Wordless Thursday:
Full Share
Green Beans
Summer Squash
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Lettuce
Chard
Basil
Spigariello Liscia
Fennel
Cabbage
Half Share
Green Beans
Summer Squash
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Lettuce
Chard
Basil
CSA Week 8
What a week!
Full Share
Turnips
Red Cabbage
Basil
Cucumbers
Lettuce
Anaheim Peppers
Summer Squash
Collards
Tomatoes
Half Share
Turnips
Red Cabbage
Basil
Cucumbers
Lettuce
Anaheim Peppers
If you have not cooked with Anaheim peppers before they are not as spicy as a jalapeno pepper but do have some heat. A classic Mexican recipe using Anaheim peppers is Chili Rellenos, which is both easy to make and delicious. You can also use them in a salsa like this recipe below.
Anaheim Pepper-Peach Salsa
2 Anaheim peppers seeded and diced
2 peaches peeled and diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 glove garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
Juice from 1 lime (1-2 tsps)
Combine all the ingredients
You can make this fresh salsa with raw Anaheims that have been seeded and stemmed before dicing or you can char the peppers under the broiler or over a gas flame, peel and seed and then dice for the salsa. Charring will impart a smokier flavor. Either way the salsa is delicious with chips or as a sauce for grilled meats.
A great way to use your cabbage is to make a Curried Cabbage Slaw. For the slaw you will need
4 cups thinly sliced cabbage ( a food processor or mandolin makes this a much easier task)
1 grated carrot
2 green onions finely chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup roasted cashews (optional)
For the vinaigrette, whisk together:
2 tablespoons prepared Indian curry paste or 1 tablespoon good dried curry powder
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or neutral salad oil
Combine all the slaw ingredients (except the cashews) in a bowl. Toss with the vinaigrette until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Before serving sprinkle on cashews and lightly toss.
And finally the lovely turnips. They can be sliced into a salad or roasted like this recipe from New York Magazine.
CSA Week 7
This has been a week of many firsts for this season: first summer squash, first ripe tomatoes, first green beans, and first green peppers. To me these are the crops that are the precious reward for all the hard work of farming. There are certain vegetables that we rarely, if ever, buy from the grocery store. These include green beans, summer squash, tomatoes and peppers. To me these crops never taste as good as they do fresh from our farm. I spend a lot of time in the late summer freezing and canning copious pounds of vegetables to be able to enjoy these crops into the winter and spring.
A big part of my goal in farming is to feed myself and my family. Food preservation and growing a wide diversity of crops plays a large role in achieving this goal. That’s why besides growing vegetables we’ve chosen to incorporate laying hens, meat birds, milk and meat goats, and pigs into our farm. Having this many systems to manage can sometimes feel overwhelming, but it also means that on many nights we sit down to meals where we’ve had a hand in producing almost every item on the table.
Another great benefit of all of this diversity is the limited waste and the abundance of compost materials. All of the vegetable scraps from our fields and our house go to feed our goats, pigs and chickens, and all of the manure and spent bedding produced by these animals gets piled into large compost piles that are allowed to cook and cure for six months to a year.
Compost that can be purchased off site can’t shake a stick at the compost we produce on our farm. It also helps us create a more closed loop system, keeping feed and fertility here at home where it was produced. Compost is one of the key components of our farm, allowing us to take what was once a horse pasture and turn it into lush gardens. For me compost is that side of gardening that falls in somewhere between magic and science. There is definitely an art to creating successful compost, but there’s also a healthy measure of unknown that keeps the process fresh and exciting and allows me to feel awed all over again when I uncover my piles six months later to reveal dark, rich, earthy smelling soil!
Full Share
Green Cabbage
Spigariello Liscia
Lettuce
Turnips
Summer Squash
Carrots
Green Onion
Tomatoes
Green Beans
Half Share
Green Cabbage
Spigariello Liscia
Lettuce
Turnips
Summer Squash
Carrots
CSA Week 6
The season is plugging along, and it's hard for me to believe that we are already into our sixth week of the CSA! It seems like our life has fallen into a predictable routine...weed, harvest, plant... weed, harvest, plant... weed, harvest, plant... The amount of produce we are harvesting each week grows all of the time. We had our first harvest of summer squash, peppers, and eggplant this week. What seems like a small harvest now will soon turn into pounds and pounds of vegetables and fruit to be sorted, bagged, processed, sold, and preserved for the winter. 
Harvest mornings start early as most of the crops need to be out of the field and into the packing shed before the air temperature gets too high. Most of our produce is then dunked into cold water to remove any of the residual field heat. Washing not only cleans the produce, but the cold water helps to preserve the quality of the vegetables, keeping them fresher longer. Another key piece in keeping our produce fresh and delicious is our walk-in cooler. The cooler is a truly invaluable component on the farm, allowing us to store produce out of the field, to extend our harvests over multiple days and to keep produce fresh for our various markets. 
You might notice some unfamiliar (or familiar) veggies in your boxes this week. Komatsuna is a sweet and crunchy, Asian green that is similar to bok choy in its uses and taste. It is rich in iron and a great addition to a smoothie or stir fry. Spigariello or Italian Leaf Broccoli is a relative of kale that has an incredibly soft and silky leaf. Great as a substitute in kale salads, or used in stir fries, the flavor is unique and quite delicious. Check out this great spigariello article and recipe from the New York Times for inspiration. Or try this interesting and delicious recipe for komatsuna.
Full Share
Spigariello (Italian Leaf Broccoli)
Green Onion
Chard
Lettuce
Dill
Cilantro
Beets
Komatsuna
Turnips
Cabbage
Half Share
Spigariello (Italian Leaf Broccoli)
Green Onion
Chard
Lettuce
Dill
Cilantro
Beets
Komatsuna
CSA Week 5
Wordless Thursday:
Full Share
Lettuce
Kohlrabi
Turnips
Green Onion
Cilantro
Napa Cabbage
Collards
Bok Choy
Purslane
Half Share
Lettuce
Kohlrabi
Turnips
Green Onion
Cilantro
Napa Cabbage
Recipes:
Sauteed Hakurei Turnips with Greens
Called Hakurei, Japanese, White Doll and Snowball, you'll know this group of sweet turnips by their appearance (snow white and perfectly round, like Ping-Pong balls), texture (crisp, like a radish) and flavor (mild and sweet). Eat them raw on salads or lightly sauteed to retain some of their crunchiness.
Ingredients 2 bunches Hakurei turnips with greens 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Trim the stems and root ends from the turnips. Rinse and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Trim most of the stems from the greens; discard. Wash the leafy greens, drain, and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a saute pan over high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the turnips, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on 1 side. Turn and cook on another side for 2 more minutes, without stirring, until lightly browned. Turn again and cook 1 more minute. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Called Hakurei, Japanese, White Doll and Snowball, you'll know this group of sweet turnips by their appearance (snow white and perfectly round, like Ping-Pong balls), texture (crisp, like a radish) and flavor (mild and sweet). Eat them raw on salads or lightly sauteed to retain some of their crunchiness.
Ingredients 2 bunches Hakurei turnips with greens 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Trim the stems and root ends from the turnips. Rinse and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Trim most of the stems from the greens; discard. Wash the leafy greens, drain, and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a saute pan over high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the turnips, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on 1 side. Turn and cook on another side for 2 more minutes, without stirring, until lightly browned. Turn again and cook 1 more minute. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- See more at: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/recipes/2010/11/18/sauteed-hakurei-turnips-and-greens#sthash.uGe8Ots7.dpuf
Called Hakurei, Japanese, White Doll and Snowball, you'll know this group of sweet turnips by their appearance (snow white and perfectly round, like Ping-Pong balls), texture (crisp, like a radish) and flavor (mild and sweet). Eat them raw on salads or lightly sauteed to retain some of their crunchiness.
Ingredients 2 bunches Hakurei turnips with greens 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Trim the stems and root ends from the turnips. Rinse and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Trim most of the stems from the greens; discard. Wash the leafy greens, drain, and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a saute pan over high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the turnips, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on 1 side. Turn and cook on another side for 2 more minutes, without stirring, until lightly browned. Turn again and cook 1 more minute. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- See more at: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/recipes/2010/11/18/sauteed-hakurei-turnips-and-greens#sthash.uGe8Ots7.dpuf
Called Hakurei, Japanese, White Doll and Snowball, you'll know this group of sweet turnips by their appearance (snow white and perfectly round, like Ping-Pong balls), texture (crisp, like a radish) and flavor (mild and sweet). Eat them raw on salads or lightly sauteed to retain some of their crunchiness.
Ingredients 2 bunches Hakurei turnips with greens 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Trim the stems and root ends from the turnips. Rinse and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Trim most of the stems from the greens; discard. Wash the leafy greens, drain, and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a saute pan over high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the turnips, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on 1 side. Turn and cook on another side for 2 more minutes, without stirring, until lightly browned. Turn again and cook 1 more minute. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- See more at: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/recipes/2010/11/18/sauteed-hakurei-turnips-and-greens#sthash.uGe8Ots7.dpuf
Called Hakurei, Japanese, White Doll and Snowball, you'll know this group of sweet turnips by their appearance (snow white and perfectly round, like Ping-Pong balls), texture (crisp, like a radish) and flavor (mild and sweet). Eat them raw on salads or lightly sauteed to retain some of their crunchiness.
Ingredients 2 bunches Hakurei turnips with greens 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Trim the stems and root ends from the turnips. Rinse and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Trim most of the stems from the greens; discard. Wash the leafy greens, drain, and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a saute pan over high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the turnips, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on 1 side. Turn and cook on another side for 2 more minutes, without stirring, until lightly browned. Turn again and cook 1 more minute. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- See more at: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/recipes/2010/11/18/sauteed-hakurei-turnips-and-greens#sthash.uGe8Ots7.dpuf
Called Hakurei, Japanese, White Doll and Snowball, you'll know this group of sweet turnips by their appearance (snow white and perfectly round, like Ping-Pong balls), texture (crisp, like a radish) and flavor (mild and sweet). Eat them raw on salads or lightly sauteed to retain some of their crunchiness.
Ingredients 2 bunches Hakurei turnips with greens 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Trim the stems and root ends from the turnips. Rinse and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Trim most of the stems from the greens; discard. Wash the leafy greens, drain, and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a saute pan over high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the turnips, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on 1 side. Turn and cook on another side for 2 more minutes, without stirring, until lightly browned. Turn again and cook 1 more minute. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- See more at: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/recipes/2010/11/18/sauteed-hakurei-turnips-and-greens#sthash.uGe8Ots7.dpuf
Called Hakurei, Japanese, White Doll and Snowball, you'll know this group of sweet turnips by their appearance (snow white and perfectly round, like Ping-Pong balls), texture (crisp, like a radish) and flavor (mild and sweet). Eat them raw on salads or lightly sauteed to retain some of their crunchiness.
Ingredients 2 bunches Hakurei turnips with greens 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Trim the stems and root ends from the turnips. Rinse and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Trim most of the stems from the greens; discard. Wash the leafy greens, drain, and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a saute pan over high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the turnips, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on 1 side. Turn and cook on another side for 2 more minutes, without stirring, until lightly browned. Turn again and cook 1 more minute. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- See more at: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/recipes/2010/11/18/sauteed-hakurei-turnips-and-greens#sthash.uGe8Ots7.dpuf
Called Hakurei, Japanese, White Doll and Snowball, you'll know this group of sweet turnips by their appearance (snow white and perfectly round, like Ping-Pong balls), texture (crisp, like a radish) and flavor (mild and sweet). Eat them raw on salads or lightly sauteed to retain some of their crunchiness.
Ingredients 2 bunches Hakurei turnips with greens 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Trim the stems and root ends from the turnips. Rinse and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Trim most of the stems from the greens; discard. Wash the leafy greens, drain, and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a saute pan over high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the turnips, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on 1 side. Turn and cook on another side for 2 more minutes, without stirring, until lightly browned. Turn again and cook 1 more minute. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- See more at: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/recipes/2010/11/18/sauteed-hakurei-turnips-and-greens#sthash.uGe8Ots7.dpuf
Called Hakurei, Japanese, White Doll and Snowball, you'll know this group of sweet turnips by their appearance (snow white and perfectly round, like Ping-Pong balls), texture (crisp, like a radish) and flavor (mild and sweet). Eat them raw on salads or lightly sauteed to retain some of their crunchiness.
Ingredients 2 bunches Hakurei turnips with greens 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Trim the stems and root ends from the turnips. Rinse and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Trim most of the stems from the greens; discard. Wash the leafy greens, drain, and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a saute pan over high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the turnips, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on 1 side. Turn and cook on another side for 2 more minutes, without stirring, until lightly browned. Turn again and cook 1 more minute. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- See more at: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/recipes/2010/11/18/sauteed-hakurei-turnips-and-greens#sthash.uGe8Ots7.dpuf
CSA Week 4
What an amazing diversity in weather we've experienced this week. This past Saturday we found ourselves harvesting in the rain, and on Tuesday the heat spiked at 95 so we fled our fields and headed to the river! One of our many responsibilities as farmers is to always be keeping our eye on the weather forecast. This is one of the myriad of ways that we can anticipate the ever-shifting needs of the farm. A hot day can mean extra water for our animals, pulling shade cloth over our tender starts in the propagation house, and lots of watering. Even if the soil is moist, it helps to water a little extra on hot days. This little boost in moisture can help to cool the air around plants that may not appreciate temperatures in the mid 90's (think lettuce, kale, broccoli, radishes, the list could go on and on). Hot days are a great day for weeding as everything you pull up will immediately desiccate in the heat, with no chance of re-rooting.
Really hot days are also a good time to take a midday break and spend some time relaxing at the river! Many of the activities that take place on the farm (harvesting, planting etc) are best done when it's cool. At Flying Coyote we tend to do all of our harvesting in the early morning, getting our produce out of the field while it's still cool and immediately into a cool water bath to remove any lingering "field heat." Conversely, we like to transplant our starts in the evening as this gives the little plants a whole cool night to get used to their new home without any stress from heat and wind.
In today's box you will find our first harvest of napa cabbage. These lovely cabbages are the traditional base for kimchi, a Korean fermented cabbage dish similar to sauerkraut. They're also wonderful in stir fries or to replace green cabbage in a coleslaw. You'll also find a head of kohlrabi; although this brassica isn't as popular as other well-known member of this family (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower), they are absolutely delicious. At our house we peel and slice them very thinly and either roast them in a hot oven with oil, salt and pepper, or they get sauteed in the pan with a dash of butter and salt.
Full Share
1 head of Napa Cabbage
1 bunch of Hakurei Turnips
3 heads of mini butter Lettuce
1/2 pound of Snap Peas
1 bunch Dill
1 head of Kohlrabi
1 bunch of Chard
1 bunch of Kale
1 bunch of Bok Choy
Half Share
1 head of Napa Cabbage
1 bunch of Hakurei Turnips
2 heads of mini butter Lettuce
1/2 pound of Snap Peas
1 bunch Dill
1 head of Kohlrabi
Recipes
Napa Cabbage Slaw
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 pound napa cabbage, chopped
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Freshly ground pepper
- Preheat the oven to 350°. In a pie plate, bake the almonds for 5 minutes. Let cool.
- In a bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Add the cabbage, scallions and cilantro and toss. Add the almonds and season with pepper. Toss again and serve.
CSA Week 3
Hi friends, Welcome to Week 3. Although it may be raining today things in the garden are growing, and we know the sun will come out soon! We finally mowed our pasture this week. We don't own a tractor, so we borrowed a push mower from our neighbor and got our exercise walking the mower over our two acres of pasture. Mowing is an important part of maintaining the health of our small pasture. If grass is allowed to go to seed it goes dormant, leaving us with very little forage for our animals. By mowing we trick the grass into continuing to produce lush green growth.
At Flying Coyote we use rotational grazing, moving our animals throughout our pasture with mobile electric fencing. We give them access to fresh grass every 7-10 days which minimizes exposure to parasites and allows us to spread out their manure (aka fertility) evenly on the pasture.
Full Share
Turnip Greens 1 bunch
Scarlett Turnips 1/3 pound
Bok Choy 1 bunch
Radish 1 bunch
Arugula 1 bag
Lettuce 2
Kohlrabi 2
Kale 1 bunch
Half Share
Turnip Greens 1 bunch
Scarlett Turnips 1/3 pound
Bok Choy 1 bunch
Radish 1 bunch
Arugula 1 bag
Lettuce 1
Recipes
Spicy Carrot and Radish Escabeche
These pickled carrots and radishes, which are often found in Mexican restaurants, are great as a side dish but I also love to put these carrots and radishes inside sandwiches for a little texture and flavor kick. You can make them as spicy as you want by adjusting the jalapeno amount.
- 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced on an angle
- 1 bunch radishes, washed and sliced into rounds
- 1-2 large jalapenos, quartered
- 1 cup champagne vinegar (or any vinegar you like, but NOT balsamic)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 4 whole bay leaves
- 1 star anise pod
(optional: 2 cups of ice)
1. The Eat NOW Version: Bring the Water, Vinegar, Salt to a boil in a sauce pan when the salt dissolves bring the heat down to a simmer. Add the Oregano, Bay, and Star Anise. Simmer for one minute. Add Carrots, Radish, and Jalapenos.
Turn the heat off and cover for 5 minutes.
Add ice to the carrots etc. to cool mixture down. When carrots, radishes, and jalapenos are cold drain the liquid out. Discard the bay leaves and star anise.
Serve cold and enjoy. 2. The Save for Later Version:
Toss together the carrots, radishes and jalapenos and fit into a large glass container (with a lid)
In a large sauce pan, combine the vinegar, water, salt, oregano, bay, and star anise. Bring to a simmer for two minutes.
Carefully pour the vinegar mixture over the carrot mixture until it covers all the vegetables, and allow to cool on the counter top. (Leftover liquid should be discarded) When cool, cap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
Serve cold and Enjoy! Can be kept for up to three months.
From Painted Peach
Turnip Greens with Garlic
Ingredients
- 2 Bunches of Greens (or 1 bunch for each person)
- 4 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 Onion
- 1 Dried Red Pepper
- Ghee, Coconut Oil or Rendered Animal Fat
Instructions
- Start by chopping the garlic and the onion. Some people prefer them minced, but I love big, sweet chunks of garlic.
- Roll the greens tightly and cut them in thin strips as shown above.
- Heat your desired fat in a pan, and fry your onion and garlic until they’re tender.
- Add the greens and cook until they’re bright. Add a touch of dried red pepper.
- Serve warm. Cheap, wholesome and tasty.
From Nourished Kitchen
CSA Week 2
The rain was a very welcome friend this week. Our gardens and pastures really needed that extra moisture after a dry winter and spring. It also meant slower days on the farm, which are a real treat this time of year. The rain also brought a noticeable growth spurt in all of our plants and our beds are overflowing with greens, roots, and flowers.
I was struck by the beauty of the garden this morning. All the plants looked so vibrant, and established, and another season of farming feels like it has really begun. It's also been really fun to watch our first tomatoes starting to form fruit in the greenhouse. Hopefully we'll have ripe tomatoes within a couple of weeks!
In this week's box you'll find a bag of salad mix. Our mix is grown in our greenhouse where it is protected from pests and changes in weather. Our salad mix includes a mix of baby lettuces, mizuna mustard, scarlet frills mustard, baby kales, and totsoi. It's so flavorful we eat it without salad dressing in our house! We also have baby bok choy in the share this week. Bok choy is an Asian green that is known for its crunchy stem and tender leaves. It's wonderful stir fried, braised, or added to soups and stews.
Full Share
Carrots 1 pound
Kale 1 bunch
Salad Mix 1/3 pound bag
Garlic Scapes 1/4 pound
Bok Choy 1 bunch
Chard 1 bunch
Mini Romaine 3/4 pound bag
Half Share
Carrots 1/2 pound
Kale 1 bunch
Salad Mix 1/3 pound bag
Garlic Scapes 1/4 pound
Bok Choy 1 bunch
Recipes
Organic Goats and Raw Milk
For many years before starting my own farm I fantasized about raising goats. I can't say what it was about goats in particular; I suspect it had something to do with my romantic ideas about milkmaids singing to the cows while milking in the predawn light. But a cow just seemed too big and intimidating, so goats it was. There is so much about an agrarian lifestyle that one can romanticize to the point of delusion. From the outside farming may seem like the simple life, days spent enjoying a quintessential country landscape, nights spent playing fiddle tunes on the porch and sipping moonshine. I am not immune to these fantasies, even after farming and gardening for most of my adult life. Goats definitely fell into this category for me: lots of fantasy tempered by very little reality. Unfortunately none of the farms I worked on raised goats, and I was too unsettled, living in tents and communal housing, to own my own which only furthered my fantasies.
When I finally found a place to call home, I immediately starting scouring Craigslist looking for any local goats for sale. I even agreed to purchase two LaMancha milkers from two different local breeders before we had officially signed the papers on the farm! I found out quickly that like so much else in farming, the fantasy had little to do with reality. Animals get mysteriously sick, randomly kick over full milk buckets, sneakily break out of pastures, and sometimes even eat an entire kale crop. But it is learning to work with the animals, getting to know their personalities and their habits where I really learned something, not only about the animals at hand but about myself: how to be patient and calm in crisis and how to give and receive in a mutually rewarding relationship. Learning to care for my goats has left me loving them more than I ever thought possible. I also feel incredibly empowered around my ability to provide for my family and my community, as all that goat milk becomes yogurt, cheese, ice cream, butter, pig feed, and even homemade soap.
Much of this journey has entailed learning how I want to feed my goats, and how what we feed them directly relates to the quantity and quality of milk they produce. Our goats are fed organic alfalfa as we want to avoid any GMOs in our animal feed or in our own diets. This is an environmental, social, political and personal choice. As farmers who practice organic, biodynamic, and small-scale farming practices I abhor what the big Ag companies are doing to our food system. There has simply not been enough research on how these new lab-made crops will effect our health, or the health of our one and only planet. So regardless of whether you love or hate GMOs, I think it is crazy that these crops have become part of our food supply without any long term, third-party, peer-reviewed studies on their effects within the ecosystem of our bodies and world!
Okay, so enough ranting, back to feeding. As I was saying, we feed organic alfalfa and organic grass hay as the main staple of our goats' diets. In the warm summer months our small herd gets rotated around our two-acre pasture using mobile electric fencing. They spend 7-14 days in each area until they are moved to fresh ground. We use a rotational grazing system to help minimize overgrazing and exposure to worms and parasites. Any goats that we are actively milking get a sprouted grain ration twice a day. This tasty treat gives them something enjoyable to eat while I'm milking and supplies the extra calories they need to produce all that delicious milk through the summer. Our grain ration contains 3 parts organic barley, 3 parts organic oats, and 1 part sunflower seeds. Twice a week I soak a batch of this and put it in a sprouting cabinet in the barn. We feed from just-soaked all the way to fully sprouted. Goats are ruminants and not designed to eat large amounts of grain. Grain tends to ferment in their rumens, which can lead to acidosis and other digestive issues. By sprouting, we are making the grain more digestible, allowing the nutrients in the grain to be more available to the goats, and cutting down on our grain costs as sprouting expands the volume of the grain. And our goats LOVE it. All of our goats also have access to kelp and a high quality dairy goat mineral at all times as well as getting organic apple cider vinegar in their water buckets. We do not use any chemical dewormers on our goats, electing instead to use herbal medicine to keep our herd healthy. All these nutritious foods (browse, hay, sprouted grains, minerals, and herbs) go directly into the milk, so we are directly benefiting from their healthy diet as well.
So now that you know what goes into the goat, we can talk about what comes out. Not poop! I'll save that for a compost blog. I'm talking about the most delicious, sweet, and creamy milk that I have ever had the joy of consuming. Goat's milk is very different from cow's milk in that the lactose molecules are much smaller. The fat in goat's milk is also more naturally homogenized which is why there is less cream separation. The smaller lactose particles and the homogenized quality of the milk make it much easier for most people and animals to digest. Many people who are lactose intolerant can consume goat's milk, especially when it is served raw. Pasteurizing milk kills many of the natural vitamins, bacteria, and enzymes that live in the milk in its raw form. The fats and proteins found in milk are still present after pasteurizing, but the nutritional and probiotic qualities are totally diminished. In fact, pasteurized milk is like a petri dish for harmful organisms. This is why pasteurized milk spoils, becoming totally inedible. In contrast, raw milk curdles and can still be used to bake with or feed pigs. The natural probiotic qualities of raw milk mean it stays fresher longer. In fact, we often drink milk that is up to two weeks old and still find it to be unspoiled and delicious.
We are very proud of the quality of our milk. We think keeping a very small milking herd (we only milk two goats right now!), paying careful attention to diet and pasture quality, and having strict sanitary practices around milking and milk-handling make our goat's milk some of the best around. We also have very happy and healthy goats, which is the best that any milkmaid could ask for!
CSA Week 1
I can't believe it's finally here! Summer and the first week of our CSA. Things have been incredibly busy at Flying Coyote Farm. We've been planting, sowing seeds, weeding, milking, and enjoying the arrival of summer. Our gardens are really starting to take off and we are happily settling into our second year on the farm. This week's box includes garlic scapes, which are the fresh flower stalks of garlic. They are tender and crunchy like asparagus, with a light garlic flavor. Try roasting them, throwing them on the grill, or incorporating them into a stirfry. Purslane is also included in this week's share. Purslane is a tangy and tender green that is delicious in fresh salads or sauteed with garlic and butter. The roots are kept on the purslane to help keep them fresh in your fridge. If you notice some holes in your arugula, don't worry! Those are minor damage from a common pest in the Pacific Northwest called the flea beetle. The flea beetle loves to eat all the plants found in the Brassica family; broccoli, turnips, mustards, kale, radishes, asain greens, arugula, collards, etc. On our farm we use a floating row cover made from woven polypropylene to deter flea beetles. The cover acts like a protective blanket for the crop, allowing in water and sunshine but keeping pests out. On windy days the cover can blow off exposing our crops to these voracious pests.
Full Share:
Mini Romaine Lettuce x2
Chard 1 bunch
Kale 1/2 pound
Garlic Scapes 3/4 pound
Purslane 1 bunch
Arugula 1 bunch
Half Share:
Mini Romaine Lettuce 1 head
Kale 1/2 pound
Garlic Scapes 1/2 pound
Purslane 1 bunch
Arugula 1 bunch
Recipes:
Warm Potato Salad with Arugula
