Storing information

Hot Peppers:

Slice 'em up, remove the seeds, stick in a bag, and throw 'em into the freezer for later. They taste delicious in winter stews and chilis. If you would prefer hot pepper flakes, hang the peppers from a string or on a drying rack. Once they are completely shriveled up and dried, take them down and grind them up in a food processor. Just be careful not to breath in the pepper dust: It will send you into a sneezing fit. The Hungarian wax, the greenish-yellow peppers, don't work very well for drying, but the others will do fine.

Herbs:

Storing herbs is very simple; just hang them up to dry. They should do fine, as long as they are not hanging in a very humid area.

Winter Squash:

The four varieties of winter squash (butternut, buttercup, delicata and acorn) will keep through the winter if stored in a dry place, around 50-55 degrees. After we picked the squash, we placed them in the greenhouse for a week to harden the skins, so they should be fine. Just check them for soft spots periodically.

Storage cabbage:

To freeze cabbage: Cut into coarse shreds and blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water. Remove, drain, and chill. Pack into airtight containers and freeze up to one year. Once thawed, frozen cabbage will only work well in cooked applications. (from about.com)

To store whole cabbages, place in a cellar or cool place, around 32 degrees.

Kale:

You can freeze the kale by stripping the leaf from the stem and cramming it into a freezer bag. During the darkest days of winter the kale will make a nice addition to chilies, soups, curries, etc. The kale can even be used as a replacement for spinach and chard.

Feeling like fall

Hi Folks,

Oops, with school starting and the general craziness surrounding late August and September, we totally forgot to update the Blog.

School is in full swing. Students at Little River have picked apples, made apple cider, set up an archaeological site at Birdsfoot Farm and started their academic classes.

We have a few important details to relate: The Sustainable Living Project will be holding a fair at the Cooperative Extension Farm on Rte 68 outside of Canton on Sept. 25th and 26th. Mike will share the stage at a workshop about compost and the rest of the family will be managing our market stand at the fair.

The Remington Art Festival will be held on Oct. 2nd in the Canton park. Little River Students will be facilitating games for kids at the fest. We would welcome any ideas or participation.

Potato Salad

Greetings!

I tried to find several potato salad recipes that include a lot of the vegetables you will find in this week's box. One recipe is standard mayonnaise, and the other is a vinegar potato salad.

Mayonnaise Potato Salad

Ingredients:

* 3 pounds potatoes, cooked until just tender, cubed, cooled
* 5 or 6 hard cooked eggs, cooled, coarsely chopped
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped red onion (or 5 scallions, including greens)
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped celery, optional
* thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumber, for garnish, optional

Dressing:
* 3/4 cup mayonnaise (a little more or less, as desired)
* 1 to 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
* salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Combine potatoes, egg, onions, and celery. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. (Stir the mayonnaise and mustard in a little at a time, until you have the flavor and consistency you like.)
Top with thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumber, if desired.


Vinegar Potato Salad:

2 1/2 lbs. potatoes
5 scallions (chopped with some greens)
1/2 stick (1/4 c. butter)
1/4 c. white vinegar
2-3 tbsp. parsley (chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste

4 hard cooked eggs, chopped

Scrub potatoes, do not peel. Boil until just tender. Cool. Cut into bite size chunks. Combine with scallions. Refrigerate.

The day you plan to serve, combine butter with vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Simmer few minutes, then pour over potatoes. Add eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature. Chilling this recipe would make butter harden, you might substitute oil for butter to avoid this. Serves 8-10.


Enjoy!

Wine Cap Mushrooms are Ready

Hi Folks,

Mike has mushrooms available for sale! He has a patch of wine cap mushrooms growing in our lower garden space. A couple of months ago he laid down a layer of hardwood chips, spread the mushroom "stuff" on it and then placed a layer of wet straw on top of that. There are now white thread like mycilium in the layers and the wine caps are growing from that.

He had a small battle with slugs, but seems to have figured that out. There is now a moat of wood ashes around the patch. For the most part the slugs have been deterred.

The Wine Caps will be for sale at the Potsdam Farmer's Market at Deep Root Farm's stand. Deep Root CSA share holders, please let us know if you are interested in purchasing some mushrooms.

Next year, he will have shitake and oyster mushrooms available. They are growing in logs in our woods. The spores need to inoculate the logs and by late summer, next year they will be ready.

Here is some more wine cap info and a recipe:

Stropharia rugosoannulata (Wine Cap)

Delicious and often enormous, the Wine Cap pops up commonly in the hardwood woodchips used in landscaping mulch around trees and along tended pathways. This mushroom can be identified positively only in the presence of both the young and mature specimens. The buttons are sometimes but not always a Burgundian red wine color on top. When the veil is still closed over the immature gills, there is a coglike star pattern around the stem. In the mature fruiting bodies, the gills change from pink to a dark pinkish grey to grey brown color while the color of the cap lightens to a light brown to beige color. The spore print is purplish black in color.

I recommend eating only the young mushrooms of this species which are firm and bug free. The buttons of this species can reach 5-6” in diameter while still immature. They are meaty and rich and are well paired in meat sauces and sautés. When large, it can be cut into strips, brushed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sprinkled with herbs, salt and pepper and grilled to perfection.

Wine caps and cauliflower

Here's a side dish where the mild flavor of cauliflower offsets the stronger influences of the wild mushrooms and Indian seasonings. Wine-cap stropharia mushrooms have enough of a penetrating flavor to withstand the pungent spices.

2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 teaspoons garam masala or curry powder
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (1/4 teaspoon peppercorns)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 pounds cauliflower, broken into florets
2 1/2 cups sliced wine-cap stropharia mushrooms

1. Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garam masala, black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and black pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until the mustard seeds pop, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and cook the vegetables, stirring, for another 15 minutes, until the water from the mushrooms has evaporated.

Spiced Wine Caps

8 cups wine cap stropharia mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. almond oil or canola oil
2 tsp. water mint or other mint species, ground
1/2 tsp. nutmeg, ground
1 tsp. cardamon, ground
1 tsp. anise seeds, ground
1 tsp. salt
2 tbs. wineberry wine or red wine

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the mushrooms, and add the mushrooms, spices, and salt.

2. Cook on medium heat 5 minutes, stirring often.

3. When the mushrooms release liquid, add the wine and continue cooking another 10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed or evaporated, stirring often.

Wine Caps in Wine

12 cups wine cap stropharia mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tbs. olive oil
6 tbs. lemon juice or lime juice
6 tbs. oak leaf wine or white wine
1/2 tbs. nutmeg, ground
1/2 tbs. fennel seeds, ground
1/2 tbs. salt

1. Cook the mushrooms in the olive oil over medium heat 3-5 minutes or until they begin to release liquid.

2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer over low heat 15 minutes.

3. Uncover and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until all the liquid is evaporated or absorbed, about 5-10 minutes.

Kale Recipe

Kale

It is a bit early, but the kale is going crazy. Here are some sample recipes to try. Enjoy!

Roasted Kale with Sea Salt from healthycookingsuite101.com

• 4 cups firmly-packed kale
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. good-quality sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and trim the kale: Peel off the tough stems by folding the kale leaves in half like a book and stripping the stems off. Toss with extra virgin olive oil. Roast for five minutes. Turn kale over. Roast another 7 to 10 minutes until kale turns brown and becomes paper thin and brittle. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.

Garlicky Greens Recipe from 101 cookbooks.com

If you are using spinach ignore the stem instructions below. With spinach I simply trim any long stems. Also, feel free to make this vegan and/or dairy-free by leaving out the Parmesan cheese. Toasted almonds or pine nuts are a great substitution (or addition).

1 large bunch of kale, chard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
fine grain sea salt
5 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (opt)
crushed red pepper flakes

To de-stem each leaf of chard/kale, grab the main stalk in one hand and strip the leaf from the stem all the way up with the other. I then tear the big leaves into bite-sized pieces, but you can use a knife for this task if you prefer. Wash the greens in a big bowl (or sink) full of clean water, rinsing and swishing to rinse away any stubborn grit and dirt. Drain, rinse again, and set aside.

Hold off cooking the greens until just before eating. Then, in a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add a couple big pinches of salt and the greens. They should hiss and spit a bit when they hit the pan. Stir continuously until their color gets bright green, and they just barely start to collapse - two, three, maybe four minutes, depending on how hot your pan is and how much structure your greens have. Then, just thirty seconds before you anticipate pulling the skillet off of the heat, stir in the garlic. Saute a bit, remove the pan from the heat, stir in the Parmesan, and add a big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Taste, add a bit of salt if needed, and serve immediately if not sooner.

Cuke Dude visits Bonno Road

This is what farmers, who live off-grid, do for entertainment

Week Five and Counting

270 Bonno Road
Hi Folks,

Hard to believe another week has flown by. We just finished picking for the Tuesday boxes. You will find a fennel this week, as well as other veggies that you have not seen yet this season. Yes, I am including some links to recipes. You can use the bulb as well as the green feathery part (Ian actually likes the leaves the best and often comes down from the gardens with a frond in his mouth.)

Fantastic Fennel

By: Krista Winjum

The Whole Shebang

Related Links

• Porcini Pork Tenderloin
• Fennel in Wine and Honey
• Baked Fennel with Parmesan
• Garbanzos with Fennel
• Carrot and Fennel
• Andrew's Herb Risotto
• Fennel and Celery Root Casserole
• Insalata Cotta e Cruda
• Grilled Beets in Rosemary Vinegar
• Fennel Soup
• Fennel and Mustard Seed Chicken
• Sicilian Sausage Soup
• Gramma Good's Fennel Bread
• Fennel and Watercress Salad

One of the few plants where the roots, stalk, seeds, fronds and pollen are all used, fennel adds a new flavor twist to meals.

What’s That Flavor?

That unusual flavor in your meal could be fennel. Originating in the Mediterranean, then carried north from Italy by monks, it’s used in nearly every cuisine, flavoring dishes from Indian curries to French stews.

The Raw and the Cooked

The flavor of the bulb is more pronounced when used raw, and is refreshing in salads with citrus. Thick slices grill or bake beautifully, with the heat creating a more subtle and complex flavor.

Take It from the Top

Fennel fronds can substitute for dill, and the seeds are used for meat and baked goods or in spice mixes including Herbes de Provence, Chinese five spice powder and Indian curry powder.

Homestead Pictures

Our off grid homestead consists of 37, mostly forested, acres on the end of Bonno Road, a dirt road in Pierrepont, NY. We have several gardens cultivated in between the forested areas. Our family uses sustainable practices to produce our veggies. Compost is a main ingredient in our soil. The blackberries are growing wild throughout the woods. We will harvest those and bring them to farmers market, when they are ready. MacKenzie and Ian love the sugar snap peas!

Here is a collard recipe as promised, from RecipeZaar.com:

Ingredients

• 3 cups collard greens
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic from a jar)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. 1

   Use a sharp knife to cut out the central rib and stem from each collard leaf. Rinse the leaves in a sink of cool water, lifting them into a colander to drain a bit (you want some water to remain on the leaves).

2. 2

   Toast the pine nuts over medium heat in a dry skillet for about 5 minutes or until golden.

3. 3

   Shake the pan often to keep the pine nuts from burning. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.

4. 4

   Place the garlic and oil in a large skillet, and saute over medium heat for 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant.

5. 5

   Add the damp collards and stir, then cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes longer.

6. 6

   Add the raisins and pine nuts, and stir. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.

7. 7

   Stir in the balsamic vinegar, cover, and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Week Three: Another Recipe and More Pictures

Hi all,

We just finished picking for the Tuesday CSA boxes and discovered a lot of herbs and peas. I am posting a recipe that I found on-line that uses: your shallot scallions, snap peas, dill, and radishes. Hope you enjoy it.


Sauteed Radishes and Snap Peas with Dill

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 12 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed, strings removed
• 2 cups thinly sliced radishes (about 1 large bunch)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon dill seeds
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Preparation

This side dish would pair beautifully with roast lamb or salmon. To remove strings from fresh peas, just snap off the stem end and pull string lengthwise down each pod. Melt butter with oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add sugar snap peas and radishes; sauté until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add orange juice and dill seeds; stir 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped dill. Transfer to bowl; serve.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Radishes-and-Sugar-Snap-Peas-with-Dill-109402#ixzz0sA83RL00

Kolhrabi: How to Eat it.

So. Kolhrabi, the alien vegetable that shares an uncanny resemblance to "Wilson the volleyball" from the Tom Hank's film Castaway. Believe it or not, this thing is edible.

Here are several recipes and links to get you started on your Great Kohlrabi Adventure.

ROASTED KOHLRABI

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 4 (smallish servings since roasted vegetables shrink so much)

1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic (garlic is optional, to my taste)
Salt
Good vinegar

Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. (The kohlrabi can be tossed with oil and seasonings right on the pan but uses more oil.) Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven (it needn't be fully preheated) and roast for 30 - 35 minutes, stirring every five minutes after about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably at the table so the kohlrabi doesn't get squishy).

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 64 Cal (45% from Fat, 12% from Protein, 44% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 8 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb 4; 31 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 23 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

Here is a website that offers some background information, along with recipes:http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/kohlrabi.html


...and here is a little bit of Kohlrabi nutritional info. http://www.ehow.com/about_5108248_kohlrabi-nutrition-information.html

Incredible Diversity

Hi folks,

We have just finished picking for our first week. The Tuesday and Friday boxes have the same contents and amounts. We were pretty proud of the diversity and bulk for our first week.
Hope everyone has tried and enjoyed the salad dressing recipes. Someone mentioned that they were not sure how to use Swiss Chard. I am including a couple of recipes in this blog.

Next weeks box should be pretty similar. We are hoping the peas start coming along. The plants grew huge, but took a while to get some peas on the vines.

I am getting ready for a board meeting at Little River. We are hosting several other alternative school teachers, from around the country, that are on the National Coalition for Alternative Community Schools, board. They will be eating plenty of fresh veggies.

Here are two chard recipes I found at Cooks.com. Play around with these basic ideas and see what you get. Have fun! If anyone has suggestions or recipes, pass them on!

SWISS CHARD OR SPINACH PIE

2 1/4 lbs. Swiss chard or 2 1/2 lbs. spinach 6 eggs 2 1/2 or 3 dry onions, sliced, sauteed in 1/4 c. olive oil until soft 2 bunches green onions, chopped 1 1/2 lb. feta cheese, crumbled 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. white pepper 1/2 tsp. dill (optional) 1 lb. filo 3 squares butter, melted 1/4 c. olive oil Mix oil and melted butter together after butter has cooled. Clean and wash Swiss chard or spinach, drain, dry completely. Chop Swiss chard or spinach, green onions, put in large mixing bowl with the sauteed onions. Add crumbled cheese, Parmesan, add slightly beaten eggs to mixture, white pepper and dill. Mix well. Grease an 11 1/2 x 17 1/2 inch baking pan with butter and oil mixture. Add 6 pastry sheets on bottom of greased pan, spread each with the oil and butter mixture, sprinkle with the Swiss chard or spinach mixture alternating the pastry sheets and spinach or Swiss chard mixture. Cover with 6 individually buttered sheets. Pour the remaining butter and oil on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool and cut in squares.

PASTA WITH BITTER GREENS AND CHICK - PEAS

12 oz. pasta (bow ties or ziti) 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 sm. onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes 1 carrot, finely chopped 2 tbsp. Italian parsley, minced 1/4 c. tomato paste 1 (15 oz.) can chick peas, drained 1 lb. assorted bitter greens, such as arugula, Swiss chard, or kale, coarsely chopped Salt and freshly ground pepper Freshly grated Parmesan cheese Cook pasta according to directions. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, garlic, pepper flakes, carrot, and parsley. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Add the tomato paste, chick peas, greens, and 1 cup of water. Add the tomato paste, chick peas, greens, and 1 cup of water. Toss well; cover and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until greens are wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta and toss well. Yield: 4 servings.

Cooking Class Anyone?

Hello,

I was having a brainstorm the other day...some people have mentioned to me that they would like to learn how to preserve produce from the garden. My mind jumped immediately to the fact that the knowledge from my Grandmother's generation is nearly extinct. People in previous generations survived, literally, from local (if not self) production of most everything they used or needed in their everyday life.

Many people are amazed when I tell them that most everything my family eats comes from a local source, is preserved by us, or is baked or cooked by Mike, the kids or me. Unfortunately, coffee, chocolate and Indian spices will never (at least, hopefully, in my lifetime) grow in Northern NY. Oranges, pineapples and MacKenzie's favorite, grapefruit, will also forever be tropical fruits. So, there are a few purchases made from the grocery store. Almost, everything else is either grown on our land or by people we know. In short, we cook and thrive on the knowledge that we know how to feed ourselves wholesome, healthful food. Ian and MacKenzie will go out into the world with this knowledge to pass onto another generation.


So back to the brainstorm, I was thinking it would be fun to offer cooking classes, to teach people how to cook with basic, non-processed, unboxed ingredients. I would offer a class in late June or early July to teach folks how to use fresh veggies from the garden at the height of the season. There would be a canning class in August, to demystify the pressure canning process. Many folks have told me they are truly frightened of the pressure canner because of some story they heard about their grandmother or great grandmother having one blow up. Todays canners are so much safer. If used properly, there are no worries. I would hold a third class in the late fall to show folks how to use the food they have on hand in their kitchens, that has been preserved from the harvest or purchased in bulk.

I need some feedback, now. Is this a good idea? How many people would sign up? Let's start a dialog.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Maria

Farmers Markets

Zen Garden Gate

This coming Saturday, May 15th, is the grand opening of the Potsdam Farmer's Market. The market has moved,this year, to the back of the parking lot next to Ives Park.

Up until Saturday when it got cold and snowed on the gardens, again, we had planned to have quite a selection (for early May) available for sale.

We will have: wild leeks, rhubarb, mint, chives and eggs for sure. We were hoping for radishes and lettuce. Unless it gets really hot in the next few days, don't count on those.

See you at Market

Are you kidding?

These are our girls. We have 14 chickens, that produce
an average of 10 eggs every day.

Hi Folks,

Everything was moving along nicely; lettuce, spinach and peas were poking their first leaves through the soil. We were even feeling a bit complacent. "Hey, this is easy. We plant, the seeds grow, we weed and water, everything is good."

Then BAM, 14 inches of snow in Pierrepont! In the middle of April, no less! A blanket of white covered our garden, the lawn and our forest. Trees were bent nearly in half, some branches broke from the weight. The trip 'down' the hill from home to Canton was surreal. There was definitely less on the CSA garden at Farmer Bill's. But, it was still snow.


Of course, some people call it poor man's fertilizer. That may be true; the plants certainly didn't seem to mind. They actually looked taller and greener, once the snow melted. It certainly was a downer though. Everyone was grumpy and grumbly. The kids at Little River spent Tuesday and Wednesday inside during break. They were not happy to be stuck in the school and the teachers were not excited that they had no outlet for their rambunctious energy.

The good news, it will be in the 60's today and in the 70's by Saturday!

The challenges of growing in the North Country. You gotta love it!

A brief update (and pictures!)

The last couple of weeks have seen Mike and I, (Ian), rototillin' preppin' rows, buildin' our washstand, and rototillin' some more. Besides the two or three days thirty-degree days, we have had beautifull working conditions; upper eighties, sunny skies...let's hope the rest of the farming season is this nice!
The garlic is about four inches high already, and we've already planted peas, spinach and lettuce.

Spring in Sight?

Hello Folks,

As we drive around the North Country, we can see signs of spring. Snow is nearly melted, sun is shining, sap buckets are hanging and people look happy to be outside. Then we drive back up to Bonno Rd and there is still at least a foot of snow on the ground. Oh well, at least the buckets are hanging collecting liquid gold and the sun is shining. Our batteries have been fully charged for the last week. What a good feeling after a winter of cloudy skies.

We have made a bit over a gallon of syrup, so far. Yesterday there was a bumper crop of sap. Mike collected 15 gals! The syrup is amazing this year; so incredibly sweet. It always tastes better when it comes from your own trees.

Mike is starting to work over at Farmer Bill's. He cut a tree today to get more sunshine on the gardens. He'll be in the greenhouse planting, soon.

The number of days left in the school year are dwindling fast. The kids at Little River have gone from sledding to running around the field during break time. Spring fever is definitely in the air. Attention spans are dwindling almost as fast as the number of days.

Enjoy the sun and warmth.
Maria

Hunger in the North Country

Hi Folks,

Last Thursday a group of like minded individuals met at St Lawrence University to discuss the growing problem of hunger in the North Country.

It was officially entitled: Democracy in Action: No Politics just Service and the theme was: Hunger in the North Country.

The conference was attended by farmers, an official from the DSS Food Stamps division, food pantry leaders, free will dinner organizers, SLU students, GardenShare representatives, UShare garden organizers and members of the general public who have an interest in creating solutions for the growing problem of hunger in the North Country.

We defined a few of the contributing factors to the problem of hunger here in St. Lawrence County. The first issue was resistance to receiving help. Many people are eligible for food stamps and other assistance, but are leery of the bureaucratic process. The second issue is transportation. There are many people who do not have access to transportation. There is a bus service, however the schedule has not proven very reliable. The third issue is lack of jobs and the fourth is the jobs that are available are generally low income.

The conference was divided into four tables: farmers, food pantry, free-will dinners and meals on wheels. After listening to Brian Bennett, a local farmer, talk about his vision. There was then a panel of five community leaders who answered questions from the student facilitators. At the end, each of the tables discussed solutions for the identified problems.

When it came to brain storming solutions many people had many ideas. Here are a few: we agreed that the organizations that work to help the neediest in our county are doing a great job. They, however, need more support from the community in the form of volunteers. The Free-Will dinner organizers can help the U-Share garden folks with the late harvest and can then use the food in their meals. The idea of canning and freezing surplus for later use was raised. To help with the transportation issue: it was suggested that those of us who have cars and use them regularly, take the bus more often. This would increase ridership and help the schedulers work out routes that work for more people. One thought that continually returned was the dichotomy of being rural, some see benefits others see the problems of being a rural community. Some thought being rural highlighted the isolation of people. Others see being rural an asset because it can create community and connections.

This session was just the beginning. It highlighted the number of people in the community who are dedicated to solving the problem.

If you are interested in joining this conversation or have time to volunteer...contact us and we can provide more information.

Take care all,
Maria

Snow!!!

Hello everyone,

Snow, snow and more snow. It has snowed almost everyday for the last ten days and it is still snowing! Hard to think about gardening while you are shoveling snow!

The one bonus: the ski trails are beautiful at our house. I am getting much better, as a novice skier, hills are my nemesis. The last three times out, I did not fall once. And yes, I did go down hills! I guess the other bonus is the gorgeous sight that meets the eyes every morning as the day dawns. Monochromatic is the best way to describe it. Everything is white.

I read in the local paper that maple syrup season may start early because of the warm daytime temperatures. With all of the new snow, I don't think that will be happening. Mike and Ian are ready to get out there and tap our few trees. We generally make about three gallons of our own. It is a smalltime operation. We tap about 10-15 trees the old fashioned way with metal taps and metal pails that have covers on them.

Our land was a sugar bush back in the day. When we purchased it, there was an old log boiling house. It had not been used in decades and was rotting into the ground. Mike tore it down and used the tin roofing to cover wood piles that dot our forest. It is amazing to know that the trees we tap were the same ones tapped 50 years ago. There are some old beauties growing close to our house. If trees could talk, they would have amazing stories to tell.

After the sap is gathered for the day, Mike builds a fire outside to start the boiling process. He has a large metal pan that is placed over the flames. As the sap boils, more is added to the pan. After several hours of boiling, the sap gets closer to syrup. We bring the pan inside and place it on the gas burner to finish off. There are scientific tools used to determine when it is syrup. We use a less perfect method. Sometimes we get syrup that is a bit watery, other times a little thick, occasionally it is just right. You may already know, it takes 30 or more gallons of sap to get one gallon of syrup. And you wondered why maple syrup is soooo expensive!

We have written the contract for the CSA and the list of veggies that will be available during the season. I will be sending those by email to the folks who have already indicated they will be signing up for the 2010 season. Please fill them out and send them back to us.

Enjoy the snow and remember, fresh veggies will be on your table before you know it.

Take care all,
Maria

mid-winter

Hello Everyone,

Last Saturday many friends (too many to count, but I am guessing around 60) made their way down Bonno Rd to our home for a celebration of Mid-Winter. Some were celebrating their love of the season, others were feeling grateful that it is half over.

When we woke up it was seventeen degrees below zero. Mike went to run the Colton ten-miler. It had warmed up to fifteen below by the time he left at 7:45.

I made two big pots of soup, squash and bean. Everyone that walked down the driveway carried their skis, sleds and food. Our table was groaning from the load of delicious contributions. Several varieties of cookies fought for space with the rice pudding and mac and cheese to name just a few dishes.

There was plenty of outside activity. Despite our warning of too little snow, "suicide hill" was a popular destination. It is a hill down the side of a cliff, beside our house. The big dip and then bump in the middle provide a jarring ride. Ian discovered that by a certain age your tail bone does not appreciate the rocky (literally) ride down. The younger crowd didn't have a problem.

Mike has cleared the ski trails this year. We have several small loops through the woods. Our land abuts the State Forest on two sides. We consider those acres ours, as well, during ski season. Two years ago, we had a significant storm blow through our forest. It broke many trees in half and uprooted others directly into our trail system. Some of the trees were humongous; they were to big to get your arms around.

On Saturday, several folks snapped on their skis or snowshoes and wandered through the forest. It was great to see so many people outside having fun.

The house felt pretty warm from the cook stove going full blast to get the soup and hot chocolate warm and from all of the body heat generated by our guests. We actually let the big wood stove burn down to ash.

Conversations were swirling around me as I stirred and ladled soup and hot chocolate. Two guests got their hands into the dishpan to wash the bowls that were piling up on the side of the sink. One was Mike's mom, Bonnie; we can't keep her out of our sink, when there are dirty dishes around.

At one point I looked into our shop, which is the entry into our house, it looked like a boot and coat factory had exploded. I don't know how everyone managed to find the items they came with. As everyone was leaving, I was running down the driveway in my Berks and t-shirt holding up items left behind. In the end, I only had three things to return to their owners.

What a great time! This was our third annual Mid-Winter gathering. We are looking forward to our fourth.

It is hard to believe that Mike, Ian and Bill will be starting our plants in another month or so. We will also be seeking out more share-holders for the CSA. For those of you all ready signed up, we will be sending out a mailing soon letting you know about payment options as well as a veggie preference list. I will try to personalize each of our shares this year, so you get more of what you like and less of what you don't.

Maple season is next. Stay tuned...

Take care all,

Maria

Welcome to Deep Root CSA!

Hello!

As you may know, the Corse family, (Mike, Maria, Ian and Mackenzie), will be growing, washing and distributing the CSA this coming year (2010) at Farmer Bill and Annie's. Even though we may be the new operators, we don't plan on changing the CSA that much. Shareholders will still receive a banana box full of veggies each week. We will also be offering half shares. 23 shares will be available, currently we have room for 14 more shareholders.

A little bit about us:
We live in Pierrepont on a 37 acre, solar powered homestead. Mike recently left his job to work our land and garden. Maria is a teacher at Little River Community School and plans on spending her summers washing and weeding veggies. Ian has been working at Farmer Bill and Annie's for three summers, and relishes his opportunity to be his parent's teacher. MacKenzie will also assist in weeding/washing. She is looking forward to earning money.

You can contact is with any questions, comments, suggestions,(or showers of praise, etc., etc.) by email: mariacorse@gmail.com, or phone: 379 0196 (home), or 379 9474 (little river)

Happy Eating!

The Corse Family