Shaved Summer Squash Salad with Goat Cheese and Mint

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp dijon mustard

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

sea salt to taste

freshly ground pepper

1 lb yellow squash and zucchini sliced lengthwise into ribbons

1/4 red onion thinly sliced

6-7 mint leaves to taste roughly torn

1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Whisk lemon juice and mustard together. Slowly pour in olive oil and whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Add squash ribbons and onion and toss. Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Add mint leaves and toss. Serve topped with crumbled goat cheese. (Adapted from abeautifulplate.com)

Grilled Summer Squash with Mint Vinaigrette and Pine Nuts

2 to 3 lbs zucchini and yellow squash, sliced lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

olive oil

2 – 4 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp freshly grated lemon zest

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint

2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts

Prepare a hot grill. Season squash with salt and pepper. Oil the grill then grill the squash, turning once, until tender and grill marks appear on both sides, about 15 min. Transfer to a medium bowl. Meanwhile, smash the garlic with 1/4 tsp salt to make a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and add lemon juice, zest, 1/4 tsp salt and whisk in the oil until blended. Stir in mint. Toss squash with enough of the vinaigrette to coat well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange on a serving platter and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Swiss Chard with Beets, Goat Cheese and Raisins

1 bunch beets

1 bunch Swiss chard

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large red onion, sliced

5 garlic cloves, chopped

2 14 1/2 oz cans diced tomates

1 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup lime juice

5 oz goat cheese

2 Tbsp pine nuts

Preheat oven to 400. Wrap beets in foil. Roast until tender. Cool. Peel then cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Set aside. Cook swiss chard in heavy large pot with olive oil until tender. Add onions and garlic and saute another 3 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and raisins. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 min. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large platter. Sprinkle with beets, goat cheese, pine nuts and serve warm or at room temperature. (adapted from epicurious.com)

Next week……tomatoes

The post Week of August 8, 2021 appeared first on Eight Mile Creek Farm.

Although the summer season has ended and the weather is turning colder, things are still hopping here on the farm. We are switching gears and focusing on nurturing the cold weather crops which we had started in the greenhouse back in July and transplanted into the high tunnel in August and September: kales, chard, arugula, napa cabbage, salad greens, and spinach to name a few. The fields are still full of many varieties of greens under row covers. We have already planted our cover crops in between these rows to provide a protective cover for the life-giving soil. This cover will also provide nourishment to the soil when turned in come spring. Many of the root veggies have been harvested and placed into storage for the winter months, along with the cabbages, onions, winter squash and others. Irrigation equipment is put away and we are preparing equipment for winter feeding and watering of the animals. Our hay equipment has just been cleaned and put away in the barns or covered for the winter. The greenhouse is being worked on to make sure it is tight and the heat is working properly. This week we will be butchering our turkeys, growing since early May, they will provide many families with healthy holiday meals. Our younger cows and just weaned calves are warm and dry in the barn while the mother cows are still grazing out in the fields. We have lots of amazing, healthy food to provide to our customers this winter!

Produce available from EMCF this week: Celery, Radishes, Chicory, Red Leaf Lettuce, Kale, Bok Choy, and Parsley

Chicory

Chicory is a very versatile green that can simply be used like lettuce for a salad. It just needs a delicate vinaigrette. You can add a citrus fruit, chopped and you have a delicious salad. alternatively, you can saute’ it lightly with olive oil and garlic.

Celery Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil or butter

1 onion, diced

4 large garlic cloves, rough chopped

1 bunch celery, sliced, reserving some leaves for garnish

2 cups potatoes, sliced

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup water

1 bay leaf

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/8-1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 cup parsley

1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat the oil or butter in a big pot over medium heat. Add the onion and stir 5 minutes. Add the garlic, celery, potatoes, broth, water, bay leaf, salt, cayenne and pepper to your taste. Cover, bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer about 10 minutes, until veggies are tender. Turn heat off, remove bay leaf and add the fresh parsley. Use an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender and blend in batches. Transfer back to pot and heat on low. Add cream and heat through. Sprinkle celery leaves on top of each bowl of soup before serving.

adapted from feastingathome.com

Radish Herb Butter

1 bunch radishes, greens reserved for a salad or to saute’ with another veggie

1/2 bunch parsley or cilantro

butter, brought to room temperature

sea salt

Mince radishes. Mince herbs. Mix herbs, radishes and enough butter to make a spread. Season with sea salt. Spread on your favorite crusty bread and enjoy!

Chey’s Corner

Hi! My name is Cheyenne. Most people call me Chey (pronounced “SHY”) I am anything but shy, though! I am very friendly and love all people and animals. I am not afraid of anything, not even our 2,000 lb bull. I am an Australian Shepherd and live and work here on EMCF. There are two of us here. Jenny is my “big sis” and she is teaching me the ropes. I run all day following Pam and “help” her by chasing the cows and horses, pigs and chickens. I get in trouble for doing this but can’t seem to help myself! Jenny only moves them when Pam asks her to, like when the cows need to be moved to a different field or when Pam is trying to get their water trough filled and she needs them to move away from it. Some day I want to be more like Jenny.

Bravery is the audacity to be unhindered by failures, and to walk with freedom, strength and hope, in the face of things unknown.

Morgan Harper Nichols

The post November 15,2020 appeared first on Eight Mile Creek Farm.

Through the Eyes of a Farmer

With so much life on a farm there is, unfortunately, death. There is, in fact, death just about every day, and so it is something that I have become very intimate with in terms of acceptance, but have not become immune to its impact. It could be the death of a tray of romaine lettuce that never made it out of the greenhouse into the field to be planted because the exhaust fan in the greenhouse broke and it got too hot; or it didn’t get enough water that day. It could be the chicken that got captured at dusk by a fischer or mink because she was enjoying the cooler evening, pecking around and got left out of the hen house that night. Or, it could be something like what happened in this past week, where I lost two of my beloved horses: My beautiful cremello mare that, despite our efforts through the wee hours of the night, succumbed to colic. And my Wildfire. My horse who was with me through the worst of times, who helped teach my son to ride, who I had to make the decision to let the vet euthanize this Tuesday because he had become so neurologic that he couldn’t feel his back legs. His mind was all there, but his body had failed him. As a fight or flight animal, he became aware over the weekend, that he had no flight. I then knew it was time, as I could see the fear in his eyes. It was a delivery day. Time on a farm waits for no one. Not illness. Not fatigue. Not weddings, birthdays or certainly not grief. The cows still need to be milked twice a day. The pigs, chickens, cows still need to eat and drink. The plants watered, weeded and harvested. A farmer takes this all to heart; all of this life. And the death.

Basil Vinaigrette

1 bunch basil leaves

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup olive oil

4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Wizz all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Enjoy over lettuce.

Zucchini and Summer Squash with Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has many health benefits. Paired with the nutrient density of Zucchini and Summer squash, you have a power packed side dish. Stir in one of the ancient grains such as amaranth or quinoa and you have a main dish! Toss in some sausage or crumbled ground beef to add heartiness!

Heat coconut oil in large saucepan until melted. Add minced garlic, onions, sea salt and pepper to taste. Add sliced squash. Stir to coat. Cook over medium heat until desired texture is reached. Adjust seasonings.

Next week……beets, scarlet kale, arugula

The post Week of July 12, 2020 appeared first on Eight Mile Creek Farm.