The horses have been on a little bit of a summer vacation. A lot of the crops in the field are too big to cultivate at this point. We would do more damage than good by walking up and down the crowded furrows with a horse. We don't have much ground work to do because the field is full, but last week we did harvest the last of the carrots from the first succession so we disced and furrowed that chunk to plant some late fall crops: kale, spinach, black spanish radish and purple top turnip.
When we do horse work that requires accuracy and precision, we usually have one person drive the horse(s) and one person operate the implement that the horse is pulling. The furrows need to be straight and parallel. They need to be 30 inches apart because that is the distance between the gates on the irrigation pipe. So I drove Bess and Kyle ran the furrowing plow. Sometimes we measure the 30 inches and mark them at either end of the field, but this time, we just measured the first furrow and eyeballed the rest. I took a little video of part of the furrowing. I set it on time lapse so it wouldn't drag on and on, but now I wish it were a little slower for you, oh well.
People ask us if working with draft animals is cheaper than using a tractor for our farm work. No. It might actually be more expensive. The horses eat a lot of hay whether they are working or not. We do have a small pasture that feeds the horses for a good part of the summer and one of our long term goals is to produce our own hay. Is it 'greener'? Maybe a little, sure, we are not burning fossil fuels directly. But a small farm tractor really doesn't use that much fuel in the big picture. Mostly, we like the nature of working with the draft animals. Some of our favorite times on the farm are when we are out doing a project with the horses. The kids love to be part of it. We get to stand straight and walk. The sounds and smells of the horses are pleasant. The horses are sentient creatures and respond best if everyone is calm and positive. Sometimes the kids won't stop jibber-jabbering in the backpack and it riles the horses up. We have a 'no talking' rule while we do horse work. We are often a few inches away from the crops and our complete attention is required so that nothing gets stepped on. The horses are very sensitive to the driving lines. You can tell them to walk a couple inches to the right. You can get them to slow down slightly with a gentle pressure on the lines. Everyone needs to be in the zone. It is a neat old skill that you get better at with practice. Do I sometimes wish that I could fire up a cute little tractor and quickly bust out this and that? Yes! But the horses are pretty cute too...
We might not put kale in the shares this week, but will have it available at the farmstand. I think that we will dig potatoes for the CSA and you should get tomatoes again. You will get onions in your share each week for the next few weeks. I will have extra onions at the farmstand and I will put them on the bulk order list next week so you can order a 10 pound bag. I am putting cucumbers on the bulk list this week. If anyone wants to do a pickle project, we could also get you some dill bunches.
Summer Stir Fry
This is the original recipe that Kyle invented.
Coconut Oil
1 Onion- diced
2-3 Peppers- some sort of sweet peppers- chopped
1/2 of a Chipotle- flaked
2-3 Garlic cloves- minced
3 Zucchini- chopped
Salt to taste
2 medium tomatoes - chopped
Cheddar
Cilantro- chopped
Notes
Use whatever oil you like. We use coconut oil a lot for high heat cooking, but I know that not everyone likes how it tastes.
Each fall we make chipotles which are smoked red jalapenos. If you don't have dried chipotles, you could use 1/2 a teaspoon of chipotle powder.
Heat your skillet then your oil to hot. Add the onions and chipotles. Cook for a a few minutes, stirring often. Add peppers and garlic. Cook a bit. Add zucchini and salt. Cook until the zucchini is pretty much done. Add tomatoes and cook a few more minutes, stirring, stirring. Turn off burner. Drop cheddar slices on top and put on a lid for a few minutes. Top with a big handful of chopped cilantro. It's good with hash browns. It's great in a bean and rice bowl or wrapped up with those things in a burrito. When I make it, I add a little cumin seed with my onions. This is a bit of a Southwestern flavor profile. You could transform it to more of a Mediterranean flavor. No chipotle or cumin, instead add a little black pepper with your onions and you could add some cayenne if you want it spicy. At the end, add some fresh mozzarella slabs or serve with a dollop of ricotta and a big handful of chopped basil or parsley or both. Mix with an equal amount of pasta or pile it onto a polenta cake....yum!
2020 CSA Archives