Monday, December 31, 2012

Antibiotic-Free Chickens

Picture credit
Of course, when we get our chickens, they won't live in crowded conditions that foster disease in conventionally raised chickens (nor will we eat them).  But there's some interesting news from Bell & Evans, a Pennsylvania-based chicken farm (near Harrisburg) that long has spurned antibiotic treatment as a cure for chicken ailments. (The problem with antibiotics, as most of us know, is that overuse leads to resistance to the curative effects of antibiotics, both in the animals that are given them routinely and in the humans who eat those animals.  In fact, it was antibiotic overuse that fostered the growth of "superbugs" and led to a number of tainted-meat recalls--over 100 million pounds worth--during the last several years.)

Picture credit
Scott Sechler, president of Bell & Evans, told the New York Times that herbs and spices are just as effective as antibiotics in maintaining the health of his chickens.  In particular, he adds a commercially produced oregano oil (as well as cinnamon) to a feed he has specially milled for his birds. Mr. Sechler also drinks oregano tea himself!  If you'd like to make oregano oil, at home, here are instructions.  Oregano oil also has been found effective in treating diarrhea caused in piglets by E. coli.  Regarding cinnamon, I'll make one point:  I (Melinda) tend to have high-normal blood sugar, but since I started consuming at least a teaspoon of ground cinnamon a day (in my morning tea), my levels have dropped to well within the mid-normal range.  Herbs and spices really rock, for both non-human and human animals!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Spectacular Winter Salad with Gremolata!

Photo credit
This is adapted from the Cabbage and Radish Slaw on Food52. Thinly slice some cabbage, green or red. Or you could julienne some turnips instead, or kohlrabi, or well-scrubbed Jerusalem artichokes. Coat the cabbage (or whatever) with gremolata (see winter greens gremolata recipe in post just below), and add in some mashed Garlic Confit (see instructions below) and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Stir well, then sprinkle very thinly sliced radishes over the salad. (Using a mandoline slicer, available at department stores or online, makes it really easy to slice most veggies quite thinly, or to shred or julienne them, i.e., make them matchstick-like). The author of the recipe suggests tucking the salad into wraps, either alone or w/ "gooey pulled pork." You also could substitute cheese or hard-boiled eggs or flavored tofu, etc., for the pork.

Garlic Confit--This is a recipe from "Dash and Bella," a beautifully poetic blog about cooking and raising a child.
Photo credit

  • 3 whole heads of garlic, cloves separated; leave skins on
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • a sprig of thyme or rosemary, if desired
Poke a small hole in each garlic clove with the tip of a paring knife, so they don't explode as you cook them. Put the unpeeled garlic cloves in a large, heavy pot and cover with olive oil. Add salt and/or herbs, or not, as you choose. Put the pot on a back burner and bring to boil--do NOT let your own face or child's face anywhere near the pot!!! (You remember that whole mediaeval thing about boiling oil...?! It was a torture you def. want to avoid.) Reduce the heat to low the second it boils, so it doesn't sputter. Gently simmer the cloves about 20 minutes, then test one with the tip of a paring knife. The cloves should be soft all the way through. Let them cool to room temp. (Be sure to save the oil for salad dressing or other oily uses!)
Photo credit

They're ready to use now. To be decadent (oh, why not??), you can suck them right out of the skins, or you can do it primly and properly by squeezing the contents of some cloves onto French bread or into soup/stew, or you can use it in the Winter Salad above. The cloves, in the skins, will keep in the fridge for several weeks as long as they're completely covered with the oil.

Here are three other uses for garlic confit from Dash and Bella:  1) Corn, Cherry Tomato, Arugula, and Spinach Salad;  2) Garlic Confit Vinaigrette;  3) Lime Potatoes with Poached Eggs (that one makes me feel weak in the knees.). The recipes can be found at the bottom of the post on garlic confit.  Bon appetit!

Winter Greens Gremolata

Photo source
Traditionally (see left), gremolata is a condiment made with finely chopped raw parsley, lemon, and garlic; it has a wide range of uses and really perks up whatever you eat it with (yes, I know, don't end a sentence with a preposition).  But here's a kicked-up wintertime version from FOOD 52 (the crowd-sourced recipe compilation) that's much more substantial; it incorporates greens we're growing in the hoophouse, which are lightly cooked (blanched in boiling water) first.

Winter Greens Gremolata--makes ~2 cups

  • 1 bunch arugula
  • 1 bunch Italian parsley
  • 1 bunch Lacinto [or other] kale
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt, for the blanching water
  • 6 anchovy fillets (vegetarians or those who dislike anchovies can substitute pitted kalamata olives)
  • 6 peeled garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest [that's an important ingredient for the flavor]
  • 2 tbsp capers, drained of brine
  • 2 tsp white-wine vinegar or champagne vinegar [I'm sure you won't ruin this if you use a less pricy white vinegar]
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • kosher salt, to taste
Bring large pot of water to boil. Trim any heavy stems from your greens. Add 1 tbsp kosher salt to boiling water & turn down to simmer. Toss in kale & blanch 5 minutes, stirring a bit. Remove kale w/ tongs and put in colander over large bowl. In the same pot of simmering water, blanch parsley & arugula for 1 minute only. With tongs, remove greens from water & add to draining kale; allow greens to cool a bit, then form them into a ball & squeeze out remaining liquid into the bowl. [I would save that vitamin-packed water for use in a broth, rather than discarding.] Put greens into the bowl of a food processor.

With mortar & pestle [or flat side of heavy knife on a cutting board] mash the garlic & anchovies into a paste & add to food processor, along with lemon juice, lemon zest, capers, vinegar, & olive oil. Whiz at least 30 seconds. Taste & adjust flavors (salt, lemon, vinegar) to suit your taste. Pulverize again till gremolata is relatively smooth.

You can keep in a jar in the fridge w/ a thin layer of olive oil atop, though the gremolata will lose some of its bright color. Or you can freeze it in a jar or ice cube tray, in which case it retains its bright green color. Defrost at room temp. about an hour before using.

This gremolata is great on fish, chicken, pasta, rice, you name it; it's also the basis of a fine winter salad of cabbage, cilantro, and radishes--yum!  See the post, above, for that salad.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Winter Market, Part III: Saturday, December 29th, 2012

The goddess Persephone
This is it, the last Winter Market of 2012, yet with many more to follow in 2013.  We are just so amazingly blessed to have the freshest, most local, totally organic produce possible!  Many thanks to Devorah for the great job she's doing.  And all in the middle of winter, during the so-called "Persephone period," when plants normally are dormant or dead (see here for Devorah's earlier comments on the Persephone period).  Persephone, the ancient goddess of fertility, was abducted by Hades because she was so beautiful; her mother Demeter bargained to get her back, but the bargain involved Persephone returning to the Underworld for three months each year.  That was the ancient Greek explanation for the vegetatively barren winter months.

What we expect to offer in our little "Persephone work-around" hoophouse on the 29th is arugula, carrots, radishes, kale, chard, scallions, cilantro, parsley, lettuce mix, and--just maybe--our first little bit of broccoli!  There are so many wonderful dishes to make with what we have, and some of the recipes can become the basis of 5 or 6 different meals.

Melinda's Winter-Greens and Basil Pesto Sauce--this is truly a laissez-faire recipe. Feel free to substitute ingredients, change amounts to suit your taste, and so forth.

  • 2 to 4 bunches of winter greens of your choice--chard, any sort of kale, bok choi, arugula, radish greens, turnip greens, spinach, dandelion greens, chickweed--and you can use a LOT, because it all becomes much smaller once you pulse it in a food processor (my last batch, which made enough for several pasta meals, included 2 bunches of kale, 1 bunch of radish greens [which are a little spicy], and a bunch of turnip greens)
  • scallions, if you like, roots removed
  • 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 or more large garlic cloves, peeled (I use a whole small head, but I'm a garlic freak!)
  • about a cup of nuts of your choice--walnuts, cashews, pine nuts, almonds--or more to taste
  • about a cup of olive oil; more if needed
  • about a cup of pecorino or parmesan cheese (or vegan substitute), or more/less to taste
  • 1 tsp salt (or more/less to taste)
  • (Photo credit)
  • about a half cup dried basil--start with that amount, then add more if you think it's needed
Remove tough stems from kale & discard; if you use chard or bok choi, trim and chop the stems into ~1/2-in. chunks. Start with one bunch of greens, add part of the olive oil and the lemon juice. Whiz in food processor till smooth. Repeat with any other greens you're using, including chopped chard or bok choi stems; for scallions, first chop into ~2-in. lengths, then add. Whiz again till smooth, scraping down sides periodically. (If you want a less caloric pesto, you can substitute plain yogurt or low-fat cottage cheese--or even broth or soy milk--for some of the olive oil, though of course these will alter the flavor of the finished pesto.) Add 1/2 cup dried basil, nuts, garlic, & salt and whiz again. Start adding cheese a quarter cup at a time & taste; keep adding till it suits you! If you think the pesto is too thick, add more oil. Put pesto into jars or zip-type plastic bags and refrigerate or freeze. The flavor develops further as the pesto is stored.

The pesto can be used classically on pasta (adding beans is nice too). Or you can coat roasted or grilled lamb chops or beef steaks with pesto and rewarm them in the oven before serving. Or you can start with a whole chicken, gently loosen the skin with your hands (while nevertheless not removing it), and rub the meat under the skin with pesto sauce (rubbing the interior with lemon juice is nice too); then roast the chicken till done. Pesto sauce can also be mixed into minestrone; it can be used on hoagies or grilled cheese sandwiches or vegetarian wraps. Whatever you do, have fun & eat well!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Garlicky Beet Spread with Yogurt, Dill, and Horseradish

This recipe is also from the NYT Dining Section; it's something like the beet dip that Aby used to bring to Harvest Fests, but with a twist.
Garlicky Beet Spread [or Dip] with Yogurt, Dill, and Horseradish--makes 2 cups

  • 2 medium beets, scrubbed and trimmed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for beets
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 very large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp kosher or sea salt, or to taste
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt [or one cup drained American yogurt; for instructions on how to drain American yogurt, see here]
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh dill
  • 1 1/2 tsp prepared [jarred] horseradish
To roast beets, heat oven to 375 degrees. Put beets in a small baking dish & drizzle with olive oil. Add 3 tbsp water to bottom of dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake till tender, ~1 to 1 1/2 hours, turning beets after 45 minutes. Let cool, then peel.

Using a food processor, pulse walnuts, garlic, & salt till very finely ground. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add peeled beets, oil, yogurt, lemon juice, dill, and horseradish and pulse till relatively smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired. Serve with fritters or latkes, or use as a dip for vegetables. (Picture credit)

Swiss Chard Fritters

A recipe from this past week's NYT Dining Section, adapted from the new cookbook Jerusalem, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (a simply wonderful cookbook, by the way).  Check out their blog in our blog list.
Swiss Chard Fritters--makes ~14 fritters, 4 appetizer servings

  • 14 oz Swiss chard leaves, stems removed
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill 
  • 1 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 oz crumbled feta cheese (about 1/2 cup)
  • olive oil
  • Swiss chard fritters topped with beet spread
  • lemon wedges, for serving
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add chard, and simmer 5 min. Remove from pot and drain well, patting leaves dry with a paper or kitchen towel. Place chard in food processor with herbs, nutmeg, sugar, flour, garlic, and eggs. Pulse till well blended. Fold in feta by hand. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large saute pan on medium-high heat. When oil is hot, spoon in 1 heaping tbsp of the mixture for each fritter (you should be able to fit 3 fritters per batch). Press down gently on fritter to flatten. Cook 1 to 2 min. per side, until golden brown. Transfer to a baking sheet [or large plate?] lined with toweling. Add another tbsp oil to the pan and repeat. Serve warm with lemon wedges (optional).  In the photo, the fritters are topped with a garlicky beet spread (see post above for the recipe; photo credit)

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

December 15th, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m: Our Second Winter Market!

Accoutrements 
Be there or be square!  This week we're offering kale, bok choi, lettuce mix, spinach, carrots, radishes, chard, rosemary, cilantro, and parsley. Plus we have a few frozen chickens, as well as Havarti and Jack cheeses.  Indian Orchards has apples for sale and other holiday goodies.  And the prices for this most local, freshest, organic produce are astounding:  veggies ranging from $2 to $3 per bunch or head, or $5 for a full bag! You really can't beat it. Check out the "accoutrements" above--herbs, cheeses, and such. Kudos to Devorah and Angela!

Winter Market II: Observations by Devorah Ketai, Our Winter Farmer

Growing produce for the winter market has been a cold-weather treat. Like any grower, I've become super alert to the temperatures and conditions outdoors. They determine the temperatures in the hoophouses and whether the plants need to be protected from the elements. On the other hand, that beautiful, protective layer of hoophouse plastic makes the increasingly cold temperatures seem much less daunting. I arrive at the farm knowing the high is only 45 degrees for the day, but I immediately shed my winter coat as I walk into the sun-warmed hoophouse--already 80 degrees by 10:00 a.m.!

Luscious and bountiful
I'm not the only one spoiled by this warm microclimate in the middle of December. The plants might not take off like they would in July, but they are certainly noticeably alive and active. Their obvious growth blows my mind right now, during the shortest days of the year. I take off for the weekend, wishing the little green babies well. When I return on Monday and make my rounds, all I can think is, "They've grown up so fast!" The arugula is a noticeable inch taller, and the radishes have obviously been eating well and increased their diameter a good quarter-inch. These are big steps when there are only nine hours of sunlight in the day!

Broccoli
I am so appreciative of these hoophouse microclimates for encouraging a bountiful winter harvest. They aren't heated or lit artificially, so all of the extra boosts are coming from the sun. The sun warms up the air and soil, speeding up cellular processes and growth. The sunlight, however short, is obviously enough to aid in their photosynthesis. It's great to think about these biological processes in the approaching dead-of-winter, when so much around us is becoming dormant. My trips to the hoophouses also keep me from becoming dormant. Rather than bundling up and fearing the cold, I say "I think I'll go outside and play today!"

See you Saturday, December 15th, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for the second winter market!

Winter Market II: Lessons Learned, by Devorah Ketai

What a bounty of the most local goodness!
On a practical note, it's been interesting to see the pace at which plants grow, and how much we're able to produce and harvest week by week. Speed of growth during this period is greatly affected by sunlight hours and temperature. According to Eliot Coleman's The Winter Harvest Handbook, we are in the Persephone period, when sunlight is less than ten hours per day. [See here for the myth of the vegetation goddess, Persephone.] Plants grow extremely slowly during this period of time. With regard to temperature, while the plants benefit from a warm day, they are mostly affected by average temperatures. Hence, if the hoophouses reach 80 degrees during the day but drop to 30 degrees at night, they are only experiencing an average temperature of 55 degrees, meaning they won't grow as fast as one would think with 80-degree days!

Burgeoning arugula!
One helpful aspect of winter growing, though (as Eliot Coleman notes), is that once plants have established root systems, they'll grow back quickly after harvesting, even during this period of short days and cold temperatures. This explains why, even though I cut the arugula and braising mix for the first market, it's already almost fully grown for the second! I just seeded some new spinach, however, and what I have learned from Eliot Coleman is that it might take a long time to reach maturity, as it didn't have an established root system before the days shortened. My hope is that we have enough different kinds of plants, with already developed root systems, that we'll have plenty of food to last us through these winter months!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Advent and Agriculture

Advent is the beginning of the Western liturgical year, a time of waiting to celebrate the Nativity of Jesus on December 25th.  As the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, it begins on the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (November 30th) and embraces four Sundays in total.  In any given year, then, it may start as early as November 27th or as late as December 3rd.  This year it began on December 2nd. (At left, a German Advent wreath; picture credit)

But what does this have to do with agriculture?  Quite a bit, actually, for several reasons.  Advent occurs during the darkest time of year, a cold season of long nights and short days. The sun is at its southernmost location vis-a-vis the earth (see right), leaving the northern hemisphere in cold and darkness. Productive farming is almost impossible under such conditions (unless you have a hoophouse like ours, and even then, short day-lengths prohibit the cultivation of many crops).  (Picture credit)

In the pre-modern period, people relied on astronomical events to indicate the proper times for sowing and harvesting, as well as mating and slaughter of animals.  It was never clear how much food had to be stored to get through the winter months, when many people died of starvation.  In early farming settlements (for instance in Neolithic times) people often feared the darkness would never end and the sun never return. Consequently, many pre-Christian religions--for example, in the Roman Empire, northern Europe, North Africa, and the Near and Far East--had sun gods who were honored with rituals (often involving fire ceremonies) to ensure the return of the sun after long winter darkness, and hence the resumption of the agricultural activities that sustained life.

Some Neolithic cultures actually built large stone monuments which most scholars believe functioned as solar calendars, and in which rituals to placate the sun god occurred.  Places like Newgrange in Ireland and Stonehenge in England measured both the shortest and longest days of the year. For instance, Newgrange, an artificial hill with an interior passage, was built to determine the year's shortest day, the Winter Solstice. Winter Solstice occurs around December 21st-22nd; on the Solstice, the sun is at its southernmost location vis-a-vis the earth, leaving the northern hemisphere in cold and darkness.  At Newgrange, on that day, and one or two days before and after, the rising sun shines down an interior passage (see left), striking a ceremonial stone at the passage end.  In this way, the priests who observed this phenomenon knew that afterward, the days would start to lengthen, and the people could begin preparing for another agricultural cycle of life-death-life.  (Picture credit)  Many small farmers today still celebrate the Solstice, both here and in Europe.

To get back to Advent and Christmas.  No one knows when Jesus actually was born. During the Early Christian period, his birth was assigned to different months, but finally, in the 4th century CE, the church decided to assign both a day and a month to his birth, December 25th. Why then?  The Catholic Encyclopedia says the most likely reason is that December 25th was also when Romans celebrated Natalis Invicti, the "birth of the unconquered sun."  Given Jesus' association in Scriptures with the sun and with light in general, it's not surprising the church would settle on this date, coincident with the rebirth of the sun after the shortest day of the year, Winter Solstice.

Early representations of Jesus actually depict him as the sun, for instance in this mosaic (at right) found under St. Peter's in Rome.  (He is shown driving the chariot of the sun across a golden sky, surrounded by grapevines; picture credit).  The Scriptures (both Old and New Testaments) are filled with references, analogies, allegories, and parables about farming, vineyards, growth, birth, death, and rebirth. Agriculture was life and light, just as it still is today.  In Christian theology, Christ is life and light.  And so we wait in the darkness, during Advent, for the birth and rebirth of this God of life, the God of creation, the God of seasons and plants and animals and sun and water.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

The Kohlrabi That Time Forgot

Melinda found this kohlrabi in her garden after she had pulled out the dead tomato plants.  Not only had it become huge in itself, but it started to produce kohlrabi babies, all still attached to Mama Kohlrabi and putting out their own leaves.  Nature is SO fertile, even under the most difficult circumstances (such as under the deep shade of monstrous tomato plants).  Melinda thinks perhaps she should name each baby!  They're going to go live in the compost heap, where hopefully they will continue to flourish and produce grandchildren.

Endings and Beginnings

We ended our normal, May-through-November season on Friday, November 16th: several lovely greens (that red butterhead lettuce is to die for), beets, and a LOT of fresh cilantro and dill in the U-Pick herbs--also still some hot peppers, despite the frost.  We used everything up, thanks to forethought on the part of our Farm Manager, Angela.  

Angela did a fabulous job in the most difficult of summers--drought, sporadic flooding rains, early frosts, hurricanes, unexpected critters--and yet the goodies kept coming, and Angela's wonderful, cheery optimism didn't flag, bless her heart.  We had our vintage honey again this year--many thanks to Brendan for his excellent article about "connoisseuring" honeys--and other bonuses, like some hoophouse potatoes at the start of the season, our own scrumptious corn, and other surprises.  

Next year there are new foods in the offing--several kinds of potatoes, more corn, asparagus, and even blueberries are in the planning.
Devorah and her Hoophouse Creations

But our new beginning at the moment--even as we end our "normal" season--is the start of our Winter Market, our own mini-farmers' market based on what we grow in our two hoophouses.  This endeavor is headed up by the estimable Devorah (see her with seedlings she's planted, left and below).   The idea of a winter market, even in very cold weather, is that we can grow certain crops if they get double-protection:  the larger protection of the hoophouse itself, and the smaller shelter of row covers on especially tender plants (the white curved coverings in the photo above) within the hoophouse.  The system is based on experiments done over the years by Maine farmers Eliot Coleman and his wife Barbara Damrosch.   For articles by and about Coleman and Damrosch, see here.


Hoophouse Winterbor Kale
The first Winter Market is scheduled for December 1st; we plan on Toscano and Winterbor kale, chard, radishes, carrots, Pac Choi, and cilantro.  Depending on how quickly they grow, we also hope for lettuce mixes, spinach, arugula, and scallions.  The next Winter Market is planned for December 15th (unless  the Farmers' Almanac is correct in its prediction of a mid-December blizzard, in which case it will be rescheduled!).


Red Hill Farm gives us so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, 2012.  We are blessed to have a four-season farm running smoothly despite the vagaries of the weather.    We're also grateful for the opportunity not just to bring you wonderful food but to try out our new blog format, with many thanks to Sister Ann Marie Slavin for her tutorial in getting it up and running.  (Sister Ann Marie authors the blog Franciscan Life.)  Here at Red Hill, blog-wise, we're still in the learning stages though:  "Baby steps, baby steps!"  Have a very happy and peaceful holiday, hopefully with friends and loved ones.