Puddle Paradox

I spent part of my Mother's Day watering a puddle. We had just moved the sheep to a fresh paddock and while I wrapped up that task, the littlest farmer (who is growing ever less little) was exploring part of the field where we store hay bales for winter.

This time of year, the bales are gone but the ruts left behind by the tractor are full of soft, slowly drying mud. It’s fun to look there for animal tracks and he was calling out his finds to me as I finished setting fence corners.

“Tiny birds… bigger birds… deer… coyote or dog… more birds…”

He then went quiet, and I walked over to find him sitting down on the edge of a large rut that still held water and hundreds of little black tadpoles. Some toads had found the ruts on their way to the pond just beyond, and decided the temporary puddles would do nicely for their eggs. He looked up and asked, “Do you think they’ll have enough time?”

I believe humans may be the only species to break time into parts. Toad mothers have no concept of the future and like most creatures, go through life perpetually in the moment. They can’t anticipate that puddles may dry up before their tadpoles can grow lungs and legs to hop away.

Instead of worried toad mothers, the tadpoles had a human child asking “what if” on their behalf. We watched them wiggle swim and talked about how the over production of offspring is a strategy some species use -- for a few to make it they start with hundreds or thousands.

Meanwhile, the ones that don’t make it become part of the food or nutrient cycle. Everything must eat at some point and the Earth is always recycling her building blocks. Life and death can be very matter of fact when we strip away the human tendency to apply our feelings to natural systems.

I know this and I found myself teaching my child this and yet… I also found myself hauling a five-gallon bucket of water across a field to refresh a puddle for tadpoles. All because my heart saw the helplessness in my son’s eyes and wanted to replace it with hope.

I don’t know if those tadpoles will survive. Surely not all will. We may even maintain their puddle only for some birds or a raccoon to come along and eliminate them in all one lucky feast.

And isn’t that a paradox of what it means to be human?  We want to help but we aren’t actually in control. When we do try to help, we might make things worse. But are things worse? Depends on who you’re rooting for.

This comes up in farming all the time. I spend my days doing my very best to care for living things. Some will thrive, some will die despite my efforts. And some I will choose to kill in order to feed myself and others.

How do I choose? Who am I rooting for? Why do I even bother to care and why would I ever, ever stop? Life is complex. It is also simple. I am learning to live inside both those truths.
 
Love,  Kelly

P.S. Happy belated Mother’s Day to all those who mother and sending hugs to anyone walking this Earth without a mother, for whatever reason that may be.
 

Dove Love and Pigeon Pants

There have been a lot of doves and pigeons in my life for the past month. They're just sorta...everywhere. So much so that I've taken notice.

First they helped littlest farmer learn to focus his telescope. We made it a rule that he could use it to observe nature only and I was thankful for the crew of pigeons that remained still atop our neighbor's silo long enough for him to zoom in.

Then there is the pair of nesting Mourning Doves who keep me company in the barn. I was recently trimming some sheep hooves while they conducted their romance via whistle-winged relays in the rafters. I was amused by their to-and-fro antics and impressed by their stamina.

After that, social media memories reminded me of other up-close pigeon encounters over the years. I'll share one of my favorites in a minute.

Lastly, one of my favorite podcasts just released two new episodes about... yep, pigeons. Amongst other things, those episodes taught me that specially made 'pigeon pants' are an option for anyone having trouble potty training their pet pigeon... (I may have a new thing for my bucket list.)

I know, these birds are ubiquitous so perhaps I am giving them more meaning that necessary. But life is short and the pigeons and doves in my life of late have been a good reminder that simple and common things can bring a lot of joy if we pay attention.

Thanks for being on this farm journey with me. I really appreciate it.

Pigeon Memories - April 2018

Yesterday, in the midst of barn chores, our littlest farmer started shouting, "Mommy! Mommy! Come quick! Come heeeeeere! There's something super cool!"

I put down my bucket and walked to the barn door. He was standing just outside it, pointing excitedly and exclaiming... about a pigeon. 

I started to open my mouth to tell him, "It's just a pigeon" when he breathed out, "It's the most beautiful bird I've ever seen."

Instead of speaking, I looked at the pigeon -- really looked at it-- and it was striking. Its pearlescent purple and pewter feathers were luminous in the early morning sun.

It was beautiful and I would have missed it if not for the impartial eyes of my child. 

I know they're prolific, messy, and noisy. For those reasons they are usually unwelcome as barn guests.  But for just a moment, I remembered their beauty too.

Oh, how much we can miss when we go through the world with our minds already made up.

Gatekeeping

I park my truck in front of the same gate every time I go to the barn to feed and water the animals.

If you just glance at it, you might not notice anything unusual. It looks square and upright and serviceable as it stands there between its posts; just an ordinary gate guarding the entrance to a fallowed field full of compost piles.

But if you look carefully, or should you go to open the gate, you will realize it is held together with string. Those strong metal pipes are standing only because they are tied with twine from some hay bales.

Through decades of service -- swinging wide for tractors, shutting tight to hold back cattle, I've watched this once shiny and sturdy gate grow tired. Last year its welds finally gave way and it spent the season half-hanging, half-heaped on the ground while tall grass wove up through its bars. I picked it up and tied it back together sometime in November... because I felt bad for it.

I relate to this gate.

When I started farming, I felt a lot like a new gate – strong and ready to serve. Nearly two decades later, I’m still here, doing a job I love. But I’ve also grown tired and come apart in a few places. In some ways, I am figuratively holding myself together with twine and hoping no one will look closely enough to notice.

Having admitted that, I’ll also admit I'm not exactly sure where I’m going with this or why I feel the need to write to you about it. I’m a farmer so I guess I'm supposed to spend my days tending to land and animals to feed people. Talking about things like this feels a little outside my lane.

But maybe it doesn't have to be that simple. Good farming means noticing connected systems and caring for all the parts in order to better the whole. If I think about people (including myself) as part of the whole, whatever is going on inside our human hearts and minds deserves consideration.

So here's something I’ve noticed lately -  nearly everyone I talk to feels a little broken. We all seem to have at least one crack in some part of our internal structure and we are walking around tied-together or patched-up inside while thinking we need to keep it a secret.

But what if we don't? What if it’s okay to let the breaks and repairs show? After all, there is beauty in a mended gate... or a mended life. It's proof we don’t give up.

Hiding in Plain Sight

I know summer is in full swing when it sounds like a family of happy R2-D2 robots have moved in.

Birds. It's actually birds making all that robotic ruckus and the name of the bird is as joyful as the song they sing. The Peterson Field Guide describes their voice as "ecstatic and bubbling: starts with low, reedy notes and rollicks upward". I'm talking about bobolinks and they abound on the farm.

Each summer, the males hover about the hay fields, flashing their black and white tuxedos trimmed in yellow. The females look like large sparrows - all the better to hide since bobolinks nest on the ground.

They secret their nests down amongst the tall grasses and spend the long summer days eating insects, caterpillars and seeds of all sorts while raising up their young. They are GOOD at hiding those nests, too. Despite having spent most of my life working in fields with bobolinks, I had never seen a nest until this year.

A few weeks ago, while moving the sheep to a fresh paddock, a female bobolink flushed from nearly beneath my feet. I froze and scanned the ground carefully because it meant her nest was close and I didn't want to step on it.

It probably took a full minute but I finally spotted a little cup of woven grasses within the grass. Three speckled eggs tucked neatly inside. I took a quick picture, (hoping birds can forgive such invasions of privacy) and then used a thin, fiberglass fence post to mark the area so I could avoid it going forward.

Fields that are plowed, mowed low in spring, heavily stocked with grazing animals, or developed for yards and housing cannot support bobolinks and they sometimes struggle to find suitable habitat. Our farm seems to work well for their needs and I want to continue to do my part to protect them.

As I write this, the young bobolinks will have fledged from their nests. They are now flitting about the fields, learning from their parents. Come fall, they will migrate south to spend their winter in far-off places like Bolivia and Brazil. I will then have to wait many months to hear happy robots again.

You know, when I zoom in to look beyond the obvious life on this farm -- the sheep, cattle and humans, I always see hundreds of other lives and systems, ticking along at their own pace, each with their own and equal importance.

I'm my own border collie

'I love cows, I love cows, I LOVE COWS...'

There are days I need to repeat that mantra to myself, quietly and under my breath. Cows can't read human minds and, as such, they aren't always...cooperative. I'm okay with farm life making me work like a dog but when it comes to cows, the dog part of that saying can be strangely literal.

Here's what I mean: On a recent evening, while on my way to take care of the sheep, Adam leapt over a pasture fence waving toward me like he was trying to direct an airplane. I know this signal well; airplane waving means HELP.

I changed direction and joined him. He had been trying to convince the cows that they could move to the fresh grass they wanted, if only they would use the open gate. Seems simple enough. The problem was, there was only ONE available gate and it was at the top of the hill and in the corner of the pasture - slightly out of sight. Not necessarily a simple problem-solving assignment for a herd of cows.

And so they had been giving Adam a collective 'NOPE', refusing to follow him to the gate and instead staring at their fresh pasture through a small gap in the hedgerow at the bottom of the hill. That gap provides a view but not access as there is no opening there. That view was the problem. "It's right THERE, we can seeeeeee it," their pointed gazes seemed to express.

(Granted, the cows were right - that gap is a great place for gate. There should be one there and there will be in the future. But re-configuring old fence is not a simple job and for now, the 70-year old barb wire remains. Hey, we're building this ship while we sail it, cows.)

So, we needed a new plan. Adam would continue to call and entice the herd up the hill with an offering of tasty kelp meal. With herd animals it only takes one or two moving in the right direction to eventually get the entire group going that way. If we could convince a few to cooperate, the rest would follow and there's always at least one who will do just about anything for snacks from the sea.

My task was to keep everyone on their feet and gently pressure the herd from the back - much like you might see in a western movie (minus the horse). When we move cows together, Adam is their leader and I am follower, the human border collie bringing up the rear. Usually my zig-zagging presence and some consistent "yip, yip, YIP, go on girls!" is enough to move them steadily along.

Usually.

As with Adam's earlier attempts, the girls continued to give us the brush-off. "You know you could just cut all those wires and let us through right there" their placid stares suggested. A few matrons chewed their cud and shifted their weight to one hind foot - a resting pose. Their message was clear, "We are not going UP that hill, just to go back down, and you are not convincing - we'll wait while ya go get yer fencing tools, okay?"

Adam and I re-convened in the middle of the field to discuss further strategy - he would go get their big red mineral feeder, the one that means extra special treats. My new job was to be kinda loud and weird so that the cows would decide I was worth moving away from.

I once again returned to my position at the bottom of the hill, pleased to see Adam's idea was beginning to work. A few hungry heifers were trudging toward the corner. Still, back at my end of the herd, most of the cows continued to stand still and longingly stare over the fence. Time to get weird, whatever that meant...

Maybe strange noises would help? I approached the cows, this time wheeling my arms and doing more of a yodel-yell Tarzan song than my usual yipping. This got their attention but they only watched me, apparently bemused.

Okay, next...If I had to play a collie, maybe I could literally sound like one? I tried out some growls, a little embarrassed for myself. The cows glance at me, confused but still bored. 'OK, fine', I thought to myself,  'What if I try barking like a dog?', "Rrraaaw, rrrrwwaarff, go to the gate, grrrruuuFFF!" 

No, nope, NOTHING. The cows were not impressed.

My brain ticked through its files of available choices before abruptly and randomly summoning... Beyonce. Probably because I'd heard her on the radio earlier that day and she totally seems like someone who could take charge in any situation. Inspired, I started to off-key shout and sing 'All the bovine ladies, (all the bovine ladies...) get yer butts up the hill, why's this a big deal, we're starting to run out of daylight....'

The cows stared on. I Beyonce'd in vain.

Okay, time to add bodily antics?  I thought a moment, still sorta yodeling-yelling and waving my arms at yawning cows. Finally, I resigned to being completely ridiculous and started an erratic dance in the grass; a herky-jerky, arm flapping, leg kicking, seizure of a dance that looked a lot like one of those inflatable wind-sock people that flail up and down next to car dealerships.

And... it was weird enough. The cows widened their eyes and started to slowly turn, finally deciding it was better to follow Adam up the hill and toward treats than stay downfield with their secondary and much stranger farmer, who appeared to be having an epic fit on pasture.

I followed them as they moved toward the gate, continuing to flop-dance and shout-sing with what air I had left in my lungs. About half way up, the herd gained focus and speed at last. A group of cows is kind of like a roller coaster, once half has crested a summit, momentum usually takes over.

For the last bit of uphill, I was able to stop dancing and singing and merely stumble along behind, waving my arms weakly and wheezing. Once through the gate, all was forgotten as the herd turned its attention to the fresh grass. We'd done it!

I leaned on that troublesome gate for minute, to catch my breath and admire the happily-grazing animals. Finally, I turned to walk downhill once more, to fetch the cows' water tank and maybe scan the previous pasture for any remaining shreds of my dignity.
 

Sacred Cow

How we choose to feed ourselves affects everything else.

If you’re here, chances are you are in support of farmers like ourselves. But we also know there is plenty of information out there consistently telling eaters that meat (particularly beef) is wasteful, dirty, not good for the environment, unethical, unhealthy... the list goes on. Ooof, we feel the weight of that line of thinking every single day. Maybe you do too, especially if you're an eater of beef.

But is meat really that bad? Especially the beef we work so hard to raise well right here at home? No. It is not. In fact, well-raised beef can be a positive thing in so many ways. As boots-on-the-ground farmers we know this, but it takes more than a slogan or sound-bite to push back.

A few years ago we started following the work of a dietician and farmer in Massachusetts named Diana Rogers. We liked that her work was refreshingly considerate of context and nuance and we found her dietary suggestions reflected an actual working knowledge of responsible, community-based food production here in the northeastern US. She talks about nourishing bodies with real foods and agricultural systems rather than fads.

We've shared some of her information in previous emails and now she has released a book and a feature-length documentary, both called "Sacred Cow". In a world that wants to lump all meat together and the vilify it in favor of feeding humanity with mostly mono-culture grain crops and sugar, materials like these are sorely needed.

We watched the documentary when it was released briefly for pre-viewing. Kelly then set out to plow through the book in just a few days by listening to it on audiobook while doing chores. Both are REALLY well done. It will be again released to the general public in a few weeks.

We encourage you can go to the Sacred Cow website - www.sacredcow.info. From our farming perspective, in a world full of websites, books, and documentaries on food; this one is well done. After you read/watch/browse, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Does it raise any questions for you? Anything we can help answer as farmers?

Thank you for being on this journey with us. Wishing you so very well!

Perfectly Imperfect

How was your Thanksgiving? For our holiday we learned that old farmhouses have rules ALL THEIR OWN, which in the end reinforced to notion that feeling gratitude has to be a choice.

It started with a broken sink. What we thought would be a two-hour repair then turned into a multi-day trial that stretched well into the afternoon on Thanksgiving itself. History and old homes have their charms but not necessarily when it comes to plumbing!

Between the usual flurry of farm chores and then playing with pipes for hours, we didn't start cooking until well into the afternoon. When we did sit down to eat Thanksgiving dinner it was...11:30 PM. By that time I had hungrily grumped that if we took any longer we would pass midnight and miss the holiday completely.

But then Silas, with a wisdom that is inherent to childhood, corrected me, "No, mom. If we eat slow and go into tomorrow then we get to have TWO Thanksgivings!"

In the end, that was our holiday - strangely stressful and perfectly imperfect as it spanned beyond midnight and into a second day. But am so thankful for the resilient optimism of a child and how it reminded me that I can choose to see the good in anything, even plumbing problems.

Wishing you well as we move into the holiday season. Times are strange but may at least some of our struggles reveal that the universe is actually offering us a chance to give thanks twice.

Tradition Transition

As we continue plodding our way through this pandemic, it’s obvious the holidays are going to be weird. Many of us are re-examining our usual Thanksgiving traditions and transitioning to something smaller, different, more distant this year.

At first this need to transition made me sad. I could only think about the things I would miss. But then I decided to look around at all that was good in my life and embrace it with the true meaning of the holiday - gratitude. I am alive and well, so are my loved ones so far. I want to keep it that way.

I am aware of what it means to take any position these days - there are always going to be those who spring to argue another view point and that’s OK. That’s being human. But given the resurgence of cases and the many things we still don’t know about the virus, I would rather miss someone’s physical presence this Thanksgiving than possibly be the reason they are missing from our lives next year.

So now I’m not sad. I will use the time I would have spent cooking for a crowd and frantically cleaning my house to instead write a long letter to my grandmother - something she can hold since we can’t hold each other. I will give my child my undivided attention and help him cook his side-dishes. We will call aunts and uncles and wish them well any perhaps have longer to chat than we would have sitting around a crowded table. Alone and lonely don’t have to mean the same thing.

That said, many friends and customers have contacted us in the last few days to ask questions about holiday cooking. So many of us are used to the turkey being the domain of an older, wiser family member and have no idea where to start when it comes to cooking one. So I thought I would share our favorite turkey recipe here on the blog, so anyone can access it. We did not raise turkeys this year but have local farmer friends who still have some available. If you still want a turkey, please contact me ASAP and I can put you in touch with them.

I also wanted to share some ideas for turkey alternatives - there is no absolute rule that one must eat some large, weird-looking bird on Thanksgiving. Our family will probably enjoy a small beef roast or cook a chicken that was lovingly raised by a friend. So if the thought of turkey and all the fixins’ overwhelms you or makes you sad because it’s too reminiscent of normal years, I say it’s OK to cook something else entirely. :)

Lastly, Silas wanted to share one of the recipes he’s excited to make next week - something fun and hands-on to either get the kiddos in the kitchen with you or else bring out your inner child. Or maybe a bit of both.

I just looked out the window and the sky is throwing snow onto the ground. It’s time for me to head outside and be sure all our creatures are tucked in as well as possible for the cold night ahead. Thank you for being here - you matter to us. If you find being alone does make you feel lonely this holiday season, feel free to give a call if you want to chat. Who knows, we may even take you with us to do chores and let you talk to the cows.

~Kelly

---

Herb Roasted Turkey with Giblet Gravy

We have always loved this recipe from Shannon Hayes’ The Grassfed Gourmet. It’s a fair amount of work but we tell ourselves not everything needs to be quick and easy. The results are well worth the effort.

Turkeys come in all shapes and sizes so it’s not possible to give precise cooking times. The only sure way to have a properly cooked turkey is to use an internal meat thermometer. The chart at the bottom of this post gives approximate cooking times to help you determine when the bird should go into the oven, but due to the variation in fat and size, there is no substitute for a good meat thermometer. The estimated times given are for un-stuffed birds. If you plan to stuff your turkey, add at least 30 minutes to the cooking time. Make sure that your stuffing reaches 165 degrees F before you remove it from the bird.

For the giblet broth:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• turkey giblets, including the neck, gizzard, heart, and liver (or whichever of those are available)

• 1 medium carrot, scraped and coarsely chopped

• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped.

• 1 1/2 quarts chicken broth (or turkey broth if you have it)

• 1 tablespoon dried thyme, or 3 tablespoons fresh

• 2 teaspoons dried parsley, or 2 tablespoons fresh, finely minced

Start your turkey by making the giblet broth one day ahead if possible. If not, remove the giblets, and make the broth while roasting the turkey as directed below.

Heat olive oil in a small soup pot. Rinse the giblets, and saute in the oil until they are lightly browned, about 4 to 5 minutes (this can be done in batches if necessary). Add the carrot and saute 1 minute longer. Add the onion, and saute until translucent. Reduce the heat to very low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth, thyme, parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, simmer for 30 minutes longer.

Strain the broth, making sure to reserve the giblets. When they are cool enough to handle, remove any gristle, then dice the heart, gizzard, and liver; pull off the neck meat. Refrigerate all these bits of meat separately from the broth until you are ready to use them.

For the herb butter:

• 1 tablespoon coarse salt

• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 tablespoon thyme

• 2 tablespoons minced oregano

• 1 tablespoon minced rosemary or 1/2 tablespoon ground rosemary

• 1 teaspoon dried lavender (optional)

• 1/4 pound ( 1 stick) softened butter, or 1 cup olive oil

Combine all in the food processor and combine until smooth. You can stir them together in large bowl if no food processor is available.

For the turkey:

• 1 turkey

• 3 medium onions, coarsely chopped

• 2 carrots, scraped and coarsely chopped

• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

  4 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme if available (or 1 tablespoon dried)

• 2 sprigs fresh sage (or 1 tablespoon dried)

• 2 sprigs fresh marjoram or oregano ( or 1 tablespoon dried)

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Be sure turkey is dry - pat with paper towels if needed. Place the oven rack in the lowest position and rub 1/4 of the herb butter under the turkey skin at the breast. Rub the remainder all over the bird - on the back, breast, thighs.

Set the turkey on a well oiled rack in a large roasting pan. Toss half of the chopped onions, carrots, and celery into the cavity of the bird. Add half the herbs and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Scatter the remaining vegetables and herbs in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Pour 1 cup water over the vegetables (not over the turkey). Roast the turkey for the estimated amount of time on the chart, basting every hour (you can use a ladle or large spoon to pour juices back over turkey if you do not have a baster).

Early in the roasting, before you have pan juices, use the remaining three tablespoons melted butter to baste the bird. If the vegetables in the pan look dehydrated, periodically add another 1/2 cup water until the turkey starts releasing pan juices.

Halfway through the estimated cooking time, pour the reserved giblet broth into the bottom of the pan. Continue roasting, basting regularly with the pan juices, until the thigh registers 170 to 175 degrees F.

Remove the bird from the oven. Transfer it to a warm platter, tent loosely with foil and let rest for about 30 minutes while you make the gravy.

For the gravy:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1 cup dry white wine (optional - can use 1 cup warm water with a splash of lemon juice for acidity instead)

• salt and black pepper to taste

Pour the pan juices into a large measuring cup or bowl. Strain and set aside vegetables and herbs. (compost them, save for soup, or you can feed it to the kitchen lurkers if you want…lol)

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly until it turns a deep caramel color. Pour in all but 1 cup of the pan juices. Keep stirring the mixture until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the gravy for about 5 minutes, until it is slightly thickened. Be sure to stir the mixture frequently.

Set the roasting pan over two stove burners. Add the wine to the pan, and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Add the gravy and continue cooking until the sauce is reduced by almost 1/3, approximately 5 minutes. Add the remaining broth and chopped giblets and return the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Adjust the seasoning for salt and pepper. Serve gravy along side the carved turkey.

Each pound of turkey will feed approximately one person. Leftovers are always good. :)

---

Garlicky Roast Beef

We love this roast beef recipe from Pure Beef by Lynne Curry. It works beautifully on almost any type of beef roast so one can choose the more economical cuts and still have a really nice meal. It makes wonderfully easy gravy to go with the deliciously simple Yorkshire Puddings.

For the Roast: Makes approx 8 servings with leftovers

• 12 garlic cloves, peeled

• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) boneless beef roast - top round, sirloin tip, ribeye, tenderloin, top loin all work very well

Up to 24 hours in advance, smash the peeled garlic cloves with the salt and pepper into a paste using a mortar and pestle or food processor (can also use the flat side of a large knife if needed, just be careful).

Rub the garlic paste all over the roast and put it on a rack in a metal roasting pan. If the beef roast you selected has a fatty side, place that side up. Refrigerate it until 1 hour before roasting.

Preheat the over to 300 degrees F. Read Yorkshire Pudding portion of recipe to be sure you have everything ready to go once the roast is removed from oven so it doesn’t rest too long before serving and become overly cool.

Roast until an internal-read thermometer reads 115 degrees F (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours). Remove the roast if you like it very rare, or check the temperature every 10 minutes and remove it as soon as the center of the roast reaches 120F for rare or 125F for medium rare. Transfer the meat to a cutting board, tent it with aluminum foil, and let it rest for at least 20 minutes to reach its final serving temperature.

Raise the oven temperature to 425F once you’ve removed the roast, to prepare the oven for baking the Yorkshire Puddings.

For the Gravy:

• 3 cups milk

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour

Remove the roasting rack and pour the milk into the roasting pan. Bring pan to a boil on the stove top over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned garlic bits. Use a fork to mash the butter and flour together in a small bowl until they are well blended. Whisk the butter mixture into the simmering liquids and cook until it thickens to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Taste the gravy for salt and pepper, pour it into a small saucepan, keep warm over low heat.

Slice the roast into 1/4 inch thick slices with a sharp knife and serve with the hot gravy.

For the Yorkshire Puddings: makes approximately 12 servings

• 1 cup (4.5 oz) all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 eggs

• 1 egg yolk (you could use the extra white with the beaten egg needed for the cheesy roll recipe below)

• 1 cup milk

• 2 tablespoons melted beef tallow, ghee, or butter

Whisk the flour, salt, eggs, yolk, and milk together in a medium mixing bowl, beating vigorously to make a perfectly smooth batter. Pour the batter into a 2 cup or larger measuring cup with a spout and let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Once oven is heated to 425F, pour 1/2 teaspoon of the tallow/ghee/butter into each cup of a 12 cup muffin tin and put it in the oven to heat for 2 to 3 minutes. When you can hear the fat sizzling, take it out of the oven and carefully pour in the batter, distributing it evenly to fill each cup about halfway. Put the muffin tin in the oven and keep the oven door sealed so that they rise in the intense heat. Bake the puddings until they are puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

---

Cheesy Bread Rolls by Silas

These bread rolls are simple and fun to make. The melted cheese on top of each roll adds a lot of flavor to the bread. You can eat the rolls plain or fill them with whatever you like.

• 2 cups bread flour

• 2 cups whole wheat bread flour

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (approx same temp as human body - if you stick your finger in the water it should just feel slightly warm and comfortable)

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• 1 egg, beaten

Pour 1/2 cup warm water into small bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and sugar and stir until dissolved. Let stand in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface.

Put both types of flour and salt into a large bowl and use a large spoon to mix well. Use your hand to make a well (a big dip) in the center. Put the yeast and most of the remaining water into the well and gently mix together to form a soft dough. Stir in the extra water if it’s too dry.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead firmly using the heel of your hand, folding the dough over as you go. Knead for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and shiny. Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover with dish towel. Let rise in warm place for 11/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.

Ask an adult to preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Punch down the risen dough by punching it down with your knuckles.

Divide the dough into 9 equal pieces. Dust your hands with a little flour and shape the dough into rolls (balls). Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a damp dish towel and let sit for 10 minutes.

Brush the rolls with the beaten egg and press some shredded cheese on top of each roll. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until risen and golden. Allow to cool slightly before serving with dinner or filling with whatever makes you happy!

View fullsize

Tips for keeping your farm fresh meat

Stocking freezers is on many minds as we approach winter and I've been answering a lot of questions about the shelf life of frozen meats. With grocery stores full of foods with sundry shelf-lives, it's no wonder we find ourselves confused when it comes to knowing how long something can keep.

That made me decide to share tips I've learned about storing farm-fresh meats over the years. Some of the info is specific to our farm but most of it can be applied to meat from any local farm so feel free to share with friends and family if you feel it could help them too.

I hope this finds you well! Today is full of sunshine and Adam and Silas are out planting one last batch of grass seed into a hay field. I will move on to plant more garlic once I've finished here. All the best to you and feel free to get in touch if you ever have questions about any of our foods.

~ Kelly

FROZEN FACTS:

Fortunately, when buying meats directly from a farm, you are probably getting food much fresher than that in a grocery store. That tends to give you ample time to use it up. Here's why--

• Typically, meat in a grocery store has been butchered, packaged, and then shipped under refrigeration to the store where it may sit on a shelf for a few weeks to a few months (depending on the product). Once grocery store meat goes home with you, it may be nearing the end of its shelf life.

• Should you choose to then freeze your refrigerated grocery store meat, the display packaging from the store will not protect the meat well for long-term storage. It is probably wise to use up such products rather quickly, i.e. within a few months.

Whereas our beef, lamb, and pork is frozen immediately after being processed and packaged. It never has time to sit on a shelf, aging in a refrigerated package. This alone keeps it fresher.

• We also use packaging intended for long-term frozen storage. You may have noticed the lack of air space in frozen meat purchased from a farm. By vacuum sealing the package (the food-nerd term is cryo-vac if you want to sound all fancy), the meat is better protected from temperature fluctuations and freezer burn.

• When kept in a stable freezer environment, meat cuts packaged this way have a long storage life -- up to a few years.

On our farm we've always made sure to sell our frozen meat cuts within one year of having them packaged. It's worth pointing out that we are currently selling most of our meat within a month or two of having it processed and packaged - about as fresh as a small farm can get.

I think the most important thing to know is that well-packaged farm meats kept well and consistently frozen can remain good for years. So if you're inclined to stock up, you needn't worry if you can't eat through it all within a few weeks or months. YOU HAVE TIME.
I once found a steak which had been set aside for us farmers to eat for SIX YEARS before I thawed and cooked it... It was just fine. :)

FROZEN TIPS:

• A clean freezer prevents off-flavors. Clean any spills and defrost as necessary or recommended to prevent any funky freezer build-up.

• Keep your freezer as cold as possible when storing meats. Remember that cold air sinks and so the coldest part of your freezer will be the bottom - keeping meats on or near the bottom can help ensure they remain at a stable temperature.

• Handle your meat packages with care - tossing them about can break the vacuum seal and create a loose package that won't keep as well long term. Over time, loose packages allow freezer burn and potentially for the meat to take on a "freezer flavor".

• There are some products where a tight vacuum seal are not really possible - bones are a good example. Or you may purchase or create a package with a loose seal. For these products we advise using them within 6 months for best quality.

• You may want to invest some time into organizing your freezer. This will help you find what you need quickly, which keeps the cold in.

• Once thawed, farm fresh meats should be used as quickly as possible - we aim for within 24 hours and are sure to keep thawed meat refrigerated during that window.

THE NOSE KNOWS:
Our sense of smell is what nature used to keep us safe long before there were thermometers and food safety agencies with their temperature recommendations. If raw food ever smells gross and it's not surströmming or limburger, you might not want to eat it... then go check your freezer/fridge temps!
But again, if kept consistently frozen, the odds your meat will become bad in storage are slim to none and can be kept for a long time. In the end, buying directly from a local farm, coupled with careful storage and timely cooking will help ensure you can purchase and store nutritious meats with confidence and use them at your own pace.

Buckling Up to Buckle Down

"The only way out is through... the only way out is through...."

That has been our mantra of choice for difficult farm seasons. We don't have any other words of wisdom or intense optimism to offer right now.  All we know is that as farmers, we know what it's like to deal with the unknown and we know what a blessing it is to find connection and comfort in community when things get tough. As such we wanted to let you know we're so grateful for the support shown to local farms in the past few weeks.

We can be here for you because you have been here for us.
Truly. Thank you.

Strangely, so much about farm life remains the same. The animals neither know nor care that the human world has been turned upside down. They move about their days with the same nonchalance that is always that of contented creatures. We think there is a lesson there if we look for it - to maybe channel our inner cow or chicken as best we can and just be in the moment. We are every day grateful to be in their presence because they remind us to focus on the essential things.

So that is what we've been doing. We care for the things within our control and hope like hell for the rest. We are growing a lot of produce again this year so there are seeds to plant. Soon there will be sheep to shear and calves to gentle. The hens give eggs daily and the grass is slowly growing green. One day, one task at a time - we keep moving forward.

Your recent support has allowed us to buy seed, feed, deer fence, and a load of extra hay. We just sent another load of beef to the processor and it should be ready within 10 days. We are doing everything we can to hang on through this, so we can be here afterward and feed you through it all.

We still aren't certain when farmers markets will resume but in the meantime we have developed a no-contact delivery and pick-up schedule that has been working well. We still have lots of good food available and lots more on the way. If you need anything the schedule is as follows:
 

SATURDAYS:
Pick-Up at New Hartford Shopping Center parking lot at 2pm sharp
** Please also shop with our partner farms for this pick-up. We have teamed up with Plumb Rocky Farm and Slate Creek Farm so you can also get their products at this pick-up. Please click on "Partner Vendors" under the New Hartford Pick Up Site Delivery Location information.
or
Home Delivery available to Clinton, New Hartford, Utica, Waterville Area 

SUNDAYS:
Pick-Up at Parry's Hardware Parking Lot in Hamilton at 2pm sharp
or Home Delivery available to Hamilton Area

MONDAYS:
Pick-Up at American Homesteader Parking Lot in Norwich at Noon

No contact ON-FARM PICK UP available any time:
Just contact us to place your order and we'll set up a time

You can place your order in the online store or send an email with any questions/requests.

Now is also a great time to sign up for a whole-farm CSA share as we can invest the funds directly back into the farm operation and therefore CSA gets first dibs on the food we produce. More info available below. :)

And lastly, please reach out to us if you or anyone you know is out of work or otherwise in need of good food but short on funds. We're happy to barter, accept volunteers (once the quarantine order is lifted), or otherwise meet people where they are, as much as we are able. Please talk to us if we can help.

**A word about our precautions: We've always been fussy about being clean but we're going extra right now: All orders are individually packed with freshly washed hands and we are the only people with access to our freezers. We do not leave the farm aside from no-contact deliveries. As of 4/2/20 we will be wearing clean, homemade masks to pack and deliver all orders. Please DO NOT return used egg cartons to us at this time. We can accept them again when things are less wonky... :)

We also want to share these words: As many of you know, Wendell Berry is another one of our heroes. His poems have often offered solace for our worried hearts. These particular lines seem so fitting for the times...

"Calling his neighbors together into the sanctity
Of their lives separate and together,
In the one life of the commonwealth and home,
In their own nation small enough for a story
Or song to travel across in an hour, he cries:
Come all ye conservatives and liberals
Who want to conserve the good things and be free,

Come away from the merchants of big answers,
Whose hands are metalled with power;
From the union of anywhere and everywhere;
By the purchase of everything from everybody at the lowest price
And the sale of anything to anybody at the highest price;
From the union of work and debt, work and despair;
From the wage-slavery of the helplessly well-employed.

From the union of self-gratification and self-annihilation,
Secede into the care for one another
And for the good gifts of Heaven and Earth."

~

(excerpt from The Mad Farmer, Flying the Flag of Rough Branch, Secedes from the Union
from The Mad Farmer Poems by Wendell Berry)

Be well, everyone! We'll get through this together and we're here if you need us.
Love,
Kelly, Adam, Silas and ALL the creatures of Quarry Brook

Pandemics and Puppies!!!

Meanwhile, in other news...Something Positive:
Happy "Gotcha" Day to Cosmo and Bella!

Today marks one year since we traveled to Massachusettes to bring these two home. We could not have done it without your help.  A million thank yous to everyone who made purchases, signed up for CSA shares, and even gave donations to help us pay their re-homing fee.

To recap, Bella and Cosmo were living on a goat farm where the owners needed to retire for health reasons. It can be tricky to re-home working guardian dogs - they need the right situation. A lot of thought went into whether our flock and farm was the right place for them and we're so happy to report it ended up being a great fit!

Bella is the 'brains' of the operation, being the first to alert to strange sounds and sights while Cosmo provides the 'brawn'; charging past his sister to lash any anomaly with his resounding bark. They make a good team and take their job seriously. They diligently protect their sheep from coyotes, eagles, strangers, and things that go bump in the night.
 

We work every day to make sure our dogs know they can trust us and we look forward to many more years of shepherding by their side. Trust is something we all take seriously around here - thank you for being here and for all you entrust with us - from food, to friendship, to furry guardians.
 

"Money will buy you a fine dog, but only love will make it wag its tail."
-Richard "Kinky" Friedman

Pantries and Pandemics

How are you doing? We hope your worries over the corona virus aren't too dire at this point.

We're not panicking but we do think common sense preparation and attention to good nutrition should come to the forefront in times like these. Our wish is for every family to have a good supply of nutrient-dense food on hand - good food that can support and boost immune systems and nourish bodies when they need it most. Isn't there an old saying about one's pantry being a first line of defense...?

To us the spread of the corona virus and the ensuing public reaction drives home the importance of local food systems. When the world becomes a scary place it's pretty essential to know where your nourishment will come from. We'd like to make a case for supporting small businesses and local farms as much as possible right now - it will help keep essential skills and systems alive and close to home.

If you are gathering a food supply we might suggest you stock up on meat and eggs -both store very well and are incredibly nutritious. Root veggies and dry beans are also great items to have on hand.

As of right now, Oneida County Public Market has been canceled for the rest of the winter season and we don't yet know about Poolville Market - we'll keep you posted as we learn more. In the meantime, we will find other ways to feed you!

Starting immediately we are offering weekend deliveries and fresh, open-air shopping at the farm. No lines, no crowds, just two farmers to help you and we both use plenty of soap and warm water when washing our hands. :)

Our freezer inside Parry's Hardware in Hamilton is also freshly stocked with ground meats, hamburger patties, sausages, steaks, and roasts.

As always, all delivered foods will be packed at the farm with thoroughly washed hands - we've always been fussy about that.

Deliveries to Utica, New Hartford, Clinton, Waterville and surrounding area are on 3/14 between 1 and 5 pm.
******************
The farm will be open for pick up on Sunday from 1 to 3pm.
Sunday's weather is looking sunny so we'll do pick up's outside, near the front porch to give the sunshine, fresh air, and breezes every opportunity to work in our favor. 

Feel free to send us a call/text 607-423-6098 or email with questions or to place an order.

Have you heard the "mooos"?

Are you having a snow day like we are? We went from pouring rain to near white-out conditions in the matter of few hours, and now a layer of heavy snow blankets the farm. I head out for evening chores soon and I know all that white stuff will add extra hours to the task. Still, I know the animals prefer the snow to sopping cold rain and there is a part of me that appreciates how snow storms force us all to slow down.

I thought I'd use a few spare moments before chores to give a quick hello and a few farm updates. I also wanted to share the recipe for the delicious slow food Silas and I been preparing over the course of this slow-down snowy day.
 

Thank you for being here! I hope you have a warm and safe weekend!
~Kelly

Utica Farmers Market is TOMORROW!
The Oneida County Public Market' is open on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. We'll be there tomorrow from 9am to 1pm so head over once you dig out.
We have lots of ground beef and lamb, sausage, roasts, fresh eggs and more!
If you live in or around Utica, New Hartford, Clinton, Waterville, or Sherburne and can't make it out tomorrow, I'd be happy to deliver something to you on my way home from market. Give me a call or send a text if I can help you. :) 607-423-6098

. Don't forget the Poolville Winter Farmers Market will only be held once a month from now through April. There is NO market there for the rest of February and the next Poolville Market will be Saturday, March 7 from 10am to 1pm.  

Speaking of mooooooooos, er news...

You can now find our beef, pork, lamb, and sausages inside Parry's General Store in Hamilton. We love this modern day general store's dedication their local community, especially their local farmers! So if you need anything and can't make it to market, pop over to Parry's. They carry produce, breads, eggs, meats and more from other local farms too!
Please let us know if we can stock anything special for you in the freezer there!

We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

First, we wanted to let you know we have all sorts of beef back in stock and some new things too. The online store is freshly updated and you're welcome at the farm any time. We will also be at both Clinton and Hamilton Market this week with all the goodies if you need anything. Scroll down for more on what's available right now...

Second, have you seen Jaws? If so you might remember the scene where they first spot the shark and then realize exactly they're dealing with. The man tossing chum into the water gets an eye-full and then slooooowly backs into the wheelhouse to flatly tell the captain, "You're gonna need a bigger boat." 

We haven't seen that movie in years but we've been thinking about that scene a lot in the last few days. It seems like a good metaphor for any situation in which one realizes a different plan is needed. And it's looking like we might need a different plan...

Just a few years ago a small farm like ours could eek out a decent living by selling at farmers markets. That no longer seems to be true. All the local farmers we talk with have theories on how and why this change occurred, but we're not sure there is any one answer. Sometimes things just change and that's OK. What we do know is that when we come home from market and tally the books, we feel a lot like the man in Jaws realizing we need to do something different. It makes us sad to write this but it's true: farmers markets alone no longer pay the bills. Something needs to change.

So friends, where to from here?  Since we farm for you and with you, we thought you might like a say in what the new boat looks like. As your farmers, how can we make it easier to support local farms? 

Some ideas we're considering:

• on-farm store/farm stand -would you be willing to come to us?

• cooperation with other local farms for more diverse CSA/farm store offerings - we can't do it all and other local farms have great stuff.

• more structured online ordering opportunities and home delivery

• farm tours, farm dinners, and homesteading/farm skill classes

• shipping...

• others....?

If you have any ideas and a second to reply to this email, we'd love to know your thoughts. What works for you? How can we serve you and others in our community better so we can better pay the bills and keep farming for years to come?  

Thank you so much for being here and for the gift of your time and support. We truly couldn't do it without you, nor would we want to. 

Sincerely,
Your farmers - Kelly and Adam and Silas

Here’s a photo from yesterday's sheep move. They are currently grazing a field without any trees so we build them a new shade structure in each daily paddock. Bella and Cosmo are doing their jobs beautifully and the fields are bonkers with butterflies! High welfare farming is hard work but it certainly has its perks... :)

Because We Like This Planet

Lately I've been listening more carefully to all the calls for environmental action in the news. I'm so very glad humans seem to be paying better attention to this special sphere we call home. I kinda like this place...

But I also find much of the information to be conflicting and lacking in nuance, especially when it touches on food. Most agricultural-related environmental advice seems to boil down to: Eat plant based because meat is cruel and cow farts are going to end the world.

Every time a new study or report comes out telling me I am contributing to our planet's demise by being farmer and an eater of meat, I feel...guilty, just for a second. What if they're right? Then I look around our farm and compare those reports with what I can see with my own eyes: incredible biodiversity, healthy, contented animals, soils that improve each year, food that grows right outside the door- everything living in a loop as old as time.

They're not completely right but explaining why is not a simple task. That might be the biggest catch of all for us regenerative farmers - what we do and why we do it doesn't fit neatly in a soundbite. Still, I'm up for most challenges so I might as well try to add some nuance to the environmental eating conversation. Maybe they have you feeling guilty too, and you shouldn't. Not if you're eating from farms that close the loop. 

I thought I might start by sharing some basic information on how the carbon cycle is affected by grazing livestock. The bit below is from a London-based company called The Ethical Butcher and explains it well. They gave me permission to share with it you and I encourage you to follow them on social media if you're into that.

As always thanks for being here and reading along, sometimes we just need more than a soundbite.

Kelly and Adam and Silas

From The Ethical Butcher, London England:

“About 40 percent of ice-free land on earth is considered grazing land, which sequesters about 30 percent of our planet’s carbon pool.

This is why we must stop factory farming. Now, because factory farming does not do this. Only animals raised in harmony with nature can accomplish this.

So how is carbon sequestered by animals and plants?

Every plant plays the vital function of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, via photosynthesis. Using sunlight’s energy, the plant fuses that carbon with hydrogen and oxygen to make carbohydrates, which it moves into the soil through its roots. (It also maintains some carbon in its own leaves and shoots and stems.) The roots feed the carbohydrates to dirt-bound fungi; in return, the fungi feed minerals back to the plant. As Mother Earth News describes it, “This invisible partnership…is the foundation of the terrestrial carbon cycle, as plants incorporate carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide into carbohydrate biomass.”

The longer a plant’s roots, the deeper it can sequester carbon in the soil and the more efficiently it can hold it there. A healthy grassland, with a diversity of region-specific native grasses can create deep carbon sinks. Managing grasslands well also contributes to carbon storage other ways: by building up soil health to make land more resilient to extreme events, according to Marcia DeLonge, senior scientist in the Food & Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. This, she says, “can protect existing soil carbon to some degree, but perhaps more importantly may allow continued carbon sequestration. In other words, even when events like extreme heat, drought, fire, and floods don’t significantly affect soil carbon immediately, they could affect the plants above ground that contribute to soil carbon in the longer term.”

Often working against these heroic efforts on the part of plants and trees, though, is agriculture. To produce some of the food we need in order to live, we disturb or destroy our carbon-storing ecosystems. We run animals through them in unsustainable ways, or we chop them down and plow them up to raise monocultures of crops like corn and soy—some of them to feed livestock, others to produce the fake meat that’s meant to replace real meat—that require still more plowing, as well as the application of chemicals that kill beneficial soil bacteria, fungi, insects. The land becomes degraded, and carbon-poor.

Improbable and illogical as it may seem, livestock can help.

There’s been a growing movement of farmers and ranchers who have moved towards a “new” model of raising cattle. I say new in quotes because actually, the concept is based on the way herding animals have lived in nature forever. This method is called many different things: mob grazing, rotational grazing, adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing, holistic planned management and intensive grazing. The basic idea is that you need to intensively graze the herd of ruminants (grass eaters like cattle, bison, sheep, etc) on a piece of land and then quickly move them, providing the optimal nutrition for the animals and allowing the land to rest and recover. There’s more to it than this, and there are different philosophies on how often to move the animals, but that’s the basic idea: “biomimicry” or trying to replicate natural cycles as much as possible.

These are the farmers we source from, we will also teach more farmers to produce like this, because we like this planet.”

“Realize agendas drive data, not the other way around."
-Joel Salatin

Maybe it's Easy, Eating "Clean"?

Since I raise food I am often asked for recipes. Lately the requests have been for 'clean eating" recipes. To be honest, I wasn't even sure what that meant.

In fact, the phrase brought to mind an image of a haughty, over-organized person who wants to tell people what to do. "Eat THIS, don't eat THAT." Recipe blogs involving lots of raw kale and sprouts came to mind...

But I finally looked into it and found...clean eating has no set definition! Some say it means eating only raw and organic fruits and veggies year round. Some say it's going dairy/gluten/sugar free. Others claim it's making EVERYTHING from scratch. Some say animal protein will kill you. Some websites will sell you packets of powdered meal replacements that are "super clean!" Oh man...

It seems open to interpretation. So here is my personal interpretation:

• Just eat real food, as minimally processed as possible.

• Do your best to eat things that can grow in or near your backyard.

• Enjoy it.

That's it. I feel like eating should be a pleasure, after all it's what makes everything else we do as humans possible. It's certainly no fun to make food decisions out of fear. Eating is essential to life, it shouldn't be stressful or rely on some factory formulation.

And that is a big part of why we farm - to offer real food from close to home and to raise it in a way that you can feel sound about. No factories or fear. :)

I hope you enjoy the rest of the week.  Wishing you well and thanks for being here!

Kelly

"Our life is being frittered away by detail...simplify, simplify."
-Henry David Thoreau