Category: Summer

 

A Summer harvest is full of so many wonderful things the Farm Girl doesn’t know where to begin, except to make sure her grill is cleaned. Beautifully grilled vegetables, full bodied salads, and anything roasted make the summer harvest a celebration to be enjoyed!

Kohlrabi Apple Salad

Kohlrabi Apple Salad

This weekend was pretty slow at markets.  I'm going with the 'everyone is having fun away while we're stuck working' theory.  So I had some time to chit-chat with customers and that was helpful because we had a new veggie this week: kohlrabi!  I was pleasantly surprised how many people just grabbed one or two even though they had no idea what it was or what to do with it. We used to grow kohlrabi when I was a kid and I have such fond memories of it.  Back then, and I'm not saying just how long ago that is, but let's assume it was the mid-70s,...Read More
Yip-Pea!  Summer’s Here!

Yip-Pea! Summer’s Here!

Peas please... I'm standing at the bathroom sink, my slippers off, as I just got out of the shower. I hear  a swish... and see a dirty gray/white paw sweep under the door. It hooked a slipper and yank it back into the hallway. So I reached under and took it back (stupid ass that I am, not thinking of getting clawed). As suspected, she reached under and grabbed it again. This time I opened the door enthusiastically (of COURSE my intention was to scare the bejeezus out of her).  Trixie flew a foot into the air then ran like a...Read More
Everyone Does

Everyone Does

Would you work for a Russet baked potato or some homemade potato chips? [caption id="attachment_1861" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Even BEES have work to do... and I don't know exactly WHAT this one is doing.[/caption] Everyone hates having too much work to do.  Or so I've been told.  And I guess when I think about it, I'm inclined to agree.   You just know there's a story coming, right?  Yeah, well...  The other day after dinner I was sitting at my desk printing up price cards for the markets and doing inventory spreadsheets, etc.  Thomas was sitting on the couch sorting his Pokemon...Read More
Sunday Nights Were Made for Tacos

Sunday Nights Were Made for Tacos

The boy shows off his skills with Tacos, and his kitchen savvy! SWF with brain (and she's not afraid to use it!), with child (ditto), and with snark (well, this is getting repetitive) apparently seeking SOMEONE by blogging. Or so says my Wordpress 'dashboard'.  The Dashboard tracks statistics such as daily views, links clicked and how the blog was found.  The Google searches that have come up can be comical: eporn farmgirl cloves, do you need to wash kasha,  pinafore sauce.  This week?  "Farmgirl dating". I'm sure this person (No, it doesn't say WHO so relax and Google away.) was looking for 'jokes about the...Read More
Zsa Zsa on Celery Avenue?

Zsa Zsa on Celery Avenue?

A Sandwich to Remember, A Friend to Share With My dear friend Jenny came to visit me on the farm 2 weeks ago.  We've talked about it for a long time, and finally it happened. She's an excellent vegetarian cook and we can talk for hours about new combinations and food ideas.  Jenny enjoys cuisines from all around the world. Living in an urban setting offers her the opportunity to explore a bit more than here in Orange County. Together we chose ingredients grown here on the farm and created a beautiful sandwich. Jenny and I met several years ago on the Weight Watchers online message boards, so...Read More
Just Your Average Summer Night’s Supper on the Farm

Just Your Average Summer Night’s Supper on the Farm

Not every dish I make has a cute story or a long, convoluted explanation or especially intensive preparations. But the Fairy Tale Eggplant do lend themselves to that. Sometimes they're just ideas that spring to mind when I'm picking or washing the veggies, or sorting the cooler (BIG refrigerator - like, we drive a forklift in there big) all by my lonesome.  I get a lot of thinking done in my 38-degree solitude! Sometimes I just have to get dinner on the table and this hungry farmer needs some good home cookin'!  Plus Dad will stop by most nights for at...Read More
This One Will Bring Tears to Your Eyes

This One Will Bring Tears to Your Eyes

Or at least it will if you're 6 years old and you're hot and tired and hungry and your mean, nasty mother didn't consult you regarding the dinner menu. *Author's Note:   This masterpiece is titled 'Self-portrait of a Winge Bag' or ---  'Before the Fall'. Here I am thinking I'll make something really cool and colorful (for the kid) and quick and easy (for the mom) for dinner....  It WAS all of those things, and more importantly, it was damn delicious!  But this wonderful dinner was marred by the sobbing and sniffling coming from the living room sofa. Out of the corner of my...Read More
Afternoon Delight… Or Love Apples, the Stinking Rose, and… Crest?

Afternoon Delight… Or Love Apples, the Stinking Rose, and… Crest?

[caption id="attachment_242" align="alignright" width="225"] SunGold Low-acid Cherry Tomatoes[/caption] Afternoon Delight, Tomatoes, Homegrown and Full of Summer The calendar turns to June and people's tongues start hanging for a real, vine-ripened, homegrown tomatoes.  Anyone who has lived in the Northeast for more than a few growing seasons KNOWS that you will NOT find a local tomato in June, but we can hope... and crave... and dream a little. We farmers aren't immune to the siren song of the Love Apple either.   Why 'love apple', you ask?  It is, according to Food Lover's Companion, "a tomato moniker that originated in the 16th...Read More
A Summer Afternoon Harvest… with Testy McDramaPants

A Summer Afternoon Harvest… with Testy McDramaPants

  Harvesting Potatoes on a Summer Afternoon Makes a Welcome Meal [caption id="attachment_202" align="alignleft" width="300"] Potato Patch 2010 - Just Planted[/caption] "C'mon, Thomas.  Let's go get some potatoes for dinner." That doesn't mean going to the store, or even to the barn... yet. Yesterday, it meant going out to the field to dig them up fresh. REALLY?   Yes. With the afternoon sun beating down upon us, and with temperatures nearing 100, I dragged the "poor boy" all the way to the other side of the farm just to get potatoes for dinner. He was gung ho about it until we burned...Read More
The FarmGirl Relaxer

The FarmGirl Relaxer

Delicious Mint Lemonade Remember that Mint Simple Syrup recipe I posted on June 2? That's the key to the Mint Lemonade I made for today's Open House at The Farm. Glad you all liked it so much! There's no better time than a steamy July 4th weekend to stir up a pitcher.  So go grab that spearmint from the yard (which has probably creeped into the NEIGHBOR'S yard, too) and whip up a batch of syrup to use in these tasty drinks. The FarmGirl's SpearMint Lemonade 1/2 cup Spearmint Simple Syrup 1/4 cup freshly squeezed (or frozen or bottled) Lemon Juice 1 cup Cold...Read More