Winter cooking: roasted vegetables and purple mashed potatoes

Wondering what you can cook with "in-season, Northwest" produce in February?  Here is what's in our oven: root crops that have stayed in the ground all winter (carrots and parsnips) and others that have been stored all winter (potatoes, onions and garlic).  The result: a beautiful bouquet of roasted vegetables.  It's one of the more easy way we prepare vegetables.  Chop a variety of vegetables as close to the same size as possible.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning, if desired.  Mix in a 9x13 pan and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour, depending on the size the pieces.  Stir occasionally to ensure even roasting and to keep them from sticking to the pan. Test with fork for tenderness to check if they are done.

I have also decided I am not good at taking pictures of prepared meals (I'm better at capturing the produce while it's still in the field or on the vine), but I had to include another winter veggie we prepared the other night: purple mashed potatoes.  This summer when you're at the farmer's market, get adventurous! Pick up something you've never made before- or something that is a different color than what you are comfortable with. Then have some fun! Purple mashed potatoes are prepared the same way you make any mashed potatoes, just use a colored potato. Technically, these were blue potatoes, but they appear more purple. Happy experimenting! Just think of the fun things you could make- purple hash browns, french fries, potato pancakes...

Seed Time!

Hello, UPS truck! The boxes of seed packets are arriving! We have been fielding the question "so, what are you guys doing on the farm right now?" Our answer this week: "planting!" In February, this is usually met with a surprised expression, but in fact, we are "behind" on some of the outdoor planting already. With the threat of freezing temps this weekend, though, this will wait for a little while.  There is no typical schedule, since the weather varies so much, but Vince has created his "ideal calendar" and then records when he actually plants each crop.  He has been studying seed catalogs and working on his orders and now the seeds are starting to arrive in the mail.  Vince tries to order them from local companies, but it is struggle to get a good value for the amount we need. We need more than if we were to buy packets from the local co-op or hardware store, but not the volume required when ordering in bulk amounts designed for the very large farms. Decisions were made and now that seeds have arrived, the tedious job of planting seeds for starts indoors begins! 
This year he added full length mirrors above the trays to focus the grow lights more efficiently.

Mirrors attached to the sides of the grow lights.

Valentine Cactus

 I can grow something indoors! While Vince is such a great gardener, I (Anna) can never seem to keep a house plant alive. Mostly due to neglect and inconsistent watering, I imagine. We have had this Christmas Cactus for a number of years now, but I have only seen it bloom once. This year, it is closer to a Valentine Cactus than Christmas, but it is still exciting to see the bright blooms, no matter what time of year it is, especially during the characteristically dark winter.

The Chicken Coop Papers

There will be no more "bird brains" around this farm anymore. Our birds will be well-read, educated chickens. In our never-ending effort to reuse materials to keep our costs down as well as recycle, we have started using shredded paper in their coops.  When you have access to a large bag of shredded paper every day, this is easy (and free), not to mention, environmentally friendly. It's even easier when you become known as the "egg lady" at work so people start looking for ways to help you. Hence the piles of egg cartons on my desk each afternoon and the offerings of more shredded paper from households far and wide. All it took was one day of walking down the hall carrying my bag of shredded paper.  In the winter the chicken yards can get pretty muddy, no matter how often we move them, and muddy yards equal dirty eggs. Shavings work well, but can get expensive. We have also tried straw, but they drag it out of the boxes into the coop. Straw also hides the eggs when the chickens try to nest so the egg gatherer has to sift through it to find them.  Paper mixed in with the shavings is our new trial. As long as we can keep the chickens from putting together these classified documents...

Cream of Broccoli (or Cauliflower) Soup

It's time to make sure we are cleaning out the freezer from last summer.  As much as we like to eat our own vegetables, sometimes when they are in the chest freezer, they are out of sight, out of mind. So, we'll be pulling out the favorite recipes that use large amounts of some of the veggies we have left in storage.

Here is our favorite broccoli soup, taken from the trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook. She tags it as Low-Fat, and the best part about it is the vibrant green color- yeah vitamins!

Cream of Broccoli Soup (or Cream of Cauliflower Soup- see bottom of recipe) 
 prep time: 35 min   cook: 15 min   8 servings

1 1/2 lb broccoli (sometimes I mix broccoli and cauliflower)
2 cups water
1 large stalk celery, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Dash ground nutmeg
1/2 cups (heavy) whipping cream
shredded cheese, if desired

1. Remove flowerets from broccoli; set aside. Cut stalks into 1-inch pieces, discarding any leaves.

2. In 3-quart saucepan, heat water to boiling. Add broccoli flowerets and stalk pieces, celery and onion. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer about 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender (do not drain).

3. Blend broccoli mixture in blender or food processor until smooth.

4. In 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sitr in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth. heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

5. Stir in broccoli mixture, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Heat just to boiling. Stir in whipping cream. Heat just until hot (do not boil or soup may curdle). Serve soup topped with cheese.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup: substitute 1 head cauliflower (about 2 lb) for the broccoli. Add 1 Tbs lemon juice with the onion in step 2.

Enjoy with some warm, crusty homemade bread!

Cuttin' Calories the Old Fashioned Way

As I rose from the couch one winter day, I was a little sad to realize that my former college basketball playing body just doesn't move as quickly as it once did and I do not seem to have the time to keep playing in "old-lady leagues", nor should I spend money on a gym membership right now.  (Yes, this is Anna writing.) So when I came across this article in a magazine, I was excited to see our lifestyle validated as healthy in other ways than just healthy food.  We always observe that Vince loses at least 10 pounds every spring when the outdoor work begins in full.  His activity must qualify as doing "heavy" farming.  So...join us in getting outside in the garden this year for exercise- and the added benefit of fresh air!

Handmade, Homemade

There's nothing like things homemade. Although we were both raised appreciating homemade things (wood working, baked goods, birthday cards, poems as a gift for Dad), as part of this farm experience, we have learned to make a lot more things from our own supplies. Neither of the items in this post are from our farm, but they capture the importance we place on making things with your own hands and sharing that experience with others. For Christmas Anna received a cutting board made by brother Wade that is much nicer than any "store bought" cutting board (although you can buy his cutting boards and other creative items- just let us know and we'll send you his way!)

my beautiful new cutting board made by brother Wade Caruso- awaiting fresh veggies to chop.

On New Year's Eve we spent all day with most of Vince's family in Evans City, PA making ravioli "like Grandma Caruso made." With Nick leading the charge and with the usual banter and noise that comes with a large family, we took turns in the assembly line and turned out dozens and dozens of both meat and squash (from Wade's garden) filled raviolis. Even the toddlers "helped" (you can spy them in the pictures below). There is something wonderful about sharing an experience with those you love and then getting to enjoy the product together. Try it this year with items from your garden and let us know what you made!

part of the ravioli assembly line

rolling the perfect pasta