1. Bee on grape leaf 2. Bee on celosia flower 3. Chickens in their new dual pasture yard 4. Old chicken yard garden beds in progress 5. Fig finally springing back to life 6. Rows of garlic plants 7. Harmonious Gardens managed by Swainway Urban Farm 8. Potato leaves 9. Row of tomatoes and pollinator food, aka weeds 10. Strawberries
The spring garden is growing! Our annual produce garden is 75% planted, the front yard organic farm rows are in progress, and the egg-laying chickens are finally in a pastured system (more on that another time). What's going on in your garden?
1. Bee on grape leaf 2. Bee on celosia flower 3. Chickens in their new dual pasture yard 4. Old chicken yard garden beds in progress 5. Fig finally springing back to life 6. Rows of garlic plants 7. Harmonious Gardens managed by Swainway Urban Farm 8. Potato leaves 9. Row of tomatoes and pollinator food, aka weeds 10. Strawberries
The spring garden is growing! Our annual produce garden is 75% planted, the front yard organic farm rows are in progress, and the egg-laying chickens are finally in a pastured system (more on that another time). What's going on in your garden?
Finding strawberries seems to be an ever-elusive springtime goal of mine. No other fruit causes me to panic when I can't get them because of weather or farm issues or my own busy-ness. Strawberries are typically my first local preserves of the season, the turning point when empty jars become full again.
This year was no exception. My favorite farm from last year, Bird's Haven, had no u-pick berries available due to deer pressure while work and family distractions delayed finding a new farm. Our own patch produced well but only enough for a daily handful. I found myself fixated on picking strawberries once again.
Alex, Lil, and I were finally able to find a morning to visit a highly-recommended farm new to us. Jerry's Berries is located south east of Columbus in Baltimore, Ohio, a forty minute drive from our homestead.
What makes Jerry's unique among local farms is the number of varieties. Each are labeled and pickers are encouraged to taste the rows to find their favorite. Our family preferred NorthEaster and Sparkle. Both of these kinds are small but highly flavorful, making them worth the extra time spent picking and processing.
Jerry's will provide a basket or you can bring your own to weigh before picking. Berries are $1.90 per pound. The entire berry patch is contained in a tall deer fence, which conveniently keeps kids close too. Some varieties were picked over but we (two adults and a child more interested in her stuffed cat than filling a basket) were able to gather 15.75 pounds in 90 minutes.
The farm claims to use no pesticides and follow natural practices; indeed their plants appear naturally healthy. Weeds and pollinator insects are abundant but not so much as to be a problem to u-pickers. Jerry shared that they do use chemical fertilizers to replace nutrient loss. He expects the farm to have berries for another couple weeks - the website is updated daily with picking conditions.
Our opinion is that Jerry's Berries is simple and lovely. Rows are mulched generously with straw, making the hunt for small, flavorful berries pleasant. There are no items for sale other than u-pick berries, something I very much appreciate. No mother who just sweated over 10 pounds of sweet, juicy berries should have to negotiate about junk food while settling up with the farmer.
Now that my first fruit of the year are in the pantry, I can release the panicky feeling. Fresh fruit and vegetables are more abundant every day and soon all the empty jars will be filled again.
2849 Basil Western Rd. Baltimore Ohio 43105 USA
Hours of operation: Monday - Friday, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm; Saturday, 10:00 am to 8:00 pm; Sundays, 11:00 am to 8:00 pm
Phone: 740-862-8819 or 740-862-8481
What's going on inside the hoop house we built?
1) Garden beds of Price Farm Organics soil from City Folks Farm Shop and peat moss over cardboard broken by walking paths of landscape cloth covered by mulch. Alas any gaps between the cardboard and cloth are already growing weeds...
2) Seedlings hardening off on the hardware-cloth shelves.
3) Strawberry plants under the shelves where water drains down from seedlings.
4) Cold-tolerant food like kales, lettuces, and beets.
5) Friends and family hanging out. The hoop house is always warmer than the outside; on the days reaching 70 deg F recently, the hoop house sauna was positively steamy!
For the past year, we have been dining with friends every Friday night. Alternating hosting with being guests, we compete not with each other but for the great dining experiences enjoyed together. Highlights have included a low country crawfish boil, the $5 Julia Child dinner, 18-hour braised pork, and the kid favorite, chicken and waffles.
Recently our friends served us Eton Mess. Neither Alex nor I were familiar with this layered dessert of crunchy meringue, sweetened whipped cream and fresh fruit. Upon a single taste we agreed that this dessert is perfection.
Eton Mess is a play of textures with simple, familiar flavors. The dessert is easy to make ahead and plate for individual servings as dinner comes to a close.
As the very name suggest sloppiness, it is perfect for a child to make. For our version, Lil picked the berries, piped the meringue, and dipped the chocolate strawberry garnish. I whipped the cream, but only because Lil was too busy playing. That component, too, is easy for the beginning cook.
Homer Simpson said "You don't win friends with salad." I add the positive "You win friends with dessert," especially if your friend happens to be this adorable two-year-old.
Eton MessServes: 8 (with a few meringues left over)
Time: 20 minutes prep, 2 hours cooking and cooling, 10 minutes plating
meringues:
2 egg whites (reserve yolks for mayonnaise, hollandaise, or another recipe)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
cream:
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered or granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
for the meringues:
1. Place the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in a large clean bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Beat with a rotary mixer or whip until foamy, about two minutes. Increase the speed and continue beating.
3. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time, fully incorporating each addition until the egg white are smooth again.
4. Continue beating until whites are very stiff. Then whip in the vanilla.
5. Transfer meringue to a piping bag or gallon ziploc bag, pressing mixture to release any air bubbles.
6. Using a one-inch round tip or a one-inch cut in the corner of the bag, pipe the meringue onto a cookie tray covered with a silicone mat or parchment in two- to three-inch rounds.
7. Bake meringue in a preheated 275 degrees F oven for 45 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 250 degress F and continue cooking until meringues are lightly brown and hard to the touch. Turn off the stove but leave cookie sheet in the oven with the door closed until cool.
for the whipped cream:
1. Place 1/2 cup whipping cream in a large clean bowl or bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Using a whisk or whip attachment, slowly whisk the cream.
3. After it becomes foamy, increase the speed a little.
4. Slowly add sugar until fully incorporated.
5. Continue to whip just until the cream stiffens into solid peaks. Whipping too long will end up with butter and buttermilk, so watch this closely.
6. Stir in vanilla extract.
assembly:
1. Select clear glass cups or goblets, one for each guest.
2. Fill the bottom with 2-3 crushed meringues.
3. Layer on 1/4 cup of sliced strawberries.
4. Top with a dallop of whipped cream.
5. Layer on more meringues, berries, and cream.
6. Top with a chocolate-dipped strawberry, if desired.
7. Serve immediately.
The back of my legs ache with familiar soreness of strawberry picking. Remarkably, almost a whole month earlier than last year, the 2012 season is here!
Picking Strawberries at Bird's Haven Farms
Thanks to a tip from a friend, Lil and I drove north of Granville to check out Bird's Haven Farms on the first day they opened for picking. The farm is a 40 minute drive from our home in Clintonville and only five minutes from our favorite Windy Hill Apple Farm.
Bird's Haven uses black plastic and hand pulling to conquer weeds, not chemical sprays. The paths between the rows show evidence of this as they are full of weeds. During our visit, just a few hours after heavy morning rain, what wasn't a plant was mud or standing water - fun for dirt-loving kids!
The berries themselves are ripe and juicy with fresh-from-the-field flavor that cannot be replicated by out of season fruit. These strawberries had no bitter after-taste that can come from sprayed berries.
Finding red ones took a bit of work as the fruits are just beginning to ripen, but we managed to fill eleven quart baskets in about an hour. I am thrilled that Lillian finally has as much stamina for picking berries as I do.
Our strawberries cost $25, a very fair price for sustainably-grown berries. We will freeze some, make jam, and eat them fresh until we are stuffed.
Vegetables In Tunnels & At Markets
When chatting with the clerk at the greenhouse, I mentioned volunteering with OEFFA and she connected me with someone (a former 'big ag' employee whose name I forget - sorry!) to show me around the rest of the farm. Bird's Haven was one of the first family farms in Ohio to use high tunnels to produce greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash.
High tunnels allow the family farm to apply far fewer chemicals (no spray unless crop loss is imminent) and extend the season. The tomato plants were loaded with green fruits and it's only early May!
I purchased some beautiful tatsoi and bok choi to cook this weekend. I'll share the recipe because I think these sweet greens are highly underused in most home kitchens.
I didn't buy any of their beautiful hanging baskets, though Lil begged for some. Maybe when we sell our house and move!
Bird's Haven Farms is committed to selling only what they produce from seed. Their produce, eggs, flowers, and seedlings are available at the farm and at the Granville Farmer's Market Saturdays from 8:30 am - noon at the intersection of Broad & Main and Westerville Farmer's Market Wednesdays from 3-6 pm at the corner of N. State St. and E. Home St. Additionally, they supply produce to Ella Restaurant, the Granville Exempted Village Schools, The Greener Grocer, and Going Green Store. The farm offers a CSA, though the 2012 sign-up deadline passed. In the fall, they open a u-pick pumpkin patch.
I took pictures of fruit babies last year. The comparison is interesting both because the fruits are three weeks ahead of where they were in 2011 and my photography skills have improved dramatically.
Watching my fruit babies mature is bittersweet this year. The fully ripened fruit will likely be harvested by the new owner(s) of the homestead. I would like to move as soon as possible so that I can plant at the TBD new location, but at least if we stay around here long enough, we'll enjoy some fruit this summer.
We picked strawberries today at Schact Farm Market. Given the interest on facebook and twitter, I wrote a quick profile for those looking to pick strawberries this season.
Schacht is a family farm located in south east central Ohio. The easy drive to their location took thirty minutes from our home in Clintonville.
The farm is well organized as a pick your own operation. Guests are invited to bring their own baskets (yay for reusing!). Buckets are for sale for $1 each if you do not have your own. Wheeled carts are available for families or those wishing to pick a large quantity.
Ample signage directs pickers to the open rows and friendly staff are ready with recommendations about the best place to find berries. The rows are clear of weeds and hazards.
Each pound of strawberries costs $1.99 when picked yourself. In a half hour of picking, I collected 8.5 pounds of berries (the large wicker basket pictured above) for $16.92. I later measured this quantity to be about eight quarts which made two half sheet trays (two gallon bags) of frozen strawberries.
When I asked about pest management, the owner told me they aim to be a low impact sustainable farm. They do use chemicals (mostly fungicides in the case of strawberries) when necessary to minimize crop loss. Some applications they use are common to organic farms, though Schacht Farm is not certified organic. Schacht prefers to rely on healthy soil to create strong plants resistant to pest problems.
The farm also sells pre-picked home grown produce, including rhubarb I couldn't resist. Eight quarts of pre-picked strawberries are sold in a flat for $30 first come first served, meaning you save about 50% by picking your own.
Strawberry season will last only another week or maybe two for 2011. View seasonal updates on the web or call 837-4663 to find out what is ready to pick next.
