Welcome to 2017

The garden does not lose its ecstasy in winter. 

It's quiet, but the roots are down there, riotous. 

-Rumi 

New Year's Dawning

 

I hope this post finds you all well and full of grace and laughter from a full holiday season of friends, family and traditions.
My family and I spent a lot of time hanging with old and new friends, eating good food, baking cookies, trekking to Western Mass to visit our families for a massive brunch on Christmas day.  We also did a some hiking at Rocky Woods and nearby Nobscot Reservation (a great place to hike, if you haven't been!) and made trips to museums, the aquarium and spent a day at Parts & Crafts in Somerville. We are happy to be getting back to scheduled days of schooling and field trips, CSA planning (spreadsheets and more spreadsheets), ordering supplies, hiring apprentices and more.
I've been buying produce at the grocery store for the first time in more than 9 months and I've got to say, I think it gets harder every year. I tend to be a pretty seasonal eater. I don't really expect to be able to eat everything year round because it just doesn't taste that good when it has been flown or trucked or shipped from thousands of miles away. I tend to stick to East Coast produce for the most part (exceptions being avocados, bananas and clementines) because I really think it tastes better. I don't always buy organic (don't be shocked) but I do stick to the "Clean 15"  and only buy organic for the "Dirty dozen". PBS did a great article on this back in 2010 check it out here at PBS.org.
I do LOVE to buy local whenever possible, though I've been having a little trouble with that outside of driving all the way to Wegman's for Red Fire Farm's carrots. I was super disappointed to enter a local grocery and find an entire display marked with Local Farm signs and even farm names and find all the produce under them grown in Mexico (stickers don't lie). So....
I'm really looking forward to checking out the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market that is opening on Saturday this week from 10-2p. I have no doubt that I will find piles of gorgeous root vegetables, cabbages, winter squashes, and hardy greens such as kale and chard and spinach grown in area hoophouses. From the list of almost a 100 vendors it also looks like I can buy fish (fresh and smoked), pickles, apples and other winter fruit, honey, maple syrup, wine/mead, crafts, jams, local cheeses, bread, pastries and so much more. This market is inside the Russell Garden Center greenhouses, so on a sunny day, it will be toasty warm and filled with the smell of earth, bread fresh from the ovens, and greens. So come out and support a bunch of local businesses. I hope to see you there!

Meat CSA

Our second Meat CSA pickup is this afternoon! We will also have maple syrup for sale along with tomato puree and dressings. Connor and Tim will also have EGGS for sale!!!! Our girls went to live with his flock a month ago because we just don't have a good winter house for them. His eggs are $7/doz. Come on by from 2-6p. He is leaving eggs here, so come by later in the week and I will have them either in the house (remember that I live in the house at the bottom of the circle not in the house closest to the road!) or in a cooler next to the front door in case the weather is foul.

Events Coming UP! 

Book Bugs on the Farm: Friday January 6th from 10:30-1130am- Kira will be reading Over and Under the Snow, a story about winter hibernation. We'll learn new words, explore the farm, and wrap up by creating a snow-globe for kids to take home. Small snacks will be provided. We have this event inside the farm cottage, which is snug and cozy warm. This event is intended for children ages 3-5.
Registration is strongly encouraged to help make sure we have snacks and supplies for all of our friends! Cost: $9/member child; $15/nonmember child, Adults are free


 Sledding Events: Farm Sledding After Dark is this Friday, January 6th from 530-7p
Swing by the farm after work or school and join us for some evening sledding! We'll light the hill, have warm snacks and drinks, and even offer a new craft each month! BYO sled and wear lots of layers. We may not have a lot of snow, or rather, we have none right now, so stay tuned to Friends of Chestnut Hill Facebook Page for an update on whether or not this event is happening. Last year, we didn't have snow for our first sledding event and we still had a ton of fun making LED lanterns from jam jars and drinking copious amounts of mulled cider, hot chocolate a la DuBois, and making smores over the campfire. It will cost $5/members to cover materials costs if we have the event.


Recipes
I got a new cookbook while I was attending the Bionutrient Association's Soil and Nutrition Conference in December. It is Farm Fresh and Fast by the Fairshare CSA Coalition out of Madison, WI and I love it already because it divvies recipes into vegetable sections (easier for us CSA farmers to highlight specific veggies which I usually have to do my searching the index) and the recipes are all pretty fast (perfect for us CSA farmer MOM's who are usually so exhausted during the farm season to boil water before falling asleep at the stove).
Here's a taste...
Sweet Curry Winter Squash Fritters
The below is meant to be an appetizer for 4-6 people, but you could easily make it a main course/tapas by doubling or tripling the recipe and serving it with lots of fun sides such as pickled beets, carrots, etc. rice and raita. 
Ingredients:
1 small winter squash, roasted about 1 cup (when I make winter squash, I usually roast a lot at once and then scoop all the flesh into freezer bags for use in soups and recipes later, so I almost always have this on hand).
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1 med. yellow onion, minced
6 Tbsp all purpose flour
5 Tbsp cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp paprika (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp cayenne (totally optional)
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying
Directions:
 
In a bowl, mix egg into cool squash and add the onion. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients and seasonings. Mix the dry ingredients into the squash mixture until well combined.
Cover teh bottom of a wok or cast iron skillet with about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil and heat over medium heat (if you have a fryalator then use it instead). When the oil is hot, drop heaping teaspoons of batter into the oil and fry for 1-2 minutes, then flip once they turn golden brown on the edges and cook 1 minute more. Cool on a rack with paper towels underneath to drain.
Serve with chutneys (Curry Apple Chutney would be an awesome combo), raita, yoghurt and pickles.

Tippling Rock- New Years Day

Rock Woods- December 28th