm (near Sparta), and a limited number of shares will also be delivered to Toronto (delivery details to be confirmed later this summer). For farm pick-ups, there will be two pick-up days each week, Tuesday and Saturday. Members sign up for whichever day works better for them, and can come to the farm any time between 11am and 7pm on their pick-up day to fetch their vegetables.

Share Size and Pricing: There will be one share size offered this year, which is geared to keep 2 adults who cook at home (or entertain), or a small family, nicely stocked with vegetables for two weeks. A little different than in a summer CSA, members will receive a larger quantity of produce every other week, which is intended to last them for that time, and will store easily in the fridge, or keep well in a cool, dark spot (suggestions for keeping your vegetables happy in your house will be provided!). The share price for members picking up at the farm is $250 ($260 if you choose the extended payment, see below), and for members in Toronto it is $300 for the season ($310 with the extended payment option).

Payment Options: One of the main reasons the CSA model was originally developed, with members paying for their shares up front, was to address the fact that most of the costs associated with growing produce are incurred early in the spring. It is for this reason that we ask and encourage members to pay the entire cost of their share up front, if they can.

If this is not possible, we offer an extended payment option as well. A $50 deposit is due with your application to hold your spot in the garden, along with two post-dated cheques, each for $105 if you are going to pick up at the farm, or for $130 if you’re in Toronto, dated July 1st, August 1st, September 1st, October 1st, or November 1st (choose the two dates that work best for you).

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

2008-06-25T07:47:00.001-04:00

Community Supported Agriculture (or CSA) is a model of food production that re-connects people with the farmers and land that grow their food. The philosophy is based on the development of a mutually helpful relationship between garden members and farmer.

Garden members receive organic, locally-grown fresh produce every week or every other week throughout the season. They have the opportunity to get to know their farmer personally, and are able to ask questions and learn about how their food is grown. They also have the opportunity to try some great (but less common) vegetables and herbs – alongside of their favourites, of course! – and to become a vital part of the farm that is feeding them and their families, both through their welcome presence in the field (for farm tours, work bees, and harvest celebrations), and through their financial support at the outset of the season. In CSAs, garden members also commit to sharing the inherent risks and bounty of farming.

The farmer, in turn, commits to growing high-quality, healthful produce using all of their knowledge and ability, in a way that is good to the earth. The farmer benefits from having a more stable (and timely) income, and a consistent local market for their produce over the whole season. They also enjoy being able to share the abundance and uncertainties of farming, the privilege and responsibility of stewarding the land, and building a close relationship with garden members who consume the fruits (…or vegetables…or grains…) of their labours!

Map to Fairmeadow Farm

2008-06-20T21:07:00.000-04:00