MERRY CHRISTMAS

Naturally from our farm to your home we extend our heartfelt Christmas blessings for the coming days and a New Year filled with unending hope, respect, and understanding for our family, friends, neighbors and people we meet by chance.

We will continue to celebrate real food, for as long we can, and go forth with ongoing respect for the land and individuals, taking responsibility for ourselves, our decisions and the risks we encounter with each of those choices, and rejoice and give thanks every evening as we turn out the lights.

What else can one do but take responsibility for ourselves, apply our faith to every step we take, and continue to "hope for tomorrow?"

Merry Christmas and God bless all of you!!!
Michael and Deb

SLEEPING LAND

Wells Creek valley, where Sol 'N Tyne is nestled, is now 'sleeping' and 'resting' under a blanket of 20 inches of snow we received this past weekend.  We take this time to be thankful, plan ahead, and contemplate our past season until the cycle starts over in a few short months.

NOBLE

OPPORTUNITY

Every once in awhile opportunities come along worth taking a more in depth look at.  This little opportunity is only eight weeks old and been here less than 24 hours and has succesfully wormed her way onto our bed and couch, much to Amber Jo's chagrin. 

 We welcome the newest addition to the Sol 'N Tyne crew - our list of names are too many to pick the absolutely right one, but she could potentially be Daisy Mae.



Belly deep, but it's that kind of day!



 This little charmer comes from mixed heritage.  Her momma, Annie, is a 75 pound purebred Black Lab was just too sweet for her daddy, Hank, a 150 pound purebred Bernese Mountain Dog, to resist.



Cuz she arrived on the biggest snow of the season,
she begged Michael for a ride.

 But we get to take advantage of this little mishap because we love labs and Bernese, aka Berners, were bred to farm dogs. They take care of dairy cattle, kids, and pull carts.

Amber Jo taking advantage while she can!

 Now how can a person go wrong with that combination!  We want to thank Rusty and Kelly for the opportuity to welcome this little (soon to be bigger) wonder of doggy love.

JELLIES OUT THE DOOR

Today the last shipment of jellies heads out the door Christmas bound!  Thank you to all and with blessings we send our homemade goodies your way! 

BLACK BEAN AND ROASTED SWEET POTATO TOSTADA

We made this recently and on these cold Minnesota days and nights it was fulfilling on many levels.

Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Tostadas

(modified from the Culinate Kitchen Collection)

Serves 4

Ingredients
Organic Vegetable Oil (we used Spectrum Organic Olive Oil)
3 small to medium organic sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch size cubes (about 3 cups total)
Salt
1 small organic yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup total)
3 cups cooked organic black beans (if using canned beans be sure to buy beans in BPA free cans)
1 tsp ground cumin (for our taste it took much more cumin)
8 prepared tostada shells (or fried-until-crisp corn tortillas) (try to find the ones with the least amount of ingredients)
2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese (we substituted Goat cheese for the flavor and added health benefits.)
1 cup fresh organic cilantro leaves, washed and dried
Prepared green or chipotle salsa or hot sauce (we used our 2010 homemade hot salsa)
1 organic lime, cut into wedges



Photo Courtesy of Culinate

 1)  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2)  On a large baking sheet pour enough oil to create a thin film.  Place the sweet potato cubes on the pan, cover with a big pinch of salt, toss to coat with the oil, then spread out in a single layer.  Roast the sweet potatoes in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes until cooked through and light brown.  Set aside the cooked potatoes and lower the over temp to 350 degrees.

3)  Meanwhile, add enough oil to coat the bottom of a medium saucepan.  Saute the onion until soft and starting to brown.  Add the black beans along with some of the cooking liquid (if using canned beans, drain and rinse them first) or water, about 1/2 cup.  Add the cumin and salt to taste.  Bring to a boil, then simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Just before spreading the tostada shells, roughly mash the beans with a potato masher (this will keep them from rolling off the tortillas.)

4)  To prepare the tostadas, place tostada shells on one or two large baking sheets.  Divide the beans among the 8 tortillas and top with the grated cheese and roasted sweet potatoes.  Bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and everything is hot.

5)  Just before eating top each tostada with cilantro, salsa, or hot sauce and a squeeze of lime.

COOKS NOTES:
We do our best to use organic, fresh ingredients for health and environmental reasons.  When we have to resort to canned ingredients we make sure they are in BPA free cans (WHY AVOID BPA). We did not use tostada's or tortilla's (mostly because we forgot to get them) but substituted Kettle Black Bean chips and spread them onto the bottom of a glass baking pan and spread the bean mixture over the top and baked.  In our culinary opinion - we approve and will top with avocado's the next go round.

FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!

It's been really bugging me.  Food.  Obsessing about it, ruminating about it, lamenting about it,  always turning "food" over and over in my head.  The reason - how important it is.  Isn't it one of the major reasons we get up in the morning?  If we didn't have to eat - would we have to work?  Maybe not as hard - shelter is the next reason we get up in the morning and go to work.  There are others, but FOOD is our fuel.  Like the gas we put in our car or truck.  If you put in bad gas, does your car let you know?  Oh ya. 

So why would we put anything less than real food in our bodies?  It's our fuel.  We ARE WHAT WE EAT.  And boy do I know.  I'm no different than the average person - when I get busy I get lazy and don't eat the way I should and I PAY THE PRICE.  I feel like crap, don't have any energy, ache, muscles hurt, stomach hurts, bad gas (TMI), headaches, coughing up icky stuff (again TMI), but as soon as I start eating real food, all is well.  Duh. 



NOT REAL FOOD

 What is real food?  Food that has been grown or raised in a natural or organic environment, as close to it's roots or mother it can get, not packaged or preserved.  Organic fresh veggies, organic fresh fruit, organic eggs, organic meat and fish, organic legumes, organic grains.

Eating real food is more than staying away from fast foods, it is avoiding as much processed food as possible and consuming mainly fresh and local food.

In Minnesota we have a relatively short growing season.  So there is a challenge to eat fresh and local during these long, snowy months, but we can and in the relative ease category - it can be a challenge.  All-in-all eating healthy appears to be more expensive and appears to be more time consuming.  At least that has been my experience, but then I am not the most organized person all the time. BUT  if we compare the savings in what we reduce in doctor's fees and cost of medication the initial cost and of eating real food is insignificant.

 BUT (there is that inevitable BUT) the paybacks are huge!!!  More physical energy, more mental energy, better health (I know of this person who dropped her health insurance and saved herself over $100,000 during her life time and has never had to go to the doctor due to the way she eats - she's well into her 80's now), did I say more energy?  Yes endless, boundless energy and health by making a conscious decision to change the most important thing we do every day - put fuel in our bodies.

Fresh carrot juice in the morning along with organic steel cut oats topped with organic blueberries and organic milk, raw if you like.  Then for lunch an organic spinach salad and top your day off at dinner time with an organic black bean, organic sweet potato tostada.  Lots of water, ten 8 ounce glasses!  All those super foods and water to flush!  Ha - no pun intended.

Reorganize, reprioritize and take a step toward a healthier lifestyle.  Like absolutely everything we do - it takes effort, a conscious decision to not be a burden to society or your family, we stumble, we slip, and we fall and like when we were kids we get back up and keep going!  What's important?  Being healthy for the ones you love or owning the newest, fancy gadget you  just saw on TV?  Think what it would be like if when you got up in the morning - you didn't have to take medication, your body didn't ache, and you just naturally bounded out of bed!!!!  FOOD!  Can you see now why I've been rolling it over and over and over in my head?

MAJESTY

SOL 'N TYNE'S 2011 CSA

Get em while they are hot and available.  We have a limited number of shares/memberships available for the 2011 growing season.  Please refer to our page CSA - 2011 for complete details. 

We encourage ANY and ALL questions.  More information about CSA's can be obtained by clicking on the following links - CSA - WHAT IS IT?, TOP 10 REASONS TO BE A MEMBER OF A CSA, or finally LOCAL HARVEST.  Or you can do a Google search for CSA - Community Supported Agriculture and you will be overwhelmed with the positive information you will find.


(2009 Gold Medal Tomatoes)

Thank you all for viewing and if you do not live in our area, please find a CSA in your area and reap the rewards with your local farmer/grower!

PUMPKIN PANCAKES - OOOOOO SO YUMMY

We made a batch last night for supper - we ate the whole batch, two of us - 24 pancakes!  What does that tell you?  

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

(taken from the All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook)

Yield - 24 to 30 pancakes



(Taken from BnB Finder.com)


4 eggs (We used Goose Creek Farm Natural eggs.)
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk (We used Full Circle Organic Whole milk.)
2 T melted butter (We used Full Circle Organic butter.)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour (We used Spelt Flour.)
2 tsps baking powder
1 cup pumpkin puree (We substituted left over butternut squash from the previous evening.)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (We used ground nutmeg and I didn't measure, but I used best guess - 1 tsp.)
1/8 tsp cinnamon (We didn't have this ingredient.)
Vegetable oil or butter for your griddle or pan

Combine all ingredients except vegetable oil/butter in a blender and process until smooth.  (We used a hand blender and had a few small chunks of squash which cooked up fine in the pancake.)  Let stand for 15 minutes.

Heat a nonstick griddle, crepe pan, or iron skillet with oil over medium heat.  Spoon in 2 to 4 tablespoons batter for each pancake---the batter is thinner than traditional pancake batter and will spread.  Cook for about 3 minutes until bubbles have formed and burst on the top of the cakes and center seems set.  Turn and cook the other side until browned. 


Now here's the best part - top with anything, but real maple syrup and Goose Creek Farm Cortland Apple Preserves were out of this world!!! The author of the recipe recommends serving with peach jam, or make a meal of them topped with sausage gravy or rolled up with fried ham!

CSA WHAT IS IT?

CSA, Community Supported Agriculture.  What does that mean? 

The concept originated in the 1960's in Switzerland and Japan.  In those countries consumers, such as yourself, where interested in safe food and small farmer's, such as us, were seeking stable markets for their crops.  The two groups joined together to form an economic partnership.  A Community Supported Agriculture is born.

"Since our human existence is primarily dependent on farming, how can we entrust this essential activity solely to the farming population.  Only 2% of Americans are farmers. 2%! As farming has gotten bigger and bigger it has become more and more remote from the life of the average person, it becomes less and less able to provide us with nutritious, clean, healthy, live giving food or a clean, healthy, live giving environment.  That small 2% of Americans, laden with debt, overburdened with responsibility, subsidized by you, cannot possibly meet the nutritious, safe needs of all humans, such as you.  Fortunately, more and more people are coming to recognize this, and those people are ready to share agricultural responsibilities with small active growers."  (Excerpts taken from Farms of Tomorrow)

In the mid-1980's the concept of community supported agriculture (CSA) was introduced to the United States and continues to gain momentum.  There are a community of individuals, such as yourself, who pledge support to a small grower/producer, such as us, so that the farm land becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks of food production.  Typically, members or "share-holders" of the farm pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer's salary.  In return, the "share-holder" receives a share in the farm's bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production.  On the flip side - members also share in the risk of farming, including poor harvests or crop failure due to unfavorable weather or pests.  (Excerpts from Defining Community Supported Agriculture.)

Here we are the fall of 2010 and moving toward the 2011 growing season.  Government continues to harrass individuals and small grower/producers telling us --"There is no 'deeply rooted' historical tradition of unfettered access to foods of all kinds."  FDA'S RESPONSE TO RAW MILK  We can all make a difference by supporting a CSA close to you.

WEEKEND ACTIVITIES

We have been busy, but not necessarily with the garden, but in particular the farm, our home, and our families. 

Yes, we do keep pecking away at season end to do lists, such as spreading that nice decomposed fertilizer from our fertilizer team, cleaning and packing away tools, cleaning out fields, final harvest of dried beans, CSA membership details, covering garlic, covering carrots for in ground storage, all this as time permits.

Our most pressing task on our list, at this time, continues to be finalizing the details for the 2011 CSA memberships.  We did update the Local Harvest website today and we apologize to our potential members for not having this done in October as we had anticipated.  We will do an email mailing this week with details.  Watch your inbox!

We managed to get some wood cut for our wood furnace in our 115-year-old house.  We had help too.  That pesky fertizlier team are like a bunch of kids in their curiosity.  Amber tried to keep them in line, but she failed miserably. 

Over the weekend I was, again, amazed at the tenacity of a lone violet.  November 7th and one, tiny bloom buried in the brown of the fall leaves.  Hmmmm, is there a lesson here? 

Hope all is well in everyone's world and we would like to mention how with deep regret we watched my daughter, Tona, and son-in-law Alberto, and our three granddaughter's - Isabella, Amaya, and Noelia bury their father and grandfather this past week.  Doug was 55 and lost a battle with cancer, at Tona and Alberto's home, with his family around him.  He is missed.

SOMETHING FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

Everyday Bouquets - Holiday Open House

 November 12-15th

 9am-5pm

Decorate your own outdoor winter pot!

Friday, Nov 12th

6pm to 8pm

Special demonstrations on decorating outdoor pots for winter on Friday, Nov 12th from 6pm to 8pm.  Bring an outdoor pot (with soil in) to decorate and do it yourself with help from designers! Easy project and FUN! (Cost of materials will be determined per pot.)

Saturday, November 13th, through Monday, November 15th, get ready for the upcoming holiday season and our long Minnesota winter and purchase or place your order for unique wreaths, centerpieces, outdoor deck pots and home decorations.   Wonderful gift ideas or a fresh look for your own home!

 Custom orders taken for holiday delivery!

 Free delivery on orders placed during the Open House! 

All fall items will be 30% off!

Lynelle Webb-O'Neil

(507) 285-1926

4636 Sandywood Ct SE Rochester MN

  

DIRECTIONS: From Rochester take Hwy 14 east to stoplight at 50th Ave. Turn right.  Go south to 19th St and turn right.  Go west to Sandywood Ct SE and take a left. 4636 is the 4th house on right.

EDUCATION

Education.  It's important right?  We need to know things.  Well here's a question for you -- if you asked your children where your food comes from, what would they say?  I asked Bella (our 8-year-old granddaughter) - her answer "The store."  More specifically - a carrot - she said "The ground."

Education, it's important right?  It also starts at home.  Introduce your children to real, natural, locally grown food - it's fun!!!  Visit your local farmer's market for a visual and tasty treat!!!  The colors are astounding, the taste is incredible, and the people you meet are the hardest working, most helpful, generous people you will encounter in one spot!!!  The diversity in product and people are endless. 

We know it is the very end of the market season, but this weekend go for a family outing and visit your local farmer's market!  You won't be disappointed.  Take the opportunity to show your children where food really comes from and how good tasting natural, locally grown food is.  The growers and vendors you will meet love to answer questions.  Education, it starts with us and you.  Let us know how fun it was!

TOOLS OR TOYS



1953 FORD 8N - Michael's new toy!
Or as he says -- my new tool!

 Depending on how you look at it, tools can be toys and reduce work all at the same time.  Unless it's a new tool, or a new/old tool, and you didn't spend much time as a kid using this tool.  Then the tool can be a challenge!! So, to help out on the farm, to save our backs and to turn our compost rows we broke down and purchased a 1953 Ford 8N tractor.  A classic.  4 speeds.  No power steering.  Small. 

The kid who didn't get to spend much time using a tractor is Michael.  He didn't kill, maime, or injure me pulling out posts from the tomato field.  Although he did manage to run over my camera bag and barely missed the pipe for the septic system!  Whew, all in all, a job well done and with more time in the tractor seat he will soon be a whiz! 


Hooking up to the tiller from Ripleys.
Unfortunately, the drive shaft was too long!
So back to the drawing board.
Maybe this weekend instead.


There you have it - tool or toy?  I think toy too!  My turn's coming!

COLOR IN THE BROWN

Fall is a time of transition.  Crops are harvested, fields put to sleep for rejuvenation, squirrels and birds are busy gathering and storing, and color goes from greens to browns.  As we worked in the fields, over the weekend, little splashes of color jumped out at us.  Hiding in the browns of the sleeping Black-Eyed Susans and Purple Coneflowers was one lone, exquisitely orange Indian Blanket. 

Nestled next to the head of a Purple Coneflower a tiny, periwinkle blue Flax.

Finally, tucked in the grass by the Bella Garden - can it be?  Yes a confused Common Blue Violet.  Maybe it was the common part of her name that made her spring back to life in the middle of October.  But there is nothing common about her beauty even if she is a little ragged around the edges.  She brings hope for a bountiful and colorful spring.

PUMPKINS - THE HOW TO MAKE THE SCARIEST EVER!!

Tis the season for all those orange globes with the obnoxious, scary faces to adorn doorsteps, barns, yards, and more!  On our TIP OF THE WEEK page are several links to create the best Halloween Pumpkin you've ever done!!!  It's a whole new art form.  So check it out, enjoy, get the family involved, and please send us pictures of your creations. We will proudly post pictures of your masterpieces for all to see!!!!  It's easy - solntyne@yahoo.com.

Happy Carving from all of us here at SOL 'N TYNE - Michael, Deb, Amber Jo, Annie, Dani, Tugboat, Col, and Olive!

LEGUMES

Bumble Bee, Hidasta Red, Cherokee Trail of Tears....what are they?  Indian lore or bugs?? They are beans or to be technical, some of the thousands of  legumes.  Legumes which include beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts are an ancient food item.  They are versatile, easy to grow, easy to store, affordable, and packed with essential nutrients.    Beans are second only to cereal grasses in their importance in our diets.  Beans are high in protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates, low in calories and sodium.  In fact beans are the richest source of vegetable protein, 21 to 27 percent when cooked.   The benefits of beans go on and on, other facts:

1. They are full of complex carbohydrates, but have a low or moderate glycemic index.  The complex carbs in  dry beans are digested more slowly than those in simple carb foods like bread, keep you more satisfied and less hungry.
2. They are rich in vitamins and minerals, such as high amounts of Vitamin B, potassium, zinc, iron, calcium, and magnesium.
3. They add more fiber to your diet to improve your digestive tract.
4. Finally, they are also rich in flavor and blend well with dark, leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers, chiles and are used in soups and pastas.  In fact, there are whole books dedicated to cooking beans.  Our favorite book is - BEANS by Aliza Green. Black Bean and Hazelnut Cakes, yummy sounding huh?  Yep - the book is packed with gastronomic delight.

Beans were so important in our ancient worlds that four major legumes lent their names to a prominent Roman family.  Fabius comes from the faba bean, Lentulus from the lentil, Piso from the pea, and Cicero from the chickpea! 



Calypso bean from 2009 harvest.



We have begun our bean harvest.  Bumble Bee, Hidasta Red, Cherokee Trail of Tears, Brockton Horticulture, Black Valentine, Ideal Market - names as rich and colorful as their heritage.  All of these beans have long histories and stories to go with them as they are all heirloom varieties passed down from generation to generation and as you can tell from the names - some of them left a trail of tears from the Smoky mountains to Oklahoma in 1839.

We will have them available for purchase in mid November.  Watch the WHAT IS AVAILABLE page above to see variety and use. 

MARKET SEASON - IS IT OVER?



Our final day at the Lake City Market.



Last week, at Johnny Appleseed Days, was suppose to be our final market in Lake City, but with a forecast in the 80's, plenty of help, and produce available, we made an executive decision to do one more Lake City Market.  How could we go wrong?  We enjoy all the vendors, we knew that Amaya and Noelia would enjoy helping, and we also knew Highway 61 was going to be bustling with people getting out of Minneapolis and beyond to enjoy the Mississippi river fall colors.  We were not disappointed. 

In the next weeks we will post a recap of our growing season.  What we have left to do this fall, what we learned, and what our goals and expectations are for 2011.  We will also post a recap of the Lake City Farmer's Market in pictures!  If you are reading our blog for the first time, and you live in our area, we hope you will keep the Lake City Farmer's Market in mind for 2011!!! 

So yes, this was our final market for the 2010 growing season (other vendors may be in Lake City on Saturday mornings for the remainder of October).  We still have produce available which can be picked up at the farm or delivered via Michael to Rochester.  See the page heading above - WHAT IS AVAILABLE.  That said, here are a few pictures from last Saturday, October 9.  Enjoy your day, the beautiful weather (remember almost a year ago today, we woke up to inches of snow), and we hope you have locally grown produce and fruits piled on your kitchen counter, or locally produced eggs and meats stored in your larder for the days to come!!! 



Michael paying Margaret for the pie pumpkins.





Dogs are always a hit with the girls.   Here Amaya

and Noelia admire a handsome Sammy that came

to visit the market.





Noelia carrying her pie pumpkin.

TOP 10 REASONS TO BE A MEMBER OF A LOCAL CSA

1)  Do you like the taste of a spring radish, crisp lettuce greens, or peas that actually snap because they were just harvested?  Or what about the taste of a ripe-off-the-vine tomato, beets that are bursting with flavor, scallions or bulb onions that when you dice them fill your kitchen with appetizing aroma?  That would be our number 1 reason for becoming a member of a CSA.  Not only is your food fresh, flavorful, and colorful, but it is dense and rich with nutritional value!

2)  Do you like to know where your food comes from?  That would be our number 2 reason for becoming a member of a CSA - you know your food just made a short trip to your table.  The shorter the trip, the less time from harvest to your table, the richer the flavor and the more nutrient dense the food.  Right from our field to your table - naturally!

3)  Do you like to know who is growing your food?   How many people do you want handling your food, one or two, or the many that handle your food on the way to your local grocery store chain. That would be our number 3 reason for becoming a member of a CSA - you have a direct relationship with us, your grower.

4)  Do you like to grow your own food, but do not have the time or room to grow everything you want?  A sophisticated CSA farmer/grower should be willing to sit down with their members and find out what additions you would like to supplement your existing garden.  So reason number 4 - you can broaden your food choices without the hassle.  Let your grower do that for you!

5)  Do you like experimenting with new seasonal food choices or on the flip side you like traditional, seasonal food choices?  Either way a good CSA will provide you with recipes and alternative ways to use your weekly baskets.  Plus you can provide feedback and let your grower know if that particular seasonal food type works for you!  That would be reason number 5 to become a member of a CSA!!  As a member you can provide us with a list of your favorite seasonal foods, the foods that turn your nose up in disgust, and seasonal foods you might be interested in trying!!

6)  Do you like your food to be free of insecticides, pesticides, and not genetically modified?  Whew that's a big one - and impacts on our health are huge!!!  Our number 6 reason to become a CSA member - you are taking a big step to ensure your health choices are your own and you know exactly what you are getting!!

7)  Do you like to do a small part in protecting your environment?  Our number 7 reason for becoming a CSA member - small growers work hand-in-hand with the land.  We give back to the land naturally and our growing methods provide places for wildlife to flourish, flora and fauna to flourish, and beneficial insects to flourish.  We also protect seed diversity by growing many varieties instead of a huge monoculture of one variety.

8)  Do you like to have your children experience fun things?  Our number 8 reason for becoming a CSA member.  We encourage families to come to the farm and help plant in the spring, pull weeds in the summer, and harvest at any time!  What a fun way to introduce yourself and your children to where their food comes from!  Plus if you guarantee us a certain number of hours per week, we can provide you with a better price on your CSA membership!  Win-Win.  We like that!

9)  Do you like to buy your food locally?  Did you know that the average food travels around 1500 miles from some farm to your plate?  1500 miles!!!  Think about that for a minute.  Your lettuce you just bought in a bag at Hyvee, 1500 miles and it's in a bag!  Not to mention the countless trucks it's been on and the hands that have touched it. Our number 9 reason for becoming a member of a CSA - your food would only travel, at the most, 42 miles.  Our furthest drop point is in Rochester.  We are pushing very hard to have only a 15 mile radius tops!!!  Picked same day or one day in advance and delivered the next!  Now that's local and fresh!!!

10)  Do you like to try new things and take risks and even if you don't?  Our number 10 reason for becoming a member of a local CSA.  You and your grower are in it together!!!!  Bumper crop of tomatoes - awesome.  Failure in potatoes - well there is always squash for back up!!!  Your membership allows you to share in the full reward of a bountiful harvest and you also share in the small risks with your grower.  By investing in the farm through a share purchase you help us have the resources to plant the great foods but like with any investment there is risk. UnlikeWall Street our risks just mean a bit less variety in the food for that season.

FIRE-ROASTED PEPPER CREAM SOUP

We'll be honest, we have not tried this soup, but from the ingredients list it looked really yummy.  So we are asking that after you take the first bite you let US know how it is!

FIRE-ROASTED PEPPER CREAM SOUP

(Taken from the All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook)

Serves 4

12 medium sweet, mild red peppers such as bell or banana peppers

 (or you can use any color pepper, it will be just as flavorful, but not quite as colorful).

Oil

1 large super sweet onion, chopped

3 T butter
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half/half
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

To roast peppers - Prepare a fire in a grill or preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Coat the peppers with oil.  Roast, broil, or grill over indirect heat, turning occasional;y, for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Until the peppers are tender and the skins are blackened in places. Put the peppers into a large plastic bag and close the bag.  Let stand for 15 minutes.  Take the peppers from the bag and remove pepper stems and discard the cores and seeds.  Peel the skins.

Saute the onion in the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat for 8 minutes until tender.  Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes longer.  Add the peppers and chicken broth.

Bring to a boil; simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the cream.

Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree in batches.  Return the soup to the pan and heat through.

OUR NOTES:  As I typed the recipe a couple of things we would do as we prepared this recipe:  We would use Pacific Veggie Broth and add more garlic (cuz we are garlic lovers). 

Have fun with this, let us know how it is, and any additions or changes you made!!!  Thanks and enjoy this beautiful fall day!

29 DEGREES

But beautiful.  



Pistau Basil sprinkled with frost.



36 DEGREES

It's 8:14 pm and 36 degrees at the house.  In the Amaya garden snuggled under row covers are our fall carrots, lettuce, cilantro, beets, and scallions.  Other veg, in the Bella garden, hoping to make it through the night, with modified covers, are habaneros, krimzon lees, and jalapenos peppers.  The Yuli herb garden is scantly covered.   Harvested, piled together, and double covered, from the Amaya garden, are the remainder of the butternut, honey bear acorn, sweet dumpling, galeux de eysines, and musquee de provence squash.  That squash pile, is really big!!!

It is the time of year to start letting go.  As dusk approached and the cold started settling in, our neighbor rolled by on the road with the biggest combine ever and turned into our tiny, three acre bean field he rents from us!!  The dust from the combine rolled into the air, the lights shined through the trees, the horses started running, and you could smell fall....smell it!!!  Ahh, life is good.

TASTE OF THE DAY - TOMATILLO SALSA VERDE

The yummy looks and sounds of gastronomic delight were heard all day long today at Johnny Appleseed Days in Lake City.  The taste of the day was Michael's TOMATILLO SALSA VERDE taken from The Great Salsa Book by Mark Miller.  Simple and quick to make but exploding with flavor!  Here it is:

TOMATILLO SALSA VERDE

(from The Great Salsa Book by Mark Miller and slightly modified)

Heat scale: 5 (Scale 0 to 10)

1 pound Tomatillos, husked, cleaned, and roughly chopped.
3 serrano chiles, with seeds (Today Michael used 4 jalapenos without seeds.)
3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (1 bunch)
2 T fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tsp sugar (In Michael's hurried state this morning he misread and added 1 T sugar)
1 tsp salt (same as above tasty mistake - Michael added 1 T salt)

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree.  Done!  Ready to serve and yields about 2 cups.  An all-purpose salsa verde is especially good with tortilla chips, most seafood, and eggs! 

ONE OF OUR BEST HELP....

....is going to be seven tomorrow.  Happy Birthday Amaya!!!

YOUR HEALTH

Finally, a doctor who gets it.  Dr. Maring from Kaiser Permanente in California started a farmer's market in 2003.  But guess where you can go to get the local veg?  Right outside the hospital!!!! 

He went one step further and started his own blog chock full of recipes, sound health advice, how to use veggies, and much more!  If every physician in this country followed Dr. Maring's example, there would be a health and food revolution like no other!  Here is the link to his blog/website. Dr. Preston Maring. It is also on the left hand side of this page under the heading Cooking, Growing, and Health.

We found out about Dr. Maring through a link to an article in the New York Times that came across our facebook page.  This is an excerpt from the NYT article regarding Dr. Maring. "But increasingly, his reputation and perpetual motion revolve around his conviction that in the health professions, the kitchen must become as crucial as the clinic. Food is at the center of health and illness, he argues, and so doctors must make all aspects of it — growing, buying, cooking, eating — a mainstay of their medical educations, their personal lives and their practices."

Wow! 

FIERY FIERRO JELLY



The cast before - for Fiery Fierro Jelly


On the quest to make a HOT jelly for our son-in-law, Alberto, we used our standard jalapeno jelly recipe but swapped the jalapeno's for red habanero's, mustard habanero's, Ho Chi Minh yellow cayennes, red cayennes, and jalapeno's!  Michael tasted it and then ran for the sugar.  Our granddaughter, Amaya, was here and took a whiff of the peppers, just after they were processed in the food processor, and immediately starting coughing.  Me, well I was too chicken to try it!  Not even a little.

When Michael was able to talk again he did manage to sputter that it does have excellent flavor.

FIERY FIERRO JELLY

So, in honor of Alberto combined with the flaming orange/red color we are calling this supercharged jelly - Fiery Fierro Jelly!!! We are still waiting to hear if it passes Alberto's "HOT" test!

It is available to order and we are suggesting a rub for pork or chicken!

LUSCIOUS COLOR

Color is everywhere and naturally grown produce is rich with color and rich with taste!

SOL 'N TYNES FINAL FALL FLING FOR 2010

Come join us at Lake City's renowned Johnny Appleseed Days on Saturday and Sunday, October 2nd and 3rd.  We will be there on Saturday from 10am to 5pm and on Sunday from 11am to 4pm.  SOL 'N TYNE will have bountiful produce, colorful jellies, and information related to the 2011 CSA program we are offering.  Look for us in Patton Park under the SOL 'N TYNE -Natural From Field to Table Banner!!!

Image courtesy of mhl.org



Because I was introduced to Johnny Appleseed as a grade schooler, I thought it would be wise to refresh my memory. Boy was I astounded at what I found.  Expand your mind and discover what an amazing man Johnny Appleseed was by clicking on the Wikipedia link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Appleseed.   

At the, two day, Johnny Appleseed Festival there will be fresh apples and apple products, Apple Pie Sales, Arts and Crafts Fair, Children's Activities, Pancake Breakfast, Chili Cook-Off, Kid Pedal Tractor Pull, Petting Zoo, Wild Wings Annual Fall Festival, and much more!! That said, here is the link to the weekend activities sponsored by the Lake City Chamber of Commerce!!!  http://www.lakecity.org/johnnyappleseed.html 

Rain or shine Johnny Appleseed Days will be a fun, activity filled event!!!  See you this weekend and dress warm!

FROST

Kidding right?  Nope - our fall lettuce took a hit, some of it pretty hard.  Michael had ice on his windshield.  The forecast was an overnight low of 46.  In fact at the Red Wing airport right now it's 48 which was registered at 7:02 am.  We, again, were gently reminded that each day is a lesson.  Have a great Monday - it's going to be a gorgeous day!

A SPECIAL REQUEST - POTATO PANCAKES

Today would be a perfect day for potato pancakes.  After the torrential, warm rains of the previous 24 hours (I dumped out over 5" from our rain gauge last night) today is blustery, windy (we are talking windchills now), and obviously much colder.  Looking and feeling like a classic Minnesota fall!! A soothing and satisfying breakfast, lunch, or dinner option and a great way to use your CSA, farmer's market or from your own garden/farm potatoes, onions, eggs, and garlic is the following potato pancake recipe requested by my daughter.  I'm sure Bella, Amaya, and Noelia would love it if Tona served these with a side of thick bacon!!!  Enjoy!

POTATO PANCAKES

(taken from the vegetarian epicure by Anna Thomas and modified)

Serves 3 to 4

Yields about 12 3" pancakes

2 1/2 cups grated raw potatoes (about 3 large potatoes)
4 T onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
2 to 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 T cracker meal or fine, dry breadcrumbs or flour
fresh ground black pepper to taste
oil and butter
sour cream, applesauce, or cranberry jelly for garnish

Peel and grate 3 large potatoes and press the excess water out thoroughly.  Measure out 2 1/2 cups of the grated potatoes.  (Note - borrowing from other wise cooks---if you have a food processor, chunk the potatoes instead, insert your grating disk in the food processor, and send the potatoes down the chute.)

In a large bowl combine the grated potatoes, the finely chopped onion, the finely chopped garlic, the salt, the 2 slightly beaten eggs, and the cracker meal or breadcrumbs or flour.  If the batter is still too moist, add a little more of your dry ingredients.

Heat a large, heavy skillet and melt some butter in it and then add an equal amount of oil.  There should be almost 1/4 inch melted oil and butter in the skillet.  Drop the pancake batter in by heaping spoonfuls and flatten slightly with the back of the spoon.  Fry the pancakes until crisp and brown on both sides. 

Serve hot with sour cream, applesauce, or cranberry jelly!

TIP - To keep your potatoes from turning brown try this - peeled whole or cut potatoes keep in a bowl of water and covered until ready to use.  If the potatoes are shredded you can add a slight bit of ascorbic acid (which is nothing more than Vitamin C powder), but don't over due it!  Peeled potatoes that turn brown or dark are completely fine to eat it only means they oxidized or have been exposed to air.

CREAM OF JALAPENO PEPPER SOUP

Coming this weekend to the Lake City Farmer's Market!

As always, we highly recommend purchasing local produce as much as possible to bring out the most flavor in a recipe!  The quicker produce gets to your table from a grower's field the richer it is in flavor and the denser the nutrients are!  You can pick up the ingredients for the majority of this recipe from your local farmer's market (most of them still in full swing). The milk and butter can be purchased at some of the larger farmer's markets, or try and find Kappers Big Red Barn (KAPPERS BIG RED BARN) cream, and butter from Pastureland (PASTURELAND), it's the real deal!  The only item you will have to swing by a store and get is an avocado!!!

Cream of Jalapeno Pepper Soup

(taking from Jalapeno Madness jalapenomadness.com)

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS:
6-8 jalapeno peppers, minced (no heat - remove seeds and veins, want heat - leave seeds and veins in).  For a stronger pepper taste add a few more peppers.

8 cups heavy cream
1 T butter
1 cup white onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 small avocado, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 T fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.
• Add minced jalapenos, onion, and garlic.  Saute until soft.
• Stir in avocado, tomatoes, and heavy cream.
• Bring mixture to a soft boil, stirring frequently, and then reduce heat to simmer.
• Simmer approximately 15 minutes.
• Stir slowly and frequently.
• Stir in fresh basil, then simmer an additional 5 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove from heat and serve.

COOKS NOTE:  We added about 12 large Concho jalapeno's (seeds removed), 6 plum lemon tomatoes, and 2 large cloves of garlic.  What we found with this soup are the following - needed more jalapeno's, more tomatoes, more onions, more garlic, more avocado and more basil.  More of everything would've heightened the flavor's tremendously - but it was still tasty and with the seeds removed from the Concho jalapeno's hardly any heat.

Serve as an appetizer, or in a bread bowl with a side salad as a lighter main course.  We served the soup with a nice, crusty bread from the Rabbit's Bakery in Lake City topped with Pastureland Butter and our Sun-Dried Tomato Jelly.  Or serve with your favorite corn bread recipe, topped with honey from your favorite honey producer!

GROWING FOOD!!!

Pretty exciting isn't it? Fall is just barely sneaking in and we are thinking spring and what we can grow and eat and celebrate and savor in 2011!

Craving a fresh, juicy, red tomato yet?  I am!  I'm also borrowing ideas from other growers, bloggers, people who love the taste of good food and appreciate what food is all about and sharing it with you.  The ideas are endless and the ways to celebrate good tasting, locally grown food is also!

So here is a link I borrowed from Deep Roots post today on Facebook.  10 GREAT BLOGS ABOUT GROWING FOOD.  The list is from all over the world.  We enjoy reading about how other growing zones manage the challenges, share their ideas and discoveries, and rejoice in what they do!!!

We went one step further and added all the links to the right hand side of our page under the heading GROWING FOOD!!! so you can come back anytime to view them and borrow your own ideas.  I know it is overwhelming, welcome to our world, and enjoy!!

DINNER IN THE GARDEN

Kudos go to Whitewater Gardens---Lonnie and Sandy Dietz and family, Sontes---Tessa, Chef Justin and crew, to a fabulous meal and event held yesterday at Whitewater Gardens (Whitewater Gardens) near St. Charles, MN.  The event raised money for the WIC program in Winona, Minnesota. 

Chef Justin from Sontes (Sontes) in Rochester, MN, prepared an incredible meal that used a full range of naturally grown food obtained within a 50 mile radius of Rochester.

The menus was---

Carrot Soup-smoked creme fraiche, rosemary

Apple Salad-Shepard's Way blue, local salad greens, mango vinegar and black walnuts

Heirloom Tomatoes-whipped herbed labneh, watermelon, lemon verbena, basil,

Slow Roasted Pork Belly-tomato and fall pepper marmalade, beet greens, carola potato, heirloom garlic pork jus

 or for the vegetarian

Thrice Cooked Carrot Risotto-citrus, aged cheddar, sage,

 and finally

 Lemon Verbena Creme Brulee-raspberry, honeycomb, pear and grape

 Locally produced wine was available to sample and to top the day off wonderful people who made the afternoon lively and entertaining!

We celebrate Lonnie and Sandy, Tessa and Chef Justin, for donating their talents to a notable cause and for Tessa and Chef Justin for their ongoing support of using local growers.  Thank you!!!

SWEET POTATO SOUP RECIPE

We served the below recipe this morning at the Lake City Farmer's market, but we substituted Galeux d'Eysines squash for the sweet potatoes.  Excellent!  Rave reviews!  The second soup we served was the Butternut Basil Soup and that recipe can be found on the posting, Thursday - Sept 2,  BUTTERNUT BASIL SOUP RECIPE

SWEET POTATO SOUP


Substitute Galeux d'Eysines squash for sweet potatoes!

 (by Margo Stitch from the Rochester Women’s Magazine.)
Serves 4

2 tsp Olive Oil
3 T Chopped onion
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1-1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/16 tsp cayenne pepper
2 large sweet potatoes cut in ½ inch cubes (about 3 cups)
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
¼ tsp black pepper
3/8 tsp salt
3/8 tsp cumin or allspice
½ cup half & half

• Over medium heat, in a 3 quart saucepan heat olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic for approximately 3 minutes.
• Add the ginger and sauté an additional minute.
• Sprinkle cayenne over above, and then stir in potato and vegetable stock.
• Bring to a boil, simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Turn contents from pan into blender or food processor.
• Add pepper, salt, cumin/allspice.
• Pulse until smooth.
• Return to sauce pan.
• Stir in half/half
• Heat till warmed through.
• Season to taste and top with sour cream!

Cooks note:  We add more ginger and garlic than recommended and we use Pacific Vegetable Stock.  We encourage buying your garlic locally, especially this time of year when it has the most flavor!

GATHERING SQUASH

Galeux d' Eysines, Musquee de Provence, Waltham Butternut, Sweet Dumpling, and Honey Bear Acorn.  With a cold, wet morning and help of the smallest variety - Ellie was able to muscle one of the wagons, she pushed actually - we had fun gathering for the Lake City market tomorrow.

The Musquee de Provence we found broken off the vine so had to gather it green.  They are huge so it's no wonder.  Those are the ones Ellie is sitting on in the wagon.

We will see everyone in the morning 8am to noon, bright-eyed, and dressed warm!