How to Make Refrigerator Pickles

You will need:

• 1 quart jar
• Cucumbers
• 3 Tbsp vinegar (white distilled or apple cider)
• 1 Tbsp salt
• enough water to fill the jar

Optional:

• Fresh dill
• Fresh garlic cloves
• Black peppercorns

Directions:

• You can use whole cucumbers or cut them into slices or spears.
• Put water, vinegar, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil
• Add all other ingredients to the jar
• Pour the boiling mixture into the jar, making sure to cover all dry ingredients
• Screw the lid on tightly and let sit for 24 to 48 hours.
• Your pickles are now ready to eat!
• Store them in the refrigerator after opening

Vegetable Share Week 10

Kale
Chard
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Radishes
Summer Squash & Patty Pan Squash
Pickling & Salad Cucumbers
Bell Pepper
Mixed Greens or Lettuce
Assorted Flowers

Enjoy!

Amphibian Friend Visits Garden

Look who we found napping on our broccoli leaves, frogs are favored guests in organic gardening as they help control insects

Vegetable Share Week 9

Salad Cucumber &

Pickling Cucumber

Jalapeno Pepper

Cabbage


Kale OR Swiss Chard
Mixed Greens OR Lettuce
Carrots
Beets
Summer Squash
Herbs
Assorted Flowers

Week 8 Veggie Share

This weeks share included:
Summer Squash, Patty Pans, Okra, Lettuce, Beets, Turnips, Cumbers, and Radishes, Swiss Chard, or Collards.

New this week:

Cucumbers

Okra

A little about Okra...
From about.com read full article here

Okra is usually available fresh year-round in the South, and from May to October in many other areas. You can also find okra frozen, pickled, and canned, and in some regions you might find frozen breaded okra for deep frying. When buying fresh okra, look for young pods free of bruises, tender but not soft, and no more than 4 inches long. Okra may be stored in the refrigerator in a paper bag or wrapped in a paper towel in a perforated plastic bag for 2 to 3 days, or it may be frozen for up to 12 months after blanching whole for 2 minutes. Cooked okra can be stored (tightly covered) in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

When cut, okra releases a sticky substance with thickening properties, often used in soups and stews. Gumbos, Brunswick stew, and pilaus are some well-known dishes which frequently use okra.
Okra can be served raw, marinated in salads or cooked on its own, and goes well with tomatoes, onions, corn, peppers, and eggplant. Whole, fresh okra pods also make excellent pickles. Its mild flavor can be compared to eggplant, though the texture is somewhat unusual.

What you need: 

1 pound okra
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 medium onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and chopped finely
salt, to taste
jalapeno, to taste, optional
pepper, to taste

What you do: 

1. Cut both ends off each okra, and then cut them in two halves longitudinally. Mix them with lime juice in a bowl. Cut peeled onion into two halves then each half into longitudinal slices.
2. Put the oil in a sauce pan , add chopped garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute. Add onion. Fry all these together until onion becomes very light brown (4-5 minutes).
3. Stir in okra mixture. Sprinkle salt to taste, and add chopped jalapeno (if using).
4. Cook for 8-10 minutes, but stir after every 1-2 minute until okra is tender. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper on top.
Serve as side dish or with vegan bread.

- See more at: http://vegweb.com/recipes/easy-okra#sthash.aK8gBP7j.dpuf

Vegetable Share Week 7

Carrots

Summer Squash & Zucchini

Turnip Greens

Beets

Green & Yellow Beans

Baby Lettuce

Chard OR

Kale OR

Collard Greens

Week 6

It's week 6 and it has been hot and dry which means some of the cool weather crops will be less productive or more bitter.  But also with the weather we can look forward to things like
pepper and tomatoes in the not too distant future!

This weeks share included:
Summer Squash, Zucchini, Lettuce & Mixed Greens Mix, Carrots, Kale, yellow & green beans, flowers, and Turnips or Turnip Greens

New this week:
Carrots, turnip greens, Yellow & Green Beans, Flowers

If you are not sure what to do with your carrot tops there is a good article
on this blog which describes the nutritional value of the greens and some
recipe ideas.

Happy Eating!

You-Pick Yellow and Green Beans

Come on out to the farm this week, shareholders, and pick your share of yellow and green beans! Mandi and Case will be there Monday evening, Tuesday morning, and Friday morning. If you would like to arrange a different time to come out, please call or email us at: sandhillcsa [at] gmail [dot] com.

Too Many Radishes?

If you've recently felt overwhelmed with radishes, then you're in luck! Below are a few suggestions on what to do with those spicy little root vegetables.

Try them sauteed:

• Heat up one or two tablespoons of butter or oil in a frying pan
• Chop a bunch of radishes into quarters
• Saute in pan for 5-15 minutes
• Add salt to taste

And if you're feeling ambitious, try adding the greens to the mix:

• Rinse and wash radish greens and/or swiss chard, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
• Saute greens with radishes for 5 minutes

Optional:

• Add one tablespoon soy sauce, one teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce.

Happy Eating!

Vegetable Share: Week 4

This weeks' share included:
Kale, Chard or Spinach, Mixed Lettuces, Mixed Greens, Radishes, Bok Choy, Basil, Lambs' Quarters,  Summer Squash, Zucchini, and Patty Pan Squash

New This Week:

Bok Choy

Swiss Chard

Each share included one or more of the following varieties of basil:

Cinnamon Basil

Lemon Basil

Genovese Basil

Some shares also included:

Patty Pan Summer Squash

Turnips With (or Without) Greens

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 handful of turnip greens, cleaned well and sliced
• 1 handful of turnips, sliced in wedges
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Over medium heat, saute the onion for about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put the greens in a small pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
3. Add the turnips to the onions and sprinkle with salt. Saute for about 10 minutes longer, stirring from time to time so they brown evenly.
4. Add the vinegar and the reserved cooking liquid. Stir and then cover the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes longer, till the liquid is incorporated into the vegetables. Uncover the pan, add the greens, and cook for another couple of minutes until the liquid is mostly gone.
5. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

 

Vegetable Share: Week 3

This week's share included:

Kale

Dill

 

Cilantro

Summer Squash & Zucchini

Hakurei Turnips

Cherry Belle & Easter Egg Radishes

Mixed Greens

Mixed Lettuce

Spinach

Week 2

Week 2 of share distributions and it seems like spring is a little bitter. 
Bitter vegetables and fruits are said to have excellent cleansing properties.
Studies also show a correlation between calcium content and bitterness in
vegetables (1).  Typically the more bitter they are the higher
the calcium content.  Most of our spring veggies are from the Brassica family including
mixed greens, Arugula, radishes, bok choy, kale, and turips (this family also
includes cabbage, broccoli, etc) are also high in Vitamin A, K, C, Fiber, proteins,
fatty-acids, and trace minerals (2). 

This week's share included:
Mixed Greens, Arugula, Turnips, Radishes, and Kale or Spinach (one or the other). 

For those who don't know what to do with all their Arugula and Radish tops here is an idea: 
Sandhill Spring Pesto
2 C Packed Arugula
2 C Radish Greens
1/4 C Pine nuts or Walnuts or sunflower seeds
1/4 C Olive Oil
dash of salt to taste
Other optional additions: Parmesan Cheese (replace half of nut amount), nutritional yeast, Garlic cloves, splash of lemon juice or cut back on the bitterness by replacing some of the greens with Spinach.

Throw all ingredients in a blender and Viola!  Add to pasta, spread on breads, or serve with crackers, can also be froze for later use.

Here is a reference recipe calling for just Radish greens:
http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2009/05/radish_leaf_pesto.php

Also, did you know you can use your turnip greens?  Turnip
greens can be be used for salad greens or they are really good sauteed with
some garlic or onions and a dash of salt.  Some people like to add soy sauce
or Balsamic vinegar for seasoning. 

So What's Next? 
As early as next week we may have mixed baby lettuces, Bok Choy, and summer squash to add to the bounty!
 


1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2768385/figure/F1/
2. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=btnews&dbid=126

Catching up after a busy week of farming, workshops, chicken healing, and yup, a pregnancy test

Every week during the summer is pretty busy on a farm. At Peaceful Road Farm where Scot works, haying was going on all last week, and many of the hands were working 18 hour days. Scot got to miss out on much of the fun due to a visit to the Detroit area with Micah. Micah had to take the nine pound hammer to some cement in grandpa and grandma's back yard.

At any rate, work went on at farms in Shelbyville, Martin, Hopkins, and Wayland. Whether corn holds a place in your heart or not (Jenn and Scot are going to watch a movie called "King Corn" soon), it is coming up well in our part of Allegan County, and all of the hay and legumes are doing well. Our CSA garden is doing superbly, and the sheep are very excited about being turned out into new, uncut pasture. Pigs are growing well, and the new chickens taste great. The Miller-Seif ate one for dinner yesterday, and are supplying the Friends Meeting with a few more for this weekend's retreat.

On a side note, don't let me forget to get a picture of Emma in her swampers in the morning, when she is feeding the pigs. Nothing better than a teenage girl getting caught in her nightie and knee boots carrying slop!

As for all the farming that takes place out here in Allegan County, Jenn introduced a few folks to the CSA movement at a book discussion at Wayland's Henika District Library. A group of individuals were discussing the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Jenn spoke about the farm, and the nature of the food that we grow, and she encouraged others to get involved; not only as consumers, but as food experts. The book has been out for a while, and here is a link to check out:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

A broody hen found in the pig pen

One thing that farmers cannot do without are neighbors. Considering the small size and budget of our farm, Sandhill want to share stories about our neighbors with all of you. Our friends in Bradley and Delton, at the elevator in Hopkins, and the farm store in Wayland. last week, we told you about Scott from Outdoor Motor. This week, we bring you Lisa from the gas station in Bradley.

Lisa at the gas station located at the Bradley four-way stop.

Lisa is a favorit because every time Scot walks in she identifies him as her favorite Quaker, which is not a common occurrence in his life. Lisa is undoubtedly popular, because she is surrounded by four or five men every morning, as they sip coffee and talk to each other, mindfully keeping their voices low because most likely, Lisa knows when they are stretching the truth.

Lisa is a special neighbor because of her commitment to our friendship, but also because of her generosity. More often than not, when gas is above four dollars, she has a twenty in her pocket that help folks out with gas money to get to work. She also knows who has hay for sale, who might want to buy pork, and what kind of powdered cappuccino drink Scot likes best. Most impressive is that when Lisa's driveway isn't properly plowed, she fires up her own 1970's pickup and re-plows it. As we sometimes say at Sandhill, if it is worth doing once, it is worth doing twice.

Oh wait, the chicken healing part. One of our hens seems to have a broken leg, or at the very least, hurt very bad. Of course, most farmers, including Scot, would just as soon cull the bird so as not to waste resources on a bird that won't make it, and is very likely in a lot of pain. However, Rosa is fairly particular about which animals are culled, and which are not. So, she is working with this hen hoping to restore it to health, uch as she did with a rooster that had a similar problem last year. At his time, the hen is recuperating by relaxing under a lilac bush. It took Rosa about a half hour of worried searching before she found the hen, but she knew it was around somewhere. How was she so sure? She didn't see any feather around or any sign that a raccoon took it, and she did not see a pair of wings left behind, as happens when a fox gets a chicken. So she searched diligently, and there it was, snuggled under a bush.

And finally, the pregnancy test. You will have to visit Jenn's facebook page to find out more about that...

Vegetable Share: Week 1

Mixed Greens: includes Red Mustard, Green Mustard, Chinese Cabbage, Bok Choy, & Tatsoi

Astro Arugula

Easter Egg Radishes

Hakurei Turnips

Lambsquarters

The Cherry Belle

Cherry Belle Radish (From our Garden!)

Easter Egg Mix (Johnny's Seeds)

Why we LOVE radishes:
     Pictured to the left is the Cherry Belle Radish, bright red flesh on the outside, tender peppery white flesh on the inside.  This radish is exactly what most people think of when they think of radishes. 
       Radishes are wonderful little veggie plants.  They come in many shapes, sizes, and colors.  (Pictured on the left you can see two other varieties that we are growing on the farm).  Radishes I recently discovered are not only awesome fresh but when they are are roasted, boiled, or sauteed, they take on a milder flavor profile much like a turnip.  Radishes are also awesome pickled as well.
     Not only are radishes a delightful addition to meals, they also have many other uses.  Since it only takes a radish about 25 days to harvest,  they are"quick crops" and can be planted in between rows of other crops without overcrowding and actually providing several benefits to the plants that it is planted near making radishes good companions to for most plants.  One way they can be beneficial is as a method of weed suppression, using its foliage blocks out sunlight to weeds that may want to come up.  Another benefit is that they can be used as a 'trap crop' as a method of natural insect control.  For instance flea beetles really like the foliage of the radish plant and the cool thing about radishes is that leaf damage doesn't really hurt the production of the part of the radish that we eat. 

Watermelon Radish (Johnny's Seeds)

      Last week we planted our eggplants and when we checked on them a few days later we noticed a small flea beetle outbreak.  We are using a variety of methods to helps save them including hand squishing, Neem oil/hot pepper juice spray (thanks Austin!), and also planting a trap crop of radishes down the center of the bed hoping that we will be able to save them. 
     So when you are enjoying your radishes this spring and summer make sure to not only give thanks for your happy tummy but also for all the wonderful ways it benefits the garden. 

Today's Progress

how does your garden grow?

Things get growing in June

at least somebody is working

Working in the garden at high noon? I think I'll man the blog and facebook site instead...

Micah making backyard hay

Barefoot on a John Deere garden tractor. Micah loves riding, and giving rides. he'll pull visiting kids around in the trailer all day.

                               
Children  Play With Earth

Rosa transplanting her own tomato plants
Hit the "Play with Earth" link above for the Arrested Development tune

Garden Work (I can't think of a catchier, or more appropriate title)

Mandi planting watermelon radishes

Mandi was over yesterday to put a days work into the garden. She was planting in the morning while I was taking a rest after pulling third shift duty at Peaceful Road Farms. Because of our schedules, it is often hard for all of us to get together to discuss the "bidness" aspects of Sandhill. So, I got up, (yes, I got dressed) and Mandi and I reconciled the books for the first five months, three of which we have been using share money.

I am happy to report that things worked out, and our shares have actually generated around $230 or so for our non-profit parent, the Institute for Global Education. We have more shares available, so message us on facebook or post on the blog if you would like more information.

shov'lin 'nure to get the new garden area in shape

Speaking of shares, this is the first year that Sandhill is offering veggie shares. Jenn and Scot had a family garden, but it was nowhere large enough to try and provide ten shares worth of vegetables, and they have no experience with gardening on a large scale. Scot new that Case had worked up north for a year on a UP CSA, and invited him to take charge of the veggie share experiment. So far so good.

Getting started was a challenge. In order to expand the garden, we needed to till up new space, which was covered by a nice lawn that was very healthy, fertilized by chicken tractor manure. A neighbor was asked to bring over his tractor to till, and he agreed as he had helped expand a few square yards last year. Alas, like all of us he is a busy man, and after a two week period, we decided to go another route.

I love our John Deer 314 garden tractor. With a loan from Mike and Bev Holaday a few years ago, we purchased it for $900 and it has served the farm well. We bought it from Scott at Outdoor Motor in Wayland, and he is our trusted small engine go-to man, as I do not know mechanical stuff well. I also have little time to learn repair skills. So, Scott keeps things going smoothly.

A little bit about Scott. He is one of those folks who has a work ethic and small business integrity that is often hard to find. he operates his shop in Wayland, and has suffered through my questions and mistakes with the tractor in the same manner that he interacts with me at his shop. Scott is a "what you see is what you get" kind of guy, and he not only takes business relationships seriously, but personal relationships with customers as well.

When I asked him if he had any tiller attachments for the 314, he said he did, but it seemed cost prohibitive. I was telling Scott about our plan to till, and he said that he had a tiller that would do the job, and he would bring it over. so, on a Saturday, he came over with the tiller and dropped it off at the house. I walked outside and said "oh, he left it for me to have fun with. (It was a garden tractor tiller). So I started it up and started tilling. About ten minutes later, Scott drove up to the house and saw me running around tilling to heart's content. Of course, he had a look that reflected thoughts such as "What is he doing on my tiller," to "oh crap. I know how he runs the John Deere into the ground."

Scott calmly got out of his truck and stopped my fun, indicating that it was a delicate machine, and he had spent a lot of time on repairs, and he would rather do the tilling "but thanks." He took the time to teach me a few things about operating such machinery ("don't take hard turns" etc.) He then tilled the whole garden. I'd ask him things like "can I go get you drinks or a snack," and "how much gas should I go get for your garden tractor?" He declined all offers, and just tilled. He tilled, and tilled, and very thoroughly tilled as I listened to the Tiger game on the radio. The best part was that Scott, a fairly stern looking and very serious man who takes every task seriously, responded to my offers of compensation for his taking out a Saturday to do someone else's work. he said "don't worry about any of it. I'm tellin' you, this is what I do for fun."

Oh, about the new garden. Further work was needed, and this time our farm team did the hard work. Zach and Lindsay Oaster of FatToaster farm loaned us their truck to pick up manure to help out with our sandy soil. They actually allowed us to use it to haul manure! Zach and I worked together at Georgetown United Methodist for a while, and he and his wife have a sheep farm. At any rate, we took their truck to my employer's farm and filled it up with cow manure. Two loads worth covered the garden, and our first share size plot of land was ready to go!

Sandhill team doing the dirty work to get soil prepped for growing