Farm Notes
It’s been a frosty week here at the farm, and we’ve got some winter weather coming our way this weekend. Looks like Sunday is going to be a blustery mix of freezing rain / sleet / snow… now doesn’t that sound like fun?! The main concern with winter storms on the farm is that the snow and/or ice can be very heavy on our caterpillar tunnels, and if you don’t go out every few hours to knock off the snow/ice, the tunnels can collapse under the weight. I’m not too terribly worried, but I’ll definitely be watching this storm closely!
One project I started tackling this week that I am very excited about was beginning to lay out our new perennial garden area (read more about the inspiration for this new garden in this Farmbelly Journal post). The area for the perennial garden is about 80 x 40 feet long and it’s a total blank slate – which can actually be a bit intimidating! One thing that helps me start to visualize how to best design a new growing space is by putting stakes in each corner, and tying bright orange twine between the stakes (see photo to the right). If you are also planning out a new garden area this season, and not sure where to start, I definitely recommend using this stake + twine method to start laying out your ideas and to help visualize your space.
And now for a fun announcement… it’s time for another cookbook giveaway! I love sharing my favorite books with y’all and will continue to host giveaways throughout the season... this time, I’m excited to give away an amazing farm to table cookbook – Grow, Cook, Nourish – written by Darina Allen, the founder / matriarch of the Ballymaloe Cooking School, which is located on a magical 100-acre organic farm in the Irish countryside. I attended the culinary program at Ballymaloe back in 2013, and it absolutely changed my life (and the way I look at food) forever.
Grow, Cook, Nourish is a vegetable-focused cookbook with 500+ recipes, AND it also digs into tons of tips and information for how to grow each vegetable. This book is a wealth of information, and it epitomizes what it means to “eat like a farmer”!
TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY – There are two ways that you can enter this giveaway (just choose 1):
Comment on this post in our private Facebook Group and share which spring vegetable you are most looking forward to cooking with! If you aren’t already a member of our private Facebook Group, just request access here.
OR Click the “Comment” button at the bottom of this journal entry and share which spring vegetable you are most looking forward to cooking with!
You have until Thursday, January 20th @ midnight to enter, and I’ll announce one randomly selected winner on Friday, January 21st. One entry per person please.
Kitchen Notes
Last weekend, I cooked up a juicy, crispy-skinned roast chicken, and it was DELICIOUS. As we were cleaning up, I saw my dear husband going to throw away the picked-over chicken carcass, and I screamed “NO!” and quickly snatched it from the clutches of our trash can. You see… I had big plans for that chicken, and I was determined to squeeze every bit of goodness out of it by making some homemade chicken broth this week.
While we should never feel ashamed about buying chicken (or veggie) broth from the store, it so wonderfully easy (and healthier and waaay more economical) to make yourself… so today I’m excited to share a very simple recipe for homemade chicken broth. For vegetarians, just omit the chicken in this recipe and you’ve still got a splendid broth that is ready to incorporate into soups, stews, sauces, risotto, etc.
HOMEMADE CHICKEN BROTH
INGREDIENTS
1 chicken carcass
2 onions, cut into quarters (peels can stay on)
4 smashed garlic cloves
4 ribs celery, roughly chopped
4 carrots, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
A few sprigs (or stems) of fresh parsley and/or thyme
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Other optional ingredients to add that will add flavor and depth: leek tops, carrot tops, parmesan rind, seeds from inside a winter squash, etc
PREPARATION
Place the chicken carcass, chopped vegetables, herbs and any additional aromatics in a large (at least 5 quarts) pot.
Cover the vegetables with an inch or two of water (around 3.5-4 quarts of water) and bring to a boil, uncovered.
Reduce the heat, maintaining a gentle simmer, and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Spoon off and discard any foam that rises to the surface.
Strain the stock ingredients through a fine mesh strainer and let it cool to room temperature. Store the stock in quart jars and refrigerate or freeze (I love freezing broth in these Souper Cubes). Fresh homemade stock will last one week in the fridge and several months in the freezer.
Today’s Stats
Low temp: 26F
High temp: 52F
Sunrise: 7:27am
Sunset: 5:25pm
Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous
Additional notes: Sunny & chilly