Saturday, December 27, 2008

More CSA Members Needed for 2009!

Hi Everyone! As the new year approaches we are looking forward to our second season of growing in the Umpqua Valley! Asinete and I would be very grateful if you could help to spread the word about Big Lick Farm! Currently we have space for full share and 1/2 share CSA members. For folks interested in the CSA program please refer them to our listing at localharvest.org We are listed under Big Lick Farm. This site has our harvest schedule, prices and all the other important things!
Asinete and I have been busy preparing holes on our new land for 42 peach trees that will be arriving next month! We will also be planting 20 apple trees (Graventstein, Spitzenburg, Golden Russet and Hudson's Golden Gem among others). So our future CSA shares will be even more bountiful!

Be well!!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Winter Wonderland






















Happy Holidays Everyone! Here are some winter images that we were greeted with this morning! First time our geese and chickens have ever seen the snow! Our garlic is still pushing through! Check out Asinete trying to build a snowman!






Enjoy the winter landscape!














Saturday, December 13, 2008

Wendell Berry Poem

......So friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace the flag.
Hope to live in that free republic
for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot understand.
Praise ignorance, for what man has not encountered
he has not destroyed.
Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop in the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under your trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion-- put your ear close,
and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap for power,
please women more than men.
Ask yourself: will this satisfy a woman
satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep of a woman
near to giving birth?
Go with your love to the fields.
Lie easy in the shade.
Rest your head in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is highest in your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way you didn't go.
Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction. Practice resurrection.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

CSA Harvest 29~End of Season!



































Hi Farm friends! Well in order to celebrate our last CSA Harvest of 2008 I wanted to include some more photos of this years production and the people who made it all possible! Thank you to our great volunteers (shown above are Violet, her husband Robin and in the bright pink shirt M.A.) We also want to thank the youthful energy of the Burkhert kids pictured at the very top. At the farm this year we have worked with these awesome kids almost every week since early spring. Thank you Burkhert's!

Again thank you to all of you who helped to make this a great year for Big Lick Farm. We look forward to working with all of you in 2009! Please check out our blog thru the winter as we will be posting photos and notes of winter life on the farm.

I will be emailing each of you after the Holidays are finished to find out how many of you will be joining us again.

Please don't forget to buy from local and independent businesses during the holiday season. Remember that the money you spend at a local business stays here in our community. Think Local Umpqua meetings will continue once a month (contact Lily thru the Think Local Umpqua blog).

Enjoy the last week of local produce with dear friends and family at your Thanksgiving table. I hope you all find so many things to be thankful for!

Peace~
Suzie, Asinete, Robin, Violet, M.A., and the Burkhert kids


The Last Week's Harvest Will Include:

Apples
Garlic

Onions

Lehne Bok Choy (Chinese Cabbage)

Lehne Chard

Onions

Potatoes

Lehne Broccoli

Winter Squash

Baby Greens w/Lehne Spinach

Italian Parsley

Cilantro

Lehne Cabbage

Cabbage Recipes
Garden Burgers

Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup very thinly sliced green cabbage
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 egg white
3/4 pound ground round
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons light ranch dressing
4 (1 3/4-ounce) hamburger buns, toasted
4 curly leaf lettuce leaves
4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices onion
Preparation
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add cabbage, bell pepper, and onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing each tablespoon to evaporate before adding the next; cook 5 minutes or until all liquid evaporates and vegetables are golden brown. Remove from heat; stir in oregano and rosemary. Let cool slightly.
Combine breadcrumbs and next 4 ingredients (breadcrumbs through egg white) in a medium bowl; stir well. Add cabbage mixture and beef; stir well. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping into 1/2-inch-thick patties.
Prepare grill. Place patties on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until done.
Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons ranch dressing over top half of each bun. Line bottom halves of buns with lettuce leaves; top each with a patty, tomato slice, onion slice, and top half of bun.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
335 (25% from fat)
Fat:
9.4g (sat 2.2g,mono 2.6g,poly 0.7g)
Protein:
25g
Carbohydrate:
36g
Fiber:
2g
Cholesterol:
52mg
Iron:
3.5mg
Sodium:
802mg
Calcium:
54mg
Cooking Light, JULY 1996
Cabbage Remoulade
Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Ingredients
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
3 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons minced fresh onion
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
6 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
Preparation
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in cabbage and carrots; toss to coat.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
61 (24% from fat)
Fat:
1.6g (sat 0.3g,mono 0.4g,poly 0.8g)
Protein:
2.6g
Carbohydrate:
10.2g
Fiber:
2.9g
Cholesterol:
2mg
Iron:
0.6mg
Sodium:
420mg
Calcium:
82mg
Cooking Light, MARCH 2002

Bok Choy with Noodles
Bok choy is Chinese white cabbage.
Yield
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
2 (3-ounce) packages ramen noodle soup mix
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons slivered almonds, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 bok choy, shredded
6 green onions, chopped
Preparation
Remove flavor packets from soup mix; reserve for another use. Crumble noodles.
Combine noodles, sunflower seeds, and almonds. Spread on a 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan.
Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown; set aside.
Bring sugar and next 3 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; cool.
Place bok choy and green onions in a large bowl. Drizzle with sugar mixture. Add ramen noodle mixture, tossing well. Serve immediately.
Southern Living, JUNE 2001


Steak, Shiitake, and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

Choose quick-cooking flank steaks for a speedy dinner packed with flavors from the Orient. Asian ingredients such as toasted sesame oil, shiitake mushrooms, and bok choy, combine to give this dish high-impact flavors.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
4 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound flank steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
Cooking spray
2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms (about 1/2 pound)
1 cup thinly vertically sliced onion
1 cup red bell pepper strips
4 cups sliced bok choy (about 1 medium head)
1 cup less-sodium beef broth
Preparation
Combine ginger, garlic, soy sauce, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, oil, and crushed red pepper in a large zip-top bag; add steak to bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 20 minutes.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray, and add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper to pan. Cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; transfer to a large bowl. Add bok choy to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until slightly wilted; add to bowl; keep warm.
Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add half of steak mixture to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a large bowl; keep warm. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add remaining steak mixture to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add to bowl; keep warm.
Combine broth and remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Add to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Return steak and vegetables to pan; toss gently to coat.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
270 (30% from fat)
Fat:
9g (sat 3.1g,mono 3.2g,poly 1g)
Protein:
28.6g
Carbohydrate:
16.9g
Fiber:
3.4g
Cholesterol:
45mg
Iron:
4.5mg
Sodium:
706mg
Calcium:
244mg
Lisa Bell, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2005
















Saturday, November 22, 2008

Local/Raw Milk Avail in Myrtle Creek

If you are looking for a local source of raw milk look no further! Paul and Suzie Fieber of Myrtle Creek are offering raw cow milk ($9/gallon) and raw goats milk ($7-$8/gallon). Call Paul and Suzie Fieber for more information (541) 860-5258

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

CSA Harvest #28

CSA Members Ron and Michelle McMullin lend a helping hand in greenhouse construction






Good Day Friends! As we near our last CSA box there are a few feelings swirling around us. The first one is relief (ha ha!) But the stronger feelings are those of appreciation. Each of you made the commitment for these last 28 weeks to buying your food locally and getting to know the people who grew the food that you eat. I hope you have ended this experience with a good taste in your mouth and an appreciation for what bounty can unfold from the soils of our own backyard. We hope you will each consider joining us again for the next growing season as we continue to improve the quality and quantity of our CSA shares!


This week's newsletter is one of thanks not only to each of you but also for the others who helped Big Lick Farm out in our first year here. First of all thank you to the Lehne Family Farm, Norm and Cinda who have invited us out into their fields to supplement our last three CSA harvests and have shared advice that comes from 40 plus years of farming in the Land of the Umpqua! Also thank you to Anthony and Sandee of Oh My Gato Farm, fellow CSA farmers who have come to our rescue with tractor services (see photos above!) helping us last weekend to mow our recently acquired two acres that had not been touched for over 4 years! This area will be ready to cultivate in the spring.


Also thank you, thank you to dedicated CSA volunteers Michelle and Ron McMullin (with dog friend Bailey) who spent their precious Sunday with us this last weekend to help us rebuild our greenhouse. (see photo on top) Ron was a great foreman and gave great direction on how to rebuild it from the ground up (you would have never known Asinete and I had already built it once before!) That is the true spirit of community supported agriculture!


Enjoy and we will see you all on Monday for our last CSA delivery of 2008!!

Suzie, Asinete, M.A., Violet, Robin and the Burkhert kids

*This Friday night there will be a benefit concert and dinner featuring local foods to raise funds for a Douglas County Local Foods Guide to be published in the Spring 2009! The local foods dinner and concert will be hosted at the Arts Center on Harvard. CSA member Kathy Shayler will be the chef whipping up some lovely eats with all local foods! Hope to see you there! Donations at the door ($20/person suggested). Call organizer Lily Brislen at UCDC 673-4909


This Week's Harvest Includes:

Lehne Spinach with our baby greens

Winter Squash

Turnips

Lehne Dinosaur Kale

Potatoes

Garlic

Onions

Lehne Broccoli

Cilantro

Lehne Ornamental Corn (gorgeous centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table!)

Please note for those of you who want strictly organic from Big Lick we will be prepared to fill out your share with organics only.


Some Recipe Ideas......
Black Bean Spread with Lime and Cilantro
Fresh lime juice and cilantro dress up canned black beans for a simple, delicious appetizer. The liquid from one of the cans of beans is used to thin the spread to a nice consistency. Serve with baked tortilla chips, and use any remaining spread in quesadillas or burritos.
Yield
2 1/2 cups (serving size: 1/4 cup)
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, undrained
Cilantro sprig (optional)
Preparation
With food processor running, drop garlic through food chute; process until minced. Add fresh cilantro and next 5 ingredients (through undrained beans), and process until smooth. Garnish with cilantro sprig, if desired.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
64 (28% from fat)
Fat:
2g (sat 0.3g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.2g)
Protein:
3.2g
Carbohydrate:
11.2g
Fiber:
3.8g
Cholesterol:
0.0mg
Iron:
1.2mg
Sodium:
325mg
Calcium:
28mg
Lorrie Hulston Corvin, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2004

White Bean and Kale Stew
Steeping a savory cheese rind in a soup's broth infuses cheesy, salty accents throughout. Cooking your own beans is simple if you've planned ahead, though you can rinse and drain canned ones for a higher-sodium result. Serve with salt-free crackers or toasted baguette slices.
Yield
8 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients
1 pound dried Great Northern beans
2 smoked bacon slices
2 cups chopped onion (2 medium)
6 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 bunch kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1 (2-ounce) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Preparation
1. Sort and wash beans; place in a large bowl. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain.
2. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds.
3. Add beans, broth, 2 cups water, thyme, rosemary, and kale to pan; bring to a boil. Add rind to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beans are tender. Remove from heat; discard rind. Stir in juice.Garnish each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon bacon. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 11/2 cups soup).

Nutritional Information
Calories:
307 (19% from fat)
Fat:
6.6g (sat 2.6g,mono 2.6g,poly 1g)
Protein:
20.5g
Carbohydrate:
44.2g
Fiber:
10.9g
Cholesterol:
11mg
Iron:
6.3mg
Sodium:
505mg
Calcium:
216mg
Jaime Harder, Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2008












Wednesday, November 12, 2008

CSA Harvest #27

Hi farm friends! I hope this week's harvest finds everyone healthy. As per my earlier email this week the Lehne's graciously invited us out into their fields to harvest some items for supplementing our normal shares. This offers us a huge relief as at this time most of the farm has been planted in cover crop (which needs to establish itself before the colder winter months arrive).

Already the garlic we planted in mid October is poking up through the newspaper mulch and straw searching for sunlight. The first leaves are white spears that poke their way up through any obstacle in search of the sun. Of course as soon as they reach the sun the white is replaced with a deep green as photosynthesis begins- aren't plants amazing! The garlic will have a long while to go before it is harvested, around the first two weeks in July.

Asinete and I have finished deconstructing our greenhouse and it is laying in neat piles in the front of our house. Like the nursery rhyme "humpty dumpty" I'm fearful trying to put the greenhouse back together again is going to prove to be a royal headache. We are going to make the most out of the upcoming good weather and try to get it finished.

After this week we will have two more deliveries. The Thanksgiving week harvest will be delivered on Monday but I will remind everyone again next week!

Please check out my previous posts (volunteers needed as well as a great poem from Gary Paul Nabham).

Enjoy!

Suzie, Asinete, M.A., Robin, Violet and the Burkhert kids


This Week's Harvest Includes:


Apples

Romanesco Broccoli (Lehne)

Dinosaur Kale (Lehne)

Garlic

Potatoes

Cilantro

Red Bell Pepper (Lehne)

Daikon Radish


We have more winter squash to come for the last two CSA harvests!

Braised Dinosaur Kale (adjust recipe accordingly as you only have 1 bunch of kale)

So hearty it's almost meaty tasting, this is our favorite kind of kale. Prep and Cook Time: about 1 hour.
Notes: Lacinato kale is also called black kale, cavolo nero, dinosaur kale, and Tuscan kale. It's a dark green, bumpy, very flavorful cousin of ordinary kale and is packed with minerals and vitamins.
Yield
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
3 bunches Lacinato kale (about 2 1/4 lbs.), leaves rinsed and tough center ribs cut out (see Notes)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 to 2 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon kosher salt
About 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Chop kale into 1-in. pieces and add to pot. Cover and cook until slightly wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain.
2. In a large frying pan or heavy-bottomed pot, cook garlic in olive oil over low heat, stirring often, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add kale and wine and cook, covered, until almost dry. Add chicken stock and cook, covered, until stock is almost evaporated and kale is very tender, about 30 minutes (if kale isn't tender, add more stock and continue cooking). Season to taste with salt and lemon juice.
Note: Nutritional analysis is per 1/2-cup serving.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
39 (36% from fat)
Protein:
2.1g
Fat:
1.5g (sat 0.2)
Carbohydrate:
5.7g
Fiber:
1g
Sodium:
570mg
Cholesterol:
0.0mg
Sunset, JANUARY 2008






Monday, November 10, 2008

Flavors of the Umpqua

Hi Everyone! For more great recipe ideas check out Jennifer Coalwell's blog at www.flavorsoftheumpqua.blogspot.com I have eaten a few of Jennifer's amazing culinary creations during Think Local Umpqua meetings. She is a passionate local foods advocate.
Enjoy!

Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers are needed to help prepare food (under the guidance of CSA member Kathy Shayler). The dinner will be held November 21st and is a fundraiser for the nascent Think Local Umpqua group. Proceeds will go towards a spring 2009 edition of a local foods guide. The food being prepared will all be locally grown (some from Big Lick).
Please contact organizer Lily Brislen at UCDC 673-4909

Saturday, November 8, 2008


By Gary Paul Nabhan for Slow Food Nation
The Earth has grown tired of making fossilized food
Tired of having to pump fossil fuel as well as
Ancient groundwater up from her very innards
To let them spill onto our fields & orchards
Where frantic crops are forced to suck it all up.
What oozed out of the aquifer and oil well
Now bleeds with additives, fertilizers & pesticides
So that we might eat.
We too have grown tired
Tired of all those so-called “fast” foodstuffs
That are all actually frozen in time
While being freed from their attachments to place
So that they might be flung
Half way across the hemisphere
To fly into our mouths
Like so many stones shot from a catapult.
Our bodies are tired of taking in
Anything in need of thawing out, that is,
Anything micro-waved in a frigid plastic sack
Anything cloistered in a rigid sealed box
Anything taken off the range & locked in a feedlot
Anything with a patented genetic modification
Anything once wild that has been captured & broken.
Instead, your bodies are desperately searching for
Any food brought to you live
Plucked straight from the vine
As the golden crookneck squash blossom has been
The one that had been sunning among
The twining tendrils just moments before
Or like those plucked from the teeming tidepool
As the athletic octopus has been, limbs all akimbo
Shifting its shape and its colors
Even as it dives into ever warmer water.
There are many among us who want to be sure
That food makes it out of this century alive
Alive like the vinegar mother looming in the shadows
An amorphous banshee waiting to transform
One more glass of spoiled wine or mug of dubious cider
Into something sour, but sharper and finer.
Our bodies want our distracted minds to remember this:
It is those slow foods,
The ones which have moved the least
From field to feast
That move us most deeply
For they have remained dynamic & delectable
So as to dance in our dreams forever.
Our dirt-tired Earth Mother is asking us to step outside
For she is angry that some of us can barely see or smell
Just what it is that is growing in our own backyards.
She is asking us to stop-stop—
Before we drill and pump another drop
Of that greasy petrel that has settled
Way down deep in her bowels
Since way, WAY back in the Pennsylvanian,
When tons of marsh plants fell, then died & fermented
For she is tired of burping & farting up gas for us
As if countable kilocalories
Are all that we know how to eat.
Every morning of your life
You can choose to break fast
With the dead, or slowly browse among the living.
Every sundown from now on
You can commune with the fresh & local
Or do rarified dining with the distant & the fossilized.
Watch out, you had better get ready:Some sassy, salt-of-the-earth waitress is lurching
Toward your table: she wants to know whether
You have finally decided what you really want to eat.
Posted in Agriculture, Coming Home to Eat, Earth Day, Family, General, Native Seeds / SEARCH, Poetry, Sustainable Environments

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

CSA Harvest #26!

Good Day Farm Friends! I hope this day finds you all very well and open to limitless possibilities!

As many of you may already know we have decided to cut our CSA season 2 weeks short. Although the projected harvest time of December 11th seemed attainable a month ago, we did not expect most of our crops to freeze in early October. When we started the CSA May 1st we had planned to go until Thanksgiving week and so we will now follow that plan. I need to know from you what day of the week the last harvest share should be delivered (seeing as how Thursday is Thanksgiving) Would Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday be best? We will go with whatever input we get from each of you on that one.

Also please consider Big Lick Farm CSA shares for next year as a potential gift for family or a close friend! We will be more than happy to put together a beautiful gift card (with farm photo) redeemable for CSA share!

The farm seems so lonely now that the season has wrapped up. Luckily we had fair warning of the turn in the weather and were able to get (most) of our fall chores done while the weather was still warm and dry. One big project we need to work on is disassembling our greenhouse at my mom's land and moving it over to our new home. Come January the 2009 season will begin with sowing seeds of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, broccoli and many others. The fall and winter season is spent dreaming about how the next year farming will be even better than the last.

One thing that will be better is we have resigned ourselves to the necessity of buying deer fencing!

Enjoy these last few weeks of fresh, local food!

Suzie, Asinete, M.A., Robin and Violet

This Week's Harvest Includes:

Onions

Kiwi Fruit from Big Lick!

Chard or Kale

Potatoes

Garlic

Winter Squash (Red Kuri, Butternut or Gold Acorn) Turnips Italian Parsley


Carrots

Turnips

Broccoli

*To ripen your kiwis please put them in a paper bag with one apple and leave at room temp. They will take over a week to ripen but check them frequently.

RECIPES
Garlic Creamed Chard (kale can be substituted for chard) Thanks Judy for heads up on this one!
From EatingWell Magazine December 2006

Makes 4 servings, about 2/3 cup each
ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound chard, stems and leaves separated, chopped (see Note) 2 tablespoons minced garlic 4 teaspoons unsalted butter 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour 2/3 cup low-fat /4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chard stems and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in chard leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook, stirring once, until tender, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a colander placed in the sink and press with a wooden spoon to remove excess liquid. Return the chard to the pot, cover and keep warm. 2. Place garlic and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook until bubbling, about 30 seconds. Add milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg; cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the chard into the sauce and serve immediately.
NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 141 calories; 9 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 369 sodium; 625 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin K (463% daily value), Vitamin A (140% dv), Vitamin C (35% dv), Magnesium (24% dv).1/2 Carbohydrate Serving Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 fat
TIP: Note: After washing the chard for these recipes, allow some of the water to cling to the leaves. It helps steam the chard and prevents a dry finished dish.

More Turnips More Recipe Ideas!

Chunky Chicken and Rice Soup with Turnips

Yield
10 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Ingredients
8 cups water
1 (3-pound) chicken
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped leek (about 2 large)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cups coarsely chopped peeled turnips (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain or basmati rice
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese
Preparation
Combine water and chicken in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, 1 hour. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from cooking liquid (broth); place chicken in a bowl, and chill for 15 minutes. Remove skin from chicken, and remove meat from bones, discarding skin and bones. Chop chicken into bite-size pieces; cover and chill. Strain broth through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Skim fat from surface; discard. Reserve 6 cups broth.
Heat the oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the leek, basil, thyme, and oregano; sauté 5 minutes or until leek is browned. Add reserved broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in the turnips and rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until turnips are tender. Partially mash turnips with a potato masher. Add chicken, milk, and salt, and cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat, and add cheese, stirring until melted.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
213 (30% from fat)
Fat:
7.1g (sat 2.7g,mono 2.3g,poly 1.3g)
Protein:
20.9g
Carbohydrate:
15.4g
Fiber:
1.1g
Cholesterol:
57mg
Iron:
1.8mg
Sodium:
396mg
Calcium:
173mg
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2000

French Braised Carrots and Turnips Recipes from a Kitchen Garden

1 pound carrots, peeled 1 pound turnips peeled and halved 2 cups chicken stock

2 tsps sugar 2 TBSPS butter salt and pepper to taste

Cut carrots and turnips into 1/2 inch slices. Place the carrots and turnips in a large, heavy saucepan with the stock, sugar, butter, and salt and pepper. Cook them partially covered, over medium heat until they are tender (about 20 mins) less if vegetables are very fresh. Check the seasoning. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve in a warmed serving dish. 4-6 servings

Disfruta!















Sunday, November 2, 2008

Food Declaration Endorsement

Hi Everyone! Please take a moment to click on the Food Declaration site listed below and if you feel strongly about it join Big Lick Farm in endorsing it! In two days we will have a fresh new face and new energy leading our country!

Draft Declaration

Draft Declaration

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A Sunny Treat


Thank you Pam Sporer for the wonderful photo taken at the farm!

Friday, October 31, 2008

Beautiful Garlic Photo

Good Day All! I wanted to give credit to the great photographer Sandee McGee of Oh My Gato Farm for the wonderful image she took of the garlic I am holding on our blog. Thanks Sandee~!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

CSA Harvest #25

Hi Everyone!! I hope this new blog format works out for all of you. I was feeling uninspired after 24 weeks of using the email. Whew! We have been hitting it hard since we looked at the weather forecast for the next week and it just showed rain, rain, rain- oh yeah, I was forgetting I lived in Oregon!
We have completed our garlic beds, mulched them heavily in newspaper (to keep weeds down) and then on top of the newspaper straw so they will keep warm thru the upcoming winter. Straw also helps to conserve soil moisture and block the weeds from growing as well.
Tuesday we had the wonderful help from our youthful and energetic volunteers the Burkhert kids. They helped us to pull out frost damaged plants and add to our ever growing compost mountain, pull up weed mat, roll weed mat and help to clear beds to plant cover crop. Michael is our oldest volunteer at 16 with a keen interest in photography. Hopefully each week that he comes out we will get new photos to add to our new blog!
Thank you to all of you who responded to my email from yesterday. We would like to know if you will join us again next year as we will need to know how much recruiting to do. If you have friends, family or co-workers whom you think may be interested please pass along our blog address or my email so they can contact us. I have found that word of mouth is the best form of advertising!
I must admit there are days farming (for me) when the weather is uncooperative, my back or knees hurt, I worry if my debit card will clear when I go to purchase something and I wonder why I chose farming to make a tough living. But then there are those days that are perfect, the sun is warm on my back, the geese come flying thru the canyon, and very thankful CSA members greet us with smiles every Thursday and I remember why all the discomfort is worth it! So thank you again for all your words of encouragement and friendship- it has been great getting to know each of you!

Peace
Suzie, Asinete, M.A. , Robin, Violet and the Burkhert Kids!!

This Week's Harvest Will Include:

Tomatillos

Braeburn Apples

Butternut Winter Squash

Golden Acorn Winter Squash

Turnips (they have done great!)

Cilantro

Potatoes


Garlic

Green Tomatoes (we included some more recipes!)

Baby Greens

Daikon Radish (long white taproot)

The Daikon Radish is delicious sliced into your salad and use just as you would any other type of radish.


Braised Daikon


1 1/2 pounds fresh daikon peeled and diced

2 TBSPS light cooking oil

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 TBSPS soy sauce

Put daikon in saucepan, cover with water, and boil for 5 minutes. Drain well. Heat skillet, add oil, and stir-fry daikon 2 minutes. Add sugar and soy sauce, stir-fry another minute. Add 1/4 cup water, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until daikon is tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Serve hot. 4 servings

Curried Green Tomatoes (recipe courtesy of CSA member Renee- thank you!!)

one onion
garlic (how much depends on how much you love garlic)
olive oil (enough to saute the onion and garlic)
green tomatoes
curry (couple tablespoons)
salt/pep to taste
parsley (if you want)
turkey sausage (if you want)
can of garbanzo beans (if you want)

saute garlic, onion, curry in olive oil. cut up the green tomatoes and add all of them. cook for a while. if you want, add the garbanzos or turkey sausage. serve over brown rice or quinoa. yum,

Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosemary and Garlic Lasagna from myrecipes.com (sounds labor intensive but well worth it!)
This dish is easy to divide into make-ahead steps. Roast squash and prepare white sauce the night before, then layer lasagna up to six hours before the party. Just before guests arrive, top with cream and the last layering of Parmesan cheese, then bake.
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
8 1/4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
Cooking spray
4 cups fat-free milk, divided
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) package precooked lasagna noodles
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
1/2 cup whipping cream
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°.
Arrange butternut squash in a single layer in a large roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Coat squash with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until squash is just tender, stirring once. Set aside.
Lower oven temperature to 350°.
Combine 3 1/2 cups milk and rosemary in a 1-quart glass measuring cup, and microwave at high 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil. Let stand 10 minutes. Strain milk through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard rosemary.
Lightly spoon all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and remaining 1/2 cup milk, stirring flour mixture with a whisk until well blended to form a slurry.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute or until tender, stirring constantly. Stir in steeped milk, and increase heat to medium-high. Gradually add slurry to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Combine milk mixture and squash, tossing gently.
Spread about 1 1/2 cups squash mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over squash mixture; top with 2 cups squash mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers once with 3 noodles, 2 cups of squash, and 1/4 cup of cheese. Top with 3 noodles.
Beat whipping cream and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt with mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Spread the whipping cream mixture over noodles; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes.

Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallots from myrecipes.com

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup pasta, 3/4 cup squash mixture, and 1 tablespoon cheese)
Ingredients
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise (about 1/2 pound)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
4 ounces uncooked pappardelle (wide ribbon pasta) or fettuccine
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 475°.
Combine the squash, sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons oil, salt, pepper, and shallots in a jelly roll pan; toss well. Bake at 475° for 20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sage.
While the squash mixture bakes, cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place cooked pasta in a bowl. Add 2 teaspoons oil; toss well. Serve the squash mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
248 (29% from fat)
Fat:
7.9g (sat 2g,mono 4.5g,poly 0.8g)
Protein:
7.1g
Carbohydrate:
39.4g
Fiber:
5.2g
Cholesterol:
5mg
Iron:
1.4mg
Sodium:
713mg
Calcium:
137mg
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2001


Tomatillos (in case you forgot!)

Storage tips: Store at room temp, with husk on, for up to 2 weeks (do not store in plastic bag)

Salsa Verde (Green Tomatillo Salsa) adapted from Rick Bayless's "Mexico- One Plate at a Time"
8 ounces (5-6 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
Fresh, hot green chilies to taste (rooughly 2 serrano peppers or 1 jalapeno) stemmed
5-6 sprigs cilantro (thick stems removed) roughly chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
salt

Roast the tomatillos and chiles on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted, even blackened in spots for about 5 minutes. Flip them over and roast the other side- 4 to 5 minutes more will give you splotchy- black and blistered tomatillos and chiles that are soft and cooked thru. Cool and then transfer everything to a blender including all the delicious juice that has run out onto the baking sheet. Add the cilantro and 1/4 cup water, blend to a coarse puree and scrape into a serving dish. Rinse the onion under cold water, then shake to remove the excess moisture. Stir into the salsa and season with salt (1/4 tsp). Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Fall Clean-Up with Some Great Helpers!




Asinete and Baby Greens



Hi there everyone! I wanted to showcase some of Michael Burkert's photos here on our new blog. The Burkhert kids are a great asset to the farm coming out to help every Tuesday. In these photos you can see the fall clean-up at the farm.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

CSA Harvest #23

Hi farm friends! I've spent a few late night hours trying to find something to use as a makeshift website.. hopefully this will work for awhile! As many of you know we hit the first frost mark last Friday and Saturday mornings and awoke to find our tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, beans, corn and basil done in. One row of tomatoes survived the frost and hopefully each of you will get another ripe one or two- the rest of the tomatoes we picked green and will be including green tomato recipes from here on out. The frost came much earlier than we had hoped for or anticipated and we are not yet sure if we will be able to meet our deadline. We will take the CSA season as long as we can of course but want to make sure you are still receiving enough food. One idea I would like to throw out is credit for next year if we are unable to go past Thanksgiving (so you receive X amount of weeks free next season to recoup the shortened season this year). We are still at least hopeful to make it until Thanksgiving but just wanted to give you all a heads up in case we fall short of our goal.

The end of every year farming is a bittersweet one, all the crops you carefully tended at the end of the season get pulled out, and thrown in a big compost heap. Our tomatoes that we lived with in our trailer and formed a close bond with have joined their fallen comrades in the compost. But their branches, leaves and over ripe fruit will decompose and help to form the rich soil for next year's crop so their legacy will continue. The crops that managed to survive the cold were the rainbow chard (hip hip hooray!), the Italian flat leaved parsley, a new crop of broccoli, turnips, baby greens, corn mache (still too small to include), beets, carrots, cilantro, daikon radish. We still have boxes and boxes of potatoes, recently harvested winter squash, apples, kiwi fruit, garlic and onions.

I spent yesterday at a Think Local Umpqua meeting run by a group called AMIBA. AMIBA helps to facsilitate alliances with local, independent businesses in communities around the USA. When we spend our dollar with a local, independent business in our community that dollar recirculates several times (the business owner lives here ,they own a house here, they pay taxes here, they shop here). I am excited about the energy that Think Local Umpqua has been bringing to our county. If any of you would like to learn more about the alliance for local, independent businesses in our county please contact Lily Brislen at the Umpqua Comm Dev. Co 673-4909. Also I still have tickets for the Think Local Umpqua Benefit Dinner for this Friday. If you are interested please remind me tomorrow for a ticket!

Today I wanted to give an introduction to one of Big Lick Farm's key helpers and that is M.A Hansen! Many of you met M.A during the potluck but for those of you who did not I wanted to include some information about the dynamic, tireless, awesome volunteer who orchestrates the washing, packaging and packing of each of your shares!

1. Why is it important to you to eat locally AND organically??
It is important to me to eat locally and organically for several reasons :
A-I want to know what the eco-system of my food source is. (where does the water come from, what has been done to
the soil, does anyone in the area use herbicides or pesticides, where did the seeds come from, etc.)
B-Eating locally grown foods saves and enormous amount of energy and lowers the carbon foot print. If everyone
ate locally the energy savings would include: reduced manufacturing of food transportation systems (trucks, trailers,
railroad cars, etc), reduced road building and maintenance (tractor-trailer trucks cause a lot of wear and tear on the
roads they travel) , reduced supermarket and parking lot building and maintenance, reduction of canning, bottling
and packaging of food, reduction of transportation fuel use, reduction of building and maintaining the vehicles
people use to get to and from supermarkets, reduction of electricity,(lighting, air conditioning, refrigeration, heating
etc. to keep the doors of the supermarkets open, etc.
C-Supporting organic foods eliminates use of GMO (genetically modified foods and organisms-(Monsanto's quest
to control the food supplies of the world)) food from our meals.
2. What other programs are you involved in or do you volunteer for in our community? Umpqua Bio-Alternative Co-op
(UBAC Treasurer), Native Plant Society (Treasurer), Douglas County Global Warming,(Advisory), Partnership
of the Umpqua Rivers, (water monitoring of the Umpqua Rivers and their tributaries for healthy fish survival),
Oregon Citizens Against the Pipeline(No LNG-foreign liquid natural gas), Zero Waste, Sustainable Living,
Children's Creek Week ,Myrtle Creek,(educate children on how to care for the fish habitats in the local creeks)

3. Why did you decide to devote your Thursday's being a volunteer at Big Lick Farm?
I believe in the CSA program. I feel privileged to be involved in such a good program to promote local and
organic food for everyone, rich or not so rich (also known as the have and the have not's)

4. What is your favorite part of the CSA day? Arriving in the morning and seeing what goodies we are going to fill the
boxes and bags with, planning how to do it and working with Suzie, Asinete, Violet , Robin, Jeanne , boss
Sally dog, and 3 righteous geese(couldn't have a better more devoted crew).

Thank You M.A for all your hard work!!


Next week we will hopefully be hearing from Asinete (who is too shy to ever do the newsletter!) and hopefully our other two key volunteers husband and wife duo Robin and Violet!

I will post this now before putting up the recipes just to make sure this is going to go thru and that you will all be able to access it! Yikes! I feel very exposed at the moment!