new season old habits

Amazing.  The coldest night of the winter was the first night of Spring.

It was 17 degrees down here.  We covered the plants in the greenhouse and brought the most tender young plants indoors.  Everything made it.  Honeybees, snails, mosquitoes, butterflies have been knocked back, but there will still be blooms for them when they come back.

The greenhouse is nearly full already and we're feeling behind planting.  Very soon, plants will have to leave the greenhouse and go into the ground.

Old habits die hard, I guess.  We went ahead and got a permit for the Cookeville Farmer's Market.  So, even tho we're not selling shares, you may see us this summer.  Lulah has a nice flat of snapdragons started and we may have to bring her in with flowers, and tomatoes.

It's good and well time for this season to crack open.  Let's hope it's a good one.

Anise Hyssop making a start to the season.

For more season's greetings, check out www.radicalfarmwives.com tomorrow for my post there.

the 2013 season

It usually takes us until about mid January before we are settled down enough to begin to think about the year ahead. This year it has taken a little longer. We have been contemplating some dramatic changes in our personal and professional lives. It is with great trepidation that we have decided to not make veggie deliveries to Cookeville this year.

For a number of years we have been trying to find a balance of what really works in our farming adventure. As many of you know, our land base is quite small. The total space of our gardens is a little less than one acre, and there's not really any room left to expand. Because of this, there are efficiencies of scale in farming that we cannot take advantage of. So, we have tended to work our little space quite intensively. The soil continues to improve and the food is good, but the process ends up working us hard too (maybe we should say 'too hard'). The year we tried having an intern was helpful, but that too was difficult in our small space.

We have been looking for a larger farm for about five years now, but haven't found one that feels just right. We seek land that will allow us to expand our farming operation without sacrificing the natural beauty and the amenities that we appreciate at our current home. The plan is to spend more time looking for a new farm this year, regroup, and hopefully be back in a year or two.

That said, our hearts are heavy. It has been wonderful to be CSA growers. We have so much appreciated the relationships we've made with each of you over the years. We love tending to the land, growing food, and sharing quality food with the Cookeville community. We will continue to work our land, less intensively, and your invitation to visit the farm – even to get food from our gardens – is still standing. It's just time for us to make some changes, and some changes really take time.

Thank you for the time we've spent. We hope you continue to eat well, and hope to see you again, one of these fine days.

Warm regards,

Paul, Coree, Lulah, and Levon Entwistle

PS - We will persist to keep some updates posted on the blog and Facebook sites, and you can also check out the blog that Coree is working on with some friends: radicalfarmwives.com.  Thank you!

silver linings

There's nothing like a family illness to make one grateful for the return to health.  The days slowed down, and they're still not up to their usual clip.  Intense variable weather helps keep us moving slower too.

And in the meantime...

I dreamt, in the first night of good sleep I'd had for awhile, that I was not just knitting but purling.  I'm not an accomplished knitter (yet), and so far, purling has evaded me.  My sister in law tried to show me, and my friend Cher tried to show me, but it just didn't click.  So when I saw my hands purling in the dream world, I woke with a new urge to TRY.

With books laid out, kids absorbed in books and naptime, a new skein of beautiful red merino wool from Traditions Fabric and Yard in Lafayette (love them), I tried, and it worked.  I'm not consistent yet, but I'm fascinated.  No one could have told me how absorbing the repetitive action and creation of knitting would feel.  I love the challenge, and the satisfying success, of it.

Lulah working on her

Levon and Dougie sporting new pants.

So, since I was on a roll, Lulah and I started up the sewing machine and worked up some projects long overdue.  Dougie Doll, made a year ago for Levon, still has no hair (poor little guy), but at least he has pants now.  And Levon has pants to match.  It does a mother's heart good to see her two year old son working hard to put on the pants she just made for him (out of a salvaged flannel shirt, yippee!).





Most of what we share on here is about the farm, the outdoors, and food.  But here's our inner craftiness coming through.  It's a silver lining in these quiet, grey, winter days.  It's a way for our spirits to recover, along with our bodies.

the coldest night of the year

Maybe it will be maybe it won't, but there's no denying that it's colder than it has been.  The wind was positively frigid, and as the sun sinks, I can feel the intensity of the freeze increasing.

We scurried around this afternoon, packing on a little extra remay here and there, bringing in some food, giving the chickens some treats, and enjoying the sun.  My big monkey ran over the hillsides with a light windbreaker and mudboots with NO SOCKS!  No complaining, either, so I guess I'll just take it as a small victory that she's wearing shoes at all.  Amazingly, the rain barrel spigot was not frozen so the little puppy boy got to do one of his favorite things - make mud.  There will be beautiful mud crystals in the morning ice.

Now, time for fire wood and dinner, a long night of bright stars.  It's good, so good.

I hope you're all gratefully warm out there!

sun sun sun

It's been a beautiful crisp clear day and we're all so grateful.  From the time the light shone around the curtains, I could feel the difference between grey and blue in the sky.

Our batteries are charging, inside and out.  The chickens and turkeys have been preening in the light, though the ground is still to wet to find a proper place for a dust bath.  Farm Cat Wowee has perched himself in the warmest places he could find and basked.  We all have that feeling about us.

I know the long grey spell is nothing new for winter.  In fact, it's normal, and we're glad to have normal weather whenever possible.  I have loved the sound of the creek.  With such dry spells as we've had this year, the creek makes too small a song to be heard from the porch, but after the rains, it has been audible again, reminding us about the realities of where we live. We made the most of the low light in our solar home by finding our old Aladdin lamp and using it in the evenings.  It's light was warm and sweet and perfect for a family meal, a game of Uno, a storytime.

The dark makes us all the more grateful for the light.

Peace.
Coree

dec 13 - almost winter

Broccoli           Kohlrabi          Tat Soi     

Black Spanish Radish                        Butternut       

Sweet Potato              Garlic

Herb bag:      Arugula Chickweed     Thyme               Dill         

Thanks for keeping up the good veggie eating.  This broccoli is your reward for sticking with us through this long late season.  Hope you enjoy it too.  It doesn’t need much cooking.  One of the best things we’ve ever done with our broccoli is to mix it raw in a simple carrot salad. 

Here’s the deal – we will be coming to town next week and will be glad to bring another basket of veggies in for anyone who wants it.  After that, we’re taking a few weeks off for holidays, and it could very well be that the gardens will be dormant.  We’ll just see how the peculiarities of this particular winter play out.

Simple Sauteed Kohlrabi

2 medium kohlrabi bulbs, grated      1 tsp salt                     ¼ cup butter or light oil

1 medium diced onion                       1 clove garlic              2 Tbsp fresh thyme, chives, or sage

1) Mix the kohlrabi and salt in a colander and let stand for 30 minutes to drain.

2) Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.

3) Stir in the kohlrabi.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

4) Increase the heat to medium, uncover the skillet, and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the fresh herbs.  Let stand for a couple minutes to let the flavors develop.

Intriguing recipe sent from a Lafayette friend:

Southwestern Pumpkin Hummus

6 cloves garlic                         1 ¾ cups mashed or canned pumpkin (butternut)

¼ cup fresh cilantro               ¼ cup fresh lime juice

¼ cup tahini                           2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling

3 tsp cumin                             1 tsp salt, or to taste

½ tsp chili powder                 ½ tsp chipotle pepper

Toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish

Put the garlic cloves into a food processor and pulse to chop fine.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.  Garnish with pumpkin seeds and drizzle with additional oil before serving.  Serve with vegetables, crackers, or tortilla chips.

Thanks for sharing this good stuff.  We appreciate you.

Paul, Coree, Lulah and Levon

the end of november

Fun Jen Chinese Cabbage      Kale     Yokatta Na

White Potatoes           Seminole Pumpkins       Garlic

Herb bag:      Sorrel     Chickweed     Parsley              Dill         

It’s been cold, and the garden is flattening out.  The plants get closer to the ground.  Deep green leaves turn a little purple.  Growth is slow in the short days, but the flavors are more intense.

We’re scaling back now.  There’s more food than we anticipated having in the garden, but it’s best not to pick things when they’re frozen, and some of the basic crops are taking longer to regenerate now.  If you want veggies, watch for an email on Mondays.  We’ll aim for every other week or so, pending the weather, and as supplies last!

The little greens with little tiny leaves in your herb bag are Chickweed.  It grows wild around the garden.  This time of year, it is a succulent bright green.  It is fresh on the palate, nice on sandwiches and in wraps, excellent on salads, even do-able as a pesto or tabbouli green.  By Spring, it will be thick with stems, covered in white flowers and tiny seeds that propel themselves out and around the garden as we walk through, insuring another flush crop next Fall.  Wild greens are really good for you, and few are as palatable as Chickweed.

The shiny oval leaves are Yokatta Na – steam, stir fry, or slice thin in salad.

Fun Jen is light green and lettucey – same as Yokatta Na – try a variation on slaw.

Kale is matte, not shiny, and dark green with round thin ribs – steam, or fry with garlic. Yum.

Some fun with pumpkins or squash:

Crusted Pumpkin Wedges with Sour Cream (from Plenty)

1 1/2 pounds pumpkin (skin on)                              1/2 cup grated Parmesan

3 tablespoons dried white breadcrumbs                   6 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

2 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme                    Grated zest of 2 large lemons

2 cloves garlic                                                             Salt and white pepper

1/4 cup olive oil                                                         1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon chopped dill

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the pumpkin into 3/8-inch-thick slices and lay them flat, cut-side down, on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.

2) Mix together in a small bowl the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, half the lemon zest, the garlic, a tiny amount of salt (remember, the Parmesan is salty) and some pepper.

3) Brush the pumpkin generously with olive oil and sprinkle with the crust mix, making sure the slices are covered with a nice, thick coating. Gently pat the mix down a little.

4) Place the pan in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender: stick a little knife in one wedge to make sure it has softened and is cooked through. If the topping starts to darken too much during cooking, cover loosely with foil.

5) Mix the sour cream with the dill and some salt and pepper. Serve the wedges warm, sprinkled with the remaining lemon zest, with the sour cream on the side.

Be warm, keep well, and enjoy your veggies.                              Best regards from the Entwistles