Early New Years Resolution

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

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!

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

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