The Polar Purge: As single digit temperatures and subarctic windchills finally descended upon Emerald Acres during the second week of the year, we dug in and started scooping out the junk and unneeded items that have settled into our home over the past year, or more…. At other times of the year, when the sun shines and warmth surrounds us, we rarely find the time needed to keep everything inline within the house; all of us prefer to be outside playing in the garden or with the animals than inside attending to the ‘inside stuff’! Papers and junkmail stack up, outgrown clothes and toys land in piles or lay strewn across the floor, and more than a respectable amount of dust settles in the corners and on the surfaces remaining just out of reach from our toddler! Spring is the time most people feel compelled to dig in and clean out (a.k.a. ‘spring cleaning’), but it is in winter, when outdoor chores are somewhat reduced and slightly less is going on around the farm that our family finds the time to deal with the ‘within’. It is not a fast process, and when coupled with an active and imaginative 5-year-old and 18-month old toddler AND a new puppy, it is a blessing that any forward progress is actually achieved. However, little by little, the piles are growing smaller and the bottoms of our socks are a tad less dirty!
Polar Planning: I recently posted a cartoon I found on Facebook about how it is that ‘S.A.D’(Seed Acquisition Disorder) time of year at the farm. While I can’t take credit for the cartoon’s originality and good humor, it’s actually pretty funny, and is almost entirely true for our family! The moment the first seed catalog arrives, usually sometime in December, thoughts about and plans for the upcoming growing season start sprouting in our minds. By the first week or two in January, we are nearly ready to place our seed order(s) to ensure that everything arrives in time to get our plants growing and ready for the next growing season. Deciding where to purchase seeds from is a careful, considerate and deliberate process; we are mindful of whether to trade from our closest friends that have seed-saved over the years or to purchase organic, non-GMO seeds. Many of our decisions are influenced by the flavors of the food to be produced as well as our goals for the year. As we work to define our plan for 2016 (stay tuned….it will be disclosed soon!), we choose as wisely as possible to ensure that our garden will grow to its potential and provide food of the highest quality. As my ‘hard-core other half’ prepares to hit the SUBMIT button on our seed order, I can hardly keep from salivating at the thought of juicy, flavorful summer tomatoes, fresh oven-roasted kale chips, homemade pesto, and much, much more! Spring and summer seem a long way off, but there is much to plan and prepare for and we can’t wait to hit the ground when the ice finally melts away in a few more months!
Farm Grown Meals of the Week: Warm, rich foods and flavors grown entirely or partially on the farm continued to fill our bellies this week. The precious freezer space we sacrificed late last summer to put away a small amount of whole sweet peppers rewarded us with a delectable meal of stuffed peppers this week. The sweet flavor of summer peppers stuffed with Italian seasoned venison burger, brown rice, summer tomatoes and black beans completely offset the slightly softened texture of the peppers. We also enjoyed another roasted chicken with garlic cloves and a side of roasted beets and storage garlic. Seriously, I’m not sure our family can ever consume too much garlic….. After deboning the leftover roasted chicken, we tossed the meat into the Crockpot with our lovely homemade salsa verde (green salsa made last summer from fresh tomatillos and green chilies from the garden) and let it stew for a few hours before adding some black beans and serving over a bed of brown rice. Making new meals from leftovers is a way to ensure nothing goes to waste and that our family never tires of the foods we enjoy. And of course my ‘hard-core other half’ wouldn’t pass up a chance to stir-fry any greens if they could be retrieved within 200 ft of the house, even if it meant chopping the tops off the brusselsprout plants still standing, frozen in knee-high sproutly statues within our snow covered, frozen garden.
For the Animal Lovers………
Eggsicles: As luck would have it, the coldest temperatures of the winter descended upon us just as my ‘hard-core other half’ needed to travel out of town to attend a meeting for his day job for a couple of days. While we are fortunate enough to have reliable farm help during such times to ensure all the animals are well cared for, I wasn’t able to get outside often enough to check for and collect eggs before they chilled, froze and ultimately cracked. During the winter months, when egg laying is already at a low point, a few frozen eggs are a real drag. Not only does it reduce the numbers of eggs available for purchase to our loyal customers, but our family is also limited by what we have access to for baking and cooking. Thankfully, last week’s arctic airmass was relatively short-lived and it passed by and left slightly warmer temps in its wake. Our critters greatly enjoyed a slight warm-up later in the week and we all breathed a sigh of relief that a winter like 2 years ago remains a distant memory!
Farm Grown Meals of the Week: Warm, rich foods and flavors grown entirely or partially on the farm continued to fill our bellies this week. The precious freezer space we sacrificed late last summer to put away a small amount of whole sweet peppers rewarded us with a delectable meal of stuffed peppers this week. The sweet flavor of summer peppers stuffed with Italian seasoned venison burger, brown rice, summer tomatoes and black beans completely offset the slightly softened texture of the peppers. We also enjoyed another roasted chicken with garlic cloves and a side of roasted beets and storage garlic. Seriously, I’m not sure our family can ever consume too much garlic….. After deboning the leftover roasted chicken, we tossed the meat into the Crockpot with our lovely homemade salsa verde (green salsa made last summer from fresh tomatillos and green chilies from the garden) and let it stew for a few hours before adding some black beans and serving over a bed of brown rice. Making new meals from leftovers is a way to ensure nothing goes to waste and that our family never tires of the foods we enjoy. And of course my ‘hard-core other half’ wouldn’t pass up a chance to stir-fry any greens if they could be retrieved within 200 ft of the house, even if it meant chopping the tops off the brusselsprout plants still standing, frozen in knee-high sproutly statues within our snow covered, frozen garden.
For the Animal Lovers………
Eggsicles: As luck would have it, the coldest temperatures of the winter descended upon us just as my ‘hard-core other half’ needed to travel out of town to attend a meeting for his day job for a couple of days. While we are fortunate enough to have reliable farm help during such times to ensure all the animals are well cared for, I wasn’t able to get outside often enough to check for and collect eggs before they chilled, froze and ultimately cracked. During the winter months, when egg laying is already at a low point, a few frozen eggs are a real drag. Not only does it reduce the numbers of eggs available for purchase to our loyal customers, but our family is also limited by what we have access to for baking and cooking. Thankfully, last week’s arctic airmass was relatively short-lived and it passed by and left slightly warmer temps in its wake. Our critters greatly enjoyed a slight warm-up later in the week and we all breathed a sigh of relief that a winter like 2 years ago remains a distant memory!
Our Furry Companions: Many may wonder about how or even whether our pups work in the cold and winter. Our snow dog, Tula, is only too happy to remain outside through the coldest of times. Her winter furt coat suits her well, it is truly magical the way it repels the snow and water and insulates her from the cold; however, she will occasionally enjoy a short visit in the house to eat a warm meal and grab her share of hugs, petting and daily grooming (brushing my big polar fur-baby is seriously a great therapy!) before she starts to overheat and wants to head back out onto the frozen farmland to do the work for which she was designed and loves to do—guarding her farm. We were excited to watch Tula this week as she seems to be developing an eye for aerial predators (e.g. hawks, crows, things that might try to catch or kill our chickens). It is with great pride that we watch Tula through our kitchen window, overlooking the property as she races out back to bark at any potential predators and to let everyone within hearing distance know she is here. That is the way with Great Pyrenees dogs—first and foremost BARK. She will also happily keep company with our 5-year-old daughter for hours on end when she plays outside in the snow. Our Tula, truly a gentle giant, is forever loyal to our human kids, while also keeping an attentive eye on everyone and everything else around her. Our English Shepherd pup, Little Rosie De, is still mostly working on basic obedience, playing a ton to expend her endless energy, and starting to learn to watch the goat pen doors to help prevent any potential escapees as we go in and out to feed and water the goats. On-the-job training is super important for such intelligent dogs as these!
Our energetic little pup is growing fast. She plays a lot with our Great Pyrenees and our (human) kids, and is working to learn basic obedience. She has been great about observing and leaving the chickens alone and will even sit- stay- and watch when we work in the goat pens. She has a lot to learn yet about her roles on the farm but she is doing great in learning to fit into the family and we love her. Can't wait to see what she will be able to do as she moves through adolescence into adulthood!
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