Broadturn Farm

Parsnips and Eggs!
Springtime is yielding dozens upon dozens of delicious eggs. With the renovations at the house, the local traffic has lessened, and the eggs are piling up. We are encouraging our CSA members -- and anyone else-- to come to the farm to buy our famous lovingly laid eggs. To sweeten the deal we will be offering this week only a bunch of parsnips to go with a dozen eggs. These parsnips which we are harvesting out of the garden this week are really something amazing. Yesterday I boiled a pot of cut up
parsnips in water until they were soft. The taste is somewhere between boiled potatoes and boiled carrots. That would be enough for me to eat my fill, but these "spring dug" roots are more than that: with a touch of salt and pepper a taste of butter and maple syrup emerges. The starchiness of the parsnips have been slowly converted to sugars over the long winter, and they are just beginning to think about sprouting green leaves. The perfect lunch would include a couple of boiled eggs and a heap of boiled parsnips. (Since they are very fresh, boil the eggs in salted water to avoid the shells sticking to the whites)
Like the parsnips, the very soil of the garden is gearing up to produce a summer of vegetables. We will be planting cover crops this week, spreading compost, and pasturing those chickens out in the middle of the fallow acre. Here is a close up of some garlic which was planted last fall and is just now sprouting. Things are changing fast with the long sunny days. Come by and check out the early spring garden. It won't last long!
Also, thanks to everyone who voiced their support at our Town Council meeting. Town councilors unanimously agreed to approve the zoning change which will allow a truly diversified farm. We still have the hurdles of code enforcement, and planning board support; we'll keep you updated.
Blessings on the meal!
--John