CSA starts TODAY!

It's another rainy day here in New England... but that doesn't stop us from harvest or fun! We are starting the CSA early this year and we are excited to be able to provide fresh, local food mid May... in New Hampshire!

Green and purple are the colors of the day... lilacs, spinach, chives (with purple flowers), mint, oregano, even the bok choy from White Gates Farm came in green and purple! **Thanks, LeTartes, for helping supplement what the cabbage worms devoured! **

And thank you to all of my helpers this morning, Stephanie did artful things with flowers + thyme, Ben helped pick mint + herbs, and - of course - Jared!

As I sit on the front porch of Tin Mountain Conservation Center, listening to the rain falling once again from the sky, I am gathering a recipe perfect for spring! 

But first, a look at who's eating our food: 9 month old Ollie with this week's fresh take!

Now, for what to do with it all?!? It is spring, and egg season, so this week's recipe is a spinach + thyme frittata. You could also use the choy instead, if you want to savour your spinach fresh!

Spinach and thyme frittata, adapted from:

http://www.athymetoeat.com/2012/04/spinach-and-potato-frittata.html

Ingredients
2 bunches spinach, washed, trimmed, and chopped
1/4 cup water
1/2 yellow onion, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup half and half
2 egg yolks
4 large eggs
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese, divided
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the chopped spinach in a saucepan with 1/4 cup water and cover with a lid. Heat over medium high heat until the leaves are barely wilted, just a few minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside. While the spinach is cooking, whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, half and half, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and half a cup of the Gruyere cheese. Melt the butter in an oven proof skillet and add the onions. Saute until translucent and fragrant.

When the onions are ready, top with the cooked spinach, sprinkle thyme over, and pour the egg mixture. 

As the egg heats and begins to set, use a spatula to lift up the edges and allow the egg to move to the bottom of the skillet. Repeat until the egg is no longer runny Top with the remaining cheese and place in the oven.

Bake for 13-15 minutes until the egg has puffed up and the cheese has browned.Cut into quarters and serve.

Little Red Romper Room

Nine baby turkeys arrived from Stanton Brook Farm yesterday. There is another batch in the incubator due on the 24th. 

Right now, they are hanging out in the science lab (thanks Kathy!), cozy and warm under their red heat light. Last night, they huddled up, a bit cold and shaken from the drive, but this morning, they are running around, pecking the hay, eating and drinking.  **Better photos to come, promise!

one year later

The high tunnel turns one year old this month. This morning we celebrated with a ton of activity. Candice brought out the middle school English class to weed. 

 Here is the contrast... one year later!

sweet and spicy

A couple of weeks ago, Jared and I seeded peas outdoors! They have pushed their way up through the soil and are loving the rain and cool weather we are having. 

This evening, I seeded a few beds of greens and also sneaked in some radish seeds right up next to the peas. Since the they only take up the middle swath of bed, the spicy radishes should be pretty happy flanking those sweet little peas...

colors and materials

While I was in DC, Jared and Mark laid a BUNCH of bricks in the high tunnel... it looks FANTASTIC. 

The high tunnel is nearly full now with peas, carrots, greens and a few early tomatoes. We've even tucked in some trays of onions seedlings to harden off for their pending transplant... 

 

On her visit today, Lori pointed out that the combination of weathered red brick, knotty tan wood, and vibrant green onions is quite the combo. I agree!

growin' in da city

A lot has been happening over the past few weeks. We are gearing up BIG for the spring fair, the CSA, and the start of another growing season. 

Despite all of that, I was just able to "get away" for a week and travel with some of the students down to Washington DC. Jared stayed here and held down the fort (and did a GREAT job!) with help from Ashley, Chris, and Mark. THANK YOU ALL!!!

DC was a blast. We walked all over our grand Capital, seeing the monuments, touring museums, taking in history and urbanity all at once. We only spent three complete days in DC - two additional days were spent on trains down and back - and we packed them full. There were many highlights to the trip: the monuments at night, the Native American History Museum, and the gardens. 

YEP, gardens! We met with Sam Ullery, the man in charge of DC's school gardens from both behind a desk and behind a wheel barrow! He showed us around the biggest of the DC school gardens at Walker Jones Education Campus. They have bees, fig trees, strawberries, a GREAT compost pile, rain barrels, cover crop AND delicious veggies all in the school parking lot! 

 

Our  next stop was Marion Street Garden which is run by Rebecca and Lola of City Blossoms, an incredible organization that is teaching, feeding, and activating DC neighborhoods. We conveniently visited on a Thursday, which is a meal-sharing day. We helped harvest and prepare a "shoots and noodles" dinner for 15+ people. Peas, chives, oregano, and thyme were sauteed over a camp stove and added to pasta with a little lemon and butter. Everyone waited for all to be served, then a ritual "blessing" was said in Spanish roughly translated as "to the top, to the bottom, to the middle, to the mouth!" It was an amazing visit, to say the least. 

Spring Fair!