HAPPY FRIENDS, HAPPY FARMER

Most of this love of the good life began when a little seed was growing in my belly.  Ever important was it to both Dan and I to be aware of what was going into our joint venture and to give her the best foundation possible.  What use to be not a big deal (what's a Carl's Jr. meal here and there?) became a HUGE deal.  Would ol' Carl grow our most precious flower into a healthy and strong girl?  And thus the journey to change our life, for our family, began.

Now, we look to the world in which our daughter is living and growing in.  The world in which she will make her mark, make her friends, grow her own family.  The world we want to challenge her, to support her and to help her flourish.  And it both freaks us out and makes us work harder.

Yesterday we joined in with passionate people in our community to stand up for the most basic of rights - the most basic of what goes into our foundation - a healthy food system.  We felt empowered and hopeful by you, our friends and neighbors.  Thank you for showing up, for walking the talk, for believing, as we do, that wholesome food matters.  Let's keep working to spread the word, our enthusiasm and joy.

                                                                         ~ janell

Garden Goodness In Tabouleh

As I was wandering through the garden and admiring the fragrant Spring mint and parsley, I remembered one of my favorite summer recipes that screams FRESH! It's so very easy to make and I love that once made, it's a quick, healthy meal for a few days.  I've tweaked a few recipes along the way to meet my personal tastes and here's what I've come up with.  Be sure to use organic and fresh ingredients.

• 1 1/2 CUP DRIED BULGUR WHEAT
• 2 CUPS BOILING WATER
• 1/3 CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
• 1/2 CUP FRESH-SQUEEZED LEMON JUICE
• 3/4 CUP CHOPPED GREEN OR RED ONION
• 1 CUP CHOPPED FRESH PARSLEY LEAVES
• 1/4 CUP CHOPPED FRESH MINT LEAVES
• 2 TOMATOES - DICED
• 1 CUCUMBER - DICED
• 3 CLOVES GARLIC - MINCED
• 1 TSP. SALT
• 1/2 TSP. RED PEPPER FLAKES
• BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE
• 1/2 CUP FETA CHEESE CRUMBLES

Pour hot water over the bulgur, cover and let sit for a couple hours.  Add ingredients to soaked bulgur, mix well and refrigerate for at least one hour.  I think it tastes better the 2nd day after the flavors have melded.  

Bees Do It!

We're in-love with our bees already!  They just arrived on Friday and are already busy, busy, busy!  Thank you, Ol Sol Bees (out of Rogue River, Oregon) for your awesomeness! It makes us so happy to hear their little bzzzzzzzz throughout the garden, around the flowers and up in the tree canopy.  They are in the borage, raspberries, strawberries, elm tree, black locust tree, salvia, wisteria,  grapes... if it has a flower, they are there, doing their magic.

After our 3 hives were wiped out last year, mysteriously, we were depressed and were going to just wait another year before bringing on any new hives. 

But then why should one wait for good things 

when you don't have to?

DESSERT FOR BREAKFAST, 

LUNCH & DINNER!

We actually might be a bit overboard but, hey, they are right in our backyard so why not?!  Succulent, ruby-red strawberries are coming on strong right now and we're picking bowls every morning.  Stop on by for a pint of heaven!

The secret to delicious fresh-picked ripe strawberries is to eat them the same day they are picked.   Don't refrigerate them and don't wash them until just before you toss them into your mouth.  If you do want to keep them around a day, don't keep them piled up as they bruise easily.

Did you know that the largest producer of strawberries in the states is our neighbor to the South - California?  Maybe you didn't know that one of the reasons California is so successful with strawberry production is their persistent use methyl bromide of to fumigate their fields?  Follow this link to read more about the secret life of California's strawberries.  Think twice before popping one of those store-bought babies into your mouth!

The Sh*t List... CliffsNotes

On our farm, we are diligent to plant organic seeds and are adding to our personal seed banks each year with varieties of wild and heritage seeds.  We don't spray chemicals on our land, because our land is where we and our food live. We do so not because we're ahead of the curve, but because we're afraid.  We're afraid that simple farming & eating is at jeopardy. The constant bombardment of chemicals on the land and GMO seeds is man playing Russion roulette with millions of years of plant and animal evolution. 

Before this rant you're about to read, it occurred to me that there was a time in my life that I had no clue about the personal and profound impact these dangerous practices have. And I'm going to believe that a lack of understanding is why people are not demanding an alternative. I have to believe that because apathy is a recipe for genocide in this case.

POINT ONE- WE MUST EAT.  Whether you like jo-jo's-n-Doritos, foie gras et baguette, or quinoa and kale for dinner, our bodies are the soil that chemical giants are planting their test gardens in.  Calories and carbs and nutrient content aside, we're talking about bigger choices here that are being taken away from us. The choice to eat food not made in a science lab and the choice to leave food production as it has been for thousands of years - in the hands of individuals - is at risk.

POINT TWO:  WE'VE BECOME CONDITIONED 

to believe we need the latest and greatest (food, landscaping, clothing, etc) and things should look picture-perfect, lest we be less than perfect.   This is how consumerism controls the masses because the quest for perfect never ends.  Bio- Ag and chemical companies want you to think nature is imperfect so it makes sense for them to be meddling. Ever walk in the forest and thought to yourself "dang, look at all those weeds?!? Let's kill them!!"  ... ah, probably not. But Bio-Ag and chemical companies want you to think nature needs their help, and that they can help you with their Franken Food (or at least brainwash you enough while you close your eyes, baffled by the misinformation, as they sneak legislature into your tax-dollar-paid-governing to make it so you have no choice but to eat from their coffers.)  

POINT THREE:  DON'T BELIEVE THEM. 

Don't believe the scientists-for-hire, the lobbyists, the pretty labels all donned in flowers and nature scenes and slogans and crap.  They are the neighborhood bully with a koolaid stand.  Don't buy it and certainly don't drink it!

POINT FOUR:  ALL FOOD COMES FROM THE LAND...So, if you eat, your body and health comes from the land. Did you sign up to be a guinea pig? Maybe not consciously, but passively, we've allowed a whole slew of greedy chemical monsters to take the reigns of what's happening on your table and in your family's body. Altering seed composition means food becomes intellectual property and no longer nature's property. "Feeding the world" is not the GMO'S objective. Owning the world is. And that means owning you. Because if you own the world's food, you hold the purse-strings.

POINT FIVE:  WHAT TO DO???  READ LABELS! BUY ORGANIC!  (FROM TRUSTED SOURCES)  AGAIN... Read labels!! If it doesn't say Organic, it is most likely contaminated with toxic chemicals and GMO'S and dirty corporate greed.  "Natural" does not mean it's really natural and safe.  It's an advertising catch-phrase.  While you're at it, stop believing that weeds, flowers, garden goods and animals need chemicals dumped on them to be safe and premium.. Au-Contraire!  That ROUND-UP or 2-4-D weed killer or super-seed is really a baby-killer. Seriously.  Time and time again we see that heavy pesticides and intrinsic insecticidals are connected to infertility, developmental issues and spontaneous abortions in animals.

POINT FIVE POINT FIVE:  USE YOUR DOLLARS AS AN EXTENSION OF YOURSELF.  We are in control of our futures simply by what we spend our hard-earned dollars on. If we don't spend our dollars on products that support malicious intent, then we are not contributing to the problem and we are not ensuring the proliferation. We all sacrifice a part of ourselves to earn those dollars at work everyday so let's make it count for good! Takin' back our power, one penny at a time!  

Move Over Kale!  Spinach Is In The House!

A little rain, a little sunshine, and poof!  Spinach is outta control!  This year, the savoyed leaves are such a beautiful shade of green and I think it's due to the aged compost we added to the bin this winter.  

Follow this link for all the health benefits of Spinach.  The powerhouse of the garden, spinach probably offers the most bang for your buck when it comes to fresh garden goods.

I've been adding the fresh leaves to just about every dish I make.  

Onion dip just got healthy with a pound of spinach added into the food processor (they make organic Onion Dip mix for only 50 cents more than the regular variety at Rays.)

Scrambled Eggs - just before they are done, I toss in some cheddar cheese, chipotle powder and a handful of spinach leaves.  It's a zippy protein, calcium, vitamin and iron party!

Pasta - a good way to cut down on carbs and add in flavor and a quick nutritional bang is to cut the pasta serving in half and put them on a bed of uncooked greens.  The hot pasta steams it just enough to make the raw spinach perfect.

Smoothies - even Ms. Particular Daisy will drink a strawberry yogurt smoothie with spinach!

Over the next week, I want to try my hand at a Spanakopita recipe (‘cause then there will be left over phyllo dough for Baklava... and what's not to love about that combo?!)

~janell

Another Pig Post?!?

I can’t resist.  Those dang little piggies are too cute.  Well, if covered in mud, snorting, squealing, stepping in their food bowls and fighting for treats is cute, then they are the ultimate in cuteness.  

Yesterday we moved them to their new forest home and I”m sure the neighbors thought we were executing a small army.  I have never heard such piercing screams!  Those little buggers can not be ignored!  

They are thrilled about the mud hole they created within 20 minutes of being in their new home.  I mean THRILLED.  I sort of thought that pigs rolled in mud because they had messy pens and had no option but to be dirty.  Nope.  They love to make mud and then stick their faces in it and roll all over.  I liken it to how I would be with a bathtub of dark chocolates and 100 dollar bills. It seems they also love poison oak, chard, carrots, parsley and about anything you throw their way from the garden.  

I have to remind myself why we have pigs.  We like to eat them.  We actually love to eat them.  Just like dairy and beef were when we brought on cows, and eggs and poultry were when we brought chickens to our farm, pork is getting a new pondering.  Proscuitto, salami, pork chops, bacon - you all were once a cute little squealer.  I know that I will be careful to offer a healthy and happy life to our little guys and someday they will in turn nourish my family.  I’m already thankful for what you've given so far, Captain Underpants and Nosy.

~Janell

THANKFUL FOR FRIENDS!

This summer we are fortunate enough to have friends who are going to be watching our farm for us here and there while we head off for some R&R.  Over the past several summers, we have not been able to leave the farm as there is always something that needs tended to day and night.  Katie, Patrick and Ayden will be moving onto our property as they finish their renovations on their motor home.  They have been restoring a 35-foot motor home from the ground-up for the past year and they are very close to being done. After summer is done, they will become gypsies and let the wind carry them across the states.  

Thanks, guys, for tending our farm and sharing our summer with us! 

~Janell

CAULIFLOWER-O-RAMA!

It happens every Spring and I'm always blown away.  Our cauliflower plants look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book for months on end and then suddenly, when I'm sure there's no way they'll ever amount to anything, they go bonkers.  This is the week!

If you were thinking of getting fresh cauliflower from KFF, now's the time, as it's going fast.  25 pounds went out the door today.

Here's how I prepared mine tonight...

• Melt a good gob of butter in a med-high cast iron skillet
• Add caulflower flourettes
• Add curry powder, sea salt, pepper, dried oregano, a few red pepper flakes
• Stir-fry for a few minutes
• Add in a tablespoon of water, cover with lid for a minute or two
• Add in minced fresh garlic, chopped green onions a dash of soy sauce
• Cook with lid off for a 2 minutes

SERVE HOT!!!

~Janell