Farm Notes
Today was yet another cold and dreary Monday in January, so not much time spent outside. Over the weekend, we had crystal clear blue skies and warm sunshine, so Matthew and I spent some time in “the back 5” (aka the back 5 acres of our property, which is semi-wooded and rather unruly) with my favorite new tool – an electric chainsaw! I’ve always had a big fear of chainsaws (which is normal, I think?!) so this is a big deal. There are several dead/downed trees in the the back 5, and we need to clear things out so we can have the area bush-hogged a few times a year.
After a doing a lot of research, we decided to go with a 14” electric chainsaw by Kobalt (the exact model is here). I’m all about using electric tools for the farm whenever possible (like our weed whacker), because I’ve found they have just as much strength as most gas-powered tools, but with a lot less maintenance and headache. We have plans to install solar panels in the near future, so eventually most of our power for the farm will be coming from the sun.
But back to the chainsaw. This model is super light and straightforward to use, and of course we take every precaution (like wearing gloves, safety goggles, hat, and making sure someone else is always working outside nearby) to keep all our limbs in tact. It’s probably not big enough to tackle really large trees/logs, but we figured that’s for the best, since we should probably leave large tree work to the experts anyway.
Kitchen Notes
This year we’re trying to make a yummy soup every Sunday, which then means we have soup again for leftovers on Mondays (we are alllll about leftovers around here). Yesterday’s #sundaysoup was a Sweet Potato Chili with Ground Beef. I used a few different recipes as inspiration, but kind of made it up as I went… and dang, it turned out real good. And tastes even better the next day. Below is the basic recipe if you want to give it a try... it may look like a lot of ingredients, but I’ll bet they are all things that you have on hand. This recipe is very forgiving, so feel free to swap in/out based on the ingredients you have available. I don’t really like super spicy chilis, so if you want extra heat, go ahead and add more!
Sweet Potato Chili with Ground Beef
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey)
2-3 sweet potatoes, chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 (14 ounce) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
3 (15 ounce) cans beans (pinto, kidney, black beans all work)
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (or water)
1-3 teaspoons chili powder (depending on your heat tolerance)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt (optional)
Instructions
Add the olive oil to a large stockpot or dutch oven set over medium heat. When hot, add in the diced onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add in the ground beef (or turkey) and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes, until no longer pink and cooked through.
Stir in the sweet potato, tomatoes, beans (I don’t drain the beans, as I find the liquid adds flavor and depth to the chili), broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and salt. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Continue to simmer gently, adjusting the heat as needed and stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, until the chili has thickened and the sweet potatoes are tender (if you find your chili getting too thick, add in some extra broth a little at a time). Remove from the heat.
Taste and add additional salt if needed. I also like to add a splash (or two) of red wine vinegar, to give it a bit of acid. Another secret is to add a big scoop of plain greek yogurt as the chili is cooling, which gives it a delicious tang and richness that I love (but is totally optional, and might be totally weird).
Today’s Stats
Low temp: 32F
High temp: 47F
Sunrise: 7:28am
Sunset: 5:23pm
Moon phase: Waning Crescent
Additional notes: Frost in the AM, cold and cloudy most of the day.