I love to wake up in the morning and see the fog. It is never exactly the same. Some mornings it is a low band in the valley, others it is high on the hills. On the way to school, we often drive out of it on the top of the hill and then look down on the town, covered in white. In the summer, that moisture feeds the plants and provides everyone with a needed break from the dryness of the days.
Sunrise with a fog
We have pigs on the farm now! While we would like to raise pigs for the CSA in the future, we have also been anxious to get some to work as rototillers and help us to manage bindweed. We have bindweed everywhere on the farm. In the pastures the grasses keep it in balance and it does not cause problems. In the vegetable fields, it is a difficult weed to manage well. You cannot pull out its roots and simply cutting off the top only sets it back a week or two.
We were able to purchase 8 four month old pigs, ready to get to work from another local farmer that needed to sell his animals. We are hoping that the pigs will actually get to the roots of the bindweed and eat them. Right now we are moving the pigs through the area we are planning to till and cover crop this fall for 2 new fields. When you come in the driveway, you will see the horse trailer parked in the middle of the field on the right. That is the pigs! It is hard to actually see the pigs themselves. They are very curious and happily eating most of the leftover vegetables we are feeding them.
Duroc and Gloucester Old Spot Pigs
This week's pick list:
- Turnips
- Watermelon Radish
- Green Beans
- Peas
- Sorted Sweet Peppers
- Kohlrabi
- Escarole and Frisee
- Radicchio
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Parsnips
- Onions
- Lettuce
- Celery
- Celeriac
- Winter Squash
- Potatoes
- Kale
- Chard
- Collards
- Beets
- Rutabaga
- Carrots
- Dill and Cilantro
- Pick your own Strawberries
- Flowers
Spring Onions in the ground with the pig trailer in the background.
Seth's Cabbage and Ground Beef
This is a very simple dish but it is also satisfying and delicious. Seth lived on it in his bachelor days and we continue to eat it often.
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 small green cabbage or 1/2 a larger one, thinly sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Saute the onions in olive oil on medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cabbage and sauté until softened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan into a bowl.
- Return the pan to the heat and sauté the ground beef until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the cabbage and onions to the pan and cook everything together until warm, about 2 minutes.
Green Cabbage Salad with Soft Boiled Egg (Adapted from Nature by Alain Ducasse)
- Thinly slice one head of green cabbage.
- Heat a casserole dish with 1/4 cup of wine vinegar.
- Add sliced cabbage and cook for just 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and pour over 1/4 cup olive oil and season with freshly found black pepper and salt.
- Leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, soft boil 3 eggs (6 minutes), cool and shell them. Put them in a bowl and crush them.
- Add them to the cabbage after it has marinated.
- Chop a small handful of tarragon and chives and add to the cabbage. Mix it all and taste. Add salt and pepper if need be.
- Toast 8 thinly sliced pieces of bread. Serve them with the salad.