A BERRY GOOD WEEK Week 7

A "BERRY" GOOD WEEK

Week 8

Colvin Family Farm CSA

What's in Your Share

Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

Lettuce

Potatoes

Beets

Squash

Cabbage

Basil

It's been a berry good week here on the farm. We've been picking and "working" blackberries, blueberries,

and plums (I know they're not a berry.) Our peach tree has been picked for the season too! This has been an amazing fruit year! Look for the jam at your market!


The men have been juggling planting without a tractor (it's been the year of the tractors!) and doing a lot of cultivating and clean up work at the other farm. It's amazing how fast WEEDS grow in comparison to vegetables and herbs! Tomatoes were staked, bush hogging was done to borders, and "middles" wheel hoed to keep the weeds at bay. We finally got our biggest tractor back from the shop and now late transplants are going in the ground. Praise God! 

We've begun picking our blueberries!

I've been asked about my references of the "other farm".  I guess I talked about our pond going dry in my last post with a picture of the children swimming in an almost full pond. Sorry! 

 All of these pictures of the "home farm" seem to be taken during the winter....sorry. I think they appealed to me because of the heat...

The waterfall at the corner of our property is dry, dry, dry right now. It is the runoff from our pond here on the "home farm". I like to picture it this way!

We live on the "home farm". This is where we've lived and raised our children since 1999, and where Colvin Family Farm was "born". We have 2 large greenhouses where we raise our transplants for the field. We also grow our pastured chickens for meat and eggs, and raise our forest grazed hogs on the "home farm".  The field that once grew all our vegetables now is planted in LOTS of asparagus that we all enjoy in early spring. Part of it is also the pasture our hens enjoy grazing on. Along the fence row we have several bee hives that provide honey for the family and farm. For the first year our orchard is bursting with fruit! We're excited to see the fruit laden trees bending with the weight of plums, nectarines, apples, peaches and a few pears! Soooo, this is the farm that is struggles during dry summers as our pond that we water our "critters" out of and irrigate the greenhouses with is now critically low. The pond is fed by a wet weather stream...it has definitely not been a wet spring or summer. Let's all pray the fall rains appear early!

We have another farm now that we raise most of our vegetables at. We are blessed to have a great pond and a year round creek to irrigate from. (That is one of the main reasons we bought another farm.) Adam and Allison (Franklin Farmer's Market) live on the farm and enjoy the creek running right below their home! 

We've been picking a bumper crop of cherry

tomatoes the past few weeks. Tonight as the field crew (our family) is rolling in from the other farm to pack the vegetables on our front porch, I have supper cooking in the farmhouse. I had short notice and changed the menu when friends joined our family in the field. I quickly put one idea out of my mind and began concocting a dish with cherry tomatoes! Here's my hot weather take on Chicken Parmesan. 

Hot Weather Chicken Parmesan

Boneless Chicken Thighs/Breasts

Season Salt

Garlic Powder

Cherry Tomatoes

Fresh Basil

Salt

Pepper

Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Wash the chicken in cool water an let drain. Heat a cast iron (my prefrence) skillet on medium high. When heated, drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the

chicken with season salt and garlic powder. Transfer the meat to the hot skillet and sear on both sides. Transfer the frying pan to a moderate oven (300 degrees) to sit while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Wash your cherry tomatoes, then cut them in half. Place them in a bowl as you cut them. When it looks like you have enough to "cover your meat", chop the basil in small pieces. Add the basil, salt, and pepper to the tomatoes. Stir. Place in the refrigerator until they are needed.

At this point I went on to prepare

the rest of my meal. We had roasted new potatoes in one oven, chicken in another, and then squash and onions cooked in foil went on the grill.

When the guys got home with HUGE appetites, I got

the skillets of chicken out of the oven where I was keeping them warm. Then I gave them a liberal shake of Parmesan cheese; then covered them with the chopped tomatoes, using a slotted spoon so I wouldn't add too much liquid. Next I covered the  the tomatoes with Mozzarella. Finally I slipped the pans under the broiler just long enough to melt the cheese. This gave the dish a     hot/cold feel. Yumm!  

I don't like being trite, but we're "berry" blessed.

The Lord God met our ultimate need when He gave His only Son Jesus Christ for our sinS on Calvary. He has put me in a "goodly" place to serve Him with my family. I see His hand daily all around me. Why do I (we) so easily give in to discouragement with all His daily personal attention? I'm counting my blessings tonight...why not join me?!

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Ephesians 3:20,21

Abundant Blessings in Jesus Christ,

The Farmer's Wife,

Val

Pictures from the Farm

We had 11 more piglets born this week.

Look what's being harvested!