Midsummer Dreaming

This is the point in the season when it is just beginning to feel like summer is here.  The days have  been warm and mostly dry and the summer crops are starting to fruit.  In our garden, along with carrots and beets, zucchini, beans, and peas are all on the way.  From the Western Slope, we will start to stock the share up with cucumbers, corn, melons, beans, tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes.

Garden Share

Arugula

Broccoli

Cucumbers

Dill

Onions

Romaine

Radish

Summer Squash

Fruit Share

Peaches

Apricots

Cherries

Dill Dressings

Since salads are a central part of our recent share diets, here are several salad dressing recipes calling for dill.

http://www.creativehomemaking.com/download/dressings.pdf

Caeser Salads

With Romaine in the share there is no better time for a Caesar salad. 

http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/caesar.htm

Fruit Desserts

Yum! A Fresh Cherry Tart

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/fresh-cherry-tart

and Apricot Shortbread…

http://kitchenparade.com/2008/07/fresh-apricot-bars.php

and Roasted Peaches….

http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/08/roasted_peaches_with_amaretti_crumble

Flukey Frost

On Wednesday morning Seth came in from chores with a blade of grass and a some clover covered in what I thought had to be a heavy dew.  Seth insisted that the moisture was melted frost.  I was certain he must be mistaken, a frost on July 8th, impossible, right?   I stopped what I was doing, pulled on my blue rubber boots and headed out to the meadow to see for myself.  As I walked with my eyes glued to the ground I saw dew covered grass and then reached the lowest point in the garden where I made a positive confirmation on a pocket of frost.  This frost occurred after an 85 degree day on Tuesday.  I am not sure how it is even possible to have such a difference in temperature.  My guess after looking around and talking to folks is that cold air was draining off the slopes of the Collegiate Peaks from the west into the low spot in our garden.  Luckily there was no damage to the crops.  The frost was isolated to a very small portion of the pasture about 20 ft north of the garden.

For more reading on frost pockets and how to predict frost check out this link from Organic Gardening.

http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,sl-5-19-1370,00.html

Garden Variety

Garden Shares

Napa Cabbage

Chard

Chives

Garlic (West Slope)

Purple and White Kolhrabi

Green Leaf Lettuce

Red Pac Choi

Cherriette Radish

Salad Mix (from Erin’s Organics)

Fruit Share

Bing Cherries

Peaches

Apricots

Apricots

The apricot fruit set on the West Slope was adversely affected by a late spring freeze going as low as 10 degrees F.  We are lucky to have located a source for at least a few of these little yummies.  Glen Austin has a neighbor whose apricot crop  escaped the freeze.   We will try our best to source more, but this may be the only time we get them, so savor them.

Let Your Fruit Ripen

You may notice a varying stages of ripeness in your fruit share contents.  For the best eating, your share may require a little bit of management.  Sort your fruit so you are eating the  ripest first and allow unripe fruit to sit out on the countertop until ripe.  With the exception maybe of cherries and melons, the fruit quality will be better without refrigeration.  If you are trying to ripen fruit a ripe piece in with the unripe fruit might hasten the process, but be careful as the old adage says, one bad apple (or any bad fruit, or attitude) spoils the bunch.

The Many Shades of Greens

Chiffonade Greens

The other night Seth and I chopped up a bunch of  Tuscano Kale left over from the market last week as a side dish to our bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches.  I was reminded of how much I like to cut greens, like kale and chard, using the chiffonade knife technique.  So here’s what I do.  This technique works best with relatively flat leaved greens like chard, tuscano kale and collards.  Destem your green of choice by cutting the stem out up into the leaf, but not all the way to the leaf margin.  Make a stack of leaves and then roll them up tightly the long way.  Cut thin slices off the roll.  I love eating these chiffonade greens sauted in garlic and olive oil or added to pasta sauces.  Here is a little demo with a basil leaf.  Click the link and them scroll down to chiffonade.

http://www.how-to-cook-gourmet.com/usingakitchenknife.html

Erin’s Organics Salad Mix

Along with my farm responsibilities, I (Caitlin) am also lucky to work part time for Erin Oliver in her geothermal greenhouse.  I work 3 days in the middle of the week harvesting and planting greenhouse goodies.  Our relationship with Erin has been hugely beneficial to the success of our farm.  Along with providing another source of income for our family, we also lease precious start growing space in Erin’s greenhouse. With an already short growing season, it is essential for us to start crops indoors to meet our production goals.

This week we had an especially large harvest of salad mix.  Though we have had lots of greens lately and I am sure folks have had salads for many meals lately, we wanted to include Erin’s greens in the share for a little variety.

To learn more about Erin’s operation check out this great article from Dustin Urban.

http://www.southmainco.com/index.php/articles/business/115-erins-organics

Wilted Lettuce

A good way to cut the bulk out of your lettuce supply is to make a wilted lettuce salad.  Here is simple description using leaf lettuce and scallions (in the share last week).  I read another recipe that suggested adding sliced radishes. 

http://www.kountrylife.com/content/rec14.htm

Napa Cabbage Slaw

This is a great cabbage slaw my Mom always made with grilled bbq chicken and adapted from a Sunset Magazine Recipe.

1 c. strawberries, quartered

1/4 c rice vinegar

1 sm onion, thinly sliced

1/2 c. mayo

1/4 c. drained pickled, slivered ginger

1 T sugar

1-2 tsps caraway seed

1/2 tsp pepper

8 c. shredded napa cabbage

Mix all together. Garnish with strawberries. Cover and chill for up to 4 hours.  Serves 8.

Chicken Reminder

We will harvest chickens on Monday.  If anyone wants fresh chicken please contact us by phone, 719 (207) 2287 or email, info@weathervanefarmbv.com, A.S.A.P.

The Juniper Report

It is always an adventure keeping our daughter Juniper occupied during harvest day.  She loves to help and we are always looking for ways to make the day fun for her so she will continue to love to help.  Along with using a variety of little bucket to pour water out of the wash tanks, one of her favorite wash station activities is to have a crate house built up all around her.

The Beginnings of Juniper's Crate Playhouse

The 2nd Share on the 4th

The long days of summer are here and we are feeling the heat.  It was another great harvest on Friday.  We are pleased that there will be new veggie offerings in the share over the coming weeks.  Just a few of the items coming up on the roster are broccoli, chinese cabbage, carrots and beets.

Delivered in the 11th hour, the cherries this week are about as fresh as you can get them.  The fruit share will also expand in diversity and abundance over the coming weeks.

Garden Share

Cilantro

Multi-Colored Radish

Red Leaf Lettuce

Salad Turnip

Spinach

Scallions

Tuscano Kale

Purple Mizuna

Zucchini

Mystery Garlic Scape (chop and use like garlic)

Fruit Share

1 bag Bing Cherries from Austin Family Farms

Cherry Cobbler

Straight from the Austin Family orchard, picked Thursday afternoon, these yummy summer delights are great to eat fresh, on ice cream, or whip up this mouthwatering cherry cobbler.

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/cherry-cobbler-recipe.html

Share Boxes

Please bring back your wax boxes so that we may use them again.   Or if you don’t want to lug that big box home, bring your shopping bag to the farm or market and load your share up and leave the box with us.

Pasture Raised Chicken

Our pasture raised chickens are getting plump and ready for harvest soon.

We grow fewer than 999 birds yearly and sell all of our meat off the farm directly to the consumer. This allows us to do all of our harvesting and processing on the farm. Using professional grade equipment, we are pleased to be able to participate in the harvesting process so that our birds do not have to endure the stress of being transferred to a harvesting facility.

We aim to pre sell all of our birds by the harvest date so that they may go to your freezer or dinner table as fresh as possible. The first birds will be available in a couple of weeks. The cost of the birds is $4./lb. and the birds will weigh approximately 4 lbs.  Please contact us by email to make a reservation.

Name Our Multi-Colored Radish Mix

Over the last several seasons we grew a mix of radish varieties collectively known as Easter Egg.  This year we created our own mix from three varieties: Amethyst, Champion and Ping Pong.  Though the mix looks much like the old Easter Egg, we think  it deserves a new name.  We are now referring to it as ACP.  The name ACP leaves something to be desired, so please help us make up a creative name that evokes the beauty and character of these colorful roots.  Scroll down to the comment button to leave your suggestions.

Fish Tacos

Here are a couple of variations on the fish taco.  This is a great warm weather meal accompanied by a nice cold Corona or lime water.  All of these recipes involve both radishes and cilantro.

This recipe also uses scallions:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/fish-tacos-with-salsa-verde-and-radish-salad

This recipe uses salmon:

http://www.foodess.com/2009/02/blackened-fish-tacos-with-charred-corn-salsa-and-cilantro-aioli/

This recipe has a great photo description of a rub to season the fish:

http://www.thefoodinmybeard.com/2009/06/fish-tacos.html

Salad Turnips

Those big white globes in the share are Salad Turnips.  They are slightly sweeter and smoother than other turnips and have a variety of uses.  Eat them raw in salad or cook them up in soups or sautes.  Here is a link from Eating Well describing some basic tips for using turnips.  The grill suggestion sounds like it would be particularly good spiced up with some chili, lime, oregano, salt seasoning. 

http://www.eatingwell.com/eat_drink/kitchen_tips/turnips.html

Get Your Green On

Welcome Weathervane Farm Shareholders to the 2009 season.  The garden season is off to a strong start with a box full of greens and colorful radishes.  And for the first fruit shares we have cherries, earlier than expected, and some delicious Colorado jam.

The Weathervane preseason has been great.  Though these rainy days of late are fantastic for watering the plants, we are ready for a couple weeks of sunshine to really get things growing.

Garden Share

Arugula

Green Leaf Lettuce

Purple Mizuna

Multi-Colored Radish

Zucchini

Winterbor Kale

Greek Oregano

Pac Choi

Spinach

Fruit Share

Cherries

1 Jar Colorado Mountain Jam

Colorado Mountain Jam

Without a reliable start date for cherries, we procured some Colorado jams for the first share.  Luckily we did get cherries in time, but wanted to get the jam out there too.  If you like the jam and want to try more flavors, you can purchase it from Colorado Grown.  For those of you picking up at the farm, please feel free to access Colorado Grown from our back gate.  Along with jam, they also carry a wide variety of natural meats, local honey,produce, as well as dairy products from Cottonwood Creek Dairy for their members.

Check out Colorado Mountain Jams

http://www.plumdaisy.com/plumdaisy.cfm

High Altitude Pesto

Basil has a hard time growing in our cool, high altitude climate.  This season we planted arugula instead.  For a twist on basil pesto try this tangy and delicious arugula pesto.

To prepare your arugula cut the rubber band and pull out any undesirable looking leaves and give it a quick wash.  Then follow this recipe at Simply Recipes.  This site is one of my favorites for good simple recipes and the pictures are always very enticing.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/arugula_pesto/

Purple Mizuna

The bundle of purple greens in the share today is mizuna.  This green takes the prize this week for the prettiest vegetable in the garden.  It is a mild brassica green, in the same family as broccoli and arugula, and is great in fresh salads.

Radish Sandwich

A member reminded me about radish sandwiches.  This simple open faced sandwich is a classic.  The most basic version includes lots of butter on good bread with thinly sliced radishes.  Here is a good example.

http://eggtotheapples.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/radish-sandwiches/

Here is another rendition with a nice poppy seed dressing.

http://www.tastypalettes.com/2009/03/ravishing-radish-sandwich-with-poppy.html

Be creative with your radish sandwich and let us know what you discover.

Greek Oregano

Our Greek oregano plants came back with gusto and they needed a pruning before they went to flower.  This  is a great oregano to season meat and fish is also excellent in Greek yogurt sauce. See last year’s post on a Greek meat balls for some ideas. http://theweathervanearrow.wordpress.com/2008/09/05/frosty-mornings/ This time of the season oregano inspires me to make red beans and rice with a side dish of sauteed kale in garlic and olive oil.  A fried egg in the mix makes for a hearty breakfast.  If you are not in the mood to use it now, try drying it for later.  Rinse leaves and roll in  a paper towel to dry.  Then place the sprigs on a cookie sheet in a sunny window.  The leaves should be dry in a few days.  Pull the leaves off the stalk and store in an airtight container.

Here’s a site with some great oregano history.

http://www.indepthinfo.com/oregano/history.shtml

Spinach

The spinach is especially green and vital this round.  For a very comprehensive look at the the nutritional composition of spinach check this site out.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=43

Ending BIG with Brussels Sprouts

It’s hard to believe this is the last share of the season.  Though the start of the season felt slow with cool weather and little rain, in general our expectations of a productive garden were exceeded.  We were also pleased with the West Slope fruit crop.  We had good variety and due to favorable weather conditions in their orchard, more fruit directly from Austin Family Farms than last year.  The Austin’s were once again a pleasure to work with and we were proud to make their product available over here.

We hope everyone enjoyed the season.  We are very interested in your experience this season and will send out an evaluation survey soon.  We really appreciate the feedback and hope to continue to have the opportunity to provide you with local food.  We will also keep in touch regarding sign-ups for next season.

Upcoming Events

If you have enjoyed the harvest and feel like celebrating there are two events coming up that you will not want to miss.

This Saturday, October 11th from 6-9pm, Celebrate Our Foodshed!, the annual event sponsored by the Central Colorado Foodshed Alliance, celebrating local food production, will be held at the Salida Steamplant Ballroom at 220 West Sackett Street, Salida.  Admission to the event is $5. and members and children under 5 are free.

The event features guest speaker Susan J. Tweit, Salida author and naturalist who will share her insight on teh benefits of consuming local foods.  There will also be a delicious dinner of local foods, samples from local growers and old time music and contra dancing after the presentation.

2nd Annual Farmhands Benefit Pumpkin Patch Festival

Join community, friends and family to celerate harvest time!  On October 18th and 19th and 25th and 26th from 10am-5pm on Saturdays and 12pm-4pm on Sundays come out to the farm.  Admission is $5, 2 and under free.  The event will feature horse drawn wagon rides, hay bale maze, farm games, pumpkin patch, silent auction, bake sale, and Colorado Grown Bratwurst BBQ.  The event is sponsored by:  Guidestone, Cottonwood Meadows, Weathervane Farm, Cottonwood Creek Dairy, Colorado Grown, Channelbv.net and Landmark Surveying.

Weathervane House Concert Series

With winter comes more time for music.  The Weathervane House Concert series will resume in November.  We will let you know of upcoming events as they are scheduled.

Garden Share

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Carrots

Cucumber

Kale

Onion

Garlic

Scallions

Leeks

Potatoes

Turnips

Acorn Squash

Pie Pumpkin

Lacto-fermented Kimchi

Fruit Share

1 bag fuji apples

1 bag pears

Fuji Apples

If you are sad this is the last fruit share these will last several weeks.  Keep them in the fridge or other cold storage and eat them fresh to savor the apple-y flavor.

Brussels Sprouts

Suprise! If you  haven’t seen them before this is how Brussels Sprouts grow.  We removed the leaves leaving a stalk of sprouts.  To remove the sprouts just use a paring knife.  You may need to trim them up a little bit before using.  We love these cut in half and coated in butter and roasted alone or with a veggie combination as mentioned in previous editions.

Lacto-Fermented Kimchi

In early September we made this batch of Kimchi.  Eric, Amy, Seth and I (Caitlin) got together on a Sunday afternoon to chop and shred many harvest bins full of cabbage, carrots, pac choi, turnips, onions and garlic.  We added minced ginger, siracha, red pepper flakes and salt to the mix and pounded it all down in a barrel to ferment.  It has been fermenting in our cool basement since.   Lacto fermenation is an old world preservation technique employed by many cultures across the globe.  Kimchi is a Korean recipe and sauerkraut is a german recipe of this same process of preservation.  This batch is not very spicy, but has a nice sour flavor.  In my opinion, it could be called Sauerchi or KimKraut.

We are especially interested in lacto-fermation to aid in the extension of our season.  Fermented veggies can last up to six months, creating a live food source through the winter months.   While in Vermont, our friend Amy worked at Flack Family Farm doing small scale lacto-fermentation.  She has been very helpful in coaching us on the basics of the art of lacto-fermentation.  We will also make a batch of Sauerkraut this season with our big Bravo cabbages out in the garden.  We hope to have both the kimchi and the sauerkraut available at Colorado Grown through the winter months.

Good Uses for Kimchi

Kimchi and other fermented foods are not generally the centerpiece of a meal.  They are best as condiments and should be eaten in smaller portions with a meal.  Beneficial bacteria present in lacto-fermented foods aid in digestion.   I like kimchi added to soups.  It is a great tangy addition to chicken broth soups with meat and other vegetables.  I also like it as a condiment on my plate with stirfry or rice dishes.  I start to crave just a little bit with almost anything I eat in the winter time.  It is an energizing food.

For further reading including information on the processes and the health benefits related to lact-fermented foods, check out these links.

Sally Fallon, Author of Nourishing Tradition discussing lacto-fermentation.

http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/lacto.html

Sarah Flack of Flack Family Farm – PDF On Lacto Fermentation

www.sarahflackconsulting.com/articles/lactic-veggie-fermentation.doc

Vote Yes on 2H on November 4th

This is an issue that could drastically affect the future of the current Weathervane Farm operation located on Cottonwood Meadows Property.  Currently we are here by the generous invitation of John Cogwell, the Cottonwood Meadows land owner.   In a culture where housing developments pave over productive farm land, The Cottonwood Meadows plan sees farming as a benefit to development.  This development project seeks to involve several farm businesses as one of the many facets featured in a plan to build community and provide new amenities to the residents of the area.  If 2H is voted down in November, John will likely be forced to sell and it is unlikely that a new buyer would be interested in keeping us on the property.  To learn more about the issues and many benefits of the development there are several meetings scheduled in October.

Oct 13, League of Women Voters, Community Center, 7PM

Oct 13, 20, 27 and Nov 3 at the Evergreen, 6:30pm

Oct 21 – Delta Kappa Gamma (retired teachers) Sangre de Cristo community room 7 PM

Pick up a yard sign by the walk-in cooler to show your support.  They will also be available, next door at Colorado Grown now that this is the last week for pick-up in the cooler.

The final harvest day of the season called for something special and the team answered 13 crates high, another new record.  We will be training hard over winter for next season.  Keep an eye out for the Weathervane All Stars at next years Farm Olympics.

Chilly Nights and Hot Soup

The wind blew hard on Thursday afternoon bringing down a storm of yellow cottonwood leaves.  It was so majestic in the garden with the cool air blowing down from the mighty mountain peaks.  Plants in the garden have pretty much stopped growing and our plot is just a holding ground until we harvest.  It is also the season for gleaning the last of some of crops.  You will notice the bagged chard and lettuce leaves in the share this week.  These are the last of those crops and so we picked smaller leaves that cannot be bundled but are still super tasty.

The share season is sadly drawing to a close.  The last week for shares is coming next week.  Shares as always will be here at the farm until Tuesday evening.

Though the veggie season is almost over, there will be more opportunities to visit the farm in October.  Bring the whole family to the 2nd Annual Farmhands benefit Pumpkin Patch Festival.  For more information on Farmhands an education program of the non-profit Guidestone check out http://guidestonecolorado.org/GigPage.aspx?PageID=1737 The Festival will run weekends, October 18th and 19th and 25th and 26th on Saturdays from 10 am – 5pm and Sundays from 12 pm – 4pm.  Admission to the event is $5, 2 and under free.  There will be lots of fun events including horse drawn wagon rides, hay bale maze, farm games, pumpkin patch, silent auction, bake sale and Colorado Grown Bratwurst BBQ.

Garden Share

Beets

Cabbage

Carrots

Chard Leaves

Leeks

Mixture of Lettuce Leaves

Red Onions

Sangre and Yukon Gold Potatoes

Fennel

Butternut Squash (From Mattic’s Orchard in Olathe)

Eggplant (From Mattic’s)

Fruit Share

All from Austin Family Farms

1 bag honey crisp apples

1 bag peaches, pears and plums

Eggplant and Red Chili

This is a dish of Seth’s that is great with eggs and tortillas or poured over rice.

Peel 1 large eggplant.  Cut into pieces 1/2 inch wide by an 1 1/2 long.  Saute in oil with a little bit of garlic.

Make one recipe of red chili.  Chili powder can be found in the Hispanic Foods section at your grocery store and usually comes in mild, medium and hot. Buy the large package that is probably more than a cup of ground chili not the small quantity that comes in a spice jar.  The recipe on the package is the one we generally follow.  Or if you are feeling ambitious you can rehydrate red chili pods and try the method explained here   http://www.zianet.com/focus/chile/chile3.htm adding salt and garlic and a roux to thicken of necessary.

Add red chili to the eggplant and simmer 5 minutes or so to thicken the mixture.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Here is a simple recipe that includes some fruit, too.

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000051butternut_squash_apple_soup.php

Seth’s Green Squash Soup

This makes a lot of soup.  Cut the recipe in 1/2 for a smaller quantity.

4 c winter squash

1 1/2 c. carrot cut into chunks

4 c. potatoes cubed

5 c. kale, chopped or other green

1 large onion, chopped

4-5 garlic cloves chopped

1 T. salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 T dried tarragon

Add 2 c. potatoes to small pot and boil until they are soft but do not fall apart.  Add everything else to a large pot with enough water to cover 2 inches.  Cook until tender.

Blend the mixture in a blender or food processor in batches and return to the pot.  Add cooked potatoes as you blend.  Add more spices as you like.  Simmer 10 minutes more and serve.

Potato Leek Soup

Potato leek soup is a fantastically simple and satisfying soup to make.  I liked the story behind this soup even though we are entering winter rather than coming to the end of winter.  With lows going down into the high 20s this week winter is on its way.  Potato Leek Soup is a hearty comfort food.

http://pinchmysalt.com/2008/03/19/a-hearty-potato-leek-soup-recipe-for-the-last-days-of-winter/

Celebrate Our Foodshed

The Central Colorado Foodshed Alliance, sponsers of the Salida Farmers Market, are holding their annual celebration on Saturday October 11th from 6-9pm at the Salida Steamplant Ballroom, 220 West Sackett St. in Salida.  The event will feature local author, Susan J. Tweit speaking about the benefits of consuming local food.  There will also be a delicious dinner of local foods, samples from local growers and music and dancing after the presentation.  Admission is $5 and children under 5 and CCFA members will be admitted free.  Come join in and Celebrate Our Foodshed!

Fall is Here

Fall is here and the leaves are falling to prove it.  I’ve noticed in the Spring that the amount of green changes by degrees everyday.  The color changes in the fall follow the same pattern.  Everyday there is a little more orange and red up on the hills and a little less green.  Soon the leaves will be falling and trees will be more bare everyday.   This week the share is very fall like.  We are moving into having more storage crops like onions, garlic, beets, carrots and potatoes and you will notice that the lettuce is not as tender as it was in the summer.  The leaves thicken as they adapt to the cold.

Garden Share

Beets

Carrots

Garlic

Onions

Lettuce

Sangre and Yukon Gold Potatoes

Paonia Tomatoes

Fruit Share

1 bag peaches, pears, plums, jonagold apples

Pick Yourself a Bouquet

We would like to invite everyone to pick a bouquet from the garden when you come to pick up your share.  The busy week prevented us from picking for market and we would love to distribute the beauty into everyone’s home.  If you pick-up in Salida feel free to stop by anytime you are in BV to pick a bouquet.  There are clippers in a red bucket next to the walk-in.  Take some time to enjoy being in the garden.

Sustainabilty Showcase and Celebration Today

Colorado Mountain College Sustainability Showcase and Celebration

This event is being held today at the Orpheum Theatre on East Main Street in Downtown Buena Vista.  The event will feature several talks on sustainability issues including landuse and local food production.  The event runs from 9 am to 9pm and the admission is $10 all day and $6 if you just want to attend the community mixer from 6-9 pm.

The Schedule is as Follows

8-9 am Admission and Showcase Preview

9-9:15 am Opening remarks from Jerry Mallet, Chaffee County Commissioner

Event announcement and projects:

Judy Green, Community and Corporate Learning Manager, CMC

Patricia St. Germain, Executive Director, GLobal Biomass Network Project, INC.

9:15-10:15 am Randy Udall – Colorado Renewable Energy Specialist

10:15 -10:45 am Coffee Break- Sponsored by Buena Vista Roastery

10:45-11:45 am Michael Callahan-Founder of Power Mundo and Solar Energy Specialist

11:45-1:00 pm Lunch and tour the Showcase

Entrees available from Mother’s and other local vendors

1:10-2:15 pm Quint Redmond – Creator: “Agriburbia” A sustainble landuse model

2:15-3:00 pm Afternoon refreshments in the Showcase

3:00 -5:00 pm Panel Discussion:  Restoring Local Food Production”  – Local Experts

including Seth Roberts of Weathervane Farm

4:00-6:00 pm Mini-Farmer’s Market – open to the public featuring

Weathervane Farm, Colorado Grown, Cottonwood Creek Dairy, Sweet Pea Farms, Vic’s Gourmet Foods

5:00-5:30 pm Closing Remarks – Jerry Mallet

6:00- 9:00 pm Community Mixer

Local musical talent and dancing, beer with donation, cash wine concession, local food vendors.  This event is hosted by Colorado Mountain College and The Orpheum Theatre.

The Leaves Are a Turnin’

Garden Share

Carrots

Red Russian Kale

Leeks

Green Lettuce

Red and Walla Walla Onions

Turnips

Corn

Fruit Share

1 bag blackberries and peaches

1 bag honeycrisp apples

All from Austin Family Farms

Turnips

These are purple top white globe turnips.  They are fantastic in the roasted roots recipe we mentioned last week.  They are also great in veggie and chicken soups, too.  They are best peeled.  A simple preparation is to boil them until you can stick a fork through and then slice or cube and slather them in butter and season with good salt.

Dangerous Leeks

This is a favorite dish that a friend contributed to a harvest celebration meal.  We haven’t made it in a while so we lost our recipe, but this one pretty much sums it up.  We call them dangerous leeks because they can cause some fragrant gastro-intestinal results.  They are worth it.  Just be careful not to over do it.

Leeks au Gratin

http://www.meredithlaurence.com/?p=69

Honey Crisp Apples

Several people have told me that these are their favorite eating apple.  They are sweet and crisp true to name.  The Honeycrisp apple was produced from a 1960 cross of Macoun and Honeygold, as part of the University of Minnesota apple breeding program.

There is a whole organization dedicated to promoting the honey crisp variety.

http://www.honeycrisp.org/hcrisp.htm

Blackberries

We are pleased with the variety of fruit that has been available this year and it is a real treat to have some berries.  As a Washington State native berries are one thing that I miss.  Delicious blackberries are noxious weeds in the Pacific Northwest and you can easily spend a mere 1/2 hour filling a five gallon bucket with sweet blackberry goodness.  Needless to say they are in abundance.  So savor these little guys.  I love them with a little milk and a light dusting of sugar or on top of vanilla ice cream.

Make the 1st Annual Farmer’s Harvest Festival Part of Your Weekend Plans

Just wanted to make a reminder to everyone that this Sunday is the First Annual Farmers’ Harvest Festival held at Cottonwood Meadows and sponsored by the farm businesses operating on the land, including Weathervane Farm. the event will run from 12:00 to 5:00. This event is free and open to all ages. The afternoon will start with farm tours and outdoor games at 12:00.

At approximately 1:00, we invite folks to sit down together to celebrate the abundance we’ve enjoyed on this land the last two seasons. The different farm businesses will be providing as much food as we can, and we ask everyone attending the potluck to bring your favorite dish to serve about 6-8 people. Please bring your own plates and table service and serving utensils would be appreciated as well, but we will of course have some here.

Then, around 3:00, we will enjoy live music from The Crane Flies, Matthew Coen and Andrea Earley-Coen’s latest musical project; Americana and acoustic rock with a bassist and drummer. We expect the band to play until 5: 00 or so, and then who knows what other fun might evolve.  Bring your instruments for a possible after 5:00 jam.

For those of you who may not have been to the farm before it is located at 15284 County Rd 350 in Buena Vista. If you can find the stoplight at Main street and 24, you’re almost there. Go north on 24 to Crossman, which is the street that runs between the Super 8 Motel and the Buffalo Bar and Grill (it is also CR 350). Take a left, and go just about a half mile, over Cottonwood Creek the first time, past Big Meadow (a big meadow) on your left. At the end of Big Meadow, take a left into the parking area immediately before crossing the creek a second time. After parking, cross the creek on the road, and you will find the farm on your left. Look for the signs directing you to parking for the event.

SCHEDULE for SUNDAY AFTERNOON SEPT. 21ST:

12:00 farm tours and outdoor games

1:00 Potluck

3:00 Live music with The Crane Flies

5:00 Official ending and unofficial beginning