Quote for the Day

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Farm Friday

This week proved to be another good week.

One of the highlights was learning that we are finalists in Bon Appetit Management Company's Grant program! Out of the 171 applicants, 25 were chosen - 5 in each region - and we are one of them. On September 23, customers at their cafes will be voting to select 2 winners in each region.  If you are in our region (Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida), you can vote at Averett University in Danville, Virginia; Duke University in Durham, North Carolina; or Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida (my alma mater!).  They may have other cafes but these are the ones I know about right now. For details about our grant application and the voting procedure, go here.

We also got 4 new goats:  Valerie, Rose, Abraham, and Maxwell. All except Maxwell are extremely friendly. In fact, Valerie and Abraham behave like dogs, standing next to us just for some petting and attention. Here are the new additions (photo credits to my hubby):

Abraham

Valerie

Rose (l) and Maxwell (r)

This past Tuesday was "corn day." We harvested and processed all of the corn. We didn't grow enough to sell this year so it was all ours. Fortunately, our interns/friends were here to help.  

The summer crops are slowly winding down, although you can't tell from all the eggplant and tomatoes we're getting! Bill has started some of the fall plants in trays and will transplant them to the gardens soon. He'll also broadcast seed for those that don't need to be transplanted. We're really looking forward to a bountiful fall!

Have a great weekend!

Wellness Wednesday

Source

Potatoes have long been demonized as an unhealthy vegetable.  However, potatoes are actually very good for you.  Medical News Today details the nutrients contained in these tubers and how each one is beneficial to good health.  Potatoes help with:

• Bone Health
• Blood Pressure
• Heart Health
• Inflammation
• Cancer
• Digestion and Regularity
• Weight Management and Satiety
• Metabolism
• Skin

For details, read the article here.  Remember to buy organic or chemical-free potatoes as potatoes are one of the worst vegetables for chemical contamination.

Taste of Tuesday

This year we've had the most beautiful, abundant eggplant ever!  This is an easy, seasonal appetizer I've discovered:

Source

Eggplant Caviar

1  large eggplant (about 1 1⁄2 pounds)
1/2  small onion, finely chopped (1⁄4 cup)
1  clove garlic, finely chopped
2  tablespoons  chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving (you can substitute 2 teaspoons dried parsley)
1  tablespoon  olive oil
1  teaspoon  red wine vinegar
1  tablespoon  mayonnaise (optional)
kosher or sea salt and black pepper
Crackers or cut-up vegetables

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Using a fork, prick the eggplant all over. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast until very tender, 50 to 60 minutes.

2. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, halve it lengthwise and scrape out the flesh, discarding the skin. Finely chop the flesh and transfer it to a large bowl.

3. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, oil, vinegar, mayonnaise (if using), ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix to combine. Sprinkle with additional parsley and serve with the crackers or vegetables.

Bon appetit!

Monday Morning Amusement

I love this clip of Jeff Bridges channeling "The Dude" from The Big Lebowski as he "tossed" out the first pitch at a Dodgers game.  (Growing up, I was a big-time Dodgers girl.)  The Dude abides:

Quote for the Day

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."

~Annie Dillard

Farm Friday

View from the back deck after a rainstorm (notice the white deer/critter fence to protect our garden)

These past two weeks have been great for the farm - but bad for my blog.  Our orders are up and, despite the constant battle against nature, we've been able to fill our orders and bring a lot to the farmers' market.  

We've added another delivery date so I'm now on the road three days a week plus we sell at the farmers' market.  Here's a pretty country church I drive past on one of my routes:

Yesterday we had the opportunity to speak at one of our local Rotary clubs - Danville Riverview Rotary.  We gave a version of the presentation we've given in the past and then opened the floor for questions.  We were told that our talk generated more questions that is typical.  We also made some good connections and helped further educate our community about food issues.  We've come a long way from when I first started selling our extras at the farmers' market and people would ask "what does organic mean?"  Of course, we cannot legally use the "O" word anymore - even with describing our farming methods and comparing them to conventional farming - but now people don't ask us what chemical-free means.  In fact, they actively seek out us and other like-minded farmers.

As I've said in the past, part of running the farm is homesteading - the more we're able to do and provide for ourselves, the better for the planet and the better for our pocketbook as we don't need to make as much money.  Last week I learned to make a quick and easy tomato sauce to freeze and I've been putting some up for the winter.  My dehydrator has been running quite a bit lately.  I've discovered eggplant caviar (will share the recipe next week) and found that it is delicious on golden scallop squash chips that I've dehydrated.  I also dehydrated some of our shiitake mushrooms to sell. We've been harvesting herbs and hot peppers and drying them, as well.  I also made some refrigerator pickles from our zephyr squash.

I've been working on aprons again - and sold two last weekend.  I'm trying to get ready for the holiday craft shows.  Here's a sneak peak at some of the fabrics I'll be using:

I'm off to do some deliveries.  Have a good weekend!