Week of September 22, 2019

Night Moves

The message came through at 9:14 pm Sunday night, but I didn’t see it until 10 pm.  It had been a long day, finishing baling the last field of hay just an hour earlier, than milking and feeding after that in the dark.  We had just gotten into the house, and I checked my phone, seeing  the message.  It was from a friend who was relaying an alert about 2 large black cows being on the loose on Route 408.  Ugh!  My cows had been exceptionally quiet all day.  I had even been thinking I should go check on them.  I never made it back to check on them all day, as there was so much else to do.  Gary started putting his boots on and grabbed the spot light and as I put my boots back on, I had images in my head of my whole herd of cows having gotten out and having to round them up in the dark….(For those of you who didn’t know, I got married last summer.  Gary has a farm as well, an hour and a half from mine.  He has cows also,  and so is very familiar with break outs.  Fortunately, he was here tonight and could give me a hand).  We walked back outside into the darkness;  past the greenhouse and high tunnels;  the gardens and barns;  into the long lane that would lead to the  far,  back field where my cows should (hopefully) be.  When we got there, I put the spot light on and looked for eyes reflecting back at me…..nothing.  Walked further back….nothing!  I was starting to have visions of losing my whole herd.  I knew of farmers whose cows had been spooked by coyotes or bear, running through their fence and getting increasingly wild the farther they went from their farm, eluding their owners for miles. I had seen bear scat when I had gotten out of the tractor earlier that afternoon to look at one of the hay bales.  I decided to try calling them.  “Come on!…..Come on!!!”  This was how I called them when rounding them up to move them to a new field.  I walked farther down toward the pond. “Come on!!!!”  Suddenly I heard rustling.  Then mooing.  Then, when I shone the spotlight in the direction of the mooing, I saw one, then two, then more cows coming out of the cluster of trees near the pond.  So far only my red cows were visible.  Where were my black ones?  “Come on!”  Here they came! ” One, two, three,…..” I counted, and then recounted to make sure I accounted for all of them.  Yes, they were all here.  I decided to move them to a new field, closer to the barns, where there would also be fresh grass for them.  A safer spot and also hopefully making an escape less enticing.  I called to them again and waited until they were all in a group next to me.  Then I had Gary go around in back of them to make sure no stragglers got left behind.  I called to them and led them out of that field, into the lane and opened the gates to their new field.  I  breathed a sigh of relief as they filed through the gates.  After coming back from turning on the water to fill their trough,  I looked at them happily grazing in this fresh field.  I could hear the quiet munching of grass, the peeper frogs and crickets, and sat down on a rock while their water trough was filling.  These animals need us very much.  While they can sometimes act quite wild, they are dependent on us humans. Not too different than wildlife: they are dependent on us to do the right things.  I thought of my favorite poem by Wendell Berry:

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.  I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting for their light.  For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

(We found out later that those other cows made it back to their home safe)

Produce from the Farm

Fennel.  Red Butterhead Lettuce,  Parsley,  Pink Blush Onions,  Sweet Peppers,  Toscano Kale,  Roma Tomatoes,  Heirloom Tomatoes,  Zucchini,  Summer Squash

Poached Fennel and Parsley

1 head fennel

1 bunch parsley

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream

1/8 tsp nutmeg

salt and freshly ground pepper

Trim the stems and bottom from the fennel.  Separate the bulb into pieces. Cut the large ones in half lengthwise.  Chop some of the fronds and reserve.  Place the fennel pieces with the parsley in a medium saucepan.  Cover with water.  Heat to boiling.  Boil until tender, 8-10 min.  Drain.  Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium low heat.  Add the onion and cook 5 min.  Add the cream;  cook until fairly thick, about 5 min.  Toss with the fennel and parsley.  Cook until warmed through.  Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle with the chopped fennel fronds.

from Greene on Greens & Grains

Reserve the remaining fennel fronds for next week, to combine with next week’s fennel for a fennel frond recipe!

Minestrone Soup

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 patty pan squash, diced

1/2 zucchini, diced

1 pint tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

6 cups cicken broth

1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup small pasta

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over mdm high heat.  Add onion and cook 4 min.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.  Add the rest of the vegetables and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the herbs and seasonings.  Cook 3 more min.  Add the chicken broth  and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to mdm low and simmer 10 min.  Stir in the kidney beans and pasta and cook 10 min.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Ladle into bowls and sprinkle Parmesan over.

Next week….more Fennel, Celery, Red Cabbage

Without prosperous local economies, the people have no power and the land no voice

Wendell Berry (2003) The Art of Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry