Doe Run Farm CSA

Hot in the City…and everywhere else for that matter…

2010-07-30T14:46:00.005-05:00

I am so not ready for school to start, but I do find myself thinking longingly about fall, and the ski/snowboard trip we have planned for Christmas. I guess after a long period of really hot, dry days, time just kind of runs together into one hot, humid memory. Kind of like the “dog days” of summer, except these doggy days have lasted all summer long.

One great thing though, have been the beautiful boxes that Doe Run Farm has put together all summer long. We are truly blessed to have such variety. I just want to say a heartfelt thank you to all our local farmers who have been putting in long hours in this heat. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO JOHN AND JUDY!

Farm News
Hot, hot, and dry on the farm,

The CSA deliveries are running smoothly with only slight delays here and there due to traffic on delivery days.

The CSA shares are really beautiful at this time of the year. Everything in it's prime right now and that's how Doe Run decides when to have their CSA going on, when everything is in its prime in the garden.

Southern Peas are coming in now, and okra will soon appear in our shares. Peaches have been beautiful, but if you refrigerate them, they can become mealy and the fruit is not as tasty. It is best to use them while you have them--or freeze or can them!

Right now on the farm John and Judy are just "maintaining" everything, as they are really busy now. When CSA is going on, their hands are full, just harvesting, cleaning vegetables, packing the CSA shares and getting them all delivered to the 13 delivery sites. In addition to John and Judy, they have one full time employee, one part time employee, and occasionally their young Grandson

Crop failures this year were carrots and tomatillos. Carrots were planted more than once, but it was poor germination on both occasions. Some type of insect invaded the tomatillos before John and Judy could get them under control using organic methods. They are history unfortunately. Judy had planned to have them for salsa verde this summer, but her plans have now come and gone. Farmers can't expect to win all the insect battles on the farm, but they still try!

The Delicata squash is beautiful this season and so delicious. Just bake, butter and enjoy! Can't be simpler than that! They are good enough that with a dab of honey or maple syrup, you can eat them as dessert!

Recipes
Baba Ganoush
2 medium sized eggplants
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 to 3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Place eggplant on cookie sheet. Bake in 400-degree oven until skin is crinkly. Cool and peel. Place in blender. Add yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt. Serve with corn chips, bagel crisp, pita chips, or toasted rounds.

Peach and Summer Berry Crisp
2 peaches, thinly sliced
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Topping

Put fruit into bowl. Toss with lemon juice. Divide fruit between four ramekin containers. Sprinkle with topping. Press topping lightly down into cup. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden. Serve with scoop of favorite ice cream.

Topping
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
In a bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt. Add the pecans, rolled oats, sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Rub together all the ingredients between your fingertips until they are evenly distributed and the mixture is crumbly and resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside.

The most wonderful time of the year…

2010-07-09T15:11:00.005-05:00

Blueberry, blackberry and peach season is in full swing! The fruit is ripe, beautiful, delicious and can be used in so many ways! So easy to just pop into your mouth. Enjoy the bounty while it lasts!

Farm News
John and Judy are in the process of cleaning out the high tunnels, pulling up all the old plants, raking out debris from the plants so as not to harbor insects over winter. Once they are totally clean, the ground will be fertilized using organic fertilizer, the beds reshaped, irrigation tape laid down, and then they can begin to plant the winter crops. The same process goes on in the fields once the last planting is completed there. They are still planting a few more crops outside in the fields, so it will be awhile before they are gleaned and cleaned up.

The farm had an irrigation pipe break this week, but John hopped to it and got it repaired quickly. No damage done thankfully.

As we all can attest to, it’s been hot this summer. It's been dreadfully hot working on the farm the past few weeks and we all really need rain. All farmers do right about now.

Doe Run lost one of their helpers that began work with them this summer, due to babysitter problems. Too bad too, since she worked hard and followed directions very well, which is extremely important on an organic farm.

A precious little kitten found its way to the farm this week, just weaned from its mother, Judy thinks. The kitten is really pretty, and has the biggest beautiful eyes! She is a little tabby kitten. John and Judy have been keeping her in a large animal carrier on their screened porch and when they let her out, she has the best time playing, especially with two wiffle balls they put out for her to enjoy. She is so gentle and would make a wonderful indoor pet for someone that would like the companionship of a cat. She is quite affectionate. Doe Run already has 3 cats, so they are willing to give her to someone providing they will take good care of her.

The farm's CSA is going full speed ahead, with the boxes being quite full at this time of year. John and Judy feel so fortunate and blessed to have had such a good year for growing vegetables, and having access to outstanding fruit and berries for their CSA families. Everyone seems to be enjoying the fruits of their labor and that's the goal at Doe Run Farm.

Next month Judy will be posting information on the website about the upcoming winter CSA season. It’s strange to think about that in this heat, but before you know it the seasons will change again. Doe Run is already getting inquiries about the winter season from some folks that didn't get a CSA summer. The information should show up at www.doerunfarm.com in mid August. Judy encourages early registration to reserve your share of the winter harvest.

Recipe

Tomato and Cucumber Salad
2 ripe tomatoes – medium dice
2 cucumbers – peeled and medium dice
10 basil leaves - minced
4 fresh mozzarella mini-balls - sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Balsamic vinegar

Place tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and cheese in medium salad bowl. Add salt and pepper. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the ingredients. Toss and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Merry 4th of July

2010-07-01T15:30:00.011-05:00

The weather is wonderful today. Just in time for the 4th of July weekend. Kinda makes me feel giddy. Maybe because it reminds me of the summers of childhood. Summer still feels like a much-needed vacation for me. And a holiday in the middle of summer must make it the best holiday of all. Everyone enjoy and be safe!

Farm Happenings
Berry and peach season are here, just in time for the 4th of July! The CSA shares will have one or the other, showing up in your boxes!

It’s been very dry on the farm, we all need some rain! Judy talked with a neighbor that lives less than a quarter mile from them and they have had rain every day for the past week, Doe Run Farm had none as of Sunday.

All the crops, despite a lack of rain are looking good. There is an abundance of summer squash, cucumbers, beets, tomatoes, onions and cabbage so far this summer. Bell peppers this year are gigantic and great for stuffing! The heat sure agrees with those peppers! The jalapenos have been extra hot this season! Doe Run is planting more tomatoes for a late crop this year so we can enjoy them for as long as possible.

The flowerbeds and the area surrounding the greenhouse finally got weeded, and things look a lot better around the farm. Weeds have a way of taking over an organic farm in a hurry.

The fig bushes are really growing. Judy was worried they wouldn’t make it through last winter, being newly planted and all, but they look wonderful. Barry mulched them heavily last winter after the first light freeze. Judy is most anxious to see some figs on them. There’s nothing like a fresh fig in her opinion. Last year when they had the chance to visit their son Michael that lives in Virginia, they took a side trip to Monticello. They had magnificent gardens there and a beautiful fruit orchard. Judy sampled a couple figs and fell in love with this fruit. She had to have some fig bushes of her own. After a few tries, and failures, these have done very well. The pear trees are looking good too, loaded with pears this summer.

John and Judy are planting some rhubarb crowns this week. Hopefully this time of year, planting will not be too detrimental to them. Judy loves rhubarb, especially strawberry-rhubarb jelly on hot toast or biscuits in the wintertime!

If you haven’t become a fan of the farm on Facebook yet, do it today!

P.S. On Monday afternoon, John and Judy’s prayers were answered. A wonderful storm rolled through late Monday, no damage, just much appreciated rain, at last. Beautiful lightshow as well. Judy understands that sky to ground lightening is wonderful for the soil; she’s just not sure how this works though.

Recipes
I am adding two recipes today. One is my all time summer favorite…Peach Cobbler, and the other is because I’ve had so many requests for cabbage recipes.

Easy Peach Cobbler
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar, divided
3 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt
1 cup milk
4 cups peeled, thinly sliced fresh peaches (5 to 6 medium peaches)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Several dashes cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch-baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, the baking powder, and the salt. Mix well. Stir in the milk, mixing until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour this batter over the melted butter, but do not stir them together.

In a small saucepan, combine the peaches, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Pour the peaches over the batter, but do not stir them together. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream.

Crunchy Cabbage Salad
1 large head of cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
2 packages Ramen noodles crushed into small pieces. Only use the noodles.
1 small package toasted slivered almonds
1 small package toasted sunflower seeds

Dressing
4 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup salad oil

Prepare dressing ahead of time. Mix all ingredients in a jar and chill.

Mix cabbage and onions in a large bowl. Only when ready to serve, add the crunchy noodles, nuts, and seeds. Then add the mixed dressing, toss and serve immediately.

Nocturnal Surprise

2010-06-11T15:19:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was pretty average insofar as most CSA delivery days go, at least until we got home last night after our last delivery. We got out of the truck, and started across the porch to the front door. John was a few steps in front of me and suddenly he turned around and said to me, don't go any further there's a snake up there. Well I thought it was just a small snake of some kind and when I looked closely, stretched clear across the porch floor, just under the step up right into the house was a five foot (at least) King snake. How's that for a welcome home! Thank goodness he wasn't the poisonous kind and I know they will keep those away, but it's not the kind of welcome you want after a long day's work!

Yesterday our CSA boxes were so beautiful and we were pleased to give everyone a dozen free range eggs straight off the egg farm. We had a nice visit with the farmer at his farm, that provided the eggs to us. They have a wonderful pasture for the hens to roam and scratch around on all day, every day. Turns out the farmer is from the next county over from where John and I grew up in Kentucky, talk about a small world!

Strawberry season has ended for us for the season, which makes me sad, but now we can look forward to the other berries and fruits of summer! I love all the wonderful food that our Creator provides for us in the summer months. It comes from our work in the soil, but God gives us the strength,the resources and the help of a CSA Community to bring it all to fruition! Next up, blueberries and blackberries. I have included a recipe for an easy home made Blueberry Ice Cream that I think you will enjoy! Till next time, don't forget to count your blessings!

Immediate Gratification Blueberry Ice Cream (from the Grist)
2 pints Blueberries,
1 and 1/2 C. Sugar
2 T. fresh Lime Juice
1/4 tsp. Salt
3 and 1/2 C. heavy Cream
3/4 C. Buttermilk
Fresh Mint leaves for garnish if you like (I like)
Puree the Blueberries with the sugar in your food processor or blender until "chunky", reserving a few for garnish. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and churn according to your ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions. Garnish with the fresh mint leaves to serve. Enjoy!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-28T17:10:00.006-05:00

It is the un-official summer kick-off weekend. School is out and neighborhood pools are opening. Time to clean off that grill and get together with friends and family. Lots of good food available at this time of year for a wonderful holiday meal.

Farm
John is wiring the Pavilion so that Doe Run can have electricity for any function on the farm. John and Judy are planning on having a workshop or starting farm tours from the Pavilion this fall. Judy will be driving the tractor to lift John up (in the platform on the tractor) so that he can reach his work areas. John was an Electrical Engineer before becoming Farmer John—he will do this job very well!

Today John and Judy picked up more work tables for the packing shed as they were running out of counter space for packing all our CSA boxes for delivery. The finishing touches have been put on the two new walk in coolers in the packing shed. They are great!

This week John and Judy will be cleaning out two of the high tunnels and planting crops in there that will tolerate summer's heat. John will be installing the new sand filter for the pump. That should allow the water they irrigate with to flow more freely and give them one less problem to contend with. It was an expensive fix (filter) but, should be worth it in the long run.

Doe Run has some gorgeous Savoy cabbage that will be showing up in CSA boxes soon, and Judy thinks it is the prettiest she’s ever seen! The summer squash and zucchini are looking wonderful. The chard, lettuce and broccoli are all doing very well too. All those yummy vegetables will be showing up in CSA boxes over the next few weeks, and before you know it, those luscious tomatoes will be here. I can't wait.

Unfortunately, it seems this may be a short season for strawberries. Doe Run has had some of the best strawberries this season, but with this heat, they’re not sure how much longer they will be around. After talking with other farmers in the area, the consensus is that they will be short lived. Judy says not to worry though, blackberries and blueberries are coming and we can look forward to eating them! When you eat what's in season, there's always something delicious just around the bend………

Recipe

Creamy Sweet Slaw
1 large cabbage, shredded
4 celery ribs, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

Combine vegetables in a large bowl. Stir together sugar and next 5 ingredients; spoon over cabbage mixture, tossing to coat.

Farm Happenings

2010-05-24T14:03:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I have made a contribution to the blog, so I will try to catch you up on things going on here at the farm!

We have been busily planting more of just about everything, so far so good for our plantings, though we are a bit behind schedule, not much behind so far anyway. That can change though as plans often do around here. On any given day, what you have planned may have to be put aside for something more pressing.

I have just gotten off the tractor a few minutes ago. I drove while Barry and Susan, one of our helpers this summer, planted tomatoes and cucumbers. Boy is it hot out there today. We tried to do the planting fairly early, but it got hot pretty fast today! I had several run-ins with sweat bee's and wasps which is all you need while trying to drive down the raised beds in a straight line.

It looks as if we may have a pop up shower which really we could use, but not until we have a couple hundred heads of lettuce and that many bunches of turnips harvested and put in the chiller.

Overall things in the fields look pretty good right now, though we are fighting to stay ahead of our nemesis,the weeds. They are always a challenge on an Organic farm, we can't just go out and buy something to spray on them to kill them off. Some we can pull, hoe or weedeat, some we have to just live with.

John has been busy trying to stay ahead of the cabbage moths, that lay their eggs on cabbage, choi, broccoli and the like, and which in turn become cabbage worms. They flit around in the field like they own the place:) You have to spray them with BT often to keep them in check. If it rains after you've sprayed you have to come back and do it again, they are really persistent!

We have been having a time with our irrigation pump filter that cleanses the water from our irrigation pond. The filter keeps clogging up on us which has caused us problems. John informed me this morning that he has found a solution by purchasing a sand filter for the pump which should take care of the problem. Unfortunately that filter costs about $1500. Since it is heavy, I most likely will have to drive to Ky. to pick it up from the Supplier. What a way to start off a new week.

Our CSA Shares for this season are sold out and we are getting into the new routine with our new delivery locations. Please continue to check out our website often as we try to keep it pretty well up to date. We are adding new Recipes to our Recipe Archive most every week now for your use and enjoyment.

Time to run to the Greenhouse and give the plants in there a drink of water!

With Memorial Day upon us this week, we wish all of you a wonderful holiday weekend and we wish you safe travels if you are going to be away from home this weekend! Judy

Stormy Weather

2010-04-23T18:05:00.004-05:00

Ah…preparing for a weekend of wild weather. While we certainly need the rain, let’s hope it doesn’t come all at one time, or bring destruction. My yard is starting to look a little parched, and the Harpeth River, a little low.

I will be running in the Country Music 1/2 Marathon Saturday morning and am hoping for a slight reprieve from Mother Nature. I credit my neighbor’s and my ability to get ourselves to this level of fitness with clean eating! Which, of course, includes, lots and lots of Doe Run Farm’s yummy produce.

Farm
Things are busy, busy on the farm, trying to get everything ready for the upcoming CSA season, and trying to get as much done as possible before the storms.

Judy and John are still planting blueberries along with thousands of vegetables this week. They planted about 4,000 vegetable plants, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, and tomatillos. The same number was scheduled for today, as long as the rain held off.

Judy attended an Earth Day Celebration Thursday, and talked to guests about Community Supported Agriculture and about Doe Run Farms being "Earth Friendly"

Doe Run had a great article written in the Huntsville Times Wednesday about the farm, and the article was titled "Earth Friendly"

One of the tractors had to be repaired this week, and parts had to be order since none were available nearby. A farm cannot do without a tractor; it's the workhorse of the farm.

Judy was invited to attend a Health Fair on Saturday morning. One of Doe Run’s CSA Volunteers will be manning the booth with her.

Judy is also seeding basil, dill, and lots of flowers this week

As time approaches for the CSA to begin, Doe Run has had a LOT of new registrants. It is a good thing they prepared another field for planting, this year they will need it!

Also, a talented CSA shareholder has designed a farm logo. It will appear soon on Doe Run’s delivery vehicles! Exciting stuff!

Recipe
Savory Summer Pie
1/2 (15 ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 purple onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

FIT pie crust into a 9-inch deep-dish tart pan; prick bottom and sides of pie crust with a fork.
BAKE at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside.
SAUTE bell pepper, onion, and garlic in hot oil in a large skillet 5 minutes or until tender; stir in basil.
WHISK together eggs and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in sauteed vegetables and cheeses. Pour into crust; top with tomato.
BAKE at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until set; shielding edges with strips of aluminum foil after 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with a green salad and some fresh berries for a light summer meal.

April Flowers

2010-04-09T12:51:00.010-05:00

It’s just such a picture perfect spring day in Middle Tennessee. Flowers are in bloom, birds are singing, and the hills are all green again. Spring is upon us and it is beautiful.

Farm Doings…

Planted: beets, carrots, chard, salad turnips, cabbage, broccoli, early tomatoes, bok choy, radishes, leeks, mustard greens, and kohlrabi. Wednesday, the spinach and arugula went into the ground, and next week zucchini and summer squash are being planted.

Completed: One of the two new walk-in coolers and the second is under construction.

Work in progress: Judy is still working on the design for the herb and perennial raised beds that will be located near the greenhouse. This task has taken more planning than she thought it would. Wednesday, she was planting a few varieties of basil, plus garden flowers.

Records for the CSA have been set up for this season, and Judy is now finalizing days, pick up times and routes for deliveries. All this information is on the farm website.

A CSA Guide for Doe Run shareholders will be electronically mailed in a week or two.

John and Barry have kept the tractors, planter, and mulch layer working well with regular maintenance.

The entire backfield has been prepared for planting, and the beds have been shaped, drip tape, and plastic mulch laid in preparation for planting more crops. Doe Run succession plants, so once something comes out, something else goes in. That way fresh vegetables are available all season.

Doe Run planted blueberries a few years ago, but at that time, they had no way of irrigating them and so many were lost due to the dry conditions of summer. Blueberries need regular irrigation in Tennessee. Since John installed a full farm irrigation system, getting them established should be easier this time around. One thousand berry plants were ordered this week, and they will arrive next week. The berries that are "buy in" for shareholders are from Lincoln County, and they have always been premium quality with outstanding flavor.

Recipe

Simple Blueberry Muffins

1 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup blueberries

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together milk, egg, and oil. Add flour, baking powder, sugar, and blueberries. Gently mix the batter with only a few strokes. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Fill about 1/2 way.

Bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm

A State of Perpetual Preparation....

2010-03-26T13:06:00.006-05:00

A flurry of activity has continued on the farm. Most of the week was spent building one of the new walk in coolers, and sowing more seeds. Some transplants were planted in the high tunnels. The walk in cooler was built "in place" where it will be used-- and that presented a few unique challenges in the construction. But, it all worked out and it looks great! One cooler down and one more to go!

The rains have caused planting in the fields to be delayed a bit. John and Judy had another "gully washer" last evening complete with sky to ground lightening and thunder boomers!

CSA registrations are still coming in on a daily basis. Someone actually called from Washington, D.C yesterday, and wanted to purchase a share when he got home from his business trip. He told Judy he was just checking to be sure shares were still available. This family had been CSA shareholders in another state before being transferred, and did not want to miss out on Tennessee's fresh food.

Doe Run Farms will be offering a "Baked Goods Share" as a value added option this summer for those in the CSA! The “Baked Goods Share” includes a selection of newly baked breads, sweet rolls, cookies, etc. All baked fresh and delivered with our CSA shares. No preservatives, no HFCS either! Good stuff! Good healthy snacks!

Recipe

I just realized that I have been on a potato recipe tear, but this recipe is so good, I just had to share it with you all. Next blog, I promise something else will be the main ingredient in the recipe I share.

In France, leek and potato soup is what a mom makes for her ailing child. This easy rustic soup sounds like the perfect cure.

Cream of Leek and Potato Soup

1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 leeks, including light green parts, well rinsed and coarsely chopped
2 cups chicken stock, best if homemade
2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 dice
1/2 cup cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and leeks, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. About 10 minutes.

Add the stock and potatoes. Simmer briskly until the potatoes are soft. About 20 minutes.

Puree using an immersion blender, or blend small batches in a blender. Add the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve with sprinkled cheese, sour cream and fresh baked bread.

Outsmarting the enemy!

2010-03-19T18:59:00.001-05:00

Today's sunshine got me started to thinking about the raised beds I want to make to plant herbs and perennials in this spring. I am especially thinking about how I can prevent the deer, and one smart groundhog from munching on my plants.That groundhog is huge, and if I ever catch him in those beds, his days are numbered.

Critters love newly planted things, as evidenced by the mouse that loves going after our greenhouse seedlings. They seem to prefer the larger seeds. So we are after them too:)Don't get me wrong, we love our wildlife, but destroying the garden, well, lets just say, we don't "cotton" to that 'round here!This year I plan on putting up some electrically charged netting around the new beds just to see if it has any effect on them. Fencing is about the only method that works to keep the deer out, but generally it has to be quite tall to do the trick. We have fenced all the acreage that we have in production with 8 ft.tall deer fencing and up to now anyway, has been very effective.It's quite an expensive fix though, and a quite a job to put up. I can only hope it keeps working over time, we'll see. It takes all the creative thinking you can come up with to outwit wildlife! They've been here a long time and have become very territorial. They think they are the landlord and they just let us live here:)

When I think about how I want to lay out the raised beds,I would like to have "themed" beds when I plant them out. I plan to have one or two beds in perennials and two or three beds in herbs. I have many favorite herbs and perennials. Since they will be in full sun, I will have to choose carefully which plants go where, along with which like it dry, and which like to be kept moist. Luckily most tolerate heat and don't require a lot of water. I have thought about planting a Jefferson garden, a Tea garden, a Culinary garden, a Medicinal garden,etc. Still in the thinking stage about this. It should be lots of fun, and pretty when finished. The layout is giving me some trouble, but I need to move along on the project, so the planting can begin! After all the work that will go into these beds, keeping critters out will be one, if not my main priority.

We are doing lots of planting right now on the farm, and sowing more seeds, which is an ongoing thing around here. About the only time we aren't sowing seeds is in late November and December. The rest of the time, something is generally being sown since we grow all of our own transplants for use on the farm. That way we have better control of the quality of the plant that goes into the ground, plus we can grow a larger variety of things to offer our CSA shareholders.

Before long the forsythia will be in bloom and for me that's the real sign that spring is here, for good! Our flowering quince bushes are full of buds and they will soon burst open and give some much needed color around here after what has been a long, cold winter season.

For those of you blessed with Oakleaf hydrangea on your property, you may want to prune it now or in the early spring. If it experienced winter die back, prune it back to below the point of injury, so that it will flourish again for you. I love any kind of hydrangea! I could plant them all over the farm, they are that pretty to me!

To all of our friends, we wish you a happy Spring season!

Spring Break!

2010-03-12T12:33:00.006-06:00

Musings
As I was driving home today, I noticed that the daffodils are out. One day there is nothing, and then suddenly, pretty yellow flowers are everywhere. Daffodils are always the first sign of spring to me.

The trees are starting to look heavy with buds as well. I realize this because my allergies try to flair up. And for a change, rain fell from the sky rather than snow. The rumble of thunder startled me and my family awake the other morning. It took me a moment to figure out what all the racket was about, before I rolled over and went back to sleep.

Also, I find myself reaching for the brighter colors in my closet and ignoring the dark sweaters. Spring break kicks off this week for my family and we plan to spend a few days out away from civilization. Taking a much needed relaxing break from the hectic day to day. Thinking and waiting for those little green plants out on Doe Run Farm reaching towards the sky.

Farm Doings
Flying Saucers will be spotted this spring in Doe Run Farm's fields! Kohlrabi, our space ship vegetable causes you to gaze with amazement when you see them in the beds on the farm. Anyone with an Eastern European or Asian background, knows just how tasty the crunchy mild flesh of these eccentric looking bulbs are! Enjoy them either raw or cooked. Peeled kohlrabi bulbs are juicy with a delicate sweet flavor that I would describe as a cross between apples and very mild baby turnips. It is grown at Doe Run Farm in the spring and early to late fall season.

John and Barry are busy trying to get ahead of the rainy weather we are due for this week. Yesterday and today they have been laying plastic mulch and drip tape in the raised beds they had prepared. The transplants in the greenhouse are ready to go into the high tunnels, and more seedlings are germinating in preparation for planting in a few weeks. Carrot beds are being planted, and leeks and turnips will go in tomorrow in the tunnels also. Leeks are a new crop for the farm and we are anxious to see how they do this year. We are planting a lot of them, so here's hoping they do well! Leek and potato soup with a bit of fresh dill is dee-lish !

Judy is laying out the plans on paper for the raised beds that will be the foundation for the farm's herb and perennial garden. She is a big fan of Thomas Jefferson, after having visited his gardens at Monticello last year, and would definitely like a Jefferson period garden. Possibly some other themed gardens as well. The fig trees at Monticello were such an inspiration that she planted about 8 of them on the farm last year. So far they have come through the winter very well. It may be next year before they are of any size, but they look really healthy and they have grown.

Plans are being made for raising a lot of flowers this summer on the farm, just to enjoy the beauty of it, and to have a cutting garden.

Recipes
Why not make your own French Fries? These are easy and so much better for you. Just in time for Spring Time cookouts.

Oven Fries
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 T olive oil
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss well. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 4 servings

Fancy Oven Fries
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss well. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 4 servings

Sweet Potato Oven Fries
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 T olive oil
2 T chili powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss well. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 4 servings

Spring time is CSA time

2010-03-05T16:06:00.003-06:00

Musings

Little things are starting to add up. Shoots and small leaves are timidly showing themselves. The sky is blue. Winter is losing its grip on Middle Tennessee.

Ah, springtime is just around the corner. Just about the time we all think we can take no more cold days, the season changes. It always amazes me, how Mother Nature works her magic.

And I always relish in the beginning of a new season. The movement from hot, humid days, to cooler crisper ones, and vice-a-versa. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the beginning of winter and the things it offers, but I am completely over it, come mid-March. A perfect cycle. It’s nice to live with the seasons and enjoy what each one has to offer.

It is also that time of year to sign up for the Doe Run Farms CSA. Just the thought of all the fresh goodies makes me willing to deal with severe thunderstorms and the constantly changing weather that is springtime in Middle Tennessee.

Farm Doings

Lots of things are going on out on the farm in preparation for the upcoming growing season. Things unseen, but so very important to the bounty coming into our lives again in the summer.

Fields have been plowed in preparation for planting, which takes place as soon as it’s dry enough. John and Judy have been sowing seeds on a daily basis for some time now, getting transplants ready to go into the high tunnels. Repairs are still being made on tillers, maintenance continues on all 3 tractors, attendance takes place at food safety meetings, folks are registered for the CSA, office is cleaned out, feral cats are chased away, and CSA boxes and germinating mix is ordered. Insulation is also being put in the cargo trailer in preparation for adding a roof AC unit, and then shelving will be installed in the trailer to keep everything intact on the road delivery days.

Judy is planning an herb garden near the greenhouse, plus she and John will soon be clearing out the big shed by the high tunnels, adding electricity to the building and turning it into a covered pavilion for farm activities. They have a spring plant sale coming up on May 1st from 1 to 5 pm too.

Wow, I’m exhausted with all the activity going on out on the farm!

Recipes

This is a recipe that always helps me with the transition to spring. It is also an important meal to my family and me; a traditional Irish dinner with a So-Cal, organic, and locally grown twist.

Homemade Corn Beef and Cabbage

organic, grass-fed Beef Brisket, 3 to 4 pounds
whole organic cabbage, quartered
organic Carrots
organic Potatoes

Corn Beef Recipe
Make your own corned beef with spices and an easy brine, and skip the preservatives! Here's a delicious homemade corned beef recipe, along with instructions for the corned beef and cabbage dinner. Start the corned beef about 7 days before you plan to make your dinner.

Ingredients:

* 5 cups water
* 3/4 cups kosher salt
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon dry mustard
* 1 1/2 tablespoons pickling spices
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 fresh beef brisket, 3 to 4 pounds

Preparation:
Combine water, salt, sugar, mustard, spices, and minced garlic in an 8-quart nonreactive stockpot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. When liquids have cooled, trim the corned beef of excess fat and put into the liquid. You may need to transfer the liquids and corned beef to a larger container or bowl, just make sure it is nonreactive. If necessary, add more cold water to cover the beef. Using a heavy pottery bowl or a few small bowls, weigh the corned beef down so it will stay submerged in the water. Cover the pan and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Take out once a day to stir lightly, and turn the beef as needed.

Dinner
On the 6th or 7th day, remove the beef from the brine and rinse well with cold water. Place in a large (8-quart or larger) pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Skim off any scum, which develops on the surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until tender.

Uncover the pot and add the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Cover the large pot and cook until vegetables are tender, about 1/2 hour longer. Season to taste.
Serves 4 to 6.

ICE!

2010-01-30T13:38:00.004-06:00

The weather is what's on every farmer's mind today, in our section of the country! As you know, the weather can, as they say, "make or break" you in little or no time. It can always delay your planting or field preparation for planting. Hailstones can wreck havoc on your crops and wind can flatten corn crops in a flash! We are experiencing a bit of a different problem here, right now. Ice and Snow.

We have been keeping a close watch on our high tunnels and greenhouse, to be sure that the bows that support them, are not bending beneath the weight of the snow we received yesterday and the ice from last night. John brushed the snow off yesterday and this morning as best he could, and we are just hoping for the best right now. If the snow or ice puts too much pressure on the bows, we will have to cut the plastic covering the frame to release the weight on the bows. Then, all the plastic will have to be purchased and replaced. We sure hope it won't come to that!

The one good thing that has come from this weather, is that the scenery in our valley looks like a Christmas greeting card, on which there is a beautiful winter scene pictured. This is something we can appreciate, and nature has provided it to us free of charge.

We now have a new family co-habiting with us at the farm! A litter of 5 feral kittens! They are wild, and will not come near us, but they do stick around long enough to eat Big Boy and Baby's cat food! The litter has Calico's and Tabby's. They are so cute, but we don't really need more cats! They have just been "dropped" which I think is a disgusting thing for anyone to do, but in the country unfortunately, it's done a lot. I frankly don't understand the mentality behind this myself. Never will.

Our CSA registration is in progress and we are anxious around here for a really good, ripe, juicy tomato. We hope to have lots of them this summer for our CSA Shareholders to enjoy! Tell your friends about our CSA and ask them to "friend us" on our Farm Facebook page!

We'll talk again soon!
Judy and John

Day's End

2010-01-12T22:55:00.002-06:00

We have come to the end of another busy day here on the farm. John, with the help or our son-in-law Barry, has been cleaning out another of the high tunnels, getting it ready for spring planting season. There's been much to do around here and still a ways to go at that! John and Barry have also been working in the greenhouse, not so much cleaning it out as making repairs to various and sundry things.

One of our cats follows John wherever he goes, and when John heads for the greenhouse, he follows him there and patiently waits outside for him to come back out. This cat we named Baby because he is so small. Big Boy, as his name suggests, is somewhat larger than Baby, and he hangs around more with me. Tag, our barn cat, loves both of us, and "lives" for us to come and give her a good brushing! I believe you could hear her purring from outside the building when she gets a good brushing!

Things are never boring around here! For the past two mornings our neighbor's cows have gotten through their fence and into the back pasture that belongs to one of our neighbors. The first morning I looked out, I couldn't believe my eyes! I am used to seeing deer, but not cows. The cow's owner has a 350 acre farm but I guess they just went AWOL. In any case, within about 20 minutes they had headed back home. The neighbor said they had evidently escaped through a hole and that it was being repaired. Late this afternoon, the deer had returned to the neighboring pasture and to ours as well!

It looks like the temperatures will be moderating here a bit come Thursday and Friday. This will make working outdoors a bit more tolerable. Maybe no 'long john's" if we're lucky! No need to remind me that I complained about the summer heat not so long ago:)

Until I have a chance to "blog" again, be safe,
Judy

Doe Run Farm CSA: We had a White Christmas!

2009-12-31T11:21:00.000-06:00

Doe Run Farm CSA: We had a White Christmas!

We had a White Christmas!

2009-12-31T10:26:00.003-06:00

Good morning friends!
We hope that everyone enjoyed a wonderful Christmas season this year!

Our Christmas was spent in Northern Virginia this year, and we had a bit of a slow start getting there due to the weather. We had planned to leave earlier than we did, but the heavy snow delayed us by two days. But, we had a really nice Christmas with our Son Mike and his family once we arrived. The roads were cleared by the time we left and the scenery along the way was just lovely! The Shenandoah Valley is pretty anyway, but snow covered it's so beautiful! Hopefully I can post a few photos taken on our trip. (if I can get them downloaded-still not great at this)

We didn't go into DC this trip, just mostly stayed in and enjoyed visiting. I did visit an extremely nice Market close to my Son's home named Wegmans, and they really had anything anyone could imagine wanting for meal preparation. Cases and cases of fresh seafood, meats, etc. plus-- Organic selections of anything you could want throughout the market. That really got my attention! They even had wine tastings going on in their wine shop, and of course I sampled them all and purchased a couple of bottles of red (for medicinal purposes of course:) To sum it up, this store is like Whole Foods on Steroids!

We returned to find that we did sustain some high winds while we were away, but had just a few things blown out into the fields. No big deal though. We leave the farm rarely, but when we do our neighbors all watch each others property and their dogs pretty much roam our place all the time. (where there is no deer fence) The dogs alert everyone to strangers and we like that! They are pretty large dogs too which is somewhat intimidating in and of itself. We are grateful for our small community of neighbors.

Now that we are home and getting ready for another new year, we are focusing on our farm's upcoming CSA season. We will need to get all seeds ordered very soon, plus any soil amendments necessary, repair and service our farm equipment and implements, make necessary repairs to our packing shed and soon to be farm pavilion, determine logistics for our CSA deliveries, and, well you get the idea..there's a lot to be done here over the next few months. We will get done what we can you can be sure of that. John and Barry have already repaired the two high tunnels, and enclosed the Haygrove tunnel, so that's good. I would like to have a few raised bed constructed near the Greenhouse, but I know that is way down on the list of John's priorities.

On this 6th day of Christmas, I will say "bye" for now. As the new year rolls around keep us in your prayers, you surely will be in ours as always. We wish for you in 2010 good friends, good health and many blessings!

Happy New Year from Doe Run Farm!

Musings from our Farm

2009-12-15T12:03:00.006-06:00

Pictured today are some of our autumn-early winter CSA boxes being unloaded from the trailer. Lots of great greens this week!

The wind is blowing, the clouds are gray, and it's getting colder here on the farm today! Thankfully yesterday was a beautiful day since we had visitors. Our farming acquaintences that visited yesterday from Virginia are a Menonite couple. What a nice visit we had with them. Christine brought me home made Raspberry Jam, Salsa, and fresh garlic! After a good visit they were off to continue their trip to see relatives for the holidays.It was a nice day to walk around, visit and exchange ideas with one another.

While walking over the farm yesterday, our visitors pointed out something new to us that we had not really known about until then. Several areas are covered in small leaf bitter Cress! This cress when it's young, developes into a small rosette that's very delicate looking and really delicious! We all sampled it yesterday! It would be a great addition to a green salad, or used as a garnish. It's really funny how many "wild" things grow on the farm that are edible, delicious and good for you. Another example of this are the Elderberries that grow here! Something entirely knew to me that I recently learned is that "cattails" you see growing
around ponds and lakes, have a portion inside of them that are very edible and supposedly delicious. We have a bank of them here at the farm around our pond, and I am going to cut one open and give it a try! I suppose these things are the food stuffs of the "hunters and gatherers" of old!

Today is a different story weatherwise, but I can't let it stop me as the porches have to be swept and hosed down. I can't figure out why, but after we have a day or two of rain, the front porch is littered with earthworms, and once they dry, the skeletons are not easily removed. I intended to sweep porches yesterday but after our visitors had left, I had to take "Baby", one of our cats to the Vet's office. She was limping and favoring her left foot. I was worried that she had broken a bone, but the Vet gave her an anti-inflammatory medication, (that we will continue till gone), and she seems better today. The vet seemed to think there was a cut on one of her paw pads that was painful for her. Hopefully she will mend soon!

Happy Holidays!
Judy

The Latest News from Doe Run Farm!

2009-12-11T15:12:00.004-06:00

Christmas will soon be here, a time for celebrating our Savior's birth-a special time indeed. We too will celebrate this joyous season, all the while working here to catch up on many things before Christmas day rolls around.

John just came in and reported that he and Barry (our Son-in-Law) have finished the major repairs on one of our high tunnels, though there are some minor repairs left to do. All in good time. Barry has been a big help to us since Ty left this summer. We are grateful for his help. With it being as cold as it has been the past two days, I'm sure the work on the tunnels has not been pleasant. Though I have not heard any complaints!

This week I am going to scrounge around on the farm for some pretty holly with lots of bright red berries, Jackson vine and other greenery for decorating. I am doing very little this year, just a bit of greenery here and there. Decorations definitely add to the festivity of the holidays! If I could just find some mistletoe.....

This week a fellow Farmer from Virginia, will be stopping in for a visit. He emailed saying he is traveling to Texas, via Nashville and would like to visit. He and his wife have a pretty Organic farm, but they have been through some hard times recently, namely a fire that devastated their farm. They have had to start over to rebuild what was lost to the fire. We have never met, but have exchanged emails and vegetable seeds with one another. It will be nice to meet "in person". Farmers always like to talk to one another about their farm experiences!

We have been putting a lot of thought into our upcoming Spring-Summer CSA and other things we have been considering for the farm for the summer season. We will be attending an Agritourism workshop in Nashville in 2010, in hopes of doing a few new things here at the farm. So much hinges on whether we will be able to hire additional help here for the summer. We will keep you posted on these plans as time moves forward.

We will talk again soon,

A Call to Action

2009-12-06T10:42:00.000-06:00

The Food Safety Enhancement Act is now before Congress! HR2749 This act treats every food producer from the smallest Artisan baker that sells his/her product to the Farmer's Market or CSA, to the food industry giant Kraft foods, as if they are the same! This is as if the food produced by small farm producers present the same risks of adulteration as the Mega food producers, and as if the same preventive measures are necessary for both. Think about the number of people in contact with food, and ways that contamination can occur in the giant food industry. This is so different for small farms and other small product producers. We should be encouraging these producers into the market, not erecting more barriers for them. This new bill will erect barriers, possibly insurmountable ones, to local Artisan food producers and small Farmers.

For example: the bill requires every food producer to pay a $500 fee and undertake a "hazard analysis" to prevent their food from presenting a safety hazard to the public. So Heartland Bakery, New Moon Candies and other local Artisan food producers will pay the same fee as Nestle or Kellogg's and be saddled with the same paperwork burden. I'm thinking Nestle and Kellogg's won't miss the $500 and can probably absorb the costs of developing their "hazard analysis." They probably have on staff a myriad of people to do record keeping for every product line they produce, I know that this is impractical and unaffordable for most small producers.

Here's another example: Food producers engaging in "interstate shipping" must develop a "Food Safety Plan." Again, it doesn't matter how small or new a producer is or how they produce their food product. Small farmstead cheese makers in Alabama who might want to sell at Tennessee farmers' markets, are treated the same as Tyson, which ships tons of factory-farmed chicken to all fifty states. Under HR 2749, both will be . Under HR 2749, both will be required to develop a food safety plan including these elements:
preventive controls being implemented;
procedure for monitoring preventive controls;
procedures for taking corrective action;
verification activities for the preventive controls, including validation, review of monitoring and corrective action records, and procedures for determining whether the preventive controls are effectively preventing, eliminating, or reducing to an acceptable level the occurrence of identified hazards or conditions;
recordkeeping procedures;
procedures for the recall of articles of food, whether voluntarily or when required;
procedures for the trace back of articles of food, whether voluntarily or when required;
procedures to ensure a safe and secure supply chain for the ingredients or components used in making the food manufactured, processed, packed, transported or held by such facility; and
procedures to implement the science-based performance standards issued.

I'm thinking this may put some of our Artisan producers out of business.

It's always difficult to parse out the various reasons people are against any new law to figure out whether it's hysteria from those who simply distrust the government (though I have a lot of sympathy for these folks, too) or whether the provisions in a certain law are really as alarming as some would have us believe. It's easy to dismiss alarmists; let's dial down the hysteria. However, this bill, if passed in its current form, will make it significantly more difficult for small and Artisan food producers to start and maintain a viable business. This will make it harder to find such foods from local sources. This bill, if passed as written, will actually make the food safety problem worse by eliminating sources of good, healthy, locally-produced Artisan food products that are easily traceable, and one that insures a safe food supply chain.

At the very least, we believe that the compliance requirements should be as reasonable for small farmers as it is for Hormel -- which means that small farmers probably ought to pay $25 to register and be required simply to maintain records of purchases so that if a food safety issue arises, those records can be used to figure out what happened. But to require small farmers and Artisans to adhere to the same rules as Pepsico and Heinz is not only silly but doesn't address the fact that food safety problems we've seen over the past ten years have not occured at small farms or Artisanal bakeries.Industrial food giants are at the root of this problem. Artisan food producers and small farmers are the solution, not the problem. Let's ask our lawmakers to recognize that.

I'm not sure the answer is to ask our lawmakers to simply vote against this bill. We do need to address food safety issues in our industrial food supply. But we don't need to behave as if those same problems are inherent in all food production. They aren't. Here on our farm, we are very much in favor of having systems in place to protect the consumer from food borne illnesses, and maintaining records to show compliance. But to ask a small farm to be governed by the same rules as big Agribusiness (where crops are difficult to trace back to a source of contamination)is not only unreasonable, but unafordable as well. If small farmers and producers of local food are to stay in business, let's do the right thing here. Make the regulations such that local producers can continue to bring consumers safe, nutritious and fresh products as they have in the past, by regulating them in a realistic manner.

Ask your congress person to change this bill to provide for a realistic system with which small producers can comply. Those regulations that govern the food giants make this impractical and unaffordable to the small producer. With the regulations that are being put before Congress, the small producer would be looking at having to hire an additional person just to monitor the entire process. Not many small farms or Artisinal producers we know could do this without passing costs along to consumers. No one I know wants to do that.

To email your congress person, visit the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund's petition page, which takes you to a handy form where you can enter your address. Enter your message in the blank box, and it will be sent to your congressional representative. The message I'm recommending you send is this:(Just use your Word Processor feature on your computer, cut and paste this message).

I believe small,artisan food producers and farmers should be exempted from this bill as it reads today. They are not the problem. They are the SOLUTION to our food safety problems. We should not be creating new barriers to entry and new compliance burdens for these small producers of healthy food.Traceability is not the same issue with small farms as it is with mega food producers, and the regulations on Small farms and Artisinal producers should reflect this. Thank you.

In closing, we would like to say that we are very much in favor of providing our farm patrons with a safe food supply chain. We operate our farm with this in mind on a daily basis. We already maintain daily records here on our farm as are required by our Certified Organic certification, but adding more record keeping at this point would definitely be burdensome and add to our expenses, with no added food safety advantage to our customers.

Even if you are not an "activist" this is a bill where consumer involvement is a "must" if you want to support your area farmers, and farm producers. Call your Congressional representative and give him your opinion.

Small Farmers and Farm Producers thank you for your effort on our behalf!

Early New Years Resolution

2009-11-29T21:12:00.000-06:00

I am usually not one for making New Year resolutions, mostly because I break them early on, but I am making one right now for 2010. That resolution is to blog more frequently. I just hope this resolution isn't going to follow the path of all the other resolutions I have made in the past!

Another holiday has come and gone, and my how fast they do come and go. Thanksgiving Day has always been special to me and as I get older it becomes more special. I am sorry that Thanksgiving isn't given more attention, it just seems to be skimmed over in some ways-at least commercially. I feel that Halloween is given more attention than Thanksgiving and that makes me sad. I am thankful for so many things, my family, my friends, my health and the health of those I love, our farm,and for our Military, past and present, that protect us each and every day. I am thankful for the life that God has given me. What are you most thankful for?

Now I look to the Christmas season, with all it's wonder. Come Christmas Eve, I will as I have in years past, take a break from whatever I am into at the moment, and just quietly think about what Christmas means to me. In the quiet of the night,my thoughts will turn to an evening spent in Nazareth by the holiest of families. I hope everyone will take the time to meditate quietly on the miracle at Nazareth.

Now a bit of farm news: We are in our last week of CSA until the New Year! It seems like we just started! The crops have done well, but our Lettuce has been disappointing. What we have is pretty, but immature. Unfortunately the three weeks of rain that we had a few weeks ago, delayed our planting and that set us back for that crop. Everything else has done pretty good considering the weather was so wet for so long. As a matter of fact, it's raining here again, right now!

If you haven't done so, become a Fan of the farm on Facebook! It's easy, really, and you may find many of your friends on Facebook, even some you have lost contact with! Until next time..Blessings,

ODE TO MY IRON SKILLETS

2009-10-16T14:26:00.000-05:00

If you have Iron skillets, and have not used them much this summer, it's time to bring them out front and center! I honestly don't think that I could cook without mine, they make everything taste so much better! I cook everything in mine from mouth watering corn bread, to upside cakes, to creamed corn, fried okra, hash browns, well, you get the idea. There is no comparison between using an Iron skillet and a stainless steel skillet. The heating is much more even with Iron, plus the flavor of the food is unequaled in my opinion. If you have ever tasted fried chicken cooked in an Iron skillet, you won't want to use anything else for your chicken.

I love to go to country Auctions, that's where you find the best Iron skillets, unless like me, you have inherited a few along the way. I like the Wagner skillet, and you will see that stamped on the bottom. I have a few hints I would like to pass along when you use your skillet. Never cook tomato products in the skillet, there's something about the reaction of the iron and acid that doesn't work for me. Also, purchase a stiff brush on a long handle and reserve it only for scrubbing out your skillets. Scrub out with hot water only - NO SOAP! If something sticks to your skillet and you can't clean it using your brush and water, put some water in your skillet, set the skillet on medium heat, once heated turn off the stove and let the skillet cool. It should come right off now. Wipe your skillet very dry before putting it away. The third thing is make sure your skillet is "seasoned" before using it (this should be my very first hint). You can "google" these intructions on the Web. I use Olive oil or Canola oil for cooking but ALWAYS lard for seasoning my Iron skillets.If you take care of your skillets, you can pass them down to your children, and they can pass to their children. I don't think they ever "wear out" like other kitchen pots and pans.

Well, I guess I have told you everything and more than you wanted to know about Iron skillets, but, don't take my word for it, give them a try for yourself if you haven't already. And if you use them regularly, good for you-- and I bet the meals at your home are great!

The Fall-Winter CSA Season is approaching!

2009-09-28T12:31:00.000-05:00

It won't be long now! Soon we will be delivering CSA boxes once more, heavily laden with comfort food to fortify our bodies for cooler weather! All the good "stick to your ribs" kind of food, you know what I mean. Greens, Sweet Potatoes, Beets, Cabbage, Turnips,those kind of foods!

Today we have been blessed with a glorius day, and I will take the time right now to thank our Creator for giving us this day. Cool crisp weather makes me think of the following things: mums, football & pumpkins, along with good things to eat such as, Roasted root veggies, Apples, Cider, Honey, Sorghum Molasses (one of my favorite things loaded with minerals), hot Biscuits, Homemade Vegetable soup,Candied Sweet potatoes, Butternut squash soup. I think I got carried away:)

Soon we will be knee deep in seed catalogs since it's time to be planning our Summer planting schedule. We have to think in advance a season around here, but that's not a bad thing I guess.Keeps us on our toes! The catalogs are always fun, because when you finally do get around to ordering your seeds, its generally cold weather, and it makes you think about springtime, one of the prettiest times of the year.

We lost our one full time helper at the farm (our only farm worker) a few weeks ago. Ty has been with us this summer, and he worked very hard and was extremely dependable. He helped us put up our largest hoop house, plant, weed, harvest, pack and load our delivery van. He planned on being here through December, but he accepted another job working for his Father, due to his Dad losing a valued employee at his business. So it goes, now it's back to just me and John again. It was hard to have Ty leave us, but we understand how things do change. We wish him well and thank him for his hard work.

Next summer we hope that our oldest Grandson John Lawrence will come help us on the farm. He has mentioned it to us a few times that he would like to do that as a way for him to earn money. He will be saving for college and other needs too I am sure. But we are proud that he wants to be here to work with us. We would enjoy his company and appreciate his help too. We will see how this goes. Farming is hard work anytime, but summer with the heat, humidity and pests, its much harder. But, what wonderful things the fields provide in the summer for us all-wow! Very worth it I think.

We ask your prayers for anyone that may be ill within our CSA community, and we ask yours for us as well, as we go forth into another farming season. We also ask you to pray for a friend of ours and fellow farmer, Mr. Hank Delvin, who we recently found out was badly injured in an car-truck crash. We wish for him a full recovery!

We have been working on a perennial garden up near our house this summer as time allows. It is coming along slowly. If you are thinning bulbs,such as Iris, daffodils, etc. and would be willing to share with me, I will share some seeds with you. I would like to include some bulbs in my garden and I want to add a few climbing roses too which I think would be a nice addition to the garden. So if you are cutting back roses, I would happily pot up those cuttings.

We are always looking for neighborhoods that would like to get enough folks together to have CSA boxes brought to them for an entire season, right in their own neighborhood, or delivered to their place of business or place of worship. If you or someone you know would be interested in helping us with this, just let us know.

Enough of my ramblings for today, thank you for following our farm's blog, and sign up to become a fan of Doe Run Farm on Facebook! Blessings, Judy

Summer's End

2009-09-05T21:12:00.000-05:00

With Labor Day fast approaching, another summer will have come and gone! My but this summer passed by me so quickly-I find that more true with each year now. But, I treasure each and every day, and I thank our Creator often for the life he has given me. I am blessed with a wonderful family, rich with friends and very thankful to still have my 88 year old Mom! Though she has had more problems than usual recently, having been hospitalized twice in the last 4 months, she has kept a good attitude, and really tries to participate in her health care. I ask that you keep her in your prayers please.

I would like to thank everyone that helped us out with last Thursday's CSA delivery so that we could travel to Indiana to be with my Mom for a procedure that she had to have done asap. She was very weak, but she was so glad to see us. I spoke with her today and she is feeling stronger, and adjusting to her new medicines. Thank you Friends!

Another Summer CSA has just come to a close at our farm. It's always sad to say goodbye to the wonderful harvest that summer brings us, but we have the cool season vegetables that comfort us so much in the winter months, to look forward to enjoying. We are staying busy filling trays with seeds, that before you know it will be transplanted into the hoophouses. Some things have already been direct seeded into the soil, and they will feed us during the winter and early spring as they "overwinter".

We are getting registrations daily for our Autumn-Winter CSA, and soon we will be filled up. Everyone seems to be very interested in eating healthier this winter with all the H1N1 Virus information that is being publicized. I would ask all of our followers on the blog to please, do stay home if you are sick, and get to the doctor right away if you or anyone in your family, feels ill with flu symptoms. You can get help if you go early enough. ( I guess the RN in me is showing a bit)

You can now find our farm on FACEBOOK! Become a FAN of the farm!

Until next time,

Peace,
Judy

Water n' weed, Weed n' water!

2009-06-20T18:55:00.000-05:00

Seems like that cycle is never ending here on our farm. I was set back in my tracks early this morning when I went to take a look at the few herbs that I had planted just a couple weeks ago, over near our greenhouse. Lo and behold, the pigweed is waist high! Way too tall to pull out (it has the sharpest bristles on it-they can hurt big time) so the weed whacker will come in real handy! Pigweed and Johnson grass are our nemesis. But the good news is that the herbs are thriving even under those conditions. Will be planting more that are perennials as soon as we get a rain that blows in ....from somewhere soon I hope. Too hot right now to plant anything that is not absolutely essential. When conditions are this extreme, even with irrigation, the plants get stressed and that will set them back, so you really don't gain much by planting in this kind of heat. If we do plant, it will be very early, irrigating things really well before and after planting, or late in the afternoon so they can have overnight to adjust somewhat.

Everyone we know is at the lake or enjoying a nice cool dip in a pool somewhere, this week end and boy does that sound good to me right about now. But someone has to stick around to water the veggies don't they?

As our harvesting, cultivation and planting continues throughout the summer, we are in the planning stages for our Autumn/Early winter CSA from the farm. Many of the delicious root crops that are enjoyed in the autumn and winter, must be planted in the heat of the summer to take advantage of the long hours of daylight to get them off to a good start. Once we have the summer solstice in June (on the 21st I believe), the days grow shorter and the daylight hours decline. In the winter time with it's short days, less sunlight and daylight, everything grows more slowly.

We had to move our poultry fence today, into a shady nook in the pasture. It was dreadfully hot for our hens, just as it was for us. But they are happy and content with their new shade! Egg laying declines when they get too hot, just as it does when they get cold in the winter. Gotta'keep those hens happy!

Guess that's about all of our news for now, until the next visit..

Blessings,

Judy

Field Notes from our Farm!

2009-06-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

We try as best we can to keep you "in the loop" about our work done seasonally here on our farm. Sometimes things move along at such a pace that it's hard to cram everything in a paragraph or two to pass along but we try anyway! We always hope that we are shedding some light on the production of food here on the farm, so that you may stay somewhat connected to the land, which of course is the focus of our CSA here at the farm.

It's raining again here today, quite gloomy in fact, with a dense fog that rolled in overnight here in the foothills. But we need not complain too much about the rain as it is needed and is vitally important to our plants and the soil surrounding the plants.

Every day we must take into account the weather, plus the weather in previous days as well. Is the soil too wet to drive our equipment over which would risk soil compaction, though we need to plant more today? Are the fields too wet to work in, and by doing so would risk spreading any disease by hand that's present on one plant, to many others? These are just a couple of things where risk vs. benefit is taken into consideration.

Along with daily harvesting from the fields, weeding continues. And, we have more transplants to plant and seeds to sow. We are in the process also of finalizing our plans for our late Autumn-early Winter CSA season. Registration for that will begin in July.

John has been making some adjustments on our irrigation system. Seems like this is always needing some "fine tuning". But, it has been such a lifesaver!

We are praying that there will be no droughts this summer!

It won't be long now until our wonderful, much requested Tomatoes will be being harvested. The Heirlooms, Slicers and Cherry tomatoes are all looking really good! I could eat tomatoes 3 times a day, they are so good! There's something about our soil that just turns out the most delicious tomatoes!

Judy's Kitchen tip: Always keep the following on hand: Olive Oil (the finest you can find for using on your salads), balsamic vinegar, honey, and lemons for creating your best salad dressings. Fresh herbs also. Nothing takes the place of fresh herbs for your salads! They are wonderful used in drinks, baked goods, salads, and soups!

Everything in your CSA box from Doe Run Farm can be enjoyed by Vegans! Most everything in the box can also be eaten raw either as a snack, in a salad, or used in stir fry!

Don't forget to visit our website often: http://www.doerunfarmtn.com/ Until next time, "Don't wear perfume in the garden, unless you want to be pollinated by bees" (Anne Raver)

Farm Day 2009 Has Come and Gone

2009-06-10T09:05:00.000-05:00

Farm Day was last Sunday, June 7 and we had a wonderful turnout of families here to visit! We were blessed with lovely weather, although a bit warm, beautiful music from our shareholders, and lots of lively conversation! Everyone seemed to enjoy touring the farm and asking questions about how their food is grown. We especially enjoyed the children and we hope they had fun with the activity planned just for them. Bridget and Elisabeth kept them busy while Mom and Dad toured the farm.

We are busy here as usual, getting ready to do more planting, and pulling out spent plants. I'ts a constant cyle of planting, tearing out the old and putting in new plants here at the farm. Some of our different varieties of yellow summer squash are now ready, as well as beets for which we have many requests. Beets are so nutritious and delicious when roasted. To keep the color in beets when boiling, add a bit of lemon juice to your water.

Our cabbage is really looking beautiful this summer-the row covers have helped so much!
To keep the cabbage odor minimized when cooking, place a small pan of vinegar near the cooking cabbage. Helps a bit.

We lost one of our Delaware heritage breed hens this week to a predator. Not a trace left behind. Not sure what took her away, but she is gone. She was a pretty one too! Just have to accept the fact that we will lose a few, but we do what we can to keep it to a minimum.

Barry our son-in-law is driving for us two days a week now, delivering our CSA boxes. This is a big help to us, allowing us to spend more time on the farm and not loose two days per week here. Things get way behind here in a hurry if we are not here to take care of things. We harvest every day and we still have a hard time keeping up.

That's about all the news here for now, it's time to get back to work!

Have a wonderful week, and we thank you for visiting our Doe Run Farm - Farm Blog!

During the early part of July we will be opening our on farm Country Farm Stand. Watch for the opening date, days of the week and hours which will be posted in late June, under the EVENTS link on our website, www.doerunfarmtn.com.

Visit our website and the Farm Blog often to keep up to date with the happenings around here!

First CSA Week is now history...

2009-05-24T20:32:00.000-05:00

We trust that everyone is enjoying their first CSA box of the summer season! We have been busy around here. We have added four new CSA delivery locations this summer which is keeping us hoppin'--to say the least. We are so happy to meet the many new additions to our CSA community! The first couple of deliveries of the season are always hectic, learning how to get around in new businesses or neighborhoods when dropping off the boxes, starting new routines, taking new routes to get to where we need to be and arriving when we need to be there, and making sure the box counts are correct with no one being left out. Whew--did I say hectic? Luckily the weather cooperated last week and we were so grateful for that. John and I were talking about how just about every delivery made in to Nashville last year on Tuesdays, it rained, or it was really cold and also raining. A beautiful day is a true gift to us!

We have been working diligently trying to mow down all the tall grass that has grown so much during this rainy time of year. It is really hard to mow, very thick and almost too wet. But if we don't get it cut a bit shorter, it will never dry out enough to mow really close like we prefer to keep it. As you know, a farm always has nuisances ---such as ticks (which I hate!), so we try to keep the lawn and pastures really cut short, which seems to help somewhat. Though we still have to check ourselves well at the end of each day for the little buggers. I have been thinking about getting some guinea hens, as ticks are a mainstay of their diet. They are funny too, they like to roost in the trees at night, and I'm told are as good as a watchdog at alerting you to visitors. Evidently you have to get guinea keets, which are young guineas, to keep them from wandering away. The adult ones do wander.

This week when I have been mowing between rain showers, my newest hens (the Delaware breed), followed me around on the riding mower, eating the insects in the grass. I couldn't believe that the noise didn't scare them off. I guess the feast I stirred up with the mower compensated for the noise.

Just down the road, a pair of geese are rearing a small family of six babies near a small pond that is right beside the road that leads to our farm. They look like big fur balls, and are ever so cute! In addition to the pair with the babies, there are about 8 other fully grown geese there also. A year or so ago, another couple of geese reared 6 babies there, and we have always heard that they will come back to their "home place". I can't help but wonder if these adult geese are the babies that were born there last year. Life is never dull here, and that is wonderful!

Today is a very special day! A day to remember all of our Veterans that paid the ultimate price for our many freedoms! When I visited Arlington National Cemetery a few years ago, I was so touched and extremely grateful to those brave soldiers that gave their lives so that I could be free. There were so many. For those that are serving today, let's keep them in our thoughts and prayers also.

Until next time, Peace....

CSA begins this coming week!

2009-05-15T09:40:00.000-05:00

The bluebirds are building their nests, the swallows are in the barn, and we begin our CSA next Tuesday with deliveries to the Nashville area. It's definitely Springtime!

Sowing and planting are still going on as they will be all summer, and the farm is alive with activity. We are trying to stay ahead (somewhat) of the weeds which are our nemesis around here!

We are having a dickens of a time getting our carrots to germinate. We have planted twice, with plans for one more try in the works. We don't give up easily.

The hens are enjoying all the freshly cut grass in the pasture and everything has greened up wonderfully here this spring.

We are looking forward to an Afternoon at the Farm on Sunday May 24 to be held from 3 to 7 pm, and we hope that many of our CSA families will be able to come visit! For all the requests we get to come see the farm, here is your opportunity! This event is set aside just for our CSA Shareholders and their families.

'Till next time, have a wonderful weekend!

This Is A Good Day For...

2009-05-03T11:24:00.000-05:00

Attending your Church with family in tow.
Curling up with your favorite book, and listening to the soft rain as it falls.
Making cookies with the children.
Fixing something "really" special and soothing for tonight's dinner.
Renting a family movie and watching it with your family.
Getting out the home movies of vacations past and enjoying it with family.
Taking a nap.
Sitting on your front porch and visiting with friends in the neighborhood.
Enjoying every moment!

Farm News:
It's really wet and the ground is truly soaked here. Right now we could use a bit of dry weather, but we are very thankful that our plants in the field are in raised beds right not, or covered by hoophouses. This has been our wettest spring in recent years! A bit of this kind of weather would be appreciated along about late July or August! But you take what nature deals you.

We have another field ready for planting, the mulch is layed down, but it's too wet to get in there to plant, so we wait. One thing about it, you dare not try to work in a wet field, it would take a lot of work to undo the damage you do to the soil if you work the field while it's wet. We learned that early on!

In about two weeks our Summer harvest CSA begins and we are excited about seeing past CSA shareholders and meeting our new shareholders! Our CSA has doubled for this summer, and we are seeing a real interest in folks wanting to know more about the food they put on their tables. We are happy that there is more interest in eating foods grown in the region, rather than buying food that has traveled many miles before reaching our kitchens. I don't know about you, but this makes a lot of sense to me. The longer the food has been off the vine, plant, bush etc,. the more nutrition is lost. You can have flavor, variety, and nutrition if you eat from a farm in your area. Plus, you help support a small farm that grows food for us all to enjoy!

We are looking forward to another CSA season at Doe Run Farm! See you soon!

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T15:53:00.000-05:00

Today is the day when we can all take a moment and think about what it is that we can do, to make our environment better for ourselves and for everyone on the planet Earth. It can be as simple as recycling, limiting our use of plastics, carpooling when we can, eat organically as much as possible, but most importantly, we can teach our children, nieces, nephews etc., how they can start now to do their part in making the Earth a safer place for all of creation for the years to come. Now is the time, let's seize this moment with our younger generation.

It's too bad that in my generation and the generations before mine, that our consciousness was not raised to the level that it is today about protecting our planet. But, it's never to late to begin to do better! Let's all try.

News from our farm: Evidently a predator had it's way with the bantham hen. It just up and disappeared, leaving a mound of feathers behind to alert me of it's demise. The little bantham rooster has been totally "lost" since his hen was carried away. So, we now have another hen house and three new Heritage breed (Delawares) hens to keep him company. He is totally happy!

Today we pulled the plastic (another way of saying that we covered the hoophouse) today on the new Haygrove high tunnel (hoophouse). All 200 feet of it. Quite a job for John and Ty. But they did it and soon it will be full of plants for our CSA shareholders.

Our CSA has grown by leaps and bounds this year, and we feel extremely blessed to have such wonderful farm supporters. Without them, I think we could not continue to farm. On a farm so much of the time it's feast or famine--never knowing how much to plant, how much will not be sold, or have you planted enough to satisfy the needs of your customers. It's just a guessing game really. As far as our CSA goes, I think more folks are wanting to cook and eat at home with their families, and I know for a fact that they want to eat local and eat fresh and that's where we come in! Fresh to us here at Doe Run Farm (Farm to Table CSA) means, just harvested.

Our goal is to deliver your vegetables, produce, and berries within hours of their harvest!

We still have a few shares left for the summer season CSA if you or friends of yours would like to join us for the summer. At last count there were about a dozen shares left for purchase. We begin our season the third week in May and it runs through the first week of September. Check out our website:www.doerunfarmtn.com, for full information and prices. We have 3 share sizes to offer you this year-there's a size box for everyone!

Farm News

2009-04-03T10:28:00.000-05:00

Planting season is in full force around here these days. Plus, we sow seeds almost daily to go into the beds in a few short weeks. Wednesday found us planting about 2,000 transplants, mostly broccoli, red choi, cabbage and Swiss chard. The fields are muddy today, so we will stay out of them until they are dry enough for us to work in them again.

For those following the antics of our bantam rooster and hen, the hen is still setting on her nest of 10 eggs. Nothing's happened there yet, but it should any day now. As a general rule all the eggs don't hatch, but we should have some tiny banthams before long. The mother hen is very pretty, light brown and gray with a little tuft of black on her head that resembles a crown..so cute!

We have some beautiful lettuces and other salad greens coming on that look wonderful! I can hardly wait for some crunchy, fresh delicious lettuce! In the winter we don't purchase lettuce or tomatoes out of season (frankly we don't purchase much that's not in season anyway), as they don't have any flavor, and flavor is what it's all about! We actually had a customer say to us when we were at the Franklin Farmer's Market in Franklin Tennesse, "wow, I never knew that lettuce had a taste to it". That was a real compliment for our lettuces!

I spoke too quickly about our soon to be new bantham hens. John just came in and had checked their nest--something had eaten all the eggs, most likely a possum or skunk! Sad, but the little hen is lucky she escaped the nest raiders grip. She is fine, but no baby banthams this time around. Had it been a racoon that had gotten the eggs, most likely it would have gotten our hen too!

The weekend is here and we wish you a good one, hopefully with some nice weather for you to get out and enjoy!

Week of Firsts

2009-03-27T10:32:00.000-05:00

First thing I want to do today is chant "rain rain go away, come again another day"...say maybe in the sweltering heat of August! We need to get into the fields! The worst thing you can do is try to work the soil wet, or harvest when things are soaked. Rain is forecast for us again tomorrow!

First thing I did yesterday was find out where my Bantam hen goes as soon as she eats and preens a bit. I found her (with the help of binoculars) up under an old tree that had fallen on the property, way back inside an area on the ground, where the dirt had eroded to the point of fitting her body perfectly. Either that or she scratched out a place for herself, which is most likely. She is setting on eggs, so before you know it we will have bantam babies, unless a critter gets them. She is a pretty hen and I've heard that the Bantam breed are good mothers.

On the way to feed the chickens yesterday, I spotted my first snake of the season. Spring is truly here! I actually reached down to pick up something from the ground and where the grass was a bit high, I saw something about 3 inches long, that looked like a narrow piece of tire rubber. Then the light went on---it was a black snake. It was ushered back into the trees and left to roam.

We heard yesterday that our two grandsons that live near Huntsville Alabama both made AAU basketball teams for the first time. This was their first try and they are excited-they won't be the least bit bored this summer. They will have two worn out parents though.

We ran out of seedling trays for the first time ever, and hopefully our trays that we ordered will be in today, so we can sow more seeds. Our CSA has grown by leaps and bounds for the summer season, and we are staying quite busy around here.

Every now and then the sun peeks through the clouds, and makes me yearn for sunny days. I will leave you with a favorite quote of mine...
"For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, For love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends." ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ready for Spring?

2009-03-24T10:09:00.000-05:00

The pace at the farm is quickening with the arrival of spring! The greenhouse is bulging with plants soon to be transplanted into the fields and high tunnels. More seeds have been planted and will soon be germinating in the greenhouse. It's fun to see what seedlings are peeking up through the cells in the newly sown trays. Their growth stages are really amazing to me.

John has been lightly tilling the fields in preparation for laying the drip tape and plastic mulch that we use on every raised bed. Yes, we do grow in raised beds and yes that does wonders for your plants. Raised beds warm the soil earlier in the spring, minimize erosion, keep the plants cleaner, and help to keep down weeds. But on our farm and most other Organic farms, weeds are a real issue. We try to stay after them, but what can I say--they always get ahead of us as we don't use anything but vinegar to try to keep them in tow along with a few good hoes, and a good weed eater. No chemicals allowed.

Once we start planting in the fields, we take turns riding the transplanter, for the plants that can be planted this way, the other drives the tractor that pulls the transplanter along. I have a time trying to keep the tractor straight on the plastic beds, but I get through it. Lots of things have to be hand planted here, especially in the tunnels as the tractor and plastic mulch layer cannot get inside. We go in there, shape the beds, fertilize, lay the drip tape, and transplant our plants. Most of the flowers this year will be planted on mulch instead of by hand. All of our herbs will be on plastic mulch so they will be clean when picked. Once things are planted everything has to be tended to until harvest time comes. (fertilized, monitored for pests, hand picking pests, etc) So goes life on the farm!

Thought for today "we can do no great things, only small things with love" Mother Teresa

Smiles of Summer

2009-02-27T20:52:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe-- due to the last few days of dreary, damp and rainy weather that we have had, that summer will be here before you know it! And with summer, comes our CSA deliveries and the smiles that greet us at our pick up locations along the way. These are the same smiles that we remember while we harvest, pack and load the van for deliveries. They get us through the heat, the rain, the physical "tiredness" that farm work brings, and they boost us emotionally when we need it the most. It's easy to take a smile for granted, but you never know how your smile, can give someone just the "lift" they need to get through their day. It has happened to us many, many times by way of our CSA community.

Our CSA is set to begin mid May this year-hopefully the weather will cooperate. Having the high tunnels helps in that respect. We are adding new pick up locations this year as our CSA is growing. We will be delivering to the Old Hickory/Mt. Juliet area and the MTSU area near campus in Murfreesboro. We encourage those interested to get registered, our shares for those pick up locations this summer are limited.

To all of our farm supporters, we thank you for your confidence in us, your loyalty and your friendship. We look forward to seeing you during our summer growing season!

Tiny Seedlings...

2009-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00

We're beginning to sow seed into trays getting ready to have lots and lots of transplants! While sowing the seeds, some so tiny the naked eye can hardly see them, it never ceases to amaze me what develops into something so wonderful in such a short time. That is one of the things I think I like most about growing food. After all your hard work of looking after them from the seedling stage to the transplant stage and on to their harvest, they challenge you, and you have high expectations for them! Kind of like child rearing in a way.

We will be putting up the new Haygrove tunnel very soon, and before you know it the high tunnels will be brimming with plants again.

Tonight we are enjoying the last of the Butternut squash that I have "hoarded" for winter use, along with a few carrots, and some of those great sweet potatoes and turnips. I will just simply roast them all together in a 425 degree oven, (after cutting them into small chunks). With a quick toss in a bowl to which you have added about 2-3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, Cracked Pepper and Kosher salt, in they go on a foil lined baking sheet until they are fork tender! So sweet, so delicious and so good for you. If you have any left from CSA..give them a try!

Hope you have enjoyed this wonderful Sunday that God has blessed us with today!

Your Farmers,
John & Judy
Posted by Judy McGary at 11:45 AM 0 comments

Winter CSA Ends this Week

2009-01-27T11:17:00.000-06:00

Good Morning!

Our winter CSA will come to an end this week, and we will be turning our thoughts to planting late Spring, early Summer crops. We want to say how much we appreciate our CSA shareholders extending their friendship to us, as well as their support of our farm operation. We thank you. We look forward to growing good things for your families again this Summer!

Our mailbox is bulging with seed catalogs every day now, though we use only a few of the same ones every year. It is fun though to look through all of them and dream of summer harvests!

Since opening registration for the Summer CSA season, registrations are coming in regularly.I have no doubt that we will sell out of the shares we are offering for this summer. I think more families are realizing that it's smart to eat more meals at home these days. In view of the state of the economy, we have decided that our CSA share price per delivery will remain the same as last year, but we have also decided to extended our CSA season for an additional two weeks. We hope this will encourage more families to eat from a local farm and join us at the "Farm to Table CSA", at Doe Run Farm.

This week we will have lots of greens for our CSA families, many which can be used in stir fry which is so easy to do. Getting things prepared before you are ready to stir fry is the secret to this technique. Elisabeth, one of our wonderful Volunteers, passed this recipe along for you to try! She is a creative, wonderful cook! Here it is:

This seems to be pretty good on most veggies that can be stir-fried. Lovely on Bok-Choy. Just stir-fry and toss with this sauce

1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. chili-garlic sauce (Sriracha)
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. lime juice

Stir together, toss with veggies, serve.

Have a wonderful week!

Ahh...Fresh Escarole for your Table!

2009-01-20T09:02:00.000-06:00

Good Morning!

The snow flurries yesterday were beautiful, weren't they? Makes you want to settle in and read a book by the fire!

We were in Nashville yesterday taking our Son to the airport after a wonderful visit for a few, short days. When he left his residence in Chicago to come visit us on Friday, it was a chilly 30 degrees below zero--that's not wind chill--that's actual temperature! We won't be traveling to visit him in Chicago until it warms up-that's for sure !

Here are a couple of recipes that you might want to try using the Escarole that's in your Nashville and Franklin CSA share boxes today. I also like to use the Escarole just julianned and added to my Green salads. Its a wonderful green! Have a wonderful day!

Kim Williams.....Madison Alabama Shareholder contributed this recipe:

Beans with Escarole (Kim's Version)

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 head escarole
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can cannellini beans, undrained
3 sprigs fresh parsley chopped

Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Toss in escarole, turning to coat with oil. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally 10 minutes or 'til tender. In another skillet, heat 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil over medium heat and add garlic. Pour in beans with the liquid. Simmer 'til creamy, about 10 minutes. Add escarole and parsley to beans and simmer 10 more minutes. Serve with corn muffins.

Another variation of the recipe above, contributed by Elisabeth Green-
Streeter, Madison Alabama Shareholder and Site Coordinator in Madison.

Beans with Escarole (Elisabeth's Version)

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 head escarole
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. ground chipotle pepper
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can cannellini beans, undrained
2 Tbsp. basil leaves, finely sliced (Mine were frozen, I'm sure fresh would be lovely.

Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Toss in escarole, turning to coat with oil. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally 10 minutes or 'til tender. In another skillet, heat 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil over medium heat and add garlic. Pour in beans with the liquid. Simmer 'til creamy, about 10 minutes. Add escarole and basil to beans and simmer about 10 more minutes. Serve with crusty Italian bread.

Heartfelt Thoughts...

2008-12-31T10:52:00.000-06:00

From "Farm to Table CSA" at Doe Run Farm, we take a moment to wish all of our farm supporters and their families, our best wishes for a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

John and Judy

Hawks and other predators..

2008-12-17T10:43:00.000-06:00

This last week we lost our first hen to a huge hawk that swooped down inside the electric poultry fence and decapitated one of my "girls"...and a good layer she was, too! This was made worse by the fact that I saw the whole event as I was coming out the back door on the way to feed the chickens. What a horrific site! John went with me and with a shovel in hand, buried the little hen. I had heard other farmers talk about how predators had attacked their flocks, but up to now, we had not had a problem. We do what we can to protect them as best we can but somethings just can't be prevented. Such is life on a farm, things are always changing, nothing is ever routine! If you like routine, farming is not for you!

The weather has not been great for harvesting this week. Really wet, and muddy. Things still are not growing fast enough to suit us either. We visited with another farm family this week and they too are somewhat frustrated with how long it's taking to reach harvest stage for some of their crops. Patience is another thing you learn when you are farming. Things are ready when they're ready and not before! Thankfully our CSA members are understanding about nature and they know that when we harvest the bounty is theirs.

John and I would like to take this moment to wish each of you a wonderful holiday season filled with good health and good friends. Please keep our troops that are serving our country in your thoughts this season as well.

Merry Christmas,Happy Hanukkah and Best Wishes of the season to folks of all faiths and beliefs.
Doe Run Farm

Wintry Mix

2008-12-11T11:48:00.001-06:00

The drenching rain has given way to a wintry mix in the last few minutes. The surrounding hills are shrouded in clouds, and our lake that normally doesn't hold water is filled to overflowing! The ground is waterlogged, and our county is under a flood watch as are many other counties nearby. Winter has set in on our farm, for sure.

This would be a perfect day to sit in front of the fire with a good book, and hopefully the week of Christmas, that is exactly what we will be doing. Though I am sure, the books may take a back seat to all the Spring Seed Catalogs. They do claim "priority" this time of year.

Soon we will have the greenhouse filled again with seeds sown for spring/early summer. Chores are never ending on a farm, but we love what we do, and are grateful that we are blessed with good health to continue. Thank you Lord for this and every day.

Be happy, healthy and safe!
Peace, Judy and John

Wind in the Willows

2008-12-09T12:07:00.000-06:00

Update from the farm:

Things are coming along, but with the short day lengths and overcast skies, everything is growing slowly. What's a farmer to do? Be patient, things will come around and the wait will be worth it!

Today we have "batten down the hatches", as it is really windy here, and it has just begun to rain. The hens and roosters were fed early today in preparation for the rain to come, and they were a happy lot! A few pumpkins and squash for special treats today-those yolks will be rich! They have been having their share of greens too which always makes them happy! Share boxes are packed and ready for today's deliveries and we look forward to seeing smiling faces this afternoon!

*Just a reminder, no deliveries the week of Christmas!

Peace,

Judy and John

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T08:30:00.000-06:00

A Thanksgiving Message from John and Judy,

Doe Run Farm would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our farm supporters (friends) and their families, a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

As you know, the CSA is the focus of our efforts here on the farm, and we are so thankful for your friendship, support, and the committment you have made to our farm through Community Supported Agriculture ( CSA).

Your Farm Friends,
Judy and John

CSA News

2008-11-20T07:40:00.001-06:00

Please let us know if you will not be picking up your CSA box on delivery day of Thanksgiving week so that we won't pick and pack one for you. We will be delivering on Tuesday for those that pick up on Tuesday, and on Wednesday (Thanksgiving Eve) for those whose regular pick up day is Thursday. If someone else is picking up your box next week, we don't need notification, -- but be sure the folks picking up are aware of delivery day and the time next week so they don't forget.

Farm News:

Busily seeding trays again (30 yesterday)-- full of what will be transplanted later in the season into the hoophouses. It was a nice day for sowing seed, the greenhouse was warm, Public Radio was the entertainment again, so it went pretty fast with both of us sowing seeds. I try to leave the radio on as much as possible--I swear things grow better with it on:) John is not so sure about that.

We are being deluged with new seed catalogs right now. On the cold winter nights ahead we will be looking through the seed books, and dreaming of Spring and Summer. Everything is so colorful in those catalogs that in the middle of winter, it lifts your spirits to think about all those wonderful tomatoes, cucumbers, juicy berries and everything else we enjoy eating in the summer.

As I look out my kitchen window this morning, I see a few deer lifting up their heads to browse the low hanging branches (the ones with a few leaves left), out in the back pasture. The chickens are scratching nearby, giving no notice to the deer at all. In a few minutes, the chickens will be fed and watered, and then they will scratch some more and then retire to the hen house to lay for the day.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day today..gotta go for now - there's a strange dog on the porch trying to eat Big Boy and Baby's cat food...have to chase him away. See you pick up day!

Sweet Potato Time

2008-11-17T08:51:00.000-06:00

Sweet Potato Butter

3 good sized sweet potatoes, (about 3 cups mashed)
2 c apple cider (not sweetened)
1 c sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground allspice
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes & bake for about 1 hour or until soft.Peel the roasted potatoes, put them in a large pot & mash them with a potato masher or fork. Add the cider & sugar & bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cinnamon & allspice. Reduce the heat to low & allow to simmer for about 2 hours stirring from time to time. The mixture should thicken to a thick mashed potato-like texture as the liquid cooks out. Use an immersion blender (or stand blender) to get all the lumps out & get a perfectly smooth texture. Adding butter to taste at the end is Optional.
Makes about 3 cups.

Sweet Potato Butter should be stored in the refrigerator. This could be used as a topping for oatmeal, toast, or used in cookies or muffins.

"Some of my Girls"

2008-11-16T14:30:00.000-06:00

Good Morning from "our girls" at the Farm!

These girls "slept in" this morning..it was a bit chilly for them early on!

Thought you might enjoy this photo of them.

We are keeping very busy here, sowing more seeds every day, watering the plants in the high tunnels, lifting old mulch out of the fields and trying to clean up bit by bit. Farm equipment maintenance will be taking place soon with John going about it in his usual systematic way. The packing shed will be getting a good "going over" in the next few weeks too. It gets out of "whack" in a hurry as much as we use it.

Ok, lets talk Collard Greens, 'cause most likely in the next week or two you will be getting some of these in your boxes. First, a bit of history on Collards.

Southerners love their greens. A time-honored tradition in southern kitchens, greens have held an important place on the table for well over a century, and there is no other vegetable that is quite so unique to the region.
The traditional way to cook greens is to boil or simmer slowly with a piece of salt pork or ham hock for a long time (this tempers their tough texture and smoothes out their bitter flavor) until they are very soft. Typically, greens are served with freshly baked corn bread to dip into the pot-likker. Pot likker is the highly concentrated, vitamin-filled broth that results from the long boil of the greens. It is, in other words, the "liquor" left in the pot.
In spite of what some consider their unpleasant smell, reaction to the smell of cooking greens separates true southern eaters from wannabes.

Me- being a true Southerner, this is how I like to cook my Collards (or turnip greens, or mustard greens--you get the idea). I don't eat them often as I would like because of the pork they are cooked with. (fatty and salty)

Cooked Greens (any kind)
Collard greens (whole collard heads or leaves)
2 ham hocks
Water
Salt to taste
Toppings (hot pepper sauce, vinegar, chopped onions and Vinegar.

Wash greens thoroughly, approximately 3 or 4 times to ensure they are clean and free of insects. Remove large stems. Just cut them out! Place ham hocks in an extra-large pot with enough water to completely cover them. Add salt and cook ham hocks at least 30 minutes before adding collards greens. Remove the hocks, let cool, and reserve the lean ham on the hocks to add later. Add collards, big leaves first (let them start off boiling), then add remainder of greens. Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour,over medium heat, stirring once about midway to ensure thorough cooking. I cook mine with the lid slightly ajar on the pot.
Test for tenderness of stems at 45 minutes by piercing with a sharp knife. Cook additional time if necessary. Remove from heat and drain in a colander, reserving the juice (pot likker). Chop collards with a collard chopper or a knife, leaving no large leaves or pieces. Add some of the pot likker if the greens are too dry. Add the chopped pieces of lean ham. Salt to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature with your choice of toppings and don't forget the corn bread!
Now, where's the Sweet Iced Tea??

Have a wonderful day, and a more wonderful week!

Judy and John

What to do with CSA Cabbage?

2008-11-14T13:49:00.000-06:00

I love it cooked in a little olive oil with onion. There’s a head of cabbage in the refrigerator and onions in the pantry most of the time, so I make this almost every week. Cabbage and pork go well together too. Start with a little diced bacon, then sauté the onions and cabbage in the smoky fat. A dollop of crème fraîche makes both of these simple dishes tasty and rich.
Eat your brassicas-they are so good for you!

A "Green" Photo this morning

2008-11-13T08:06:00.000-06:00

Good Morning!

Thought I would pass along a "tight shot" of some of our transplants awaiting their trip to the hoophouses. Everything in the hoophouses looks wonderful and healthy! Lots of good eating ahead for us all!

The website is up and running again after being down a couple of days. Our daughter Bridget takes care of the website for us and we couldn't manage without her. She spends many hours of her free time at home doing this for us- in addition to taking care of her family and working full time as an Engineer.

I just returned from feeding the hens and roosters. I put out clean straw in their nests and gathered their eggs this morning. Have to keep deep straw bedding in there for them in cool weather which helps to keep them warm. They also get scratch feed in the winter, which increases their body temperatures to ward off the really cold weather. I usually give them scratch feed in the late afternoon in the cold of winter.

The roosters seem to be tolerating each other pretty well now, though the "banty" still doesn't let the big rooster roost inside the henhouse at night. He may be tiny but he definitely "rules the roost"- at least at night.

We are still considering adding more hens in the spring, so we can at least offer eggs on a first come first serve basis when there are extras. Free range eggs are just the best -bright yolks, thick whites! They are far superior to anything bought at the market and so much better for you.

We hope you are enjoying your Winter CSA boxes, they will only get better! Start pulling out your recipes for winter "greens".

We sold every share that we had available, plus a few extra for this winter. With the addition of the new and larger hoophouse that we are putting up, we can make more Winter shares available next year.

Thank you for any referral(s) that you may have sent our way this winter. We are grateful. Judy

Farm Musings & Recipes for You

2008-11-09T11:38:00.000-06:00

On this somewhat overcast Sunday morning, I think about how blessed we are, to be able to gaze out our windows and see a myriad of russets, ambers, golds and greens bursting forth from the trees this autumn. They are truly putting forth a glorious show before the stark days of winter make up the landscape that will surround us for the next few months. As fall presents itself, I offer you a few autumn recipes that let you make use of some of what will be in your CSA boxes this fall. Enjoy!

Recipe for: Butternut Squash Lasagne (Kim Carlson)

Introduction:
This lasagne calls for no tomatoes, but has plenty of other vegetables: butternut squash, greens, and mushrooms. If you don’t have sausage on hand, or you prefer to leave it out, the recipe will not suffer.
Ingredients:
1medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 to 2Tbsp. olive oil
½lb. Italian sausage (pork or chicken)
¼cup butter
2small onions, chopped
3cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper
1bunch chard, stems removed, leaves chopped
1tsp. dried thyme
2lb. ricotta cheese
3 to 4cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2cups Parmesan cheese, grated
4large eggs, beaten
Extra-virgin olive oil
1package (9 ounces) no-boil lasagne noodles

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread squash in a single layer on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, tossing squash with your fingers to coat. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, turning once, until tender and golden brown. Set aside. Turn oven down to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, brown sausage in a large skillet; when cooked, remove to a large bowl. Melt butter in same pan, add onions, and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until tender, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper, and remove to bowl with sausage. Add chard to skillet with dried thyme and cook just until chard is wilted. Remove to bowl with sausage and mushrooms. Toss together.
In a medium-size bowl, mix together ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, 1½ cups Parmesan cheese, and eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
Brush a 13-inch-by-9-inch baking dish with olive oil. Spread 1 cup ricotta mixture over bottom. Arrange 3 noodles on top (or 1 sheet). In the following order, layer the remaining ingredients: 1½ cup ricotta mixture, one-half of the squash, one-half of the sausage/mushroom/chard mixture, one-half of the (remaining) mozzarella. Place 3 dried noodles on top, and again layer the ingredients: ricotta, squash, mushrooms mixture, mozzarella. For the final layer, top with 3 noodles, spread with remaining ricotta mixture, and sprinkle ½ cup Parmesan cheese over the top. Cover with oiled foil.
Bake lasagne, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
Notes:
If you’re lucky enough to live near a shop that sells fresh pasta, buy three sheets of pasta to substitute for the dried lasagne noodles in this dish.

TURNIP GRATIN

Yield: Makes 6 servings
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 and 1/2 pounds medium turnips, trimmed and left unpeeled, 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, 1/2 tablespoon chopped savory, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, Rounded 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, 1 cup heavy cream, and 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (use a Microplane)

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.
Melt butter in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet, then cool.
Slice turnips paper-thin with slicer, (mandolin if you have one), then arrange one third of slices, overlapping tightly, in skillet, keeping remaining slices covered with dampened paper towels. Sprinkle with about a third of thyme, savory, kosher salt, and cayenne. Make 2 more layers.
Cook, covered, over medium heat until underside is browned, about 10 minutes. Add cream and cook, covered, until center is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Sprinkle evenly with cheese, then bake, uncovered, until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Roasted Sweet Potato Gratin Matthew Card
Ingredients:

4½ to 5lb. sweet potatoes
1cup heavy cream
1large bay leaf
1vanilla bean
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1Tbsp. plus ⅔ cup brown sugar

Steps:
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Poke sweet potatoes several times with a paring knife and spread potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until very tender and easily pierced with a knife, 1 to 1½ hours. Cool (cutting in half will expedite cooling) until easily handled. Scrape flesh from skins into a large mixing bowl. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Combine cream, bay leaf, and a generous pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Using a sharp paring knife, split vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape seeds into the cream. Add vanilla pod to the pan and bring to a simmer; cover, removed from heat, and steep for at least 10 minutes. Remove pod and bay leaf.
Using a standing or hand-held electric mixer, whip potatoes, infused cream, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and a liberal amount of black pepper until smooth, light, and homogenously blended. Adjust seasoning to taste and evenly spread potato mixture into a 7-by-11-inch (or 9-by-13-inch) Pyrex or oven-safe baking dish. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar in an even layer across the top of the potatoes. Bake until bubbling around the edges, about 20 minutes.

Adjust oven rack as close as possible to broiler element and broil gratin until the sugar is well browned, bubbling, and crispy, 4 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Farm to Table CSA

2008-11-08T02:19:00.000-06:00

Good Morning Shareholders! Well after much tinkering, I think I have the farm blog up and going. I hope that you will enjoy this site for your farm news and CSA announcements. A computer "geek" or "whiz" I am not, so let's just give it a "try".

On this site you will find new recipes and other information that will keep you up to date about what's going on in your CSA. Originally I intended to have newsletters and recipes at your pick up site, but, that turned out not to be practical, so this is where it's at! Check out the blog frequently so that you won't miss out on anything that we want to pass along to you about the CSA.

Farm News: We have been busily planting more seeds by direct seeding as well as transplanting our
transplants from the greenhouse into the high tunnels. You know what, this is a never ending job around here. John will start soon putting up the newest high tunnel (hoophouse) which will give us more covered growing area. The deer fence he installed this summer, so far is working well. Let's keep hoping for the best here. The deer are pretty to watch, but are devastating to crops.

This week we began all our deliveries for the winter season. Hopefully everyone received their box! At first there are always a few "kinks" to work out. Your first box was a light box, but believe me it will get heavier as time goes on. The vegetables from autumn/summer will soon give way to winter harvest. You will still get winter squash for awhile, but tomatoes are now all gone, redskin potatoes won't be around much longer, and peppers will be not be available much longer either, since we have had a couple of cold snaps. Peppers are definitely a warm weather item!

Don't forget to check out the Epicurious.com website. Their recipes that I have tried have been very good and it's a good "go to" website when you get in a "recipe rut".

Before you know it Thanksgiving will be here and to me, this is a very special day. A day to celebrate and be grateful for so many things in life. So often the retailers spend so much time on Halloween and Christmas, that Thanksgiving is left out! That bothers me.. a lot! We are grateful here at the farm for many things, and one of those things is you - our farm supporters, our CSA shareholders. Judy