It Rained and We did Party in Barn

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 I only remembered to catalogue the event after the fact and so here are a few pics, but alas the food went so quickly i did not have an opportunity to capture some of the delicious food we feasted on, but i will post some of the recipes for those of you who asked.  Thank you to everyone who came out and I look forward to our next BBQ : D

 

Roasted Beet Sandwiches

8 medium beets, trimmed 
1 Tbs. vegetable oil 
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
3 small cloves garlic, minced 
1/4 cup thinly sliced chives 
1-1/2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh tarragon 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
8 oz. fresh goat cheese, softened 
3/4 cup (one 7.5 oz. container) crème fraîche 
1 tsp. chopped pink peppercorns 
6 slices 16 grain bread or rye bread (any bread you prefer)
3 cups baby arugula or spinach

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Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Arrange the beets in a baking dish that’s just large enough to accommodate them, such as an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Drizzle the beets with the vegetable oil and turn to coat well. Cover the dish with foil. Roast the beets until tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 1 hour. Let cool.

Peel the beets and slice 1/4 inch thick. Combine the beets, olive oil, garlic, 1 Tbs. of the chives, and 1/2 Tbs. of the tarragon in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, combine the goat cheese, crème fraîche, peppercorns, and the remaining 3 Tbs. chives and 1 Tbs. tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler on high. Split the ciabatta pieces and lightly toast them cut sides up directly on the rack under the broiler.

Divide the beet mixture evenly over the bottom halves of the bread. Drop the cheese mixture by spoonfuls over the beets. Top the cheese with the arugula, dividing evenly. Place the top halves of the ciabatta over the arugula and press gently. Cut the sandwiches in half on the diagonal and serve.

 Elvira's Chocolate Beet Cupcakes 

4 eggs

4 cups cooked beets

1 cup sunflower oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup spelt flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

10 tbs cocoa powder

2 cups chocolate chips

In a blender or food processor puree together eggs, beets, oil, vanilla. Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine dry and wet gently-do not over mix. Pour into muffin cup or 9'x13' round or cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate Mint Sour Cream Frosting for Beet Cupcakes

2 cups semi sweet chocolate pieces

1/2 cup butter

2 cups sourcream

1/2 cup sifted icing sugar

In a large saucepan melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently.  Cool for five minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in sour cream and mint extract, gradually add icing sugar, beating until smooth.

 

 

 

If it Should Rain......We Will Party in the Barn!

Good morning everyone, we will have our BBQ and if it does rain on us we will take it inside the barn, we have the front section of the barn we could utilize : D

Look to forward to seeing everyone there, lots of good food to enjoy!

Elvira 

Turnip and bok choy plenty

When I was able to get in the garden for a bit before yesterday's deluge, I saw a lot of turnip and bok choy that needs to be harvested just as soon as we can get in the garden. I'm not an expert in either crop, but I don't think the turnips get better as they get bigger, and the bok choy needs thining.

Please contact me if you know of some groups that would take the excess and if you can help harvest/deliver for donation. vickybe@mac.com

Take a Break and let the Soil Dry Up

     I was at the farm this evening, and the ground is still very saturated with puddles here and there due to the amount of rain that we have experienced this past week, i checked out field number two thinking it might not be as bad, but my feet just sunk right into the soil.  I discussed this with Dyle and we need to give it a chance to dry up, if we trample about we will just compact the soil, and damage the crops.  

Lets go hard on Wednesday with as many able bodies as possible, there is lots of good food to be harvested, so lets get them picked.  There are still plenty of snap/sugar peas, beats need thinning, especially in field number two, those taking beats and carrots, please thin and don't just take the larger ones, this way everyone can enjoy them : )  I saw some raspberries ready to be picked but at this point, very mucky in that section. By the way carrot tops can be eaten, perfect in a shake ; )  

Enjoy your Saturday and see you Wednesday!

Elvira ❧

oh and pray for sunshine!!!

We Are Under Siege

I went out to the farm today and was surprised and saddened by the water sitting in little pools throughout the field.  No farming tonight, i even tried to pick peas but that was a challenge 

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in itself, the ground it very very wet, i would recommend letting it dry before setting out on it, as we will only cause damage to the crops.  I met Vicky and she was attempting to pick peas as well, alas it started to rain and the kids and I paddled our way home : ) Keep you posted for Saturday!

signing off,

Elvira☂

Snap up those peas and other news

Met Travis in the grocery store (he was tisking the pathetic state of the organic chard) and he revealed that the tips of the peas in garden 2 have been visited by "miners", but it shouldn't affect the harvest. We also talked about:

Snap peas need to be picked or they will stop producing. I will be picking whatever is left at end of Wednesday for donation. Check the snow peas, too.

Bok choy is ready to be thinned--just gently pull out plants that are touching each other so that there are at least several inches between plants.

Beets in garden 2 need thining.

And in broccoli news, contrary to my alarm on Saturday, the broccoli is NOT bitter--after it's cooked. I threw it into boiling salted water for a few minutes and it was great. If you didn't pick up some from the pail last Saturday, I hope there'll be more big heads in a week or so.

Vicky

 

 

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Just an FYI about the big composter unit by the fence. There was a wasp nest in it on Saturday. Stay clear until the problem is resolved. If you have fresh waste to drop off, I suggest putting it in the composter closer to the barn doors. Make sure you burry fresh waste under at least 2 inches of dead/brown waste. Sweet fresh waste is what attracts wasps and we should try to keep them from finding that pile as a food source.

See you on Saturday

Suzanne

Hot Town, Summer in the City

July 12, 2012 Summer in the City

 

Summer by William Morris

Summer looked for long am I:
Much shall change or e'er I die.
Prithee take it not amiss
Though I weary thee with bliss

 

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It was a very hot night indeed last night but many came later in the evening and put in some good work.  We planted a couple new rows of Kale for all the Kale lovers, we weeded around the apple trees, put a dent in that huge weed patch btw the corn/garlic and cabbage crops that sprung up in the last week, sigh...............organic farming, now we can really appreciate and cherish every bite of the fruits of our labour, and other's labour, when we  purchase our produce from organic kiosks at the farmer's market.  

  We had a great turn out last week and I know the weather has been beautiful and you would rather being doing other cooler pursuits but we would love your company and yes, some sweat and tears, as there is still lots of work to be done.  And for all your efforts there are sugar peas, snap peas, basil, lots of greens, and beets for the table, lets enjoy them : )                                     Our cauliflower is up but because of the intense heat, it is quite bitter eaten raw, i do not know if there is a remedy for this, or if it will taste better cooked, but if anyone has any suggestions please share.

For all the hard we have put in, I think we are very deserving of a Saturday BQQ, to enjoy some good grub, converse, and meet some of the other members of the farm, as not everyone gets a chance to meet everyone on the various farming days due to personal schedules. I am aware some folks who have been working hard at the farm will be out of town (on holiday in some exotic foreign local ; ) but i would like to encourage our members who will be in town on the last Saturday of the month, July 28th, to make an effort and reschedule if possible to come out and join us.  Could everyone who is able to come please RSVP me, and let me know how many in your family, this is a low key event, maybe some papparazzi taking photos, but otherwise a relaxed and fun afternoon, with great people, good food, and maybe some music (any volunteers?) to whistle to while we work : D

Please e-mail Elvira at : elvirafalconer@gmail.com to RSVP ASAP : D

Also do we have any volunteers for a couple of BBQs being escorted to the event?

personally i was singing the lyrics to "Summer in the City" last night,

❧ Evira

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The last couple of weeks...... spinach, arugula, swiss chard, lettuce, endive, baby beets, peas, strawberries, how blessed we are to have such nourishing abundance on our tables at this time.  We have been extremely lucky with Mother Nature's generous hand with the weather, and thankfully have not experienced any major catastrophic weather phenomenons.  We have had unprecedented weed crops, i really wish they were edible, alas not even tasty in a shake, but thanks to everyone who came out on the long weekend and put in some good hours teaching those weeds a thing or two. Thank you to everyone who brought delicious baked goods, lychee nuts, yes lychee nuts, what a treat!!! I think i can speak for everyone, thank you!  Enjoy the photos, and forward to family and friends so that they can see what a wonderful endeavor and community we have here at the  EOGG farm.

❤

 Elvira ❧

 

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Chickpea, Tomatoe and Spinach Curry

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3cm/1¼ in piece ginger, grated
• 6 ripe tomatoes
• ½ tbsp oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp turmeric
• pinch chilli flakes
• 1 tsp yeast extract (we used Marmite)
• 4 tbsp red lentils
• 6 tbsp coconut cream
• 1 head of broccoli, broken into small florets
• 400g can chickpeas , drained
• 100g bag baby spinach leaves
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds mixed with 1 tbsp chopped cashews
• 1. Put the onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes in a food processor or blender and whizz to a purée.
  2. Heat oil in a large pan. Add the spices, fry for a few secs and add purée and yeast extract. Bubble together for 2 mins, then add lentils and coconut cream. Cook until lentils are tender, then add the broccoli and cook for 4 mins. Stir in chickpeas and spinach, squeeze over lemon and swirl through sesame and cashew mixture. Serve with brown rice, if you like.