Farm Notes

The days are getting noticeably longer (finally!) and slowly but surely I’m dusting off the cobwebs and getting myself back into “farm shape” after a good long break this winter. This week we’ve been busy checking some big projects off our to-do list… last weekend, we built some proper end walls for our caterpillar tunnels, with an ingenious design that lets you easily roll up/down the plastic on each end!

I’ve been wanting to build proper walls for the ends of our tunnels for years, so I was thrilled to see how well they work and how nice they look. This end wall design was created by a farmer friend of mine, and if you’d like any more info on this design, materials needed, just let me know and I’d be happy to share my notes.

This week we also spent more time getting our perennial garden ready for spring, and yesterday we sheet mulched a large section of the garden – which means we laid down big strips of kraft paper directly over the ground, followed by a thick layer of compost on top of the kraft paper.

Sheet mulching (sometimes called lasagna mulching) is a process of creating a new garden bed over an area of grass by layering on “sheets” of organic matter – it’s a simple, passive way to create a new growing space with minimal effort and zero digging. Cardboard is typically used for sheet mulching, but we have found that using long rolls of kraft paper will also work. If you’re interested in learning more about sheet mulching, here’s a great video tutorial.

Looking ahead to next week, we will continue prepping growing beds for the sugar snap peas, carrots, greens, asparagus, and blackberries that will be going in the ground soon.

If you have any questions about getting your garden ready for spring, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Kitchen Notes

Shakshuka is a traditional dish from North Africa with lots of variations – but essentially it’s a skillet filled with a hearty tomato sauce with onions, peppers, spices, and some poached eggs on top. I like to serve shakshuka over a bed of basmati rice, topped with some fresh parsley or cilantro, avocado, and some salty feta cheese. It takes less than 30 minutes to pull everything together, and makes a pretty darn perfect weeknight meal if you ask me!

Shakshuka

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced into 1/2” pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (diced tomatoes will work too)
2 tablespoons harissa paste (mild or hot, your preference)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
A few handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped
3 to 5 eggs
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
1 avocado, diced (optional)
Toasted bread (optional)

PREPARATION

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large lidded skillet. Add the onion, red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic, paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Stir and let cook for about 30 seconds, then add the canned tomatoes, harissa paste, and tomato paste. Simmer and stir occasionally for 15 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Use a large spoon to make wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each well. Cover and cook over medium heat until the eggs are set, about 5 minutes – though the timing will also depend on how runny you like your egg yolks.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with the feta, parsley and avocado, if using. Serve over basmati rice and with toasted bread for scooping.

Today’s Stats

Low temp: 39F
High temp: 61F
Sunrise: 7:09am
Sunset: 5:54pm
Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous
Additional notes: Sunny and warm