Peak Fall Foliage is Coming Up!

Within the next few weeks, peak foliage in Connecticut will roll through the state from north to south, (check out CT DEEP's interactive foliage map here) and that means cold weather is on its way.  In fact, that cold weather is closer than you might think.  According to the National Weather Service, the first freeze of the season is happening overnight tonight.  I know I'm going to go out and pick the last of my peppers before the sun sets, but what I haven't decided yet is what I'm going to do with them.  Sounds like I'm in need of either some food preservation techniques, or a good recipe, right?

For the last year or so we have been sharing guidelines for winter food storage, recipes for cooking fall and winter foods, and farming and gardening tips for the off-season in the Winter Food Project section of our Gleanings eNewsletter.  With winter literally on our doorstep, now's a perfect time to start reviewing our enewsletter archive and our Winter Food Project webpage to refresh your memory about all the information that's available.

Below are some of the recipes we've featured in Gleanings.  Try making one this weekend with some of your harvest, or from food you purchased at a local fall event.

Have a bountiful weekend!
-Melissa

Winter Food Project Gleanings Recipes

• From the 2012 Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference:
  • Holcomb Farm CSA Coleslaw
    If you are longing for some warm weather foods as winter drags on, this is a great way to use winter foods to make a traditional summer favorite. Holcomb Farm's winter CSA provides all the vegetables for the slaw.
    
    -cabbage
    -carrots
    -onion
    -organic oil
    -white wine vinegar
    -salt and pepper to taste
    -lemon
    
    Grate or chop all ingredients and combine in a large bowl.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.

• Hearty Veggie Soup - VEGAN

For a traditional winter dish, you can't go wrong with this one. The version we had at the conference had homegrown organic veggies.

-kale

-tomatoes

-carrots

-peas

-celery

-onions

-edamame

-parsnips

-garlic

-parsley

-kidney beans

Chop up ingredients as finely or coarsely as you want and combine in a large soup pot. Cook on medium heat until all the veggies are tender and have released juice - you can always add some vegetable stock if you want a thinner soup.

• Dutch Kale Dish - From Johan van Achterberg, a longtime farmer and board member from Easton. He wrote that this was the way his mother made kale.

-Peel and boil 4 good size potatoes for mashing with some butter and milk; add salt before cooking.

-Remove the leaf part from the kale stem (about 12 stems) and shred the greens. Cook the greens for about 15 to 20 minutes so it is tender.

-After draining the water add the kale to the mashed potatoes; mix well and season to taste.

-For real flavor fry bacon, cut into small pieces and add the bacon and some fat to the mix.

-Ring Belogna (PA Dutch) or sliced Kilbasa are a great supplement.

-For the best flavor kale should not be used until it has had some frost.

• Kale and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes - From Wild Carrot Farm LLC, a CT NOFA member organic farm

For this recipe, be sure to wash the kale well - dirt and grit hides in the leaves. Chop the kale finely to avoid floppiness in the potatoes, and avoid over mixing the kale into the potatoes as that will add a green tinge to the dish. You can use either peeled or unpeeled potatoes for this recipe.

-3 lbs potatoes, cut into large chunks

-sea salt

-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-4 cloves garlic, minced

-1 bunch kale, large stems stripped and discarded, leaves chopped

-1/2+ cup warm milk or cream

-freshly ground black pepper

-5 scallions, white and tender green parts, chopped

-1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish (opt)

-fried shallots, for garnish (opt)

Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil and continue boiling for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chopped kale, a big pinch of salt, and saute just until tender - about a minute. Set aside.

Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or fork. Slowly stir in the milk a few big splashes at a time. You are after a thick creamy texture, so if your potatoes are on the dry side keep adding milk until the texture is right. Season with salt and pepper.

Dump the kale on top of the potatoes and give a quick stir. Transfer to a serving bowl, make a well in the center of the potatoes, and pour the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with the scallions, Parmesan cheese, and shallots.

Serves 6.

• Jerusalem Artichoke & Roasted Garlic Vichyssoise - From CT NOFA board VP John Turenne's Sustainable Food Systems

4 pounds            Jerusalem Artichokes, washes & scrubbed, diced 2 inches

1 pound              Leeks, white and light green part only

8 cloves              Garlic, Roasted

1/4 cup               Olive oil

1 quart               Vegetable stock

2 Tbl.                 Thyme, fresh

2 cups                2% low-fat milk

As needed          Salt, kosher and fresh cracked peppercorns

1. Split the leeks lengthwise and wash well to remove all sand and grit. Slice them thinly.

2. Sweat the leeks in the olive oil without browning them.

3. Add the Jerusalem Artichokes, roasted garlic, thyme and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.

4. Simmer until the Jerusalem Artichokes are tender, approximately 45 minutes.

5. Purée the soup in a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender; season with salt and pepper.  Add milk and return to low simmer to heat through for 5 minutes.

6. Serve hot or chilled.

Yield: 4 quarts

• Deb's Dried Apples - From the CT NOFA Office Manager Deb Legge
  
  
  Slice your favorite unpeeled apples into 16 slices. (One of those corer/slicer gadgets makes the job go a lot more quickly.) Sprinkle with a small amount of lemon juice, if available. For seasoning, use a mix of mostly cinnamon, with a bit of nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves to your preference. Arrange in a single layer in each dehydrator rack and dry for 20-24 hours. Store in glass jars.

Hands On Cheese Making!

Yesterday CT NOFA hosted a Cheese Making Workshop taught by Paul Trubey, goat farmer and cheese maker at Beltane Farm in Lebanon, CT.  When you drive into Beltane Farm (which is open to the public during cheese tastings), you will probably be greeted by some assortment of cats, chickens, and a goat named Milagro who "sometimes likes to eat paper."

Paul started out discussing the different ingredients used in cheese and the difference in terms of production between fresh, ripe and aged cheeses and yogurt which is made by adding culture and no other coagulant.  

This explanation came with a taste testing of Paul's own cheeses - below he is showing us ripened cheese which usually has been aged for 1 to 6 weeks and includes Brie, Crottin and Camembert.

.

Paul heated his goats' milk to 180 degrees in order to make ricotta, a fresh cheese.

After adding vinegar and continuing to stir, Paul poured the to-be cheese mixture into these plastic cheese molds.  If you make fresh cheese at home, make sure to use molds that have slots in them to allow the whey to drain off.

Then everyone had a hand at turning the cheese (you have to turn the cheese over once it is more solidified)  After turning and letting it sit a bit, the cheese can then be lightly salted, and eaten a little while after that.

Next we learned about how to make aged cheeses.  Here Paul teaches some of the group how to "cut the curd" to release the whey from the cheese, and showed attendees how the texture of the cheese changes as the curd is cut to increase the surface area of the little cubes and bits.  The curd was different among the three cheeses based on the amount of rennet added.  Paul explained that part of the art of cheese making was naming your cheese after you've made it.

Then we went on a little tour of Beltane Farm.  Below the group met all of Paul's kids (ha).

And we met all 52 of his dairy goats (below) and his two billy goats.

Look at the beautiful cheese we all made!

Milagro, in much the same way she greeted everyone and started off the workshop by attempting to eat Paul's handouts, found a bucket of whey, and helped herself.

It was a wonderful workshop! Many thanks to Paul Trubey for opening his farm to us and teaching us so much about his art!

Happy Homesteading!
Kristiane & Melissa

Looking Back to Look Forward - Independence in America

Back in 1976, Robert Rodale wrote an editorial for the September issue of Organic Farming and Gardening about personal independence.  Almost 36 years later, the relationship between personal independence and sustainability is a major issue in current social and political movements, regardless of whether those movements are conservative or liberal, and related concerns about food, energy, and healthcare are some of the most hotly debated topics in the United States today. Case in point: the images in this post are not from the 70's; they're part of the current shift in mindset from reliance on outside groups to a more local and holistic approach to living, an approach Rodale discusses in his editorial:

The garden is the best place to start looking for ways to help people become more independent. A garden is both the symbol and reality of self-sufficiency—especially an organic garden, which recycles organic wastes of the yard and household, permits the production of significant amounts of food with only minimal reliance on outside resources. Any campaign to boost personal independence should start by helping people become gardeners—teaching, motivating, and making land available.

Liberty doesn't end at the border of the garden, though. Home production of a variety of goods and services extends the idea of gardening. Both gardeners and non-gardeners can also grow their own bean sprouts, make some of their own clothes, become proficient at crafts, improve insulation of their home, and do similar home production tasks. Each such activity you learn makes you less dependent on others.

Even treatment of disease could be improved by fostering a greater spirit of personal independence. We need to learn more about how to take care of ourselves during illness. Any doctor will tell you that an intelligent patient, who knows how to observe and evaluate symptoms, can be treated with fewer drugs, and is therefore less likely to have side effects and will probably recover faster. Being totally dependent on the doctor is the worst way to act when sick.

As of yesterday our nation is one year older.  As you take time to be with friends and family and celebrate our country's independence, take a moment to think about your own independence and what that means to you. Think about all the ways you can take charge of your life and live more independently, and save money be healthier and happier as a result. Whether your goal is to start your own garden, replace some of your driving with bicycling, or buy goods and services from people in your town, every step you take toward sustaining yourself is also a step toward making us more sustainable as a nation.  What better way to show your patriotism than by advocating for one of the most fundamental ideals of our country?

Happy Belated Independence Day!
-Melissa

Deb Legge's Homestead

Today we have a Guest Blog Post from the Organic Land Care Program's Director, Jenna Messier!

“Deb Legge’s Homestead” interviewed by Jenna Messier

You may imagine that the CT NOFA staff members each have beautiful, exemplary gardens at their homes.  In the case of CT NOFA office manager, Deb Legge -this is true!  Deb has a unique and charming homestead in Wallingford which all neighbors and visitors admire.  She lives in an old farmhouse on .5 acres of land, and she has craftily utilized her space to create a mini-farm with chickens, a greenhouse, a lovely screened-in patio and flowers spanning seasons.

I thought I would interview Deb, to find out how she has created this suburban paradise, so our readers will know what is possible.

Jenna:  When did you start your garden?

Deb: I moved into my house in October 1993 and brought about 50 pots of plants with me from the house I'd been renting. I left them under a snow bank for the winter and started the first garden the following spring. There had been a vegetable garden there and some mint scattered around, so I cleaned it all up and just started planting.

Jenna: Did this design evolve, or did you always know the type of garden you were envisioning?

Deb: It's definitely evolved over time as I've taken more of the lawn out and trees have come and gone. There's just enough lawn left now to walk on and play an occasional game of bocce during a family get together.  I've always liked jumbly cottage-style gardens, so you'll find herbs in the flower beds and a stray tomato plant out by the compost bins.

Jenna:  What edibles are you growing and how many seasons are you in food production?

Deb:  With the little unheated greenhouse, I have fresh produce most of the year. Last winter was pretty mild and there was lettuce, chard and mache in there. If you plan in late summer to have things started before it gets cold, they'll start growing again as soon as the days get noticeably longer in late January/early February.

For perennial edibles, I have several kinds of raspberries, blackberries, red and black clove currants, grapes, figs, rhubarb, asparagus, Egyptian onions, horseradish, Jerusalem artichokes. For the past couple years I've been adding some small tree and shrub fruits and nuts.  Two years ago I added 9 smallish hazelnuts and just this year put in a couple each of beach plums, Nanking cherries, western sand cherries and elderberries.

For the rest of the edibles, many of the usual like tomatoes, cukes, lots of greens, peas, beans, peppers. Except for the peppers, I either direct seed or start everything in the greenhouse.

Jenna: Did you have any problems with the town or your neighbors when you decide to have chickens?

Deb: My neighbors have been just fine. There are other chickens in the area, and no one seems to mind. At the risk of outing myself, I didn't even check with the town and couldn't find any information about whether there are even any ordinances for or against keeping a few hens.

Jenna: How many hours per week are you spending in your garden on maintenance?

Deb: The question that's always hardest to answer! I guess a lot in the spring, especially for a new project or renovation, but once everything is in and planted, probably just a few hours a week.  But it's my form of exercise, sanity-keeping and much of our food, so I don't even think of the time involved, except that I wish I could spend more time there!

Jenna:  Would you share an estimate of what you spend per year on your mini-farm, to cover the costs of chicken food, potting soil, plants etc.?

Deb: For the three hens, I only need to buy layer feed (organic, of course!) every few months, as they love to eat a huge variety of weeds and kitchen scraps, so maybe $10 a month for them.  As to the rest, I buy very few imports and not many plants any more.  I make compost, buy an occasional batch of mulch and lots of seeds, but still spend less than a few hundred dollars a year. Good potting soil is probably my biggest expense, and I get that once a year through the NOFA bulk order.

Jenna:  Do you have any suggestions for the aspiring gardener who wishes to have their own garden paradise on a small lot under an acre?

Deb: Start small! Even in the smallest yard you can grow a little something. And make friends with a more experienced gardener. I've never met a gardener not willing to share time, plants and experience with someone willing to ask and spent some time with them.

Thanks for sharing with us, Deb!  And Friends, keep working your soil and tending your garden dreams!