I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started Heirloom Gardens in the spring of 2009. I began with 6 yards (including my own) totaling 8,000 square feet. I didn’t really know anyone in the Denver local food/urban homesteading community, and I wasn’t sure if anyone in our neighborhood would be interested in buying food grown in yards.
The last four years have been an incredible journey. We took Heirloom Gardens to 18,000, then 35,000 square feet of growing space. We created a wonderful network of garden volunteers, and an apprenticeship program that has helped to launch other urban farming projects. I founded Sustainable Food Denver and, with the incredible support of the Denver community, worked to get a new Food Producing Animals ordinance passed through our City Council. I started teaching classes at Denver Botanic Gardens, wrote a book, and became the urban homesteading columnist for MaryJanesFarm magazine. Denver now has a Sustainable Food Policy Council, which I was honored to co-chair for two years.
And, most importantly, I’ve become connected with a wealth of amazing, amazing people. I am so grateful for everything I have gained through these relationships.
And now my life has shifted, and so it is time to shift my focus. Until I figure out some handy-dandy cloning technology, the demands (and joys) of raising a little one don’t leave time for the demands (and joys) of running an urban farm. So, for the time being, I will not be offering the Heirloom Gardens NSA or selling produce at the farmers’ market.
However, I am very exciting about the projects I will be doing in 2013. The offerings from Heirloom Gardens this year will include:
I’m looking forward to making the transition from a “professional” grower to someone who grows for her family’s pantry and plates. I’ll be growing in my front/back yard, plus one of the former Heirloom Gardens sites. We also still have the bees, chickens, and goats (and are expecting goat kids in the spring!). I hope to use this website to share some of our family’s adventures in urban homesteading, and share tips and recipes that may be useful (like this post about making your own laundry soap).
Mostly, my husband Brian and I will be enjoying our time with this little munchkin here. Here’s to raising the next generation of urban homesteaders — kids who think it’s normal to get milk from a goat instead of a carton, and veggies from the ground instead of a package. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
]]>
My understanding is that chicken-keeping advocates are working with a member of the City Council to possibly up the maximum number of chickens to 5, and to alter the requirement for a 15 foot setback to something that is more reasonable.
Of course, it’s worth noting that here in Denver we can have up to 8 female chickens (plus 2 dwarf dairy goats), with a requirement that the coop be 15 feet from the neighbor’s dwelling — not a setback from the property line. We’ve been operating under those guidelines for a year and a half, and it’s working well in our city.
]]>Perhaps you (like me) first became acquainted with castile soap through the line of Dr. Bronner’s floridly labeled, pleasingly mild liquid soaps. But while the Dr. Bronner’s is a good go-to when you need a commercial soap without a lot of gunk in it (or when you’re making your own laundry soap) there’s more — and less — to castile soap than those bottles.
True castile soap is made with only olive oil, which results in a gentle and moisturizing soap. I’ve jokingly referred to my version as “goat-stile,” because it is a pure olive oil soap with the addition of goat milk. The result is a soap that feels as light and pure as a traditional castile, but with the richness and smoothness of goat milk soap.
My currently available castile varieties are the Rosemary Olive Oil and Lovely Lavender Castile goat milk soaps. They are two of the simplest soaps I make, and yet they’re delightfully enjoyable to use. I think part of their popularity lies in their simplicity — just saponified olive oil, goat milk, essential oil, and a bit of either lavender flowers or rosemary leaves.
The lavender is terrific for your face or body, and it’s mild enough for a baby. The rosemary is light and invigorating — perfect for a morning shower pick-me-up.
Lovely Lavender Castile
Rosemary Olive Oil
We have a wonderful variety of handmade goat milk soaps, including Heavenly Lavender Lemon, Mocha Cream Cocoa Butter, and Ultra Gentle Baby Soap. Buy them individually as stocking stuffers or gifts for co-workers, or select a few to wrap up for your loved ones. Click here to see the list of soaps and to order.
_____________________________________________________________
“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Urban Homesteading” is full of great information about growing food in the city, raising food producing animals, canning, creating your own soap and cleaning products, and much much more! A comprehensive guide for a new homesteader, or anyone who wants to dive deeper into the world of sustainable living.
Gift certificates can be purchased in any amount and used for soap, the book, or one of our urban homesteading classes. Our 2013 class calendar includes:
- Getting the Most Out of Your Home Garden
- Backyard Chicken Keeping
- Backyard Goat Keeping
- Simple Water Bath Canning
- Canning for the Holidays
- Creating Goat Milk Soap
- Low-Cost Winter Gardening
Click here for more information on our classes and the 2013 class schedule.
Beth and Lora
]]>The 2013 class schedule is online and ready to go! We’ll continue to offer the very popular:
Backyard Chicken Keeping
Backyard Goat Keeping
Getting the Most Out of Your Home Garden
We’re also excited to offer the following new classes:
Simple Water Bath Canning
Canning for the Holidays
Creating Goat’s Milk Soap
Low-Cost Winter Gardening
Click the class links for more information and to register. Also, remember that Heirloom Gardens classes make a wonderful holiday gift. You can purchase gift certificates from us at any time by clicking here. Happy homesteading!
]]>
Are you a certifiable “veg head” looking for new recipes and techniques to uplevel your skills as a home chef? Are you trying to cook seasonally and locally, but finding yourself overwhelmed by all of the possibilities? Are you having trouble finding your way around your own kitchen? Hint: It’s that room with the oven in it.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, or if you’re just looking for a rip-roaring and entertaining way to spend a Saturday evening, then the next class in our Cooking Class series is definitely for you!
Cook With Dava
Dava’s headed down to a Deborah Madison workshop where she’ll pick up new tips, recipes and techniques from the world renown vegetarian cuisine expert. Then, on November 17th, she’ll share the veggie love with you in a workshop as part of our Fresh & Wyld Fall S.O.U.L. Cooking Class series!
Learn how to cook delicious and healthy vegetarian cuisine that is Seasonal, Organic, Unprocessed and Local in a small and intimate class in the Farmhouse kitchen. Then, invite your friends and family over for dinner to share your success! Dinner is open to the general public, so even if you’re not taking the class (and don’t know anyone who is), you are more than welcome to join us for a beautiful three course meal in the Farmhouse Dining Room at 7pm.
Stay Over?
We still have rooms available on Saturday night, so consider making it an all day escape: a little learning, a beautiful little dining experience, and a LOT of fun!
Who? Beginners & Experts Welcome!
What? Vegetarian Cooking Class
Where? The Fresh & Wyld Farmhouse: 1978 Harding Rd. Paonia, CO 81428
When? Saturday, November 17th: Class begins at 4pm. Dinner at 7pm
How Much?
1 1/4 pounds ground chicken
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup Pecorino (or Parm)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 egg, whisked
zest of half a lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 14-ounce can storebought pizza sauce
about 4 ounces fresh mozzarella (a dozen thin slices)
Preheat oven to 400°F, setting rack to upper third part of oven. In a large bowl, using your hands, gently mix together first 11 ingredients. Shape into lacrosse-ball size balls (that would be somewhere between golf and tennis) and place a few inches from each other on a foil-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix one spoonful of your pizza sauce with olive oil. Brush this mixture on top of each meatball. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove meatballs from oven, spoon some sauce on top of each meatball, and cover each with a slice of cheese. Broil another 3 to 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden. Heat remaining sauce in a small saucepan.
Serve meatballs with a dollop of sauce and a raw Tuscan kale salad that has been shredded and tossed with shallots, Pecornio, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Recipe and photo from Dinner: A Love Story blog.
]]>
3 cups uncooked whole wheat pasta shells
4 cups 1/2-inch cubed uncooked butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups skim milk (or unsweetened almond or coconut)
6 ounces freshly grated fontina cheese
2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted brown butter
2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
fresh chopped herbs for garnish (sage, basil, cilantro, thyme)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare water for pasta and once it comes to a boil, cook pasta according to directions, then drain.
While water is boiling, heat a large cast-iron (or oven-safe) skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil, then toss in squash with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add stock and cover skillet, cooking for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is soft and can easily be mashed. Remove cover and reduce heat to low. Mash squash with a potato masher or forks, smoothing it out with a spoon to remove all of the chunks. Add in milk, 4 ounces of fontina and all of the parmesan cheese, stirring until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes.
If mixture still seems way too starchy, add in additional milk 1/4 cup at a time, stirring for a while. Stir in brown butter, again mixing for a minute or so until incorporated. Taste and season additionally if desired.
Fold shells into the sauce, taking a few minutes to fully toss the shells so they are all coated. Top with remaining fontina cheese (or as much as you see fit) and breadcrumbs and bake for 15 minutes. If a bubbly, golden topping is desired, broil for 1-2 minutes on high after cooking. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve!
To brown the butter: Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add butter. Whisking constantly, cook butter until bubbly and until small brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan – about 5-6 minutes. Watch closely and immediately remove the butter from the heat, whisking for an additional 30 seconds or so.
Recipe and photo from How Sweet it is blog.
]]>
See here for storage information!
Each share includes one pickup of 55-65 pounds of easily storable produce. This amount of produce is great for either one person or an entire family as each produce item will keep for quite a while (from 4 weeks to 4 months based on the type of produce) if stored properly. While each share will vary in exact weight of items, shares will include approximately:
Winter squash (20#): 4-7 squash in each share, varieties selected from delicata, sweet potato acorn, butternut, spaghetti, buttercup
Potatoes (10#): Yukon gold, Kerrs pink, russet, and more
Sweet Potatoes (5#): orange, purple, pink, or white
Onions (5#): yellow or purple
Carrots (8#): orange or purple
Beets (3#): red or red/white
Leeks (2#): green
Greens (2#): Spinach, kale, or chard
Turnips (2#): Purple Top
Parsnips (2#): White
Cabbage (4#): green, purple, or chinese
Storage tips for each produce item will be included with each share. In general, a cool dark area is ideal for storage of the sweet potatoes, potatoes, onion, and winter squash. Other items can be kept for 3-6 weeks in the refridgerator, or frozen for use all winter (freezing tips included).
Pickup of shares will take place at Zook's Coffee and Ice Cream, 3156 west 38th ave. Denver CO from 5:30 to 7:00pm on your selected pickup day (October 11, 15, 18, 22, or 25). Price of one share is $100.
]]>See here for storage information!
Each share includes one pickup of 55-65 pounds of easily storable produce. This amount of produce is great for either one person or an entire family as each produce item will keep for quite a while (from 4 weeks to 4 months based on the type of produce) if stored properly. While each share will vary in exact weight of items, shares will include approximately:
Winter squash (20#): 4-7 squash in each share, varieties selected from delicata, sweet potato acorn, butternut, spaghetti, buttercup
Potatoes (10#): Yukon gold, Kerrs pink, russet, and more
Sweet Potatoes (5#): orange, purple, pink, or white
Onions (5#): yellow or purple
Carrots (8#): orange or purple
Beets (3#): red or red/white
Leeks (2#): green
Greens (2#): Spinach, kale, or chard
Turnips (2#): Purple Top
Parsnips (2#): White
Cabbage (4#): green, purple, or chinese
Storage tips for each produce item will be included with each share. In general, a cool dark area is ideal for storage of the sweet potatoes, potatoes, onion, and winter squash. Other items can be kept for 3-6 weeks in the refridgerator, or frozen for use all winter (freezing tips included).
Pickup of shares will take place at Zook's Coffee and Ice Cream, 3156 west 38th ave. Denver CO from 5:30 to 7:00pm on your selected pickup day (October 11, 15, 18, 22, or 25). Price of one share is $100.
]]>
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and cut into small wedges
2-3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
½ c. chicken or vegetable broth
4 c. cooked winter vegetables (such as carrots, turnips, winter squash, sweet potatoes, beets, broccoli, cabbage, kale) cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
3 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 oz. cheese (such as goat, Cheddar, feta, or Monterey Jack) crumbled or shredded
¼ c. (1 oz.) grated Romano, Parmesan, or Asiago cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes, or until almost soft. Add the garlic, vinegar, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cooked vegetables, oregano, and parsley and season with the salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes, or until heated through. Pour over the pasta, top with the cheeses, and toss to coat well.
Serves 4.
This is a great way to use leftover vegetables. Vary the vegetables and cheese for a completely different flavor combination.
]]>
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and cut into small wedges
2-3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
½ c. chicken or vegetable broth
4 c. cooked winter vegetables (such as carrots, turnips, winter squash, sweet potatoes, beets, broccoli, cabbage, kale) cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
3 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 oz. cheese (such as goat, Cheddar, feta, or Monterey Jack) crumbled or shredded
¼ c. (1 oz.) grated Romano, Parmesan, or Asiago cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes, or until almost soft. Add the garlic, vinegar, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cooked vegetables, oregano, and parsley and season with the salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes, or until heated through. Pour over the pasta, top with the cheeses, and toss to coat well.
Serves 4.
This is a great way to use leftover vegetables. Vary the vegetables and cheese for a completely different flavor combination.
]]>¾ cup light corn syrup
1 cup pecans (chopped)
3 eggs (beaten)
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter (softened)
1 tsp vanilla ½ tsp salt
Beat together with an electric mixer.
9-inch pastry shell
Pour into pie shell. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350°F until set, 45-55 minutes. Yields one pie.
]]>
¾ cup light corn syrup
1 cup pecans (chopped)
3 eggs (beaten)
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter (softened)
1 tsp vanilla ½ tsp salt
Beat together with an electric mixer.
9-inch pastry shell
Pour into pie shell. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350°F until set, 45-55 minutes. Yields one pie.
]]>
2 flavorful fall apples, peeled and sliced approx ¼ inch thick
1 Tbls butter ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
¼ cup apple cider ½ tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350¢ªF. Oil a large shallow baking dish. Arrange sweet potato and apple slices attractively in dish. Combine butter, maple syrup or honey, cider and salt in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until butter is melted. Pour half of the mixture over sweet potatoes and apples. Bake for approx 45 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Halfway through the baking, drizzle the remaining butter/syrup mixture over the sweet potatoes and apples. Serves 6.
]]>2 flavorful fall apples, peeled and sliced approx ¼ inch thick
1 Tbls butter ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
¼ cup apple cider ½ tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350¢ªF. Oil a large shallow baking dish. Arrange sweet potato and apple slices attractively in dish. Combine butter, maple syrup or honey, cider and salt in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until butter is melted. Pour half of the mixture over sweet potatoes and apples. Bake for approx 45 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Halfway through the baking, drizzle the remaining butter/syrup mixture over the sweet potatoes and apples. Serves 6.
]]>4 cups vegetable broth 4 cups chopped, peeled sweet potatoes
2 tart apples, peeled and chopped 4 or 5 roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
¾ tsp salt freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup lowfat milk
the leaves from 1 sprig of fresh thyme (or ¼ tsp dried thyme)
Heat butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Add a little of the broth if the onions begin to stick. Add the sweet potatoes and apples and stir for a minute or two. Add the tomatoes, the remaining broth, salt, pepper, and thyme. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender—35-45 minutes.
For a perfectly creamy soup, puree in a food processor or blender, working in small batches. Take care not to burn yourself when pureeing the hot soup. If you would like your soup to have more texture, blend just a portion of the soup. Return pureed soup to pot and gently heat while you slowly stir in the milk. When heated through, ladle into bowls and serve at once.
Serves 6 to 8.
]]>4 cups vegetable broth 4 cups chopped, peeled sweet potatoes
2 tart apples, peeled and chopped 4 or 5 roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
¾ tsp salt freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup lowfat milk
the leaves from 1 sprig of fresh thyme (or ¼ tsp dried thyme)
Heat butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Add a little of the broth if the onions begin to stick. Add the sweet potatoes and apples and stir for a minute or two. Add the tomatoes, the remaining broth, salt, pepper, and thyme. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender—35-45 minutes.
For a perfectly creamy soup, puree in a food processor or blender, working in small batches. Take care not to burn yourself when pureeing the hot soup. If you would like your soup to have more texture, blend just a portion of the soup. Return pureed soup to pot and gently heat while you slowly stir in the milk. When heated through, ladle into bowls and serve at once.
Serves 6 to 8.
]]>3 Pounds Turnips
1 Tablespoon Oil
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. For easy clean up and crispier 'fries' line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil and lightly grease.
2. Peel turnips, cut into french fry-sized sticks, about 1/3 by 4 inches. Place into a large bowl, and toss to coat with oil.
3. Place Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, paprika, and onion powder in a bag and shake to mix. Place the oiled turnips into the bag, and shake until evenly coated with the spices.
4. Bake in preheated oven until the outside is crispy, and insides are still tender (about 20 min.)
3 Pounds Turnips
1 Tablespoon Oil
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. For easy clean up and crispier 'fries' line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil and lightly grease.
2. Peel turnips, cut into french fry-sized sticks, about 1/3 by 4 inches. Place into a large bowl, and toss to coat with oil.
3. Place Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, paprika, and onion powder in a bag and shake to mix. Place the oiled turnips into the bag, and shake until evenly coated with the spices.
4. Bake in preheated oven until the outside is crispy, and insides are still tender (about 20 min.)
Cook the bacon over medium heat until fat has rendered. Add onion and continue cooking until and bacon is done but not crisp and onions are translucent.
Add the parsnips, potatoes, and carrots and saute until vegetables have sweated and relaxed a bit.
Sprinkle flour over vegetables, mix and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes. Add water or stock, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Add milk. Correct the seasoning and heat gently but don't boil.
Serves 4 for dinner or 8 for lunch or first course.
]]>Cook the bacon over medium heat until fat has rendered. Add onion and continue cooking until and bacon is done but not crisp and onions are translucent.
Add the parsnips, potatoes, and carrots and saute until vegetables have sweated and relaxed a bit.
Sprinkle flour over vegetables, mix and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes. Add water or stock, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Add milk. Correct the seasoning and heat gently but don't boil.
Serves 4 for dinner or 8 for lunch or first course.
]]>1/2 pound (about 1 1/3 cups) chickpeas, rinsed and soaked for 4 to 6 hours or overnight in 1 quart water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 to 3 teaspoons sweet paprika, to taste
1 pound tomatoes, grated or peeled, seeded and chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound Swiss chard or kale, stemmed, washed and coarsely chopped, or 1/2 pound stemmed, chopped Southern greens mix
Optional enrichment:
2 egg yolks
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
Drain the chickpeas and combine with 6 cups water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 1 hour. Set a strainer over a bowl and drain the chickpeas. Measure the broth and add enough water to make 6 cups.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, parsley and paprika, and stir for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down slightly and smell fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas, broth, and salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 to 60 minutes, until the chickpeas are thoroughly tender. Add the greens and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the greens are very tender. Taste and adjust seasonings.
When ready to serve, if using the egg and lemon, beat together the egg yolks and lemon juice in a bowl. Making sure that the broth is not boiling, whisk in a ladleful of broth from the soup. Turn off the heat under the soup and add the mixture back into the soup while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. The eggs should not curdle but should cloud the soup.
Spoon a few tablespoons of rice into each soup bowl and ladle in the soup. Serve hot.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Advance preparation: You can make this through Step 2 up to a day ahead. Reheat to a simmer and proceed with the recipe.
Recipe and photo from The New York Times.
]]>2 cups tomato sauce, made with fresh or canned tomatoes
Salt
1 pound Swiss chard (or other greens), stemmed and washed
12 ounces penne rigata
3 ounces soft, mild goat cheese (about 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 ounces (about 1/3 cup) freshly grated Parmesan
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Begin heating a large pot of water for the chard and pasta. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. When it’s done, transfer to a large bowl, and stir in the goat cheese.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin with olive oil.
Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water in the pot comes to a boil, salt generously and add the Swiss chard. Blanch for one to two minutes, then transfer to the ice water and drain. Squeeze out excess water, and chop fine. Add to the bowl with the tomato sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper. (Alternatively, you can steam the greens, but you’ll need the water for the pasta in any case.)
Bring the water back to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook the pasta for a minute less than the instructions on the package indicate. It should still be a little underdone, as it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain, and transfer to the bowl with the tomato sauce and chard. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, and stir together until the pasta is thoroughly coated with the sauce. Transfer to the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top, and drizzle on the olive oil.
Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is bubbly and the top just beginning to color, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Yield: Serves four to six.
Advance preparation: You can make the tomato sauce up to three days ahead of serving. Keep it in the refrigerator, and reheat before proceeding with the recipe. The blanched chard will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator. The assembled macaroni will keep for several hours outside the refrigerator, and can be covered and refrigerated for up to two days before baking (the pasta will become quite soft).
Recipe and photo from The New York Times.
]]>1 lb green tomatoes sliced 1/8″ thick
For breadcrumb topping:
1/2 C panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
black pepper
1 Tbs olive oil
For mornay sauce:
1 1/2 tbs butter
1 large shallot minced
2 tsp flour
3/4 C heavy cream
1 tsp kosher salt (less if you use regular salt)
1/4 C parmesan
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 450 degrees F.
Mix all the ingredients for the breadcrumb topping together and set aside.
To make the mornay, put the butter and shallots in a small saucepan and saute over medium heat until the shallots are very fragrant. Add the flour and stir for about 1 minute. Whisk in the cream then add the cheese, salt and nutmeg. Continue whisking until the mornay thickens, then take it off the heat.
Dip the slices of green tomato into the mornay and arrange in a small oven-safe casserole dish. Spread any remaining sauce on top of the green tomatoes. Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping evenly on top then place the dish in the oven.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Recipe and photo from norecipes.com.
]]>
Recipes:
** Shareholder Tyra White shared what she has been doing with her kale, these two recipes sound so very delicious.
-Kale and lemon salad
1 bunch of kale (5 or 6 cups) washed, stemmed and cut into ribbons
2 lemons – juiced
½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
¼ cup grated romano cheese (to taste)
-Whisk the lemon juice and olive oil (I occasionally add a pinch of red pepper flake)
-Toss the vinaigrette with the kale and cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Let the salad sit about an hour before serving. I will often add a can of drained, rinsed cannonelli beans to make a hearty dinner salad.
- Sausage Kale soup
1 lb. Italian sausage (hot tastes best)
1 bunch of kale – washed, stemmed and cut into small pieces
2 large potatoes peeled and sliced
3T flour
½ t hot red pepper flakes
4C chicken broth
½ c half and half
-In a medium pot, brown and break up sausage. Drain most of fat off. Sprinkle the flour onto the sausage and cook stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Add the hot pepper and the broth. Bring to a boil: add potatoes and kale. Cook 30 min. over medium high heat until potatoes are tender. Remove the soup from the heat, stir in half and half. Serve with crusty bread and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
------------------
With the cold air coming quickly, it is time to pick all of those tomatos, even if they are still green! With having many extra green tomatos hanging around, let us not let them go to waste! Here are a few recipes to show a peek at what you can do with them, and be sure to check out, we love green tomatos, for even more knowledge on what to do with these green beauties!
-Green Tomato Salsa:
3 – 4 Green Tomatoes (chopped finely)
2 – 3 Peppers (a variety of colors and ‘heats’ also depends on preference, chopped finely)
1/2 medium Red Onion (chopped finely)
2 – 3 Cloves Garlic (crushed)
1 T. Cilantro (chopped)
1 T. Parsley (chopped)
1 Lime (juice)
1/4 C. Ume Plum Vinegar
Salt & Ground Pepper to taste
Agave or Stevia to taste
-If it is possible to mix all the ingredients and let it sit for at least a 1/2 hour before serving, all the wonderful flavors marinate and blend nicely.
-Green Tomato Chutney:
These instructions include instructions for canning the chutney. If you plan on storing in the refrigerator and using up within a few months, you can skip the sterilization and canning steps (steps 1 and 4).
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
1 Sterilize the jars and lids. Place a steamer rack in a large (16 quart) pot, and place the jars on the rack. Fill the jars and the pot with water up to the rim of the jars. If you don't have a rack you can place a clean dish towel at the base of the pot. You want to prevent the glass jars from touching the bottom of the pot which can get quite hot and cause the glass to crack. Put the burner on high and heat until a rolling boil. Boil for 10 minutes. To sterilize the lids, place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them.
2 Place all of the ingredients in a medium sized (about 4 qt) thick-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3 Remove the jars from the pot of hot water (reserving the water if you plan to can for shelf storage.). Scoop the green tomato chutney into the jars, filling them to 1/4 of an inch from the rim. Wipe the rims with a clean wet paper towel. Place sterilized lids on the jars. Secure with canning rings.
4 Place the filled jars back in the pot of hot water. Make sure the jars are covered with an inch of water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes, or 20 minutes if you are at altitudes between 1000 and 6000 feet. Remove the jars from the pot and place on a dish towel spread out on your counter. Allow the jars to cool completely. The jar lids should make a popping sound as they seal. If a lid doesn't seal for some reason, store the jar in the refrigerator.
----------------
A very special thank you to our beekeepers, Debbie and Alan Brown, for there gift to all of our shareholders. We all love and appreciate our honey bears from the DeLaney bees!
----------------
- Tomorrow's Harvest will incluce an excess of veggies, so please bring plenty of extra bags/containers.
- Next week is the last week to complete shareholder work hours, if you believe you are going to contribute more hours during this time please let us know. Final reports will be getting processed during this time and any information will be helpful. Thank you.
- If you have a Ela Family Farms Fruit Share, Pick-Up will continue on Thursdays until October 25th.
- Tomorrow, Thursday, October 4th will be the last Harvest day for the DeLaney 2012 season.
- Friday, October 12th is the last day to complete your shareholder work hours.
Thank you so much for all of your support and energy that went into this growing season!
]]>
Recipes:
** Shareholder Tyra White shared what she has been doing with her kale, these two recipes sound so very delicious.
-Kale and lemon salad
1 bunch of kale (5 or 6 cups) washed, stemmed and cut into ribbons
2 lemons – juiced
½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
¼ cup grated romano cheese (to taste)
-Whisk the lemon juice and olive oil (I occasionally add a pinch of red pepper flake)
-Toss the vinaigrette with the kale and cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Let the salad sit about an hour before serving. I will often add a can of drained, rinsed cannonelli beans to make a hearty dinner salad.
- Sausage Kale soup
1 lb. Italian sausage (hot tastes best)
1 bunch of kale – washed, stemmed and cut into small pieces
2 large potatoes peeled and sliced
3T flour
½ t hot red pepper flakes
4C chicken broth
½ c half and half
-In a medium pot, brown and break up sausage. Drain most of fat off. Sprinkle the flour onto the sausage and cook stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Add the hot pepper and the broth. Bring to a boil: add potatoes and kale. Cook 30 min. over medium high heat until potatoes are tender. Remove the soup from the heat, stir in half and half. Serve with crusty bread and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
------------------
With the cold air coming quickly, it is time to pick all of those tomatos, even if they are still green! With having many extra green tomatos hanging around, let us not let them go to waste! Here are a few recipes to show a peek at what you can do with them, and be sure to check out, we love green tomatos, for even more knowledge on what to do with these green beauties!
-Green Tomato Salsa:
3 – 4 Green Tomatoes (chopped finely)
2 – 3 Peppers (a variety of colors and ‘heats’ also depends on preference, chopped finely)
1/2 medium Red Onion (chopped finely)
2 – 3 Cloves Garlic (crushed)
1 T. Cilantro (chopped)
1 T. Parsley (chopped)
1 Lime (juice)
1/4 C. Ume Plum Vinegar
Salt & Ground Pepper to taste
Agave or Stevia to taste
-If it is possible to mix all the ingredients and let it sit for at least a 1/2 hour before serving, all the wonderful flavors marinate and blend nicely.
-Green Tomato Chutney:
These instructions include instructions for canning the chutney. If you plan on storing in the refrigerator and using up within a few months, you can skip the sterilization and canning steps (steps 1 and 4).
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
1 Sterilize the jars and lids. Place a steamer rack in a large (16 quart) pot, and place the jars on the rack. Fill the jars and the pot with water up to the rim of the jars. If you don't have a rack you can place a clean dish towel at the base of the pot. You want to prevent the glass jars from touching the bottom of the pot which can get quite hot and cause the glass to crack. Put the burner on high and heat until a rolling boil. Boil for 10 minutes. To sterilize the lids, place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them.
2 Place all of the ingredients in a medium sized (about 4 qt) thick-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3 Remove the jars from the pot of hot water (reserving the water if you plan to can for shelf storage.). Scoop the green tomato chutney into the jars, filling them to 1/4 of an inch from the rim. Wipe the rims with a clean wet paper towel. Place sterilized lids on the jars. Secure with canning rings.
4 Place the filled jars back in the pot of hot water. Make sure the jars are covered with an inch of water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes, or 20 minutes if you are at altitudes between 1000 and 6000 feet. Remove the jars from the pot and place on a dish towel spread out on your counter. Allow the jars to cool completely. The jar lids should make a popping sound as they seal. If a lid doesn't seal for some reason, store the jar in the refrigerator.
----------------
A very special thank you to our beekeepers, Debbie and Alan Brown, for there gift to all of our shareholders. We all love and appreciate our honey bears from the DeLaney bees!
----------------
- Tomorrow's Harvest will incluce an excess of veggies, so please bring plenty of extra bags/containers.
- Next week is the last week to complete shareholder work hours, if you believe you are going to contribute more hours during this time please let us know. Final reports will be getting processed during this time and any information will be helpful. Thank you.
- If you have a Ela Family Farms Fruit Share, Pick-Up will continue on Thursdays until October 25th.
- Tomorrow, Thursday, October 4th will be the last Harvest day for the DeLaney 2012 season.
- Friday, October 12th is the last day to complete your shareholder work hours.
Thank you so much for all of your support and energy that went into this growing season!
]]>
See you there!
]]>See you there!
]]>
With only two more harvests left, let us fully be thankful for all DeLaney has provided for us over this season.
----------
Thursday, September 27th Projected Harvest:
- Snap Beans
- Leeks
- Onion
- Fingerling Potato
- Cucumber
- Tomato
- Hot Pepper
- Arugula
- Basil
- Celery
- Kale
- Beets
Recipes:
** Shareholder Ningning sent a great cooling soup recipe to share! She said, "As the Fall is arriving, here is a cooling recipe for soup to release the heat in our body from the hot summer."
Berries & Beets
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sliced, cooked beets
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon light agave nectar
Green Machine Juice
Potato and Leek Flatbread with Greens:
- Flour for the work surface
- 1 pound refrideratred pizza dough
- White and Green parts of a leek, cut into thin strips
- 3/4 lb potatos, thinly sliced. ( Use any potatos! )
- 1 Teaspoon fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Grueyere
- 4 cups mixed greens. ( Kale or Argula from this weeks harvest! )
---------
*** found this fun recipe at http://www.theforestfeast.com/
--------
Announcements:
- Next Thursday, October 4th will be the last Harvest day for the DeLaney 2012 season.
- Friday, October 12th is the last day to complete your shareholder work hours.
- This Saturday, September 29th is the last Saturday work day.
Thank you so much for all of your support and energy that went into this growing season!
]]>
With only two more harvests left, let us fully be thankful for all DeLaney has provided for us over this season.
----------
Thursday, September 27th Projected Harvest:
- Snap Beans
- Leeks
- Onion
- Fingerling Potato
- Cucumber
- Tomato
- Hot Pepper
- Arugula
- Basil
- Celery
- Kale
- Beets
Recipes:
** Shareholder Ningning sent a great cooling soup recipe to share! She said, "As the Fall is arriving, here is a cooling recipe for soup to release the heat in our body from the hot summer."
Berries & Beets
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sliced, cooked beets
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon light agave nectar
Green Machine Juice
Potato and Leek Flatbread with Greens:
- Flour for the work surface
- 1 pound refrideratred pizza dough
- White and Green parts of a leek, cut into thin strips
- 3/4 lb potatos, thinly sliced. ( Use any potatos! )
- 1 Teaspoon fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Grueyere
- 4 cups mixed greens. ( Kale or Argula from this weeks harvest! )
---------
*** found this fun recipe at http://www.theforestfeast.com/
--------
Announcements:
- Next Thursday, October 4th will be the last Harvest day for the DeLaney 2012 season.
- Friday, October 12th is the last day to complete your shareholder work hours.
- This Saturday, September 29th is the last Saturday work day.
Thank you so much for all of your support and energy that went into this growing season!
]]>
-Turnip
-Turnip Greens
-Green and Yellow Snap Beans
-Cucumbers
-Tomatoes
-Hot Peppers
-Onions
-Arugula/Tatsoi Mix
-Tomatillo
-Sage
-Tarragon
- Possibly Kohlrabi and Leeks
----------
Recipes: Let's use up all of those hot peppers!
**Our Shareholder, Meghan Rodwell, sent a recipe in for the blog! We have all been getting more hot peppers than we know what to do with so, she shared with us a fun different way to use them!
Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients:
Jalapenos (as many as you want. Each pepper makes 2 poppers)
Bacon
Cream Cheese
Directions:
Slice the pepper in half longways. Clean out the seeds and membrane (leave a little if you want some spice, clean fully if you want it mild)
Fill the insides with cream cheese
Wrap the pepper in bacon, 1/3 slice is enough to cover the pepper.
Secure the bacon with a toothpick.
Toss on the grill and pull off when the bacon is crispy. Also, these guys can be baked at 350 for about 25 minutes. The grill is much better though!
**Thank you so much Meghan!**
Hot Pepper Vinegar:
Ingredients
- A mix of 24 of whatever hot peppers you have around
- 1 large garlic clove, halved
- White Wine Vinegar
Directions:
1. Leave the stems on the peppers, but cut a long slit in each pepper. Pack the peppers and garlic in a clean wine bottle. Use as many peppers as will fit comfortably.
2. Fill the bottle with the vinegar. Top with a cork ended pour spout. Keep in a cool place. Taste occasionally to determine when the peppers have infused the vinegar sufficiently; it will probably be about two weeks. The vinegar will keep indefinitely.
---------
Farm-To-Table Brunch Overview
This past Sunday was the annual Farm-To-Table brunch at Delaney, and it was a HUGE success! It was completely sold out and the turn out was incredible. Snooze chefs and some of the farm staff arrived at the farm while the sun was rising to harvest the fresh vegetables and prepare. Right around 10, all of the smiling and hungry guests began to arrive, and they kept on coming! The line began to grow and grow, almost from the green house to the fields! There was great food, great conversation, and many many great people. We could not have done it without the support and time from Snooze A.M. Eatery and the contributions from Whole Foods Market. Thank you so much to them, and to all of those who made this event such a fabulous time.
---------
Announcements:
-The end of the season is right around the corner, with only 3 more harvest days left! How the season truly does fly by so very fast!
- Please be sure to check the Shareholder Binder to see if you have any work hours left to complete, as the last shareholder work day is October 12th.
- If you have sent me a recipe or article for the blog, remember that those do count toward your work hours!
October
---------
Enjoy that crisp fall air!
]]>
-Turnip
-Turnip Greens
-Green and Yellow Snap Beans
-Cucumbers
-Tomatoes
-Hot Peppers
-Onions
-Arugula/Tatsoi Mix
-Tomatillo
-Sage
-Tarragon
- Possibly Kohlrabi and Leeks
----------
Recipes: Let's use up all of those hot peppers!
**Our Shareholder, Meghan Rodwell, sent a recipe in for the blog! We have all been getting more hot peppers than we know what to do with so, she shared with us a fun different way to use them!
Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients:
Jalapenos (as many as you want. Each pepper makes 2 poppers)
Bacon
Cream Cheese
Directions:
Slice the pepper in half longways. Clean out the seeds and membrane (leave a little if you want some spice, clean fully if you want it mild)
Fill the insides with cream cheese
Wrap the pepper in bacon, 1/3 slice is enough to cover the pepper.
Secure the bacon with a toothpick.
Toss on the grill and pull off when the bacon is crispy. Also, these guys can be baked at 350 for about 25 minutes. The grill is much better though!
**Thank you so much Meghan!**
Hot Pepper Vinegar:
Ingredients
- A mix of 24 of whatever hot peppers you have around
- 1 large garlic clove, halved
- White Wine Vinegar
Directions:
1. Leave the stems on the peppers, but cut a long slit in each pepper. Pack the peppers and garlic in a clean wine bottle. Use as many peppers as will fit comfortably.
2. Fill the bottle with the vinegar. Top with a cork ended pour spout. Keep in a cool place. Taste occasionally to determine when the peppers have infused the vinegar sufficiently; it will probably be about two weeks. The vinegar will keep indefinitely.
---------
Farm-To-Table Brunch Overview
This past Sunday was the annual Farm-To-Table brunch at Delaney, and it was a HUGE success! It was completely sold out and the turn out was incredible. Snooze chefs and some of the farm staff arrived at the farm while the sun was rising to harvest the fresh vegetables and prepare. Right around 10, all of the smiling and hungry guests began to arrive, and they kept on coming! The line began to grow and grow, almost from the green house to the fields! There was great food, great conversation, and many many great people. We could not have done it without the support and time from Snooze A.M. Eatery and the contributions from Whole Foods Market. Thank you so much to them, and to all of those who made this event such a fabulous time.
---------
Announcements:
-The end of the season is right around the corner, with only 3 more harvest days left! How the season truly does fly by so very fast!
- Please be sure to check the Shareholder Binder to see if you have any work hours left to complete, as the last shareholder work day is October 12th.
- If you have sent me a recipe or article for the blog, remember that those do count toward your work hours!
October
---------
Enjoy that crisp fall air!
]]>
This week, we got our hands on a compelling read called The Intention Experiment. It got us thinking about the power of intention – a purposeful plan to perform an action, which will lead to a desired outcome, and what we should be doing to wield this, very real, and very potent ability. There’s no doubt in our minds that our thoughts directly affect the material world that surrounds us, especially after coming across the log of empirical data contained within the pages of that book.
Even though we’re barely into the first chapter, we ran into a ton of evidence that changed our view of intention setting, and brought it down to earth a bit more. The experiments showed how we directly affect the behaviors of both animals and inanimate objects alike. Needless to say, they results of these experiments were incredibly compelling.
The research shows that humans can directly effect the outcome of randomly generated images and rolls of the dice. Children were shown to move metal keys hanging from a wire attached to a ceiling from 3-10′ away, by directing their consciousness. Beyond that, they could generate up to 10 volts (the highest the scale went) in order to move the objects.
And we humans aren’t the only ones using our minds to get what we want. Baby chicks were introduced to a robotic “mother” who was programmed to randomly make rounds in her adjoining pen. The baby chicks influenced the machine to come toward their cage three times as she would have if she were on her random track. The study, like most of the studies reported in the book, was published in a peer reviewed journal and have been replicated and validated by labs around the world.
This sparked a conversation within the ranks of the Fresh & Wyld crew about the direction we should point our mutual intentions in order to move our beautiful B&B/Farm/CSA Program/Restaurant into the future. It was almost unanimous. We’ve got a lot on our table already, and now it’s time to align the stuff that’s filling up our plates. We want to do everything better, have more fun while doing it, and share our vision and message with everyone we possibly can.
We intend on emanating as a center of wellness and joy, a place you can go to really let go, a place that rests outside of the norm, while still remaining comfortable and welcoming to everyone who pulls up the driveway. We want to feed your desire for decadence, while remaining sustainable and supportive of our loving community of growers, artists, and musicians. We have a dream of keeping the doors to our organic B&B open, pillows fluffed, and the CSA boxes rolling your way without compromising our values, or leaving our community in the dust. Those are our best intentions, and we vow to take the steps to nurture those intentions through thick and thin.
Now that we’ve shared our intentions with you, and we’re feeling all open and vulnerable, we’d love to hear your intentions… What will you focus your energy on for the rest of the year?
]]>Recipes:
Warm Bean Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette:
For Salad:
For Vinaigrette:
Instructions:
For salad:
Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and cook until it softens and starts to turn lightly golden. Add the green beans and a little water if necessary, to prevent sticking, and season well with salt and pepper. When the beans are tender, add the white beans and cherry tomatoes. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Keep warm until ready to serve.
For vinaigrette:
While the beans are cooking, whisk together all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette, or put them in a jar and shake vigorously until emulsified. Drizzle over the warm salad, sprinkle with the fresh parsley and serve.
Makes enough for 2 good-sized servings
Stacked Tomato, Summer Vegetable and Grilled Bread Salad:
**Use whatever vegetables you have laying around, no need to use only what the recipe calls for!**
Double tomato dressing
Stacked salad
----------
** If you have not bought your tickets for this event, go ahead and do it now, here! It is selling out quickly!**
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanket, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
- Email me with any stories/recipes/articles you would like to share on the blog! As a shareholder, this will count as work hours for you!
- Please be sure to intital in the log book when picking up Vegetable Shares, Egg Shares, or Fruit Shares under the appropriate tab in the Shareholder Binder.
September
]]>
Recipes:
Warm Bean Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette:
For Salad:
For Vinaigrette:
Instructions:
For salad:
Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and cook until it softens and starts to turn lightly golden. Add the green beans and a little water if necessary, to prevent sticking, and season well with salt and pepper. When the beans are tender, add the white beans and cherry tomatoes. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Keep warm until ready to serve.
For vinaigrette:
While the beans are cooking, whisk together all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette, or put them in a jar and shake vigorously until emulsified. Drizzle over the warm salad, sprinkle with the fresh parsley and serve.
Makes enough for 2 good-sized servings
Stacked Tomato, Summer Vegetable and Grilled Bread Salad:
**Use whatever vegetables you have laying around, no need to use only what the recipe calls for!**
Double tomato dressing
Stacked salad
----------
** If you have not bought your tickets for this event, go ahead and do it now, here! It is selling out quickly!**
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanket, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
- Email me with any stories/recipes/articles you would like to share on the blog! As a shareholder, this will count as work hours for you!
- Please be sure to intital in the log book when picking up Vegetable Shares, Egg Shares, or Fruit Shares under the appropriate tab in the Shareholder Binder.
September
]]>
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanket, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
--------
Thursday, August 30th Harvest:
- Onion
- Cutting Lettuce
- Collards
- Tomato
- Cherry Tomato
- Basil
- Hot Pepper
- Cucumber
- Beets or Turnips
- Summer Squash
- Oregano
Recipes:
** Found these great little Quinoa in a Jar recipes the other day and think these would make just great easy lunches for on the go. Check out the four recipes here and get creative making your own!**
--------
- Email me with any stories/recipes/articles you would like to share on the blog! As a shareholder, this will count as work hours for you!
- Please be sure to intital in the log book when picking up Vegetable Shares, Egg Shares, or Fruit Shares under the appropriate tab in the Shareholder Binder.
]]>
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanket, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
--------
Thursday, August 30th Harvest:
- Onion
- Cutting Lettuce
- Collards
- Tomato
- Cherry Tomato
- Basil
- Hot Pepper
- Cucumber
- Beets or Turnips
- Summer Squash
- Oregano
Recipes:
** Found these great little Quinoa in a Jar recipes the other day and think these would make just great easy lunches for on the go. Check out the four recipes here and get creative making your own!**
--------
- Email me with any stories/recipes/articles you would like to share on the blog! As a shareholder, this will count as work hours for you!
- Please be sure to intital in the log book when picking up Vegetable Shares, Egg Shares, or Fruit Shares under the appropriate tab in the Shareholder Binder.
]]>
Recipes:
2-3 medium kohlrabi, stems, leaves, and fibrous root ends removed
extra virgin olive oil, for rubbing
1/2 sourdough baguette, sliced into 12 1/2" rounds
Rub the kohlrabi generously with olive oil, wrap tightly in foil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Let cool.
Lay 12 baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast until they reach a light golden brown, flip and toast other side.
1 lemon, cut into 1/8" slices
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar for dredging
2 shallot thinly sliced
olive oil for frying
toasted crostini rounds
1 large garlic clove, for rubbing
8 leaves fresh basil
8 leaves fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for forming paste, plus more for drizzling
12 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced thinly lengthwise
2-3 roasted kohlrabi, sliced 1/4" thick
8 ounces ball fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds
Dredge lemon slices in sugar, then fry in hot olive oil until golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel. Saute shallots in olive oil, stirring often until crispy and golden, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
Rub crostini rounds with garlic clove.
Chop herbs finely with a pinch of sea salt and add olive oil to form a paste. Spread paste on garlic-rubbed crostini rounds.
Place olives and sliced, roasted kohlrabi on top of herbed crostini rounds and top with fresh mozzarella rounds.
Place crostini under broiler until mozzarella is golden and bubbling. Remove from broiler.
Top each mozzarella round with one crispy lemon slice and crispy shallots. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.
**If you are stocking up on thyme, oregano, and other herbs, try drying them out to preserve and use later in the year! I have tied string around the ends of my bunched and hung them up for 1-2 weeks to dry out completely and then crushed the herbs up and placed them in jars to put in my spice cabinet. Plenty of herbs for now and for winter! **
---------
--------
Each share includes approximately 78 pounds of Ela organic fruit over eleven weeks. Members receive an average of 6 lbs. of fruit each week plus a twenty-pound box of storage apples on the last delivery so members can eat local longer.
Ela will deliver fruit shares to Delaney Farm on Thursdays. Keep in mind that dates and offerings are tentative due to the dynamic nature of fruit harvest. If we have a shortage or a crop failure on any fruit, we will substitute the retail value of the product with our processed goods or another fruit.
Tentative 2012 Fruit Schedule
Aug. 16- Peaches 4#
Aug. 23- Peaches 4# and applesauce
Aug. 30- Peaches 4#
Sept. 6- Peaches 4#
Sept. 13- Two bags of fruit: Peaches and apples, plums or pears 4# + 4#
Sept. 20- Two bags of fruit: Apples, peaches, pears or plums 4#+ 4#
Sept. 27- Two bags of fruit: Apples and plums, peaches or pears 4# + 4#
Oct. 4- Two bags of fruit: Apples and pears 4# + 3#
Oct. 11- Apples and apple butter 4# + 3#= 7#
Oct. 18- Apples and ½ gallon organic unpasteurized cider 4# + 3#
Oct. 25- 20 pound box of storage apples. When kept cold, these apples will stay crisp and delicious for 4-8
weeks!
---------
- Be sure to check your shareholder work log page in the shareholder binder to keep up to date with how many work hours you have completed, and how many more you need before the season is over. The seaon is flying by right before us! There should be a little note where your hours so far and how many you still need to complete have been calculated.
- Please be sure to intital in the log book when picking up Vegetable Shares, Egg Shares, or Fruit Shares under the appropriate tab in the Shareholder Binder.
- Please email me with any stories/recipes/articles you would like to share on the blog! As a shareholder, this will count as work hours for you!
--------
** If you have not bought your tickets for this event, go ahead and do it now, here! It will sell out quickly!**
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanket, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
--------
Happy Harvesting,
DeLaney!
Recipes:
2-3 medium kohlrabi, stems, leaves, and fibrous root ends removed
extra virgin olive oil, for rubbing
1/2 sourdough baguette, sliced into 12 1/2" rounds
Rub the kohlrabi generously with olive oil, wrap tightly in foil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Let cool.
Lay 12 baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast until they reach a light golden brown, flip and toast other side.
1 lemon, cut into 1/8" slices
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar for dredging
2 shallot thinly sliced
olive oil for frying
toasted crostini rounds
1 large garlic clove, for rubbing
8 leaves fresh basil
8 leaves fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for forming paste, plus more for drizzling
12 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced thinly lengthwise
2-3 roasted kohlrabi, sliced 1/4" thick
8 ounces ball fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds
Dredge lemon slices in sugar, then fry in hot olive oil until golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel. Saute shallots in olive oil, stirring often until crispy and golden, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
Rub crostini rounds with garlic clove.
Chop herbs finely with a pinch of sea salt and add olive oil to form a paste. Spread paste on garlic-rubbed crostini rounds.
Place olives and sliced, roasted kohlrabi on top of herbed crostini rounds and top with fresh mozzarella rounds.
Place crostini under broiler until mozzarella is golden and bubbling. Remove from broiler.
Top each mozzarella round with one crispy lemon slice and crispy shallots. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.
**If you are stocking up on thyme, oregano, and other herbs, try drying them out to preserve and use later in the year! I have tied string around the ends of my bunched and hung them up for 1-2 weeks to dry out completely and then crushed the herbs up and placed them in jars to put in my spice cabinet. Plenty of herbs for now and for winter! **
---------
--------
Each share includes approximately 78 pounds of Ela organic fruit over eleven weeks. Members receive an average of 6 lbs. of fruit each week plus a twenty-pound box of storage apples on the last delivery so members can eat local longer.
Ela will deliver fruit shares to Delaney Farm on Thursdays. Keep in mind that dates and offerings are tentative due to the dynamic nature of fruit harvest. If we have a shortage or a crop failure on any fruit, we will substitute the retail value of the product with our processed goods or another fruit.
Tentative 2012 Fruit Schedule
Aug. 16- Peaches 4#
Aug. 23- Peaches 4# and applesauce
Aug. 30- Peaches 4#
Sept. 6- Peaches 4#
Sept. 13- Two bags of fruit: Peaches and apples, plums or pears 4# + 4#
Sept. 20- Two bags of fruit: Apples, peaches, pears or plums 4#+ 4#
Sept. 27- Two bags of fruit: Apples and plums, peaches or pears 4# + 4#
Oct. 4- Two bags of fruit: Apples and pears 4# + 3#
Oct. 11- Apples and apple butter 4# + 3#= 7#
Oct. 18- Apples and ½ gallon organic unpasteurized cider 4# + 3#
Oct. 25- 20 pound box of storage apples. When kept cold, these apples will stay crisp and delicious for 4-8
weeks!
---------
- Be sure to check your shareholder work log page in the shareholder binder to keep up to date with how many work hours you have completed, and how many more you need before the season is over. The seaon is flying by right before us! There should be a little note where your hours so far and how many you still need to complete have been calculated.
- Please be sure to intital in the log book when picking up Vegetable Shares, Egg Shares, or Fruit Shares under the appropriate tab in the Shareholder Binder.
- Please email me with any stories/recipes/articles you would like to share on the blog! As a shareholder, this will count as work hours for you!
--------
** If you have not bought your tickets for this event, go ahead and do it now, here! It will sell out quickly!**
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanket, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
--------
Happy Harvesting,
DeLaney!
Recipes:
Tahini & Avocado Kale Salad
(Vegan, gluten-free, and easily made raw)
Dressing
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste) raw or toasted
1/2 ripe avocado
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2-3 cloves fresh garlic
1 TBSP olive oil
4-5 TBSP water, or to desired consistency
1/4-1/2 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste
1 tsp. fresh parsley (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/8th tsp. powdered ginger
Salad
kale
1 bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 carrots, shredded or ribboned
1/2-1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or sliced almonds, raw or toasted (optional)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, raw or roasted (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, raisins, or other fruit (optional)
For serving (optional)
Tortilla wraps
Fresh sliced avocado
Other fresh veggies
Quinoa/beans/other protien
Method
For the dressing.
In the bowl of a blender or food processor, add all ingredients except herbs/seasonings. Blend until smooth, adding water one TBSP at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, add the herbs and pulse to combine. Set aside.
For the salad.
Wash and dry the kale, and cut or tear the large leafy parts away from the thick stems. Discard the stems.
Tear the kale into medium-small pieces, and place in a very large bowl. The kale will wilt down with the dressing, so don't worry if it fills the bowl at this point.
Pour the dressing over the kale and mix very thoroughly. Add in the bell pepper, tomatoes, carrots, and any other add-ins, and toss to combine.
Let sit in a lidded container or baggie in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours before serving. Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, but note that the longer it sits the more moisture the dressing will lose - to perk up the salad, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over the top and mix to combine.
Cool Cucumber Salad
1 small cucumber
2 tbsp chopped green onion
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
salt to taste
Using a spiral slicer, mandolin or a sharp knife, cut the cucumber into very thin slices and toss them into a small bowl.
Add the green onion to the bowl, then drizzle the vinegar and maple syrup over the cucumber. Mix well, then sprinkle with salt.
Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Serves two as a side dish, one as a main.
----------
BEE sure to sign up for next Saturday's bee keeping class, with Debbie and Alan! What a better way to help save the bees but to become educated on them!
Beekeeping Workshop: Hive Harvest Activities at DeLaney Community Farm
Saturday, August 18th, 9:00 - 11:00am
This beekeeping workshop is hosted by beekeeper Allan and Debbie Brown at Denver Urban Gardens' DeLaney Community Farm in Aurora. Learn how and when to harvest from various hive types at the farm. All DeLaney workshops are free for DeLaney shareholders and WIC participants, and there is a $10 suggested donation for all public attendees. RSVP required, event is limited to 30 participants. RSVP online here.
----------
- Please bring your own reusable containers for pick your own crops/herbs/flowers.
- Be sure to check your shareholder work log page in the shareholder binder to keep up to date with how many work hours you have completed, and how many more you need before the season is over. The seaon is flying by right before us! There should be a little note where your hours so far and how many you still need to complete have been calculated.
- Please be sure to intital in the log book when picking up Vegetable Shares, Egg Shares, or Fruit Shares under the appropriate tab in the Shareholder Binder.
--------
** If you have not bought your tickets for this event, go ahead and do it now, here! It will sell out quickly!**
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanket, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
]]>
Recipes:
Tahini & Avocado Kale Salad
(Vegan, gluten-free, and easily made raw)
Dressing
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste) raw or toasted
1/2 ripe avocado
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2-3 cloves fresh garlic
1 TBSP olive oil
4-5 TBSP water, or to desired consistency
1/4-1/2 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste
1 tsp. fresh parsley (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/8th tsp. powdered ginger
Salad
kale
1 bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 carrots, shredded or ribboned
1/2-1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or sliced almonds, raw or toasted (optional)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, raw or roasted (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, raisins, or other fruit (optional)
For serving (optional)
Tortilla wraps
Fresh sliced avocado
Other fresh veggies
Quinoa/beans/other protien
Method
For the dressing.
In the bowl of a blender or food processor, add all ingredients except herbs/seasonings. Blend until smooth, adding water one TBSP at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, add the herbs and pulse to combine. Set aside.
For the salad.
Wash and dry the kale, and cut or tear the large leafy parts away from the thick stems. Discard the stems.
Tear the kale into medium-small pieces, and place in a very large bowl. The kale will wilt down with the dressing, so don't worry if it fills the bowl at this point.
Pour the dressing over the kale and mix very thoroughly. Add in the bell pepper, tomatoes, carrots, and any other add-ins, and toss to combine.
Let sit in a lidded container or baggie in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours before serving. Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, but note that the longer it sits the more moisture the dressing will lose - to perk up the salad, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over the top and mix to combine.
Cool Cucumber Salad
1 small cucumber
2 tbsp chopped green onion
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
salt to taste
Using a spiral slicer, mandolin or a sharp knife, cut the cucumber into very thin slices and toss them into a small bowl.
Add the green onion to the bowl, then drizzle the vinegar and maple syrup over the cucumber. Mix well, then sprinkle with salt.
Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Serves two as a side dish, one as a main.
----------
BEE sure to sign up for next Saturday's bee keeping class, with Debbie and Alan! What a better way to help save the bees but to become educated on them!
Beekeeping Workshop: Hive Harvest Activities at DeLaney Community Farm
Saturday, August 18th, 9:00 - 11:00am
This beekeeping workshop is hosted by beekeeper Allan and Debbie Brown at Denver Urban Gardens' DeLaney Community Farm in Aurora. Learn how and when to harvest from various hive types at the farm. All DeLaney workshops are free for DeLaney shareholders and WIC participants, and there is a $10 suggested donation for all public attendees. RSVP required, event is limited to 30 participants. RSVP online here.
----------
- Please bring your own reusable containers for pick your own crops/herbs/flowers.
- Be sure to check your shareholder work log page in the shareholder binder to keep up to date with how many work hours you have completed, and how many more you need before the season is over. The seaon is flying by right before us! There should be a little note where your hours so far and how many you still need to complete have been calculated.
- Please be sure to intital in the log book when picking up Vegetable Shares, Egg Shares, or Fruit Shares under the appropriate tab in the Shareholder Binder.
--------
** If you have not bought your tickets for this event, go ahead and do it now, here! It will sell out quickly!**
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanket, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
]]>
--------
**Shareholder, Greg Kyle, shared a very amusing article with us on how he found out about DeLaney Community Farm, and his sneaky story on how he was able to become a shareholder. Enjoy his story and a good laugh!**
It was a dark and stormy night during the late summer of 2011. My friend had offered me a rather large portion of vegetables, which made me very happy. They tasted as wonderful as they looked, so I asked where she got them and why she was giving them to me. I was told about her half share in the Delaney Farm and Denver Urban Gardens and how their mission was to bring farm produce to folks in cities. Prior to this day, I had read about urban gardens but I was unaware of how to pursue a membership.
Building upon my interest, my friend invited me to attend the 'End of Summer' brunch. After the brunch I enjoyed walking through rows and rows of produce and berries. There I also saw a neatly kept outbuilding like my grandfather's in Virginia. The whole operation reminded me of his large garden and how it produced the best corn I have ever tasted. For proof, I even have a photo of me smiling and holding a buttery ear of corn in each hand, with more ears on the plate.
Soon, it was clear that my mission would be to obtain a membership. Half shares and full shares were explained to me when, suddenly, walking through the hazy mid-morning mist, was my arch nemesis, the other member of the consuming duo.
My path was clear; I must separate the two partners. The goal was simple but the execution of the plan was complex. The partner had to quit so I could become a part of the half share! During the next few weeks I engaged in deceitful tricks. I secretly sent her colanders with missing mesh, broken wooden spoons and 'cookbooks' from England. I sent her letters telling her that chain grocery stores provided better tasting vegetables too. I would stop and nothing and it was my threat to intercept a vegetable delivery and boil all vegetables to within an inch of their lives, like the English, that finally broke her spirit. Her inability to watch great vegetables suffer led to my success in gaining access to such a wonderful farming community!
By no means, however, am I advocating vegicide to achieve membership. Thankfully it did not come to that, but it almost would have been worth it. Almost.
By: Greg Kyle
---------
**Here is a great article from The Denver Post, where DeLaney's Beekeepers and Shareholders, Debbie and Alan Brown, are featured! **
Urban development and overuse of pesticides may be driving down bee populations by decimating habitat. But a boom in backyard beekeeping and urban gardens is generating momentum to ensure healthy pollination for food.
"There are remedies," said Gretchen LeBuhn, a San Francisco State University biologist whose annual national bee count finds that bee visits per hour in U.S. cities are lagging.
"Plant a diversity of flowers. Make sure there are (bee) nesting sites. Do not use pesticides, or be careful when you use them," Le-Buhn said. "Spray at night when bees are not out."
Nearly 1,000 Coloradans working in 65 gardens are participating in LeBuhn's Great Sunflower Project, launched in 2008 as a way to collect data on bees.
Nearly 100,000 volunteers working at 12,000 gardens nationwide have submitted data for the count. The project began as scientists were trying to explain sharp declines in bee populations in the U.S. and other countries. The declines have been blamed on colony-collapse disorder, mites, pesticides and other perils.
This latest bee-count data adds weight to the theory that habitat loss is a primary cause of declines.
On Saturday, project participants plan another massive count of bees in yards and neighborhood gardens. They observe bees on individual flowers during two 15-minute intervals and then submit findings to a national database. The data have emerged as a significant source of information on bee activity in North America.
Among avid bee counters in Denver, Leslie Ellis, 47, says she typically spots 15 bees every 15 minutes in her central Denver garden. Ellis recently started Women Who Bee, one of several metro beekeeping clubs.
"They say if the bees go away, you'll have apples the size of quarters," she said.
Denver-area beekeepers have raised concerns about potential threats, including cellphone towers, municipal parks crews and pesticide-spraying lawn-service companies.
San Francisco and other cities limit use of pesticides. Denver officials say they use pesticides but that "to our knowledge these pesticides have no impact on the bee population," parks and recreation spokeswoman Angela Casias said in a statement.
Recent spraying around Washington Park killed several hives, observers say.
After taking a beekeeping class at Denver Botanic Gardens and building up a hive in her garden, Mary French said she was dismayed in May when she walked out one morning and saw hundreds of bees shriveled and lifeless on the ground.
She's trying to help surviving bees rebuild because "it sustains the small gardens," she said. "We need bees for our food. This is critical."
National count data showing fewer bees in cities isn't surprising, said Thornton beekeeper Gregg McMahan, who teaches about 1,000 metro schoolchildren a year about bees and pollination.
But McMahan says that, rather than habitat loss itself, specific activities in cities such as overapplication of pesticides play the main role in hurting bee populations.
In addition, heavy reliance on antibiotics for 50 years in the beekeeping industry may have weakened bee populations. And varroa mites, which suck bee blood, have caused significant losses.
"We do not lack bees (in metro Denver)," McMahan said. "But, yes, we would like to see a higher saturation."
The number of residents enrolling in his beekeeping class at a local bee-supply shop doubled over the past three years — to 160.
Denver-area residents facing unwanted swarms increasingly telephone for beekeepers who remove the swarms for free instead of spraying hives with poison.
A healthy distribution of hives in Front Range cities "would be one every square mile," McMahan said. "Beekeepers within cities will be the ones who will save the honeybees."
----------
BEE sure to sign up for next Saturday's bee keeping class, with Debbie and Alan! What a better way to help save the bees but to become educated on them!
Beekeeping Workshop: Hive Harvest Activities at DeLaney Community Farm
Saturday, August 18th, 9:00 - 11:00am
This beekeeping workshop is hosted by beekeeper Allan and Debbie Brown at Denver Urban Gardens' DeLaney Community Farm in Aurora. Learn how and when to harvest from various hive types at the farm. All DeLaney workshops are free for DeLaney shareholders and WIC participants, and there is a $10 suggested donation for all public attendees. RSVP required, event is limited to 30 participants. RSVP online here.
----------
- Please bring your own reusable containers for pick your own crops/herbs/flowers.
- Be sure to check your shareholder work log page in the shareholder binder to keep up to date with how many work hours you have completed, and how many more you need before the season is over. The seaon is flying by right before us! There should be a little note where your hours so far and how many you still need to complete have been calculated.
- If you have purchased a Partner Farmer Share with Ela Family Farms, Fruit shares will begin this Thursday!
Due to weather conditions, fruit is ready a week earlier than expected, and Ela Family Farms wishes to get you the highest quality fruit possible, at its prime!
** If you have not bought your tickets for this event, go ahead and do it now, here! It will sell out quickly!**
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanket, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
]]>
--------
**Shareholder, Greg Kyle, shared a very amusing article with us on how he found out about DeLaney Community Farm, and his sneaky story on how he was able to become a shareholder. Enjoy his story and a good laugh!**
It was a dark and stormy night during the late summer of 2011. My friend had offered me a rather large portion of vegetables, which made me very happy. They tasted as wonderful as they looked, so I asked where she got them and why she was giving them to me. I was told about her half share in the Delaney Farm and Denver Urban Gardens and how their mission was to bring farm produce to folks in cities. Prior to this day, I had read about urban gardens but I was unaware of how to pursue a membership.
Building upon my interest, my friend invited me to attend the 'End of Summer' brunch. After the brunch I enjoyed walking through rows and rows of produce and berries. There I also saw a neatly kept outbuilding like my grandfather's in Virginia. The whole operation reminded me of his large garden and how it produced the best corn I have ever tasted. For proof, I even have a photo of me smiling and holding a buttery ear of corn in each hand, with more ears on the plate.
Soon, it was clear that my mission would be to obtain a membership. Half shares and full shares were explained to me when, suddenly, walking through the hazy mid-morning mist, was my arch nemesis, the other member of the consuming duo.
My path was clear; I must separate the two partners. The goal was simple but the execution of the plan was complex. The partner had to quit so I could become a part of the half share! During the next few weeks I engaged in deceitful tricks. I secretly sent her colanders with missing mesh, broken wooden spoons and 'cookbooks' from England. I sent her letters telling her that chain grocery stores provided better tasting vegetables too. I would stop and nothing and it was my threat to intercept a vegetable delivery and boil all vegetables to within an inch of their lives, like the English, that finally broke her spirit. Her inability to watch great vegetables suffer led to my success in gaining access to such a wonderful farming community!
By no means, however, am I advocating vegicide to achieve membership. Thankfully it did not come to that, but it almost would have been worth it. Almost.
By: Greg Kyle
---------
**Here is a great article from The Denver Post, where DeLaney's Beekeepers and Shareholders, Debbie and Alan Brown, are featured! **
Urban development and overuse of pesticides may be driving down bee populations by decimating habitat. But a boom in backyard beekeeping and urban gardens is generating momentum to ensure healthy pollination for food.
"There are remedies," said Gretchen LeBuhn, a San Francisco State University biologist whose annual national bee count finds that bee visits per hour in U.S. cities are lagging.
"Plant a diversity of flowers. Make sure there are (bee) nesting sites. Do not use pesticides, or be careful when you use them," Le-Buhn said. "Spray at night when bees are not out."
Nearly 1,000 Coloradans working in 65 gardens are participating in LeBuhn's Great Sunflower Project, launched in 2008 as a way to collect data on bees.
Nearly 100,000 volunteers working at 12,000 gardens nationwide have submitted data for the count. The project began as scientists were trying to explain sharp declines in bee populations in the U.S. and other countries. The declines have been blamed on colony-collapse disorder, mites, pesticides and other perils.
This latest bee-count data adds weight to the theory that habitat loss is a primary cause of declines.
On Saturday, project participants plan another massive count of bees in yards and neighborhood gardens. They observe bees on individual flowers during two 15-minute intervals and then submit findings to a national database. The data have emerged as a significant source of information on bee activity in North America.
Among avid bee counters in Denver, Leslie Ellis, 47, says she typically spots 15 bees every 15 minutes in her central Denver garden. Ellis recently started Women Who Bee, one of several metro beekeeping clubs.
"They say if the bees go away, you'll have apples the size of quarters," she said.
Denver-area beekeepers have raised concerns about potential threats, including cellphone towers, municipal parks crews and pesticide-spraying lawn-service companies.
San Francisco and other cities limit use of pesticides. Denver officials say they use pesticides but that "to our knowledge these pesticides have no impact on the bee population," parks and recreation spokeswoman Angela Casias said in a statement.
Recent spraying around Washington Park killed several hives, observers say.
After taking a beekeeping class at Denver Botanic Gardens and building up a hive in her garden, Mary French said she was dismayed in May when she walked out one morning and saw hundreds of bees shriveled and lifeless on the ground.
She's trying to help surviving bees rebuild because "it sustains the small gardens," she said. "We need bees for our food. This is critical."
National count data showing fewer bees in cities isn't surprising, said Thornton beekeeper Gregg McMahan, who teaches about 1,000 metro schoolchildren a year about bees and pollination.
But McMahan says that, rather than habitat loss itself, specific activities in cities such as overapplication of pesticides play the main role in hurting bee populations.
In addition, heavy reliance on antibiotics for 50 years in the beekeeping industry may have weakened bee populations. And varroa mites, which suck bee blood, have caused significant losses.
"We do not lack bees (in metro Denver)," McMahan said. "But, yes, we would like to see a higher saturation."
The number of residents enrolling in his beekeeping class at a local bee-supply shop doubled over the past three years — to 160.
Denver-area residents facing unwanted swarms increasingly telephone for beekeepers who remove the swarms for free instead of spraying hives with poison.
A healthy distribution of hives in Front Range cities "would be one every square mile," McMahan said. "Beekeepers within cities will be the ones who will save the honeybees."
----------
BEE sure to sign up for next Saturday's bee keeping class, with Debbie and Alan! What a better way to help save the bees but to become educated on them!
Beekeeping Workshop: Hive Harvest Activities at DeLaney Community Farm
Saturday, August 18th, 9:00 - 11:00am
This beekeeping workshop is hosted by beekeeper Allan and Debbie Brown at Denver Urban Gardens' DeLaney Community Farm in Aurora. Learn how and when to harvest from various hive types at the farm. All DeLaney workshops are free for DeLaney shareholders and WIC participants, and there is a $10 suggested donation for all public attendees. RSVP required, event is limited to 30 participants. RSVP online here.
----------
- Please bring your own reusable containers for pick your own crops/herbs/flowers.
- Be sure to check your shareholder work log page in the shareholder binder to keep up to date with how many work hours you have completed, and how many more you need before the season is over. The seaon is flying by right before us! There should be a little note where your hours so far and how many you still need to complete have been calculated.
- If you have purchased a Partner Farmer Share with Ela Family Farms, Fruit shares will begin this Thursday!
Due to weather conditions, fruit is ready a week earlier than expected, and Ela Family Farms wishes to get you the highest quality fruit possible, at its prime!
** If you have not bought your tickets for this event, go ahead and do it now, here! It will sell out quickly!**
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanket, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
]]>
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanet, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
---------
Thursday, July 26th Harvest
-Kale
-Rosa Lingua Onion
-Head Lettuce
-Jalapeno
-Hot Portugal Pepper
-Oregano
-Dill
-Basil
-Elephant Garlic
Recipes:
Kale Chips:
Ingredients:
1. tear up kale into bite sized pieces.
2. toss with olive oil.
3. sprinkle with seasonings.
4. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. make sure they don’t burn!!!
Dill Salad Dressing:
* I made this dressing and massaged my kale with it and a whole avocado for 3-5 minutes. super tasty!
Ingredients:
1. Place vinegar, lemon juice, shallot, dill, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly at the oil until emulsified.
---------
Sprouting Class Overview
This past Saturday, we had the pleasure of learning about sprouting and its wonderful nutrtional benefits from shareholder Jann Gest. We got to sample some sprouted lentils and sprouted millet bread! Jann toched bases on all parts of sprouting, from what to sprout, to how to sprout, to why! I think we all left feeling excited and ready to go sprout everything.
-------------
Farm Stand Saturdays Are in Full Swing!
Come check out the DeLaney Farm Stand on Saturdays from 9-12!
---------
Please join us for the 2nd Annual Sunday Brunch in the Field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be preparing a delicious breakfast taco bar along with fresh fruit and beverages. Brunch will be held on the ground, so bring your picnic blanket, chairs and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per Adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The Brunch is limited to 150 people. Purchase your tickets here.
-------
A special Happy birthday to Heather!!!! And also to Faatma and Patrick who have both had birthdays this past month as well! We appreciate you all so much!
]]>
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanet, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
---------
Thursday, July 26th Harvest
-Kale
-Rosa Lingua Onion
-Head Lettuce
-Jalapeno
-Hot Portugal Pepper
-Oregano
-Dill
-Basil
-Elephant Garlic
Recipes:
Kale Chips:
Ingredients:
1. tear up kale into bite sized pieces.
2. toss with olive oil.
3. sprinkle with seasonings.
4. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. make sure they don’t burn!!!
Dill Salad Dressing:
* I made this dressing and massaged my kale with it and a whole avocado for 3-5 minutes. super tasty!
Ingredients:
1. Place vinegar, lemon juice, shallot, dill, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly at the oil until emulsified.
---------
Sprouting Class Overview
This past Saturday, we had the pleasure of learning about sprouting and its wonderful nutrtional benefits from shareholder Jann Gest. We got to sample some sprouted lentils and sprouted millet bread! Jann toched bases on all parts of sprouting, from what to sprout, to how to sprout, to why! I think we all left feeling excited and ready to go sprout everything.
-------------
Farm Stand Saturdays Are in Full Swing!
Come check out the DeLaney Farm Stand on Saturdays from 9-12!
---------
Please join us for the 2nd Annual Sunday Brunch in the Field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be preparing a delicious breakfast taco bar along with fresh fruit and beverages. Brunch will be held on the ground, so bring your picnic blanket, chairs and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per Adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The Brunch is limited to 150 people. Purchase your tickets here.
-------
A special Happy birthday to Heather!!!! And also to Faatma and Patrick who have both had birthdays this past month as well! We appreciate you all so much!
]]>
Liv planting Brussel Sprouts..... she planted the whole row by herself! |
La Plata softneck garlic 2012 |
Seth with the fresh haul |
----------
If you ordered a Partner Farmer Share with Western Colorado Honey, it is now in and ready for pick-up Thursday at the farm!
Heather and Faatma drove to Silt Colorado to meet with Paul Limbauch and his bees, and to pick-up all of our gallons of honey! Here are a few pictures from the trip.
** Please be sure to intial in the shareholder log book, under the tab Honey, when you pick-up your Western Colorado Honey!
---------
Hedgehog Caprese Salad:
* Want something different to do with your basil? Try out this fun light summer dish!
Ingredients:
-Basil
-Roma Tomato
-Mozzarella
* Optional - Drizzled Olive Oil and Balsalmic Vinegar
---------
*** RSVP for this Saturday, July 21st's Sprouting Workshop with Shareholder, Jann Gest! Join us in learning the simpler methods that transform nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes into super-foods!
JULY
Sprouting Workshop at DeLaney Community Farm
---------
---------
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanet, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
--------
Happy Vegetable Eating!
]]>----------
If you ordered a Partner Farmer Share with Western Colorado Honey, it is now in and ready for pick-up Thursday at the farm!
Heather and Faatma drove to Silt Colorado to meet with Paul Limbauch and his bees, and to pick-up all of our gallons of honey! Here are a few pictures from the trip.
** Please be sure to intial in the shareholder log book, under the tab Honey, when you pick-up your Western Colorado Honey!
---------
Hedgehog Caprese Salad:
* Want something different to do with your basil? Try out this fun light summer dish!
Ingredients:
-Basil
-Roma Tomato
-Mozzarella
* Optional - Drizzled Olive Oil and Balsalmic Vinegar
---------
*** RSVP for this Saturday, July 21st's Sprouting Workshop with Shareholder, Jann Gest! Join us in learning the simpler methods that transform nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes into super-foods!
JULY
Sprouting Workshop at DeLaney Community Farm
---------
---------
Second Annual Farm-to-Table Brunch with Snooze at DeLaney Community Farm
Sunday, September 16th, 10am
Please join us for the 2nd annual Sunday Brunch in the field, a farm-to-table fundraising event featuring food from DeLaney and our partners around Colorado. For the second year in a row snooze, an A.M. Eatery, will be sending their chefs to the farm to prepare a delicious breakfast with food harvested directly from the farm! Also for the second year in a row Whole Foods Market will be providing fresh coffee and juices. We would like to thank Snooze and Whole Foods Market so very much for all of their time, energy, and for their support of our mission.
Brunch will be held on the ground. so bring your picnic blanet, chairs, and whatever else you might need. Suggested Donation is $10 per adult, and $5 per child under 12 years of age. The brunch is limited to 150 people and will sell out fast! Please do go ahead and purchase your tickets here ! This is an event you certainly will not want to miss.
Thank you to our supporters, Whole Foods Market and Snooze!
--------
Happy Vegetable Eating!
]]>We give our sincerest thanks to all of our customers and supporters over the years. You all made our work worthwhile. And we are so excited that Parkers will now be stepping in to provide you with locally raised, healthy, grass-fed meats. Knowing that our customers will be taken care of by people that genuinely care about the well being of the animals and the land makes the decision to step down that much easier on us. Please feel free to stay in touch!
Jeff and Jenika Downs
]]>Aren’t a member? No problem! Stop by the Farm today from 4-7 to pick up a $15 bag of veggies.
Stop by the Farm today to sign up for your Ole Dern Full Diet CSA share. We have a few spots remaining.
Thanks Everyone! See you there!
]]>Aren’t a member? No problem! Stop by the Farm today from 4-7 to pick up a $15 bag of veggies.
Stop by the Farm today to sign up for your Ole Dern Full Diet CSA share. We have a few spots remaining.
Thanks Everyone! See you there!
]]>
]]>
]]>
]]>
We’ll have lots of plant starts, onions, peas, radishes, beets, herbs, TONS of greens and of course our gourmet salad mix. We will also have all natural, grass fed meats available for purchase.
Let us know if you are interested in an Ole Dern Farm Full Diet CSA Share. We have a few remaining shares.
Thank you for your support! See you at the Market!
]]>We’ll have lots of plant starts, onions, peas, radishes, beets, herbs, TONS of greens and of course our gourmet salad mix. We will also have all natural, grass fed meats available for purchase.
Let us know if you are interested in an Ole Dern Farm Full Diet CSA Share. We have a few remaining shares.
Thank you for your support! See you at the Market!
]]>Let us know if you are interested in an Ole Dern Farm Full Diet CSA Share. We have a few remaining shares.
Thank you for your support! See you at the Market!
]]>Let us know if you are interested in an Ole Dern Farm Full Diet CSA Share. We have a few remaining shares.
Thank you for your support! See you at the Market!
]]>Morning Everyone!
We hope to see you today at the Drake Road Farmer’s Market from 10-1. We’ll have veggies starts, gourmet salad greens, and all natural pastured meats.
FYI…Ole Dern Farm’s Full Diet CSA starts this Thursday (5/31) with pick up at the Farm from 2-7. If you have not signed up for your weekly share, you may do so at the market as we have a few remaining shares. Visit our website for more information!
See you there!!
]]>Morning Everyone!
We hope to see you today at the Drake Road Farmer’s Market from 10-1. We’ll have veggies starts, gourmet salad greens, and all natural pastured meats.
FYI…Ole Dern Farm’s Full Diet CSA starts this Thursday (5/31) with pick up at the Farm from 2-7. If you have not signed up for your weekly share, you may do so at the market as we have a few remaining shares. Visit our website for more information!
See you there!!
]]>You can also sign up for your 2012 Full Diet CSA Share with Ole Dern Farm. We only have a couple shares remaining for the season.
We’ll see you at the Market!
]]>You can also sign up for your 2012 Full Diet CSA Share with Ole Dern Farm. We only have a couple shares remaining for the season.
We’ll see you at the Market!
]]>You have been fantastic supporter of Ole Dern Farm and we wanted you to know we really appreciate it!
Please visit their website and like em’ on Facebook, you’ll be glad you did!!
]]>You have been fantastic supporter of Ole Dern Farm and we wanted you to know we really appreciate it!
Please visit their website and like em’ on Facebook, you’ll be glad you did!!
]]>While your at the market, don’t forget to ask about signing up for your 2012 Full Diet CSA Share. Let us know if you have any questions.
See you there!
]]>While your at the market, don’t forget to ask about signing up for your 2012 Full Diet CSA Share. Let us know if you have any questions.
See you there!
]]>You can also sign up for your 2012 Full Diet CSA Share with Ole Dern Farm.
We’ll see you at the Market!
]]>You can also sign up for your 2012 Full Diet CSA Share with Ole Dern Farm.
We’ll see you at the Market!
]]>We have veggies starts, our gourmet salad greens blend and many cuts of all natural pastured meats.
http://www.drakeroadfarmersmarket.com/
We’ll see you there!!
]]>We have veggies starts, our gourmet salad greens blend and many cuts of all natural pastured meats.
http://www.drakeroadfarmersmarket.com/
We’ll see you there!!
]]>http://www.drakeroadfarmersmarket.com/
We’ll see you there!!
]]>http://www.drakeroadfarmersmarket.com/
We’ll see you there!!
]]>coldframes |
greens busting out of the coldframe |
desert |
fresh hemp shopping bags- $25 |
mini heads closeup |
jungle tiger |
woodland guerrillas |
crisp white tees for summer- men's only $15 |
1st time the old school R.A.S. logo is on camo tees. Limited run for for city or the bush. Email for availability. $30 |
(pictures copyrighted - Daily Camera/ Jeremy Papasso) |
This is a great post (complete with photos) from Jessie. Last year she was a volunteer on the farm. This year we plan to pay her for some hours. That this post’s title references one of my favorite songs about the apocalypse makes a good thing even better.
Sure, it’s winter, but we’re busy planning and preparing the [...]]]>
This is a great post (complete with photos) from Jessie. Last year she was a volunteer on the farm. This year we plan to pay her for some hours. That this post’s title references one of my favorite songs about the apocalypse makes a good thing even better.
Sure, it’s winter, but we’re busy planning and preparing the farm for the imminent growing season. (We’ll be flush with seedlings soon!) I started working on the farm last May. I met Mike and Gheda more than ten years ago and our lives lead us down different but occasionally convergent paths. I am very glad to know them and I am perhaps even more glad that they have started the farm. It has been a joy to come by every week and spend time with my friends and young Milo and work on the farm. A slightly back tweaking and at times a sweaty joy, but an absolute joy nonetheless.
I also got to meet and work alongside other interesting and kind people. They were funny as well, which is a bonus when you’re looking at crates of shallots that need to get in the ground or rows upon rows of tomatoes that need harvesting.
Even when it was just Gheda and me at the harvest, there were plenty of other friends. Chickens and squirrels as well as dogs and call the farm home. I crossed paths with a praying mantis and witnessed a spider and wasp playing tug-o-war. Additionally, we met some new insect friends (some might be seen as pests, sure, but aren’t we all?) there was an enchanting group of gluttonous beetly creatures who could not get enough of a specific roma tomato and the strikingly metallic green bee-like creatures that were hanging out under the shade of the cottonwoods, checking out the raised bed of just-blooming herbs. (The less said about the two great aph-lictions the better.)
Once again the farm is expanding and we are looking forward to our little community growing. The idea of community is important to all of us and there is little I can think of that bonds people (and is as fun) as sharing work in the field. Our vision and scope of the farm is not only leaning towards building on our own farm family but also giving more to the greater community. In our planning, we increased our plantings to include food grown for donation to add to the donations made at the end of market. We’re looking into other ways we help get fresh vegetables to folks. There will be more on this in the future, as we suss it out.
Socially (as well as on the educational front), we’re planning monthly demonstrative dinners by Chef Ryan and other events. Last year we had a few dinners, but it will be good to see everyone more often. Of course, the accomplishments of hard work are reward in themselves—not to mention the delicious veggies!—but the dinners are delightful evenings with storytelling, fantastic food, and the potential for an impromptu music session.
While I am usually found quietly reading a book or writing some part of a story in my head and not saying much (although there are times I am sure Gheda would like me to shut my beet hole), I find it is easy to relax the brain and be more social amongst the rows. I’m looking forward to having additional company in the field, and I am curious to see who I will meet this year.
We have had the information up on Facebook, but it’s time we put it here. Below is the sketch of what our CSA Paid and Barter Memberships will look like. There are more details, but those can be learned by contacting us.
Here is the general info for our CSA:
Pay for Veggies CSA: $550 for 21 weeks or $300 for every other week
It includes veggies for 3-4 people, a class and light farm dinner once a month, and discounts on plants and flowers.
Barter CSA: This involves committing to 5 hours of work per week for 21 weeks. Mostly we need harvest help on Thursday and Friday but there are other week days that would work, especially before the market season starts. There is also a possibility of helping at the market on Saturday.
This week we seeded out our first 600 plants for the 2012 season. We started kale, lettuce, pac choi, broccoli, bunch onion and broccoli rabb which we will transplant to the field (under low-hoops) in mid-March. For the last couple months, I had been feeling a lot of nervous energy and apprehension about the new season. [...]]]>
This week we seeded out our first 600 plants for the 2012 season. We started kale, lettuce, pac choi, broccoli, bunch onion and broccoli rabb which we will transplant to the field (under low-hoops) in mid-March. For the last couple months, I had been feeling a lot of nervous energy and apprehension about the new season. But after a couple hours in the grow room, playing with soil and seeds, I’m feeling relieved and energized for the new year. I remember why we do this and am exited for another big season.
]]>Depending on the size of the pumpkins, prepare one or two of the little pumpkins by cutting them in half, scooping out the seeds and inverting on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until the flesh is soft. Cool until you can handle them , scoop out the flesh and puree in the blender. Then use it in your favorite pumpkin recipe.
Pumpkin Fruit Bread adapted from Crème de Colorado Cookbook
2 C. sugar
1 C. vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 C. cooked, pureed pumpkin
3 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ t. baking powder
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. ground nutmeg
1 C. chopped nuts
Optional: 1 C. raisins
1 C. chopped dates
In large mixing bowl, beat together sugar and oil. Beat in eggs and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and mix well. Sift together flour, soda, salt baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and add to pumpkin mixture. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in nuts (and fruits). Pour into two 9x5 inch loaf pans greased with vegetable cooking spray. Bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Leave loaves in pans for 10 minutes before removing; cool on wire racks.
]]>Last night we had a super delicious pizza made using a lot of Hoot ‘n’ Howl ingredients. You’ll need pizza dough for one pizza, either from the store or you can make it yourself. I used the recipe below that I found on a blog called “Pioneer Woman.”
Pizza Crust (for two pizzas)
1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast
4 cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it. ***It's best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.
I made this by hand without the mixer and used it right away. Both of which worked fine.
FOR THE PIZZA:
4 medium/large Hoot’n’Howl tomatoes cut into eighths
4 cloves Hoot’n’Howl garlic, peeled and sliced
2 medium Hoot’n’Howl eggplants, sliced thin
kosher salt, for sprinkling
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced very thin
2 oz. feta cheese
2 stems fresh Hoot’n’Howl basil, chopped
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Cut tomatoes into eight wedges and slice garlic cloves. Place together in baking dish and sprinkle with olive oil. Toss lightly and roast in 375 degree oven for 45-60 min
Thinly slice eggplants. I used a large purple one and a large pink one. Sprinkle the slices on both sides with kosher salt and place in a colander to drain approx. 30 min. Then rinse, pat dry with paper towels and sprinkle with olive oil. Toss to coat with oil and place in single layer on shallow pan and broil 3 min. Turn over and broil 3 min. more.
Brush pizza pan with olive oil and roll dough out on it. Brush the dough with olive oil and place slices of mozzarella over it. With a slotted spoon lift tomatoes and garlic out of roasting pan and arrange over mozzarella. Place eggplant slices on top of tomatoes.
Crumble Feta cheese on top and then top with chopped basil.
Bake in 500 degree oven for 10 min. or until crust is golden brown.
]]>I’m convinced that every year we’ll mess something up horribly. For us, this year, it was tomatoes. Boy we blew it! Way back in February, for inexplicable reasons, we started three-times more tomato plants than we needed. This meant we spent 3x more time and 3x more energy than we should have. This inane effort left [...]]]>
I’m convinced that every year we’ll mess something up horribly. For us, this year, it was tomatoes. Boy we blew it! Way back in February, for inexplicable reasons, we started three-times more tomato plants than we needed. This meant we spent 3x more time and 3x more energy than we should have. This inane effort left us with more tomatoes than our nursery could accommodate. So a lot of plants died and the others suffered mightily, growing leggy and lean due to over crowding. Then, due to hassles with out new land in Gunbarrel, we were very late planting them out. We were still planting in July, more than a month after when we should have finished. What’s more we didn’t want to waste the extra plants we’d started so we spent a bunch more time transplanting more tomatoes to the filed than we’d ever need. This was another big mistake. Overall it was a total disaster. Thankfully, now 6-8 weeks after other growers, we finally have tomatoes to bring to market. Tomatoes should have been a major crop for us and maybe they still will be. But regardless, I know that because of our mistakes they won’t be anything like they could have been, C’est la Via. Live and learn. Sometimes I think that learning to farm is about making a full measure of mistakes. And I take solace knowing we won’t make these particular mistakes again.
]]>Wow! We had such positive response to our switch to U-Pick berries that we are picked clean! Our fall berries are setting on and will begin ripening soon. Then you'll be able to come pick once again. Today Emily (our faithful and hardworking farmhand) and I began pruning out the old canes on the summer berries that you all just picked. That will rejuvenate them so they can bear big, sweet and juicy for us next summer.
Right now our cucumbers, beef, tomatoes and many other vegetables, are in abundance! See the full list below and come on over!
Beef: 100% grass fed; Never exposed to feedlots, hormones, antibiotics or pesticides
Cucumbers: American slicing, pickling, “salt and pepper”
Eggplant: purple and pink Asian
Sweet green peppers (LOTS!)
Hot wax Hungarian peppers
Jalapeno peppers
Parsley
Basil (LOTS!)
Cilantro
Zucchini
Yellow Summer Squash
Swiss ChardZinnias (LOTS!)
Gomphrena
Coming Soon
Melons
Beets
Winter Squash
Potatoes
]]>1. We ask that you bring a container in which to pick (if you forget, we have some). Don’t put too many berries in any container or bag: The berries are quite fragile.
2. Parking: Almost all of the time, there is plenty of parking in our drive. If it gets full, it is OK to park on Jay Road, but park your car completely off the pavement. The shoulder on the north side of Jay is especially wide.
3. Walk through our drive to the gate immediately north of the farmstand. To open the gate, grasp the handle, pull and lift the gate toward you, press on the thumb latch, and the push the gate open. Walk all the way to the north end of our yard, and go through the north gate (opens easily) to the farm.
4. Stay AWAY from the ponds! They are DANGEROUS! The small pond immediately west of the NW corner of our yard is eight feet deep, with vertical clay walls and a bottom of one foot of clay mud. VERY difficult to get out of. KNOW WHERE YOUR KIDS ARE if you bring them!
5. This, obviously, is a working farm. BE CAREFUL OUT HERE! A lot of the rows have steel pins in the ground at the ends of the rows to which we tether the trellises. Those pins are easy to hit with a toe or shin. Some of the steel trellises are angled into the alleys between the rows. They are easy to hit if you aren’t careful. Stay off the tractors and machinery! Watch and control your children
6. Pick only ripe berries. You know a berry is ripe if it pops right off the stem when you gently grasp and pull it. If it doesn’t come right off, please leave it for tomorrow.
7. Pick thoroughly. Pick one side of the row at a time. Don’t try to pick the other side until you get to the end of the row. Lots of the berries are hidden in the foliage. Gently move the leaves and peek under them. This is a treasure hunt!
8. Please do NOT cross the raspberry rows. If you touch a raspberry cane, the thorns will tell you not to do it again. But the plants are actually fragile and are easily damaged. The plants are planted in soil ridges, and the ridges are VERY easy to damage. So, if you want to go to another row, PLEASE walk to the end of the row rather than crossing the row. Again: Please keep your children informed of this rule.
9. The eating rule: We would never ask you not to eat while you pick. But please be fair: suggestion -pick ten eat one. Remember we have to pay our bills. Or eat all you want, but pay for them!
10. Some of the rows may be muddy. Dress accordingly. Wear shoes, not sandals, not barefoot.
11. Where are the berries? Walk north by the hoophouse on our main north-south farm lane. Vegetables are initially on the immediate east and west sides of the lane. The vegetables are NOT You-Pick. Please stay out of the vegetable rows—The plants are very fragile. After the vegetables, you will come to the berries, first on the east side of the lane. There is a row of elderberries on the north end of the east vegetables. Then a row of blackberries. Neither the elderberries or blackberries are ripe. The next two rows are red raspberries and have ripe berries. Pick to your heart’s content!!!
12. And more berries: Continue north on the lane to the end of the east-west rows. The first four north-south rows on the east side of the lane have ripe red raspberries. These plants are a year younger than the plants in the above paragraph. So many of the berries are hidden in the foliage.
13. After the four N-S red raspberry rows, row 5 is a blackberry row—Not ripe yet.
14. Row 6 is our black raspberry row! Pick away!
15. We suggest that when you finish picking, you put your berries into the lightweight plastic bags we have on the roll on the fence next to the farmstand. The You-Pick operation is just like the farmstand: The honor system: Weigh your produce on the scale, use the calculator and paper pad to compute what you owe, and pay into the black mailbox on the post next to the plastic bags. To make change, we have a Change jar with Hoot ‘n’ Howl bucks and U.S. coins.
16. Come to the farm! Have fun!
Janet ‘n’ Bob
Hoot ‘n’ Howl Farm LLC
6033 Jay Road
Boulder 80301
Farm: 303-530-9504
Cell: 720-771-0483
]]>Basic Basil Pesto
Ingredients:
½ C. Pine nuts
½ C. Walnuts
1 t. Coarse salt
½ t. Ground white pepper
1 T. Garlic, minced
3 C. Loosely packed, fresh basil leaves
4 oz. Asiago cheese, grated
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 C. Olive oil
Directions
In food processor, combine pine nuts, walnuts, coarse salt, white pepper, garlic and basil. Pulse until finely chopped. Add Asiago and Parmesan and process until smooth. With processor running, add olive oil in slow steady stream. Process until well blended. Place in jar and store in refrigerator up to 1 week, or place in tightly sealed freezer-safe container and freeze up to 3 months.
]]>All season our Farmers’ Market customers have been talking about kale smoothies. They’re all in love with them. So, on their recommendation, we started making our own simple version and boy they’re right! Kale smoothies are fantastic! Definitely among the easiest and tastiest way to eat a lot of wonderfully nutrient dense kale. Now we have kale for breakfast.We share [...]]]>
All season our Farmers’ Market customers have been talking about kale smoothies. They’re all in love with them. So, on their recommendation, we started making our own simple version and boy they’re right! Kale smoothies are fantastic! Definitely among the easiest and tastiest way to eat a lot of wonderfully nutrient dense kale. Now we have kale for breakfast.We share them as a family and our three year old son loves them. He can’t get enough.
Kale smoothies are easy to make and infinitely variable. Pretty much any mix of frozen fruit, non-dairy milk and kale will do. Or you can soup things up with protein (nut-butter is great), other greens or about anything from the dietary supplement world. That said, this being berry season, we keep ours simple.
Kale Smoothies
Coarsely chop the kale and blend with the non-dairy milk for about a minute. Add the frozen fruit and blend on medium until incorporated. Add the banana and blend for 10 seconds. Serve cold. This makes enough smoothie for two big and one little people.
If there’s one thing I’m not it’s a pitchman. That said, I’ve been using our seeders a lot lately and boy do I love our seeders! They’ve transformed the most painfully-tedious job in the garden into a quick and efficient joy. Most cheap seeders do little more than dump seed in a straight line. In [...]]]>
If there’s one thing I’m not it’s a pitchman. That said, I’ve been using our seeders a lot lately and boy do I love our seeders! They’ve transformed the most painfully-tedious job in the garden into a quick and efficient joy. Most cheap seeders do little more than dump seed in a straight line. In contrast, we run two precision seeders on our tiny farm. They are a bit more expensive but they are very worth it as they reduce both wasted seed and time spent thinning.
Our first unit is a four-row precision seeder we bought from Johnny’s Select Seeds. It’s a great little tool that we use for lettuce, spinach, arugula, radish, turnips, pelleted carrot and sometimes beets. The seeder runs on a axle, drilled to accept different size seed. By sliding the axle back and forth between the drive wheels, one can select the hole size appropriate for the desired seed. We fill all four hoppers to “carpet seed” our cut and come again greens. We fill the first and third hoppers to seed our root veggies. Either way, the seeder drops a predictable amount of seed with uniform spacing. We’ve had very good luck with this seeder.
This year we added a Jang Clean Seed, also from Johnny’s. It’s a very precise, single row seeder. The nice thing about the Jang is that one can adjust for the spacing between seeds. A set of gears and a chain live under the silver cover plate. By changing out the gears, we can drop seeds anywhere between one every inch to one every eight inches. This is super for the larger seeds one would usually seed in a single row. So far we’ve used the Jang for peas, beans, beets, pumpkins and direct seeded tomato.
This year we’re multicropping the 1/4 acre garden plot at our home in downtown Longmont, Colorado. That’s to say we are growing multiple crops on the land within a single growing season. Our goal is to plant all the beds two or three times this year. And now, with spring arugula and spinach done, were laying [...]]]>
This year we’re multicropping the 1/4 acre garden plot at our home in downtown Longmont, Colorado. That’s to say we are growing multiple crops on the land within a single growing season. Our goal is to plant all the beds two or three times this year. And now, with spring arugula and spinach done, were laying in our second plantings. Multicropping complicates rotations and puts a lot of pressure on the land. But we have no choice. It’s something we have to do at Longmont this year.
Regular readers may know we are working two pieces of land this season. The first is the urban 1/4 acre. The second is a two acre parcel in Gunbarrel, Colorado; about twenty minutes from our home. It sounds fantastic and we are very grateful but it’s not perfect. The problem is that we have a very serious weed issues at Gunbarrel that prevent us from direct seeding there. We’re okay transplanting that land because the transplants, being relatively large when they go in, have a leg up on the weeds. But when we seed directly the weeds rise ahead of the crops and shade them out. We can’t even hand weed the seeded bed because the disruptions caused by weeding are enough to foil germination.
This means that the direct seeded crops (carrot, radish, beet, turnips, salad mix, arugula…..) all have to be planted at the small Longmont plot. This leaves us needing to use the land very efficiently. It means we need to multicrop. So, the same day a crop finishes we pull the irrigation and till the bed. A few days later (to allow some of the residues to break down) we reinstall the drip tape and seed with the next crop. We’ll have to over winter with a green manure and compost in the spring to recover the soil. But for now multicropping is the only way we can stay in the direct seeded crops that are so important to our tiny farm.
]]>Well, the first beets and carrots of the year are in and I’m pleased to say we were among the first farms to have them (We were the second farm at the Longmont Farmers’ Market by a week and the first farm at the Louisville Farmers’ Market). This is great news for us because demand is [...]]]>
Well, the first beets and carrots of the year are in and I’m pleased to say we were among the first farms to have them (We were the second farm at the Longmont Farmers’ Market by a week and the first farm at the Louisville Farmers’ Market). This is great news for us because demand is huge and we’re almost the only game at market.
This year, to get carrots so early we seeded on March 17th , irrigated with drip and covered the rows with heavy weight row cover. We were also very lucky. The spring was long and cool, yielding great early season crops. But the farm year is young, let’s hope our luck continues.
]]>I love our tiny tractor. Sure it’s tippy and I’ve often worried about rolling it, but it makes almost all our farm tasks much, much easier. We’ve spent the last couple weeks frantically transplanting our summer crops and the tractor has helped a bunch. When transplanting we run the irrigation as much as we can, turning [...]]]>
I love our tiny tractor. Sure it’s tippy and I’ve often worried about rolling it, but it makes almost all our farm tasks much, much easier. We’ve spent the last couple weeks frantically transplanting our summer crops and the tractor has helped a bunch. When transplanting we run the irrigation as much as we can, turning the rows into a big, muddy mess. Then we fill the tractor’s bucket with water (and amend it with an organic kelp extract for many crops) and submerge the trays of transplants. We leave them in the drink until they stop bubbling, meaning that all the little air pockets in the transplant soil have been hydrated. In our experience, transplants shock and suffer when put in too dry a soil. Our goal is to get everything fully soaked and to ease the plants into their new homes in the field.
So far we have 600 tomatoes, 120 cucumbers, 120 pumpkins, 50 assorted squash and 50 melon plants in. We have a long way to go (and are a full month behind), but the field are stating to look good and that gives me hope.
]]>Here are a couple pictures of kale I share mostly because I enjoy pictures of kale but also because kale, in a lot of ways, is the foundation of our farm.The best advice I can give folks wanting to farm on tiny plots, in close quarters, is to grow kale. Looking at it in a “yield [...]]]>
Here are a couple pictures of kale I share mostly because I enjoy pictures of kale but also because kale, in a lot of ways, is the foundation of our farm.The best advice I can give folks wanting to farm on tiny plots, in close quarters, is to grow kale. Looking at it in a “yield per sq-ft” sort of way, nothing beats kale. A single planting can be harvested from April all the way though to November with almost no tending. Just don’t harvest it too aggressively and top dress it with compost a few times through the season. Kale plants grow tall and will shade out most weeds so you don’t even need to worry about cultivation.
We grow four, 50-foot long beds of kale and harvest two per week on alternating weeks. This has provided us enough to support two farmers markets (we’ve pulled as much as 30 lbs/week from our two bed harvest). It’s not the most popular crop at market but it definitely has it’s fans and if you grow good kale they will be loyal and shop your whole stand. At least that’s been our experience.
]]>Ours were neither straight nor deep. And for that, as is so often true in farming, you could blame the weather. It was early June, but spring had come a month behind schedule. The tomatoes, awaiting transplant, shivered when the slightest spring breeze swept through the hoophouse. To thrive, tomato seedlings prefer a soil temperature of at least 60° when planted. Down a few inches in our garden, things were much cooler than that.
The only match for spiteful weather is a resourceful farmer, and ours, resourceful as he was, devised a plan that Dr. Suess would surely have enjoyed. We would plant our tomatoes sideways, he decided, burying them just enough for the roots to take hold, but not so much as to subject them to the chilly soil below. The stem would curve artfully up toward the sun, its strange angle barely detectable to the untrained eye. (Thanks to the steady stream of B&B guests who wander over to admire the garden, our property is replete with eyes like these). Most importantly, we would get our huge tomato seedlings in the ground before they simply burst from their current pots, an event that–to the remotely trained eye–did not seem too farfetched.
And so we did it. We finished the job, heaping an inch or two of soil atop our tomato roots, convinced that such scant cover would keep them warm, and we didn’t consider the issue for the rest of the week. Certainly, we thought, that was the last time we’d see the roots of our tomatoes.
It wasn’t. On Saturday evening, as we were lounging around in the yurt enjoying a post-work beverage, the boss poked her head in the door. “Uh, I’m gonna ask you guys to give us a quick hand here…” she paused, ominously. “We have to replant all those tomatoes you guys put in.” We stared at her. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “They were too shallow,” she said. “They’re drying out, and we don’t want to lose them.” “Shit!” I said. We have tickets to a concert tonight that starts in a half-hour!” Whatever was wrong, I thought, could be resolved in the morning, right? “Can you give us 15 minutes?” she asked. This was serious. Exchanging a wide-eyed glance, we rose to head out to the field.
We were stooped in the garden, shoving the tomatoes deeper into the soil, when our friends arrived to pick us up for the concert that night. They were well dressed, with the beers they had brought clinking in their jackets, but their faces grew confused when they saw that we were still in the garden. “Just go,” said the farmer, as our friends approached. “We’ve got this.” Feeling a surge of guilt, I looked around. They were more than halfway done. And returning to work had been a rather rude shock–it was Saturday night, a time to unwind. We had already worked a hard day.
So we went. But driving off I couldn’t shake a nagging thought: If we had owned the place, if those were our tomatoes, if we didn’t just work here…there would have been no concert tonight. I recalled the words that a particularly cranky boss had yelled to me the year before, as I stood watering his plants. “Farming isn’t like college!” he had yelled. “You can’t just phone it in!” If I ever own a farm, the farm won’t extend me the courtesy of holding all its urgent needs until the morning hours, when I’m rested, coffeed up, and ready to tackle them anew. It’ll throw things at me in rainstorms, the dead of winter, the middle of the night. Right when all my friends, as it happens, are at a concert, enjoying themselves. And what will I get in return? All I can really hope for, I suppose, is some goddamn tomatoes that don’t die.
]]>
If I told you that a bunch of recovering drug and alcohol-addicts had spent the last two weeks occupying our farmhouse, you’d probably picture a driveway littered with broken bottles, cigarette burns on the upholstered chairs, perhaps a syringe or two rolling about on the linoleum floor, abandoned after a missed toss into the wastebasket.
You wouldn’t expect to see a freshly-primed fence, a few just-planted strawberry beds, or a mowed, manicured lawn with a newly built path snaking through it. You wouldn’t expect to see young leeks and onions in the ground, or well-thinned spinach and broccoli raab growing. Probably most surprising on your walk across the grounds would be the quarter-acre of just-tilled land in the back pasture, shaped into fertilized, composted planting beds.
And yet, as I sit here typing from my post at the farmhouse window, I look out and see all of this. This past weekend marked the close of the inaugural “Fresh and Wyld Recovery” program, a two week intensive rehabilitation session that brought seven recovering addicts over from the Roaring Fork Valley for a fortnight of 12-step study, garden work, reflection and good food. And rather than indulge their old habits (aside from nicotine and coffee, of course), the participants gave us their labor for two weeks, helping to complete several projects that would have otherwise taken hundreds of paid man-hours to finish. They weren’t always enthusiastic–indeed, I’ve never seen a crew so eager for a cigarette and water break–but however slow and intermittent their labor may have been, the fact remains that they paid to come work for us.
As someone who is paid–however modestly–to do the daily work that comes with maintaing a farm, it has always fascinated me that this very work is often perscribed as therapy to people who are struggling. Fighting depression? Build a fence. Recovering alcoholic? Plant some flowers. Three years for manslaughter? Trellis a row of tomatoes. What’s particularly ironic is that a long bout of farmwork so often sends me scurrying to the yellow pages in search of therapy–a chiropractor, a masseuse, anyone to get this kink out of my spine.
What is it that farmwork–on its face repetitious and tiring, often dirty–can give to those who are sad, jilted, angry and abused? Obviously it never hurts to be outside, to get a bit of exercise and wind in your face. But it seems to me that the most valuable commodity that farmwork provides–indeed perhaps the very base of its popularity as a form of new-age therapy–is a basic sense of usefulness.
As humans, most of us will do most anything to be useful. We’ll start families, farms, and other money-and-time-suckers, all of which limit our freedom and make us accountable to hordes of other people. Tell us we’re useless–that, in modern parlance, “our services are no longer needed,” and very soon we’ll be driven to the same alcohol, drugs, and other junk that the recovering addicts were trying to purge from their systems when they rolled in two weeks ago.
To a sense of uselessness, farming provides a nice antidote. “You built this fence,” it tells you at the end of a long day. “You weeded these peas, you harvested this lettuce, you tilled this field.” If there were ever any doubt that humans are simple creatures, there is to me no proof more convincing than this fact: at the end of many days, these words are all we need.
]]>The group arrived weary, and wary of what was to come in the packed days ahead of them. Their apprehension and fears reflected our own. When they got here, on a Sunday night, they seemed a bit resistant, and as luck would have it I was in charge of their first meal. It had been a long weekend for us in the kitchen with a Friday Night Dinner, Farmer Appreciation Dinner, and two back-to-back Sunday brunches, and to be honest, I wanted nothing to do with the kitchen that night. So I did what most tired cooks do: I reheated left overs. And delicious leftovers they were. We had tri-tip from Saturday, mashed potatoes from Friday, braised greens from Sunday, and apple crisp with gingered whipped cream from Friday as well. Sitting down with the group, ready to make forced small talk and take a quick nap with my eyes open, I watched as these tired and self-abused individuals plunged into their plates and barely looked up from start to finish. They went back for seconds and thirds, and their cheek began to regain some color. People started talking, and eating, and eating some more. For me, these were just leftovers from the weekend meals. For them, this was some of the most nutritious stuff their bodies had received in a long time.
The next two weeks brought more of the same. Appetites grew. The group started asking questions about cooking methods, organic products, and different types of grains and how they could be used. They also worked in the garden in addition to painting murals, making journals, and attending group therapy sessions. For many, the concept of planting, growing, harvesting, and cooking their own food was not an attainable or realistic one. As a cook, it was heart-warming to watch malnourished individuals harvest their own greens and then see them prepared. For me, it was a firm reminder of why I do what I do. By the end of the week, it was plain to see that participants’ moods had been lifted from their previous state by a simple change in their diet.
I have always been fairly in tune with my body and how food affects it, although I may tune out those effects from time to time. For the past five years in particular I have been conscious of using organic and local products, steering away from refined sugars, and packing my meals full of delicious and complex grains. I also tend to surround myself with people who do the same. For me, to see the effect of this food on individuals who have not been as vigilant as me (or have hardly been feeding themselves!) opened my eyes. Eating this way helped them regain their energy, cured depression, and got them excited about cooking at home on their own.
Having The Right Door program was just as therapeutic for me as it was for the participants. Although some days were stressful and others downright tiring, feeding a different demographic was good for my soul. To see people appreciate your food the way these people did–the smiles, the “thank yous”, and above all the physical and mental change–brings me back to the heart of cooking: to nourish and love our bodies.
]]>“Finches and sparrows build nests in my chimney with remains of the small flightless birds that you failed to protect.”
Andrew Bird – Spare Ohs
Two days after we made this yummy frittata the fox came. He ate all our ducks and one of our chickens. The fox: I feel like I [...]]]>
“Finches and sparrows build nests in my chimney with remains of the small flightless birds that you failed to protect.”
Two days after we made this yummy frittata the fox came. He ate all our ducks and one of our chickens. The fox: I feel like I know him. I see him all the time. He prances under streetlights when I go for a run. He sprints across the street, in front of my truck when I’m coming home from work. The fox lives in a burrow under the railroad tracks a block or so from here. He stalks the neighborhood. And he’s taken our birds before. We’ve lost at least three other chickens to the fox. He comes at night and kills birds. Not that I blame him. It’s his nature, we know that and we’re the ones who’ve failed to protect the birds.
Obviously, we didn’t know we were going to lose our ducks when we made this frittata. But, in retrospect, having considered all the special things we could have done with our last ever duck eggs, I’m glad we made this recipe. It was the perfect “bridge” recipe, bringing together the last few seasons on our tiny farm. We used storage onion grown last fall, spinach tended over the winter and fresh duck eggs from this spring.
A frittata is a big, round omelet cooked in a pan. They’re usually made with a seasoned egg mixture, though some folks make them with a custard, like a quiche without the crust. Personally, I use seasoned eggs. If I wanted a quiche, I’d make a quiche. We made our frittata with duck eggs which are larger and slightly richer than chicken eggs. But chicken eggs are just as good if that’s what you have. This recipe was super simple, quick to make and crazy delicious. It was a fitting and suitable tribute to the birds we were soon to lose.
Another one in case your interested: Andrew Bird – Weather Systems
With the start up of Friday night dinners we have gotten the chance to start playing and cooking with springs early offerings. Not only do the surrounding farms have an abundance of sweet tender vegetables, our very own garden is pumping out some delicious salad greens.
Of all the greens so far- spinach is the winner. There is enough to go around for everyone- and then once more. We have incorporated in soups, quiches, salads and tamale pies. It’s too early in the season to start getting tired of such a nutrient rich leaf… and so we continue to rack our brains for spinach recipes. One in particular that I have become fond of is Spanakopita. When mentioning the dish to my mother the other day, she shuddered across the phone line. “Spanakopita? For forty? That sounds intensive and a bit awful..” My thoughts exactly, before I got a down a nice system and got over the fear of working with that fickle phyllo dough. The filling is easy and delicious- don’t let that flaky dough throw you off. Below, I will post a recipe for the filling. Now, my advice to you, is get everything set up. Create a station for yourself. Melt your butter with a pastry brush ready beside it, lay out the phyllo and cover with a damp rag (use throughout the whole process to keep the dough from getting brittle and impossible to work with), and have your filling ready to go. The following recipe is just a basic spinach filling- as summer goes on, add fun herbs popping up everywhere, incorporate green onions, or add a crunch with a handful or walnuts or pine nuts- above all, be glad spinach season is upon us… because that means berries and peaches aren’t too far behind!
Spanakopita
1 package Phyllo dough
8 cups Spinach Leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup cheese (I chose Avalanche Chevre)
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
1 each egg
5 Tbsp heavy cream
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Start by heating a skillet or large pan with olive oil (just to coat the bottom). Once the oil is heated through add chopped garlic and stir until just golden brown.
Add all of the spinach and stir to incorporate garlic. Add oregano, salt and pepper to spinach. Stir until spinach is just cooked (wilted) and remove from heat.
Add the egg, cream, and cheese to the spinach mixture and stir until fully incorporated. On a half sheet tray (or casserole dish) layer three pieces of dough, while brushing each layer with the melted butter, to create the bottom crust of the Spanakopita. Place the filling evenly across the first layers of phyllo dough and repeat first step by placing three more pieces (butter in between) on top.
Brush the top layer with remaining butter and add crumbled feta on top. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes or until top is gold brown.
Cut into triangles and serve while hot!
]]>“People say to me, ‘wow, summer must be really busy for you guys,’” said the farmer,as he climbed back behind the wheel. “But in the summer, there’s a rhythm. You know what each day is for. This time of year, running around like a madman getting things ready–Spring, now this is crazy.”
And it is. For those of us mad enough to yoke our working lives to the turbulent and sometimes vengeful tides of the Colorado seasons, this time of year is for doing, basically, what the plants outside are doing too. We wake up from endless winter, stretch our legs, gather sap and strength for the bonanza to come in the summer months ahead. We remember where everything is, where we left it to lie last fall as we hurried to be done, and to rest. We remember how a shovel works.
Here on the farm we have been prepping beds, running the rototiller through the hardpan clay and ginning up the dirt with a mix of manure and organic fertilizer that we hope will prove its worth come summer harvest. Like the surrounding landscape, we started slow, pulling a few greens from the hoop-house once a week. But before long the rest of what we’ve put in will start to show: more greens, of course, and peas. Beets, carrots, turnips, onions, raab chard and kale.
Until then we continue to run around like headless chickens, thinning and transplanting and prepping and hoping that, someday soon, a rhythm will set in. Then again, in a state where the weather changes every 10 minutes, will the rhythm ever come? I’m not holding my breath.
]]>Here is the way I am seeing it. I just spent 10 hours on a great meal, which is a little exorbitant and the only way I can rationalize being tied down to the stove that long is the payback of knowing if I make enough leftovers I may not have to do any serious pot-welding for at least a week after the big Holiday. Here’s to excess! May it pay off grandly for you in the week to come.
Re-Fixin’s
Here are some ideas for you. No recipes, just ideas. You will have to hum a few bars and guess at the rest. I am already starting my week off from cooking!
Turkey, Brie, Cheddar or Blue Cheese and Cranberry Quesadillas
Pan-fried Stuffing w/ Poached Eggs & Bacon
Turkey, Sweet Potato & Green Bean Curry
Potato Cakes w/ Smoked Salmon and Chevre
Cranberry, Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich
Pasta w/ Turkey, Gravy, Braised Greens, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Parmesan and Garlic
Turkey Chili & Cornbread
Cobb Salad w/ Turkey, Bacon, Hard Boiled Egg and Avocado
Turkey Bone Broth w/ Pumpkin, Wild Rice and Kale
Cream of Mashed Potato & Leek Soup
All right, do you get the idea? Bon Appetit!
]]>It was a rainy, sleety, snowy, windy kind of day. The greens, reds, browns of the greens were stunning in the dull grey light of the day. I hauled in 10 lbs of wonderful greens and almost as much spinach. The Kale – like I said – had been enjoyed by another. It was muddy and wet and beautiful. I was grateful for all the garden gave to us and thankful this would be the last time I would be getting muddy, wet, and cold harvesting anything for a while. Plus the mountains were getting whiter by the minute. Needless to day the single digits low never came and the greens are growing still. I think the spinach has had it though. Its been snowing the past three days and the greens seem to be loving it. Think I’ll be harvesting them again in a couple of days. Hopefully on a crisp clear sunfilled day.
I’ve also was able to get one last compost pile built and innoculated with the Biodynamics Preps a couple of days ago. Went out today while the snow was falling and the cold cut through my light fleece and stuck my hand into the pile. Just 6″ in it was hot and cooking. Can’t wait till the snow melts off of it in March and the sun starts to warm it and dry it and we get to dig into its blessings and spread them on the beds prior to seeding. That will be a good day.
The Chantung purple garlic I planted a few weeks ago poked up through the ground and was sticking bravely up above the mulch 3-4″. All the other varieties kept their heads low and covered.
We have only a few beds to fork, amend, and cover. The hoses are rolled up and stashed for the winter in the old chicken coop. The irrigation system is drained. The lawn is covered with leaves – perhaps I could get in one more compost pile….. The Great horn Owls arrived back a few days ago. They nest in a Blue Spruce next to the Farmhouse.
So Winter is here and the greens still grow. The compost is cooking under its blanket of hay. The garlic cloves break their dormancy and begin to swell and grow. The chickens scratch the still warm ground for bugs. The green tomatoes in the basement ripen into beautiful fruit of all colors. The light fades early. Tonight snow is falling in the moutains and I am digging out my ski equipment dreaming of floating through powder. Its a beautiful abundant life we have on this small farm. We are blessed indeed. Thank all of you for helping us do what we are doing. Thank you.
]]>Calling all locavores, foodies, wanna-be farmers, csa members, sustainability activists, local community members, local community builders, and food activists to the first...
Western Colorado Crop Mob!
While not everyone can start their own farm this is a way to become an active participant in the local food movement. Some people may decide to plant a garden, others will buy organic, or shop at the farmers market, but if you want to be more involved this is your chance.
What is a crop mob?
Calling all locavores, foodies, wanna-be farmers, csa members, sustainability activists, local community members, local community builders, and food activists to the first...
Western Colorado Crop Mob!
While not everyone can start their own farm this is a way to become an active participant in the local food movement. Some people may decide to plant a garden, others will buy organic, or shop at the farmers market, but if you want to be more involved this is your chance.
What is a crop mob?
ENJOY!
]]>ENJOY!
]]>SERVES 2
ENJOY!
]]>SERVES 4-5
SERVES 4-6
ENJOY!
]]>SERVES 4 to 5
Serve with rosemary roasted potatoes or garlic mashers
ENJOY!
]]>SERVES 6-8
ENJOY!
]]>