Greetings from the farm. While it looks more like Winter outside, it is Spring. And as we’ve learned over the last 6 years, such a March day is to be expected, rather than be considered a suprise. We are glad that the 16 deg F overnight temps that some stations were forcasting never happened, as that would have been the real potential for damage.

To get ready for the storm we battened down our hatches, namely putting 3 layers of row cover on the bed of lettuce we have already planted (see photo), as well as 2 layers on a bed of onions. The greenhouse and cold frame were also buttoned up and filled to sit out the storm. Things looked fine this morning, and we await some drying weather so we can start planting.

Here are a few photos of the storm.

A disconcerting view out the window.

Ice storm

Snow storm

Morning view

Lettuce

Thanks again to everyone who helped out at this year’s Fair Share Farm CSA Sign-up Meeting. That includes all you members who came to the meeting and made it such a success. As we’ve grown from 25 members to 105, added more vendors, and relied almost entirely on the Core Group to manage the signup, it has become more fun each year.

Here are a few photos of the day, as well as a picture of sunrise on the farm the first day of Spring. As our house faces due south, we know it is Spring when the sun rises directly east of the facade. While we have global warming to deal with, hopefully humans can’t change when and where the sun rises.

Tried to post this last week, but wouldn’t work. But here is a look at what it takes to put beehives together. The Stubblefield’s garage sounded like Santa’s workshop as I approached. Thanks to all who helped build homes for Fair Share Farm’s newest live-ins.

People often ask what we do in the winter. It seems that generally we can say that we work. The farm has been a work in progress since the day we arrived in November 2002, and it continues year round. As a city boy I had no idea the amount of care and upkeep a farmstead requires. What I thought might take 3 years is now going on 7.

While we take a respite from thinking about farming during the month of December, come the New Year we are focused on the future. This year that includes the normal things like reviewing the seed catalogs and ordering seeds, ordering equipment, soil amendments and other supplies, and getting ready for starting up the greenhouse in early February, processing membership deposits, meeting with the Core Group to discuss future plans, and getting ready for the sign-up meeting. It also includes the development of a 3 year plan (more on that from Rebecca in a day or two), and planning this year’s projects: bees, livestock (a few sheep), permanent irrigation piping, barn improvements, implement maintenance, a new blueberry patch, 20 more fruit trees, and two interns. We also co-taught a CSA Mini-School at the Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference, and have been helping to establish the Kansas City CSA Coalition (www.kc-csac.org).

Our biggest project this winter however, has been our home remodel. We have been slowly converting our 1930’s farmhouse (originally built w/o running water or electricity), into a more open floor plan and modern home. We are excited this year that we will finish (at least 90%) our kitchen and dining room. We began painting on Sunday and are in the homestretch (not a moment too soon.)

While we were remodeling the kitchen, we were able to convert our utility room into a kitchen, with the stove and refrigerator stationed in the office. It gave us use of all the essentials, and cleared the kitchen so we could work unobstructed. We were even able to can, making orange marmalade with organic oranges mail ordered from Mission, Texas. About as local citrus as you can get around here.

So Much to Give Thanks For
As we harvest and pack the shares we are thankful for the bounty remaining in the fields. Folks are becoming more aware of the multiple benefits of local food, and we are happy to have fresh produce available in late November, when such things can be sparse. With a little help from modern technology (ie, floating row cover made of spun polyester—an agricultural leisure suit), we have been able to protect many of the more tender plants from the low 20° F nights.
Thanksgiving is often a brown (turkey, stuffing and gravy), white (potato) and orange (sweet potatoes and winter squash) affair. The many greens in the share are a great addition to this standard fare. Not only do they add color, but also those many “green” nutrients missing once summer is gone. We feel they also help make a large meal more digestible, especially when eaten raw. We hope to make these shares an annual affair, and hope a few of these recipes become traditions with your family.

Fennel & Escarole Stuffing with Pine Nuts We tried this dish last Friday, with a few modifications. We didn’t have pine nuts so we used roasted shelled pumpkin seeds. And not having any white wine around, we used half white wine vinegar and water. The result was delicious, with a little bitterness from the escarole. We haven’t tried it again, but next time will use a little less escarole and maybe add some raisins or other dried fruit.

Lettuce Spinach Salad with Carrot, Fennel and Grated Root Vegetable A great way to sample five share items at once. Simply wash and tear up the lettuce and de-stemmed spinach into a salad bowl. Cut the tops and root end off a fennel bulb, cut it in half (from top to bottom), and then cut into thin slices. Add to the salad along with grated carrot and turnip or beet. Toss before serving and garnish individual salads with sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

Creamy Lemon Herb Dressing A perfect topping for the salad, the dill and cilantro give this dressing a fresh, Spring-like taste.

Brussel Sprouts with Butter and Cheese Brussel sprouts are something to keep simple when cooking. Snap the individual sprouts off the stalk and clean off any raggedy leaves. Cut larger sprouts in half. Put in a saucepan with about ½ inch of water in the bottom. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until sprouts are tender. Drain, put back in pan and add 1 tbsp or more of butter. Serve warm and top with grated cheese (parmesan or cheddar) or crumbled fresh cheese (goat cheese or feta).

Swiss Chard with Vinegar and Egg The recipe in the newsletter calls for kale, but Swiss chard is just as good. And of course local pasture raised chicken eggs from Parker Farms are an excellent addition.

Cole Slaw This is a standard recipe filled with locally available ingredients. Cole slaw recipes are abundant, check your relatives or the web for a perfect one. Don’t be shy to grate turnips or fennel into yours. Dill can be a nice addition too.

NEED TO KNOW MORE? Go to our Recipe page and search.

Thanks
We hope that you enjoyed your CSA experience this year. We also hope that the blog was a useful addition in communicating with you. You can let us know what you thought by commenting here, or sending us an email.

Grated Cabbage and Root Slaw with Amana Colonies Dressing
A few weeks ago I was looking for a radish recipe and found one called Amana Colonies Radish Salad. It has a sour cream dressing that can be used on roots besides radishes. The source of the recipe, Cooking A to Z, notes “One group of German immigrants, the Amana Society founded seven villages near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the 19th century. For many years the residents dined in communal kitchens. Their far, of which this radish salad is typical, reflected both their German heritage and the abundant harvest of the rich Iowa farmland.”

2 cups grated cabbage
2 cups grated root vegetables (radish, beets, carrots, turnips, kohlrabi)
½ cup sour cream
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp chopped chives, parsley or dill

1. Mix cabbage and root slices with salt. Place in a colander and let stand to drain for 30 to 45 minutes. Blot dry with paper towels
2. In a medium bowl blend together sour cream, vinegar, pepper and chives. Add drained vegetables and mix lightly to coat with dressing. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 2 hours).
3. Serve salad in bowl lined with lettuce leaves

Bulk List
Chard, collards, kale, Asian green $2.50/bu

NEED TO KNOW MORE? Go to our Recipe page and search.

In the Share: Week 23
CARROTS (F/P) Red-cored Chantennay – an heirloom and a good-keeper.
SWISS CHARD (F/P)
BROCCOLI (F/P)
CAULIFLOWER OR KOHLRABI (F)
GREEN PEPPERS (F/P) the last harvest
BOK CHOY (P) see week 22 kimchee recipe
NAPA (CHINESE) CABBAGE (P) ditto above
WATERMELON RADISHES (F)
LETTUCE: (F/P)
ASIAN GREENS (F) Vitamin Green or Tatsoi
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Cilantro or dill or a dried herb.

Also this week: Parker Farms delivery

Next Week: More greens and roots. Cabbage, garlic and sweet potatoes. Bread of Life delivery.

Farm report
The farm continues to be active as we prepare for the coming cold season. This week we dug the rosemary and marjoram plants from the field and potted them up. They will spend the winter dormant but protected in the greenhouse. Today we harvested all the green peppers of reasonable size from the plants and pulled more irrigation tape out of the beds. We also began the process of folding up the header pipes and fire hose that brings the water to the field. Each run is folded, tied and labeled before being hung in the barn rafters for the winter. On Saturday, the membership rolled out straw bales down the beds destined for next spring’s pea crop.

But before you all say goodbye for the season, we need something from each of you. A commitment that you’ll be with us next year … and some money to back it up. This week’s email includes a handy deposit slip that along with $50 will secure your spot in the 2009 membership. Some call it ‘seed money’ which it truly is. We are often asked what we do during the winter. Part of what we do is we purchase the bulk of what the farm needs for the year ahead. We save money by buying in bulk and limiting the amount of shipping by picking up supplies at the winter conferences from our suppliers. Also with the price of everything going up from seeds to plastic, fuel to peat moss, we get the best price early in the season before any shortages can occur. While it all makes good business sense, the winter is obviously a pretty slow time economically for farmers. The only money coming in until the spring signup will be your deposits. So before old man winter arrives, please consider sending in that deposit so that we can prepare for another season of growing quality, nutritious food for your family and your community. Thanks!