Goodbyes and Hellos

New light in the packing shed!

Goodbyes and Hellos

We had to say goodbye to some of our favorite winter crops this week: potatoes and winter radishes. It's hard to believe that crops that we started the winter season with such huge quantities all got eaten up! We still have a few butternut squash, but the winter squash is almost gone as well. Goodbye, winter staple foods - thank you for nourishing us for so long!

We also said goodbye to some of our row cover, landscape fabric, and garlic foliage in this massive wind storm. Our sturdy tunnels fared beautifully though, which we are incredibly grateful for. Many of our fellow farmer friends suffered far greater damage, and we feel very lucky that nothing worse happened (despite cursing a lot while chasing down scattered trash yesterday at sunset.) It was sad to see our first little plants of spring defoliated after their surrounding landscape fabric got lifted into the air, but hopefully it will recover. It's already too busy to mourn this crop for too long - spring is afoot!

Now it's time for hellos! In the next couple of weeks we'll have some awesome new additions to CSA offerings such as arugula, bunched mustard greens, new Asian greens, cilantro, and spring radishes. So stay tuned!

We've also said hello to a lot of infrastructure upgrades around the farm! One pictured above is simply a hanging light for our packing shed. Now we don't have to do everything by headlamp after dark! 

Pre-carnage garlic

What We're Eating

Savory Sweet Potato Pie with Poppy Seed Cheddar Crust

This recipe from Mollie Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest was brought to us by friend and CSA member Kerith! 

Details below:

For the crust: 

6 Tbs cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 Cups Flour (up to 1/4 can be whole wheat, I used about 1/4 cup and it worked well)

~4 Tbs cold water, milk, or buttermilk (I used milk)

1/2 Cup grated sharp cheddar

2 Tbsp poppy seeds

1. Use a pastry cutter, two forks, or a food processor to cut together the butter and flour until they make a uniform mixture resembling coarse cornmeal. 
2. Stir in the cheese and poppy seeds.
3. While stirring, or as the food processor runs, add the liquid a little at a time, until the dough holds together. The amount can vary according to humidity. 
4. Form the dough into a ball and wrap and chill, or roll out immediately. Transfer to a 9 or 10-inch pie pan and form a crust. Refrigerate or freeze. 

For the filling: 

2 lbs sweet potatoes or yams 

1 Tbsp butter (optional)

1/2  tsp cinnamon

3 oranges- peeled, seeded, and cut into small pieces 

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp honey or brown sugar 

1/2 cup firm yogurt

(topping ingredients:)

1/2 cup fine bread crumbs 

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into chunks, and boil or steam until soft. Drain, transfer to a bowl, and mash.
3. Add remaining (non-topping) ingredients and mix well. Transfer to the crust.
4. Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl, mix, and sprinkle evenly over the pie. Bake for 45 minutes, turning front-to-back midway through. Cover the topping with foil if it's browning too quickly. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Our plates are looking a lot like this lately, too! Enjoying the bounty of salad, sweet potatoes, and of course, steak. 

Reserve your Summer CSA by March 31st!

We hope you'll put down your $50 deposit to reserve your main season CSA share today! While the deadline is March 31st, the sooner you place your deposit or purchase your share in full, the easier it is for us to plan our season. We've also added two new pick up locations that you're welcome to switch to once the main season starts in May: Charles Village and Ednor Gardens! We're also working to secure a pick up site in or near Federal Hill. 

To complete your summer sign up on Small Farm Central, click here. In the green box at the top of the page, select 2018 season. Select "2018" on the next page. Next, under "Main Season CSA," select "Re-enroll" (it's the last option listed.) Let us know if you have any questions or issues.

Until next week, keep on chewing (aka eating delicious produce!)

- Joanna and Bryan

Gearing Up!

It's time to get off the couch...

Gearing Up!

Well, it's that time of year. It's time to stop moving at a winter pace, and to put our rears in gear. We've got plants to seed, high tunnels to weed, and organization projects to take care of before we get any busier. Bryan spent most of yesterday putting away and organizing our new farm supplies, and I spent this morning organizing our farm office! Not the sexiest projects, but crucial for our smooth functioning this coming year. Before we know it, we'll be outside taking on The Funner Stuff like planting transplants, prepping soil, and riding tractors.

It's scary knowing that our lifestyle is about to change dramatically with spring upon us. Also, Bryan will be leaving his day job in late March, which is scary financially. But the embers of our shared passion for growing our farm business are smoldering within us, inspiring us to take this leap of faith. We also know that we have an amazing community that supports us, which includes you - our CSA members! Your commitment to our new, small farm has allowed us to grow, and we hope that you'll continue this delicious and bountiful journey with us this spring through fall. 

We hope you'll put down your $50 deposit to reserve your main season CSA share today! While the deadline is March 31st, the sooner you place your deposit or purchase your share in full, the easier it is for us to plan our season. We've also added two new pick up locations that you're welcome to switch to once the main season starts in May: Charles Village and Ednor Gardens! We're also working to secure a pick up site in or near Federal Hill. 

To complete your summer sign up on Small Farm Central, click here. In the green box at the top of the page, select 2018 season. Select "2018" on the next page. Next, under "Main Season CSA," select "Re-enroll" (it's the last option listed.) Let us know if you have any questions or issues.

What We're Eating

Greens & Grapefruit Winter Salad

We're both huge fans of grapefruit. Bryan lived in Louisiana for a time and fondly remembers being able to buy fresh citrus at his local farmer's market. While we can't quite do that here, we do still buy lots of precious Texas grapefruit this time of year. Paired with our delicious salad mix, it can't be beat! 

Adapted from Veggie Inspired

• 1/2 lb Good Dog Farm salad mix
• 1 grapefruit (segmented)
• 1/8 cup slivered raw almonds
• 1/2 avocado (pitted & flesh scooped out) (mashed)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or water if you prefer)
• salt/pepper to taste

1. Place salad greens, grapefruit segments and almonds in a large bowl and toss.

2. Whisk together the avocado, lemon juice, EVOO or water, and salt and pepper.

3. Drizzle a bit of the dressing over the salad just before serving.

Hopefully we'll have more cool seed company tank top weather very soon!

Cheers,

Joanna and Bryan

In which we go to "farmer church"

Feels like we're under the big tent, listening to Karen Washington of Rise & Roots talk about fixing inequality in the food system, feeding the world, and saving the planet in the process.

Sharing in the good word

As we mentioned in our note yesterday, we just got back from the annual Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture convention in State College, PA. For me, this was my fourth PASA conference, and it's always one of the most enlightening and energizing experiences of the year. The three days are full of highly specific technical workshops on everything from troubleshooting Quickbooks, to selecting tomato varieties for a warming climate, to improving your margins on pastured swine. These always provide valuable take-home nuggets, but the bigger feeling is one of re-connecting with a robust, energetic, and growing community.

In 2017, Pennsylvania surpassed Washington to become the second largest producer of organic crops by sales in the US, behind only California. And unlike the California organics model dominated by several large producers on thousands of acres each, the Keystone State is a community of hundreds of producers of varying sizes. Seeing so many of them in one place (plus many of our friends and neighbors from Maryland and Northern Virginia) is a powerful and inspiring reminder: for every challenge and hurdle we face on our farm, and for every risk we take or crop or tool we gamble on, there are many other farmers, families, and communities who do the same. While it's easy to feel isolated on the farm and become lost in the stress, it's a important to remember that we aren't doing this alone. Hearing the "big" guys in PA, like Jim Crawford of New Morning Farm, or the Brownback family of Spiral Path provide the wisdom and reassurance that we can succeed further underscores this truth.

The quick and dirty on farming practices to save the planet.

In between the workshops and the time to meet and chat in the hallways, there are also opportunities for bigger lectures from celebrated individuals in our little community. These speeches feel a bit like secular sermons to the collected farmer masses. Several of this year's speakers, especially Chris Blanchard of the Farmer to Farmer podcast and Exec Director of PASA Hannah Smith-Brubaker, used this stage to remind us to remind ourselves of all the good reasons we do this work. There are as many reasons organic farmers continue to grow as there were farmers in the room. From inward to out, we work to provide for ourselves and our families, to feed people and engage our communities in a rejuvenated local economy, to create real, gainful employment for others, to preserve our waterways and air, and ultimately to save the world. It's no joke that if just 15-20% of the world's 700 million farmers adopted basic soil-building sustainable best-practices, it would sequester enough long-term carbon to begin reversing the effects of climate change. It's true that not all these farmers are in America, but it's also true that American farmers are the best equipped to change course in meaningful ways. If we can continue to grow the market for sustainable, appropriate-scale products--while also building on successful policy models that reward good behavior like Maryland's widely used payments for watershed protecting-practices--this isn't some moonshot idea. It could really happen.

Re-hashing this isn't just meant as a self-important pick-me-up though. Chris Blanchard borrowed the wise words of a former guest to suggest, when we're all on our farmer deathbeds, we need to be able to look back and say more than "Wow, that was a lot of gardening." We need to leave ourselves time to stand back and grow ourselves. We also need to create time and opportunity to reach out, to grow our tent, and to participate in the life of our community while we invite them to participate in ours. It's a tremendous signal that if it all seems too difficult, we only have to look at the continual growth and success of an organization like PASA and its members to remember that change in the food system is possible. It starts on farms like ours and in the willingness of people like you to support us. So, thanks. We're very excited for the future near and far, and hope you are too.

A good salad is an innocent enough start to a revolution.

Community Supported

A romantic sunset supper for two

Community Supported

We are super deep in planning mode!! So deep, it's hard to believe that it will result in an actual farm this year. It just seems like numbers, ideas, and a disbelief in how we'll be able to do it all. But at the same time, it's a clean slate! There are endless ideas and possibilities. Some things I'm especially excited about growing are medicinal herbs, culinary herbs, and flowers for drying. Now I just have to choose which ones! 

From this deep state of planning, I wanted to share a bit about the CSA model and why it's so important to us as farmers, and to our business. It matters very much to both of us that our food is accessible and convenient. We know it's not possible for everyone to make it to the farmer's market each week, even for folks who are huge proponents of local food (we certainly fall into this category ourselves!) We also know that purchasing a CSA share is a significant financial commitment for most families, so we want you to be able to maximize your spending on the vegetables you want most. This is the CSA share that we would want if we weren't farming, and we're thrilled to provide it for you. 

Our CSA is also deeply meaningful to our business. Like most new businesses, we struggled with cash flow this year. Getting an influx of capital all at once this fall allowed us to make crucial investments to prepare for 2018. The original CSA model required payment in January and February, when farmers incur their expenses for the coming year. Most farms now recognize that this isn't always possible for customers and allow for a more flexible payment schedule.

But, if you can pay early, I highly encourage it! It commits your and your family to another year of fresh, customize-able, delicious produce, and it helps us cover our up-front season expenses like seeds and soil amendments. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions about our CSA in 2018 - we really hope you'll join us!

Get your weekly greens fix!

What We're Eating

Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins

This recipe from Half Baked Harvest was inspired by the Super Bowl, but also sounds like a simply and tasty weeknight dinner. Chickpeas could easily be subbed for chicken.

Ingredients

• 3 medium sweet potatoes
• 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast about 2 small
• 1/4 cups olive oil
• 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
• 3 whole chipotle pepper minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups fresh mixed greens
• 5 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese grated
• chopped cilantro for garnish
• greek yogurt for serving

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash your sweet potatoes and prick all over with a fork. Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until fork tender. Place your chicken in a baking dish and rub with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and peper. Place in the oven with the potatoes and bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool and shred the chicken with a fork or your hands. When the sweet potatoes are done cut in half and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.

2. In a medium size bowl combine the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chipotle peppers, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and wilt the greens. Toss the greens and shredded chicken together, set aside and keep warm.

4. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees. Scrape the sweet potato out of the peel, leaving a medium size layer of flesh inside with the peel so that it can stand up on its own (I reserved the remaining flesh, for another use) and place in a baking dish. Brush the skins with with a little of the chipotle sauce and bake for 5-10 muntes until nice and crisp. While the skins bake mix the spinach, chicken and chipotle sauce together. Remove skins from the oven and stuff with the chicken mixture, top with shredded cheese and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the skins are hot and crisp. Serve with fresh chopped cilantro and greek yogurt if desired.

Thanks everyone! Happy eating!

- Joanna and Bryan

Persephone's Return

The spirit of Persephone hoping for strawberries

Hi I'm back!

Persephone's Return

Do you know the ancient Greek myth that explains winter? I'm a HUGE fan of Greek mythology, so I'll tell you in any case. Hades, god of the underworld, kidnapped harvest goddess Demeter's daughter Persephone. Zeus was able to get her back to the realm of the living, but only once it was too late. She had eaten pomegranate seeds from Hades and was forever tied to him. She returns each year for four months, and Demeter is so sad that it gets cold and plants die. Thus, winter. 

In modern farming, we refer to a specific time in winter as the Persephone Period. This is when there are fewer than 10 hours of daylight, which makes plants grow extremely slowly. We plant our winter greens early enough so that they're full sized before the Persephone Period begins mid-November.

But now, the Persephone period is over! Our newer plantings of winter greens are taking off, so we have lots of salad mix this week! Bryan planted arugula and bok choi, and this week will plant radishes, turnips, and garlic scallions. Rejoice - Persephone has returned and we'll have fun new veggies to eat soon!  

Summer 2018 CSA

We hope you'll continue on as a summer CSA member! The market-style format will be the same, and we'll have the summer's bounty to choose from like tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, onions, and watermelons! If you're curious whether we'll have a specific crop, just let us know.

The summer season will begin on May 1st, and your remaining winter balance will roll over. If you plan to continue on, we ask that you put down a $50 deposit by March 31st (it will immediately apply to your winter balance.) Then, you can add whatever funds you like for the rest of the summer season. If you have any questions about this process just let us know.

To complete your summer sign up on Small Farm Central, click here. In the green box at the top of the page, select 2018 season. Select "2018" on the next page. Next, under "Main Season CSA," select "Re-enroll" (it's the last option listed.) Let us know if you have any questions or issues.

And if you're a CSA fan, please help us spread the word!! Feel free to direct people to our website for more info.

What We're Eating

Watermelon Radishes with Preserved Lemons

Use a knife or mandolin to thinly slice a Watermelon radish into rounds. Toss in about 1t lemon juice, 2t rice vinegar, 2T olive oil, salt and black pepper. Let radishes marinate for 15-20 minutes. Finely chop HEX Ferments Preserved Lemons and sprinkle on top. Garnish with a delicious green herb if you like. This was a simple and scrumptious side dish!

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes

Preheat oven to 325. Sautee coarsely chopped onions (about 1 c), cubed sweet potatoes (2c), 1-inch rounds of carrots (1c) in 1/4 c olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Cover with chicken (or vegetable) stock. Add 1 cinnamon stick, 1t each of cumin, paprika, and turmeric, 1/2t allspice and 2t salt. Mix and braise at 325F uncovered for 15-20 minutes. While cooking, toast 1/2 c walnuts in a dry pan on the stove (careful not to burn them!) Chop coarsely. When sweet potatoes are soft, stir in walnuts and 1/2 c dried fruit (we used golden raisins.) Cook on the stove for an additional 5 minutes, and serve. Goes great with rice or couscous. 

Thanks everyone! We hope we get to keep growing for you this summer!

- Joanna and Bryan

Cold Weather/Warm Weather

Cold Weather/Warm Weather

First, it snowed! Then, it was lovely and warm! This is the time of year that we start to get tastes of warm spring weather, and it's exciting and overwhelming. We have some outdoor projects to do today, like reseeding some baby greens in the high tunnel. Does this mean winter coziness is over?! Probably not yet. We'll just be on a weather roller coaster for the next few months!

We're still working on indoor projects, too, like record keeping, website updating, and sausage making. We've been eating venison that neighbor hunters gifted us, and this weekend we turned the tougher bits into Italian, Merguez, and Andouille sausage.

Bryan and our pal Sarah sausaging out!

So let's raise a hot tea (or an iced coffee?) to weather uncertainty, get excited for new spring crops and appreciate the wintery ones we have today!

What We're Eating

We're eating lots of sweet potatoes these days! Bryan and I are both big sweet potato fans, mostly because we love how they taste. But, they're also loaded with nutrients, and can grow in different climates worldwide. I had fun reading all about sweet potatoes here. And here's some of the ways we're eating them!

Ginger Miso Sweet Potato Bisque

This recipe is from one of my favorite blogs - Dishing Up the Dirt. Author Andrea Bemis is a farmer and vegetable lover, so her recipes always resonate with my taste buds. So here's' a tasty and simple soup that highlights orange sweet potatoes beautifully.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes--about 3 large ones, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 4 cups water + additional to thin if necessary
• 3 1/2 Tablespoons white (or yellow) miso paste
• 1/2 cup unsalted raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and drained
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Heat the oil over medium heat in large stock pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften up a bit. Stir in the sweet potato cubes and ginger. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes stirring often. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the soup cool for about 5 minutes. Ladle the soup into a blender, food processor, or use an immersion blender, and add the miso paste and cashews. Blend on the highest setting until creamy and smooth. About 3 minutes.

Return the soup to the pot and keep on low heat for about 15 minutes to allow all the flavors to blend together. Taste test and adjust seasonings as needed. If the soup seems too thick add a touch more water. Season to taste with salt and pepper garnish with parsley and serve with crusty bread and wine.

Here are some other scrumptious sweet potato recipes from Dishing up the Dirt:

SPICED SWEET POTATO CHANA DAL STEW

ROASTED ROOTS WITH TURMERIC-TAHINI SAUCE

MISO TAHINI CHICKPEA STEW

Rosie stole someone's dinner and got a big belly!

Have a delicious week!

- Joanna and Bryan

Winter Learning

Bryan sports a new pair of pupperalls

Fun and Educational

Bryan and I were at the Future Harvest CASA Cultivate the Chesapeake Foodshed Conference this weekend, and we had a blast! Conferences are a great way for us to reconnect with old friends, chat with agriculture service providers, and learn new tips and techniques for the 2018 growing season. Future Harvest CASA is a special non-profit organization to us because I completed their Beginner Farmer Training Program in 2015, and we were all advanced trainees in 2017. They've provided us with knowledge, support, mentorship, and guidance throughout our farming careers, so this conference holds a special place in our hearts. We'll also head up to the PASA conference in early February to learn even more!

Pam Dawling

I heard from another farmer that their goal for a conference is to learn one new thing that they might try. I like this goal because it keeps conferences from becoming too overwhelming. The one thing that I learned and look forward to trying next fall was from Pam Dawling of Twin Oaks Community. Pam is an amazing grower and a prolific author based in central Virginia. I went to her presentation on growing winter vegetables, and she talked about over-wintering Swiss chard plants. In the late fall, she takes off all of the leaves and covers the plants with straw and row cover (pervious fabric to keep snow and wind off of plants.) In the early spring, she uncovers the plants, and because they have such a deep, well-established root system, they get right back to growing new leaves! So cool! Can't wait to try this in the future.

Tasty Idea

I wanted a simple meal that involved few ingredients last night, and here's what I came up with: Sweet Potatoes stuffed with Za'atar Roasted Chickpeas! I didn't think to snap a picture, but here's how the chickpeas looked. I roasted a few orange sweet potatoes in the oven at 400F, and was able to cook the chickpeas at the same temperature. Once they were all done, I sliced open each sweet potato and added a healthy dollop of sour cream. Then I put in a couple of handfuls of the crunchy chickpeas. Altogether this ended up being the perfect combo of creamy and crunchy textures and hearty flavors.

Here's the chickpea recipe from the New York Times.

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed if canned
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons za’atar (I upped this to about 4T, do what tastes right to you)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

1. Spread out chickpeas on a paper towel. Pat dry, then let dry for about an hour (I only let them dry for about 30 mins and they still got very crispy)
2. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a heavy rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper, and spread chickpeas evenly on the pan. Bake in the center of the oven until crunchy, about 30 minutes, stirring and rotating every 10 minutes. (The chickpeas will continue to get crunchy as they cool.) (Also I didn't have parchment paper and just roasted the chickpeas on a cookie sheet with no oil but stirred them often, and they were fine!)
3. Place hot chickpeas in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, za’atar and salt. Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.

Hope you have a great week! And stay tuned for info on our regular season CSA coming very soon.

Cheers,

Joanna and Bryan

Yep, still cold

Comprehensive collection of our seed suppliers. Plus Amos Beiler of Cristianna, PA for sweet potato stock.

So, everything is still pretty much the same around here, and that same is cold. In fact, thanks to the vainly struggling heating infrastructure in many of the Baltimore City schools, I actually haven't left the house in two days. (This is Bryan here, by the way. The kombucha and kraut train rides on). This has been a tremendous boon to getting some planning done for next year and for getting deep into the organic certification process. It's also been a tremendous boon for me getting to hang out with a puppy.

Family picture.

And you know what, I'm tired of talking about the cold. Instead, I've been thinking about the future, so I thought I'd talk some shop and let you know about some of the changes that'll be happening around here this year. Number one: onions. We'll be growing a lot more onions. We had some great success with cipolllinis (Italian flat onions, French shallots, and some super flavorful modern open-pollinated varieties. This year we'd like to round out our offerings with some red and white onions, so we're planning to trial a selection of the best organic varieties out there right now.

This is how we go about most of our crop planning. Large plantings for wholesale naturally involve a significant amount of risk. There can be a substantial amount of capital and time invested in a large planting, so we try to hedge our bets by trialing a wide selection of varieties that meet our needs. We compare yields and--just as important--eating quality, as well as storage life for some crops. Then we try to really double down on the varieties we love.

In last year's variety trials, we absolutely fell in love with several types of carrots, sweet potatoes, "Irish" potatoes, winter squash, and Napa cabbage. Plus we found some globe radishes we didn't absolutely hate, while failing to find a single cantaloupe that we were 100% satisfied with. The successes will now make up the core of what we grow within that crop in the future--maybe 80-90%--while the remainder will be new varieties that caught our eye in the catalogs. For example, we definitely found our preferred early red (Red Norland), butterball, and late white (Dutch heirloom Bintje) varieties of Irish potatoes last year. We also found that two of our fingerling varieties (Papa Cacho, French Fingerling) were so excellent and productive that we'll be devoting a much larger portion of the overall potato crop to fingerlings. However, we discovered there is a much larger market for white potatoes than we realized and, because of potential disease and insect pressures, we'd rather not be fully reliant on a late-season cultivar. So this year, we'll be growing 8 varieties of faster-maturing white potatoes to pick a favorite.

Whether this sounds exciting to you or not probably depends on how much you like plants and growing them. But I think all eaters can agree that some of the wildest varieties (pictured below) we'll be trying next year are very fun to look at. Many of these will not work out due to poor germination, inconsistent performance, low disease tolerance, or weak yields, but this is also how we find personal favorite like the North Georgia Candy Roaster, Papa Cacho potato, and Tokyo Bekana mustard. Hope I can share that part of the fun of seed shopping with you.

Pusa Asita carrots from a contemporary Indian breeding program.

Pattison Pancache, white and green summer squash. 19th century French heirloom.

Kiwano, or Jelly Melon, is a African sweet cucumber varietal.

Fatalii hot pepper from Central African Republic.

Y-Star summer squash. Modern F1 hybrid for earliness and field resistance.

Jerry Peterson blue flint corn. South Dakota heirloom. Flint corns are for roasting or popping, but we also hope to find someone to mill it into flour for us.

Kamo Kamo winter squash from New Zealand.

Brad's Atomic Grape tomato from modern open-pollinated breeder Brad Gates. I'm skeptical, but Baker Creek claims it's the best tasting tomato in the catalog.

Country Gentleman sweet corn is an 1880 heirloom without any rows. For immediately cutting and freezing.

Devil's Ear lettuce is a French heirloom once maintained by the Abundant Life Seed Foundation.

Prescott fond blanc true cantaloupe (i.e., no netting on the skin). A French heirloom grown in the US since at least 1850.

Flat White Boer pumpkin. South African heirloom.

Cold weather foods

When we visited Joanna's parents this summer for her Dad's 70th, we went out to eat at a French restaurant that served a truly decadent pasta dish with winter squash cream sauce. It seemed out of place for the summer (don't get me wrong, I still ordered it), but it was a revelation for another wonderful use of abundant, long-storing pumpkin relatives. They served theirs on hand-cut noodles. I just enjoyed this stick-to-the-ribs goodness on frozen cheese tortellini. It's great no matter how classy or not you'd like it to be.

And we get it, some of our winter squashes are ginormous. BUT, this, along with squash soup, cheesy grits with sweet squash, and many others, is a great recipe to use up frozen squash. Every time we use a candy roaster Tahitian melon, we roast the whole thing, and then quickly after dinner, scoop the innards into a freezer bag and keep it for a quick weeknight meal. Then it's good for any recipe where you'd puree it anyway (candy roaster purees the best).

Cube and pre-roast about 2 cups of winter squash. (Optional: Brown half-dozen sage leaves in 3 T butter for about 4 minutes, then set them aside to dry on a paper towel). Sautee a very thinly sliced onion in 3 T browned butter on medium for 10 minutes. Add in 2 or 3 cloves garlic, chopped, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 C white wine. Let reduce by half, then mix in the pre-cooked squash. Add a few pinches of salt and a dry hot pepper or 1/2 t pepper flakes. Cover with 1 C broth (chicken or beef) and simmer about 10 minutes until becoming very smooth. Vigorously stir in 1/4 C cream, or half-and-half, heat til warm. Serve over pasta and top with the sage leaves, cracked pepper, and some Parmesan cheese.

And if that recipe seems a little heavy on the ole' Winter Belly, then you can follow up with a lovely winter veg slaw like this one from Meera Sodha's cookbook Made in India. Find a cabbage or drop it entirely, swap sweet onions into the mix, and double up the quantity radish and use watermelon and purple bravo to match our version.

Happy, Happy New Year!

In which we welcome a new good dog to the farm.

Already learning to pull her weight around here and help with the row cover management.

To cap off a pretty great Christmas month, we just welcomed home our newest good dog in training, Rosey (short for Rose-of-Sharon). She's a 12 week heeler-Dachsund mix who hails from the great state of Texas. Her interests include playing with tiny tennis balls, following the big boys around, and snuggin' so hard.

In other news, we returned from Boston to find our greens pretty much the same, and we'll be cutting from our new tunnels on schedule this week. Unfortunately, our stir-fry greens need a bit of a hiatus after last week. I thought I'd seen just about everything that could kill a plant until this week holiday traffic (!) kept us from getting back home in time to put on the row cover. One 9F night later, and they need a bit of a nap.

Rosey reminds you to eat your greens.

But, never fear if you thought our offerings were getting a little old, we have a present for you all too! Because we're members of the wonderful Chesapeake Farm to Table produce aggregator, we have the ability to source additional items from other regional farmers we know and respect. Starting this week, we'll be offering sweet Bolero storage carrots from Sassafras Creek Farm--a certified organic produce operation in Southern Maryland--to supplement our rainbow babies (currently locked up in the ground until we get a good thaw). We also have sweet onions from 78 Acres Farm in Smithburg, MD, a diversified family farm using sustainable practices, and more garlic from Calvert's Gift Farm, another USDA organic farm in Baltimore County.

Finally, we have apples (!) from Three Springs Fruit Farm, a 100-year old family farm reinventing itself under agroecological principles and the Food Alliance certification label. It is notoriously difficult to grow many fruits in our humid and buggy region in a true zero-spray system, but we believe Three Springs demonstrates the strong commitment to environmental sustainable and fair working conditions that we expect from other farms. We'll be buying in bulk and storing products on our farm, so we're starting with my favorite, the Stayman-Winesap. If you'd like to see us bring in Granny Smith, Jonagold, or Honeycrisp (Note: Honeycrisp is about 1.5 times the price of the others), please let us know. Find all these crops in the "Other Farms" Department in the store.

A festive recipe for any occasion

Maybe I'm burying the lede here, but I proposed to Joanna on Christmas, and we are both very excited. In honor of such an occasion, here's a recipe for Persian wedding rice I've adapted to feature our carrots and roasted sweet potatoes, plus black-eyed peas in honor of the New Year. Today I'm thinking of it as a fun take on the holiday classic Hoppin' John. If you've never made Persian rice before, I can't encourage it enough. Like the best breads, a humble grain of rice can be transcendent with the right care and patience.

Ingredients

Engagement bliss.

• 1/2 C almond and/or pistachios, lightly toasted

• 2 cups basmati rice

• salt

• 1-2 C sweet potatoes (mixed colors is best), cut in 1/2-in cubes

• 2 T fresh orange peel, slivered

• 2 carrots, julienned

• 1/2 C mix golden and red raisins (or craisins)

• 1/4 t saffron

• 2 T unsalted butter

• 1 C cooked black-eyed peas

• 4 T olive oil

• 1 C sweet onion, finely chopped

• 1/4 t cardamom

• 1/2 t cumin

• 1 t turmeric

Directions

1. Pre-soak rice for 4-24 hours. The longer the soak, the better the crust on the finished product.

2. Rinse rice. Cook rice in a large pot of boiling salted water (amount of water doesn't matter), stirring occasionally, until partially cooked. Grains should just barely crunch but stick to your teeth. 5-8 minutes. Drain and thoroughly rinse under cold water.

3. Toss sweet potatoes with oil and a pinch of salt and roast at 350F until fully cooked, about 20-30 min. Set aside to cool.

4. In a separate sauce pan, simmer carrots, and orange zest in 2 C water to cover for about 15 minutes. Remove the carrots and set aside. Continue reducing the liquid until about 1/2-C remains, let cool slightly, and combine with saffron and 2 T oil. Set aside.

5. Heat butter and 1 T oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until soft and beginning to brown, 8–10 minutes. Add cardamom, cumin, turmeric. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove and combine with with black-eyed peas, carrots, fruit and nuts.

6. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in an enameled or well-seasoned dutch oven, and thoroughly spread on bottom and sides. Add a third to half of the rice, spreading evenly, then add fruit, nut, bean mixture in an even layer, and then the remaining rice. Spread the top evenly and press down slightly.

7. Drizzle saffron-oil-water mixture over rice. Now here's the magic part. Wrap a clean kitchen towel around the underside of the pot lid and secure the loose edges on top with a rubber band. Place the lid securely on top the pot and put the dutch oven under very low heat. Use the oven at 225F if you can't get your stove low enough while still evenly distributing heat. The rice will steam until perfectly cooked with each individual grain, plus a beautiful golden crust on the bottom. This should take between 45 minutes and 2 hours, depending on temperature and how long you soaked the rice. Don't test it for at least 30-45 minutes.

8. To serve, once the bottom crust is crispy (you can test this with a knife), flip the entire mixture into a large serving dish, kind of like an upside-down cake. Finally, roughly break up the crust with a wooden spoon so it can be served with a spoon. Top with and mix in sweet potatoes.

Celebratory perfection from Michael Solomonov's "Zahav" cookbook.

What do we do all winter?

You call this snow?

I grew up in Harford County, just to the east of the city. Our current farm is in "Hereford," the name broadly referring to the higher elevation, very rural top half of Baltimore County.

When I was a youth before the days of internet (and into my high school days with dial-up as I'm now remembering), any time we got the slightest dusting of snow, I would wake up and rush to the TV at about 5 am to watch the slow chyron of school closings and delays crawl through the alphabet. More often than not, the jump would be from mountainous Garrett County to "Hereford Zone schools," skipping Harford entirely and crushing my hopes yet again. So naturally, I spent a fair bit of time wondering about this mythical Hereford place, just a few miles and a few letters away, where schools were seemingly always closed.

Anyway, this week our snowy farm has finally felt like the Hereford I envisioned as a kiddo, and most of our "farmwork" has been on the computer on the couch. Basically, I pretty much feel like I'm living my best life right now. I live in Hereford. I made it.

Snow days

Our tunnel emerging from the snow.

These snow days are a great opportunity for farm planning. We actually have quite a bit to work on. Getting started on our USDA Organic Certification for 2018, crop planning and putting together financial projections, finishing up a loan application for some much needed new equipment, listening to "A Charlie Brown Christmas" next to the tree, there's quite a bit to do.

But really we'd be doing that even if it was 70F outside. We're only halfway through the "Persephone" period, Nov 15 through Jan 25 in Maryland, during which our plants get less than 10 hours of daylight.  During this time everything grows very slowly, and new plants are very hard to establish. We have one full and verdant tunnel (left) from which we'll harvest through February, and two more on the way that will carry the baton through late April (below). Beyond keeping these weeded and in good repair, there's only so much we can do outdoors. Mostly just prepare for Christmas.

Which, segue, if you would like to showcase any of our lovely produce for your Christmas meal, remember: this is the last opportunity to order before Christmas! Also, this is your last opportunity to order snazzy Good Dog shirts, bags, and mugs before the ordering period closes on Monday. Order here!

and here are some great recipes to show off our produce on your holiday table

Joanna and my families' Christmas desserts differ, hers preferring a variety of cookies, and mine being devoted pie-eaters, and much the worse for me as we plan to spend the holidays in Massachusetts! But I would encourage you to bow down before "the tyranny of pie" and serve this delicious and stunning purple sweet potato pie to your guests/ family. (Bonus points to serve it on Christmas Eve to match the traditional color of the season). Both recipe and image stolen from Joscelyn Abreu.

Gingerbread Pie Crust:

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of cloves
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup shortening
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2-4 tablespoons ice cold milk

Sweet Potato Pie Filling:

• 2 cups cooked purple sweet potato
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ⅓ - ½ cup pure maple syrup 
• ½ cup milk
• 2 eggs

Streusel Topping:

• ¼ cup oats
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Gingerbread Pie Crust:

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in butter, shortening, and molasses until mixture is coarse and crumbly. Mix in milk, a tablespoon at a time, just until dough comes together. It only took 2 tablespoons for my dough, but it will depend on your flour and the humidity in your kitchen. You don't want it to be sticky. Add a little more flour, if needed, to make a soft dough. Shape the dough into a round disc and cover with plastic wrap. Place into the fridge for at least 15-20 minutes to chill.

Sweet Potato Pie Filling:

1. Combine your cooked sweet potatoes along with the remaining pie filling ingredients. Use a hand mixer or potato masher to blend together all of the ingredients. These purple potatoes were already sweet, which required less sweetener. Before adding the eggs, you can taste your filling and add more sweetener, if desired. Also, if you use granulated sugar or if your potatoes are more dry on the inside, a little more of milk may be needed.

To Make The Streusel Topping:

1. In a small bowl, combine pecans, sugar, and cinnamon. Add melted butter and mix together until well incorporated. Set aside for later.

Putting The Pie Together:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and place between two pieces of wax/parchment paper or plastic wrap. This makes it much easier to roll out. Roll the dough between the paper into a ¼-inch thick circle. It should be a few inches larger than your pie pan. Remove the top piece of paper and use the bottom piece to lift up and flip the dough into your pie pan. Carefully peal the paper off and gently fit the dough into the edges of the pan. It's okay if the dough tears, just pinch it back together. Fold the edges under to form a crust and remove any excess. Use a fork to crimp the edges or you can use your fingers to make an easy scallop edge, like in the photo above.
2. Pour your sweet potato filling into the formed crust. Place pie plate onto a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. You'll need to add the streusel topping at this point and then bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. It will bake for a total of 55-60 minutes or when the filling is no longer jiggly and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. The crust gets very brown easily, so it's recommended to cover the edges with aluminum foil when you add the streusel topping. Let cool throughly before serving.