Yummy Pasta with Keilbasa and Swiss Chard recipe

It’s that time of year–the CSA season has started and the weekly shares contain greens.  What to do with all those greens?  One of the long-time CSA members shared a recipe the other day that I just had to try.

It was about 8:15 by the time I made it to the kitchen yesterday evening, and I almost wimped out of cooking to eat something quick and easy, but I forced myself to make this recipe.  It can be found at epicurious.com.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 pound Swiss chard (preferably red; from 1 bunch)
• 1/2 pound kielbasa, quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
• 3/4 pound penne
• 1 pound finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup) plus additional for serving

PREPARATION

Cut out center ribs and stems from chard, then thoroughly wash, along with leaves, in several changes of cold water. Cut ribs and stems crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and coarsely chop leaves.

Cook kielbasa in oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Cook chard ribs and stems with salt in fat remaining in pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add chard leaves, water, and red-pepper flakes and simmer, partially covered, until chard stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and stir in kielbasa.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water and drain pasta in a colander. Add pasta to chard mixture with cheese and salt to taste and toss until combined well. Thin with some of reserved pasta water if necessary.

Of course I didn’t have all the exact ingredients.  I have a hard time with sausage–mainly not knowing what’s in it.  Nitrates and nitrites–I try to avoid.  While perusing the aisles at the local grocery store I found this….

It’s not kielbasa, but it has no nitrates!  Also, I didn’t have penne pasta, so I used elbow macaroni (wheat).

I followed the recipe pretty closely, although I didn’t remove the sausage from the pan after sauteeing it–I just added the chopped stems, then garlic, then leaves, then pepper flakes.

At 8:40 I dished up the chard and sausage with pasta.

Oh my gosh!!!!  I couldn’t stop eating, and the best part is, there’s enough for another meal!

He has a name!

In a recent post I shared the news that Mr. Rooster Sir had moved on to wherever roosters go when they don’t come back to their roost at night.  The chicken coop on the farm is divided into two sections so when there is a group of young birds they can be separated from the older hens (they are really mean to the younger birds).

A couple of days after Mr. Rooster Sir’s disappearance I heard one of the “pullets” practicing crowing (a pullet is a young hen).  So, once I confirmed which pullet was actually a rooster, it turned out to be an Ameracauna–one of the hens who lays green eggs.

He’s really pretty….

I don’t normally name chickens with the exception of Lucille….

She was one of my incubation experiments.  I borrowed an incubator from a friend and she couldn’t/wouldn’t eat after she hatched and the other girls were pecking her.  I separated her from the others and fed her with a syringe for a week or so and she recovered.  I named her “Lucky” since I didn’t know if she was a she or a he, but once she started laying eggs, I renamed her “Lucille”.

I took Lucille with me to my parents’ house one weekend and my Mom made me promise to never “get rid” of Lucille, so she has a life-long pass to live.  She’s also easy to identify because she has white “earrings”.

Anyway, back to the rooster story.  After thinking and pondering on the subject of a name for the very-important patriarch of the flock, I came up with the name “Mr. Green Genes”–get it?  Green eggs, genes……..lol!

 

Brrrrrr—errrrrr!

As I write this post I’m in the middle of packing the Friday CSA shares.  All the veggies have been picked and packaged with the exception of the Swiss Chard.  I started out the door to “go fetch” and it started raining–not predicted and totally unexpected.

The temperature in Crab Orchard dipped to 36 degrees last night.  Around here this is called “Blackberry Winter”, because the blackberries are in bloom.  About 70 percent of the thornless blackberries were killed back to the roots during the last two 14 degree nights we had after they had begun to leaf out–back in April.

As an observer for the National Weather Service, I can peruse previous years’ records with relative ease.  This time last year we had 3 nights in the 30’s as well.  A friend once told me to never put your winter coat away until after Memorial Day here on the Cumberland Plateau–I believe him!

There’s a lot going on here this spring.  Crops in the ground already include lettuce, spinach, chard, kale broccoli, cabbage, chinese cabbage, onions, strawberries, beets, carrots, green beans, sweet corn, potatoes, kohlrabi, bok choy……..I think that’s all.

Several projects are underway as well.  Five hardy kiwi plants were babied in pots all last year to plant out this year….of course they require vertical support, so I began an arbor….

The kiwis are on the left side; on the right are rugosa roses and raspberries, echium vulgare, and borage.  The ladder awaits the next surge of construction activity.  The dead spot in the grass is just the beginning of eliminating the grass from the walkway under the arbor. The dead spot was created by the new pond liner

The previous one developed a leak and it wouldn’t hold any water, so a friend obtained a piece of roofing rubber.  So far it’s holding water and I’ll be able to put the rocks back around the edges.

The coral honeysuckle continues to cover the front porch railing and posts.  The hummingbirds love to feed on the blooms and I don’t fill feeders anymore–mission accomplished!

A white Fringe Tree planted 3 years ago has started blooming this year!  They are gorgeous smallish native trees.

One evening a couple of days ago I was sitting on the porch at dusk, feeling every wheelbarrow of mulch that I had spread that day, and I noticed a weird circle in the forest edge along the field.  I investigated the next day and it wasn’t a family of alien beings hanging out in the trees, just one of those “optical confusions”!

The rosa rugosa, planted last year along the right hand side of the arbor-to-be is doing fantastic.  Honeybees like the blooms, they bloom all summer, and the rose hips are large and edible.  It’s spreading sorta fast though, so I might have a different report next year 🙂

A friend gave me a plastic grocery sack of iris tubers about 8 years ago.  I finally got them planted last year.  They were extremely happy to be out of the bag at last!

 

 

 And finally, the newest member of the farm, Blue, is posing underneath the American Wisteria which is just beginning to bloom.  His mom is a Catahoula and his dad is a cur, so I call him a “Curtahoula”.  He’s a sweetie, and just recently learned to “sit” when I give him a treat.  Good dog!

Permaculture

I’m sure that some of you have heard this term by now.  In a nutshell, it’s recycling, reducing waste, organic gardening, and being frugal.  Pretty much the way our grandparents lived and the way we should be living.  That’s the concept I’ve been living by here on the farm, and I’ve been encouraging others to live this way as well.

We all need to know more about life and how everything is intertwined.  The more we know, the better off we’ll be, because the more we know, the more we will want to be in tune with nature.  The more in tune with nature that we are, the better off everyone will be.

The other day I received an e-mail from a permaculture site that I subscribe to and I’ve listened to this song–oh maybe 75 times in the last two weeks!  It’s my new favorite song.  It’s really good….listen…and the video that goes with it is pretty good too, but I REALLY love the song.  Hope you enjoy it too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EU8sxOmRQbY

Peace.

 

So what’s new?

I was asked the question yesterday “So what are you growing that’s new this year?”  I stumbled and stammered around with a few crops and realized that there are so many crops that are grown on the farm, I couldn’t really come up with the entire list right off the top of my head.    So many hours have been spent this winter perusing the seed catalogs and websites that by the time the seeds are ordered, the varieties don’t seem “new” anymore.  Kind of like when you work at a day job and you spend the last few months of the year worrying with the budget for the next year—by the time the new year rolls around you’re so used to using the next year’s date that it isn’t hard to switch from current year to next year…..okay enough of that.

New varieties for this year:  a few new tomatoes in addition to the large variety of heirlooms that are saved and grown from year-to-year:  Moskvich Heirloom, Valley Girl, Big Beef, and Nepal.    

Last year I grew one package of horticultural beans (beans that you shell) and they were called Tongue of Fire–very tasty.  I saved seeds from those to grow this season and I found another variety called Taylor Strain Italian Shell which will be planted this year as well.    Along with the Partridge Head beans, Haricot Verts, Roma II and Blue Lakes, we should have a good variety of beans throughout the season.

Sweet Granite won the selection for a new melon to grow this year, and “Winner” Kohlrabi was the winner in the kohlrabi category 🙂

An amazing variety of lettuces have been selected to provide greens throughout most of the season.  These include Mottistone, Tropicana, Summertime, Reine Des Glaces, Dark Red Lollo Rossa, Panisse, Allstar Gourmet Mix, Cherokee, Red Rosie…….. in addition to the greens that are grown to be added to the lettuce mixes…..YUM! I can hardly wait.

Kale seeds have been hard to get this year, with several seed crop failures and sold outs–a combination of “last year was a crappy growing year everywhere in the US” plus the amount of press coverage kale received last year about how healthy it is.  A variety called “Afro” caught my eye, as it has the frilly leaves that are fun to eat (yes, I said fun to eat).    I’ll probably grow another variety or two in addition to this, IF I can find more seed.

All the seeds that I order online  have been ordered.  I buy all the seed that I can from local sources, and my favorite is the Crossville Garden Center.  They are building a new building this year and it looks AWESOME!  I can’t wait until they open……..

I’m so tired of being cold………

New Year, New Season

Time just keeps marching on–well, it seems more like jogging nowadays.  It’s really hard to believe it’s time to be starting some of the seedlings for this next season in just a COUPLE OF WEEKS!

One of the things most exciting about gardening for a living is looking forward to next season.  Each year notes are made all summer long about what worked, what didn’t, which areas of the garden grew certain crops and so on.   The next year all those notes are checked and re-checked and guess what?  Mother Nature changes the rules!!!!  Keeps us on our toes and gives us something to talk about at the market.

Plans are to fence in several of the gardens this year to keep deer out once and for all because the resident Catahoula Hattie doesn’t get much sleep at night from having to bark at them so much 🙂

The 2014 season will be the 7th season for the CSA.  There will be 20 shares available; 10 for the Fairfield Glade Wednesday delivery, 5 for the Friday farm pickup and 5 for the Knoxville Sunday delivery.  If you’ve been thinking about joining the farm you better do it quickly because after “the first of the year” is when it fills up each year.   I do attend the Wednesday Farmer’s Market at Fairfield Glade, but the CSA members get first choice and I don’t grow everything for market that is grown for the members.

Why join the CSA?  Well, if you’re one to procrastinate and don’t make it to the market, you’ll not have fresh, organically grown produce to fuel your body with.  The members are really good about sharing recipes that they’ve tried and I’ll pass them along during the season as well as share recipes that I find to share.  There are always a few veggies that are grown that are hopefully something new and I will share how to prepare them with the members as well.

Belonging to a CSA assures you that you will have fresh, organic produce each week to prepare food that our bodies are meant to consume rather than the processed, sugar-infused crap we find lining the grocery store shelves.  Oops, sorry for that little jump onto my soapbox (but it’s true).  Oh, I’m not free of guilt–I love crackers with my soup and chili and I’m a self-proclaimed chocoholic BUT I do eat lots of veggies from the farm gardens.

Being a CSA member is almost like having your own garden but you don’t have to worry with the pests, drought, weeds, and back-breaking work—that’s the farmer’s job!

This year’s prices are $520 for Fairfield Glade and farm pickup full share ($310 for half share) and $620 for Sunday Knoxville delivery ($360 for half share), and the season runs for 20 weeks from early May to September.  For share sizes and more details check out the “join the csa” on the farm website (www.wildthingscsafarm.com).

Do you know your farmer?   You should.

Merry Christmas from the farm

Winter time is somewhat slower here on the farm, but the two high tunnels are in full production with fresh greens being harvested every few weeks…..

 

The Happy Hens are laying just enough eggs to cover the cost of their feed…..I don’t know WHO showed them how to use a calculator

 

AND there are great gifts for giving to friends and loved ones!

 

From left to right are the locally famous “WTF” t-shirts ($25-28) all natural handmade soap made with olive, coconut, and palm oils, attractively wrapped in fabric and tied with twine (patchouli, honey-oatmeal and unscented–$3.50), all natural lip balm made with beeswax, coconut and sunflower oils (peppermint, spearmint, sweet orange, unscented $2.00), Wild Things’ Gift Certificates –a beautiful card with a picture of the Wild Things stone sign on the front–available in any amount, and the very popular, vividly brilliant tie-dyed t-shirts ($15-20).

 

The shirts are available in various sizes in both styles.  If you have a friend or relative that lives in or around Crossville, Fairfield Glade, or Knoxville, get them a gift certificate that’s good for one year for any veggies, eggs, or products from the farm.  These can even be used to help pay for a CSA membership 🙂

 

Merry Christmas, one and all!

Where do you fit in?

Over the past several years I’ve fed my passion for self-sufficiency by reading lots and lots of how-to, gardening, self-sufficiency, organic, and permaculture books.  Supplementing the bookreading with great videos on YouTube, magazine subscriptions, and workshops when available.

A question came up recently and I’m sorry I don’t remember exactly where I saw it, but the question still burns in my mind:  “Are you a part of the problem or the solution?”  I asked my oldest son that question and of course he said “what’s the problem?”   I responded “When asked that sort of question, what would you think the problem is?”  He started thinking…..and he actually came up with the correct question.

I challenge you to ask yourself this question during your daily routine….when you throw away a perfectly recyclable aluminum can or glass bottle rather than recycling it, are you part of the problem or the solution?  When you run your clothes washer and/or dryer and/or dishwasher with just a few items in it are you part of the problem or the solution?

I know everyone has their opinions about global warming, but as a farmer I live right in the weather and work with the seasons and each year it becomes more challenging.  I call it “global weirding” and am really ashamed at the mess my generation and the generations before me are leaving this planet for our kids and grandkids.  I don’t know for sure, but I’d say that sucking all the oil out of the earth is like disabling part of our cooling system, as well as paving the surface so it can’t breathe–

One person can change the world, but only if they practice what they preach and teach others to do the same.  It’s an overwhelming job, but lots of somebodies have got to do it.

So, are you part of the problem or the solution?

I’ve got pears!

Several years ago I planted an orchard, then the next year I moved it.  Yes, dug it up and moved it–not a recommended operation; I just didn’t like where it was to start with.  The first orchard was 3 apple, 3 pear and 3 peach trees and I’ve since added 2 more yellow apples, 3 Honey Crisp Apples, and 3 Manchurian Apricot trees.  There were about 8 peaches on one tree this year, and one Honey Crisp apple that fell off.

While mowing in the orchard a couple of days ago (maneuvering the half mile long conglomeration of tractor, pull-behind mower and front loader with bucket) the bucket on the tractor hit one of the branches of a pear tree and two pears fell off.  I had been watching them for a few days and even tugged on them to see if they were ready.  I didn’t think they were, because they didn’t just come off really easily.

I climbed off the tractor to pick them up……oh my…..

juice was running down my arm!  I stopped what I was doing, picked the rest of the pears and put them in the crisper in the fridge for later.

Yum!

Happy Tuesday`

CSA deliveries happen 3 days each week Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday.  With a local Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays that doesn’t leave much time for “farming”and working in the gardens.

Lots of time for harvesting right now–tedious things to pick, like ground cherries, cherry tomatoes, haricot verts, green beans, okra, lettuce, kale…..lots of time to think.

Usually while I’m  harvesting a crop I’ll think about people that love it, people that hate it, recipes using the veggie, or there’s a stupid song stuck in my head.  A couple of years ago one of my long time CSA members opened her summertime box and was inspired to pick up her watercolors again–she painted a picture of her box that week:

I love it!