Farm Notes
It’s been a cold and dreary week around here, which means I’ve been inside doing lots of “computer farming” – i.e. planning for next year, seed organizing, and working on putting together some newly organized resources for y’all.
Speaking of which… I recently realized that I didn’t have an easy way for Farmbelly Club members to quickly find information on specific gardening / farming topics that I’ve covered in my journal entries over the past 2 years. So it’s about time we (and by we, I mean ME..) fixed that!
Behold! Here’s a brand spankin new Growing Tutorials & Resources page – where you can quickly find information on tons of different gardening topics, crop-specific tutorials, etc. This page will only continue to grow and become even more expansive with more entries over time. And if there is a specific growing topic that you don’t see that you’d like me to tackle, please let me know!
Sign up for a free Garden Consultation in 2023
As we look ahead to next year, I want to help YOU set goals + plans for your gardens! As a thank you for being part of the Farmbelly Club community, I’m excited to offer free 15-minute garden consultations in January for anyone who wants to dig in and make a game plan for a thriving garden in 2023. Whether you have just a few pots on your front porch or a big dedicated garden space (and everything in between) – let’s get you growing like a pro next season!
To sign up for your garden consult, please fill out this quick survey by December 31st. After submitting this form, you will be contacted within 1 week to schedule your consult, which will take place on the phone or via Zoom in January 2023. In addition to our Zoom call, you will receive a follow up email filled with helpful links, resources, and templates specific to our conversation.
And in case it’s helpful, I put together this printable 2023 Garden Goals Worksheet to help you start thinking about your growing goals for next year. Let’s get growing friends!
PS – Here’s a link to today’s virtual farm walk over on our Facebook group! A note that this will be the final farm walk of 2022, as we will be with family for the holidays the remaining weeks of the year. THANK YOU for following along and I’m excited to resume our virtual tours again in 2023!
Kitchen Notes
I’m going to be honest y’all… these days my culinary attention has been laser-focused on trying to come up with new, healthy meals that Sawyer wants to eat. Overall he’s a pretty good eater (there’s a reason he’s in the 80th percentile for his weight..), but he can definitely be a bit picky, especially whenever we introduce something new. One thing that I know he’ll always chow down? Muffins. Or literally any kind of baked good for that matter. So of course, I’ve made it my mission to find a muffin recipe he’ll be excited to eat, that is still healthy and chock-full of veggies. Thankfully, I found a great recipe over at the blog Yummy Toddler Food, making just a few tweaks of my own. I promise they are yummy enough that even if you don’t have a picky toddler to appease, you’ll enjoy them!
Healthyish Carrot Muffins
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup all purpose or whole-wheat flour
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup brown sugar (for sugar-free, omit and sub 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup applesauce (or any kind of veggie puree – sweet potato, winter squash, etc)
1 cup grated carrots
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons canola oil (or melted coconut oil)
¼ cup raisins
¼ teaspoon salt
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 24-cup mini muffin tin with nonstick spray. Don’t be shy with the non-stick spray, or else the muffins will definitely stick!
Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and stir together to combine thoroughly but gently.
Add a heaping 1 tablespoon of the batter to each prepared muffin cup and bake 18-22 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out cleanly.
Remove from oven, cool in the pan for 2 minutes, and use a paring knife to loosen the edges as needed. Tilt in the pan to allow air to circulate underneath or transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Serve warm, at room temp, or chilled.
Today’s Stats
Low temp: 40F
High temp: 51F
Sunrise: 7:16am
Sunset: 5:03pm
Moon phase: Waning gibbous
Additional notes: Cloudy and chilly