With a couple of nice, frosty nights under our belts we’ve officially changed eating seasons. This is the time of year where the kale, carrots and leeks sweeten up. Simmering, hearty soups take the place of light salads and pans of roasting vegetables warm up the kitchen.
Our favorite traveling cider-pressing lady will be at pick-up tonight. Jori will be pressing apples during the share, bring a jar with you if you would like to take some of the good stuff home.
We have family in town this week, helping with another push on the bank barn—framing out walls for the root cellars and closing in the basement level against the coming cold—as well as keeping us well fed. We’ll show off the slow, but steady progress on Sunday at the harvest meal and pumpkin carving.
Chickens and Ashes
Red sexlink chicken making dust in compost pile. (Photo credit: Steven-L-Johnson)
As we turn to wood stove season, please keep the chickens in mind. They love to bathe in a dusty pile of wood ashes. Ashes keep their feathers clean and bodies healthy. While you are starting up the fire, also know that all of our pork and beef is wrapped in butcher paper with a thin layer of lard to keep the paper from sticking, and keep the meat from drying out in your freezer. Rather than using plastic which will quickly fill up your trash bin, you can pop this wrapping directly into your firebox.
This Week’s Farm Shares
In the veggie share: Leeks, winter squash, potatoes, pac choi, chinese cabbage, broccoli, kale, chard, carrots, beets, celeriac, cabbage, garlic, onions and shallots. Celery, parsley and more lettuce to come.
In the meat share: Chickens and all cuts of pork. Ham hocks, chef’s bacon (the perfect bacon for cooking with) and stock are all in the freezer for flavoring soups and stews. Lard is always available for the flakiest pie crusts and baked goods around.
Sara Kurak is one of the owners and operators of Full and By Farm in Essex, NY. She shares updates from the farm with her CSA members and also contributes those letters to the Essex on Lake Champlain Blog to share the news with a wider audience. Learn about farm life week-to-week through her reports!
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