Our CSA, Northwest Arkansas Local Harvest, is wrapping up. We have three more deliveries including today, and then we get a much needed two weeks off (more or less) until we are back out in it growing clean local produce for the community! A hearty THANKS!!!! is due to the WWOOF pack for all of their hard work and diligence throughout the year, and to our customers, who believe in their local farmer and invest in such a unique relationship! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I’m going to add pictures, but I have to go deliver, duty calls, but check back in!!!
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Feeling the Fall
Here on the farm we have been really busy. We wrapped up one CSA season with good company and tall cans, and rolled on into the fall season with more good company. I tried to think about the number of people who have shuffled through our door this season with the WWOOF program, or otherwise…and I couldn’t get an accurate count. To those of you who know that you have been here, thanks. I’ve enjoyed feeding and gossiping with you all. I’ve really been enjoying this fall weather here in Fayette-town. So mild, yet not quite coat weather. For me, this signals apple season. Apple pie, apple crisp/crumble, apple turnovers, apple sauce, apple muffins, on and on.
Here is a recipe for apple turnovers that is easy, and delicious
Apple Turnovers
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large tart baking apple (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 3 Tbsp dried currants
- 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon corn starch
- 1/4 cup apple sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed OR 2 pâte brisée dough recipes (enough for a double crust pie)
- 2 Tbsp butter, cut into bits
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon milk
METHOD
1 Put oven rack in lower third of oven and pre-heat oven to 400°F. Butter a large baking sheet (or use Silpat).
2 In a medium bowl, mix together apples, currants, and walnuts with the sugar, cinnamon, and corn starch, making sure the fruit and nuts are well coated. Mix in the apple sauce and vanilla.
3a Unfold the thawed pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Depending on the size of your puff pastry sheet you are going to want to cut the sheet into either four 5-inch-by-5-inch or six 4-inch-by-4-inch squares.
3b Roll out your pie dough on a lightly floured surface to a 16×11 inch rectangle. Trim the edges to 15×10 inches and cut into six 5×5-inch squares.
4 Divide the apple mixture among the squares, leaving a 1-inch border. If you are using an already prepared puff pastry sheet, dot the mixture in each pastry with a little butter. (If you are using a butter pie dough, you can skip adding the extra butter.) In a small bowl mix the beaten egg with a teaspoon of milk. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg mixture on the border of the pastry.
5 Fold each pastry into a triangle, enclosing the filling, and crimp edges with a fork. Brush the tops of the pastries with more of the egg wash. Cut 2 or 3 small steam vents in the top of each turnover.
6 Place the pastries in the oven and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden.
Cool turnovers to warm before serving.
If you have extra time (because we all have loads of this right?) try your favorite apple recipe and fill your house with the smells of the season!
A Work In Progress
I’ve been working on a blog for Ozark Alternatives, and have just been posting pictures. So far, I think I like it that way. Take a look, HERE, and let me know what you think.
We made the 10 o’ clock news
Cue the Banjo(s)
Steve Martin said you can’t play a sad song on the banjo, so hopefully that sentiment will set the tone. First let me mention that yesterday the Missouri Angels have left the farm to continue their adventures elsewhere, insert whatever sad breakup song here: __________. There was also a system of severe thunderstorms that rocked and rolled through the heartland of America. Here in Fayetteville, the front of the storm came through really strong, the winds were extremely high. This morning, when Grace and Paul were doing the rounds, they came upon the mothership, our original hoop house, and what was left of it. I must also mention yesterday that Alice, Grace and I were weeding and watering in the mothership, while the wind was whipping through it. So….here you go. Remember banjos!
Paul told Grace that I get really upset about stuff like this, so she had open arms when she came in for breakfast. Yes, I am upset, but in the same way, really relieved that it wasn’t my house, or any one else’s for that matter. Maybe we can start a kickstarter campaign for a new one! Brothers, I had all of these nice words to describe your time here, but I’m at a loss right now. Dear readers, if you have a farm, I hope you can find quality help like the brothers Jones.
Hats off!!!
Grace and Jake took the second half of the day off today to prepare the evening meal. And OH MY GAWD! Awesomeness is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to words to describe how delicious it was. Our youngest and pickiest, Isaac licked his plate clean! That my friends is the ultimate compliment. Grace made quinoa with kale, goat cheese, and pine nuts. Jake made roasted sweet potato spears in a balsamic reduction (KILLER!!!!). For desert, Grace baked vegan carrot muffins with walnuts. Holy moly you shoulda’ been here! We were all very lucky, satisfied people! Recipe’s to come. I was just so excited and satisfied I had to tell you about it!
A visual for your bones
Neighbor Mark shot a little video on the day of the hoop action. Here is a link to a quick visual…enjoy! Thanks again to everyone who helped!
Thank you
I want to thank all of you who visit and tell you a little bit about what’s coming up next year. First off, our camera was fixed. Thank you, thank you, it was a difficult period for me not having it, but expect more pictures soon. Also, we have been working on a new hoop house, and by “we”, I mean everyone else but me. WOOFmother, remember? I make the soup. Come January 3rd, our Fall/Winter CSA harvest will come to a close (squeeeeee!!!!!!) which, I must say has looked really nice every week. The greens were unbelievable. Toward the end of the month, Paul, Jonathan and I will be attending Southern SSAWG, which stands for Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. The conference is down in Little Rock, and thanks to our friends down at Ozark Natural Foods, we are able to make an appearance, and couldn’t be happier. To you dear reader, thanks for hanging in there with me this season. I know these last few weeks have been tough with nothing to read. But never fear, as soon as the season starts up again, we will go on new, magical adventures with each other. For now, I leave you with the wish of a happy new year. OH! And I got a banjo for Christmas! So excited! That’s what I’ll be doing for the next few weeks. Maybe I’ll keep you updated on that!
2011 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 5,900 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.
At current
This article, is currently the headline on Huffington Post