FARM FRESH SWEETS

Friday, June 20, 2014

Farm Fresh Sweets

"My son, eat thou honey, because it is good;
and the honey comb, which is sweet to thy taste"
Proverbs 24:13

**I have a GIFT FOR YOU and your family today...read on! **

Meet our friends/family that help us pack your shares at the end of the blog...they are our gift from God so we can serve you better!

The farm smells sweet this evening as honeysuckle and freshly turned soil smells mingles in the air. My family is all gathering in for the evening all sweaty and happy...they've had a long hot day in the field. To my men and growing boys, work is sweet...not always fun, but doing what they were, as men are created to do. They are a true blessing to me...and I pray to you.Please tell them so this weekend as you pick up your shares or when you visit our Face Book page!

This is our 3rd week of CSA, and we're all starting to hit our strides. As usual there are a few glitches at each market, but prayerfully we'll be tastingsweet success this week! The shares will have lettuce, purple top turnips, green beans, kale, kohlrabi, squash and onions! A wide variety of yummy veggies to experiment with as a family. 

Fresh out of the extractor!

Last Friday evening when the shares were all packed and loaded into trucks, a small crew worked on cleaning the porch where we packed your shares. Isaac and his "friend" Destany excitedly moved inside to work with our first honey of the season at our kitchen table. He and Adam had already
extracted the first harvest of the season with about 90 pounds of honey! The honeyharvest is exciting after years of learning with varied results. A sweet aroma filled the air...REALLY sweet! They filtered the buckets of honey, (see the first picture at the top of the blog) and filled LOTS of 12 oz. honey bears. Soon it was a family affair (really 2 families) as some were filling, sealing, and the tedious peeling and applying of the labels.  Soon the honey bears were all lined up like a golden parade down our 12' farmhouse table!  The old saying, "Many hands make light work." is very true on our farm. Friday nights are a perfect example of it! Look for Colvin Family Farm Honey at your market this weekend, or order online at our website! Look for the link to our gift to your family and make this into a "Honey Unit Study". 

Here are some of my favorite recipes to use it with the vegetables you receive in your share this week!

Adam with an armful
of turnips he harvested.

Honey-Glazed Turnips

1 Bunch (about 3 medium) Turnips

3 T. Honey

2 T. Butter

1 C. Water

Sea Salt and Coarse Black Pepper

1 T. Fresh Lemon Jui

Peel and dice turnips. Place the turnips honey, butter and water in a large frying pan with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil and cook on medium-high heat until just about tender. (Around 10 minutes) Uncover and bring the water back to ab oil, and cook until water is almost gone. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally.  (About 10 minutes) The turnips at this point will be golden and glazed, another 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice. 

Red Butterhead is my all-time favorite lettuce!  At the end of every spring I reluctantly eat my last salad with its silky texture, and then eagerly await its return in the fall...I'm enjoying it's last days of harvest....it's that time of year again! 

I love experimenting with salad dressings recipes to compliment the freshly cut lettuce that is brought to me in the farmhouse. Since the sweet smell of fresh raw honey lingers in my kitchen I thought I'd mix up some Honey-Lemon Dressing to celebrate the first honey harvest! It's a light springy taste that compliments the buttery leaves of my favorite lettuce. 

Honey-Lemon Dressing

1 T. plus 2 t. fresh lemon juice

1T. Honey

1/2 t. chopped thyme

Lemon Zest
"shy" 1/2 C. olive oil

Coarse ground Pepper

In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the lemon zest, honey, and thyme. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Makes 1/2 cup. ENJOY!

I guess I have lettuce on my mind as I pick out my recipes for the week. I've been wanting to make lettuce wraps for over a year now, but light meals aren't usually what they have in mind after a long day of field work. I usually end up using the filling in a hearty braided loaf of bread.  So I'm plotting...the guys are usually not big eaters after standing on hot pavement in the city...so Saturday evening I'll have this light meal on hand when they return. 

I knew this
recipe was a winner
when it called for my
favorite Chinese
Chili Sauce! 

Honey Sriracha Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 - 2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2-4 boneless chicken breasts or our preference, thighs

1 C. shredded carrots

2 stalks celery, dices thinly

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/4 C. honey

1-2 T. Sriracha Chili Sauce

2 cloves minced garlic or if your fresh garlic is gone all ready, 1/2 t. garlic powder

12 Bibb or other large leaf lettuce

Drizzle olive oil into a heavy skillet. Add the chickena nd saute until cooked through. Add carrots, onions, and celery, along with honey, Sriracha sauce, soy sauce and garlic. Cook until thickened and the chicken is well                                  coated.  Place filling in washed lettuce leaves. Serve hot.

I would be wrong of me not to mention my family's favorite use for honey...

Honey Butter

1/2 C. butter 

1/2 C. raw honey

1/2-1 t. cinnamon (optional)

I usually just lay my butter on the counter until it is soft, or overnight. Using a whip or hand mixer, whip butter. Next, slowly drizzle honey into the mixture as you continue to whip it. Serve with warm biscuits, or toast! This is a special breakfast. This toast topping can help you overcome colds and the flu when you add a good dose of cinnamon to the mixture. When a cold is going around in the winter, the jam stays in the pantry and cinnamon honey butter takes its place.

We use many natural "folk" remedies to treat the minor illnesses that our family catches, coughs, treating burns or scrapes (doesn't work with little ones as they most often are tempted to lick it off) and to ward off spring allergies. This week I did a bit more digging and learned there is far more uses for honey than merely topping toast, or in the manner I've all ready stated.  I started a "Honey board" on Pintrest. Follow it if you'd like more ideas! 

Here are my top 5 reasons to buy a supply of raw, unnfiltered honey.

1..All "honey" is not created equal. It's been stated that 80% of the honey sold in stores is not really honey at all! A recent uncovering of "honey laundering" in the United States found that several of the top distributors of honey were buying Chinese "honey" which is watered down with corn syrup. Soon a label stating something to this affect, "this product is 100% honey" will be mandatory when packaging honey. In addition to this there is an absence of pollen in most grocery store honey which means the abundance of vitamins, minerals, and pollen are heated/filtered out. So, what do you get? You get simply a sugar syrup of unknown origin despite where the label says it was packaged. Purchase honey from a local farm that you know personally harveststheir honey. Talk with them about their work and process. You will be able to tell if they know their business. Home Schooling families may ask to see their hives and tour their processing building. Truely know your source. We personally know of at least one "farm" that puts their comb in a jar and fills it with honey purchased from Virginia! As you can see, the old adage, "Buyers Beware!" really applies when purchasing honey!

2. Locally harvested  honey from a reputable farm is a great allergy suppressant!  When honey is harvested from your region it will contain pollen that triggers your allergies. When you eat it on top of toast, in your tea, or by the spoonful daily in the months prior to your "allergy season" you will build an tolerance to the pollen that usually triggers your symptoms. It would be best to buy honey harvested just after your personal "allergy season". For example, if the beauty of spring is a feast to your eyes but not on your senses; this is the time to buy your year's worth of honey.

3. Raw honey has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal  properties. 
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are rising up on every hand. There are now 20 known resistant strains of bacteria, mainly because of the reckless dependency on prescription drugs. It has been reported that over 2 million people contract antibiotic-resistant infections each year! Prescription drugs seem to be making people sicker in the long run, and more vulnerable to infections. Many scientists are now looking for simpler solutions. What are they learning? "Raw honey is still one of the best natural antibiotics around to this day." Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island (We also use garlic oil capsules and tea.)

4. Raw honey helps regulate blood sugar levels. Even though honeycontains simple sugars, it is NOT the same as white sugar or artificial chemical sweeteners. Its exact combination of fructose and glucose actually helps the body regulate blood sugar levels. It is the natural choice for using a sweetener in moderation.

5. Raw honey contains vitamins, minerals and enzymes not present in refined honey. Once the "honey" (remember, it may not be real honey) is heated, filtered, and shipped it may not contain the life giving benefits you think you're paying for. I LOVE good deals, but be cautious when you see a "good deal" on honey.  

One of my children's favorite sandwiches up to about age 10 is probably peanut butter and honey. Charity (6) and Levi (8) are connoisseurs of this childhood staple. When their bellies started to rumble today, they came and asked to make a picnic. I all ready knew the menu! They sliced fresh bread with broad grins of satisfaction, and were anticipating the moment they would be settled in "their spot" on top of our slide stand for their picnic! 

This is how God wants us to anticipate our time in His Word the Bible! Just like the children's hungry looks of expectation, we too can have the delight of even the thought of getting into our quiet "secret place" and searching for the sweetness in God's Word. "My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off". Proverbs 24:13,14  Matthew Henry sums up the sadness of our day, "All men relish things that are sweet to the palate; but many have no relish for the things that are sweet to the purified soul, and that make us wise unto salvation." How is your "sweet tooth"? 

Abundant Blessings,

The Farmer's Wife

Val

P.S. Since you made it to the near-bottom of the blog I have a gift for you! Here is the link to the The Bee People by Margaret Warner Morley (PDF ebook) It is a delightful 1899 “Living Book” about bees. Wonderfully easy to read and highly inviting to young readers, the chapters read almost like a storybook, and include "Bees & Flowers", "How a Bee Sees & Flies", "Honeybees", "How and Why Bees make Honey & Honeycombs", "Queen Bees", "Bee Facts & Fancies", and much more.  It includes "Questions for Review" at the end of the book. This is a great “Charlotte Mason” style, living nature study book you and your children will enjoy! I love to read "children's books", and we love to read aloud during our lunch breaks. I hope you'll enjoy it too! I HIGHLY recommend their website offerings. I don't subscribe to many sites, but this site is FANTASTIC and FREE!

To download this PDF ebook, click on this LINK.  

P.S.S. I am a hands-on reader....cuddling up with a book is part of me. So, instead of reading off the computer I printed the book off using the "duplex" setting and will laminate the cover and comb-bind it for future use. Bee Friends is now a frugal addition to our library!

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OUR FRIENDS-FAMILY THAT HELP US EACH WEEK

Noah (15) and  Timmy Brock
visiting the farm kitchen through
the window when the  screens
were down! They are picking buddies
on the farm on Friday packing nights.
THANK YOU TIMMY!

 Jeannie and  Timmy Brock.
God has given our family
a visible picture of His servant spirit
through them. We are all blessed
because they serve so unselfishly!
THANK YOU!

 Heather Brock...better known now as
Nikki.  Her bright smile and helping hands
make the packing day go much quicker!

Destany Brock and Sister Allison Edwards

Destany works weekly here on the farm packing

shares with her family. She's Isaac's special 

"friend". Allison is Adam's special "friend" and

helps out occasionally. We are looking forward

to the day when she can help out regularly!

Here they are getting a first hand lesson on how

to fill flats before seeding in the  greenhouse.

THANK YOU GIRLS! 

We're looking years of working together!

Thank you for your help Brother
Jake Edwards! 

My Sustainable Farmhouse to Yours

The view from my "sustainable farmhouse".
Meet the Colvin Family Farmers
at the end of the post.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the word sustainable...it's the new hot topic..seems like it's taking the place of being "green"...which before that was "frugal". Here on the mountain in the early 80's the older ladies would have chuckled if I talked this way. (Read my post  describing the mountain culture I married into and how God is leading me today to carry on their ministry.)

If anyone lived on a sustainable farm or home it was the older ladies on this mountain when I got married 33 years ago. The adage, "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" was they way they quietly lived. I got to watch them, work by them, and learn their ways. What a blessing this was! So there's really nothing new about "being green", "frugal",or "sustainable"...it's the modern way of simply living an old fashioned lifestyle.

Living the simple "old fashioned" life has brought us a lot of criticism and questions over the years. It wasn't the "in" way to live. My older children moved with us to this farm where we lived in a old mountain home (think 1,000 square foot cabin). We cut dead trees in the woods surrounding us to heat our home. We used an old wringer washer on the back porch to clean our

We have close to 300 hens that
lay the eggs we sell at
markets.

clothes, and then hung them on a clothes line. This saved on water and electricity. We used simple whole foods to cook creative meals....even ones found in woods and fields around us. 

We had a large garden that we watered by hand with pond water, and preserved the                                                 harvest. We sewed our own clothes,

Caleb made the hog barn with
recycled wood and greenhouse
hoops laying about the farm.

built our own furniture, and made our little house into a home for 12 people. Did we have to? Were we poor? No, it was an extension of the lifestyle we lived at the log home we had built on one acre on the other side of the mountain. We chose to live this way. It built memories...it built strong children...and it built our "sustainable" home.

Nowadays our farmhouse looks a lot different than the "quaint mountain cottage" we lived in while building our farmhouse.  We have 3 more children...that many bathrooms, and a modern laundry room. We still heat with wood, but the wood furnace is outside now and it not only heats the house but our water also. Soon I pray it will heat the dryer too! Our "gardens" are HUGE 

We used to plant thousands of plants
 by hand.Now we use this plant setter and do it the "easy way".

now, and also feed many of you, our shareholders and customers. We not only can our vegetables for ourselves, but we're making plans to open a commercial kitchen where I can preserve the bounty of our harvest for winter sales.

My children are "green" too. They have fun when it rains with their rain

Levi catching water during a
recent storm to use
for the chickens. To him it's
playing.

water retrieval system. Wear hand-me-down overalls, create toys out of scrap wood, and since "city bikes" don't last long on our dirt roads they make new bikes out of parts of several broken down bikes. They've experimented with worm composting, composting in a jar for a visual aid, growing hydroponically, and intensively with raised beds. When they are assigned the chore of cleaning the bathrooms, they mix up vinegar and water to disinfect the counter tops and toilets with. In the kitchen they scrub pots & pans with borax. Faith Anne (13) sews nightgowns using nice, used t-shirts from the thrift store as the bodice, and adds a gathered skirt. Fugal..Green...sustainable...
I prefer to describe it as an old fashioned, simple childhood.

A batch of bread these days
makes 15 loaves.

When you look back and learn the skills of the pioneers, or the generation that went through the depression it leads to an exciting path of never-ending learning. And will it save you money? Why yes! I took this path because I saw 
how I as a wife could S-T-R-E-T-C-H my husbands paycheck. I learned to cook from scratch, then I learned to make bread. The path to simplicity(sustainability) takes time...time to bake, time to ferment, time to sew, time to grow vegetables and fruits. My life got fuller and fuller. Staying at home wasn't boring at all! Everyday there was something new to do and to learn! As children came into our home 

Charity picks flowers
in the high tunnels.

they started learning right alongside of me. Home schooling in the middle 80's was risky at best, but it was the path the Lord directed us to. The children and I kept on learning...together. Some likened my "classroom" to the old fashioned schoolhouse setting where all the grades learned together and from each other. I agree, it was, and still is. Before our youngest daughter Charity (6) was in kindergarten she knew all the phonics songs from playing with Levi almost 3 years older than her.  That somehow falls under sustainability...saving my energy. :)


If you can't garden or garden enough, joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or shopping at a farmer's market is old fashioned...no frugal..uhhh green...I mean a sustainable choice you could make. At the market this week we should have one of my FAVORITE late spring vegetables...sweet slicing 
onions! When the crop firsts ripens and is sold uncured they are sooooo good! You can slice 10 of them without a tear. 

Luke selling onions at the Franklin Farmer's Market.

They top sandwiches with a sweet 
crunch. They saute up with our fresh garlic to make the best addition to pizzas, topping for meat, or baked potatoes. I even have a close friend that eats them like apples. Look for them at the market in the beautifully stacked pyramids. 

One way I celebrate late spring is by sauteing Swiss Chard with onions and garlic. The dish takes only minutes (especially when you're just cooking for a few) and is packed with alllllll kinds of vitamins, minerals, and even trace minerals. Give this recipe a try this week.

Stir Fried Swiss Chard

1 bunch Swiss Chard (usually .6 lbs.)

1-2 onions, sliced in 1/4" slices

1/2 bulb of fresh garlic, minced (or to taste)

1-2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 Sea Salt to taste

Wash Swiss Chard in cool water and lay on a towel or dish drainer to drain. Trim off about 1/4" of the end of the stems, discard. (Compost, feed the hogs, feed the worms, all those "sustainable" things one does to be "green".) Roll a few leaves at a time together and slice down the whole length of the leaf and continue down the stem. Turn your knife lengthwise and give the greens a few cuts. Place on a tray or in a bowl; set aside. Cut the onion in half, then slice in 1/4" slices. Set in a pile on the tray (or separate bowl) by the chard. Mince garlic. Heat a wok or large frying pan. Once heated, add the oil. Next scrape the garlic off your cutting board into the oil. (Be careful as the garlic will brown quickly, so have everything cut up and waiting.) Stir for 1 minute to season the oil. Add the onions. Stir to combine, until slightly translucent. Now add the Swiss Chard one handful at a time, turning the greens over and into the mixture. Add each handful making sure they get covered with oil...not dripping, but shiny from the oil. Sprinkle with sea salt. Stir fry until limp, but not mushy. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

One of the more interesting crops of spring is kohlrabi. It's like a bulb cabbage. You can shred it into "slaw", cut it into julienne slices to stir fry, 

cube it and roast it, or grill it, or simply steam it. My children enjoy just peeling one in the field and eating them like apples!  You can't loose when you experiment with kohlrabi...just learning to spell it right is an adventure! ;) 

Another way I like to cook vegetables during the summer is on my grill. Being frugal, no green, ohh!, sustainable I bought an old broiler pan at the thrift store to grill with. It's better than most grill pans since it has a lip around the edge that allows you to stir the vegetables without loosing them in the coals. You may even have one in your cabinet!  Here is what I'm making from what's being harvested this week.

Grilled Mixed Vegetables

1 medium zucchini, cut into cubes or 1/3" slices

1 medium fresh onion, cut into small wedges or thick slices

2 small yellow squash, cut into cubes or 1/3" slices

2 kohlrabi, cut into 1/4" slices or small cubes

3 radish, cut into 1/4" slices or quartered

3 Hakurei Turnips, cut into cubes
A good double handful of Par-boiled new potatoes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later in the season add:

*Cherry tomatoes - cut them in half if they are larger, but add late in the grilling                                          process to keep them whole

*Patty pan (round, saucer like) squash - cut into wedges

*Okra- keep the small one whole, slice larger ones in half length-wise

*Carrots- par-boil like potatoes before adding to the mixture

EXPERIMENT AND HAVE FUN LEARNING!

There are many things I know I should do to live sustainable now that the media has further enlightened me. We're switching our light bulbs to fluorescent and LED, replacing plastic storage containers to glass...and there's that pony cart I'd love to have! I've learned over the years that making one change at a time is best...especially with our large family. I'd encourage you to go slow, and enjoy the path to a "sustainable" life.

  There are many sustainable practices I'd like to learn over the coming months and years, but what's important is am I doing all I know now? I need to use the raw milk we get weekly to make yogurt, and also sew a few quilts for the boys. I'd like to get my kitchen garden built to putter in too.

 The same "sustainable" theme runs throughout my Christian life also. If know what Jesus Christ teaches in the Bible, and I should obey "without excuse" Romans 1:20.  If I know I should mix up a batch of yogurt this week I should get to it! I need to get from want to, to will do in my daily Christian life also.  For me there is no excuse for not living how Christ teaches in His Word. To stay "sustainable" in my Christian life I have to make a choice..to read the Bible daily...pray...to be broken when I see how far short I fall...staying away from places, books, Internet sites, and videos I know that will draw me into sin. If the Bible declares something displeases God, then I must not excuse it in my life. I must obey it. I must daily wage battle in my mind for the right. Do you fight the "want to  over the will do battle"? Living sustainable in Christ I will win!

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purity your hearts ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall life you up." James 4:8-10

Meet Your Farmers!

Farmer Steve is the Daddy of the crew, marketer,
field hand, mechanic, carpenter, and keeps EVERYONE
IN LINE!

The Farmer's Wife, Val
Momma to 13, and Grandma to 2!

Adam, the oldest son at home.
Website designer, Social Media
Guru.

Isaac and Adam are really into bee keeping. Today they spun our first honey of the year with our new extractor. We have raised bees over the years with varying degrees success. Last year we

turned the corner, and actually sold some! With the new extractor it's a breeze!

Our newly delivered honey extractor.
No more wax all over my kitchen!!

Caleb is our steady man...working hard in the
field or with the hogs.

Isaac is a capable field hand and works with the
bees.

Titus - 17 for another 2 months. He works in the field and is a great packer.

Noah is a sophomore in high school, and is about to turn 16.
He is a great worker and even volunteers to knock down the weeds on the home
farm  with our new little tractor and bushog AFTER he puts in a long day
 planting or harvesting. Thank you Noah!!

Luke is 11 and has stepped into the field
as a young man this season. He is
Adam's apprentice at the Franklin 
Farmers Market.

Levi is 8 and enjoying being a  "farmer boy".
He works, then plays, works, then plays.
He is Daddy's helper at the Oak Ridge Farmer's Market on Saturdays.

\

On Your Mark...Get Set...

Greetings From Colvin Family Farm!

     We're well into our spring season here on the farm, and God is blessing on every hand. We're harvesting arugula, collards, radish, strawberries, SEVERAL varieties of lettuce, spinach, sweet turnips, green onions, and even tiny yellow Sun Gold tomatoes are ripening! We're excited about the CSA season that is just ahead...Are you ready? 

Look for this tent and the Colvin Family Farm banner
when you go to pick up  your shares at a farmer's market!
(Except Dixie Lee...look for the checked table cloths:)

     As we look ahead a little over a week I am all ready anticipating the phone calls and emails with pleas for help. Those new to eating local, and fresh will be in for a nice big surprise when they arrive at one of our markets or drop-offs and see just what a share really holds each week. This is our first year with a "one-size-fits-all" share, so I can't really tell you yet what will be in your first share, but I do have an idea...and it's time to get your kitchen and schedule ready for the start of a great CSA season!

#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. 

#2 It's time to think through how you handle the fresh vegetables you now use. If you regularly pull out partial bags of mushy greens, shriveled peppers and hairy carrots, you need to rethink your eating habits and how you store your fresh vegetables.
     Does your family eat fresh salads daily like mine? How do you store the lettuce and other greens that you've bought over the winter? If what you buy comes in a nice little resealable plastic bag or container it's time to think through how you'll store the beautiful whole heads of lettuce and open bags of greens you'll receive in your share. You can have the same convenience you've grown accustomed to, but it will take a bit of pre-planning. Take a good look at your refrigerator and measure your shelves from front to back, and side to side. Have these measurements in hand when you research containers that will hold the greens that will be in your weekly share. I've found a container that works JUST RIGHT  for the tender greens like lettuce, spinach, and arugula in my refrigerator..maybe it will work for you too.

Believe it or not I found it it at Walmart years 

ago, (and they still carry them) and we're in our 3rd year of using them. They fit exactly from front to back and are a great space saver. I use 2-gallon Ziploc bags to hold my steaming/smoothie greens like kale, Swiss Chard, Collards, and Mustard Greens as they are tougher and can take being packed tightly and stand straight up on my tallest shelf. I use a Sharpie permanent marker to label the bags so they will not be thrown out when emptied.  When they get empty I simply squirt some dish soap in them and fill part way with hot water. Then I zip them and slosh them around a bit. After rinsing well with more hot water I hang them over a tall utensil in my rack to dry. They do not have to dry completely because when you empty your dish rack they will still be wet in places. I fold them and store them in my produce drawer of the refrigerator until I need them again. I wash and spin my greens, then pack them without paper towels in these containers and  they will last over a week IF we don't eat them. (A rarity.) 
    I use plastic bins/baskets to hold the turnip, kohlrabi, beets, or carrots, and other root crops that seem to either build up in my drawer or tumble around on a shelf. These can be found cheaply at Dollar Tree type stores or online. If you keep your vegetables visible, you're more likely to use them.
   When bundles of green onions make their way into the farm kitchen I re-cut the bottom of the onion and place them in a jar of water, ready to pull out for a quick meal.

#3  It's time to start planning NOW how to use your share of our harvest!  Start to educate yourself on the ENDLESS ways to use fresh seasonal vegetables that will part of your weekly share of our harvest. On Pintrest I have a board you can follow that I put alllllll kinds of ideas on. Explore the endless possibilities and plan to use part of your share each day. Then you'll be more than ready to pick up your next share without guilt. Also on our website there is a forum where you can see what other shareholders are making with their shares. I'll also announce and post a link to this blog each week (prayerfully) there. This is a great way to get to know your farm, and your farmer's family.

#4 It's time to adjust your schedule. One more adjustment you'll need to make to be a successful shareholder is to take time when you get home from EACH market to prep your vegetables for quick use.  By washing, trimming, and storing your vegetables immediately you will be more likely to use the vegetables and will enjoy the convenience you have grown accustomed to all winter.  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 on a shelf in my pantry as I hate to mix them with the last of my store bought ones. 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. By having everything stored clean and ready to use, I am more likely to use them when pulling a quick meal together. As the season progresses, I'll give more tips on how to store your bounty. 

I'd like encouraged you to think "outside the box" when using your shares. When you get this week's share it will have have some interesting greens in it like kale and mustard greens. You may be at a loss on how to use them. I'd like to share two ways to use them, with ideas on how to "tuck" them into your family favorite meals.
Tonight I made supper for the first time in 7 1/2 weeks! I'm so glad to be feeling some better. (Eight weeks ago I fell here on the farm and got a concussion.) It was a joy to pull ingredients together and whip up a supper to fill my farmer boy's stomachs! I found a new recipe to use some spicy sausage I got on SUPER sale. 


                            Spicy Sausage Casserole

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. smoked sausage (I used crumbled Hot Italian Sausage)
1 1/2 Cups diced onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth (I used bouillon in a pinch.)
1 (10 oz. can Ro-Tell tomatoes and green chilies (Latter on in the season simply chop tomatoes and chili peppers up to fulfill these amounts.)
1/2 Cup heavy cream (I used 1/2 and 1/2)
8 oz. Pasta (The recipe calls for penne, I used spirals, and could see it being made out of flat egg noodles.)
1/2 teasp. salt and pepper, each
1 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded (I used what I had on hand, shredded cheddar.)
4 leaves Swiss Chard/Collards/Kale Greens, etc. thinly sliced

     Begin by browning your sliced sausage in an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Stir the sausage for about 3 minutes. Next add your thinly sliced greens, onions, and garlic. Continue stirring until onions are slightly brown and the greens are limp.
     Next, add your broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt, and pepper. Stir to blend. As the liquid reaches a slight boil, cover the skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.  
P.S. If there doesn't seem to be enough liquid to cook the pasta simply add a bit more broth and cream till  you can see the liquid up near the pasta...it'll cook fine. Also, if you are using HOT sausage, you may want to use just regular tomatoes as ours was SPICY...but yummy!
    
     Now to help you see how I incorporated greens into just about any recipe, visualize the above recipe without greens. That is how it was originally written. I think it really gives it a burst of color too with the red and green! I've used this method for a lot of our family favorite recipes. This spring  as what we call the last cool snap of the season, Blackberry Winter was chilling the boys in the field I added thinly sliced greens to Chicken 'N Dumplings that gave the winter comfort food a springy lift! It was yummy! The dull looking meal was given a visual face lift!  Lasagna also takes on a gourmet touch with sauteed spinach or Swiss Chard tucked between the pasta. Pizza also becomes an upscale health food when you layer sauteed spinach, onions and mushrooms on top of a white sauce. The only green I really have a hard time incorporating is mustard greens...they have a distinctive flavor that is great steamed, or even partnered with other greens but not in my other dishes. Experiment and have fun!
      
                                     Steamed Greens

     To prepare your greens (kale, Swiss Chard, turnip, collards, kale, or a combination of each) wash them in cool water. I then lay mine on a tea towel, no need to spin them dry. To chop them I roll a few leaves together (large leaf on the outside and smaller leaves inside) and slice down towards the stem. I continue to cut right down to the tips and throw out the last 1/4".  My next cut is to cut the whole outer leaf in half lengthwise and then in quarters lengthwise. I'm frugal to the core..I even use the stems that so many people throw out. They steam tender and contain so much fiber, minerals and vitamins. Why waste them?
     In a large pot, place your greens along with a minimal amount of water or broth. Some folks like to add a spoonful of bacon drippings...and we like this on occasion too. My daughter likes to sprinkle beef bouillon on her greens to season. There are many ways, experiment to see how ya'll like them. Below is a time-table for cooking...use it as a starting point. (These times are for leaf only. If ya'll are like us and want all we can get out of our $$ then add a few minutes or saute them with olive oil and onions on the stove top. :)

Beet Greens 3-4 minutes
Broccoli Raab 3 minutes
Collards 10-20 minutes
Dandelion 1-3 minutes
Kale 5-10 minutes
Mustard Greens 2-5 minutes
Swiss Chard 1-2 minutes
Turnip Greens 4 minutes

I've been enjoying the first tastes of summer.
They are only coming in by the handful
now, but look for them shortly.

     There is a great summer bounty growing in our fields right now...tomatoes are ripening, cucumbers are sending out their first fruits, and green beans are blooming, rows of colorful lettuce are a work of art! It's time to get ready.

Fresh bundles of garlic!

  
I also want to be ready for Christ's imminent return. 
Are you ready? With the uncertainty of the world around us, the signs of His appearing are everywhere! You cannot guarantee that you will go to heaven by being a good person, being a member of your church, or because you give to the needy. There is only one way, through Jesus Christ's free gift of salvation. You can't earn salvation or eternal life...IT IS A FREE GIFT!
Are you truly ready? 

"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


Abundant Blessings,
"The Farmer's Wife"
Val Colvin

P.S. I'm looking forward to getting to know ya'll ! Subscribe to the blog so you won't miss this weekly letter from the farmhouse.