Endeavor Farm

Last Market

2014-10-10T08:31:00.001-04:00

We are hoping for better weather on Saturday than we had last week. It was cold and windy like no other market day in the five years that we have been doing this market thing. Jars of flowers were crashing to the pavement as we were hanging onto the framework of the tent. I was too busy picking up pieces of glass to document the disaster. Thank you to those very loyal customers who showed up and bought vegetables, flowers or jam.

As I was strolling through the garden this week in preparation for what to cook for a dear friend's visit, I noticed unusually healthy rhubarb plants for this time of year. Just a few weeks before, they were looking wilted and quite done for the season. I think the rain and cold weather were just what they needed. I don't recall picking rhubarb in October any other year. I would make rhubarb cobbler for dessert!

Rhubarb Cobbler
2 cups chopped rhubarb
2/3 cup sugar
1 T. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 beaten egg
3 T. milk

Arrange rhubarb in a 9 inch baking dish. Combine 2/3 cup sugar, 1 T. flour and cinnamon. Sprinkle over rhubarb mixture. Sift dry ingredients, together and cut in butter. Mix egg and milk. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until flour is moistened. Spoon over rhubarb. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Farmers, I think, are the eternal optimists.Terry has sewn the winter rye where the crops are finished. This will enrich the soil and discourage weeds from growing. In the spring he will till it into the soil. Later this month, we will plant the garlic heads that we have saved from the July harvest. The circle continues.

This week at the market we will have Swiss chard, lettuce, flowers and jams.
Thank you for your support this year!

Cleaning Up

2014-09-30T12:59:00.001-04:00

Our tomatoes were a disappointment this year, as were the pear trees. Good thing I made tons of chili and tomato sauce last year. The tomatoes that we did harvest went into salsa. This week was all about cleaning up the garden. We have had an unusually long stretch of beautiful, warm days so we took advantage of that today. Terry rototilled where the garlic will soon be planted and spread winter rye grass seed to enrich the soil over the winter.

The chard is still looking great so I tried another recipe from the book, Jerusalem, by Yotam Ottolenghi. It was another winner and a little easier to prepare.

Swiss Chard Fritters
Serves 4 as a starter

14 oz/400 g Swiss Chard leaves, stalks removed
1 oz./30 g flat-leaf parsley
2/3 oz/20 g cilantro
2/3 oz./20 g dill
1 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp sugar
3 T. all-purpose flour
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 large free-range eggs
3 oz./80 g feta cheese, broken into small pieces
4 T. olive oil
1 lemon cut into 4 wedges
salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add the chard and simmer for 5 minutes.

Drain the leaves and squeeze them well until completely dry. Place in a food processor along with the herbs, nutmeg, sugar, flour, garlic, eggs, generous 1/4 tsp. of salt and some pepper. Blitz until smooth and then fold the feta through the mix by hand.

Pour 1 T. of the oil into a medium frying pan. Place over medium-high heat and and spoon in a heaping tablespoon of the mixture for each fritter. Press down gently with the spoon to get a 3/8 inch thick fritter. Cook fritters for 3-4 minutes in total, turning once until they have taken on some color.

Transfer to paper towels, then keep each batch warm while you cook the remaining mixture, adding the remaining oil as needed. Serve at once with the lemon wedges. I also served these with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

This week at the market we will have chard, cilantro, red and green lettuce, jams, basil, beets (limited quantity) and fresh flowers will be back!

A Swiss Chard Recipe

2014-09-24T21:00:00.001-04:00

Two of my new favorite cookbooks are by Yotam Ottolenghi. One is Jerusalem and the other is Plenty. I renewed both from the library a ridiculous number of times then decided to buy myself both. Plenty is all about vegetables. I love finding new recipes that can help me use whatever is in the garden, including fresh herbs This week it is Swiss chard.

Chard and Saffron Omelettes
Serves 4

1/2 lb. (1 medium) waxy potato, peeled and cut into 3/8 inch dice
1 cup water
Pinch of saffron threads
3/4 lb. Swiss chard (stalks and leaves), shredded
salt and pepper
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2/3 cup chopped herbs (tarragon, dill, parsley)
vegetable oil
1/2 cup creme fraiche, cold (you can substitute sour cream)

Put the potatoes, water and saffron in a large pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 4 minutes, then add the chard and some salt and pepper. Continue cooking, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the potato is soft. Drain out any excess liquid that is left in the pan.. Off the heat, add the lemon juice and garlic. Leave to cool.

Whisk together well the eggs, milk, herbs and some salt and pepper. Pour 1 tsp. of oil into a hot 9-inch nonstick frying pan, then use one quarter of the egg mix to make a thin round omelette. Transfer to paper towels. Make 3 more omelettes in the same way. Leave to cool down.

Divide the cold creme fraiche among the omelettes, spreading it over one half of each. Taste the chard mix and adjust the seasoning, then spread generously over the creme fraiche. Fold each omelette over in half, then fold again to get a fan shape. Allow the chard mix to show at the open side. Arrange the omelettes in a lightly oiled ovenproof dish or on a baking sheet. (Keep in fridge if making ahead.) When ready to serve, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the omelettes in the oven for 5-8 minutes, or until hot. Serve at once.

The next recipe I am trying from this book is Lemon and Goat Cheese Ravioli!

At the market this week we will have our second planting of cilantro ready so if you haven't already made your winter stash of salsa, now is the time.

All of our flowers this week will be at Lindsay's wedding, but you can get some the following week! We will also have jams, chard, and red and green lettuce. See you there!

Sweet Corn for the Winter

2014-09-12T11:56:00.003-04:00

When our neighbors at the market told us that they were selling the last of their corn I panicked. We have been buying a dozen ears each week for the two of us and enjoying them with every meal. The frozen corn at the grocery store is OK and it's yellow - but I wanted to have fresh sweet corn during the winter. The closest I can come to that is to freeze the last of this year's harvest.

When freezing you want to be sure to use only tender, freshly gathered vegetables. First I husked, trimmed the ears, removed the silk and washed them. Next is the blanching or boiling, which is a critical step in preparing the corn for the freezer. It cleanses the corn from any dirt and hidden microorganisms, brightens the color, helps retains vitamins and reduces the action of enzymes which can destroy flavor. The length of boiling time is particular to the specific vegetable. Ears that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter boil for 6 minutes, 2 inches in diameter boil for 8 minutes and larger ears for 10 minutes. The blanching time is followed by quick cooling in ice water to stop the cooking process. This usually takes about the same amount of time as the blanching.

After draining I cut the kernels from the cobs and then packed the corn into freezer bags. Portions are determined on the size of your family. For me and Terry I pack half cup servings for us or 1 cup per freezer bag.

When I use the corn this winter I will only cook it long enough to melt the butter that I will put on it.

This week at the market we will have flowers, jams, lettuce, swiss chard and kale. Our second planting of green beans is just about ready to flower so they will be ready in a couple of weeks - that is if we get more warm weather!

Here Come the Brides

2014-09-04T12:58:00.004-04:00

This summer we were asked to provide the flowers for two weddings. The first one is Saturday, the second one is later this month. Fortunately, the flowers are doing better since we staked them. We haven't had any more heavy rains, though we are keeping our fingers crossed that an early frost does not occur before the next wedding. Both brides are providing mason jars, which is how they first saw them at the market.

Scabiosa 'Black Knight' is amazingly delicate and unique, adding interest to all of the arrangements.

We cut the flowers either early in the morning or late in the day to prevent wilting.

At the market this week we will have gladiolas, lettuce, swiss chard, cherry tomatoes and jams.
See you there!

Savoring Summer with Salsa

2014-08-28T08:19:00.001-04:00

It is not a great year for tomatoes for us. I won't show you what the tomato plants look like now - they have almost no foliage remaining and they definitely gave out on their production weeks ago. But the few we did get went into salsa this week. This recipe is from the Ball Canning Book. I made the careless mistake of not wearing gloves when I seeded the jalapenos. I won't do that again.

Salsa - makes 5 pint jars
7 cups chopped tomatoes (3.5 lbs.)
2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped green pepper
8 jalapeno peppers (or to taste)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (5.5 oz.) tomato paste
3/4 c. white vinegar
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust two-piece lids and process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.

I had 18 lbs. of tomatoes, adjusted the amounts of the other ingredients accordingly, and made 19 pint jars.

This week at the market we will have carrots, beets, red and green lettuce, kale, chard, gladiolas, flowers and jams. See you there!

In Full Swing

2014-08-21T19:51:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe that we have been at the market for 16 weeks. The flowers are growing well, although because of so much rain, we have had to stake most of them. When the ground gets saturated, they become top-heavy and fall over, causing their stems to curl upward. That alone would not be a problem, but curved stems do not work in flower arrangements!

Our garlic is sold out for this year.

We have shipped it as far as west as Hawaii and as far east as Cape Cod!

This week we will have cut flowers (cut arrangements and gladiolas by the stem), kale, swiss chard, red and green lettuce, beets, carrots, cherry tomatoes, strawberry and black currant jams. See you there!

Something New!

2014-08-05T07:50:00.001-04:00

This year we are growing gladiolas for the first time. We will have them at the market this week, selling them by the stem. The color choices will be yellow, green and pink. We have fond memories of vacations in Chautauqua where gladiolas could be seen on most porches in the summer.

Chautauqua, NY

Gladiolas at Chautauqua

Endeavor Farm gladiolas

The tomatoes are coming along but would prefer more heat and less rain. When Elizabeth worked on an organic farm on Cape Cod a few summers ago she introduced us to the plastic clips that we now use to support the vines. The clips allow the vines to continue to grow without restriction. The pickling cucumbers, Brandywines, Super Sweet 100's and Sungolds are coming along.

This week we will have: Flowers (mixed bouquets and gladiolas), beets, green beans, beets, swiss chard, lettuce, basil, kale, fresh garlic and jams.

See you at the market!

Cooler Temps

2014-07-25T14:00:00.000-04:00

This week's cooler temperatures were a relief for us weeders, but the flowers decided to slow down. Fortunately, the green beans seemed to love the weather and are beginning to produce well.

The tomatoes are huge with lots of flowers. We are harvesting the Sun Golds which are a small orange cherry tomato with lots of flavor.

How do we know when it is time to harvest the garlic? We look for the foliage to start turning brown.

The basil would love warmer temperatures - maybe next week?

This week we will have kale, Swiss chard, basil, green beans, beets, fresh garlic, carrots, grape jelly, black currant jam, and strawberry jam.

See you at the market!

New This Week - Fresh Garlic, Carrots & Black Currant Jam

2014-07-16T17:39:00.002-04:00

This Saturday will be our eleventh week. We are into our Friday night rhythm of picking, washing, bunching and flower arranging. New this week is fresh garlic. It will not store well because it has not been dried so don't keep it around too long. We will harvest all of it soon and hang it from the rafters in the garage. Once it is dried it will store for several months.

I picked black currants last week and the jam is now available.

I have missed having it and will be sure to set aside more jars in my personal stash this winter.

We enjoy seeing all of you at the market, especially those of you who

travel across town from Lakewood to support Endeavor Farm!

New this week: carrots, fresh garlic, and black currant jam.

We will also have: fresh flower arrangements, red and green lettuce, kale, chard,

salad mix, arugula, basil, red beets, golden beets, strawberry jam and grape jelly.

Summer bouquets soon!

2014-07-09T20:08:00.004-04:00

Terry spread some of the leaf compost between the rows to help keep down the weeds (we hope). He also made the spaces between the rows wider this year to easily maneuver the rototiller down them to cut down on hand-weeding.

Flowers are beginning to bloom! We will have bouquets for sale a week from this Saturday.

Globe Amaranth

Zinnias

Carrots are poking up above the soil and the green beans are flowering.

The rain has been lovely this week, although now it is too soft to plant any more seeds. There is always something to complain about!

This week at the market we will have:

Golden beets

Red beets

Lettuce

Chard

Kale

Salad mix

Arugula

Strawberry jam

See you soon!

Eat more kale

2014-07-02T17:35:00.002-04:00

Why should you include kale in your diet? Kale is a source of vitamins A, C and K as well as copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus. One cup contains only 40 calories but packs almost 3 grams of protein. One cup of cooked kale has over 1000% more vitamin C than a cup of cooked spinach. I won't bore you with more nutritional information here, but if you are diabetic or are concerned about heart disease, you might want to research more benefits of this veggie on your own.

For reasons unknown to us, our kale is looking better than ever this year....... oh the wonders and surprises when you garden. If you haven't already tried making kale chips, you should start with that recipe. If you are ready to move on, I will tell you about a kale salad and fried rice with pork and kale.

Kale Chips
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Wash and dry kale. Cut out center stem, then chop kale into 2" squares. In a bowl, toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet being careful not to overlap any of the pieces.

Bake for about 7 min, then turn kale. Bake for about 4-5 more min watching carefully that the kale does not burn. Cool briefly and enjoy!

Kale Salad (from Larissa Bailey, Geauga Farm Market Manager)

6 cups chopped kale (remove center stem)

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Dressing:

4 T olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

Pinch of sugar

Note: I think this is even the better the next day.

Fried Rice with Pork and Kale (Courtesy of Molly Wizenberg from her new book, Delancey)
1 bunch kale
3 T peanut or grapeseed oil

4 cups cold cooked rice
4 oz. smoked pulled pork (or any other leftover cooked meat
Fine sea salt to taste
1 T fish sauce (or more to taste)
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Wash and dry the kale leaves. Trim away the woody stems and then chop or tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Heat a wok or large 12" heavy skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot enough for a drop of water to instantly evaporate, add 1 T of the oil. Add the kale and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is wilted and beginning to char at the edges, 1-3 minutes. Add a good pinch of salt. Scrape the kale into a bowl, add 1 tsp. of the lemon juice and toss to mix.

With the wok still over high heat, add the rice, and then immediately add the remaining 2 T. oil. Stir to coat the rice with oil. Then spread the rice all around the wok so that as much of it touches the hot surface as possible, and let it cook, untouched, for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the rice on the bottom is browned and can be scraped away from the walls of the wok without resistance. Stir well, and then spread it out and let it sit again, untouched, for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Continue to cook until the rice is evenly hot and browned to your liking. Then add the pork and 1 T. fish sauce, stirring well. Cook until the meat is heated through and then stir in the kale. Add the remaining 1 tsp. lemon juice and toss well. Transfer rice to a serving dish, taking care to scrape up any tasty browned bits that stick to the pan! Add some chopped, fresh herbs at the end such as cilantro, basil or a little dill. Yield: 2 hearty servings.

I hope you are inspired to try one of these recipes!

In addition to kale this week, we will also have:

Red and golden beets

Swiss chard

Red and green lettuce
Mixed salad greens

Basil

Cilantro

Strawberry jam

Grape jelly

Jammin'

2014-06-20T09:27:00.000-04:00

This was the week for making strawberry jam. I always love driving out to Parkman anyway, but coming home with a car load of organic strawberries made this trip better than most. Within a few hours of being picked that morning, these berries were in the jars.

Removing the hulls.

Mashing the berries.

Cooking.

Processing to seal the lids.

This week, in addition to organic strawberry jam, we will have arugula, swiss chard, kale, salad mix, lettuce, red and golden beets, cilantro and garlic scapes. Hope to see you tomorrow!

Garlic Scapes

2014-06-12T17:41:00.001-04:00

This is the second and final week that we will have scapes. Garlic scapes are the "flower stalks" of hardneck garlic plants, although they do not produce flowers. These stalks start to appear a month or so after the first leaves. They are usually cut off of the plant, since leaving them on only diverts the plants strength away from forming a plump bulb.

The curls you see are the scapes. One way to enjoy an early taste of summer is to make a pesto. Here is a simple recipe from Dorie Greenspan:

GARLIC SCAPE AND ALMOND PESTO
Makes about 1 cup
10 garlic scapes, finely chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan (to taste and texture)
1/3 cup slivered almonds (you could toast them lightly, if you'd like)
About 1/2 cup olive oil
Sea salt

Put the scapes, 1/3 cup of the cheese, almonds and half the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor (or use a blender or a mortar and pestle). Whir to chop and blend all the ingredients and then add the remainder of the oil and, if you want, more cheese. If you like the texture, stop; if you'd like it a little thinner, add some more oil. Season with salt.

If you're not going to use the pesto immediately, press a piece of plastic against the surface to keep it from oxidizing. The pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days or packed airtight and frozen for a couple of months, by which time tomatoes should be at their juciest.

You can also saute the scapes in a little olive oil. The following recipe is from Mother Earth News.

Heat the oil in a broad sauté pan and add sugar. Stir to caramelize the sugar for about 2 to 3 minutes and add the scapes. Cover and sauté over a medium-high heat for no more than 3 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan to prevent the scapes from scorching. After 3 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes and wine. Stir the pan, then cover and reduce the heat to low; continue cooking 5 to 6 minutes, or until the scapes are tender but not soft. Season, then add the parsley and haloumi, and serve at room temperature.

Golden beet

Hope to see you Saturday!

Leaf Compost

2014-05-30T16:08:00.001-04:00

This is the time of year when we think a lot about the soil. Actually, in late winter Terry sends off soil samples from each of the 3 plots for analysis. Depending on the results, we add recommended organic supplements.

We haven't mulched the flower beds since Hannah and Ian's wedding in 2009 and we decided it was time to do it again, this time with leaf compost. Terry is also tilling it into the vegetable garden to enrich the soil. Each day, depending on how many wheel barrows are filled, we see more and more of the blue tarp and less of the leaf compost.

Terry with his favorite birthday present ever.

Along with emerging beets, carrots, kale, chard, lettuces, cilantro and arugula, the weeds are gaining on us. Picking them out of small seedlings is tedious but necessary.

This week we will have great looking green and red lettuce, some arugula and grape jelly.

Lettuce

This will be the last week we will be selling tomato plants. The heirloom varieties are Brandywine, Striped German, and Amish Paste. The cherry varieties are Sungold and Super Sweet 100. The warm nights are finally here to stay (we hope)......we planted our basil and flowers this past week.

See you at the market!

Week 3

2014-05-21T21:04:00.001-04:00

This Saturday will be the third week of the market and though the weather has been a bit dreary for the first 2 weeks, we are hopeful it will be a beautiful Memorial Day weekend!

We are selling tomato plants that are now ready to go in the ground. The heirloom varieties are Amish paste, Brandywine, and Striped German. The cherry tomatoes are Sungold and Supersweet 100.

Along with grape jelly we will also be selling our first lettuces. The arugula and swiss chard are coming along nicely now that the weather has warmed up.

We hope we have seen the last of the cold nights and we will be planting our flowers this weekend! Happy Memorial Day and we hope to see you at the market on Saturday!

We're Back!

2014-04-27T10:47:00.002-04:00

Well it's been one heck of a winter and I think we're finally through it. I don't think anyone can remember it being so cold and dreary but now we are able to think about the spring and eating fresh vegetables again!

The first market this year will be on May 10th and will continue every Saturday through the summer from 9am - noon. For the first week or so we will have tomato plants (Brandywine, Striped German, and Amish Paste heirlooms) and cherry tomato plants (Sungold and Super Sweet 100). All of the plants are doing great and we put them outside on the warmer days.

We have three varieties of lettuce started (Oakleaf, a butterhead, and a red). These are the same varieties we had last year and they were beautiful and tasty. Hopefully some can go in the ground soon!

The tuscan kale, swiss chard, red and golden beets are started and will also go in the ground soon. Some of the flowers we are growing this year are started from seeds but those won't go in the ground until late May. We expect to have flowers ready for sale in July.

The garlic survived the winter and we can't wait for garlic scapes to get our first taste of it. Last year we couldn't seem to sell enough of those so we will be sure to bring as many as we can!

And perhaps the best thing about spring is new life, and we are so excited to have a baby boy in the family! Hannah and Ian are now a family of 4 and Carlo Parks Petroni was born on April 23rd weighing in at 9lbs 1oz. Everyone is very happy and healthy!

Simple and Delicious

2013-10-05T16:29:00.000-04:00

Have you ever eaten bone marrow? If not, I highly suggest you do. It is very cheap and delicious and so easy to make. All you do is stand the bones upright in an oven-safe pan and bake for about 15 minutes at 475 degrees. You will know when they are done when the marrow is butter soft. When they are done, eat it with some good bread and it will spread like butter. I also made a little sauce with parsley, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper to go with it. This may not be for everyone but I suggest giving it a try. The bones freeze great and they will keep your dog busy for a while after you are done eating the marrow! Scrappy was very excited about this treat.

This was just the start to our meal and next I roasted up some beets from the garden and topped them with fresh basil and feta cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper.

After eating the marrow and beets I didn't even need the main course but of course I made room. I made fresh pasta with a roasted red pepper and tomato cream sauce with some more fresh basil. If you have never made fresh pasta, I highly suggest you do. Store bought really doesn't even compare. Below is the recipe. There are lots of recipes out there and some suggest using semolina flour but I use this one and it has always worked great for me. Try different ones and see what you like!

Fresh Pasta

6 eggs

4 3/4 cups white four

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the eggs and olive oil. With a fork beat the eggs and then slowly begin to incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients. Once the dough is too thick to mix with a fork, knead with your hands. Be sure that all of the flour is well incorporated into the egg. If it seems too dry, add 1 tbsp of water at a time, or add more flour if it is too wet. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at least 1 hour before rolling out. I highly suggest using a pasta maker to roll the dough out because it is a very tedious process to do by hand and it is difficult to get it thin. The pasta will cook in 1-2 minutes in boiling water.

The Threat of Frost

2013-09-26T12:53:00.004-04:00

We still have a lot growing in the garden but it is becoming evident that the end of the season is coming around. The mornings and evenings are pretty chilly and although the first frost typically isn't until mid-October, it always threatens to come sooner. This planting of green beans is coming along and will not survive a good frost so hopefully it will hold out for the harvest.

The carrots should last us through a good part of the winter and we will cover them in a bed of leaves to keep some of the cold shock out of the ground. Hopefully the parsley and kale will last through the beginning of winter as the frost doesn't harm them.

Lettuce is still growing strong in the garden and is fresh and sweet and although the frost would wipe it out, we luckily have some planted in the cold frame so that we can have fresh salads even when winter is here.

The swiss chard didn't do that well this year and we think that is because the plants were planted too close together and it was planted on the shady side of the garden. The far end of the garden near the row of trees makes it shady for a good part of the day and after a few years of having many different crops not do so well there, we might just abandon that part next year and plant grass. It also tends to stay pretty wet since the sun doesn't dry it out as well.

We don't have a lot of acorn squash as the plants take up so much room in the garden but here are a few that are looking ready to harvest.

We're hoping that by the end of the market season our kraut cabbages and red cabbages will be ready to harvest. If they're not and we don't sell them then I guess I'll be making a lot of sauerkraut!

As crops are winding down, Terry is weeding the beds and tilling them and leveling them out getting them ready for their long winter nap. This process is still a lot of work and but luckily we can take our time with that as crops are one by one ending for the season. The last day of the market is October 12th so please come out and get some of the last fresh veggies of the season!

Fall Recipe

2013-09-20T07:33:00.002-04:00

I realize it's been a while since I posted a recipe and last night I made a dinner that used so many fall farm fresh ingredients that I had to make a point to take pictures and share it with you. I made squash soup and I made up the recipe so will try to recount it for you. There are so many variations of squash soup and I wanted one that wasn't too sweet and had bright flavors so I added ginger and cardamom and fenugreek. I had some leftover chorizo in the freezer and took it out of the casing and cooked it up so it was crispy and crumbly. The spice really balanced the sweetness of the squash and I always love topping this soup off with some caramelized apples which were windfalls from a neighbor. If I didn't have chorizo I would have also added bacon and/or blue cheese. I feel that squash soup always deserves some toppings to spice it up a little bit.

Although the soup could have been a meal on it's own, I also made a meatloaf and tomato salad. Maybe the combination of the meatloaf and the squash soup is a bit heavy but it was a great meal to eat out on the porch on a cool fall night!

Squash Soup

2 butternut squash

1 large onion, roughly chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh ginger

2 carrots, roughly chopped

1 potato, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup plain greek yogurt

3 cups chicken stock

1/4 tsp fenugreek

1/4 tsp cardamom

Peel, seed, and cube the squash into rough pieces and roast in the oven at 400 for about 30 minutes or until soft. Sautee onions and carrots and potato in your soup pot on the stove top in some olive oil until just starting to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a few minutes. Add the squash and the chicken stock. You can add as much stock as you like depending on how big your squash are and how thick you like the soup. Add enough stock to cover the vegetables and let simmer for a few minutes. Once everything seems soft, immersion blend the soup. I like to leave it with some texture so that it's not a smooth puree. Add salt and pepper and the spices and the greek yogurt at the end. Top with your choice of toppings: apple, bacon, chorizo, blue cheese, or croutons.

Fall

2013-09-09T13:55:00.003-04:00

I have really been enjoying these cooler mornings and evenings and we are beginning to smell fall in the air. Some leaves are falling and with the cooler weather, our crops are evolving too. We are able to have beautiful heads of lettuce again and the cilantro and parsley love the lower temperatures.

Below is the kraut cabbage and I'm hoping it does well because it's been a while since I've had a batch of kraut fermenting in my house!

The napa cabbage is coming along beautifully and we just hope the slugs stay away. In the past we've had great luck with this and I think it makes a great slaw. It is more delicate than regular green cabbage and I enjoy how tender the leaves are when you finely chop them. It is great to throw in a stirfry at the end for a little more crunch and texture.

Although the leaves of the kale have been smaller this year, it has been consistent and we've managed to keep the bugs away. The leaves are virtually hole-less and this is a great crop that can keep producing through the much cooler temperatures.

The garlic is now finally cured and it has been selling great at the market. Now I just hope we have enough leftover to get us through the winter! Terry always pulls the best heads for seed garlic for next year first so that we can grow our crop from our own heads. Garlic is so cool in that way that it keeps on giving because we don't have to buy seed each year.

The flowers are just beginning to slow down. Some of the zinnias are looking like they're on their way out and we are having fewer sunflowers each week. We'll still have enough to make arrangements through the market, but their colors might be more uniform. This week it was apparent that the bouquets were generally more red and a lot of the yellows and greens are done flowering.

Bev's Angel Trumpet has finally flowered which was later than it was last year due to the wet and cool summer. We can enjoy it just long enough before Terry has to dig it up and put it in a pot in the basement for winter storage.

Addendum

2013-08-29T15:08:00.004-04:00

Last week I showed the pictures of the pears ripening in the basement and I didn't exactly explain that and some of you may have wondered why. If you did or even if you didn't, hear is the skinny on canning pears!

You can't let pears ripen on the tree or else the will ripen and brown from the inside out and not be edible. So, you harvest them when they are hard and put them in a cool, dry place in one layer and check them until they give a little when you press your thumb near the stem. These pears turn from green to yellow and you want to catch them when they still have a hint of green. Terry and Bev have 2 pear trees and the last time they produced fruit was 4 years ago and they have been eating canned pears from those trees for that entire 4 years! If you want to try it yourself, here is the recipe!

Yield: 2-3 lbs of pears per quart

Prepare a bowl with about 5 cups water and 3 tbsp lemon juice (doesn't need to be fresh lemon). After you have the ripened pears, peel, core, and quarter them, and be sure to remove all brown spots. Immediately after slicing, place them in the lemon juice water to prevent browning. There should be enough water to cover the pears so just add more according to how much you need.

Make a light syrup of 5 1/4 cups water and 2 1/4 cups sugar. Heat syrup so that the sugar is dissolved and ladle the pears out of the lemon water into the light syrup and heat until they are hot throughout (a light simmer). Pack the hot pears into sterilized jars and ladle the hot syrup over the pears leaving 1/2" headspace. Adjust with 2 piece lids. Hot water process quart jars for 25 minutes and pints for 20 minutes.

Good luck! You can buy pears from the store and I am sure it would be less work cutting out brown and buggy spots, but the good thing is that we know our trees are not sprayed and are 100% organic.

This Saturday, August 31st, we will have at the market:

- swiss chard

- beets

- carrots

- lettuce

- green beans

- grape jelly

- red currant jelly

- black currant jam

- cherry tomatoes

- flowers

- sunflowers

- red cabbage

- tuscan kale

- curly kale

- green onions

- assorted peppers (green, jalapeno, hungarian wax)

- cilantro

- parsley

Happy Friday!

2013-08-23T10:12:00.003-04:00

It's Friday which is harvest day for us at Endeavor Farm. Terry is always up early and we try to pick whatever we can before it gets too hot. He is picking beans as we speak! We usually have to wait until late afternoon or after dinner to pick some of the more delicate things like cilantro and parsley.

Our sunflowers really took off this year and people love seeing them and buying them at the market.
Our tallest plant is 9' - 6"!

The garlic has been drying and is almost done. It is certainly edible and we have been selling it but for winter storage, we will keep them hanging for a few more weeks to make sure they are all dried out. We used all of the Leningrad variety for green garlic this year, so are just selling Music, German Porcelain, and Italian Purple Stripe. Please let me know if you aren't in the area and would like some shipped to you!

Canning season is far from over and this week Hannah and Bev made 40 jars of salsa! They both now have pears ripening in their basements to can once they're ready. Canned pears are not to be underestimated! The sweetness in the winter is so delicious and they are beautiful as well.

The final product!

Please come see us at the market tomorrow on Saturday, August 24th. We will be selling:

- swiss chard

- beets

- carrots

- lettuce

- arugula

- green beans

- cucumbers

- grape jelly

- red currant jelly

- black currant jam

- cherry tomatoes

- flowers

- sunflowers

- red cabbage

- tuscan kale

- curly kale

- green onions

- assorted peppers (green, jalapeno, hungarian wax)

- cilantro

- parsley

Market

2013-08-15T08:13:00.003-04:00

This Saturday at the market is the annual Corn Celebration. There are great activities for kids where they can paint an ear of corn and there will be grilling and samples available. It's always a great event that draws a lot of people so please come enjoy some corn and come get any of the following from Endeavor Farm!

Saturday, August 17th

- kale (tuscan & curly)

- swiss chard

- beets

- carrots

- green beans

- parsley

- basil

- green onions

- arugula

- salad mix

- spinach

- garlic

- flower arrangements

- sunflower stems

- grape jelly

- red currant jelly

- black currant jam

Above are the results of my pickling the other day!

Farm Update

2013-08-13T08:58:00.002-04:00

Between the recipes and jam and pickling season I haven't given you a good update on what's actually happening in the garden theses days! The garlic has been harvested and hung and is almost finished curing. Most of the work in the garden is weeding and it never seems like the job is done. Thanks to Hannah's help this year, the weeds are under control a bit better. She is great to have around this year to help out and make sure we are on top of it.

The flowers are huge and doing great and have been selling really well at the market this year. We sell arrangements for $5 and sunflowers for $2/stem. Sometimes the bees even come with us to the market!

Cucumbers are ending, and tomatoes are starting. Eating the first tomato out of the garden is always one of my favorite moments. This time of year I eat tomatoes for breakfast lunch and dinner because I know the season is always shorter than I want it to be.

Our leftover tomato plants that we composted are taking over the pile and producing some fruit!

As fall approaches it's also time to plant some of the cool weather crops. We are able to plant lettuce, radishes, spinach, cilantro, and parsley.

Radishes

Spinach

Check back later this week for what we'll have at the market. I'm off to make pickled carrots, dilly beans, and bread and butter pickles!