The warm weather we have been having lately has sure been appreciated, and not just by making it easier to do things outside. The rime ice/frost outside this past week has been just gorgeous, and the new blanket of snow this morning sure does freshen everything up out there. While the warm temps and sunshine would typically be good for encouraging spinach regrowth, the days this time of year are just too short. As we learned from our winter spinach research trials several years ago, it takes the right amounts of both light and heat to keep plants productive.
Inside the microgreen grow room however, we've got ample light and heat - winter is the perfect time to enjoy the tender green goodness microgreens offer! Above you can see the growth so far of healthy trays of peas (top shelf), kale (middle shelves), and broccoli plus a few trays of sunflowers on the next shelf down. The broccoli and kale will be similar tasting to the red cabbage micros last week, perhaps a little more mild. Our goal is to come up with our own mild micro salad mix containing a variety of brassicas that will be as beautiful to eat as they are delicious, so we're evaluating different types of seeds for flavor, color, and timing so they all come ready at the same time and can be sown together from the start. In the mean time, these varieties will be available singly, so please let us know what you think of them! Sunflowers are still a work in progress - we're trying a few tricks to try to get all of the seed hulls off of the greens better. Farmer Ryan and I will keep working on it, and we'll offer those as soon as we can crack the code to reliable and complete hull removal. Lastly, we're growing a new type of radish seed, and it is looking (and tasting!) fabulous, with much better yields than the variety we tried last week. I'd love to hear any feedback on the microgreens, so don't hesitate to email me personally at greatoakfarm@gmail.com to let me know what you think!
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No matter how many times I plant them, I am always fascinated by the miracle of life held inside of tiny seeds. This is a picture of a tray of broccoli, just coming out of germination. The leaves turn green by the end of the day, once they are exposed to light, and you can see all the delicate white root threads at the base of each stem. Nice to see a pop of color like this during the winter, isn't it?
Winter is usually the time when I can catch up on equipment maintenance, and with no heated shop to work in, I hold out for a warm-ish couple of days to tackle those projects. Last week the new starter for the tractor came in, and with the nice temps I was able to get it installed without fingers getting too cold... you'd be surprised how cold those metal wrenches can get out outside. And of course, as luck would have it, the old starter that was on the tractor was not actually the starter that was SUPPOSED to be on this tractor. As is often the case when repairing older tractors, I found out that whoever replaced the part last time (this tractor is a late 60's model, so it's likely had a few starters by now) just made do with whatever starter was handy. As a result, to get it off I had to remove part of the fuel line, and get creative with some ratchet extensions, flexible elbows, and crow's feet attachments to reach the bolts holding it to the frame. Once the old starter was off, you can see in the picture above how short the teeth on the starter gear had become. They were so worn down that they would no longer engage the flywheel to turn the motor over. After the new starter was attached and fuel lines reattached/bled out, I took a deep breath and turned the key.... and that old diesel motor started up like a charm :) The satisfaction of solving a problem and getting tangible, immediate, beneficial outcomes is hard to find sometimes these days, but it sure feels good when it happens.
Besides taking some time to get out skiing and ice fishing with the kids, the last few weeks have been pretty exciting at our house. Since the kids are learning virtually bein at home and able to help out a little during the day, we decided to foster puppies from the Chequamegon Humane Society. We picked up momma and her 9 squirming pups on Jan 2nd - they were born on the night of Dec 30. They will stay with us until they are 10 weeks old, at which time they will be ready for adoption. Momma is a sweet young lady, a stray Catahoula Leopard Hound (yeah, I had never heard of them before either!), and the dad is thought to be a Lab. The pups are about the cutest thing ever, and our entire family has enjoyed having a little puppy always within arm's reach. So if you or anyone you know is looking for a mighty sweet pup (and/or a well behaved momma dog) in a couple of months, check with the Chequamegon Humane Society in Ashland. They are a good bunch!
Finally, here's an update and a recipe suggestion (almost entirely composed of delicious locally grown products!) from our Bayfield Foods chairperson Farmer Brian of Northcroft Farm:
Bayfield Foods 2021 summer shares will soon available for purchase. If you were a member of the summer share in 2020 Harvie will automatically renew your membership for 2021 for the same shares when they are open. You will receive a notification and a week notice to unsubscribe or change your order before being sent a bill. It should arrive in your inbox in the next week or so. Keep your eyes out as shares sold out this past season quicker than anticipated. In a change from last year, the down payment for the summer shares will be the equivalent of the first weeks share cost. This will allow for a more spread-out payment process and customers will not need to pay a large down payment while still paying for the winter share.
New for the 2021 summer season we will be offering a Thursday home delivery option in Duluth/Superior and in the Chequamegon Bay area. The new home delivery box is a la carte style and customers can pick from any of the items available in our inventory that week, including meat, veggies, and value added items as well.
Bacon Butternut Squash with Hazelnuts
Ingredients·
4 strips bacon·
1 medium onion diced·
1 butternut squash; peeled and diced·
4 Cups chicken broth·
Kosher salt; to taste·
Ground black pepper to taste
In a large saucepan, fry the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon, draining any excess fat, and then adding the onion, stirring often until lightly browned. Add the diced squash and sauté for about 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until squash is very tender. Puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the pot and bring back to a simmer adding the crumbled bacon. Garnish with toasted hazelnuts. To toast hazelnuts: Chop coarsely and spread on a baking sheet and place in a preheated oven at 275 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before use.
Have a great weekend, and take good care!
Yours in community,
Farmer Chris
Great Oak Farm
