Sunnies at Penns Cave

Those blight pictures are too depressing... Here's something to make you feel more like summer on these overcast sticky days. The sunflowers at Penns Cave (RTE 192 outside of Centre Hall) are in full bloom, and I took lots of pictures one evening last week. They sure help brighten my day.

Yup, we've got blight...

The bottom picture is our tomato row as it looks now. Top pictures are of the blight lesions starting.

We managed to avoid it for quite a while, but over the rainy weekend the dreaded Late Blight reared its ugly head in our tomato patch. Now we are grateful that during the Farm Tour we kept all visitors away from the tomatoes and potatoes - although these really were the most interesting and beautiful production areas right now. We're using Soap Shield - a copper product - to treat all plants, and we have removed 8 trash bags of leaves that showed signs of lesions. Some plants were removed entirely. At this point the outlook for tomatoes is dismal, as the forecast only shows ideal blight conditions: thunderstorms, overcast skies, high humidity. Dry, bright clear days would be most welcome, as the UV light kills the spores.

We'll keep you posted. And enjoy those tomatoes whenever you can get them - they'll be in very short supply in the entire NorthEast this year.

For an interesting read, check out this latest NYT article on the blight titled: "You say Tomato, I say Disaster" .:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/opinion/09barber.html

Squash...Glorious Squash!

Well, when you go away for 48 hours during squash season, you come back to a few surprises...Our assortment of patty pan and Zephyr summer squashes, as well as yellow zuccchini have been doing well!

Now is your chance to ask for extras, shred them and put in freezer for addition to winter stews and casseroles.

YELLOW SQUASH MUFFINS

2 lb. yellow squash 2 eggs 1 c. butter, melted 3 c. flour 1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt Cut squash into 1 inch slices. Cook in small amount of water 15-20 minutes. Drain well and mash. Measure enough to equal 2 cups. Combine squash, eggs, and butter; stir well and set aside. Combine rest of ingredients in large bowl; make a well. Add squash mixture; stir until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin pans 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 1 1/2 dozen. *** try adding a little lemon extract or grated lemon peel for some extra zing. Grilled Squash from www.allrecipes.com INGREDIENTS (Nutrition) 4 medium yellow squash 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed salt and pepper to taste Preheat the grill for medium heat Cut the squash horizontally into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick slices so that you have nice long strips that won't fall through the grill. Heat olive oil in a small pan, and add garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat until the garlic starts to sizzle and become fragrant. Brush the slices of squash with the garlic oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill squash slices for 5 to 10 minutes per side, until they reach the desired tenderness. Brush with additional garlic oil, and turn occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.

A weekend away...

We enjoyed a quick weekend getaway - our 48 hour whirlwind summer vacation.   For more than 10 years now we've attended the Traditional Archery Rendezvous in the cool northern Pennsylvania  woods near Galeton.    We hiked along muddy trails, grazed on delicious red raspberries and shot our longbows at targets hidden amongst the fern.    Had a wonderful time, with not a green bean or squash plant in sight.

We're back!

Ahh, the agony of not having internet access at home for more than 2 weeks!   Eye opening to realize how dependent I've become on 24/7 access to this technology.    I'm glad to be back on-line, and return to checking the weather forecast almost obsessively.    Garden is doing well - and so are the critters.   

It's time for the garden to receive more attention focused on fall crops - we've pulled out the spring pea plants and their trellis, and are actively mowing and tilling those early crops that have been harvested.    For those areas that have had early crops, we will either seed cover crops (buckwheat this time of year), or plant fall crops.    We're seeding fall greens, and succession plantings of beans, cabbage, turnips, carrots cukes and zukes.    Still plenty to do!  

We're also planning for the Centre County Farm Tour on August 8th; more info on that to follow.

Our first batch of chickens was butchered 2 weeks ago - yes, there's some delicious chicken available out of our freezer - and they turned out a beautiful plump  5.5# at 8 weeks old.   Our chickens are raised on certified organic feed that is grown and processed in Milton, and we appreaciate the high quality and freshness of the feed.  Although the cooler weather slowed things down some in the garden, the birds sure enjoyed the cooler weather and the grass it provided.

Our muscovy ducks have been doing well, and we've got two big groups of hatchlings patrolling the farm for any pesky bug that dares to cross their path.   It's always a pleasure to see them spread out across the lawn and devour Japanese beetles!

We've got our Turkey poults arriving via mail next week, and the brooder will be clean and ready for them, providing a safe and warm haven for them till they can go live under the pine trees behind the house.   The pine trees, and surrounding meadow,  is the best spot we've found for raising our poultry, as it provides a natural habitat for them, with access to cool shelter and roosting branches, while still allowing lots and lots of grass for foraging.

The piggy trio of Piggly, Wiggly and Squiggly are doing well, enjoying meals of soaked and sprouted spelts raised here on the farm.   They're still a friendly bunch, but big enough now that an unintentional  mis-step on their part can seriously hurt a croc-clad foot - I have the bruise to prove it.   My mistake, those piggies just wanted their bellies scratched and got a little excited.

A summer evening with the boys....relaxing

Some photos from a relaxing  evening visit with our steers last night.   It was beautiful warm evening, much more appreciated thanks to the cooler, rainy days we've been having.    Here's our three steers, Mean, Ugly and little Trouble enjoying the lush summer grass.   One of my favorite sounds is the happy munching of cows - it is very, very  relaxing to listen to.  We've got one more steer, an Angus/Simmentaler that arrived two weeks ago as well.

Beet Greens!

We've got beautiful beets and beet greens coming along - they've been responding well to the rain, and we're working hard to keep up with thinning them.

Store the beet greens in a plastic bag in the fridge - do not just lay them on the shelf - they wilt (like all greens do...).  The beets can be cut off and stored separately, they keep for quite a while.

Roasted Beets and Sauteed Beet Green

1 bunch beets withgreens

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped onion (optional)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Rinse greens, removing any large stems, and set aside. Place the beets in a small baking dish or roasting pan, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you wish to peel the beets, it is easier to do so once they have been roasted.

Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet.

When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the greens as is, and the roasted beets sliced with either red-wine vinegar, or butter and salt and pepper.

From Allrecipes.com

 

White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip

1/3 cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling.

1. In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to a rough purée.

2. With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if desired.

3. Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more salt.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

From the New York Times, June 18, 2008

Garlic Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

• large bunch Swiss chard

• olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
• garlic cloves, greens or scapes  thinly sliced

Cut thick stalks and ribs from chard leaves. Chop stalks and ribs into 1/2-inch pieces. Cook stalks and ribs in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer stalks and ribs to plate. Add chard leaves to boiling water in pot. Cook just until wilted, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Drain well. Squeeze excess moisture from chard leaves. Coarsely chop leaves.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes. Add chard stalks, ribs and leaves to skillet and sauté until liquid evaporates and mixture is heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

And the planting never stops...

Blessed days in the garden....I'm enjoying the sounds of songbirds, the chattering of ducks.   Although many days I'm a solitary farmer,  engrossed in listening to NPR podcasts  on my Ipod as I weed and hoe, other days take on a different, more meditative and introspective pace.    Yet others are days are just plain family time, even more precious now as kindergarten looms on the far horizon.   Yesterday Mattie and I had a good day together in the garden.    Truly nothing compares to the happy stories of a five-year old, excited to be harvesting everything needed for our dinner salad all by herself; pulling tiny baby carrots softly from the ground and choosing just the right colors of the rainbow swiss chard.   

We're busy planting in the garden, and weeding, and harvesting, and moving chickens, and mowing the grass, and mulching, and days are just not long enough.... Tom made good use of some our rained-on round bales of hay by mulching parts of the garden.  We love using roundbales as mulch, as they help suppress weeds, keep in moisture, provide lots of food for our earthworms, and also habitat for all sorts of beneficial spiders.

Veggie Season has arrived!

The season is off to a wonderful start!  Our early seedings of peas, beets, lettuce, onions, spinach, chard and carrots are looking great, thanks to well-timed rain in early spring.
It seems you’ve all been enjoying the garlic greens – a rare delicacy which has gotten rave reviews.   Snip them up into salads, stir-fry them – be creative!  It’s wonderful garlic flavor in green crunchy form.   Hmmm...

Our spinach is already winding down, thanks to the few hot days we did get (hard to remember those right now...), but snow peas and sugar snap peas are weighing down the trellis, and lettuce is absolutely beautiful.   We’ve been using the tender beet thinnings, roots and all, thoroughly washed and then chopped into a salad – delicious, and ohh so colorful!

We’ve had a fun spring, with Mattie’s playschool friends visiting us one day, and the two kindergarten classes from Centre Hall spent three hours with us the following day.    Weather was perfect, and the kids had a good time climbing in with the piglets and even eating spinach fresh out of the garden.

Once again, we’ve taken part of the garden out of production to build the soil with cover crops.   On a yearly basis we take part of the garden out of production to raise cover crops, and pasture our pigs in there.    It is great for nutrient management and helps break up any disease cycles of the plants.  And the pigs love being moved to a new section every other week or so.   This yeat the center strip of our garden was seeded in spelt and hairy vetch as cover crops over the winter, and I scattered some assorted outdated seeds in a section closer to the house – which is now a lovely jungle of lettuce, parsley, dandelion, cilantro and hairy vetch.    The pigs were moved into a section yesterday with a lot of cilantro that had already gone to seed – those piggies sure smell good!   The beneficial insects which we encourage in our garden are also enjoying the habitat which the cilantro provides.