Milk-face-book appropriate Ludditism

Well, the changing of the seasons brings many new things to the farm. But never this:

Yes... Tonight at the dinner table sat Emma, Flora, myself (John), and Stacy with 127 of her friends. I have never made apologies for our use of computer technology on the farm. Many folks know that we have not had a TV since the X-Files, and i-Pods still come and go with our interns. But yes, I call it appropriate Ludditism: we have a blog, we rely on Google Earth for mapping out field rotations and work patterns around the farmstead. I'm not sure if the line I feel we have crossed is "entertainment" or perhaps its because its not me, but Stacy that has taken the plunge into Facebook, but it does irk me. I have fiddled around with Facebook(don't "Friend" me), and Twitter (don't "Follow" me), mostly wrapped into the tangled web because I try to stay up-to-date with organizations (professional organizations mind you); and I have found myself guardedly unready to commit more than a couple minutes to it. Anyway, I don't plan on Blogging about my feelings about Facebook, but I'll leave it with a link to this article I just came across, about a recent study . And Stacy, (this is a message for you, sweetheart) we are neither "urban" or "wealthy", nor are we -as the article says- in the over-50-crowd.
On to other topics: Milk! Now, as lax as Maine's raw milk regulations are, we are-- based on our small small small scale, not allowed to advertise milk for sale at our farm.

Let me just say that especially as our interns prepare to depart for the season, milk is in abundance. Ask one of us if you want in on it. Or call us: 329-3840 is my number. Also, as time goes on, this little one: Chik-a-chik-a-calf-a-lina (as he is called) will drink less and less milk and so there will be more and more milk for us humans.

Our milk benefactor: Blackberry.

And if you happen to drive away with a gallon or a half, let me explain the message that may be written on the foil:

It has become somewhat of a tradition to write not only the date of when the milk was poured, but also a little note about what is going on at the farm, or personally what the milker is thinking. On Sunday Stacy was cleaning out our attic, and I had come home from a concert in Boston at which I felt a bit like a fish out of water... Ok folks, the irony here is not lost on me, that this is nothing short of a Twitter posting-- even more brief and pointless. Why do you want to know this stuff? Why do you want to what Stacy looked like in 1984?
Why? because Broadturn Farm is a farm of the future! Check out this Vermont farm: Pete's Greens. Truly a leader in local community farming.
Oh yeah, you DO want to know THIS:
The Harvest
Lettuce
Broccoli Raab
Broccoli -or- Cabbage
Potatoes
Onions
Baby Beets
Celery
Salad Radishes
Spaghetti Squash
Cilantro
Fennel

OK, see you Friendster-- oh dang-- I mean Facebook.
(by the way if you didn't understand anything in this posting, don't worry, you didn't miss much. I'm talking to you, Mom.)
Blessings on the meal.
John

Addendum by Stacy:
I do admit to a burst of addictive behavior getting re-acquainted with dear childhood friends. (BTW...that photo with the super-large zucchini came at a time when I was trying to wear my hair feathered/shagged like Jodie Foster....this was after the Dorthy Hamill and before the 80's Big Hair look) And, I apologize to my children for feeding them boxed Annie's Mac and Cheese in my frenzy to accommodate my addiction this week. MY NAME IS STACY AND I'M ADJUSTING TO BEING A FACEBOOKAHOLIC . At any rate, short of offending my friends in recovery and hashing out relationship issues with our customers in view, I invite you all, and Johnny, to join Broadturn Farm on Facebook....an experiment in connecting all of you we see but who don't always see each other. You all have offered so much to us and my hope is we can all share that wisdom, wit and most importantly...those recipes in this new-to-me format.
Blessings on the meal (even if I was on FB while cooking)-
Stacy

First Frost

A quick glance at the pasture from the hallway window reveals a certain dullness; the grasses bent over and slightly gray. It's the hard evidence on the cars in the driveway that let me know that frost has arrived at the farm. This is the top of the truck with full fledged ice crystals.

Then I run around to the garden to see where else the 32 degrees touched down. (Yes, this is a little bit like Christmas morn' to me and Stacy!) When the frost happens on a still and windless night, and you see it first thing in the morning you can tell how the cold lay down over the ground like a blanket, not quite touching everything, with pockets of wet dew and tender plants still alive. At dawn, however, it can be deceptive: tender plants like this squash are green and alert. But once the sun thaws the ice crystals the cell walls of the plant collapse and a whole field of squash will go from green to black and brown.

The same plant later...

Most, but not quite all of the basil has bit the dust. There may still be time to salvage some for pesto.

Lettuce is fairly frost tolerant depending on the variety. We will drag out the row covers for the next few weeks until the first "freeze" sets in.

The Harvest:
Lettuce
Arugula
Chard
Onions
Fingerling Potatoes
Peppers/Eggplant
Cabbage/Broccoli
Carrots
Delicotta
Parsley
Daikon Radish
Soybeans

Fresh Soybeans are also known as Edamame. Quickly blanch the beans and take the peas out of the pods, sprinkle them with salt or soy sauce, and snack away.
Delicotta squash is one of our favorites. Back in June when there was no end to the rain, we had our doubts about all of the winter squash. We went ahead and seeded only the shortest season squash, including buttercup, butternut, spaghetti squash, baby blue hubbard and delicotta. We managed to get these varieties to barely produce enough to satisfy. But no pumpkins this year, along with a few other varieties that will have to wait till next year.

Agrarian Roots

We are often graced with stories from guests at the farm. The most remarkable aspect to this storytelling to me is the theme. There must be an element of inspiration associated with a visit to the farm the musters a recollection about agrarian roots. Most everyone has them, some more recently than others. Sometimes, the smell of the hay in the barn is enough to elicit a story about loading hay into a horse drawn wagon as a boy. Other times, the sight and smell of "real tomatoes" stirs up a memory about a mother or grandmother's garden and the sauce she use to put up for the winter. And always, the site of a full pail of fresh milk draws out the childhood memory of growing up on a dairy farm up country.

I love these stories. I love this history. I even love the stories about the condo dweller's upside down tomato plant and the weekly check in about it's status with regard to late blight. This is conversation that unites us as farmers, gardeners, eaters. Mostly, it is a true testament to how powerful our senses are at lighting a memory strong enough for us to share. Those five senses of smell, taste, touch, sight and sound can draw out a memory that when translated to story is always appreciated. When the days are hectic and the work is intense, it is these stories shared by the grandfather of the bride at a wedding we are hosting, a hunter stopping by in the beginning of bow season to check in, or a customer at the Farmer's Market that strengthen the thread connecting us. At the risk of sounding like a total romantic, I often have to hide a little emotion, being an easy crier. John teases me, but I even get teary listening to Obama. Go figure.

This week's harvest:

Lettuce
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Beets
Leeks
Tomatillos
Hot peppers
Bell Peppers
Melons
Salad Radishes
Mizuna
Cabbage

A word about the melons: Remember that rain? Well, we had a hard time getting the melon seeds to germinate and then an even harder time getting the melons to grow. Melons need warm temps and warm soil to thrive. Our climate is borderline for melon growing and this season did not provide variables that were easy to maneuver. The cold summer threatened the crop but we were able to produce a tasting of melon. There are a few different varieties, but not enough for everyone to try each type. Also, we had to cut some of the largest melons in half to stretch the tasting for everyone. Again, thanks for your understanding!!!!

As for the other curcubits in the garden, the winter squash, they are still flowering and growing as we await the first frost that will kill off the plants. We keep a steady ear to the weather report in preparation for the frost.

Some families have asked how long we will be distributing produce this year. It is our hope to have the season extend to the last week in October. This will depend somewhat on the success of the winter squash and the frost date.

As the frost date approaches, we open the garden to gleaning of certain crops (basil among them) for folks who would like to be able to put up some extras. We will make a grand announcement here on the blog about the gleaning and hope you are able to take advantage of some of the extras for your winter pantry. One of the easiest is basil pesto. Follow your favorite recipe for pesto, pack into ziploc bags or freezer safe jars and set in your freezer for a winter treat! I make pesto with a food processor, garlic, lots of basil, olive oil and nuts (walnut or pine). I add the cheese when we serve the pesto.

Every year we distribute tomatillos. In my experience, these guys are good for one thing.....salsa verde. Peel the skin, place on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven until they are mushy. Then, place the roasted tomatillos, along with garlic, cilantro, lime juice, salt and some hot pepper into a food processor. You can pack and freeze this the same way as the pesto.

Last year, I made a wonderful sauerkraut with some late season cabbage and my family loved it. The recipe was easy to follow and came from the Internet. The basic ingredients are salt and water and a suitable jar. The work was minimal but the product held well in our refrigerator for a few weeks (it didn't take long for us to consume it all).

Hope you are enjoying the cool nights and warm days at your house.

Blessings on the meal,
Stacy and John

New Ground

We have turned up the ground in the Fogg Brook hay field across Hanson Road. These two new acres will host many of our crops next year. That will make for a much longer commute for us-- nearly 500 feet to the lettuce patch!
As we round out our third year at Broadturn Farm we are approaching our goal of six acres in cultivation, with half in vegetable crops and half in soil-building cover crop rotation. That means that three acres in any given year will be not be growing vegetables. But it does not necessarily mean that the land (or it's stewards) are "resting". On the contrary, we still work the land growing cover crops. Like lifting weights or running sprints before a race, our goal in cover cropping is to keep land primed for production by growing crops with lots of organic matter and home-grown nitrogen so that in the following year, the soil is healthy and well fed for a year of vegetables. Keep a look out for newly sprouting rye, oats, and vetch. (And, not to be too demanding-- can we order-up some rain to help germinate those seeds.)

This is the edge of the plowed field, called the "dead furrow" because it is empty of soil. A newly plowed field is a beautiful thing; like a frozen ocean of small waves. The dead furrow is like the mysterious place in the middle of the ocean where all waves must come from.

This is where the dead furrow comes from-- a double bottom plow borrowed from John Snell. Steel, shiny, sharp. Another beautiful thing.

The bees are doing well-- finally. It is the way the rest of the farm has been this summer: The rain made them hungry and grouchy. Even if they did like to fly in the wet weather, they would not have found too much blossoming. Now we have had some bright dry days and they are trying to make up for June and July.

This is a picture of about a dozen worker bees and in the middle: a big drone bee. He will be kicked out of the hive in the next few weeks. He has been free-loading off the hard working females all summer and now, as cold weather approaches, they will loose patience and he'll get the boot. You can see these large honeybees lolly-gagging around the farm. They don't sting, so you can actually handle them without getting zapped. Maybe you have a spare couch in your house or apartment where they can hang out this winter...

The harvest:
Lettuce
celery
fennel
parsley
tomatoes
potatoes
cucumbers
leeks
carrots
chard
green peppers
broccoli

The chicken harvest with herbs, veggies. Two gallons of stock in our freezer. Who wants to come over this winter for some chicken soup?

One last thing: A mist-made rainbow. Early in the morning during the lettuce harvest. I've never seen this, so I shamefully ran for the camera.
Blessings on the meal
John and Stacy