I hope everyone had a great 4th of July, ate lots of hot dogs and hamburgers, jumped in a pool, and set off some fireworks. One of our farming friends, Alex at Anathallo Acres (our mushroom guy) set up a massive slip and slide this weekend in one of his fields and invited all the local yokels. You had to dodge a few cow pies at the end of the slip and slide but overall a very fun way to spend a Saturday.
When July rolls around here in the Shenandoah Valley, it is hot and humid but on the bright side we are harvesting tons of veggies. All the best summer veg is coming into season with squashes, heirloom tomatoes, corn, and peppers. If you are interested in buying larger bulk quantities of veg please reach out to me. I don't want to overwhelm y'all with bulk offerings if all you are looking for is your weekly veg but know we can definitely offer some deals if you are looking to can or freeze produce! We also are getting into Virginia's fruit season with tons of peaches, nectarines, and blueberries. The orchard we work with in Nelson County is finally harvesting from their trees. If you guys are ever looking for good pick your own farms up here, give me a shout because I know some of the best spots.
After butchering our last batch of pigs a few weeks ago, we bought in another round of pigs from our friends at J&L Farms. The piglets live in our barn and field behind the barn. They get fed our extra milk from our dairy cows, hay, leftover produce, and grain grown here at the farm. When they are this young, they are so cute that I can barely resist picking one up. Unfortunately, their vocal chords are fully developed so they scream bloody murder whenever I try to snuggle. We love seeing the pigs exhibiting their personalities on our farm, making mud puddles to relax in, snuffling the ground, and lazing in the shade.
This week, we are harvesting fennel which is an awesome, under-utilized vegetable. It is super aromatic and can be used raw or cooked. One of my favorite recipes with fennel is a roast chicken with lemons and fennel. You roast the chicken on a bed of lemons, fennel, carrots, and any other root veg that you like until the thickest part of the thigh temps 165 degrees. I love the crispy chicken skin with the soft fennel and root veg. Fennel also has a great shelf life and can last in your fridge for a few weeks.
