A State of Perpetual Preparation....

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!

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!

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

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.