By AJ
If you have ever been driving by pasture and wondered why you see sheep with bright-colored marks on them, there are… a lot of reasons, actually. But here, the only time you will see such marks on our ewes is during breeding season. The ram wears a harness with a crayon on the front so that we have a pretty good idea when the ewes are bred, based on how many brightly colored butts we see.
Our ramly ram this year is one of our lambs from 2022, named UGG. I could be remembering wrong, but i’m pretty sure that the name originated from Teddy. We use letters of the alphabet to name our lambs. If the mothers name starts with a "B", for example, then the lamb from that ewe will also start with a "B". So Uni (RIP) would need lambs that have names starting with a "U". It's a trickier letter of the alphabet, AND we want short names so that we can fit them on an eartag. Thus, Ugg.
Ugg is big (bigger than I was hoping, actually) and has an adorable wrinkly face. He will be down with the ewes for a little over a month before he heads back up to the “bachelor pad” with the other rams and bulls. It is rare to see our rams out of the pad, so if you get a chance to check out the sheep, look for the harness!
Sheep have a gestation period of about 5 months, so mid-September is a perfect breeding season for us. It puts lambing between mid-February and mid-March, just before we start to ramp up on the vegetable side of things. Once Ugg has done the deed, the bred ewes with join back up with the rest of the flock, nibble on alfalfa, shelter from the winter rain, and slowly get larger. And then we wait. Until it’s time for lambs!
Upcoming Events:
Farm Potluck This Friday September 22nd (Date Change!)
CSA Barn Hours:
Summer hours: 2:30-6:30PM (starts the week after daylight savings in March)
Winter hours: 2:30-6PM (starts the week after daylight savings in November)
Pick List:
Eggs
Ailsa Craig Sweet and Red Long Onions
Red Gold New Potatoes
Rhonda Beets
Yaya carrots
Pink Beauty Radishes
Dark Star, Cocozelle, and Yellowfin Summer Squash
Slicer and Pickling Cucumbers
Annina, Diamond, Kamo, Poamoho, and Beatrice Eggplant
Sweet Peppers
Evergreen Hardy Scallions
Celery
Faroa and Caraflex Green Cabbage
Song Cauliflower
Lettuce
Champion Collards
Lacinato Kale
Ruby Red Chard
Regiment Spinach
Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, and Basil
Tomatoes of all kinds!
Hot Peppers
Melons
Albion Strawberries
Pick Your Own Raspberries, Green beans, Padron & Shishito peppers; Cherry Tomatoes & Tomatillos; Husk Cherries; Flowers & Herbs (Please BYO clippers and jars!)
Sonoma Wheat Flour & Wheat Berries (Please BYO jars!)
Dried Herbs for Tea (Please BYO jars!)
Saltonstall Olive Oil for sale (Please BYO jars!)
Revolution Bread for sale
Open Field Farm 2023 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members
Easy Tomato Pie, from thekitchn.com
1 pie dough (enough for a 9-inch pie), homemade or store-bought
2 pounds tomatoes (about 4 medium), cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 packed cups), divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
Prepare the pie crust. Arrange two racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat to 425°F. Meanwhile, roll out the pie dough to a 12-inch round, then transfer to a 9-inch pie plate (regular, not deep dish). Roll the edges over on themselves and crimp the crust. Freeze while the oven heats, at least 15 minutes.
Prepare the tomatoes for the oven. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.
Bake the crust and tomatoes. Remove the crust from the freezer and line with parchment paper. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Place the tomatoes on the upper rack and the pie crust on the lower rack. Bake until the edges of crust begin to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add cheese to the crust and bake again. Remove the crust from oven (leave the tomatoes in), and remove the parchment and pie weights. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cheddar. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden-brown, about 5 minutes more. Remove the crust and the tomatoes from the oven (the tomatoes should be slightly wrinkly and look dry on top). Let both cool completely, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Make the topping. Place the mayonnaise, Parmesan, Dijon, remaining 1 cup Cheddar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
Layer the tomatoes and shallots in the crust. Place half of the tomatoes in the crust in a single, even layer, then sprinkle with half the shallots. Repeat layering the remaining tomatoes and shallots.
Top with the basil. Tear the basil leaves and scatter them on top.
Top with the cheese mixture. Dollop the mayo-cheese mixture on top and spread into an even layer.
Bake, then let cool before slicing. Bake until the crust is deep golden-brown, the filling is bubbling, and the cheese is beginning to brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Check after 30 minutes to see if crust is browning too quickly, and tent loosely with aluminum foil if needed. Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.