A very strong bloom in the orchards and good weather for the bees to do their important work leads us to a very positive outlook for our fruit this year. We are still in the potential frost window, but so far so good!!!

Our veg crops also are coming along nicely, earlier and more successful establishment than ever before! We’ll be enjoying kale, broccoli, lettuce, peas, cilantro, cabbage and beets before you know it!!

 

Here we are again!

At market on Saturdays in downtown Eugene: visit our booth in the bus stop on 8th ave at Park Street.

Give our new batch of Black Cap Raspberry Applesauce a try, it’s sweet, smooth and super tasty and as always, pure fruit goodness. A 24 oz jar goes for $5.

Also available: dried Apples in convenient snack size bags for only $2!

Our fresh Spring greens are coming soon!

right here in Springfield, Oregon: at Sprout!

4th & A Streets in historic downtown Springfield

Every Friday, 3pm – 7pm

Stop by and see us!

It’s a great place to come out and meet your Farmers and your Neighbors. Easy parking, family friendly. around the corner from Springfield’s newest brewpub: Planktown

Get your favorite fresh foods from local producers, fishermen and cheese-makers; plus try an ice cream cone from Eugene’s popular Red Wagon Creamery – you might meet some delicious foods!

See you there!

 

Begins Saturday, February 2!!!

10 am – 2pm

8th & Oak, downtown Eugene

Check this link for a list of farms: Lane County Farmer’s Market Vendors

 

Come see us!

SLO Farm’s available goods:

Applesauce

Dried Fruits

Herbal Tea

Winter Squash

Potatoes

Garlic

Kale

Raab

 

 

This is the time of year for cream! Thick, rich, delicious cream!

We rarely eat pasta but after working out in the freezing cold, the craving for carbs, combined with our love of cream, and abundance of winter squash, inspired this meal:

 

1 pound fusilli pasta — penne or rigatoni would also be great. really any pasta will work. Cook what you like!

cook pasta according to directions, drizzle with oil and set aside until sauce is ready.

 

1 large delicata winter squash, cubed

1 medium onion

1 head garlic

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cream

1 cup vegetable broth

dried basil

salt

pepper

 

First cook the squash – a steam sautee works nicely: just put your little cubes in a pan with a little water, cover and cook until tender (about 10 mins)

add the onion and garlic and sautee a few mins. Stir to combine. Have fun mashing up your squash a bit.

reduce heat to low. add milk & cream. Stir. And mash a little more. Let it simmer a bit and stir.

Add vegetable broth as needed to thin the sauce to desired consistency. Let it simmer some more and stir.

Add dried basil, salt & pepper to taste. Stir it up.

 

Put your pasta in wide bowls or on a plate and scoop your thick, creamy, squashy sauce onto your pasta pile, top with chopped fresh parsley and enjoy!!

 

Today, a cold and wet day, we have a few warming items bubbling away in the kitchen.

Quince-Applesauce : in the slow-cooker. A blend of Golden Delicious and Winter Banana Apples with a few quince thrown in for fun. A little water in the bottom to prevent sticking. I did peel the apples and will use my handy-dandy hand mixer to smooth the sauce as the apples soften. I have been making batches of sauce nearly every day this week, eating it warm for dessert and then scooping the rest into freezer bags. I lay the bags flat onto a shelf in the freezer and have me a nice brick of sauce for later. This way I preserve the goodness of the apples before they get too mush-mush and when I want sauce, just defrost and warm on the stove top. It’s our winter-time alternative to ice cream.

Beefy Soup: on the stove top. Using Beef Soup Bones from Wintergreen Farm (Biodynamic Beef!), onions, potatoes, beets, celery, garlic, bay leaves & cayenne pepper. Plus a little Salt.

Roasted Hazelnuts: just out of the oven. We get the nuts from Honor Earth Farm (Organic Hazelnuts in Eugene!) in the shell and roast in the oven for about 30 mins at 350 degrees F. I like my nuts deeply roasted. Then we crack. They are Jack the Dog’s favorite treat but I usually make him crack his own.

Apple Cake: a quick cake recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking. Using chunks of Jonagold Apples and whole grain pastry flour from Camas Country Mill (Fresh flour in Eugene!). Not too sweet and slightly spiced.

 

 

 

When we find ourselves in mid-winter in a dry spell, it’s time to spray Copper. This spray is applied directly to the trunk of the trees in order to discourage fungal growth. We source our Copper (along with other disease and pest control substances) from Surecrop in Junction City, OR.

Here’s a couple photos of Farmer Tom Spraying Sulfur on the Cherry Trees in Spring. The Sulfur fights fungal diseases (similar to Copper) that can spread like wildfire in our warmish wet springs. Yes, we have to spray each tree individually. The wild nature of the Empty Gate Orchard demands a more intimate spray experience. Note the angle of the spray gun – you always want to be spraying up into the canopy, allowing the spray to penetrate the top of the tree and then drip down.

 

Fresh for you in 2013:

SLO Farm’s Black-Cap Raspberry Applesauce!!!!  Created from a blend of 12 varieties of apples grown by us plus a dash of black cap raspberrry puree grown by the Small Farmer’s Project of Eugene, OR.

Get Some!!

Retailing at $5.00 for a 24 oz. jar.

 

We are pantry cooks: we stock our pantry and then create meals from the ingredients on hand. Lucky us, we grow a lot of the foods in our pantry.

We thought it might be helpful to share what we have in our pantry. So you can see the possibilities…..

 

As of today, January 17th in the SLO Pantry:

Kabocha Winter Squash

Delicata Winter Squash

Onions

Garlic

Dry Beans

Potatoes

Dried Cayenne Peppers, whole and crushed

Dried Herbs for Tea

Dried Fruits

Applesauce

 

Also, in the fridge:

Storage Apples & Asian Pears

These are the items we grow ourselves.

 

Grown by others and inhabiting our pantry:

dried basil

canned tomato sauce

whole wheat flour

 

In addition to these farm-sourced items, we do purchase some things from the grocery store (luckily for us, independent, locally-owned grocery stores):

baking powder

sea salt

sunflower oil

various spices and dried herbs

pasta

rice

quinoa

 

Then there’s the other stuff we purchase regularly, as locally and organically as possible (which, again, luckily for us, are quite substantial offerings)

eggs

milk

butter

cheese

yogurt

meat on occasion

tempeh

 

From these simple ingredients, so much is possible in our kitchen. With the high quality foundation of top-notch, fresh ingredients, our food always nourishes.

 

What’s in your pantry?

 

Check out the new Food Hub, based in downtown Springfield, Oregon.

The Marketplace is open every Friday, 3 – 7pm. Welcome to our area’s first year-round Indoor Farmer’s Market!

SLO Farm is currently vending at Sprout! along with several other organic produce vendors. Also available for purchase: Organic Hazelnuts, Flour & Dry Beans, Crab & Fish. Plus Ice Cream and chocolate treats!

See you on Fridays!

 

http://www.sproutfoodhub.org/

 

 

 

The first secret to preparing tasty meals the whole fam will enjoy is to use the freshest quality ingredients and keep it simple. Add generous amounts of love (and butter) and you’ve got happy eaters!

Secret #2 is Vegetable Broth. Or chicken broth, beef broth, or turkey broth.

When you cook any grain; when you make soups; when braising or when roasting – really any time liquid is called for, broth is the best. It brings a dimension of flavor that may surprise you.

And even better, it’s a way to make use of things that would otherwise head straight for the compost pile. Those fibrous green tops to leeks area a great example – don’t toss ’em away, they are awesome in broth!

You can, of course, use whole vegetables – even roast ’em up first – but I am thrifty and use just the scraps for my broth-making. You may need to keep a container on your counter or in your fridge to allow your scraps to accumulate. I generally do a batch of broth every week to two weeks throughout the fall-winter-spring seasons.

Another advantage to the broth ( I could go on and on – I really love broth! ) is it provides a quick meal when you need something warm and nourishing and fast: Just chop a little veg, add to a pot with the broth, bring to the boil and simmer till tender. Flavor as you like ( miso is great) and you’re eating!

You can use almost anything for broth. Adding animal bones, fats, skins, or organs will bring even greater depth and nutrition to your broth.

I avoid using anyone in the brassica family because I don’t like the sulfurous aromas. I don’t add salt, as I prefer to add salt to my dishes at the end of cooking. And if all you have is garlic, you can still make a tasty broth!

 

For a reliable, flavorful broth you will need:

One large pot

skins of onions

skins of garlic

tops and ends of carrot and/or parsnip

ends and tops of celery

water

 

All you need do is throw all your bits and pieces in the pot, fill with cold water and fire it up. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat so the pot simmers. I usually let it simmer about 2 hours, until the stock has reduced and tastes great!

Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into glass jars and there you have it! Deliciousness in a jar. These will keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge. You can freeze it or even pressure-can if you are feeling ambitious.

 

 

When you are craving something fresh and raw and it’s winter, your versatile friend kale is there! Or, cabbage provides its crunchier version of the same salad.

 

For a delicious salad you will need:

Several leaves of kale

garlic

olive oil or sunflower oil

apple cider vinegar

salt

pepper

 

Rinse your kale. Stack the leaves on top of each other and slice along the mid rib. Discard the stem. (our dog thinks they are treats) Re-stack the leaves and finely slice into strips. This slicing is the hardest part. Transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle with salt; then a couple spoonfuls of oil. Toss to coat. You want the leaves to be shiny but not dripping in oil. If you have over-oiled, add more kale. Add a couple spoonfuls of Apple cider vinegar. Stir it up. Get your hands in there and squeeze that kale. Really work that oil-vinegar-salt into the leaves. Add a little minced garlic. Not too much or it will commandeer the salad. Crank some pepper in there too. Stir it up and let it sit.

Wait 15 minutes.

Stir it up and give it a taste. Salty? Tangy? Add more of either as needed until it tastes Good. If you over salt or tangify, let it sit and those leaves will absorb and mellow the flavors. What you are doing here is actually pre-digesting your greens, starting to break down the cell walls with the power of salt, oil and vinegar. Making it easier on your belly.

A great accompaniment to pretty much any meal. Or add some nuts and/or cheese and it can be a light meal by itself.

PS. Add some shredded carrot for pretty color and a touch of sweetness.

 

We grow a delicious dry bean – currently enough for our home needs and for seed for the following season. Lack of appropriate technology  ( and land base) prohibts us from growing these awesome beans commercially.

For this recipe you can use any bean – pinto, black, kidney – whatever is your pleasure.

 

To feed a hungry family plus have leftovers for the week’s lunches:

2 cups dry beans

garlic

onion

cayenne

cumin

bay leaf

salt

water.

 

Start with the beans. Pour them into a large bowl and cover with cold water. The beans will absorb the water and expand so be sure there is plenty of water without overflowing. You can do this the night before or in the morning. The fresher the beans, the less time they need to soak (and cook). Once the beans have soaked for some time (6 hours is a good amount) they should begin to look differently from when they were dry. Plumper. Starting to break apart. Perhaps paler in color. (black beans wont change their color much) Drain the water off the beans – easiest to empty the bowl over a colander placed in the sink. Give the beans a little rinse. So far you have succeeded in making the beans more digestible.

Now warm a heavy-bottomed pot, large enough to hold the beans and water. Medium heat. Add your oil of choice. I choose butter most often. Add minced garlic, stir until fragrant. Use a lot or a little, depending on your taste. I often use a whole head of garlic. Add chopped onion and stir. Again, uses as much or as little as you like. One good sized onion of two smaller ones should do the trick. Now add your spices and stir to coat the alliums (garlic and onion botanical family). I usually do 2 – 3 bay leaves and at least three shakes of cumin. One whole dried cayenne pepper with its top broken off or several shakes of crushed cayenne. A couple shakes of coriander is a nice touch. Make sure its all mixed up, you may need to add more butter. Important: Do NOT add the salt yet! Add your beans and stir to coat the beans. it should be smelling really good.

Now add cold water – enough to cover the beans plus a couple inches. Increase heat until the pot boils, then reduce heat so the pot simmers. Give it a stir every now and again. Add more water if it starts to dry out. Leave a lid partially on to keep the moisture from escaping too rapidly.

Depending on the freshness of your beans and the length of soaking time, they should be tender and ready to eat after simmering for an hour or so. If the beans are soupier than you want, just leave the lid off to allow more liquid to evaporate.

Salt to taste once fully cooked. Salt has this amazing capacity to make beans take longer to cook. A real drag when you’re ready to eat some beans!

 

Serve with:

tortillas and salsa

or

roasted winter squash and sauteed greens

or

bacon and fried eggs

or

rice and cabbage salad

 

P. S.  If digesting beans is a problem for some in your family, add a piece of kombu (seaweed) to the pot with the water. Its magical properties will allow easier digestion of your tasty beans.

We’ve made it again, to the resting time. December. Aahhhhh. We can sit back, relax, and eat all the time…. Our pantry is stocked and we have the luxury of extended time in the kitchen. Instead of the quick pasta and veggie dinners of summer/fall, in December we relish in slow cooked meals of beans, roasted kabocha soup, fried potatoes, cabbage salads, mixed veggie soups, roasted chickens (local pastured raised, of course) and more. Whatever comes to mind, we can do it! Our work days end early, as the sun is gone before 5:00pm. We just can’t have the epic work days of summer. Instead we sleep and eat and sleep some more. And of course make time for reflections upon this years’ challenges and surprises.

We hope you get to enjoy a little seasonal slow down too!

 

What would happen if every family could dedicate to preparing and sharing one locally sourced meal per week?

We would learn so much about eating  – what is seasonally available? How do you prepare these foods?

We might even meet a new vegetable we really like.

More quality time with the family.

More support for the local food economy.

Enjoy health benefits of eating fresh whole foods on a regular basis.

 

Sounds good to us!

 

Fill Your Pantry on Sunday November 18th, 2012. Noon – 4pm

An awesome opportunity to purchase in bulk direct from your farmers. Stock up for the winter with storage apples, Asian Pears, applesauce,  potatoes, cabbage and winter squash from SLO Farm plus dry beans, flour, root crops and more from your favorite local farmers.

Location : Sprout! in Springfield, OR – Our region’s new Local Food Hub at 4th & A Streets in Historic Downtown Springfield.

 

See you there!

The USDA wants us to Know Your Farmer, Know your Food. There is some interesting info on their website, including a blog, maps and FAQ’s (mostly related to food safety).

There is so much to know about your farmer: how do they manage soil, do they practice crop rotations, do they use chemicals or season extension, what kinds of inputs do they use, how do they market their goods, and who works on their farm? So many questions to ask and so little time. Does your farmer attend Farmer’s Market? Or work at their Farm stand? When do we have access to our farmers?

Please check out this great article on farmworkers in California.: http://thefern.org/2012/09/as-common-as-dirt/

This article illuminates some of the human realities involved in our industrialized agriculture.

We believe the future of food lies in our abilities to directly connect with the sources of our sustenance. The USDA is getting at this important concept and provides some tools, but we all have to take the time to ask the appropriate questions, to engage our communities, our farmers and our children.

Let’s make food fun again! Not a chore to get over with as quickly as possible, but a joy to share with family and friends.

First step: explore what is available locally and who is making that nourishment available?

 

We who are SLO Farm could be considered urban refugees – grown up in major urban zones of the US, we now inhabit an agrarian lifestyle. However, we do it a little differently – We live urban while we farm rural. We don’t listen to twangy music, don’t get excited about square-dancing and live in a noisy industrial part of Eugene, Oregon.  Instead we appreciate hip hop and street art. And we farm. We spend our days in the country while our homestead is located in the second largest city in Oregon. Our style is different from most – we are not what most people seem to expect from youthful farmers. Yes, we commute to farm. Don’t most folks commute? And yet the surprise is tangible from our friends, family and customers.

Surely there are other Urban Farmers?

Buds are breaking and grass is growing. Time to start thinking about mowing, string-trimming and spraying sulfur.

We still have some time before the sprays are essential….. Here in our damp Maritime climate, Spring-time sprays of elemental sulfur are crucial to the production of market-grade fruits. It is still a little cold for the spread of scab (it was snowing this morning!) so we have some time before the spray program begins.

Scab really proliferates when temperatures hover around 55 degrees F.

So for now we get to enjoy the first bursts of energy from the trees and hope for a healthy bloom.

Happy Spring!

Ever wondered if there was an easy way to find out about the soils beneath your feet? Well, thanks to the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) and the Internet – we can all explore what lies beneath the surface…..

Here’s the link: Web Soil Survey

They have a quick link Green Button to run the program but it doesn’t usually work so try the search box instead. All you need is an address in the United States and it will bring up an aerial photograph. From there, you select an AOI (Area of Interest) and it will bring up all kinds of good information.

This a great tool for learning more about Soil Classifications as defined by the USDA.

Happy Surveying!

Now’s your chance to stock up on farm fresh storage crops!

From Willamette Farm and Food Coalition:

“Don’t miss the chance to buy staple crops direct from farmers on Sunday, November 13, noon to 4pm, at Hummingbird Wholesale’s new warehouse at 150 Shelton McMurphey Blvd.”  in Eugene.

 

SLO Farm will be there with Apples, Apples and more Apples as well as our newest product…….

Applesauce!!!

Working with our new friends Paul & Judy at the Sweet Creek Cannery; we have a new product to offer our fruit-loving community. We took our apples – a blend of freshly picked Jonagold and Gala apples – and added blackcap raspberry puree from the Small Farmer’s Project. All local, all direct, all delicious!!

$6 for a 24 oz. jar.

 

See you next Sunday!

 

 

 

 

We have for you…..

 

Strawberries

Blackberries

Shiro Plums

Green Beans

Zucchini

Bietola

Flat – Leaf Parsley

Green Curly Kale

Garlic

Cucumbers

 

 

Enjoy!

Since we live and farm in this mild climate of Western Oregon, shouldn’t we be growing food year round?

Of course! What are we waiting for?

Well, we’re looking for a little advice, some seeds and some folks to nerd out on winter vegetables with us. We’ve got some ideas and are making some plans but we’d like to talk to the folks who are doing this fine thing of providing fresh food through the winter months.

We’ve just sown seeds for a fall crop of cabbages and for overwintering onions. We’ll be direct sowing parsnip, kale and rutabaga soon. We’d like to grow some brussels sprouts, too.

Any thoughts?

We’d love to hear ‘em. Thank you! And Happy Solstice!

This post first appeared on June 24, 2011 at the Willamette Locavores blog.

Visit us in the Fairmount Neighborhood of Eugene tomorrow, Sunday July 17:

Produce Available: Cherries, Green Cabbage, Snap Peas, Bietola, Lettuce, Flat Leaf Parsley, Potatoes, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Fresh Garlic

Plus: Honey and Eggs

The Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market is held Sundays from 10 AM to 2:30 PM on the Sun Automotive lot on the corner of Agate St. and 19th Ave. The 2011 season started on June 19th and runs through October. For more information, contact Ned Forman at the Eugene City Bakery (541-485-8380).

Also: Please check out the Crunchy Rice Noodle Salad recipe at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market blog!

Many thanks to Karen at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market blog for featuring our Snap Peas and Bietola and her delicious falafel recipe to go along with it:

Yum!! Read all about it here.

Bietola salad recipes can be found here.