It’s a lovely blue bird day out there—a nice break from the windy, frosty days and nights of late. The cows and horses are soaking up the sun’s heat in their thick coats, warming their blood and saving what they can for the cold nights to come. We’ve been doing what construction we can outside, fiddling with nails and screws in between numb fingers. Stomping our feet to keep the blood flowing. And looking for excuses to work inside.

Despite the cold James has managed progress on the entrance to the csa room. Starting tonight we have a fully-functioning walkway to the side door. We’ve been looking forward to closing up the big sliders on the front and side, they rattle in the wind, letting big gusts of cold air come flying through the space.

Strawberry Jelly

We have strawberry jelly in the all-you-can-eat veggie share tonight thanks to the Kohler gang. They took home trays of strawberries last summer when we were overflowing in the sweet, juicy fruit and canned up enough for the veggie members. It will be a delicious reminder of the warm days of early summer!

Cooking with Beans

At the farm we’ve been eating lots of beans the last few weeks, enjoying the delicious, protein-rich legumes in soups, chilies and burritos. Fresh beans are nothing like store-bought, which seem to cook forever and never lose their bite. These turn into incredibly plump and tasty beans—they hold their shape well but also can be pureed into a nice creamy soup or for refrying.

Place your beans in a pot and cover with water. Soak them for 8 hours (you can get away with less time in a crunch) making sure they stay covered the entire soaking time. Drain the beans, put back in the pot and cover with water again. Bring to a boil and then slowly simmer until soft (around 45 minutes). I saute onions, garlic and seasoning in a separate pan and then add this to the cooked beans. It’s important to hold off on salting beans until they are fully cooked.

In the Farm Shares

In the veggie share: Strawberry jelly, winter squash, shallots, leeks, white, blue and fingerling potatoes, radish, kohlrabi, turnips, celeriac, garlic, red and white onions, green, red and savoy cabbage, carrots, beets, vermont cranberry beans, wheat berries, whole wheat regular and pastry flour. Coming soon: Ruby Red Kraut.

In the meat share: Pork, beef, broilers and stew birds in the freezer. Stock and organ meats from beef and chickens, lard and leaf lard.

Sara Kurak
Full and By Farm

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