Wild Things Farm

NASCAR got started last month, and this month in my area of Tennessee, we farmers get started!  Yesterday was the day that the soil in the "Front Bluff Garden" was dry enough to make a ball in your fist, but fall apart when you poke it gently.  Woohoo! 

There are 6 separate garden areas on the farm, and they all have names just so I can keep records of what grew where for rotation, and also to keep records on what did well in certain beds and all that other garden stuff (bugs, weeds, etc.)

The Front Bluff Garden is the closest to the house and it's my favorite garden to work in.  I'm not sure if it's because there's a cool bluff on the back side of it, or that my herb garden sits atop a small bluff on the front side of it, or that a giant sycamore tree flanks the north end of it where I can rest in the shade and listen to all sorts of birds during  days in that garden.  This garden grows awesome lettuce and spinach, and crops such as tomatoes, garlic, peppers and green beans have been rotated in and out. 

This year, plans are to plant carrots, beets, and peas today; there are flats of spinach and lettuce in the greenhouse just waiting to be placed in the ground.  For now, I must go to the manure pile, spread manure, top with composted leaves, then till once more before the seeds "hit the dirt".  It's kind of like following a recipe in the kitchen....only much more fun.

Each year I add new veggies to the crop cornucopia here on the farm, and one of the newbies this season is artichokes.  I remember the first time I ever ate an artichoke--that was an experience!  First off, it looked like a monster-size of something I surely would have pulled out of the garden weeks before.......

Okay, boil it for 20 minutes and then what?  Pull the leaves off and scrape the end of it with your teeth?  Hmmmmm, tastes great, but not filling.  With the leaves all gone, my next question was "is that all?"  Oh no, now you pull it apart, BE SURE to scrape all the nasty-tasting hairs out, then savor the heart of this member of the thistle family.....ooooh, savor I did!

Never thought they would grow in Tennessee, but while perusing the mountains of seed catalogs I receive each year, I came across a variety that is bred to be grown as an annual.  In the warmer areas of the country where artichokes are grown commercially, they are grown as perennials or biennials, but they won't withstand our temperatures around here. 

Anyway, in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog I saw "Imperial Star" artichoke seeds.  The info on the packet is that they will mature in 85 days and the narrative in the catalog suggests that they can be grown in most any part of the country, with a little extra care. 

Yesterday a spot on the propagation mat came open so I sowed 2 packets of seed into 1 flat.  Each packet contains "a minimum of 50 seeds", and actually there were 57 seeds in each pack :)  The seeds look like shelled sunflower seeds, and the whole time I was meticulously placing the seeds in the neat little rows in the flat I was thinking to myself that I bet mice sure would love to eat these seeds.......

The next morning, sure enough, there were a few telltale holes in the soil mix, but they didn't get too many---glad there were 57 seeds in each pack!

Yet another use for duct tape:

I took a flat with smaller holes in the bottom of it, flipped it upside down over the flat of vulnerable artichoke seeds, duct-taped it securely, and voila!  Mouse-proof seedling tray.

The saga goes on though.....seed packet instructs that artichoke seeds germinate best under alternating temperatures; huh?  8 hours at 80-85 degrees, then 16 hours at 68-75 degrees.  Okay, I'm doing my best, but I'm beginning to understand why they cost $2.00 each at the store.

As soon as anything exciting happens, the next article in the series will appear on the blog......meanwhile, I think it's time to go adjust the thermostat on the propagation mat (jk)!

Yes, I said potatoes.  I bet you're thinking to yourself...potatoes, EVERYBODY knows about potatoes.  Do you?  Do you you really?

I checked out the website www.healthypotato.com and found gobs of useful information and recipes for the "lowly" potato. 

Did you know that potatoes rank really high on the list for several vitamins and nutrients, namely potassium, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6? 

This table, found on the aforementioned website, lists foods considered "high" in Potatssium content.  ( A 5.3 ounce potato with skin on)

Food Source Potassium (mg)

Potato (1, 5.3 oz) 620
Banana (1 med) 400
Mushrooms (5 med) 300
Brussels Sprouts (4 lg) 290
Cantaloupe (1/4 med) 280
Orange (1 med) 260
Grapefruit (1/2 med) 220
Spinach (1 ½ c raw) 130

* USDA Standard Reference 18

Geez, I always ate a banana if I was getting leg cramps--think I'll go for a potato  next time!

Back in the early 2000's everyone went on the low-carb diet.  I agree that the diet works, but it soooo can't be healthy for you; all that fat and cholesterol....anyway, people shy away from potatoes because they are "starchy".  Well, here's what "healthy potato" has to say about the starch in 'taters:

Resistant Starch

Resistant starch is the starch that is ‘resistant’ to enzymatic digestion in the small intestine.  Resistant starch is found in foods such as potatoes,
legumes, bananas (especially under-ripe, slightly green bananas) and some unprocessed whole grains. Natural resistant starch is insoluble, is fermented in the large intestine and is a prebiotic fiber (i.e., it may stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the colon). Other types of resistant starch may be soluble or insoluble, and may or may not have prebiotic properties .

The physiological effects and potential health benefits of resistant starch have been studied in animals and humans for over 30 years.  Resistant starch appears to exert beneficial effects within the colon, as well as body-wide. Health benefits in the colon include enhanced laxation, extensive fermentation and the production of important short chain fatty acids and increased synthesis of a variety of “good” bacteria.

WOW!  That's a plus!  Have you checked out the stomach/ digestion /laxative aisles at the stores?  They are almost as large and comprehensive as the pain relievers and sinus areas.  If we ate more potatoes maybe we could get some good bugs going in our systems to help digest all the cra......uh, food that we eat each day!

Back to the website......

Potato Nutrition:

More than skin deep

A common misconception is that all of the potato’s nutrients are found in the skin. While the skin does contain approximately half of the total dietary fiber, the majority (> 50 percent) of the nutrients are found within the potato itself. As is true for most vegetables, cooking does impact the bioavailability of certain nutrients, particularly water-soluble vitamins and minerals, and nutrient loss is greatest when cooking involves water (boiling) and/or extended periods of time (baking). To maintain the most nutrition in a cooked potato, steaming and microwaving are best.

 If you need to get dinner on the table in minutes, try baking potatoes in the microwave. The key to great microwave baked potatoes is cutting a thin wedge, lengthwise, approximately 1/2-inch wide and 1 inch deep. This is done so the steam can fully escape from the potato, resulting in a dry and fluffy pulp.  (I didn't know that!)

On the farm there are 3 kinds of potatoes raised; Kennebec, Red Pontiac, and Yukon Gold.  Each of them has their virtues; I like the Red Pontiacs best harvested small and prepared as "new potatoes", whole.  The Kennebecs are good all purpose potatoes, good for mashing, frying, or baking.  The Yukon Gold are creamy and make great mashed potatoes.

Before you cut potatoes out of your diet to lose some weight, why not get moving and burn off some extra calories instead?  I would never recommend to cut down on chocolate.......

I just made the most awesome soup.  The recipe was on The Old Farmer's Almanac website.  There are many potatoes still in the cellar waiting to be a part of a meal (some will be seeds for this year's crop, but shhhhhh, don't say anything).

Anyway, the recipe goes like this.....

Take 3 pieces of bacon and cut into little pieces and saute in a large saucepan until they are crisp.  Drain off the grease.

Add 3 cups diced, peeled potatoes, 1 small onion, finely chopped, and 2 stalks celery, finely chopped.  Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.  Cover all this with water and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Pour 1 cup of flour onto a cutting board and in the middle of this add 1 slightly beaten egg and 1/2 tsp salt.  mix this up--I had to add a little water to make it moist enough to mix--and then cut it into little pieces to make "rivels".  They should be about the size of peas.  Drop them into the boiling soup and stir them in to keep them separated.  Add 2 cups milk and 3 tbs butter.  Cook for about 10 minutes more, until the rivels are done.  I added a pinch of sage to the pot. 

This is kind of  a cross between potato soup and chicken and dumplings, without the chicken.  I like it!.....A Lot!

P.S.  It's not very good as a leftover......

Kale is a number one nutritious green.  I'll have to admit that I'm not much on cooked greens--story time.....Several years ago...well, about 10 years ago, my family and I were eating supper one night.  Supper was the typical Southern supper which consisted of pinto beans, cornbread, and greens.  Believe me, I've tried to eat cooked greens for years and I really don't like cooked greens, but...anyway, back to the story.  My two sons (young at the time) and their father and I were eating supper, and I announced to all of them that I was 40+ years old, never liked greens, and I thought I was old enough to not have to eat them anymore!  The kids laughed and kept on eating (I was glad for that). 

Kale is a very nutritious green and I have learned to eat it when sauteed lightly and not canned or cooked for hours!  Kale is high in carotenoids, vitamins and minerals such as calcium and magnesium, and like most veggies, it's low in calories.  Kale also shares all the cancer-fighting properties of the brassica family.

Kale is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect the plant from UV damage.  They protect your eyes in similar ways.  Studies show that a lutein-rich diet will reduce your risk of developing age-related eye disorders, such as macular degeneration and cataracts (my former mother-in-law has macular degeneration and it's not fun at all). 

Like its relatives broccoli and cabbage, kale releases  sulforaphane when sliced or chewed.  This stimulates the liver to make enzymes, and these enzymes break down cancer-causing molecules. 

Kale is also loaded with vitamins, especially vitamin K.  This allows the blood to clot and also keeps your bones strong.  Our bodies can't store vitamin K real well, so we need to eat it more often to make sure it's available.  This helps defend against osteoporosis too.  Sidenote:  My great grandmother "Granny Wilds" had a hump on her back and that used to scare me when I was a little girl.  Now I know that osteoporosis caused it and I don't want to be scary to my great-grand kids, if I'm lucky enough to live that long!

Kale also protects your lungs.  Vitamin A protects those exposed to either first-or secondhand smoke from developing diseases like emphysema.  One cup of cooked kale provides more than 300 percent of your recommended daily needs for A. 

Cooking kale releases healthful carotenoids but can also destroy the anticancer properties.  Avoid this by slicing kale, then letting it rest for five minutes.  Then lightly steam the sliced leaves for exactly five minutes.  This is just the right amount of time to release the caretenoids while preserving the other health properties.

Sautee'd kale is great with chicken, rice, pasta, and beef, and probably pork too.  I just add it when I need something "green" to go with supper and kale is around--sautee' and toss; it has a really good flavor!

The "vegucation" info for this article was gleaned from the February/March issue of Organic Gardening.

When I was a kid we had never heard of "fresh, raw spinach"; all we were ever offered was slimy canned stuff that mom had put some sort of meat (fat usually) to give it some kind of flavor.  I can remember choking it down just so I could get up from the table to continue playing barbie dolls or whatever I was doing when I was so "rudely interrupted" to eat supper at the table, with the family.  (imagine that!) 

In my early twenties I was introduced to fresh spinach--it's WONDERFUL!  It's got texture, a rich flavor, easy to grow, easy to prepare and it's one of the most nutritious veggies we can eat.  Here goes..... (USDA guidelines)

 In a 3.5 oz serving, you will get  

23 kcal of energy, .4 g of Sugars, 2.2 g of dietary fiber, .4g of fat, 2.2 g of protein, and the following percentages of the minimum recommended daily allowance of these nutrients:

Vitamin A- 52%
      beta-carotene
      lutein and zexanthin
Folate (Vit. B9) - 49%
Vitamin C - 47%
Vitamin E - 13%
Vitamin K - 460%
Calcium - 10%
Iron - 22%

(No wonder Popeye didn't need a can opener)

The best way to prepare spinach is to simply wash the leaves and spin them dry in your handy-dandy salad spinner (or pat with paper towels).  Spinach mixes well with most "usual" salad ingredients;  tomatoes,  cucmbers, onions, and.......bacon bits!  Blue cheese crumbles are tasty and honey mustard dressing complements the nutty-like flavor of the leaves.  It's also great on sandwiches instead of lettuce.   Sorry, but if you like it cooked you're on your own :)

Eat More Spinach!

I never really thought about just how hard winter is on "everyone", but since I've been a farmer, I've come to realize that  it's really hard on all the critters that live outside during the winter.  They all need extra attention this time of year; the cats, dogs, cows, chickens, horses; everything needs water, which is FROZEN this time of year.  That's a chore in itself.  For the chickens I keep two waterers; one in the shop to thaw out, and the other one to use for them to actually drink out of.   My dogs all have nice warm houses, and the cats sleep in the warm loft of the shop. 

What prompted this particular blog is that Buckshot, one of the horses on the farm, cut his foot today.  It's a pretty bad gash, and he was limping and kicking his foot.  I cleaned out a stall for him, he got doctored, and we put some nice clean sawdust in the stall for him,  and he immediately laid down when he was settled in.  I think he appreciated the dry, warm spot to be when his foot was hurt. 

His buddy Whitt is still in the pasture, with a full bale of hay, but he is hollering for his buddy every few minutes.  Horses sure are tribal.  It's funny how they fight when they are together but miss each other when separated--are they like us humans, kind of?

Winter is hard; it's a time of reflection and rest.  But, there are still chores to do and animals to care for.  Take care of any animals in your care.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought it appropriate to highlight the most popular vegetable for this holiday, and that would be chocolate, of course. 

Chocolate is one of the most versatie veggies in the kitchen; well it's probably the one veggie that's eaten away from the kitchen more than in the kitchen.  It can be consumed "raw" at room temperature, or melted and combined with fruits, nuts, pretzels; just about anything you want is better dipped in chocolate.

Just like with the other vegetables, "they" say that the more colorful it is, the more vitamin and mineral-rich it is.  So it is with chocolate.  The dark chocolate has better health benefits than milk chocolate, but here are some of the virtues of chocolate: 

 Cacao, the source of chocolate, contains antibacterial agents that fight tooth decay. Of course, this is counteracted by the high sugar content of milk chocolate.

The smell of chocolate may increase theta brain waves, resulting in relaxation.

Chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine, a mild mood elevator (great post-argument).

The cocoa butter in chocolate contains oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fat which may raise good cholesterol.

Drinking a cup of hot chocolate before meals may actually diminish appetite.

Men who eat chocolate live a year longer than those who don't.

The flavanoids in chocolate may help keep blood vessels elastic.

Chocolate increases antioxidant levels in the blood.

Mexican healers use chocolate to treat bronchitis and insect bites.

The carbohydrates in chocolate raise serotonin levels in the brain, resulting in a sense of well-being (woohoo!)

You might be saying to yourself that chocolate isn't a vegetable.  I beg to differ: If you check out the definition of chocolate on Wiki, this is what you'll see:

Chocolate is derived from the seeds of a fleshy pod from the fruit of the cacao tree. The scientific name of the cacao tree is Theobroma cacao, which means "food of the Gods" and it is classified as a vegetable.

By the way, by definition, fruits are vegetables. The fleshy part of the fruit of cacao is also edible. 

Now for the recipe:  Mexican Chocolate Chili

It's in the Allrecipes.com website and here's the link.

 http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mexican-Chocolate-Chili/Detail.aspx

Enjoy, and EAT MORE CHOCOLATE!  Don't you think the world would be a happier place if everybody ate chocolate every day? :)

Swiss Chard is a wonderful plant to grow in the garden.  Not only does it taste good, it's pretty as well.  At Wild Things there are several different varieties of Swiss Chard in the garden; Lucullus, Bright Lights, and Sea Foam are the three main varieties grown.  Lucullus is a very hardy plant, withstanding summer heat better than the other varieties, but Bright Lights is colorful and happy and "they" say that colorful veggies are the best choices for more nutrients. 

Swiss chard is one of the most nutritious veggies around.  It contains anthocyanins and fiber, which prevent colon and digestive cancers; iron, supporting the body's ability to utilize oxygen; vitamin A to protect your lungs and prevent heart disease; vitamin C to boost your immune function and protect against heart disease; vitamin K to keep bones strong and allow blood to clot. (whew!)

My favorite way to prepare Swiss Chard is to wash it, remove the stems, tear the leaves up, and eat them in a salad.  If you like fresh spinach salads, you'll like Swiss Chard salads.  It's thicker and meatier than spinach, and is great accompanied by the same things that like to go with spinach salads. 

Swiss Chard is also good sauteed lightly and added to recipes.   Swiss Chard may be substituted in a lot of recipes that call for spinach and many of the chefs on Food Network have been using Swiss Chard in their recipes, so I would suggest checking out their website for specific recipes.

The "vegucation" info in this blog was gleaned from Organic Gardening magazine, in the February/March 2009 issue.

I know that things are going to “get wild” around here pretty soon, so I’m getting a head start on “vegucation” about the vegetables grown on the farm.  This article is about cabbage.

I subscribe to the Old Farmer's Almanac newsletter and today's newsletter was on the subject of Groundhog Day.  The newsletter stated that this day traditionally marked the midpoint of harsh winter weather......yuk!  I was sure hoping we were over halfway by now.  Mr. Groundhog isn't going to see his shadow here today because we're just coming out from under several inches of snow, then enough frozen rain to make it nice and "almost" crunchy enough to walk on--that means it's really hard to get around the farm on foot  to feed critters.  It's a really good aerobic workout though!   I did snap a few really cool pictures of the water frozen on the trees though.

Even though the temps outside are in the teens and 20's at night and 30's during the day, the greenhouse gets a toasty 80 degrees during a sunny episode.  I may move a chair in there for some vitamin D during these short days.  I can tend the onion seedlings while I'm at it!  A couple of weeks ago I started onions, swiss chard and lettuce just "playing in the dirt".  Everybody seems to be doing fine even though they're not being babied at all.   As soon as the ground is suitable, these babies will be out under the hoops!  Meanwhile I go back to my quilting project......Happy Groundhog Day, y'all!

I had my first experience with polenta about 8 years ago.  My oldest son had been on a backpacking trip and someone brought polenta for their meal and he wanted to make some.  He bought a 5 pound bag of cornmeal, got my biggest pot, mixed water with the entire bag, cooked it, and then it was supposed to go in the  fridge overnight.  I'm not exactly sure just how much polenta he made, but let's just say that it was probably the amount that a very busy restaurant, running polenta for the special of the day, would have made!  I let him "do his thing" and I finally had to throw the biggest majority of it out a week or so later. 

Back to the present.  I made a batch of polenta the other night.  I used 1 cup yellow cornmeal and 3 cups of water. I added a tsp of salt also.   Bring the water to a boil then slowly whisk in the cornmeal (so it won't make lumps).  Cook it for 10 or 15 minutes on med/low heat, until the meal is soft.  Pour the mixture into a greased round cake pan and press it down.  It goes in the fridge overnight.  You can also make like a sausage roll and wrap it in plastic, then slice it off as you need it. 

Polenta is kind of like rice or pasta; it's a good foundation for sauces, vegetables, or cheesy things.  That same son came by for lunch the other day and I sliced a couple of slices of polenta, browned them in a skillet, sautee'd a couple of slices of onion and a sliced poblano pepper in a tablespoon of Evoo, then threw a handful of spinach leaves just for the heck of it.  After the spinach was wilted, I served the grilled polenta topped with the sauteed veggies as a side dish to great northern beans I had cooked the day before.  He said it was fabulous!   I think it would be good to deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar also. 

You can also put cheese, garlic, or peppers in the polenta before it's cooled.  

If you've priced polenta at the store, then priced cornmeal and look at how simple it is to make, it's like a no-brainer.  Make your own!

p.s.  My son is a most excellent cook now :)

As most CSA farmers know, we have two speeds:  summertime, full blast, and wintertime as far as gardening is concerned, stopped.  I jokingly told someone the other day that I could stay in bed all day long and no one (except my animals) would notice!  I can't do that though, and I've been occupying a lot of these wintry days quilting, building cabinets, and tie-dyeing.

My brother-in-law asked for a red white and blue shirt, so I made one with a spiral on the front and just kind of scrunched the sleeves.  My sister said that Dennis loved the eagle I put on the sleeve and I laughed and said "what eagle?"  She sent a picture:

 That's one of those "wow, how'd I do that and I know I'll never be able to do it again", but it's kinda cool that it's on a patriotic shirt!

There have been lots of new words and phrases "coined" in the last decade, mostly due to the internet and cyberspace, twitter, facebook, etc., but also in the gardening and food communities.  "Locavore", "Evoo", "green", "googled", and so on. 

During the few mindless chores around the farm (mulching, weeding, driving fence posts) I have time to think about all sorts of things and so far I think I've created two words:  organical, meaning it's grown using organic methods, and "farmher", meaning a female farmer.  There are many occupations that are traditionally held by men and we tend to stereotype the person in the job without seeing them; mechanic, welder, carpenter, etc.  I know there are women in those jobs; I was one of those for years.  Salesmen would come into my office (Facility Manager) and they looked confused for a minute until they figured out that Terry was a woman and not a man. 

Anyway, back to "Farmher".  That's one occupation that we could spell differently to recognize  female farmers, and they are increasing in numbers, you know.  Living on a farm is a daily education in all things mechanical, animal, and vegetable, and farmhers are well suited to life on a farm. 

We love baby anythings, chicks, pigs, cows, puppies, kittens, and the nuturing side of us takes over when any kind of babies show up.

We tend to read directions before attempting assembly on tools.

We keep the "lefty-loosy, righty-tighty" in mind when dealing with nuts and bolts.

We can wear cute garden clothes if we want to, and get away with it!

We can till the soil, plant the veggies, harvest them, and, and, preserve them too!  Then we cook with them.  Who else do you know that has that much involvement in a meal? 

There are times when that extra muscle helps out, so whenever someone comes to visit........

Wow, everything around here FINALLY thawed out after 2 weeks of frigid temps.  I've been doing as many outside chores as can be done with the volumes of mud around the farm; the blackberries are are finally mulched--all I lack is getting the wire support fencing complete.  The weatherman is predicting "warm" weather for the next couple of weeks, and during my seed inventory I thought to myself, what the heck, I've got seeds left from last year, why not?

I found myself in the greenhouse this morning with my hands in the dirt AGAIN!  My nails were just beginning to look like a woman's hands again!  I potted up 7 flats of onion seed (the scallion-type), 1 flat of Mr. Stripey tomatoes, 1 flat of Roma tomatoes, and 5 flats of assorted letttuces, oh, and 2 flats of Swiss Chard.  I drug out the heat mat and a frost blanket because I know I'm going to need it, even in the greenhouse, which I don't heat.  If it's a failure, I still win--I enjoyed a little while in my sunny, 80 degree favorite wintertime place on the farm!

Maybe, just maybe, that will take care of the fever I have, whether it be cabin or spring--at least it's not the flu :)