Farm Notes
Baby Sawyer is napping, and I’m excited to hop on and give some updates from the farm! Our sweet babe is doing great, gaining weight like a champ, (mostly) sleeping well, and we are just so dang grateful. I’ll be honest that the first day or two at home as first time parents was a biiit overwhelming and sleep was pretty much non-existent, but thanks to all the incredible support from family and friends over the past few weeks, Matthew and I feel like we are finally getting the hang of things… for now at least!
I’m finding that one key to my mental health in this season is getting at least a little time outside each day – whether that's going for a walk down our country road, sitting out on our porch taking in the sunset, or spending time in the garden lightly weeding, watering, harvesting, etc. I was able to spend a solid hour outside working this morning, which was the longest stretch since Sawyer arrived! And while I'm grateful to be able to get time outside a bit each day, I'm lucky to have an awesome team of folks helping to run the farm this fall, so I can really just focus on spending this special and fleeting time with sweet Sawyer.
An abundance of peppers inside a jungle of a tunnel!
That said, I'm definitely learning to let go of some things as my priorities shift, and the farm isn't my only "baby" anymore! Let's just say the rows are a bit more weedy than usual, our tunnels have become a tangled jungle of late summer tomatoes and peppers, and the 10-foot tall okra has gone unpicked for weeks.
Alas! The farm is still productive as ever, and this week's CSA members will be getting a bounty of tender fall greens, root veggies, herbs, eggplant, peppers, etc etc.
It's a season of blessed abundance and the best kind of overwhelm, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Many thanks for your patience and understanding as I slowly ease back into farm life – I have a ton of recipes, growing tips, farmbelly specialty products, etc coming your way this fall, so stay tuned!
Kitchen Notes
I’ll be honest that I’ve done ZERO cooking since Sawyer arrived, but we’ve had no shortage of delicious meals thanks to the generosity of our village of family and friends who are keeping our fridge and bellies full. One meal that really hit the spot, especially as we head into cozy fall weather, was a classic meatloaf! I know meatloaf isn’t the sexist dish, and it’s probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re in the mood for this classic comfort meal, here is my go-to recipe, which is adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
MEAT LOAF WITH TOMATO GLAZE
Photo credit: Taste and Tell blog
INGREDIENTS
2 slices sandwich bread
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 celery rib, chopped fine
1 carrot, chopped fine
1 scallion, roughly chopped
Olive oil, for cooking
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork (or omit ground pork and use 2lbs ground beef)
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
TOMATO GLAZE
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons smooth dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon table salt
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Tear the bread into chunks and then blend it, in a food processor, into breadcrumbs. Place the breadcrumbs in a large bowl. You should have about 1 cup.
Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and green onion to the food processor, and pulse it until they are finely chopped. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, coat the bottom with olive oil, and heat the oil for a minute; add the finely chopped vegetables, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown, about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 cup ketchup and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, make the Tomato Glaze: Combine glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, and simmer, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes until and glaze is satiny smooth. Set aside.
Add the cooked vegetables to the large bowl with breadcrumbs, then add the remaining ingredients (ground meat, eggs, and parsley). Stir the ingredients together with a fork or your hands until evenly blended.
Form mixture into a 10-by 5-inch loaf tin and spread tomato sauce over top of the loaf.
Bake in oven 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted in center registers 155°F.
Today’s Stats
Low temp: 64F
High temp: 80F
Sunrise: 7:16am
Sunset: 6:53pm
Moon phase: Waning Crescent
Additional notes: Overcast and humid