CSA Week 19

From the Farmer’s Wife

Week 19

   Greetings! It really feels like fall this morning as we package your shares! I have a light jacket on and anticipation is building for a good shower to come today! We are now classified as being in drought conditions here, and see the signs all around us.  Grass crunches as we walk on it and it looks like fall because of the lack of rain. On my daily walk with my little ones we see red maple leaves, yellow Green Brier, red Sumac leaves and more…the landscape is giving us hints of what is soon to come.

   My little ones are learning about assembly lines this morning as we package the lentils sprouts. Faith Anne (9) weighs and packages, Levi (now 5) removes the bag from the scales and keeps the scales cleared of dropped lentils, Luke (7) removes the air from the bags and seals them. Faith and Luke are practicing counting by 5s as they keep count of the bags…we end up with 78, ½ pound bags! We are experimenting with other varieties that we will prayerfully provide next year, Lord willing. Our favorite new sprout is Broccoli. It is reported to be very helpful in the treatment of cancer, so the price is expensive on a large scale. All health benefits aside, we just like the taste! Try it yourself if you sprout.

    At lunch today we had some mustard micro-greens on our sandwiches and wraps. Micro-greens are another experiment we’d like to explore this winter. We hear the term, “this winter” a lot lately. When someone has an idea for a new project that will take research and time, it gets put in the mental file for “this winter”.

   We are trying to switch gears a bit and include school in our busy days. This is a challenge as there is always something to be planted, something to be watered, or something picked! The school aged boys work in the field with the men during the morning; then after lunch and read aloud time, they settle in for their studies. It is amazing how much can be done in a few hours that takes the public school all day to accomplish! By working all morning, the children welcome the relaxing change of pace of school. The farm crosses over often into our school…Isaac is earning Distriubuitve Education and Agri Science credit in high school, and the little assembly line this morning taught about industry, how to read scales, and cooperation. Often a new bug is found on a plant and someone comes running in for the field guides. The children have been taught how to answer their own questions, and then they teach US what they learn. J Learning really never ends, even after we earn our diplomas.

   I just took the children for our walk…they rode their bikes and I jogged and walked. I nipped a few sugar snap peas along the way and enjoyed the cool breeze that may be blowing in a storm. Some of the men are under a big trees by the packing shed cleaning green onions, one is cutting Swiss chard, another is sorting cucumbers after picking them, and of course there are still potatoes to dig. You couldn’t buy fresher vegetables at the store! As I finished my “walk”, Farmer Steve loaded all the little ones up in the water truck to go pump more water out at the lake in the woods. With thousands of seedlings planted we can’t wait on the rain that might come. Noah (12) is hand watering with a 350’ hose. He really has to lean into it to drag it the last 100’ of the row! I’ve been sent into the house to make lunch. With 8 men in the house, their minds often turn to food! I have 5 loaves of homemade bread ready for sandwiches with lots of fresh vegetables and sprouts.

   In your shares this week is a surprise! Muscadines!! We like the old fashion simplicity of muscadines. They are native to this part of the country, and are less fussy to grow than the Concord grapes we grow. There are many health benefits also, from being high in fiber, to being a powerful antitoxin. We don’t go after the fad health foods, but just try to eat a well rounded healthful diet and enjoy the benefits God designed for each food He created.

   There is a lot you can do with muscadines…start by enjoying a hardy taste of them. They taste a lot like the old fashioned grapes my Grampy used to raise with a thick skin. Be careful, there are seeds. I usually make jelly from muscadines each year, but there is more to experiment with. Here are a few ideas!

    

Muscadine Ice

Ingredients:

·         muscadines

·         water

·         sugar

·         lemon juice

Preparation:

Stem, wash, and mash muscadines. Strain and reserve juice. Put hulls and pulp in a kettle with a little water; bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, adding a little more water if necessary to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and strain through a strainer or jelly bag. Add juice to the reserved juice. Sweeten with sugar to your taste and add a little lemon juice. Put in an ice cream freezer and freeze as you would ice cream. If you don’t have an ice cream freezer, put the pitcher or bowl of your muscadine mixture in the freezer. Set your kitchen timer for 10-15 minutes. When the timer goes off, stir and scrape. Reset the timer and repeat as often as necessary. It is worth the extra effort.

Iknow you don’t have enough muscadines in your share to make as large a muscadine pie as this recipe calls for, but you can adapt it to a smaller dish you may have. If not, just file this idea away for another, more bountiful year. It’s always fun to experiment.

Muscadine Pie

Ingredients:

• pastry for 2-crust 9-inch pie
• 2 quarts ripe muscadines
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut in small pieces

Preparation:

Line pie plate with half of the rolled out pastry. Refrigerate pie shell and remaining pastry until ready to fill pie. Mash muscadines. Separate hulls from pulp. Strain so as to get juice, leaving pulp and seed. Cook hulls in juice until tender, adding a little water if needed. Let cool, then add lemon juice, flour, and sugar. Put fruit mixture in prepared bottom crust. Carefully arrange top crust over fruit, lattice style, if desired. Flute edge. Cut several slits in top if top crust is left whole. Bake in a 400° oven for approximately 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375° and bake 30 minutes longer.
Serve with whipped cream or whipped topping, if desired.

Muscadine "Dump Cake"   

1 cup prepared muscadines
1/2 stick butter
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
To prepare muscadines, remove pulp; cook pulp until seeds loosen, then press through sieve to remove seeds. Add pulp to skins and cook until tender. Add sugar to taste, some grated lemon peel and a sprinkle of apple pie spice.
Melt butter in glass pie plate. Mix flour, sugar and milk in another bowl. Pour flour mixture over butter. Carefully pour prepared grapes over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Do not open oven until baking time is up. Cake should be brown on top. Yield: 8 serving 

   Last Saturday while you were picking up your shares at the market I spent the morning in the field training cucumbers up strings for support. I had my children at my side on different rows. As we worked our way up the rows I showed them how to take the sometimes longer vines and carefully thread them up between the strings…if they took too sharp a turn with the vine it would snap! Then from that point upward, the vine was useless. How much like training children I thought…each child is different like the vines. Some almost trained themselves as the little green tendrils reached for the next string. I have children like that…the ones with teachable spirits that are eager to please and mature. Then there were the long unruly ones that laid over on the other vines, wrapping their tendrils around other plants. They took more attention, and care to tenderly separate them, and then guide the vine up between the strings without snapping the vine in two. I have a few of these type of children also. They are the children the Lord uses to show me my total dependence on His wisdom, love, and patience. They need the extra care and understanding that the unruly vines did. They grew fast outwardly, but more slowly inwardly. I probably fell into the last category. I praise God for His faithful patience with me over the years to bring me gently to maturity.  
            There is always someone wanting the Cold Pack Pickle recipe that we made together here on our share holders day. So, the boys said to republish it. Now that the cucumbers are coming in better, keep a batch always working in your refrigerator if you like them. Don’t throw the brine out; just keep adding cucumbers and onions to it. (When adding a new batch of vegetables always salt the cucumbers and drain before adding them to the brine.) Today I threw out my first batch of brine of the summer, and am making a new round. I even experimented to see if lentils and green peppers did well in it. They did! I’ve adjusted the recipe for a smaller batch then I usually make. Double the size if you have enough cucumbers. J

Colvin Family Farm’s Cold Pack Pickles

 5 medium cucumbers

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup sugar

Up to ¾ cup apple cider vinegar (to taste)

Add Black Pepper to taste,

Optionally add water to weaken to taste

Slice cucumbers in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let sit 15 minutes. Pour off liquid. Add onion and mix well. Combine sugar and vinegar until sugar dissolves. Pour over cucumbers and onions. Add pepper to taste. Refrigerate at least one hour. Mix well before serving. Best made the day before needed. Don’t throw the brine out, but simply add cucumbers and onions each week. Keep your refrigerator stocked during cucumber season!

     As I walk down our long driveway that curves around the vegetable field I get to watch the growth of the plants. The fall crops are looking more promising now that we are using drip tape irrigation. We keep the truck busy pumping water on the green beans, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, lettuce, sugar snap peas, collards, mustards, Chinese cabbage and much more. Please continue to pray that Farmer Steve would have the wisdom needed to produce for each family’s needs. God has been faithful in the past and we trust Him to provide in the future.
   People have often asked how we can provide for our large family on one income. (When Steve was a consultant for La-Z-Boy) And we would always reply, “God has always provided.”  When we made out our budget it always looked impossible on paper, BUT God made the ends meet, and met every need. How can we be assured of this? We have seen His faithfulness time and time again over the years, and simply have faith that He will always be who He says He is… “Faithful and True” Revelation 19:11
    We have committed our whole life to Jesus Christ, what more could we do after He gave His life for our sin? As we seek to show our love to Him by obeying His Word (the King James Bible) He showers His love and blessing on us. Now that Steve is home farming fulltime we get to depend more fully on Jesus’ open hand of provision. He has proved Himself faithful in the past, and He will be today. Praise His name! “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Philippians 4:19,20
    As you and your family move into a new week, seek Jesus Christ with all your heart…either for salvation, or in total commitment to His will. I encourage you to read your Bible faithfully to know that will, and seek a good Bible believing church to further teach you. I pray you too will see God’s hand of provision…not only through your weekly share, but in the many areas of life you face.

Abundant Blessings in Christ Jesus,

Your Farmer’s Wife,

Val Colvin

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”   John 15:4-6

CSA Week 17

From the Farmer’s Wife

August 27,2010

Week 17      

   Hello! Greetings from all the farmers at Colvin Family Farm…there is Steve, Val, Adam (19 &11/12), Caleb (18), Isaac (16), Titus (14), Noah (12 on market day), Faith Anne (9), Luke (7), Levi (5), & Charity Rose (2 ½). We have all been VERY busy here on the farm this week…I guess I say that a lot, but it’s the truth. Farming keeps you busy from sunup until after dark most days during growing season. We enjoy the challenge God gives us as He uses us to serve you.

   The pigs have doubled their weight all ready! They love all the apples and tomatoes we give them from a nearby orchard. They should have the sweetest meat come late fall! We will prayerfully be selling sausage so everyone can stock up for the winter.

   Faith Anne and I have spent the week organizing for school. We are doing a major shift to create a school area and office area to our home. These areas will eventually be in our last addition to our home. We have the walls up for that addition, but we are still constructing at this time. Soooo, we’re moving the computer station, bookshelves, Steve’s desk and much more. The big boys have heard about women having a need to rearrange the furniture often, and have been teasing me…in reality I don’t do it often as my men folks (and there are a lot of them around here!) don’t like change at all. So at this time I am surrounded by books, crates of school supplies, bus tubs with lids that hold each child’s school books, musical instruments, and more books! Prayerfully by nightfall there will be some semblance to my mess. With seven children in school and the men needing to recreate the website and plan the growing season this winter we need separate work areas, after the “dust settles”  I pray we’ll have this! J Most children are already in school, but since we home school, we are blessed to have the freedom to plan our school year around our family’s needs. We’ll be studying geography and missions as a family this year. We like the unit study approach to teaching. I can teach Language Arts, History, Science, Art, and Music through our topic of Geography and Missions. We’ll have 7 children in grades eleven down to preschool this year. Please pray for our need for wisdom in raising our children to honor our Lord and Savior.

   We remember your family’s needs also in prayer. How do I know what to pray for? Do you have a 2 year old that needs constant attention? I do too! Do you have a 5 year old that asks lots of questions? I do too. Do you have a 9 year old that thinks they can handle just about anything and doesn’t need your permission or help? I have one of those also! Do you have a 13 or 14 year old that thinks they have life alllllllll figured out and its YOU that doesn’t? Well, I have one of those also! Do you have a young adult learning about business and how to deal with people? I am blessed with two of them! Do you have grown children out in the world and struggling to “find themselves” or making a new home? Well, I have several of those also. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful…”  1 Corinthians 10:13a  I will continue to pray for you as I do myself.

   There hasn’t been much creativity in the farm kitchen this week. Frankly I’m a bit weary of cooking LARGE meals for crowds. I’ve fed 35 one evening, 27 on another, baked for you our shareholders on the two weeks during this time, and then our usual three large meals a day here on the farm. So, I’ve been meeting my family’s needs by using the meals I froze in June. It is a great relief to have several meals in the freezer for times like this. Then I redirected my creativity to turning the house upside down to organize it! J

   On Wednesdays we eat a big dinner instead of a big supper.  Getting ready for church is much easier when I don’t try to squeeze a big meal into the picture. So Wednesday morning I took out a large gallon freezer bag filled with taco meat with pinto beans. I cut the bag open and dumped it, still frozen, into my largest cast iron frying pan, and slipped it into the oven right after breakfast.  By lunchtime it was bubbling and ready to make soft tacos with! Give it a try, and soon the daily, “What are we going to eat tonight?” question will be easier to answer.

   The crops are doing better now that we’re prayerfully solving the irrigation dilemma. I’ve described our efforts weekly to provide the needed water to our growing field…We started the season out by handing EVERYONE a watering can and filling them with 55-gallon drums of water from our pond.  When the June drought hit, we lost the use of our small pond. We began hauling water the second week of June from the lake a mile out in the woods. Again, we watered by hand. With a 6 acre field to water this approach is near impossible. We watched our crops struggle for survival and prayed for affordable wisdom. We bought a small 1-horsepowered pump that pumps the water from the tank on the truck into a LONG hose. With this we hand water the 350’ rows. This worked pretty well, but we were unable to keep up with everything! Again we haven’t had rain for over two weeks and our truck is running almost nonstop daily. Sooo, the next logical step was to invest once again…this time into drip irrigation. We now drive the truck 10 minutes into the woods, pump 275 gallons of water into the tank, and chug home. We hook the pump to “lay flat” collapsible irrigation pipe that feeds several rows of small black drip irrigation that lay alongside the long rows of tomatoes, corn, collards, Chinese cabbage, yellow squash, green onions, Swiss Chard, and many more fall crops. We are doing our best to provide you, our share holders with a bounty of God’s harvest. Irrigation keeps our crops alive, but to produce bountifully, we need rain at regular intervals. Please help us pray for rain!      

    Fall can’t be too far away. We’ve had some chilly nights lately. One night this week it got down to 58 degrees! That will sound silly in the dead of the winter, but after days near 100 degrees, it is cool!  The Black Walnut tree’s leaves are now yellow, and blow off when (and if) a storm approaches. Iron Weed (a beautiful purple wildflower) is blooming alongside Goldenrod along our country roads. Sumac is all ready bright red in some places on the mountain…and we’ll soon be turning the page on our calendar once again.

   Another sign of fall is the harvest of the winter squash. We grow personal sized Butternuts that are so cute!  These will probably be in your shares for many weeks to come. They’ll keep all winter to be used when you desired. So store them in a cool, dark location in your garage, in a crate in your coat closet, or maybe even under a bed in a shallow box you can easily pull out. Be creative and you’ll enjoy Butternut squash until the early spring crops of 2011 come in.

     One of our favorite recipes for winter squash is to bake, and whip it. I often serve squash this way for Sunday dinner during the winter. I can do all the work on Saturday, and then pop the casserole dish in the oven or microwave on Sunday.

Whipped Butternut Squash

2 ½ lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (see my alternative method)

3 c. water

¾ c. t. salt

2 T. butter

1 T. brown sugar

1/8 t. nutmeg

   In a saucepan over medium heat, bring squash, water and ½ t. salt, if desired, to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the squash is tender. Drain; transfer to a mixing bowl.  (I like to take an easier method of cooking the squash. I cut the squash in half lengthwise, lay it cut side down on a cookie sheet. I then place the cookie sheet in the oven with a rack pulled out slightly. I take a small pitcher of water and pour enough onto the cookie sheet to cover the bottom with about 1/4” of water. I then bake until a knife inserts easily into the outer shell, 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours depending on the size of the squash. I then can easily scoop out the seeds and membrane and discard. I use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the flesh of the squash into my mixing bowl. This same method can be used for baking pumpkin.) Add butter, brown sugar, and nutmeg and remaining salt if desired; whip until smooth. (If I am serving this immediately I treat it like I would mash potatoes by placing it into a deep serving bowl. But if I’m serving it at a later time, I put it into a casserole dish and cover. Place into the refrigerator. When ready to reheat, simply place into the oven or microwave to reheat.)

Variation: I have made this into a casserole by putting browned, seasoned ground pork or sausage into the whipped squash and placing it in a shallow baking dish. I’ve topped it two ways and once combined the two! Either top the casserole with buttered bread crumbs, or shredded cheese. Bake 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

  

   Winter squash takes some forethought, but is well worth the effort. I’ve even prepared several at one time and frozen Ziplocs with enough for one meal inside. That way you heat the oven once and make a mess of the kitchen one time. J

    Last weekend I had the privilege of making the Maryville CSA deliveries with Farmer Steve. I got to meet the shareholders there, and get to know two families that I had met here at the farm on our Shareholders day in June. One family has two little girls that have won our hearts. While visiting here on the farm they were eager to pull just about any root crop and eat them still in the field. Their eyes were shining when the wiggled their way through the buffet line when we had dinner. These little girls seem to be in love with life. When Farmer Steve handed their Daddy the plate of cinnamon rolls last weekend, their eyes got as big as the plate! They volunteered to hold it…picking out which one would be their breakfast once they reached home. Like adults tend to do, we chatted on and on. As little girls tend to do they were hopping on one foot with the plate in hand when Daddy rescued it. I hope they had a special breakfast. Here is a recipe for these little girls and their Mom to try….and everyone else of course!

Squash Pancake

2 eggs

1 c. mashed, dark yellow squash

1 ½ c. milk

2 T. vegetable or canola oil

1 t. vanilla

2 ½ c. biscuit mix

2 T. brown sugar

1 t. cinnamon

   Beat together eggs and squash. Add milk, oil and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and stir in. Fry on a hot, lightly oiled skillet.

 

    Here is one more recipe for the week, untried at the moment…but the first time they send me seconds for family use I’m making it. It just sounds too yummy to pass up one of these cool fall days…

Winter Squash Casserole   

(Come now, they could have come up with a better name than that! I’ll rename it! :)

2 c. mashed winter squash

4 slices of bacon

½ c. chopped onion

2/3 c. grated cheddar cheese

¼ t. salt

dash Tabasco or black pepper

¼ c. buttered bread crumbs

   Put squash into medium bowl. Fry bacon until crisp; crumble into squash. Leave about 1 T. drippings in skillet. Fry onion in drippings until transparent; add squash. Add cheese. Add salt and Tabasco sauce or pepper; mix well. Put in a buttered baking dish; top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through and crumbs begin to brown –about 25 minutes.

Here is a recipe from one of our shareholders for leeks.

Leek and Cabbage Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 2 lbs green cabbage (1/2 a medium head)
• 2 lbs leeks (two bunches)
• 1 yellow or sweet onion
• salt and fresh ground pepper

Place a large pot over medium heat and add the chicken stock. Cover while you prepare the vegetables for the soup.
Cut out the core of the cabbage and discard. Cut into 1/2″ pieces. Just place 1/2 the head, cut side down on the cutting board and cut length wise, then cross cut.  Don’t obsess over this, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
It’s vital to remove all the sandy grit from leeks. Cut away most of the dark green leaves, reserving the white & light green portion. Cut the leek in half and rinse under running water. Then chop the halves into 1/2″ pieces, discarding the root.
Slice the onion thinly.
Throw -or place carefully, your choice- the vegetables into the stock. Not all of the vegetables will be covered, with broth, this is fine. Add salt (start with 1 tsp, add more at the end only if you need to) and fresh ground pepper.
Stir, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes.
Grated cheddar adds a nice garnish, but is optional.

  

Well, my afternoon is winding down and it’s time to bundle green onions and help pack your shares. The men and children have been digging potatoes, picking a “peck of pickled peppers” (If only pickled peppers were that easy! I just couldn’t resist that saying; they are just ordinary, green Bell peppers) pulling lots of leeks and green onions, cutting lettuce and so much more today. Little ones are napping while I type in peace. (I trained Charity Rose (2 ½) more this morning how to sit still and be quiet in a chair by me as I typed…if I sound incoherent somewhere in this letter it’s because I had said, “Fold your hands and sit quietly.”  for the 15^th time. As I typed I also trained Faith Anne how to iron men’s dress shirts…she is improving!! Yeah!)  It shouldn’t take me most of the day to write you, but it always does…maybe one day I too will improve.

   God has been good to our family this week. We had a “roof up above us and a good place to sleep. Food on our table, and shoes on our feet. You gave us your love Lord, and a fine family…Thank You Lord for your blessings on me.”

God’s greatest blessing in our lives is God’s saving grace…so undeserved, but freely given. If Jesus Christ were to come back tonight, or if you were to die today, where would you spend eternity?

 “… if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9 (KJV)

“…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:31 (KJV)

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”

Romans 3:23,24

Abundant Blessings,

Val Colvin

The Farmer’s Wife

CSA Week 16

From the Farmer’s Wife

Week 16

Greetings from our family farm! We are rejuvenated after a weekend without a lot of running to the city. It was very beneficial to focus on the farm and family.

Our son and his lady friend were here also for a visit! We won’t see him for 3 years unless the Lord intervenes…from Iowa he will be stationed for the fourth time in Qatar, (a border country to Afghanistan and Iraq where the Air Force does all surveillance work) and then in one year he’ll be transferred to Japan. It was quite fun for us all to cook supper together! We grilled Italian sausage, made cold pack pickles, steamed a medley of squash and onions, and made a family favorite, German heavy noodles. I’ll include that recipe in today’s letter. My family has made this traditional dish for generations. This was the menu Matthew requested.  There were 16 family members seated around our lively farm table for supper. Matthew bought a lot of fireworks and put on quite a show with his “little” brother’s help. Adam took pictures and they’ll be included on the farm’s newsletter this week. Time has surely flown by, it doesn’t seem too long ago that Matthew and his sisters worked the gardens and helped to preserve the bounty with me.

German Heavy Noodles

1 cup unbleached white flour (white flour is okay also)

1 egg

¼ teaspoon salt

Water

½ cup butter, melted

1 large onion, cut in rings

  5 or so hours (I usually just make this part of my lunch preparation if I plan on having it for supper.) before needed: Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Break an egg in a separate dish and whip. Pour into the flour. Mix the eggs slightly into the flour mixture. Add enough water to make a wet dough, but not runny! This may take a little practice. Add flour if you get too much water in it.

Put a plate over the top of your bowl and let mixture rest, approximately 5 hours.

  When you begin meal preparations, fill large pot half full of water and bring to a boil.  Slice onions and sauté in melted butter until translucent.  When the water boils, slide dough from dish onto a wet cutting board. Let the dough slide towards the edge of the cutting board while you hold it over the boiling water. Using a large knife, cut the noodles into the boiling water. (Size? Cut the dough into strips about the size of a steak French fry.) Wet the knife with boiling water after each cut to enable the next noodle to slide off the knife. When all the noodles are cut into the water, give a gentle stir to separate. Let them boil just a couple of minutes. Drain. Gently mix the noodles into the generous amount of melted butter and onions. Serve immediately.

   So, life is returning to “normal” here on the farm. We’ve been planting up a storm…literally a few times, Praise God! Brussels Sprouts, Chinese cabbage, lots of lettuce, green onions, green beans, radish, beets, cucumbers and much more have been put in and there are still hundreds of plants awaiting their transplant. Though the shares are sparse now (we’re so sorry) they should grow fuller and fuller with each passing week.

   Guess what!??!!! I finished cutting back the 350’ row of Swiss Chard this week. It was a LONG hot job and the sense of accomplishment is large. Faith Anne was my right hand gal and she learned vital lessons with sticking to a hard task…at least I pray she did! We are delighted to be serving back in the farm kitchen baking granola and cinnamon rolls for the shares again this week.  I pray you’ll find these additions enjoyable.

   Several folks have asked for my cinnamon roll recipe. Unless you have a wheat mill and know how to bake bread, the dough is difficult. I don’t follow a given recipe; we’ve just developed it over the years. I give my daughter Hannah Grace the most credit for perfecting the recipe. She used to make them and sell them at the Dayton Farmer’s Market in 2002-03 before kitchens had to be “certified”.  So try the following idea for good “homemade” fresh cinnamon rolls.

Cinnamon Rolls

Frozen Bread dough (available at the grocery store in the frozen food section)

A mixture of cinnamon sugar similar to what you would put on toast

Butter, room temperature

Nuts, chopped (use any that you have on hand, our favorite is pecan, but we don’t always have these on hand)

A recipe of Cinnamon Roll Glaze

         Roll your bread dough out into a rectangle. Using a “spatula” knife, spread butter over the entire surface. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar. Sprinkle nuts liberally over the cinnamon sugar. Start rolling the dough on the longest side near you like a jelly roll. Pinch the dough together when you complete the roll. Close the ends also with a bit of pinching and forming with your hands.

      Slide a length of dental floss under one end of the roll. Cross your hands, letting the floss cut the roll. Place each roll into a greased pan. Flatten slightly. Leave room for the dough to rise, so don’t place them too close together. Let rise at room temperature until they’ve doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees until golden and set, about 25-30 minutes for a large pan. Let cool.

Cinnamon Roll Glaze

1 cup melted butter

1 heavy tablespoon vanilla

3 ½ cups powdered sugar

   With a hand mixer, whisk butter and vanilla together, add sugar until desired consistency (not thick, but runny). Thin with milk if needed. Pour over cooled cinnamon rolls. Let set until glaze hardens before packaging.

  

   We still plan to have our kitchen certified, but lack inspection. We have to do a few finishing touches to our kitchen that are cost prohibitive at this point in time. We hope that next spring we’ll be selling our freshly made breads, jams, freshly ground nut butters, fresh applesauce, and more at the markets! We now feel we can GIVE you these items as part of your share, but are not able to SELL them. Understand? That’s okay; we don’t understand all the red tape either. J

   We pray you and your families are enjoying the last days of summer. There are signs of fall all around us…purple flowers like Iron Weed are the first sign, then the Black Walnut’s leaves are turning yellow and falling. It won’t be long until cooler days are here!

   One sign of late summer for us on the mountain is the ripening of peppers. Since they are a warm weather plant that takes a lot of time to mature, we begin harvesting them in August. They are in your shares for the first time this week. There are many ways to use them. My family likes them raw best. I like to make a vegetable plate for each end of the table that contains tomatoes (not this year yet :O) cucumbers, peppers, and green onions. Some people like to serve a dip with this. I also use them chopped small in our soft tacos/taco salads, in chicken fajitas, in stir fries, and I personally like stuffed peppers. These are just a few ideas to get your mind spurred. For me the hardest part of making a meal is coming up with what I want to cook! I used to have 3 teenage daughters at home to help with this…what a blessing that was!

   Well, today has been be a busy day. Faith Anne and I made 155 cinnamon rolls for the large shares, packaged the lentils and small sprout mixture, washed the potatoes for table sales, bunched onions and leeks, and packaged the granola. I think she and I will sleep good tonight!

   May God bless each of you as you seek to live for Him each day. If you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, honor Him with each word that proceeds from your lips. If you don’t know Him as your personal Savior, turn to Him for salvation before it’s too late. Time is running out.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:9-10 (KJV)

Abundant Blessings,

Your Farmer’s Wife

Val Colvin

CSA Week 14

Greetings from Colvin Family Farm! Farmer Steve just informed me that we are now past the halfway point of our CSA 2010. Farmer Steve said, “We’re winding on down now…” we’re still working too hard right now to see the finish line, but we see a bit of the coming season in the Black Walnut leaves that shower down when a storm is brewing. We’re promoting our fall CSA for folks that want to see up close what it is like to be part of a CSA. You all are our best advertisement. I challenge you to encourage a friend to join!  We NEED your help.

   Many people write us asking about our family and farm so I decided to write this From the Farmer’s Wife as if I was writing a daily journal. Life is not perfect for any family, so please don’t think we are! We are constantly learning and growing.  (I need to apologize for the way this turned out before you even begin to read it. At times I was typing with my eyes closed at 11:30 at night…if it is kind of jumbled and disjointed at times. Please forgive me.)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 

5:30 A.M. Farmer Steve gets up and starts his day. He had been up earlier praying, but slipped back into bed for a little rest. This is the time of day he can study God’s Word, pray, and seek God’s wisdom for our day. He also prepares our family Bible time during this quiet time.

Meet your Farmer:  Steve wasn’t a full time farmer until June of 2009 when his job of 34 years as a time study analyst/efficiency engineer with the La-Z-Boy Cooperation was eliminated. He immediately joined Adam and Caleb farming and the vision for a family farm was finally a reality. Steve also loves woodworking, reading, playing the guitar, and writing poetry and prose (ha ha!)

6:00 A.M. The Farmer’s Wife awakes (that’s me J), slips ANOTHER load of laundry in the washer, tidies up and heads to the porch with a cup of peach tea Farmer Steve made me. J  The morning sky is a brilliant tribute to our Almighty God. This is the time of day I can meet alone with God…He is there waiting for me each morning! I am copying the book of Mark right now and learning to praise God through a study of the Psalms.

Meet your Farmer’s Wife: It was hard to describe Steve’s interests because his interests are whatever strengthens the family… it is the same with me. My hobby for about 27 years has been laundry, and I collect hand-me-downs now instead of heart shaped trinkets and rainbows….thankfully I like to read, as I preview almost all books the children read. (I’m glad I now have young men who can help me preview books; it is good to have their help and discernment.) When I have a free moment, I like to snuggle with my girls, sip tea, and read aloud to them. I love walks in the woods, making entries in my nature journal, playing the flute, and learning the ways of homemakers from past generations who, “used it up, wore it out, made it do, or did without.”

7:00 A.M. From the porch I hear the chiming of the clock signaling the household it’s time to get up. Older children usually have their personal Bible time before this and are ready to clean their rooms (at least theoretically) and get to their morning jobs. In theory jobs are to be completed before breakfast.

     Sometimes it takes more than the clock to signal the children that it’s time to get up…especially this summer when the workday may end late in the evening. So each morning when I come in from the porch I fill the hopper of my wheat mill with wheat to grind for our days baking of bread—I make five loaves while I make breakfast. (Some of you who were our first shareholders got a sampling of my fresh miniature loaves in your spring shares. I hope to one day sell my bread and other baked goods at the markets, but we must be inspected first. )

       For breakfast I cooked up 18 eggs, 1/3 pound ground sausage, 16 potatoes grated into hash browns, a loaf of our homemade bread for toast, several tomatoes sliced up, 1 gallon of milk, and coffee for the men. We have freshly made strawberry jam that was made yesterday to test on our toast. (We made over 100 jars of jam this week.) Our family likes a bit of sweet on their toast or biscuits each morning. We also had raw honey, peach jam, and apple butter today….all homemade goodness. Noah (11 for a few more weeks) is working in the kitchen before breakfast. He unloads the dishwasher and dishrack, sets the table for breakfast and finds a “nook and cranny” to do (all those miscellaneous jobs that need doing like wiping out the microwave or refrigerator, neatening shelves, etc.) He is a big blessing! He even helps me with the cooking if I run into a snag.

Meet Noah: Noah (11) isn’t naturally inclined to choose kitchen work…he’d rather be out in the woods or fishing (he’s a natural), or just riding his bike. He is allllll boy. He’ll be in the 5^th grade this year.

   

Meet Faith Anne:  Faith Anne (9) is my right hand gal most of the day. She is learning to cook, sew, garden, and so much more. She loves all the above plus reading and writing in her journal. She sings in the youth choir and adult choir with the rest of our family at church. She will be in the 4^th grade this fall.

8:00 A.M. The antique ship’s bell is rung for breakfast. Children and men come from the four corners of the house and farm. Today Farmer Steve and a few boys were planting green onions and weeding the Brussels sprouts when the breakfast bell rung. It’s really one of  the best time of day to get fieldwork done.

    Steve’s Grandpa used to come and watch their family eat….he didn’t eat with them, he just like to watch the food disappear. Steve’s Momma now likes to watch us eat…it’s amazing how fast food disappears when a hungry family sits around our 12’ long farm table. The strawberry jam was given great reviews…the jar is empty!

     After the food is gone we visit for a few minutes, reviewing our day. This usually melds right into our family Bible time. Little Charity Rose (2) gets my focused attention during this time as she is being taught to sit still with her hands folded. I keep one hand cupped in front of us and she puts her little folded hands in mine…what an awesome job God has given me as a mother!

Meet Charity Rose: Charity Rose is our “baby” at 29 months old. We had patiently waited for another girl and had her name picked out. Each time we had a boy we simply put the name Charity Rose in the back of our minds again for some possible future child. God has a sense of humor and sent Charity Rose into her father’s outstretched arms on Valentines Day of 2008. Our little rose petal is an adorable bundle of smiles, songs, and a singular affection for the color pink! She has to sleep on the pink squares on her homemade quilt. Dolly Rose her baby doll has a pink dress. She dons pink boots every time she goes outside that are 2 sizes too big for her…but that matters not because they are PINK!  Charity Rose is the sunshine of our lives….and all the boys vie for her attention.

9:30 A.M. We clean up the kitchen together as a family, so everyone attends to their assigned area. One person clears the table, wipes down the chairs and table, and neatens the hutch and corner cabinet. Another is on rinsing the dishes while another is on loading the dishwasher, still another is another sweeping, while another spot mops, etc. In about 20 minutes we have the place shining. The big guys check the web site and mail during this time also. We ALL ENJOY THE OCCASIONAL LETTERS FROM OUR SHAREHOLDERS.  A few of you are real good encouragers! Thank you

Meet Adam: Many of you already know Adam from your pickups at Market Square, but he is so important to our family and farm, I’ll introduce you personally. He graduated from our home school in 2008. He worked here on the farm and spent the summer rebuilding our tractor with his Dad, Uncle, and Caleb. He and Caleb began a large “garden” in the spring of 2009 thinking it would finance start-up costs for a mail order herb business. When Steve’s job was eliminated, Adam selflessly put all ideas for his own business aside and began making the farm more profitable with his Dad. Adam designed our web site on a dial up connection that often would lose its connection and lose everything he’d spent hours working on. He is interested in building a better site and possibly doing it for other farmers. He plays the guitar for the youth choir at church and also is the computer/sound system man at church. He is very busy there. He loves to read, work with plants, and one day hopes to get more training in natural healing. He will turn 20 in September. 

Meet Caleb: Caleb is our new 18-year-old. He is the diligent “silent” partner in the farm. He spent most of the winter doing most of the research for vegetable verities that we grew this year. He worked the orders out, sometimes several times. Caleb sings solos at church in the youth choir and holds Charity Rose for me while we sing in the adult choir. (I play the flute.) Both boys have dreams of owning their own farms, and then we’ll be known as Colvin Family FarmS. )

10:00 A.M. Everyone heads back outside. New beds were marked out with long lines of tomato twine. The rest of the onions were planted (that is 7,500 of them).  Adam sorted garlic in the little greenhouse. (He is on light duty as he has strained his back.) Faith Anne and I winnowed oats that were cut earlier in the week and tried to clean them…BY HAND. It is a painfully slow job, especially when Charity Rose (2) dumped the bowl of clean oat groats back into the tub to be cleaned! We cheered each other up with thoughts of how nice a place we had to work in. The breeze was blowing across the field where the men worked, and rustling the leaves of the trees overhead. We really had it made! Charity (2) and Levi (4) played nicely nearby. Caleb did a bit of bush hogging (rough mowing with the tractor) and parked it in the shade of the trees near us. It soon drew Levi and Charity….”Charity, you sit on the tiller, and I’ll drive us to downtown Knoxville.” Levi said. Off he “drove” with his little sister sitting on the back of the tractor. She piped up, “To market to market…” She doesn’t know the whole rhyme yet, but she loves the children’s rhyme, “To market, to market, to buy a fat pig. Home again, home again, jiggetty jig.”  We hear her saying this every Saturday morning when the men are gone “to market, to market”.

Meet Levi: Levi is 4 for a few more weeks. He is full of life, and on the brink of being a big boy. At the end of his day when his pockets are unloaded you’ll find special rocks, a bit of crayon left over from his coloring a special card for a family member, a length of rope, wire, nuts and bolts from the shop, and so much more. I may even find a frog mid-day!  Thankfully he still likes to cuddle and snuggle. He is our little man and we thank God for him.

 1 P.M.  My eyes are strained from picking out oat hulls from the small dish in front of me. Using our present method of cleaning, you dish up about 1/8 of a cup of unclean oat groats and pick out any left over chaff and hulls that still contain a berry and dump it into the finish bowl (the one that got dumped by the baby). By this time several of the boys had informed me of the time, and inspected my bowl. I got the hint. It was time to make lunch.

     The house was sure dark after the brightness of the day as I cut up two loaves of fresh bread, made chicken salad from chicken left over from Sunday’s dinner, cut up fruit and all that goes into a lunch for our family. We eat 3 meals a day together and lunchtime is our favorite…not so much for the food, but for the mid-day fellowship and read aloud time. We usually eat a bit late as this is the hottest time of the day. It’s best not to be working outside in the early afternoon. The greenhouse soars to well above 100 degrees on hot days. The boys all come in dripping wet and ready to eat, DRINK, and listen to our story. We are reading Anne of Green Gables right now and loving it. Steve and Adam (19) are our readers, and they act out the funny scenes. It’s hilarious! 

   After a few chapters, the afternoon is discussed and we break up to work again. I take the little ones (Faith Anne 9, Luke 7, Levi 4, Charity 2) for a nap/quiet time in our room. They camp on the floor with pallets and one gets to snuggle with me while I do paper work (write this, plan our school year, or review books for the children to read). As I type this, most of them are awake from their naps and  now have a book to read. The bigger boys are back in the kitchen rolling oats into oatmeal as a storm is approaching. I just gave the alert to the fact that there are clothes on the clothesline…We are all praying for rain again. As the boys walk through the field their feet are kicking up dust clouds. We are going to have to begin watering again soon if this storm passes by as many have in the past few days.

     Farmer Steve left to go to Dayton to pick up a pallet of Organic Sphagnum Peat Moss we found for 1/3 of the regular price. God is good to provide all we need. This will be mixed with mushroom compost and coarse grade vermiculite for the “perfect soil” in our raised beds. Steve has two assistants with him, Noah (11) whom you have met and Titus who is about to turn 14 next week.

Meet Titus: Titus is a unique individual whose bent is not towards farming long term. (I may be mistaken.) He like our oldest son in the military is a technical person with a bent towards computers. He doesn’t get much time on it though as when he does, something always goes amiss with the family computer. One day he’ll have his own computer and he’ll be able to fiddle to his heart’s content. Titus plays the dulcimer and sings in the choirs at church. He loves to read, take pictures, and find easier (mechanical) ways to get jobs done. He is a people person like many of my children, and folks find him quite outgoing. He’ll be in 8^th grade this year.

 

4:00 Well, quiet time is over and we’re off to do our afternoon chores! There are only 4 loads of laundry to fold today! Then supper must be fixed. I am making chicken squash fajitas for a quick supper before church. You’ll find the recipe to this quick, nutritious meal in week 11 of The Farmer’s Wife. We have found that by making our own Taco Seasoning Mix we save a lot of money. We like Mexican food! I usually make a quadruple batch of this and put it into a quart jar to use quickly. I use it on the Squash Fajitas, tacos, burritos, or any Mexican meal.

Taco Seasoning Mix

¼ c. instant minced onions (or onion powder)

3 T. chili powder

2 T. ground cumin

2 T. salt

1 T. crushed hot red pepper flakes

1 T. instant minced garlic (or garlic powder)

1 T. cornstarch

2 t. oregano, crushed well

   Combine and mix all ingredients. Pour into a jar or Tupperware container that is well sealed.

   To use: Brown 1 pound ground beef in a skillet; drain off excess fat: sprinkle mixture over meat (They say the mixture seasons six pounds of meat. I just sprinkle it on to taste.) Add ½ cup water and 1-T. catsup or tomato sauce. Simmer and stir uncovered, for 10 minutes or until water has evaporated.

‘

     Well, since yesterday was Wednesday, and we had prayer meeting at church, I’m going to meld Thursday evening into this journal. We got a little rain last night… or it might have been heavy dew. BUT this morning we had a beautiful rainbow in the west (very unusual) and a very light shower. It was enough to encourage us all, but we still will be hauling water tonight and watering. The chicken house has been moved to a new grassy spot, onions have been weeded, and 5 large bins of tomatoes brought home to make compost. There are a lot of little jobs on a farm that come together to make your share satisfying each week. So, we live a more simple life than most, taking delight in the important little things.  

July29, 2010 

3:00 P.M. Farmer Steve and Adam head to the Crossville virtual market.  We really like the way this market works. Folks buy online between Sunday night and Tuesday evening. We are notified as to what has sold. On Thursday morning we pick only what has been ordered for delivery Thursday afternoon. We simply drop the vegetables off, receive a check, and leave. This gives us time for errands in the city. Farmer Steve often takes a child or two or even me J to spend a special evening with him. Our most pleasurable times are when we take a picnic and head to Cumberland State Park, hike around the lake and eat while sitting on a rock overlooking the stillness of the lake.  Today Adam is going as Steve’s partner, as he has an appointment with our chiropractor to see if he is able to help him. Please pray he will soon be strong again!

3:45 P.M. IT’S RAINING!!!!! The boys are out at the lake pumping water into our 250-gallon tank. The Lord can do more in 15 minutes of a steady rain than we can do in several hours by hand. Praise His name!

3:50 P.M. The sun is back out, but the field is glistening. “Every good and perfect gift (of any size) is from above.”

4:00 P.M. The dishwasher (I never had one until my mother-in –law bought this one for us and the boys “rise up and call her blessed”  [Proverbs 31] often) is filled with jars that are now sterilized for canning. We have friends that own Wooden’s Apple Barn here on the mountain that called this morning.  They are graciously giving us their culls for making compost and animal feed this year. J What other folks think is trash, we LOVE. We have gotten apples and tomatoes from them in the past and it sure has been a blessing!. Since we started to sell, I never have enough tomatoes to can. We appreciate what the Lord sends our way, even if it is not organically grown. I just make sure to wash them well, and thank the Lord for His generous OPEN hand. We have some of these tomatoes for the shareholders to get this week IF you want them. If you’d like to can tomatoes, and don’t mind the fact they are grown “traditionally”, then talk to the boys at the market. It may be possible to get you what you need. (Tomatoes have been our weak crop this year as we have had a terrible time getting our seedlings to grow in what the industry calls organic starting media. It is TERRIBLE. We finally bit the bullet and bought soil from our seed source in Maine. The shipping was horrendous, but the seedlings are THRIVING in it!. If the Lord holds off on the first frost, we’ll all enjoy some good Certified Naturally grown tomatoes in the fall. But better yet, we know what will work next year! ) All that to say we’re going to sort and wash tomatoes tonight for canning on Saturday. We usually can several hundred quarts of tomatoes, keeping one year ahead in case of drought or crop failure. 

     Our children love to can! It is amazing how much they can get done in a short period of time! On Monday we topped 16 flats (that’s 128 qts) of strawberries in less than an hour! I was challenged to keep up with them as I crushed them for making jam. They delighted in refilling my huge bowl just as I “thought” I was getting ahead of them. Well, we’ll have fun tonight. More latter…

Meet Isaac- Isaac is 16 and a Jr. in high school this year. He is growing up by leaps and bounds! Isaac plays the mandolin in church with the preacher’s son who plays banjo and guitar. He would like to build one, so he can have one of his own one day. He has the plans enlarged and has tried cutting one out! He is also interested in making twig furniture and has made several planter baskets and chairs. He is a whiz (at least compared to me) on the computer and sells seeds online. He, like his brothers, enjoys G. A. Henty’s historical fiction novels and teasing me. (I am loved!) He is a SUPER help on the farm and will one day make a great marketer.

4:30 P.M. Faith Anne (9), Luke (7), and Levi (4) are my helpers around the bins of tomatoes. We’re sorting through the “good, the bad, and the ugly”. Since most of the tomatoes are not red ripe yet, we’re sorting 3 bushels to wash and can on Saturday when the men are gone “to market, to market, to buy a fat pig” as Charity would say.

     I rallied the troops with an encouraging speech to how THEY were my biggest help today. They put the boxes of tomatoes on a dolly and wheeled them up the hill to the packing shed. I put bus tubs of water out for each to wash their box of tomatoes in. We are all a bit wet now as the hose is spraying widely…since it’s hot, we don’t mind too much.

   While the little ones wash tomatoes, I picked up the packing shed. There are so many “tools” needed for farming…from boxes, to string, to sprayers that it is amazing how quickly our packing shed gets disorganized. After setting things straight I sweep out the cooler. Our refrigerator has gone out, so there are tubs of cheese, milk and condiments

crowding it.  It will be a challenge to work in there on Friday with all the vegetables that are also accumulating in there each day.  When I emerge the boys (Caleb, Isaac, Titus, and Noah) have come in from the field. Half are digging potatoes, and the others are pulling carrots. Caleb sets to giving them a quick rinse while I arrange the tables for weighing and packing. With Faith Anne (9) and Luke’s (7) help, we got 30 one pound packages of carrots bagged up.

   The walk-in cooler is filled with squash, onions, garlic, potatoes, kale, and many more vegetables that are picked on and off during the week. While looking through my recipes I was reminded of a new recipe that I made last year. I’ll share it with you now. One recommendation, do not skip the blanching of the squash, it tastes much better when blanched.

Summer Squash Salad

2 small zucchini

2 small yellow squash

2 tomatoes

1 small onion, chipped

½ c. olive or canola oil

2 T. vinegar or lemon juice

¼ t. salt

¼ t. basil

1/8 t. pepper

   Cut squash into thin slices. Blanch one minute (if desired). Cool quickly and pat dry. Slice or chop tomatoes. Mix squash, tomatoes, and onions in a bowl. Whisk remaining ingredients. Pour over salad just before serving.

Variation: Combine vegetables and serve with a favorite dressing.

Meet Luke: Luke is 7 and in the second grade. He is very inquisitive. He takes most of his toys apart to find out how they work. This can be frustrating, but I know one day he’ll be a genius mechanically if we don’t despair. He is a nimble young man and is actively teaching Levi (4) how to climb trees…one never really knows with Luke.

 

      By this time we are all about to give out. I’ve decided that everyone needs a special evening. So, I announced that we will watch a Walton’s movie and have unhealthy chicken nuggets and tator tots…and fresh corn on the cob. I know…but occasionally we digress nutritionally. 

     When we bought our farm in the fall of 1999, there were several OLD apple trees hiding in the thicket above the house. They made their presence known in the spring of 2000 when they burst into bloom. We’ve been working through the years to remove the brambles from that area and regain the trees. We do not spray them, so there are bug spots on them…but they have a good OLD FASHIONED wholesomeness to them. These trees are not hybrids that produce perfectly shaped “cookie cutter apples”, but they produce small, misshapen apples that are like our forefathers ate. They make great applesauce, pies, or “fried” pies. So enjoy!  One way the men of my family like apples is in a crisp. Apple crisp is very easy and quick to make. Here is my recipe:

Apple Crisp

4 cups sliced pared tart apples (about 4 medium)

2/3 to ¾ cup brown sugar, packed (I’ve also used raw honey)

½ cup all purpose flour (I use my whole wheat)

½ cup oatmeal (try using the oats in your share!)

¾ t. nutmeg

1/3 c. butter, softened

   Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease square pan, 8 X 8 X 2”. Place apple slices in pan. Mix remaining ingredients thoroughly. Sprinkle over apples.

   Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm and if desired, with light cream or ice cream.

I usually don’t make applesauce from these apples, as I don’t like adding any sweetener to my applesauce. (My favorite kind for sauce is Yellow Delicious, as you don’t have to add any sweetener to it!)  My children use these trees for snacks, and I make an occasional dessert from them. But if you’d like to try though, here is a recipe that is healthy.

Applesauce

   Wash apples. Cut into quarters, removing the cores. Put your apples into a saucepan and add a small amount of water to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until the apples are very tender. Stir often and add water if it evaporates. Mash with a potato masher, or put through a food mill to remove peels.

   Stir in a small amount of raw honey or pure maple syrup, sweetening to taste. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

  Well, it’s now Friday evening and most of the field work and packing is done. The guys are filling the share boxes and the little ones are counting the minutes to “THE DEADLINE”. Farmer Steve has decided that IF we get our work done by 5:30, we’ll all go for a dip in the lake, which is about a mile back in the woods. Excitement reigns as little ones run in to put on their swimming overalls (cut off at the calf) and swim dresses. How fun! I’ve got to get a picnic packed quickly and finish this up.

Meet the Oldest: At our oldest daughter’s recent wedding, when the family picture was being taken we realized we do not have only two “categories” of children, but three! We call a child a “little” until they reach a maturity that can be relied on (usually around 12). Then there are the “olders” that have more responsibility coupled with more freedoms. Then there are the “oldest”….these are the children that have left home for careers, school and the military.

Matthew is 26 and is a Tech Sergeant in the Air Force. He is leaving the states the first week of October for his 5^th tour of duty in the middle east. He will be stationed in Qatar where the Air Force does their surveillance of the middle east. His job is Aerospace control and warning systems. He owns several Internet businesses and serves the Lord through the Navigators ministry.

Missy is 24 and is now happily married to Fabrice. She works and lives near Chattanooga, TN.

Hannah Grace is 23 and lives in Knoxville where she is a chef and senior at UTK , majoring in English Education.

Hope is married to a missionary/evangelist Bryan Biggs. She is growing her first garden alone this year and is finding it can be enjoyable on a small scale.

    I know there aren’t many new recipes in this letter, but I hope you got to know us a little better. We are looking forward to our fall shareholders day on the farm when we can meet the rest of you that didn’t come out in the spring. We try hard to keep in touch with you and give you a sense of belonging to our farm. You are very important to us! I would LOVE to hear from you also. Please drop us a note on the web site or at stevecolvin99@gmail.com.

    

Abundant Blessings,

Your Farmer’s Wife,

Val Colvin

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. ⁸ Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

James 5:7-8 (KJV) ⁷