Well with the chill in the air, we are so glad digging sweet potatoes is behind us! We also got all our 1,500 strawberry plugs planted last week. A little late, but so glad it’s done. They are as I write being tucked under row cover by the other farmers so they will be snug tonight when it dips into the 20’s! The season is certainly changing around here. We harvested 80 Fraser Fir trees on Monday from our family farm in Monterey, VA. We have begun to make wreaths with them. It’s fun to think about Christmas this far ahead! We make most of our wreaths closer to Thanksgiving, but one of our whole clients decorates for a shopping mall and they want them early! So the barn loft has been converted into the wreath makers shop and that’s where you will find the “elves” or farmers working these chilly days!
This week our shares have lettuce, arugula, kale, sweet potatoes, butternut, eggplant and peppers, oh and kohlrabi for the full share members. The arugula doesn’t hold well, so I recommend gently sauteing it and putting it in quiche soon. The kale is awesome and sweet this time of year. I find myself wanting chicken pot pie a lot and my solution to no green beans this time of year is fun! I take the ribs of the kohlrabi or kale leaves and cut them about 3/4 in long and boil for a few minutes. Then I use them in a pot pie recipe in place of green beans. The kohlrabi also makes great low carb “potatoes” inside the pie. Delish, local, seasonal and not in the least wasteful! The sweet potatoes have been tried so many ways and we are loving them all! I use the white ones in soup as regular potatoes and it adds a nice sweetness.
Our favorite hot coco recipe is going to be dug out of the recipe box this weekend to use with our lovely raw milk. I’ll share it again soon. I’m to the bottom of the cheese freezer as well, so maybe we will start making some cheese again and share some of our favorites with you. If you have extra milk, the easiest thing to do is make some yogurt.
We have been enjoying our new ginger beer operation and waiting for our kombucha to get up and going again. The ginger beer is yummy and good in different ways! I hope you enjoyed it in your fermented shares. We also sent out a fun herbal share this month. Elderberry tincture, not yummy like syrup, but very effective and full of medicine! Take 1/2-1 tsp daily or as needed (like every hour or two if illness is coming on). The lotion bars are great this time of year with dry hands being a problem. The pumpkin pie tea, is my favorite when it’s cold outside, drink up! YUM!
We hope you all enjoy and can’t wait to see you around the farm! OH, and it’s almost too late to order a Thanksgiving turkey, but there are a few spots left. Send us an email if you’d like to reserve one!
Blessings,
The Bakers