Happy New Year! January 2015

As the New Year opens many of us are eager to make resolutions for ourselves, often looking back on the past year and examining what we did, how things went and what we would do differently.  This is also the case  for our farm.  It is a time of retrospection;  of reflection;  and of assessing.  It is  a time of planning and dreaming.  Therefore, it is an exciting time.  Much as the spring time brings new hopes and a renewed sense of energy, so does the new year.  Seed catalogues are like exciting novels full of endless potential combinations of beauty and life.  Planning for what we will grow this year, when and where,  engages the scientific, mathematic and artistic centers of thinking.  There are endless possibilities….

New baby calves will be born soon, as well as piglets, and baby chicks.  We will be cleaning out greenhouses, barns and pens awaiting the arrival of all of this new life.  The well-run diversified farm is something akin to an orchestra:  the animals and plants like the variety of musical instruments and the food like the beautiful music.  The winter months like the writing, rehearsals and practice.  When it is all organized and put together well, the arrival of spring time brings a beautiful symphony.  We are always striving to orchestrate for you a symphony of healthful eating!

Produce for January

Vermont Cranberry Beans,  Green Cabbage,  Beets,  Carrots,  Acorn Squash,  Butternut Squash,  Red and Yellow Onions,  Rutabaga,  Daikon Radishes

 

Pasta e Fagioli

1 Quart Vermont Cranberry beans

1-2 cups peeled, diced potatoes

2-3 sprigs rosemary minced

1 lb  orecchiette pasta or small shells

3 cloves garlic, minced

Rinse beans and soak in a large pot of water overnight.  Drain and add the beans back to the pot.  Cover with water.  Add sea salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender.  Strain the cooking water into another pot and put beans aside.  Add diced potatoes, rosemary and pasta to the hot water and  cook  until tender.   Add the beans back to the pot along with minced garlic.  Heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes.  Divide into serving bowls and drizzle with olive oil.  Adjust seasoning.

Time for a drink….quick before it freezes!

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Daikon radishes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch thick slices

Carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch thick slices

Rutabagas, scrubbed and cubed

onions, cut into wedges

Beets, scrubbed and cut into cubes

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Place all vegetables in a roasting pan and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil.  Sprinkle with sea salt, freshly ground pepper and minced garlic.  Place in a 400 degree oven and roast until veggies are tender.