|
|
|
|
|
News from the farm...
|
We have a big collection of arrowheads here on the farm, all found as we worked the soil in some way or another over the last 28 years. I've found three in the last two days. More somehow raise up to the surface every year and the folks who lived here before us found them too. There are so, so many. I've been told by someone who knows that some of these are 10,000 years old. People have been living here for so long.
|
|
|
This hole in the middle of one of our fields is another sign of how long people have been living here. At the bottom of that hole, and it was as deep as Alex's arm, was an old ceramic drainage tile. It is still working to move water from field but it is broken so as the water moves through the pipe it takes some of the soil with it and after a big rain, sometimes we get these sink holes. I don't know when these drainage tiles were laid but I can bet it was before back hoes were common out here which mean the 3-4 foot ditches were dug by hand. Impressive to say the least.
|
We are also leaving our mark on this land. The lanes that we drive to get around the farm are a little bit lower that the fields they go by. I find bits of drip tape and plant tags in the field, old knives, dropped clippers and the occasional walkie talkie. We've put in our own system of drainage tile and dug a pond.
|
We've also decided for any and all of the people that live here after us, that this land should stay a farm, or at least a farm in potential. This past February we put the original farm and the field next door, 29 acres in all, into a conservation easement held by the Southern Highland Appalachian Conservancy. We have strong feelings about keeping good mountain farmland open and farmable and are so happy to be able to do something about keeping our portion that way. The folks at SAHC were wonderful to work with and we are grateful for their commitment to farmland preservation, along with that of several local donors, Buncombe County and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services.
|
|
|
|
|
What's Available This Week
|
The ranunculus are over the top right now. We have lots of those to brighten your home. Also ready are the red butter lettuce, and green oak leaf lettuce; lettuce mix, spring onions, yellow and red, green garlic, plenty of beautiful mixed bouquets and tulips. We have radishes, white globe turnips and water cress. The open field grown kales and rainbow chard are growing and we hope to have some those crops in the next week. We also have basil, tomato plants, herbs and flower starts available for those who want to get an early start on their gardens
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John's Recipe of the Week
| John Loyd is our dear friend, neighbor, CSA worker member and a gourmet Southern cook. His delightful observations on gardening and cooking appear here each week. |
First, we eat, and then we do everything else.” MFK Fisher
|
Be sure to use high quality ingredients, always. Pay attention, and read the recipe carefully. This is where I usually screw up.
|
|
SPRING ONIONS OR SCALLIONS - These can be used many ways, far more than just a garnish.
|
Grilled – Just put on your grill and cook them until they char to a level you like. We brush olive oil on before grilling. Salting, once cooked, is cool.
Sautéed – Cook until the scallions are as browned as you like. This is more subtle
than grilling. If you choose, you can roast the onions in your oven at 400F.
|
Ideas for using the sautéed and grilled onions:
Add to pancake batter *
Add to rice
Cook in pastry dough or bake in bread
Stir fries
Add to anything you like.
|
*FOR THE PANCAKES – Add to batter, 2 or more scallions including 3 inches of the green, thinly slices lengthwise, then cut diagonally into ¼ inch slices. This is nice in crepes too.
|
EGG SALAD WITH BACON, SHALLOTS AND WATERCRESS
4 hardboiled eggs, peeled and diced
¼ c mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2tsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices of bacon – We like the Fresh Market top of line or Benton’s which can be had at the Sunburst Trout store in Waynesville or mail ordered from Benton’s Country Hams.
2 large or 3 smaller shallots, chopped medium
¼ c coarse chopped watercress leaves
|
|
In a skillet cook the bacon until it is crisp. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the scallions and sauté for about 5 minutes until soft and browned. Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the bacon and shallots and mix again.
|
|
WATERCRESS – Toss the stems if you are eating raw. Otherwise cook it all. Great in salads and soups, and on sandwiches.
|
|
FOR A SALAD – toss the watercress (4 to 6 cups) with lettuce of your choice. Add a bit of chopped celery if you want to. Ruth Reichl, former editor of Gourmet, likes to use iceberg lettuce and blue cheese dressing. Oil and vinegar dressings work nicely too.
|
|
|
|
|
We found this beauty under an old apple tree that grows near an old home site in the woods. A quiet sign of the people who have passed this way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
