Eight Mile Creek FarmJanuary 2019
Beannacht
A New Year Blessing
On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
To balance you.
And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The grey window
And the ghost of loss
Gets into you,
May a flock of colours,
Indigo, red, green
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.
When the canvas frays
In the currach of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.
May the nourishment of the earth be
yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be
yours,
May the protection of the ancestors
be yours.
And so may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.
John O’Donahue
Available from the Farm This Week
Green and Red Cabbage, Beets, Carrots, Yellow and Red Onions, Microgreens, Watermelon Radishes, Rutabaga
Eggs, Beef, Pork, Chicken
Warm Cabbage and Pear Salad
4 cups shredded or thinly sliced green cabbage
2 firm pears
1/4 cup brandy or cognac, optional
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp honey
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup crumbled or sliced Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup walnuts
Peel and core pears; cut into 1/2 inch slices. If desired, toss with brandy. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add cabbage, toss and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes. Add pears, water, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper to skillet, and stir to combine. Cook until liquid is evaporated, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl. Top with cheese and toasted walnuts. Serve warm or at room temperature with a good, crusty bread.
adapted from tasteofhome.com
Smashed Rutabaga with Apples and Ham
extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 1/2 lbs rutabaga, peeled, trimmed, and cut into chucks or wedges
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup diced cooked ham
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tart apples, peeled and cut into chunks
Put a nice glug of olive oil in a large skillet that has a lid and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and cook slowly to toast. Cook 5 minutes but do not burn. Arrange rutabaga and apples in pan in an even layer. Season with salt. Increase heat to medium and add 1/4 cup water. Cover. Steam until rutabaga and apples are tender, adding more water f pan gets dry. The whole process should take 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add ham and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Smash with potato masher or wooden spoon. Keep texture chunky. Adjust salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
from Six Seasons, by Joshua McFadden
I am reading your New Year’s blessing (Beannacht) once again on this night of blistering icy winds, and sending it back to you, a hundred miles north of Peekskill—an invisible cloak to mind your life. Keep safe, dear farmer!!!