Moose in the Garden
After attending to the goats and chickens the other day, my ‘hard-core other half’ took a gander through the garden, his zone of tranquility. Upon entering the mudroom, with crinkles of disappointment etched across his brow, it was no wonder that I asked him, “What is the matter?”
He informed me that we had a real problem. I feared the worst but hoped for the best...
“Deer got into the garden, again!” he exclaimed.
A breath of relief exploded from my lungs and laughter escaped across my lips as I thought I was stating the obvious, “It is the end of January, in Wisconsin, what does it matter?!”
In shear exasperation he informed me that the deer had decapitated and defoliated the last of the frozen brussel sproutscicles still standing in the garden.
He informed me that we had a real problem. I feared the worst but hoped for the best...
“Deer got into the garden, again!” he exclaimed.
A breath of relief exploded from my lungs and laughter escaped across my lips as I thought I was stating the obvious, “It is the end of January, in Wisconsin, what does it matter?!”
In shear exasperation he informed me that the deer had decapitated and defoliated the last of the frozen brussel sproutscicles still standing in the garden.
 Brussel sprouts in our winter garden before deer visited. |  Decapitated and defoliated brussel sprouts following deer visit. |
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The tops may have been lost, but most of the sprouts remained, largely intact. Rapidly, during the third week of January, we harvested the last from our winter garden. While enjoying the freshly harvested and thawed brussel sprouts, roasted in the oven along with storage garlic and lightly drizzled in olive oil, my daughter asked us to recount one of her favorite stories.
~~~‘A long time ago, while living and working as a fish biologist in Aniak, a small, remote village in Southwest Alaska, accessible only by plane or boat, my husband-to-be ventured outside his one-room cabin and broke ground on a rather large garden with only a shovel (he was hard-core long before we ever married!). He planted it with cabbage, broccoli, carrots, onions, and other cool tolerant vegetables. Though the days were long, the growing season was short. He worked hard to erect a fence of recycled wood pallets, but time was limited and before completion he got called away to head up the Kuskokwim River for work. Two weeks later, he returned to his garden. He feared the worst, but hoped for the best.
~~~‘A long time ago, while living and working as a fish biologist in Aniak, a small, remote village in Southwest Alaska, accessible only by plane or boat, my husband-to-be ventured outside his one-room cabin and broke ground on a rather large garden with only a shovel (he was hard-core long before we ever married!). He planted it with cabbage, broccoli, carrots, onions, and other cool tolerant vegetables. Though the days were long, the growing season was short. He worked hard to erect a fence of recycled wood pallets, but time was limited and before completion he got called away to head up the Kuskokwim River for work. Two weeks later, he returned to his garden. He feared the worst, but hoped for the best.
Momma moose and calf in Alaska
There, in full sight, stood a momma moose and her calf, munching happily on the last of the cabbage and broccoli. With tears seeping in from the corners of his eyes, an empty stomach rumbling in his ears, blood pressure rising in his veins, he reached down, picked up a rock and hurled it forward. With an intended aim for 3 feet in front of the duo, the momma moose perked her ears, snorted, turned, and led her young calf away, exiting through the opening in the uncompleted pallet fence. As my husband-to-be delicately stepped into the garden to assess the damage, he found only the mustard greens standing erect and undefeated, everything else had been devoured.
Goats enjoying fresh air after the recent cold-spell. “They even ate the onions!” he likes to emphatically point out. “What kind of moose eats onions but leaves the mustard greens?!”
The funny thing is, back then, he didn’t even like mustard greens.’~~~
Deer are not uncommon visitors to Emerald Acres, though they often arrive after sunset and stay only until the first light of dawn. Driven to survive, they thrust their hooves through the snow, digging fallen apples in the orchard. Oftentimes they bed down at the far reaches of our field, sheltered from the strong peninsular winds.
Last week, the temperatures ebbed into the single digits and eventually into the teens and 20s. We coaxed the goats outside to get a little sunshine and fresh air. The chickens basked in the fleeting sun that peeked through the barn doors, and our pups ran their hearts out, bounding through the snow and pouncing, looking for life beneath. A recent winter storm bedazzled the orchard and surrounding field with a sparkling, radiant blanket of fresh snow. Everything looked fresh and beautiful outside as we, on the inside, continue planning for spring.
Farm Grown Meals of the Week: We dug into the deep freeze this week and pulled out some frozen sliced eggplant, lightly breaded in flour and egg and fried last fall. After thawing and crisping under the broiler, I rolled each with a layer of seasoned fresh goat cheese (fresh garlic, parsley and oregano) and set them into a glass baking dish. Layered with homemade pasta sauce and a little shredded Parmesan cheese, these Eggplant Alouette Rolls were delightful when scooped over a bed of organic, whole wheat pasta and paired with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon (water for the kiddos!). We also enjoyed a venison burger meatloaf and side of roasted brussel sprouts, harvested from our winter garden. These fresh meals made with ingredients from our freezer provided for some great weeknight meals. If you’ve enjoyed hearing about the different meals we have cooked throughout the week using foods grown or raised right here on the farm, be sure to stay tuned. We are working on putting together recipes to share with you!
The funny thing is, back then, he didn’t even like mustard greens.’~~~
Deer are not uncommon visitors to Emerald Acres, though they often arrive after sunset and stay only until the first light of dawn. Driven to survive, they thrust their hooves through the snow, digging fallen apples in the orchard. Oftentimes they bed down at the far reaches of our field, sheltered from the strong peninsular winds.
Last week, the temperatures ebbed into the single digits and eventually into the teens and 20s. We coaxed the goats outside to get a little sunshine and fresh air. The chickens basked in the fleeting sun that peeked through the barn doors, and our pups ran their hearts out, bounding through the snow and pouncing, looking for life beneath. A recent winter storm bedazzled the orchard and surrounding field with a sparkling, radiant blanket of fresh snow. Everything looked fresh and beautiful outside as we, on the inside, continue planning for spring.
Farm Grown Meals of the Week: We dug into the deep freeze this week and pulled out some frozen sliced eggplant, lightly breaded in flour and egg and fried last fall. After thawing and crisping under the broiler, I rolled each with a layer of seasoned fresh goat cheese (fresh garlic, parsley and oregano) and set them into a glass baking dish. Layered with homemade pasta sauce and a little shredded Parmesan cheese, these Eggplant Alouette Rolls were delightful when scooped over a bed of organic, whole wheat pasta and paired with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon (water for the kiddos!). We also enjoyed a venison burger meatloaf and side of roasted brussel sprouts, harvested from our winter garden. These fresh meals made with ingredients from our freezer provided for some great weeknight meals. If you’ve enjoyed hearing about the different meals we have cooked throughout the week using foods grown or raised right here on the farm, be sure to stay tuned. We are working on putting together recipes to share with you!
 Eggplant Alouette Rolls made with fresh goat chevre. |  The remaining brussel sprouts from our winter garden. |
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