22 Jan Fri 2010
Westminster Farmers' Market Report for 01-15-10
Westminster Farmers’ Market Report from Maple Heights Farm</font /></span />
Five Months on One Tank of Oil? </span />We Can Hope…</font /></span />
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Come see </span />Food, Inc. with me…</span /></font />
…and you will be able to choose another reason or two (out of three or four) to shop at our Westminster Farmers’ Market and </font />Mass Local Food</font />! </span />This Friday, January 15th, there will be a showing of Food, Inc. at the office of </font />Dr. Linda Smith and Associates</font />. </span />I saw this movie over the Christmas break and it is really well done and definitely worth seeing (and if you’ve seen it, you know it is worth seeing again). </span />To be able to view this in a group setting is fantastic because it is a movie that evokes discussion! </span />I have heard it said that you shouldn’t plan to go out to eat after seeing this movie, and I didn’t get that feeling, but I think I have read EVERY book written by EVERY author that was interviewed for this movie, so it held no surprises for me. </span />Still, there was an interesting sub-story or two within the movie that really got me thinking… </span /></font /></span />
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This movie is free. </span />I plan to attend and I’m already thinking of what I might donate to the (optional) refreshments table… </span />The movie will be at 2 Narrows Road in Westminster, Suite 101A. </span />I hope to see you there! </span /></font /></span />
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A trip to King Arthur Flour:</font /></span />
Over the Christmas Holidays, Gwen Farley, Carol McGee and I took the day off from family life and headed up to Vermont to King Arthur flour. </span />We signed up for a class on baking using whole grains. </span />It was a great experience. </span />The class was about four hours in length and we picked up loads of tips to improve our baking. </span />Between the three of us we have a lot of experience, baking about 15 or 20 loaves of bread each week (co</font /></span />
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mbined), yet as soon as the class started we were all learning new tips and tricks! During the class, we made the following:</font /></span />
Spice Cake</font /> </span />The recipe we used was modified as follows: 2/3 cup of sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, and reduce the oil to 2 T. </span />All in all, not bad for a snack cake. </span />My children loved this cake, I didn’t care for it, but I only tried the instructor’s cake and I think it wasn’t mixed as well as it should have been. </span /></font /></span />
Whole Grain 5 seed bread</font /> </span />This is similar to a five seed braid that we made in class. </span />This loaf is absolutely delicious. </span />I made it yesterday for my family. </span />By the time lunch was over (for Russell and I) most of the loaf was gone. </span />Russell ate five pieces and our normally very well behaved dog snatched 2 more pieces from Russell. </span />I can’t think of too many times our dog has snatched food so I have to guess that the bread was too good for her to pass up. </span />It may be because we decided to eat on the floor by the fire – but the dog loved the bread, too! </span />The recipe we made in class was sugar-free. </span />I used two tablespoons of brown sugar. </span /></font /></span />
Multi-seed crackerbread</span />, for which I cannot find a comparable recipe. </span />This was so much fun to make and delicious to eat. </span />I really enjoyed these with fresh goat cheese from Capri. </span />When I came home we experimented with the cheddar cheese crackers. </span />These were delicious and were gobbled up in short order – even by my cheese-hater (whose favorite food is pizza).</span /></font />
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The class was great fun and a welcome day away with good friends. </span />I think we will make it a holiday tradition! </span />One word of caution if you try these or any King Arthur recipes. </span />They are based on a cup of whole wheat flour weighing four ounces – which is VERY light. </span />All purpose flour (for their recipes) weighs 4.25 ounces per cup. </span />I always weigh my flour rather than measure it at home, but these weights are much lighter than what will work in many of my own recipes. </span />For the whole grain 5-seed bread, definitely lightly sprinkle the flour into the cup until it is piled to the top, then even it up with a knife. </span />Do not scoop the flour for these recipes. </span />Better yet, weigh it if you have a small kitchen scale. </span />It is worth this slight extra attention, especially for the whole grain seed bread!</font /></span />
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One other interesting event from the class.</span /> </span />The instructor passed around a “rancid” batch of whole wheat flour. </span />Everyone in the class smelled it and most of the students felt that that is what whole wheat flour is supposed to smell like! </span />Interesting! </span />I have been using whole wheat flour from Four Star Farms in Northfield. </span />I gave it the sniff test. </span />It actually smells sweet with absolutely NO TRACE at all of the sharp smell of some whole wheat flours. </span />Of course, it was just milled 5 days ago! </span />This is a worthwhile addition to your pantry. </span />Although it is more expensive than what are used to at the grocery store ($2.00 per pound instead of $.50), your family just may give up nutritionally bankrupt white bread forever – and that alone is worth it! </span />Even through my Yankee Frugality I can see that cheap is not always the best value. </span />I would rather cut that thirty cents out somewhere else and give my family the best – not that I actually slice and dice my food bill to this extent!</span /></font />
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The Hertel, one-tank-of-oil project…</font /></span />
We are doing well with our tank of oil. </span />I filled my tank on November 13th making the assumption that the price would be higher as winter got under way. </span />I was going to top-off the tank around December 21st in order to start the winter with a full tank and see how long I could make it last. </span />I never did top it up in December. </span />So, we are now two months into this tank of oil. </span />The gauge on the tank is exactly half way between ½ full and ¾ full. </span />I don’t know exactly what this means because the gauge is this red floaty thing that is about 3/8 inch thick. </span />I don’t know if I need to look at the top or the bottom or the middle of the floaty thing. </span />Either way, it looks like I’ll still be above (or at) ½ tank by January 21st (about 2 months and 1 week after filling the tank). </span />I’m estimating we will make it at least to the beginning of April before we need to consider refilling! </span />That is about 4.5 months on one tank of oil. </span />I’m pretty happy with that considering the weather. </span />Although we haven’t had many dreadfully cold days, we have had constantly cold days and I’m sure we are all looking forward to Friday when we will be reminded of how WARM a 35 degree day is!</font /></span />
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In November, I estimated that I would need to run the central heat (radiant floor heat and hydro-air) if it gets below 20 degrees with a westerly wind or at 10 degrees no matter how much the wind blows. </span />As it is now, we have only turned on the heat for less than one hour so far this winter! </span />Andy turned it on in one of our upstairs rooms, I turned it off. </span />He mumbled something about freezing pipes in the attic, but the house was not cold enough to freeze them (and we do have antifreeze in the pipes). </span />As I sit here now it is about 68 degrees with two wood stoves running (one in the basement and one on the first floor). </span />This is pretty constant for the temperature of the main part of the house during the day. </span />It is a bit warmer in the evening when Andy stokes the fire with more skill than the rest of us possess and it is a bit colder in the morning as the fires burn down. </span />The kids bedrooms are colder than 68, probably closer to 60 degrees but they have warm bedding and would probably be too warm at 68 degrees anyways. </span />They also occasionally use a hot water bottle to pre-heat their beds before crawling in (try it! </span />This is probably an enormous energy saver over all!) </span />Our bedroom thermostat is set at 50 degrees but the room stays warm enough that the gas fireplace has turned on only few times this winter. </span />Note that I do keep a heavy sleeping bag weighted against two exterior doors that should have the weather stripping upgraded. </span />Without this extra “insulation” (sleeping bag) we would probably be using the central heat from time to time. </span /></font /></span />
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I continue to run the furnace in the evening for one cycle (which we are only using for hot water). </span />This gives us enough hot water for one run of the dishwasher (all we need), water for cleaning up, and showers for everyone. </span />If we don’t use up all the hot water, it stays warm until evening (probably longer but we reheat it after supper anyways). </span />I have yet to figure out if it is more efficient to run the furnace all the time, or just once per day. </span />But, my genius brother in law is going to solve this for me. </span />He is going to wire an analog clock to my furnace which will run only when the furnace runs. </span />At the end of the day and the end of the week, we will know for how long the furnace runs. </span />We will test this by leaving the furnace on for a full day and also by running it just for one cycle for a day, then comparing the results and rerun the test, but for a week at a time. </span />I’m really curious about his one! </span /></font /></span />
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Well, the Fed-Ex truck just delivered a new motherboard for my refrigerator (which has been out of commission for almost a week while I try to guess at the problem – I’m very thankful for the internet!). </span />I’m off to swap that out to see if we can get this thing cold again! </span />Wish me luck, as all this oil savings isn’t going to amount to much if I’m facing the purchase of a new refrigerator!!</font /></span />
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Gardening Year 2010:</font /></span />
I am wondering if anyone is interested in swapping any interesting cherry tomatoes with me? </span />Perhaps four seeds from your interesting cherry tomatoes for four seeds of mine? </span />I like to grow interesting colors and shapes of cherry tomatoes because they are more fun for my children and I think it is a great way for them to get a bit more interested in the garden and in the food that they eat. </span />They are also great as little snacks for school in September. </span />This year, I have ordered the following:</font /></span />
Chocolate Cherry</font /></span />
Sweet Million Hybrid</font /></span />
Golden Gem</font /></span />
Jenny Hybrid</font /></span />
Juliet</font /> – not really a cherry, but a beauty that will make any gardener feel like a professional. </span />Use in salad, cooking, or dry them for the winter!</font /></span />
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Maple Heights Farm:</font /></span />
At Maple Heights Farm, we are well stocked with meat. </span />Our products are available either through </font />Mass Local Food</font /> or by pre-ordering by </font />email</font />. </span />You can see our complete inventory on our website.</font /></span />
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We still have some </font />calendars</font /> available that will get you started on vegetable gardening in 2010! </span />You can now order online!</font /></span />
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Kerrie Hertel </span /></font /></span />
mapleHeightsFarm@verizon.net</font /></span />
www.mapleheightsfarm.com</font /> </font /></span />
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