We've had some adventures this week, besides the incredible 7th grade horde, a gate left open in one of the pastures by an unassuming visitor led to mass exodus by the cattle herd. It was one of the very few times that I have been completely alone on the farm, except for little Gwyn, and it was quite a shock to see them meander across the top of the hill. 45 minutes later, with a lot of cajoling and quite a few alfalfa cubes, I managed to convince them to follow me back to their pasture. Then there was a little bit of a crunch while I tried to distract them enough with my empty bucket so that I could sneak away and find the gate I knew had to be open on the far side. It worked, they are both curious and greedy creatures by nature and I was able to get the gate shut behind them and bolt to the other end of the field without them following (because once they start following you, they want to keep doing it) and get the original culprit gate closed and latched. We have now installed padlocks on the gates to keep visitors from unwittingly leaving a gate unlatched. If you find a padlock on a gate, it means that livestock are grazing inside or it is bird nesting season, and that the seasonal trails through that pasture are temporarily closed. We also put signs on the gates to explain why the gates are padlocked.The goat flock is back from its summer sojourn at Weir River and we are in the breeding phase of the year. Bruin and Diego have been brought down from the field and the flock is currently in three groups. We have a non-breeding group of young ladies being kept under control by Penny, our oldest doe, who needs a break from being a baby momma this year. The two other groups are a small group of 18 month old doelings that are daughters of Bruin whom are with Diego, a 9 month old Boer and everyone else is with Bruin, the herd-sire with the magnificent set of horns, glossy (though stinky) beard and large girth.
If you haven't had a chance to see the new kiosk at the trailhead, check it out! The new signs have been installed around the farm, in the woods and even across the street. Only one trail isn't actually fully done- the Bobolink Trail is still in the works (we need to put in another gate and do some tree work) so just keep walking all the way around and back towards the farm road and the barn. Its still a pretty walk.
New sign-ups are OPEN for Summer 2019!!!
We have a whole new system that we are using for sign-ups and we hope that it will translate into a smoother experience for everyone. It features a new payment plan option of up to 5 payments and it should make communication easier. Feedback is much appreciated (especially if there are bugs we need to work on). It is still somewhat a work in progress. You will still need to keep your Trustees membership current in order to signup so renew here if you need to! If your membership is current then jump over to Sign-UP! The sooner you sign-up, the easier it is for us to plan our next season and buy all the stuff we need to. Thanks so much for supporting local businesses, local farms and local food!!!!!Winter Shares Still Available
There are still a few spots left in our on-farm Winter Share-SIGN UP HERE- we will also be soon sending out an email for you to check out the offerings in our new online store, which will be added to our Winter Share box! BUY LOCAL for your holiday season.What's in Your Share this week:
Purple Daikon radishSalad Turnip
Spicy Salad
Napa
Butternut/Buttercup Squash
Yellow Potatoes
Rainbow Carrots
Broccoli Raab
Kale
Pick Your Own:
The hard freeze this past weekend has done in the beans and most of the herbs and flowers. We still have parsley, sage and oregano out there for picking.
So I hope you had a chance to try the Escarole and Sausage Recipe from last week. I promise you, it is amazing- I actually made it twice (once with Chorizo and the second time with Italian).
This week, I'm advocating for eating those beautiful butternut squashes. These are a classic- they taste great no matter what they are made into- roasted, steamed, soup, pie, pudding, etc. I like them best roasted with a little butter and a bit of maple syrup, but this week's recipe is totally on my list of "NEED TO MAKE ASAP" from A Chef's Kitchen
BUTTERNUT SQUASH LEEK AND GOAT CHEESE GALETTE
Ingredients
2 cups cubed butternut squash (1/2-inch cubes)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for brushing on crust
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 large or 3 medium leeks, white and light green part only, halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 package refrigerated pie crust (or 1 roll) (um, i highly recommend making your own- so much better!)
1 (4-ounce) log goat cheese
Sliced almonds for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss butternut squash cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and black pepper and place on a baking sheet. Roast until easily pierced with a knife, approximately 25 minutes. Shake the pan or stir the cubes halfway through. Let cool and drain o any excess oil. Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a skillet or saute pan. Add the leeks, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often until very soft, approximately 20 minutes. (Be careful they don't brown.) Stir in the garlic and thyme. Let cool and drain o any excess fat. Sprinkle cornmeal on a non-stick baking sheet. Unroll the pie crust and place on prepared baking sheet. Spread leek mixture over the crust to about 2 inches from the edge. Dab leek mixture with goat cheese. Top with butternut squash. Pull the edges of the crust over the mixture to create a freeform tart leaving the center open. Brush off any excess cornmeal. Brush pie crust with olive oil. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden. Garnish with sliced almonds. Serve hot or warm.
