Greetings Shareholders and Friends of the Farm,
Another market day has arrived! We work hard as a family ALL of Friday to make it happen and I thought maybe you'd like to read about how your vegetables went from our field to your table....
Friday, May 27 dawned with a ground fog rising from the fields...another harvest day had begun. I wished that I could linger on my bedroom porch swing listening to the birds praise God for a new day and consider His goodness as the mist rolled off the pond...for like the birds that were flittering here and there gathering breakfast for their young, I too had 9 children and a husband that would soon want their large farm breakfast. We've been enjoying the "Green Eggs and Ham" recipe that can be found under recipes on this site...it's a great way to give your body a boost naturally first thing in the morning!
Before harvest can be accomplished right we have our normal morning chores...bathrooms need cleaning, burning of trash paper, dishwasher emptied, tables set, floors swept, and MUCH MORE. Once the basics are done we are more able to go on with our day without the stress of disorganization. After lingering over breakfast around our 12' farm table Farmer Steve taught our daily Bible lesson...we have sooooooooo much to learn to honor Jesus Christ as a family.
"DIVIDE AND CONQUER!" Boys head in all directions with harvest knives and black bus tubs....some are cutting kale, others are cutting our beautiful spinach, still others are cutting red lettuce and Romaine. Standing on our wrap around porch I praise God for the privilege of working together as a family.
In the farm kitchen I am busy grinding fresh wheat for bread. I'm only baking for bread shares at this point as our kitchen is in process still...getting closer to time of inspection each week. I can't wait! Soon granola, breads, cinnamon rolls, strawberry and strawberry rhubarb jam will be sold at each market!
I'm done pretty quick as I started baking before breakfast...up to the packing shed I go! It is fun to pack alongside my boys. :) I'm teaching Faith Anne how to pack also this year. It's amazing to watch them grow up and take on more and more responsibility. As I work packing 113 shares of spinach, kale, then large shares of lettuce, and eventually herbs I get my pony tail pulled, silly pictures taken, stories told, songs sang, and of coarse jokes that go over my head....all in a day in the packing shed on Colvin Family Farm.
Levi (5) is growing up, and has been given the privilege a few times to ride his bike to the mail box which is a quarter of a mile or more away by himself. We have VERY LITTLE traffic on our narrow dirt road to worry about, but it is still a big deal for him...and me. :) When he road his little green bike up to get the mail there was a 5 foot long black snake blocking the road. Noah (12) and Titus (14) went to his rescue. From where I stood in the packing shed, all I could see is that he stood in the gate of our farm for a long time just looking...then his brothers running up there....I guessed the rest before he even returned...on foot! The mail had come early and it was actually there. ...little boyhood is being left behind, but I still get glimpses of it and enjoy each one....picture a sandy haired little chap dressed in overalls running down a long path between snap peas in bloom with an armload of mail (including a box) with a big smile of triumph on his face....with a perfect explanation about his missing bike and a huge black snake! He's my last little boy in a loooooooong line of little Colvin boys. As he ran back up to get his bike I knew my years of motherhood to little ones were numbered.
I love the shed as it is now. (They plan on enclosing it.) I enjoy looking out over the field and watching the children come and go with wheel barrows of lettuce or bok choi. I love to watch the children picking together, hunched in the rows of vegetables making memories that will linger with them all of their lives. Charity (3) sat on a stack of seed potatoes beside my work area with her Dolly Rose and "sewing" a new dress for her. She isn't demanding, which is a blessing but chatters and sings with me. As lunch time came and went she got tired and I lifted her up on the table by the scales where she sat "Indian style" watching. By including her in my work, she'll be part of the excitement of providing the tastiest, healthiest, freshest vegetables available in our area one day. When we hit a stopping spot, she and I go to prepare lunch. Everyone is in need of a break as it's around 2 p.m.
When I had the farmhouse table loaded down with a huge fresh salad, fresh bread and warmed up leftovers I range the bell for the crew to head in. Eager, but tired children scrambled for the sinks to clean up. A collective sigh could almost be heard as we hold hands to pray...we continually give praise to God for the bountiful harvest He provides AND the strength to harvest it each week.
Charity (3) takes her nap on the porch on harvest days so we know when she wakes up. She loves to "camp" under a blanket tent that provides shade. I think most of the adults wish they too were young enough to have an excuse for a mid-day nap, but we don't, so off we go again to work. As the little ones get settled in for their naps Faith Anne and I work together to cut up some of the harvested vegetables to make a great pork stir fry for supper. (The recipe is listed on our website under "Recipes".) I love the convenience of stir fries. I can cut up all the vegetables ahead of time and place the tray of vegetables in my fridge hours before I need it. By the time I have the little ones down for their naps, and the men have regrouped in the field; we have supper planned and ready to cook. Time flies again as we wash, weigh, pack and generally have a good time. It's a beautiful day to be outside....
As afternoon turns to evening you will find us in the strawberry patch picking the dwindling harvest of berries. I sit on the edge of the field and the littlest children (that are now up from their naps) bring me quart after quart of berries to be sorted and packed for small shares. It's a tasty job, and I share the wealth of jamming berries with the little ones as they tote full quarts from the pickers in the patch to me. We all love a good strawberry, and Lord willing we plan on planting more this fall for next year. This was our first year of large scale berry production and we've learned a lot. Thank you for being our "guinea pigs". After the 65 small shares of strawberries are packed we pack large quarts for table sales since there isn't enough to pack for large shares. Charity (3) and I get a ride back to the house in the back of the truck with LOTS of yummy berries!
The smell of fresh cilantro and dill hit me as I arrive back in the packing shed to help with the final packing chores. It may be a challenge to use the cilantro right now without fresh tomatoes, so if it's still in your fridge by the middle of the week, consider drying it in a gas oven overnight with just the pilot light to keep them warm. Then you'll have cilantro even if we are not harvesting it when the tomatoes are ripe. Some folks like to snip it up into small pieces for their salads..."to each his own" as the saying goes! The dill's harvest couldn't be timed better with Memorial Day picnics on Monday. My recipe for using it in potato salad will be posted soon with my other summer recipes. Enjoy!
IT'S TIME TO PACK SHARES and it's not pitch dark yet!! This is everyone's favorite time of the packing day. The little ones and I don't usually get to help unless we're really making good time. Today we are praise God! Levi and Charity started to tote the boxes as the men assembled them from one end of the shed around the outside (we were still packing herbs) to the pile at the other end. It was fun to watch them. There aren't many jobs Charity can help with, but this is one of them. After a few trips she tired and got a two wheeled dolly to tote them. (Smart girl eh?) Eventually I'm boxed in on one side and we're ready to pack shares. I quickly ran down to the house to turn on the rice cooker. Back in the packing shed, long tables have been set up outside the walk in cooler and boxes of packed vegetables are being brought out and placed in a particular order on and under the tables. Only the adults are allowed to pack shares and the younger boys close boxes and stack them. First the farmers fill a few boxes and work out a packing system....then I'm taught how to. :) Then off we go! I had to pack quickly to keep the line going or there was good natured jostling among the packing crew! Since everyone else is 6' or taller I have to stretch quite a bit to get into boxes...they don't take that in account! It's fun though, and in no time at all we have the small shares packed. After a shuffling session we're ready to pack large shares, and the process is repeated. It felt like we had them all packed in well less than one half hour! Hours go into preparation, then the packing is done in a snap!
My part in the packing process is now over, so off I head to the farmhouse kitchen to finish supper. I have "servants" like the Proverbs 31 woman...only mine don't need feeding like hers did...only maintenance and electricity. My rice cooker is one of my servants. We use it a lot. The rice cooked automatically and is warming now as I stir fry the pork, green onions, oriental sliced organic carrots, our broccoli, bok choi, mushrooms, and pea greens. I used chicken bouillon in the water to make a yummy gravy and thickened it with cornstarch. This was the perfect supper for 9:30 in the evening...nice and light.
After a late supper the boys all head out to divide the leftover harvest of vegetables for table sales and pack the vehicles. By 10:30 boys were claiming showers, and readying the cash boxes for another day in the city marketing. Soon your vegetables will be waiting for you at your local farmer's market.
Now you know the story of this week's harvest...it ended MUCH EARLIER than most weeks. Even though I live and work on a farm; I stand in awe on how the Lord provides for all our needs. The seed is sown, the Lord waters (or we do) and after tending the harvest comes. Praise His name!
I hope you pray for us, your farmers. We're a real family like your own....but with several added challenges during the growing season...long hours, lots of additional demands that there isn't time to cover, little ones to train properly even if we are busy, and the financial challenges all small farms face. The spring rains seem to have slackened all ready. So again this year, please also pray for rain throughout the season. We are always faced with watering challenges and may have to drill another well in the near future, so please also pray for wisdom.
" For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God."
Hebrews 6:7
Abundant Blessings,
Your Farmer's Wife
Val Colvin
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Greetings Shareholders!
Well, you've brought home your first share...I pray you are as excited as we were as we were packing them! It continually amazes me to see how the Lord multiplies the harvest...10 shares or over 100! With all the wet, cold weather it has been a challenging season so far!
Harvest day dawned grey and unpredictable as usual. The boys are scrambled to get the harvest done in the morning. Farmer Steve and I love the optimism of the family when they set these goals...BUT when the rain swept across the field, they had everything harvested but the strawberries which take a couple of hours just by themselves. Everyone SCRAMBLED to get under the packing shed where they cleaned green onions, and packaged the rest of the vegetables during the afternoon. Instead of stopping at lunch I served a picnic lunch during a break in the rain. Our family works together....let's meet the farm hands.
Farmer Steve- With almost 35 years of being an industry time study analyst/efficiency expert/engineer he brings a lot of wisdom and balance to the farm crew. Steve loves the Lord Jesus Christ with all his heart and leads our family in the narrow path the Lord has called us to. Steve delivers shares to the Dayton market on Saturday morning.
Farmer's Wife - Val is a wife, mother, baker, seamstress, teacher, gardener, (This is the opposite of farmer in the boys eyes!) herbalist, laundry expert, and much more. She seeks to honor God in her calling to the mission field of "home". She bakes bread and other goodies for shareholders and eventually for table sales, and feeds the crew well.
Adam - Adam is 20 years old and our web designer. He loves the challenge of the Internet, and handles our online market websites and correspondence. He began gardening as soon as he could walk and helped begin our first CSA in 2003 in Dayton, TN when he was 13 years old. Farming is in his blood and he has a lot of ideas for the growth of our farm...that's where Farmer Steve's wisdom and balance becomes important. If God blesses, Adam will be the "mover and shaker" of Colvin Family Farms. Adam deliver shares to the Market Square Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.
Caleb is about to turn 19 next week and he's our steady fellow. He is a tireless worker...or it seems like it. If there is a chance it can be plowed this season, he gets it done if the tractor cooperates. (You cannot plow wet ground.) He is a sophomore in Bible College and is taking his finals as he plots how to get the planting done. Caleb delivers shares to the Dixie Lee Farmer's Market in Farragut on Saturday mornings.
Isaace will also have a birthday next week. He'll be 17, and a senior in high school. He's rearing and ready to be a full-time farmer next season. Isaac too has LOTS of ideas and has set out to fulfill one this season. He has a vision of raw honey and has built his first hive and is awaiting the delivery of his bees. He is a leader of the younger crew at times and is building his leadership skills. I'm proud of him! Isaac is Adam's "apprentice" this season at Market Square Farmer's Market.
Titus is 13, and entering our home school high school this fall. He has visions of earning his first "million" this season selling cut flowers. He has made his own garden and has lots of flowers planted. I praise God for gifting the boys in many areas that will compliment the farm. Everyone is finding their niche. Titus is an important member of the work crew...weeding, planting, harvesting, and packing. Look for Titus at the Dayton Farmer's Market as Farmer Steve's apprentice.
Noah is 12. He is our impish member of the field crew. If the leader turns their head for a few minutes, he and his little brother Luke (8) will be wrestling in the grass or playing Indians hunting bears in the brush. Noah got saved last week!! We were so excited to see God speak to his heart and him respond! Noah will be Caleb's apprentice at Dixie Lee Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.
Faith Anne is 10 and an essential helper in the kitchen and kitchen garden. She is learning to sew, can, garden, and helps care for Charity Rose (3) outdoors. She too was saved last week! God is blessing us richly!
Luke is 8 and a very important age on our farm. He's not the little boy anymore, but is stepping up to do a young man's job. Luke loves math, (he wanted to continue during the summer so I got his next book and he delves into it daily for fun!) anything to do with machines and discovering how they work, and also is a ready cohort to any of Noah's imaginative ideas. Luke will be my right hand man on Saturdays as he is too young to go to market. He is looking forward to fall shareholder's day when he can meet everyone.
Little Levi is 5 and a ready worker. His main self-proclaimed job is making sure I have vegetables from the harvests. He was gathering bits and pieces of rejected vegetables Friday and brought them to me over the coarse of the day. By night's end, and time to go to revival, I had a few sad looking Bok Choy, a handful of radish, and a half dozen broken green onions. :) I've been having fun using these bits and pieces in dishes this weekend. Levi is always ready to follow the big boys in their capers or play with Charity Rose (3) when he's tired of field work.
Charity Rose is the cutest member of the crew, and is now 3 years old. She wanders up and down the rows "helping", visits the packing shed, and delivers smiles everywhere she goes. She loves to sing, and accompanies herself with a ukelele. She and Levi have their first garden this year. It's a 4' X 4' square foot garden...they have a hodgepodge of of vegetables and flowers planted. What they decide not to grow, they simply uproot and discard...they sure are cute!
...Back to harvest day...the rain came and went most of the afternoon until we needed to harvest the strawberries...then it POURED. The boys put their hooded winter jackets (which we haven't been able to put away yet this year!) on, gathered bus tubs and headed up the drive to crawl up and down sixteen rows of strawberries for the share boxes. The berries were beautiful and washed when they arrived in the farm kitchen to be packed....
Speaking of the farm kitchen I haven't mentioned what we had been doing all day. We don't have a lot of bread shares sold, but those that have opted to have a loaf of bread to their shares I pray are enjoying it. I baked several batches of bread while Faith Anne (10) baked a triple batch of a butter cake for her big birthday party we had Saturday night. In between batches of bread I packed strawberries from Thursday's picking from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. when we left for revival services at church. This was about the time the boys finished picking the berries. Warm showers felt glorious!
We had a great revival last week at our church, Victory Baptist Church, in Dayton. Brother Phil Kidd was the evangelist. This is the link to his webpage, which is WELL WORTH THE VISIT. www.drphilkidd.com. Two of our children, and 5 others were saved. Brother Kidd's message on the family was a HUGE encouragement to me.
When we arrived home we quickly got the sleepy children into bed. All of the adults (5 of us) packed shares and strawberries...until 1:30 a.m. when things were finally cleaned up. I'm sure glad we set a goal of being done by noon! ha ha! I am NOT complaining. I take delight in working together with my family. There are trying moments with each harvest...I just expect it. A lot of farms hire Mexicans to pick and pack for them....We "hire" 3-21 year-olds that are learning to work because it is Daddy's vision for our family to live a "quiet", simple life, honoring our Lord by learning to work like men and women were created to. We also find great joy in meeting your needs for delicious, naturally grown vegetables.
As we begin another week I'm counting my blessings of family. I have older children also that come alongside me and help out when we need them. My older daughters Missy and Hope helped me pull together a BIG birthday (we only have parties for our children on their 5th, 10th, and 16th birthdays) for Faith Anne on Saturday night...after a long packing day and week of meetings each night. Hope sewed a Princess dress complete with tiara for our medieval theme. Missy and Faith Anne made a FANTASTIC castle cake to crown the "authentic" feast. There was a treasure chest filled with treasure, and knights practicing jesting in my living room. (You guessed it! It rained!!)
We believe God's word, the Holy Bible. Children ARE A BLESSING from God. This world would have all of us believe differently. The message from the "ruler of this world" is that children are costly, rob you of pleasure, and hinder you from being all you should be. The truth is just the opposite! Children teach us to give of ourselves, they give us delight, and when we serve a child in Jesus' name we are freed to be all Christ created us to be! From the "baby" girl who shares her delight with everyone she meets each day, to our oldest son serving our nation in the Middle East; we are blessed to have a family that loves our Saviour, and loves family.
We are YOUR farm crew, the Colvin family. We are looking forward to getting to know each of you and your families. It's important to us! We LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. So drop by our facebook page, or send us a note at our website. Your stories are read aloud during our meals and help us to return to the field or packing shed with renewed vision of who we are serving.
Well, you've brought home your first share...I pray you are as excited as we were as we were packing them! It continually amazes me to see how the Lord multiplies the harvest...10 shares or over 100! With all the wet, cold weather it has been a challenging season so far!
Harvest day dawned grey and unpredictable as usual. The boys are scrambled to get the harvest done in the morning. Farmer Steve and I love the optimism of the family when they set these goals...BUT when the rain swept across the field, they had everything harvested but the strawberries which take a couple of hours just by themselves. Everyone SCRAMBLED to get under the packing shed where they cleaned green onions, and packaged the rest of the vegetables during the afternoon. Instead of stopping at lunch I served a picnic lunch during a break in the rain. Our family works together....let's meet the farm hands.
Farmer Steve- With almost 35 years of being an industry time study analyst/efficiency expert/engineer he brings a lot of wisdom and balance to the farm crew. Steve loves the Lord Jesus Christ with all his heart and leads our family in the narrow path the Lord has called us to. Steve delivers shares to the Dayton market on Saturday morning.
Farmer's Wife - Val is a wife, mother, baker, seamstress, teacher, gardener, (This is the opposite of farmer in the boys eyes!) herbalist, laundry expert, and much more. She seeks to honor God in her calling to the mission field of "home". She bakes bread and other goodies for shareholders and eventually for table sales, and feeds the crew well.
Adam - Adam is 20 years old and our web designer. He loves the challenge of the Internet, and handles our online market websites and correspondence. He began gardening as soon as he could walk and helped begin our first CSA in 2003 in Dayton, TN when he was 13 years old. Farming is in his blood and he has a lot of ideas for the growth of our farm...that's where Farmer Steve's wisdom and balance becomes important. If God blesses, Adam will be the "mover and shaker" of Colvin Family Farms. Adam deliver shares to the Market Square Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.
Caleb is about to turn 19 next week and he's our steady fellow. He is a tireless worker...or it seems like it. If there is a chance it can be plowed this season, he gets it done if the tractor cooperates. (You cannot plow wet ground.) He is a sophomore in Bible College and is taking his finals as he plots how to get the planting done. Caleb delivers shares to the Dixie Lee Farmer's Market in Farragut on Saturday mornings.
Isaace will also have a birthday next week. He'll be 17, and a senior in high school. He's rearing and ready to be a full-time farmer next season. Isaac too has LOTS of ideas and has set out to fulfill one this season. He has a vision of raw honey and has built his first hive and is awaiting the delivery of his bees. He is a leader of the younger crew at times and is building his leadership skills. I'm proud of him! Isaac is Adam's "apprentice" this season at Market Square Farmer's Market.
Titus is 13, and entering our home school high school this fall. He has visions of earning his first "million" this season selling cut flowers. He has made his own garden and has lots of flowers planted. I praise God for gifting the boys in many areas that will compliment the farm. Everyone is finding their niche. Titus is an important member of the work crew...weeding, planting, harvesting, and packing. Look for Titus at the Dayton Farmer's Market as Farmer Steve's apprentice.
Noah is 12. He is our impish member of the field crew. If the leader turns their head for a few minutes, he and his little brother Luke (8) will be wrestling in the grass or playing Indians hunting bears in the brush. Noah got saved last week!! We were so excited to see God speak to his heart and him respond! Noah will be Caleb's apprentice at Dixie Lee Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.
Faith Anne is 10 and an essential helper in the kitchen and kitchen garden. She is learning to sew, can, garden, and helps care for Charity Rose (3) outdoors. She too was saved last week! God is blessing us richly!
Luke is 8 and a very important age on our farm. He's not the little boy anymore, but is stepping up to do a young man's job. Luke loves math, (he wanted to continue during the summer so I got his next book and he delves into it daily for fun!) anything to do with machines and discovering how they work, and also is a ready cohort to any of Noah's imaginative ideas. Luke will be my right hand man on Saturdays as he is too young to go to market. He is looking forward to fall shareholder's day when he can meet everyone.
Little Levi is 5 and a ready worker. His main self-proclaimed job is making sure I have vegetables from the harvests. He was gathering bits and pieces of rejected vegetables Friday and brought them to me over the coarse of the day. By night's end, and time to go to revival, I had a few sad looking Bok Choy, a handful of radish, and a half dozen broken green onions. :) I've been having fun using these bits and pieces in dishes this weekend. Levi is always ready to follow the big boys in their capers or play with Charity Rose (3) when he's tired of field work.
Charity Rose is the cutest member of the crew, and is now 3 years old. She wanders up and down the rows "helping", visits the packing shed, and delivers smiles everywhere she goes. She loves to sing, and accompanies herself with a ukelele. She and Levi have their first garden this year. It's a 4' X 4' square foot garden...they have a hodgepodge of of vegetables and flowers planted. What they decide not to grow, they simply uproot and discard...they sure are cute!
...Back to harvest day...the rain came and went most of the afternoon until we needed to harvest the strawberries...then it POURED. The boys put their hooded winter jackets (which we haven't been able to put away yet this year!) on, gathered bus tubs and headed up the drive to crawl up and down sixteen rows of strawberries for the share boxes. The berries were beautiful and washed when they arrived in the farm kitchen to be packed....
Speaking of the farm kitchen I haven't mentioned what we had been doing all day. We don't have a lot of bread shares sold, but those that have opted to have a loaf of bread to their shares I pray are enjoying it. I baked several batches of bread while Faith Anne (10) baked a triple batch of a butter cake for her big birthday party we had Saturday night. In between batches of bread I packed strawberries from Thursday's picking from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. when we left for revival services at church. This was about the time the boys finished picking the berries. Warm showers felt glorious!
We had a great revival last week at our church, Victory Baptist Church, in Dayton. Brother Phil Kidd was the evangelist. This is the link to his webpage, which is WELL WORTH THE VISIT. www.drphilkidd.com. Two of our children, and 5 others were saved. Brother Kidd's message on the family was a HUGE encouragement to me.
When we arrived home we quickly got the sleepy children into bed. All of the adults (5 of us) packed shares and strawberries...until 1:30 a.m. when things were finally cleaned up. I'm sure glad we set a goal of being done by noon! ha ha! I am NOT complaining. I take delight in working together with my family. There are trying moments with each harvest...I just expect it. A lot of farms hire Mexicans to pick and pack for them....We "hire" 3-21 year-olds that are learning to work because it is Daddy's vision for our family to live a "quiet", simple life, honoring our Lord by learning to work like men and women were created to. We also find great joy in meeting your needs for delicious, naturally grown vegetables.
As we begin another week I'm counting my blessings of family. I have older children also that come alongside me and help out when we need them. My older daughters Missy and Hope helped me pull together a BIG birthday (we only have parties for our children on their 5th, 10th, and 16th birthdays) for Faith Anne on Saturday night...after a long packing day and week of meetings each night. Hope sewed a Princess dress complete with tiara for our medieval theme. Missy and Faith Anne made a FANTASTIC castle cake to crown the "authentic" feast. There was a treasure chest filled with treasure, and knights practicing jesting in my living room. (You guessed it! It rained!!)
We believe God's word, the Holy Bible. Children ARE A BLESSING from God. This world would have all of us believe differently. The message from the "ruler of this world" is that children are costly, rob you of pleasure, and hinder you from being all you should be. The truth is just the opposite! Children teach us to give of ourselves, they give us delight, and when we serve a child in Jesus' name we are freed to be all Christ created us to be! From the "baby" girl who shares her delight with everyone she meets each day, to our oldest son serving our nation in the Middle East; we are blessed to have a family that loves our Saviour, and loves family.
We are YOUR farm crew, the Colvin family. We are looking forward to getting to know each of you and your families. It's important to us! We LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. So drop by our facebook page, or send us a note at our website. Your stories are read aloud during our meals and help us to return to the field or packing shed with renewed vision of who we are serving.
"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."
Psalms 127:3
Serving You Together,
Abundant Blessings,
The Farmer's Wife
Val Colvin
Psalms 127:3
Serving You Together,
Abundant Blessings,
The Farmer's Wife
Val Colvin
Friday, May 6, 2011
ARE YOU PREPARED?
This was posted a week after it was intended- 5/6/11
As I made supper tonight out of bits and pieces of leftover vegetables from our early markets I pondered the pleas for help last year when families were getting their first share boxes. "What do I do with all these greens?" "How do you use this... and what is it?!" "My refrigerator looks like a vegetable bomb went off in it!" "Leftover vegetables from last week are getting mixed up with my new vegetables and I am wasting some!" The comments rolled in until everyone came up with their own system, or gave up. I'd like to share some of my "survival strategies" when the blessings start rolling in!
#1 It's time to clean out your refrigerator. I mean, REALLY clean it out...think of it as a spring clean. Look at all those jars of condiments...tiny peppers that were too hot to eat, salad dressings that have sat for weeks (maybe months) and those leftovers that no one ate and got lost in the refrigerator shuffle....be ruthless and CLEAN IT OUT. Keep what you will use and "compost" the rest. Try and devote a shelf plus a drawer if possible to vegetables. Wipe the whole thing down well, and plan on doing it each week as you store your vegetables.
(A side note right here...I HAVE A NEW REFRIGERATOR!! My old one was a hand-me-down from my mother-in-love, and was going on 40 years old. The one the Lord blessed me with through my husband is alllllllllllllllllll refrigerator...no little freezer on top. I REALLLLLLY LIKE THIS REFRIGERATOR. For the first time in my married life there is room!)
#2 Think through how you handle the fresh vegetables you now use. Does your family eat fresh salads daily like mine? How do you store the lettuce and other greens? I didn't have a method until recently that really worked. It took a bit of an investment, but we found rectangular plastic (I know, but it will save on bags in the long run.) containers that stack nicely two to three high that are long enough for the full depth of the shelf for the different greens. After I wash and spin the greens I store them in the containers for quick meals.
#3 Think through how you will rotate your vegetables. Some vegetables store well over a week...beets, carrots, radish, and a few others. One idea is to use different colored twist ties on
your bags, use a "sharpie" marker to date and label them, or rotate your stacked vegetable containers. The ideas are endless. But the most important thing is to plan your week's meals around what you receive in your share! Plan on using your vegetables weekly. I will help you with recipes that go along with the weekly harvest. If you can, buy the cookbook we will be offering soon. It was my "Vegetable Bible" last year. I will put a cookbook review up of it latter this week.
#4 One more adjustment you should try is to make time in your Saturday (Thursdays in Crossville) for washing, trimming, and storing your vegetables. You will be more likely to use the vegetables if they are handy to use. This spring I have given up with picking early spring greens as the weather has been cold (we had a frost yesterday 5/5/11 and it was in the middle 40's this morning 5/16) and WET, WET. I actually began buying salad greens! They are expensive, but I enjoyed the convenience of clean organic greens. It will take a few minutes once a week, but you can still have the convenience you have enjoyed. If you have a busy family as I have, make it a family affair. Little ones love to swirl greens in a clean sink of cool water, and my boys love to "twirl" the salad spinner. I also snip the beet greens off the beets about an inch above the bulb and store them either separately or with the chard for quick stir fries. I keep a special basket for the new potatoes (I hate mixing them in with the store bought kind!) under my sink. I also keep a special basket on my counter of tomatoes latter in the summer as they should never be refrigerated. Squash, cucumbers, and carrots are delegated to the crisper drawer, while I cut the roots off the green onions and put them in a jar that is filled about 1/3 full of water. By having everything stored clean and ready to use, I am more likely to use them when pulling a quick meal togehter. As the season progresses, I'll give more tips on how to store your bounty.
The family has finally finished picking the strawberries and gathered around our 12 foot farmhouse table for supper. I had supper waiting for them...two loaves of fresh whole wheat bread, a fresh salad make of OUR GREENS!, and a dish I named garlic chicken linguine. (It had bits of mushrooms, garlic, green onions, and asparagus in a garlic chicken cream sauce served over pasta...they told me to give the recipe to ya'll...now to write it down. :)
A handful of Swiss Chard is soaking in the sink and 4 green onions were just handed to me...this is just he beginning of a busy growing season...the challenge? Cooking with a little of this and a little of that...and at times canning / freezing A LOT OF THIS AND A LOT OF THAT! Take the challenge yourself! It's time to prepare now.
As I ponder on being prepared for the coming blessings of our farm, I want to also be prepared for the Lord Jesus Christ's imminent return. Are you? With the uncertainty of the world around us, the signs of His appearing are everywhere! You cannot count on entrance to heaven by being good, being a helpful person, or because you give to the needy. There is only one way, through Jesus Christ. You can't earn salvation or eternal life...IT IS A FREE GIFT!
As I made supper tonight out of bits and pieces of leftover vegetables from our early markets I pondered the pleas for help last year when families were getting their first share boxes. "What do I do with all these greens?" "How do you use this... and what is it?!" "My refrigerator looks like a vegetable bomb went off in it!" "Leftover vegetables from last week are getting mixed up with my new vegetables and I am wasting some!" The comments rolled in until everyone came up with their own system, or gave up. I'd like to share some of my "survival strategies" when the blessings start rolling in!
#1 It's time to clean out your refrigerator. I mean, REALLY clean it out...think of it as a spring clean. Look at all those jars of condiments...tiny peppers that were too hot to eat, salad dressings that have sat for weeks (maybe months) and those leftovers that no one ate and got lost in the refrigerator shuffle....be ruthless and CLEAN IT OUT. Keep what you will use and "compost" the rest. Try and devote a shelf plus a drawer if possible to vegetables. Wipe the whole thing down well, and plan on doing it each week as you store your vegetables.
(A side note right here...I HAVE A NEW REFRIGERATOR!! My old one was a hand-me-down from my mother-in-love, and was going on 40 years old. The one the Lord blessed me with through my husband is alllllllllllllllllll refrigerator...no little freezer on top. I REALLLLLLY LIKE THIS REFRIGERATOR. For the first time in my married life there is room!)
#2 Think through how you handle the fresh vegetables you now use. Does your family eat fresh salads daily like mine? How do you store the lettuce and other greens? I didn't have a method until recently that really worked. It took a bit of an investment, but we found rectangular plastic (I know, but it will save on bags in the long run.) containers that stack nicely two to three high that are long enough for the full depth of the shelf for the different greens. After I wash and spin the greens I store them in the containers for quick meals.
#3 Think through how you will rotate your vegetables. Some vegetables store well over a week...beets, carrots, radish, and a few others. One idea is to use different colored twist ties on
your bags, use a "sharpie" marker to date and label them, or rotate your stacked vegetable containers. The ideas are endless. But the most important thing is to plan your week's meals around what you receive in your share! Plan on using your vegetables weekly. I will help you with recipes that go along with the weekly harvest. If you can, buy the cookbook we will be offering soon. It was my "Vegetable Bible" last year. I will put a cookbook review up of it latter this week.
#4 One more adjustment you should try is to make time in your Saturday (Thursdays in Crossville) for washing, trimming, and storing your vegetables. You will be more likely to use the vegetables if they are handy to use. This spring I have given up with picking early spring greens as the weather has been cold (we had a frost yesterday 5/5/11 and it was in the middle 40's this morning 5/16) and WET, WET. I actually began buying salad greens! They are expensive, but I enjoyed the convenience of clean organic greens. It will take a few minutes once a week, but you can still have the convenience you have enjoyed. If you have a busy family as I have, make it a family affair. Little ones love to swirl greens in a clean sink of cool water, and my boys love to "twirl" the salad spinner. I also snip the beet greens off the beets about an inch above the bulb and store them either separately or with the chard for quick stir fries. I keep a special basket for the new potatoes (I hate mixing them in with the store bought kind!) under my sink. I also keep a special basket on my counter of tomatoes latter in the summer as they should never be refrigerated. Squash, cucumbers, and carrots are delegated to the crisper drawer, while I cut the roots off the green onions and put them in a jar that is filled about 1/3 full of water. By having everything stored clean and ready to use, I am more likely to use them when pulling a quick meal togehter. As the season progresses, I'll give more tips on how to store your bounty.
The family has finally finished picking the strawberries and gathered around our 12 foot farmhouse table for supper. I had supper waiting for them...two loaves of fresh whole wheat bread, a fresh salad make of OUR GREENS!, and a dish I named garlic chicken linguine. (It had bits of mushrooms, garlic, green onions, and asparagus in a garlic chicken cream sauce served over pasta...they told me to give the recipe to ya'll...now to write it down. :)
A handful of Swiss Chard is soaking in the sink and 4 green onions were just handed to me...this is just he beginning of a busy growing season...the challenge? Cooking with a little of this and a little of that...and at times canning / freezing A LOT OF THIS AND A LOT OF THAT! Take the challenge yourself! It's time to prepare now.
As I ponder on being prepared for the coming blessings of our farm, I want to also be prepared for the Lord Jesus Christ's imminent return. Are you? With the uncertainty of the world around us, the signs of His appearing are everywhere! You cannot count on entrance to heaven by being good, being a helpful person, or because you give to the needy. There is only one way, through Jesus Christ. You can't earn salvation or eternal life...IT IS A FREE GIFT!
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast."
Ephesians 2:8,9
Until Next Week,
Abundant Blessings,
"The Farmer's Wife"
Val Colvin
Ephesians 2:8,9
Until Next Week,
Abundant Blessings,
"The Farmer's Wife"
Val Colvin