Kitsap Farm to Fork

There are days that challenge my commitment to farming.  Like today.  Cold, wet, slushy, rainy, soggy…sick cows, muddy pastures, backed up storm drains in the milking area, I am tired and feel sick….it goes on and on.

So, as an antidote to all the woes of the world I made soup.

We had a hog butchered at Home Meats in Shelton.  They do an old-fashioned slow cure on their hams and bacon.  Very tasty indeed.  We had the ham for dinner earlier in the week and all that was left was a meaty bone.  I tossed it in the crock pot this morning with a pound of white beans, a chopped onion, a couple bay leaves, 3 quarts of water and about 1/2 cup of pan drippings from roasting the ham.  Pan drippings are my secret ingredient any time I need to give a soup or gravy a boost.  Intense, smoky and salty, the pan drippings  are strained and defatted and stored in a ziplock bag in the freezer.  It is so salty that it doesn’t really freeze properly, just getting firm but not solid.  A couple tablespoons adds life to potato-corn chowder, or gives an added layer of flavor to sausage gravy.   #2 son is always saying, “Everything is a little better with some pig on it!” and I think he might be right.

This afternoon when the beans were cooked I tossed in a couple potatoes, peeled and diced and half-a-dozen carrots, sliced up.   I stripped the remaining meat from the bone, chopped it up, tossed it in the pot and gave it a couple turns of the peppermill.

When we got in from doing chores this afternoon, chilled and soaked to the bone, it really hit the spot.  It will be even better tomorrow but for tonight it was good enough!

A while back I posted about the “Dark Days Challenge” and said I was going to share our progress … and then NOTHING.  So much for being a Food Blogger!

So, what are my recent culinary adventures?  Tonight, motivated by Ann Vogel’s trip down memory lane with the Egg and I (great book!) and having an excess of eggs, I made the Chiffon Cake.  For the record, the recipe must be calling for large eggs – not extra large – and 12 eggs might be a bit too many!  I made it with 11 farm eggs and it still spilled over the top of the pan.

It was definitely a lofty cake – perhaps a bit too much.  We will have it with berries and a bit of creme anglais tomorrow for dessert!

Tonight for dinner we had clams with pasta.  My sister-in-law was coming through Shelton yesterday and stopped at Tom Farmer Oysters (which should probably be called Tom Farmer Oysters AND Clams) and picked me up 5# of steamers!   After much debate (eat them plain – all by myself(!) – dipped in melted butter or do something with them??)  Weighing my alternatives and knowing that I was going to have six for dinner tonight I opted for pasta and used a recipe of Emeril’s and made it with bowties rather than linguine.  Very tasty indeed but no pictures because we ate it before I thought to get out the camera.  This brings up the the biggest problem I have with Food Blogging – the only time I think to take pictures is when the crew is late coming in for dinner and I have a couple extra minutes to set up a shot.  The other problem? Remembering to take a BEFORE picture to document the process.

Tomorrow Karen Olsen of Blackjack Valley Farm will process her first batch of broilers for the year and she is going to drop off a couple for me!  I guess that we will be having chicken in the next day or so.  Shannon and I have a batch of Red Rangers in the brooder right now and I will have about a dozen roosters to butcher late in August, but that is a long time to wait for chicken dinner!  I don’t have any definite plans for those chickens yet, but I do have a before shot!

And a possible after!

I promise, I will work on the photo thing!

If you want to learn more about raising chickens there are two upcoming opportunities to learn more about keeping feathered friends!

• Backyard Chickens – Tuesday, May 10th, 2-3 pm at the Port Orchard Library.  Shannon and I will be giving a free presentation on backyard chickens.  Free to the public.
• The Kitsap Poultry Grower’s Cooperative Meeting.  Also on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 6:30pm at the Kitsap Humane Society Training Center, 9167 Dickey Rd. NW in Silverdale. There is no cost to attend and non-members are welcome. More information is available at the KPGC website at http://www.kitsappoultry.com/.  This month’s special guest is Fred Berman, WSDA Small Farms and Direct Marketing Program, who will discuss current state regulations for raising, marketing and selling poultry and poultry products for farmers and other’s interested in raising poultry.

Chris Henry posted my recipe for Chicken Cacciatore over on Peninsular Thinking as a follow up to her story on our Chickens 101 class.  That is my favorite recipe for stewing hens, but Harley suggested his favorite was this chicken stew and dumpling recipe.  It is pretty good too.  It is from Chefs on the Farm featuring the Quillisascut Farm School with photographs by Harley.  Check out the review here.  This is a “spring” stew because it features chives.  Winter variations can feature dried herbs or sage or rosemary as well.

Place a large (or two small) stewing hen in a pot with 1 onion, 3 stalks celery, 3 large carrots, two bay leaves, sage, thyme, parsley and 1 Tbsp pepper corns.  Simmer 2-3 hours on low.  Strain stock, discard vegetables, shred chick off the bones and reserve.  This can also be done in a crock pot on high for 4-5 hours or 8-10 hours on low.

For the Stew:

• 2 Tbsp chicken fat or olive oil
• 2 small onions, diced
• 1 pound carrots, diced
• 1 stalk green garlic or 3-4 cloves thinly sliced
• 4 c stock
• 4 c shredded chicken
• 2 Tbsp fresh thyme (1 Tbsp dry)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Saute veggies in oil or fat until onions are tender, add stock, bring to simmer and cook until vegetables are tender.  Add shredded chicken and time.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Dumplings:

• 2 cups ricotta cheese (make your own)
• 1/2 c fresh chived, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 c corn meal
• 1/2 c flour
• 3 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together, do not over mix.  Drop by spoonfuls into the simmering stew.  (Tip: use an ice cream scoop for nice round dumplings.  Cookie-sized for small ones, regular-sized for big ones).  Simmer small dumplings 4 minutes or until tender, larger dumplings will take 7-9 minutes.  Turn them over and simmer for 2-3 minutes longer.  Serve hot.  You will be tempted to lick the bowl. Winter Variation:  Potatoes, with sage in the dumplings instead of chives is also good.

So, the other night Shannon and I put on our name tags (since it makes us look so much more official!) and went out on the town!  The Kitsap Community and Agricultural Alliance monthly meeting was a Meet the Farmer / Farmers Market Preview event and Potluck!  I am not saying that we were the country mice, but it was nice to get out and chat with Farmer Friends.  We put the WSU board up with the rest of the farmer displays and tucked into some amazing local food.  My new favorite?  Pickled Garlic Scapes!  Spicy, beautiful to look at and very tasty!  I am thinking that is what my scapes are going to do this spring!  I can’t wait for them to come up so I can get picklin’.

The rest of the meal was pretty tasty as well.  I must confess to a bit of pride myself – I can hold my own at a potluck!  But there was some tough competition!  Lots of varieties of bread, deviled eggs (yummo!), spring greens, chicken curry and nan bread…all washed down with Hummingbird Hill soda.  If you have never been to a KCAA meeting be sure and come next month!  You will be fed — physically and mentally — because they always have interesting speakers and programs.  For a complete summary of the event check out Brandy Williams’ post over at Kitsap Cuisine

Here is a pix from the smart phone – which apparently is the WRONG model for the awesome camera!

Speaking of picklin’ — Shannon recently posted about her food storage efforts — and canning and preservation are a huge part of that.  “In a Pickle” is her April class — check it out and get ready for summer veggies!

Like Shannon, I also have a large pantry, full of jams and jellies, pickles and sauces, fruit and juices, pasta, rice, beans, flour, and spices.  In addition, there are three (!) freezers full of meat and frozen fruit, berries, and veggies.  Right now we have about half a beef left from last summer, 10 stewing hens, a couple fryers, and a hog that we added to the larder last week.  There is also 10# of rendered lard — because you just never know when you  might need to make a killer pie crust for that rhubarb pie!  And, until the middle of February we also had onions, potatoes, carrots and garlic.  We still have a bit of garlic left — but the last of the stored vegetables are gone.  March to July is rice and pasta time!

We don’t buy many groceries — but we also spend a lot of time putting up.  Why?  Well, it tastes good, it is good for you, we know where all that food came from so there is no question about whether it is safe or healthy for the family, and it is thrifty!  The trade-off for our grocery independence?  We spend lots of warm summer nights sitting around the kitchen table snapping beans, hours peeling and canning peaches and tomatoes, early mornings in the garden picking baby cucumbers, and more than a couple cold fall afternoons butchering chickens!  It never stops from jammin’ with the berries in June until mid-November, by which time you have lost your will to can and are very thankful to be done.  A constant stream of empty jars come upstairs and go back down full.  Then abruptly, the process reverses and a couple at a time the jars in the basement pantry march back upstairs.  Peach-Orange-Pineapple Jam to slather on warm bread on cold winter mornings, dill pickles to crunch on with tomato soup and grilled cheese for weekend lunches, peaches for cobbler with whipped cream (thanks to Alexis the Princess Cow!) after Sunday dinners of roast beef, mashed potatoes and Bread and Butter Pickles.  I “go shopping” in the pantry a couple times a week all winter long and the emptied jars pile up on the counter until there is no more space, then I grab a box and tote them back downstairs where they wait on the bottom shelf of the canning pantry for the process to begin again!   This annual “uncanning” is more than an exercise in nostalgia — now it is hip and sustainable.  People blog about it — there are facebook pages devoted to preservation — and people are getting back on the train.   So, join Shannon and I this year as we share opportunities to fill your pantry in our classes, offer tips and recipes, and laugh a little at our failures (because there will be some — trust me on this!)

Don’t know how to get started?  It all begins with planting some seeds!

Evening everyone!  Just got back from the first night of the 2011 WSU Agricultural Entrepreneurish and Business Planning Class!  Awesome group of folks – lots of enthusiasm for farming!

I also spent some time cruisin’ the blogroll tonight and read a great post on Dropstone Farm’s Blog about cooking in the Dark Days!  Check it out!  We have also been working on the Dark Days Challenge here – but haven’t blogged about it.  Maybe tomorrow while I am getting ready for the Cheese Making Class on Saturday (ack!)  Of course, the last time I got doing something else while I was making cheese it didn’t go that well.   Cheese needs your attention!

Local Events

Growing Groceries – Organically
January 8 – February 19
Grow your groceries organically – a series of four classes designed and taught by WSU Kitsap Master Gardeners to help you create your own backyard organic vegetable garden. WSU Extension Office, MG Program, 345 6th Street, Bremerton, WA 98337. http://kitsap.wsu.edu/Organic_Gardening_2011.pdf

WSU Kitsap Extension “Cultivating Success: Agricultural Entrepreneurship” Course
January 19 – April 13, 2011, 6:30 – 9:00pm
New and existing farmers will gain skills in business planning and direct marketing, learn to evaluate resources, legal and management issues, marketing strategies, budgets and financial statements, and develop a business plan for their farm enterprise. Norm Dicks Government Ctr. in Bremerton, WA. $225 farm/family/enterprise. For more information or to sign up for this course, contact Arno Bergstrom, WSU Kitsap County Extension at 360-337-7225, or awbergstrom@wsu.edu. Register here: http://kitsap.wsu.edu/ag/business_course.htm

West Sound Bee Keepers Association
January 18, 7:00pm
At Stedman’s Bees. info@WestSoundBees.org

Kitsap Mason Farm Bureau
January 20, 7:00pm
Belfair QFC conference room. For info: Jerry Garner Jlgarner2@embarqmail.com

Art of Making Cheese
January 22, 1:00-4:00pm
January 24, 6:00-9:00pm
Got milk? Learn to make cheese! Soft and hard cheese making techniques you can use in your home kitchen! Jan 22nd at the Silverdale Community Center. Jan 24th at the Fairgrounds in the President’s Hall Kitchen. Registration info: http://kitsap.wsu.edu or shannon.harkness@wsu.edu or (360) 337-7157

NEW!! Backyard Chickens / Chickens 101
February 5, 1:00-4:00pm
The class will cover care and brooding of chicks, equipment, housing for adult birds, feeds and feeding, chicken health, manure management, chicken breeds, and much more! At the Norm Dicks Government Center, Room 406, 345 6th Street, Bremerton WA 98337 Cost: $35 Contact: shannon.harkness@wsu.edu or dfish@wsu.edu

Canning 101
February 12, 1:00-4:00pm
February 22, 6:00-9:00pm
Preserving food sounds a little daunting to those who have never learned how to safely do it. Home food preservation does require knowledge, equipment, and time. Join us as we learn the basics of food preservation in this 3 hour workshop. Offered Saturday, February 12th at Silverdale Community Center and February 22nd at President’s Hall Kitchen. Registration info: http://kitsap.wsu.edu or shannon.harkness@wsu.edu or (360) 337-7157.

Westsound Small Farms Expo!
March 5, 8:00am-5:00pm
Save the date for the first Westsound Small Farms Expo! Classes for farmers and ranchers. Topics include agritourism, season extension techniques, managing mud, pastured poultry, network with local farmers, visit vendors and much, much more! Registration info: http://kitsap.wsu.edu or shannon.harkness@wsu.edu or (360) 337-7157.

Regional Events

NEW!! Orcharding on the Westside
January 22, 9:00am-4:00pm
Topics include the basics of tree fruit production, varieties and different fruit kinds, rootstocks, nutrient management, pest management, irrigation, orchard layout planting, pruning, and harvest indices. $75 per person and includes a catered box lunch. Location is Ed’s Apples in Sultan, 13420 339th Ave SE just off SR 2. www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/136747 or Karie Christensen at (425) 357-6039, e-mail klchristen@cahnrs.wsu.edu.

NEW!! Form I-9 Compliance Training.
January 25, 1:30–4:30pm
Hands on training in the proper procedures for completing and retaining the Form I-9; Latest information on responding to a government audit; Procedures for you to conduct an I-9 self audit. At the WFB Building – 975 Carpenter Rd NE, Lacey, WA 98516. http://www.wsfb.com/educationtraining

Country Living Expo & Cattlemen’s Winterschool
January 29, 7:30am – 5:00pm
Over 150 classes are offered from raising backyard chickens, chain saw maintenance, naturally dye wool and fabric, organic gardening, to learning about having your own family milk cow. $60 (inc 5 class sessions, a smoked prime rib or gourmet vegetarian lunch, and all-day trade show. At Stanwood High School. http://skagit.wsu.edu/countrylivingexpo/

NEW!! Saving the Family Farm
February 4, 7:30am-3:30pm
Join Union Bank, WealthCounsel, LLC, and the Washington State Conservation Commission for an event for farm families and attorneys and others interested in preserving the family farm. At the Union Bank headquarters located at 332 Southwest Everett Mall Way. Info: Amy Ward 206.587.4751 / amy.ward@unionbank.com. Reg by Jan 28th.

Washington State Swine Information Day
February 4, 8:45am-5:30pm
Presentations organized to meet the diverse and unique needs of the Pacific Northwest swine producer. Topics include transportation requirements on Washington highways, animal handling, basic swine nutrition and show pig carcass quality. Organized and sponsored by Washington Pork Producers, National Pork Board, and Washington State University Extension. Pillar Rock, Moses Lake, WA. Contact Sarah M. Smith 509-754-2011, Ext. 413 or smithsm@wsu.edu

NEW!! 7th Annual WFB Labor Conference
February 16
At Central Washington University in Ellensburg – the only conference dedicated to the labor and employment needs of Washington’s seasonal employers. Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna will provide the keynote address. http://www.wsfb.com/educationtraining

NEW!! Basic-Plus Cheesemaking Shortcourse
February 16-18
This 3-day offering is intended for the beginning cheesemaker who is serious about pursuing Cheesemaking as a business activity at the farmstead or artisan level. Avid hobbyist and enthusiasts are welcome too! Lynden, WA. Info: Marc Bates cheeseguy@charter.net 509-595-8652. $529. Registration: http://www.wsu.edu/creamery/basicplus.htm#

Northwest Washington Farm to Table Trade Meeting!
February 22
Grow your business with new market connections between local buyers and producers! This day-long gathering is designed to foster market opportunities for local farmers, ranchers, chefs, distributors, restaurateurs, processors, caterers, grocers and anyone who has a stake in the NW Washington food economy. Saint Joseph Peace Health Hospital Conference Center, Bellingham. lridenour@sconnect.org or call 360-647-7093.

NEW!! Dormant Pruning
February 26, 10:00am-3:00pm
Topics covered include the basics of pruning with an emphasis on the techniques and goals of dormant pruning. You’ll learn what issues can be addressed or exacerbated, the physiology of a tree’s response to pruning, along with what to look for when deciding to prune, or not to prune. Dress for weather & mud; bring gloves & pruners for practice. www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/136751 $65 per person. Andrew Corbin, corbina@wsu.edu (425) 357-6012.

NEW!! The Puget Sound Food Network Training
March 7
Aimed at helping our members take full advantage of their annual membership. These one-on-one trainings will equip attendees with an in depth knowledge of how to use the PSFN site, a customized online profile, and updated marketplace listings. The PSFN Operations Manager and Account Managers will be on hand to discuss how PSFN can help grow your business! At the NABC office, 419 S 1st St, Mount Vernon, WA 98273. Info: Ann Leason ann@psfn.org

Laura over at (not so) Urban Hennery issued her annual Dark Days Challenge – and regretfully I missed the deadline to sign up.  I was spending more time back then farming than blogging.  I think that was the weekend we were butchering turkeys…but that is a whole ‘nother Oprah!

Shannon and I have been talking about a pantry challenge for this blog – but I am thinking that the Dark Days Challenge might be kind of fun too!  The rules say that basically you need to eat four SOLE (sustainable, organic, local and ethical) meals a month.  That shouldn’t be much of a challenge for us – given that we eat that way all the time anyhow!  However – it will provide me with the incentive to plan, take pictures and blog about what we are doing – which is the bigger part of the challenge for me!  I spend hours working on the farm and compose great blog posts – in my head!  But when the time comes to sit down at the computer and get it posted on the blog I just don’t seem to get there!

Tonight for dinner (we don’t have a picture of this because we ate it before I found out about the challenge!) we had broiled pork chops, rice pilaf, cranberry and apple compote, green beans and milk or apple cider.  The pork was from a hog we slaughtered this fall, the pilaf contained scallions and carrots from our garden, and the compote included apples from my mom’s place and Grays Harbor-grown cranberries.  The green beans came out of the garden last summer and went right into the freezer.  The milk came from Alexis (The Princess Cow) and the apple cider was pressed this fall.  With the exception of the rice, all of the food was Washington grown, most within 100 feet (let alone 100 miles!) of the house.

For many folks eating local all winter long is a challenge because the Farmer’s Markets close down for a couple months, and even though Abundantly Green has their farm store open on Tuesdays and several other local farms offer winter CSA’s it is more challenging and you need to work harder to locally source fruits and veggies. In my case (and Shannon’s) winter is actually a time to take it easy.  It is much simpler to open the jar and eat the contents than it was to put it up!

We look forward to sharing of our meals during the challenge and hope you will share what you are doing with us!

One challenge associated with eating local, seasonal food is that you have dry spells.  Tonight I peeled the last of the potatoes – so there will be no more mashed spuds until August-ish.   They were nobby and mis-shapen things, and were sprouting like crazy with a few green spots, but they peeled up fine and were yummy mashed up with some half-and-half.

 About a month ago when we were getting the garden ready for tilling we dug the last of the potatoes.  There are a wide range of ways to store spuds.  If you have a root cellar or cool basement you can put them in a burlap sack, keep them away from the apples and they will keep for most of the winter.  Lacking a root cellar you can make a root storage bin by putting a bucket or two of sand in the bottom of a rubber maid garbage can, moisten it, place a couple of scraps of 2×4 on top like a lattice and put sacks or bags of potatoes in the garbage can.  Keep the lid on, store it in a cool, dark place (like a garage) and they will keep for months.  Or, you can be really, really lazy and leave them in the garden and go out in the rain, sleet and snow during the winter and early spring and dig enough for dinner as needed.  We are fortunate to have well-drained soil so they don’t get water logged, and despite living in the “snow zone” out by Crosby we don’t get deep frost in the ground.  Granted, there were a few potatoes with wormy spots and some that were frost-burnt, but on the whole they were fine. 

So we bid the last year’s potatoes goodbye and get ready for a couple months of rice, pasta and couscous.  But, as I was weeding the garden yesterday I noticed that the beginnings of this year’s crop (Yukon Gold, Reds, and Russet Burbanks) are peaking through the dirt!