Author: chris

Lemon Ricotta Bars (with Goat’s Milk Ricotta)

Lemon Ricotta Bars (with Goat’s Milk Ricotta)

Posted on by chris
Holy cow. We started markets this week.  It was hot.  REALLY hot. I drank a lot of water, lemonade.  and iced coffee and saw a ridiculous number of smiling faces - all of them thrilled that we are back and selling lots of fabulous local produce.  Many sincere thanks to those who remembered and mentioned the hardships we endured last summer with the massive, devastating floods.  It was nice to hear the praise and admiration, not that it was expected or even deserved.  We did what we had to do and we got through it.   Anyone faced with similar...Read More

Worth the Wait

Posted on by chris
I'm working on it now... but I wanted to give you a sneak preview of the FROSTING TO DIE FOR that I used on The Boy's birthday cupcakes.  It's weird, easy and fabulous, and you will want to check back to get the recipe.  Trust me! In the meantime, we're getting ready for our first Goshen Market of 2011 this Friday.  If this rain holds off and the ground dries out a bit, we may be able to get some tomatoes planted.  They're growing like mad in the greenhouse!  C'mon, Mother Nature, show the farmers some love, will ya?

Have No Fear… Trixie is Here!

Posted on by chris
  She may look peaceful now, but at 11pm last Thursday I came out of laundry-folding mode to find her milling around ON TOP OF my toaster oven.  I screamed so loudly she jumped and hit her head on the upper kitchen cabinets, then scrambled like all hell to get out of my way.  Her wild eyes were fixed on that escape hatch (cat door) and she made it out in one piece.  The doormat and food/water bowls suffered the most damage, as did the mosquito I found dead on the counter behind the sink yesterday morning. So it wasn't about a curious...Read More
Classic Kid Lunch with a Twist

Classic Kid Lunch with a Twist

Posted on by chris
Last week was President's Week.  If you have kids, you know that's the vacation week in between Winter Break and Spring Break.   Does anyone else remember having only Monday and Tuesday off?  Or even Friday and Monday?  I guess I really am turning into an Old Fart because I don't see the point of an entire week.  Personally, I celebrate Presidents Washington and Lincoln every time I spend 6 bucks. I'm not all that peeved, honestly. My schedule is very flexible right now since our markets are finished and it's just clean up and pre-season preparation going on right now.   But I feel for those parents...Read More

Coming Soon…. A Match Made in Heaven

Posted on by chris
Beautiful leeks sliced and ready for cooking. ... OR  The FarmGirl's Kitchen.  Leek Gratin was the recipe that I included in our CSA news with this week's pick-up.  This rich yet simple side dish takes minutes to prepare (and hours to burn off on the treadmill), but will make everyone at the table happy. Also in our CSA share this week?  Adirondack Blue potatoes.  They're an 'all-blue' variety, meaning blue skin and blue flesh inside.  They taste like a Russet Baker, which many people know are absolutely fabulous when grown in our glorious muck soil.  Blue 'Twice-Baked' Potatoes before second...Read More

Disaster!

Posted on by chris
The FarmGirl's ignitor is on the fritz!!!   Why, oh WHY do we crave baked goodies when the oven isn't working?  Thankfully, the part is available.... and all it will cost me is dinner for the repairman (aka Dad).  Guess I can handle that  ; )

Life Happens

Posted on by chris
[caption id="attachment_597" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Chilly Walk at Sunset"][/caption] I had lots of ideas in my head and planned to write up some new recipes this week, but sometimes, as we all know, things don't go as planned. Too much going on farmwise - we had a light and scattered frost on Tuesday morning.  That means the 15-minute Tuesday drive around the farm took about 40 minutes instead.  Dad and I always take a ride around checking out which crops (or plantings of multiple crops) are ready for harvest each week.   So we hopped in the Jeep Wrangler (Mom's baby from 1987.... still with...Read More

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Posted on by chris
...or,  Watch what you do and say because your child WILL repeat EVERYTHING, both good and bad. [caption id="attachment_155" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Cucumber Tendrils"][/caption] The plan was for Thomas to go to The Shore with his dad for a few days, so we went 'shopping' in the fields for snacks for the trip. Kirby cucumbers, baby carrots and green beans are all great raw and hardy enough to store in a cooler bag for 2 days plus they have the added benefit of being the few veggies the boy will eat these days. I've given up trying to figure out what his...Read More

Timing is everything.

Posted on by chris
My darling boy is turning six next week, so for his class' April birthday celebration, we made up goodie bags using some of Papa's homegrown popcorn on the cob. We wrapped printed instructions (available at www.bialasfarms.com) and a brown paper lunch bag (because you can pop it in a bag in the microwave) around one cob and tied it with cotton string. Those cobs went into cellophane goodie bags with a few other treats.We put the goodie bags in the kids' cubbies at school and they were all abuzz over it. No feedback yet, but we know 6-yr-olds! As I...Read More

Sometimes it takes a while to get the good stuff….

Posted on by chris
What do you do when you're in the 6th grade and have 2 hours to kill between the time you get off the bus and the time your mom gets home from work? Yep. You watch tv. And what do you watch when it's 1983 and your parents didn't have cable and 2-13 was it? You watch General Hospital (because NOBODY watched CBS, c'mon!) and switch to Julia Child and The Frugal Gourmet on PBS at commercials - withOUT a remote. So, when I wasn't learning about life, love and the pursuit of all manner of illicit activities with Luke and Laura...Read More