Farm Notes

Let the winter projects commence! In the past week, I was able to place all my seed orders for 2022, order our spring seedlings from Banner Greenhouses, process heaps of excess veggies to fill our freezer, make tons of progress organizing the disaster that is/was our barn, AND we significantly reduced the size of our laying hen flock to make room for a big project that we’re kicking off next year… whew! It’s amazing what you can get done when you aren’t busy outside planting, watering, weeding, trellising, harvesting, washing/packing, etc.

Because y’all get the nitty gritty, behind the scenes look at what’s happening here at the farm, you get to see a before and after of our barn organization workday. As someone who generally tries to keep things tidy and organized, I’m cringing at what a disaster our barn area had become… but after spending a lot of time going through everything and working on a much better labeling system, I’m confident that the barn won’t get this bad ever again… at least I hope not! We do still have some cleaning/organizing to do in there, but it feels SO good to have made some progress this week.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Whew, that felt good!

Another big project that we’re beginning to tackle is bittersweet… after a lot of thought, we’ve decided to downsize our laying hen flock and turn their pasture space into a wild + wonderful perennial garden that will be filled with berries, asparagus, medicinal plants, native wildflowers, etc. Over the past year, I realized it just wasn’t making sense economically to keep a larger flock for selling eggs, and I’m newly inspired to revamp this space to be even more productive and beautiful.

I’m especially looking forward to creating a nice gathering space in this new perennial garden, where we can hold outdoor workshops and classes that we’re eager to start hosting again in 2022. Below are some photos of our smaller flock with their new fencing that has a smaller footprint, and a photo of all the space we can now play with for our perennial garden!

Can you tell that I’m excited?! I promise to bring y’all through every step of the process of building out this new garden space, in hopes that it will help inform + inspire some of you in your own home gardens. If you have any specific questions as you start to think about your own growing spaces in the new year, please don't hesitate to reach out! That's what I'm here for. :)

Kitchen Notes

I’m not exaggerating when I say I look forward to making this salad every winter. This shredded brussels sprout salad is colorful, crunchy, a little salty, full of flavor, and it will hold several days in your fridge (so take my advice and double this recipe and enjoy the leftovers)! It does require a bit of patience as you thinly shred all the brussels by hand… but look at it as an opportunity to sharpen up your knife skills. And I know that toasting / removing the skins of the hazelnuts is a bit of extra effort too… but I promise it is absolutely worth it!

SHREDDED BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD WITH apples, TOASTED HAZELNUTS & APPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, thinly shredded
2 Honey Crisp or Pink Lady apples, cut into thin slices
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup hazelnuts
Shaved Pecorino (or Parmesan) cheese for topping

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

PREPARATION

For the vinaigrette: put all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake to mix. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Spread the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until lightly golden-brown and the skins are peeling away, 10 to 15 minutes (make sure to watch closely so they don’t burn). Transfer the nuts to a clean dish towel, wrap up the nuts, and let steam for a minute. Rub the nuts with the towel to remove as many skins as possible. (Not all of the skins will be removed, which is fine.) Coarsely chop the nuts and set aside.
Shave the brussels sprouts as thinly as possible, either by hand with a sharp knife, or carefully using a mandoline to slice as thinly as possible down to the stem, or until the sprout is too short to safely slice. Place the shaved sprouts in a large bowl.
Halve and core the apples, then use your knife or mandoline to slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place the apple slices in a small bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon lemon juice to prevent browning. Pour the dressing over the Brussels sprouts and use your hands to gently massage the dressing into the shaved sprouts, softening them a bit. Add the apples and nuts and toss to combine. Top with shaved Pecorino or Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Today’s Stats

Low temp: 55F
High temp: 71F
Sunrise: 7:22am
Sunset: 5:05pm
Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous
Additional notes: Sunny and unseasonably warm