That which we owe our very existence to has somehow, over the last eighty years, become taken for granted. Soil is the starting point and life force for all creation. It has been paved over with thoughtless development, smothered with chemicals, and lost to run-off. In the same way, our food has become devalued. The constant emphasis has been to find new ways to produce more food quicker and cheaper, and consequently, food has become more and more unhealthy. The land on which our food grows has become worth more per acre for development than for the production of food. This dynamic has further spurred the loss of farmland, at the rate of over 40 acres per day! So, with each passing year, more and more food must be produced on fewer and fewer acres. This increases the need for the use of more chemicals. Fertilizers to produce more per acre. Herbicides to drown out the effects of weed encroachment. Pesticides to combat the pest pressure. Fungicides to kill the disease in the produce that has taken hold due to the unhealthy soil. This snowball effect is a vicious cycle that needs to stop. If you are reading this, it means that you have found us and that you care! A good sign! Purchasing your food direct from the organic farmer helps small farms survive and hold into their land to continue producing food for our future generations.
Available from the farm this week:
Cabbage, Carrots, Onions, Microgreens, Beets, Rutabaga, Leeks, Butternut Squash, Veggies Frozen at their Summer Peak: Chard, Dandelion Greens, Escarole
Eggs, Beef, Chicken
Butternut Squash ala EMCF
Lay peeled, cored, sliced butternut squash out in a single layer on a roasting pan. Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast at 400 degrees on a center rack in your oven until golden brown around the edges. Enjoy!
Pot Roast with Winter Veggies
1 EMCF chuck or shoulder roast, defrosted
2 or 3 leeks, washed and cut in half then into 1 inch pieces
Several carrots, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large or a few small onions, cut into wedges
Sea salt and pepper
Turmeric, rosemary, thyme
2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil or EMCF pork lard
Heat lard or oil in cast iron Dutch oven over medium high heat until melted. Place roast in pan and brown on all sides. Sprinkle roast with salt, pepper and a generous amount of the dried spices. Add 1 to 2 cups water to pan and bring to boil. Turn heat to low and cover pan. Cook on low at least 3 hours and up to 5 hours, adding leeks, onions and carrots during last hour. Check often to see if more water is needed. Serve over rice.
“A nation that destroys it’s soil destroys itself.”
~Franklin D. Roosevelt