March 31

Farm Notes

Our first farmstand of the season is officially in the books! The weather yesterday was pretty darn perfect – sunny, but still relatively cool and breezy, and I was so proud to send our veggies out into the world and onto the tables of so many friends (both new and old) in our community.

These farmstand Tuesdays are FULL ON – I’m up with the sun and have pretty much every moment of the day planned out in order to make it all happen.

In the early morning hours there is still some harvesting, washing, and packing to finish, then around 9:30am I make a round of pickups around Saxapahaw to get goods from some local vendors that we offer through the farmstand. I’m usually back by around 10:15am, and then I have a friend who joins me every Tuesday to help finish all the prep and packing the orders. I definitely couldn’t do it all myself, so it is amazing to have an extra pair of hands.

By 12pm we move all the washed and cooled veggies to under our carport area, and we start packing the orders! This week we filled about 50 orders – many folks pick up at the farm, but about half go to our 4 other pick up locations (Burlington, Chapel Hill, Hope Valley, and Durham). We put the orders that are heading to the other pickup locations in big bins, and on top of each bin we write the names of the people whose orders are inside that particular bin.

By 1:30pm, I need to be in the car with the bins and I head east to drop off the orders in Chapel Hill, Hope Valley, and Durham. And by 3pm, I need an iced coffee! Thankfully, my last drop-off is right across from a great local coffeeshop, and I may or may not have indulged in a $6 latte and it was worth every penny (though I definitely won’t be able to keep up that habit every week…)! I’m usually home by around 4pm, at which point I usually will do some additional work out in the garden, so that folks who are picking up at the farm can come over and chat if they’d like. By the time it gets dark we sit down for our Tuesday tradition of pizza + salad, and I’m usually asleep not too long afterwards… ;)

So that is what my Tuesdays will look like for the foreseeable future! A note that if you’re someone looking to start your own farmstand and have any questions about our process, just give me a holler, I’m happy to dig into even more detail.

Kitchen Notes

Yesterday we kept our tradition of Tuesday pizza + a big salad going strong, but over the weekend I made a french-inspired herby potato salad that we LOVED and I’m excited to share the recipe (which I found over at The Kitchn) with y’all! A note that I actually doubled this recipe, because… LEFTOVERS!

Herby French Potato Salad

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Cyd McDowell, The Kitchn

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 pounds small red or Yukon gold potatoes (no larger than 2-inches in diameter)

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh tender herbs, such as parsley, basil, dill, tarragon, or a combination

• 4 medium scallions

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard (or additional 1 tablespoon regular Dijon)

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

1. Place 2 pounds small red or Yukon gold potatoes and 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt in a large saucepan. Cover by 1 inch with cool water, then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are easily pierced with a knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the herbs and scallions, and make the dressing.

2. Coarsely chop 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh tender herbs. Thinly slice 4 medium scallions.

3. Place 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl. Whisk well to combine and emulsify.

4. Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander and rinse under cold water just until they are cool enough to handle but still warm. Halve the potatoes (or quarter if large) and transfer to the bowl of vinaigrette. Gently toss to coat the potatoes. Add the herbs and scallions and toss lightly to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow for the flavors to meld. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Today’s Stats

• Low temp: 41F

• High temp: 68F

• Sunrise: 7:04am

• Sunset: 7:38pm

• Moon phase: Waning Gibbous

• Additional notes: Cloudy and rainy.

March 26

Farm Notes

Yesterday was a big day around here, as we officially re-stocked the Farmbelly Farmstand for the 1st time in 2021! We’ve been preparing for this week since the end of last year, with countless hours spent carefully planning, bed prepping, planting, weeding, irrigating, fixing broken machines, etc etc. It feels so good to get to this moment, and I’m grateful that (despite an incredibly wet winter) we’ve had a lovely spring thus far, and our veggies are coming along really nicely.

It’s crazy to think that this time a year ago, the world was shutting down due to a (still ongoing) global pandemic. In the midst of all the uncertainty, exactly one year ago we started our little farmstand, and what started as just a few loyal customers has since grown to an incredible network of folks who trust in us to provide nourishing food for their tables. And I couldn’t be more honored to help feed our community and to do this work.

Needless to say, I was overwhelmed by the incredible support when we re-stocked the farmstand at exactly 7pm last night for pre-orders! Within an hour, ALL of our veggies sold out, and many of the items from our other wonderful vendors sold just as quickly. While I suppose it’s a great problem to have, I never want folks to be disappointed when items they want sell out so quickly, and I’m doing my best to ramp up our production as quickly/efficiently as possible to meet the demand. It’s still very early in the season, and most of our veggies still need some time before they are ready for harvest…. but I promise that more will be available soon, and I’m so grateful for the continued support from our friends, both near and far.

In other news, it’s been another busy week of spring planting! This week we planted another round of scallions, radishes, turnips, and 7 different varieties of potatoes. Over the weekend I’ll be sharing all the details and my tips for planting potatoes, so stay tuned!

Our tunnels are bursting with veggies and we can’t wait to share these gorgeous greens with folks!

If you know me, then you know I have a soft spot for edible flowers. How gorgeous are these spring pansies?

It looks like we’ve got a beautiful weekend ahead, and I have LOT on our to-do list!

• Weed, weed, weed all around the farm

• Mow + weed whack the entire farm

• Organize and deep clean our veggie processing area

• Organize and clean inside the barn

• Enjoy the gorgeous weather :)

KITCHEN NOTES

It’s been another one of those weeks when there’s been a lot of time in the dirt, and not quite as much time in the kitchen! But now that our spring greens are slowly but surely coming in, I’m suddenly way more inspired to get cooking. Over the past few days I’ve been amassing a list of recipes that I’m eager to make, and I figured I share them here too. Some of these recipes I shared in my March newsletter that went out on Thursday, but I’ve added a bunch more here just for all you wonderful Farmbelly Club members. :) What are YOU excited to cook in the weekend/week ahead?!

Spring recipe inspiration…

• Carrot Salad with Harissa, Feta & Mint

• Herby Spring Pasta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

• Sesame Noodle Salad

• White Bean & Spring Vegetable Stew

• Carrot Cake Energy Bites

• Green Goddess Dressing

• Simple Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

• Spring Greens Soup with Roasted Fennel & Cauliflower

• Frittata with Spring Greens, Parmesan & Pancetta

• Herby Potato Salad

Today’s Stats

• Low temp: 50F

• High temp: 83F (!)

• Sunrise: 7:12am

• Sunset: 7:34pm

• Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous

• Additional notes: Warm and sunny all day. :)

March 22

Farm Notes

Mondays are mostly spent working at my computer, but I was able to sneak outside for a few hours in the late afternoon to enjoy the gorgeous day and knock a few things off my to-do list. Many people don’t know that I also have a part-time job managing communications for a local non-profit, but it’s a significant part of my life and how I spend my time, so I figured I should talk about it! I’m incredibly grateful to get to work alongside an incredibly kind and understanding and inspiring team, and my work is pretty much fully remote, which makes it easier to manage with all the demands of the farm. While it can be a lot to juggle at times, I genuinely enjoy that my days and weeks are wildly varied in the kind of work that I do, and it means I get to flex a lot of different muscles (both literal and figurative) on a daily basis.

So as the sun was starting to set today, I worked on some much-overdue weeding and then revved up our zero-turn mower for the first mowing session of 2021! Y’all might think I’m crazy, but I actually LOVE mowing. For one thing, it is incredibly satisfying to turn a weedy, overgrown field into a crisply cut lawn. Whenever I’m mowing, I like to pop in my headphones and listen to a podcast or some music, and it’s my time to just zone out, think, dream and scheme. All that said… I don’t love mowing quiiiiite so much when it’s June and the grass (and all the weeds) grow like crazy and I can barely keep up… but I can say that this first round of spring mowing has been pretty darn lovely.

First mowing session of the season!

Also! At the beginning of every week, I always write down a list of tasks to tackle on the farm in the week ahead, and I think it would be fun to start sharing these weekly lists with y’all… so here’s what’s on deck this week:

• Plant all our potatoes (we’re a week or two behind, but better late than never)

• Seed another round of radishes and turnips

• Finish laying down landscape fabric in our blueberry patch (and gently remove any flowers from our 1st year blueberry plants)

• Install trellis netting for our row of sugar snap peas

• Weed-whack around the farm

• Start spring cucurbits in our indoor greenhouse (zucchini and cucumbers)

• Finish installing drip tape irrigation lines on all planted rows

Kitchen Notes

As it starts feeling more and more like spring, today I was craving a refreshing salad with heaps of herbs and spring veggies, with some kind of grain to make it a bit more hearty. So I decided to whip up my version of a Spring Tabbouli Salad, and it absolutely hit the spot. This is one of my go-to salads to make ahead and portion out for a few lunches or dinners, because it and stays fresh + crisp in your fridge for several days. It’s also incredibly forgiving, so feel free to substitute with whatever herbs/veggies you have on hand, and you can certainly use a different salad dressing/vinaigrette. You do you!

Spring Tabbouleh Salad

INGREDIENTS:

For the salad

• 2 cups quinoa

• 3 cups water

• Kosher salt

• 1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces (if available)

• 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)

• 1/2 cup sliced sugar snap or snow peas

• 4-5 radishes, thinly sliced

• 3 scallions/green onions, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup toasted pepitas/pumpkin seeds

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

• 4 ounces feta cheese, diced (optional)

For the lemon vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/2 cup good olive oil

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour 3 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the quinoa, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow quinoa to steam with the lid on for 5 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork. Transfer quinoa to your salad bowl.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, blanch asparagus in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 1 minute, then add the peas and cook for another 30 seconds. Drain and immerse the asparagus and peas in a cold water bath. Drain once more and dry the blanched vegetables by laying them out on a clean kitchen towel.

3. While the asparagus and peas are drying, make the lemon vinaigrette: Simply combine all the vinaigrette ingredients in mason jar and shake well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

4. Add the blanched veggies to the salad bowl with the cooked quinoa. Add the sliced sugar snap peas, radishes, green onions, chopped herbs, pepitas, feta cheese (if using) and pour over the vinaigrette (using only as much vinaigrette as you need), gently stirring everything together.

5. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (such as adding a bit more salt or lemon). This bright, hearty salad keeps very well in the fridge for several days.

Today’s Stats

• Low temp: 38F

• High temp: 63F

• Sunrise: 7:17am

• Sunset: 7:31pm

• Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous

• Additional notes: Warm and sunny all day. :)

March 19

Farm Notes

Hot dang, I feel like a lot has happened on the farm over the past few days. I’m going to keep these updates quick and dirty because, well, it’s Friday and I can’t wait to hop on the couch and watch Netflix’s new cooking show (for kids of all ages…) Waffles & Mochi! I haven’t watch any episodes yet, but I can already tell I’m going to LOVE it, and have a feeling that y’all will too. :)

Okay, so here’s what’s been happening on the farm the past few days:

Yesterday, Erin and I hustled all morning to finish prepping beds for our spring brassica patch (ie most of our kale, broccoli, and cabbage) before a big storm descended. Thankfully, we got it all done in record time and beat the rain. You’ll see in the photo below that we’re planting these brassicas into landscape fabric, which really helps with weed suppression. We are doubling the amount of vegetables that we are growing this season, and I’m anticipating that means 2x the weeding… so we’re doing everything we can to help manage weeds from the start.

Racing to prep beds before the storm.

Brassica babies going in the ground!

Then yesterday evening I emailed my list of amazing farmstand customers to let everyone know that the Farmbelly Farmstand will be restocked next Thursday, March 25th @ 7pm, and our first pickup will be on Tuesday, March 30th! I’m so ready to kick off the spring season, especially because each week we will once again be offering local baked goods, flowers, honey, mushrooms, garden seedlings, freshly milled grains, etc from our favorite local growers + artisans. If you are local and want to shop the farmstand this year and didn’t receive an email from me last night, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list!

Our mower has been in the shop for the past few weeks getting tuned up for spring, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting its return because our grass is already growing like crazy. We have a lot of weeds mixed in with the grass around the farm, and it’s important that we get everything cut before the weeds send all their seeds into our garden beds. Thankfully, the mower was returned earlier today, which means there will definitely be some mowing happening here this weekend.

Those itty bitty green sprouts are carrots!

I’m also happy to report that our carrots (which we seeded over two weeks ago on March 4th) have finally begun to germinate, which is a relief. Carrots are notorious for taking a long time to germinate, and every year I’m left questioning whether we will have any carrots at all… and every time, they make their fashionably late appearance when I’ve just about given up on them.

A quick reminder that our March Farmbelly Club Zoom Q&A call is this Sunday, March 21st @ 3-4pm EST! Here is the Zoom link to join, and you can submit any questions ahead of time here. Hope to see you there!

Kitchen Notes

I mentioned earlier this week that I made a slow cooker chicken tikka masala recipe that I found over at The Kitchn, and we loved it so much that I wanted to share it with y’all.

But first, I want to be clear that this is a tikka masala inspired recipe, not an authentic recipe. I think this is an important distinction because all too often, well-meaning cooks/recipe writers claim ownership over cuisines that they know nothing about, which I think can be really hurtful to people from the country or culture where a culturally significant dish originates. So if you’ve heard of tikka masala, but aren’t quite sure exactly what it is – it’s a traditional Indian sauce/dish made from tomato and cream (either in the form of heavy cream, yogurt or cashews) with traditional Indian spices like ginger, turmeric and red chili powder, garam masala, coriander and cumin. It is slightly sweet and earthy in flavor, and is delicious over a bowl of rice and some toasty naan.

So this is a very simplified version of an authentic tikka masala, but it is still incredibly delicious and comes together super easily thanks to the slow cooker. The one (very non-authentic) addition I made (which is included in the recipe below) is adding some chopped potatoes and carrots, because who doesn’t love some extra veg? ;)

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Photo credit: The Kitchn

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 2 lbs yukon gold or small red potatoes, quartered

• 3-4 carrots, sliced into rounds

• 1/2 cup whole-milk plain yogurt (not Greek)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

• 2 teaspoons ground coriander

• 2 teaspoons garam masala

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

• 3/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk

• Chopped fresh cilantro

• Cooked rice or naan, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the chicken, potatoes, carrots, yogurt, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker and stir to combine.

2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, garam masala, cumin, and turmeric and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook until darkened in color, about 1 minute. Add the drained tomatoes and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer to the slow cooker and stir to combine with the chicken.

3. Cover and cook on the HIGH setting for 4 hours or LOW setting for 8 hours. Stir in the cream or coconut milk. If you prefer a thicker sauce, leave the slow cooker uncovered and cook on the HIGH setting for 30 minutes. Taste and season with salt as needed. Serve garnished with cilantro with rice or naan.

Today’s Stats

• Low temp: 32F

• High temp: 50F

• Sunrise: 7:22am

• Sunset: 7:28pm

• Moon phase: Waxing Crescent

• Additional notes: Cold and rainy in the morning, beautiful sunshine by later in the afternoon.

March 16

Farm Notes

It seems I was a little too optimistic about spring’s arrival with all the beautiful, warm weather we had last week… alas, all the cold + rain we’re getting this week is putting me back in my place! On the bright side, I’m grateful for the extra hour of daylight in the evening thanks to daylight savings, though it has not been easy to wake up in the morning when it is still pitch-dark out! Let’s just say I’ve been hitting the snooze button the past few days…

Over the weekend, Matthew and I took advantage of the warm, dry weather and got a lot done on the farm. The main task we tackled was prepping a new planting area, on a spot where we’ve had a silage tarp for the past several months to kill any grass/weeds in the area.

Our task over the weekend was prepping this area for spring veggies – this is how it looked after we initially took off the tarp.

After we removed the tarp, we measured out the dimensions of the new growing area, and then laid down landscape fabric around the perimeter. We get 4-foot wide landscape fabric (also known as ground cover, sourced from Country Farm & Home in Pittsboro, NC) and fold it in half and staple it down with 6” landscape staples, which does an amazing job preventing grass/weeds from creeping into the beds over time. It’s an extra step, but very worth it.

Laying down the permanent perimeter of landscape fabric.

Next, we pulled out the measuring tape again and staked out our rows (30” wide) and our pathways (19” wide). For this area, we had room for 7 new beds (with 6 pathways in between). All of our beds around the farm are 50 feet long – we keep this standard so that all our irrigation lines, frost cover, shade cloth, etc can all be cut to 50 feet and will fit on any row. I mark the edges of each bed by hammering in these wooden stakes, and then we tie twine to the stakes and string the length of the row, so we can clearly see where the beds and pathways should be. Next is my least favorite task… digging out dirt from the pathways and placing it on top of the beds (and thankfully Matthew did most of the digging this time)!

Matthew starting to dig out the pathways…

… and a few hours of back-breaking work later!

That’s as far as we got this weekend, but over the next few days I’ll work on broadforking each bed, and then we will apply compost + any other amendments, and use the tilther to work everything in and create a smooth bed.

Kitchen Notes

I’m a liiiiitle embarrassed to report that there has been very little cooking going on here over the past few days. Alas – I’m really excited to try out this slow cooker recipe tomorrow for Chicken Tikka Masala that I found over at The Kitchn. During especially busy times of the year when I don’t have quite as much culinary imagination/bandwidth, there are a few blogs + online recipe sources that I turn to, and I thought I’d share some of my favorite recipe sites with y’all, for whenever you need some inspiration in the kitchen!

My favorite sources of culinary inspiration:

• The Kitchn – a great place for resources and to answer almost any kitchen question you can imagine.

• Smitten Kitchen – I’ve yet to make a recipe from Smitten Kitchen that hasn’t been a total crowd pleaser. Deb is an amazing recipe tester and I trust anything she writes!

• Cookie & Kate – I feel like these recipes strike the perfect balance of being healthy and vegetable-focused, while still being absolutely delicious and packed with flavor.

• Minimalist Baker – my go-to spot for plant-based/vegan recipes.

• Dishing Up the Dirt – these recipes by farmer + cookbook author Andrea Bemis are pretty much the epitome of what I love to cook… dishes that are simple, seasonal, flavorful, and delicious!

Today’s Stats

• Low temp: 41F

• High temp: 45F

• Sunrise: 7:26am

• Sunset: 7:26pm

• Moon phase: Waxing Crescent

• Additional notes: Cold and rainy all. dang. day!

March 12

Farm Notes

Holy guacamole, it has been a WEEK. I’m tired and covered and dirt and a little sunburned, but couldn’t be more grateful for this glorious spring weather during a week full of prep + planting. For the last week we’ve been working to get our beds ready for 4,000+ seedlings that arrived yesterday from Banner Nursery, and I can happily say that all the hustling paid off, because when our plants arrived promptly at 10:30am, we were ready to start planting! I’m grateful that I took the time to map out where all the plants were going ahead of time, as it made the actual planting process super smooth and streamlined. While we didn’t get all of the seedlings planted yesterday, we got the majority of them in the ground, and we will get the rest in over the next few days.

One of the things to keep in mind when planting in your garden is having the right spacing between your plants, which will vary greatly depending on the plant! In case it’s helpful, I’m including here some info about how we space various spring veggies/herbs. A note that we plant in 30” wide beds, so when I say “3 rows” I mean that we fit 3 rows of that plant into a single 30” wide bed (so in a bed with 3 rows, each row is ~8” apart). I should also mention that because we try to grow (and sell) as many veggies as possible, we tend to plant pretty intensively/tightly.

• Beets – 4 rows, 4” apart

• Broccoli – 2 rows, 18” apart

• Cabbage – 2 rows, 20” apart

• Fennel – 3 rows, 8” apart

• Head Lettuce & Asian Greens – 3 rows, 6-9” apart (depends on variety)

• Kale – 3 rows, 12” apart

• Spring herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill, chives, etc): 4 rows in a bed, 4-6” apart

• Swiss Chard – 3 rows, 12” apart

If you have any questions as you start planting your spring seedlings, give me a holler!

So. Many. Plants!

Kitchen Notes

I’ll be honest that my focus this week has been more outside in the dirt than in the kitchen, so there’s been quite a bit of takeout (and at least one frozen pizza) this week! So while I don’t have a recipe to share, I realized that I haven’t talked at all about the many cooking videos I’ve made on my Farmbelly YouTube channel. About two years ago, a friend with lots of video skillz helped me make a series of videos where I demonstrate lots of simple, but super helpful culinary techniques – everything from making your own delicious vinaigrettes, how to dice an onion, knife skills, how to whip up homemade butter from scratch, and many more! I had a blast making these videos, and I hope that you’ll find they help you cook and eat like a farmer. :)

Today’s Stats

• Low temp: 51F

• High temp: 79F

• Sunrise: 6:32am

• Sunset: 6:22pm

• Moon phase: Waning Crescent

• Additional notes: Sunny and warm all day.

March 7

Farm Notes

Ever slowly but surely, the farm (and me!) are getting back into spring shape! It was a deliciously sunshine-filled weekend, with chilly blue sky mornings that warmed up to t-shirt weather by the afternoon. I spent much of the weekend in the dirt prepping beds for our spring seedlings arriving this Thursday. There are over a dozen beds that each need to be weeded, broad-forked, covered with compost, and tilthed before they are ready for plants… so we’ve got some work to do!

In additional to prepping beds for the many thousands of plants coming this week, we checked a bunch of things off our farm to-do list this weekend… like pruning fruit trees, cleaning out the barn, weeding in the caterpillar tunnels, etc. But you want to know the MOST exciting thing that happened? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but getting our driveway re-graveled was one of the most satisfying things EVER. It’s been on my to-do list since we first moved here a year and a half ago, so needless to say it felt real good to cross that one off the list.

Pruning our very old and very prolific pear tree.

Is there anything more beautiful than a freshly re-graveled driveway?

Kitchen Notes

I’ll admit that I get into cooking ruts, where I’ll cook the same few recipes that I know and love over and over and over. And while there’s something comforting about cooking dishes that you know inside and out, I’m trying to be better about cooking more new-to-me dishes each week. Today I got some inspiration for our #SundaySoup tradition by combing through my (ever growing) stack of cookbooks. There were a few different recipes for red lentil soup that caught my eye, and ended up creating my own unique version that drew from elements found in several different recipes.

The result is a curried sweet potato and red lentil soup and DANG… it turned out so good! It all comes together super quickly and easily, and it was full of complex flavors from the classic combination of ginger, garlic, curry powder, coconut milk and lime juice. You can blend this soup until it is completely smooth, though I just gave it a few pulses with my immersion blender, as I wanted to keep some of the texture from the lentils and sweet potatoes. You do you!

Curried Sweet Potato & Red Lentil Soup

Photo credit: A Chef’s Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 onions, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 tablespoon curry powder

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed

• Black pepper, as needed

• 2 small or one large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2” cubes

• 1 cup red lentils

• 4 cups chicken stock

• 1-2 cups water

• 1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk

• Juice of 1 lime

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large pot, heat oil until hot and shimmering. Add onion with a pinch of salt and cook over medium-high until soft and no longer translucent, 4-5 minutes.

2. Stir in the garlic, ginger, tomato paste, curry powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Stir in the chopped sweet potatoes and lentils. Pour in broth and 1-2 cups water (if you want a thicker soup, just add 1 cup and for a looser soup add 2 cups). Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low and partially cover. Simmer until lentils and squash are soft, 25-30 minutes.

4. Stir in the coconut milk and juice of 1 lime and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

5. Using an immersion blender (or working in batches in a blender), puree soup to your desired consistency (or don’t blend at all, if you like the consistency as-is). Enjoy topped with fresh cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and a dollop of plain greek yogurt.

Today’s Stats

• Low temp: 28F

• High temp: 51F

• Sunrise: 6:39am

• Sunset: 6:18pm

• Moon phase: Waning Crescent

• Additional notes: Chilly morning and evening, warmer in the afternoon and blue skies all day.

March 4

Farm Notes

March = time for LOTS of spring planting around here, and that’s exactly what we did all. dang. day! Thank goodness for our new seeder, which we put to good use seeding allllll the things: 6 varieties of carrots, radishes, hakurei turnips, arugula, and a baby kale mix. We also had some extra lacinato kale seedlings leftover from last week, so we popped those in the ground too.

Here’s a quick before + after photos from our carrot beds:

Next week, we’re getting 4,000+ (!) seedlings that I custom ordered from Banner Nursery, so we have a LOT of work to do over the next few days getting beds ready for their arrival. We’re getting incredibly lucky with this stretch of dry + sunny weather, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that our luck holds and we can get all these new plant babies in the ground over the next week or two.

PS – If you have any questions about what you can be planting this time of year in your home garden, please do reach out!

Kitchen Notes

When in doubt, the best way to jazz up a dish from meh to amazing is a delicious sauce! Tonight I was craving something vibrant and green, and I knew that some chimichurri sauce would be just the thing. Chimichurri is a traditional Argentinean condiment with countless variations, but it pretty much always involves fresh parsley, garlic olive oil, vinegar, and some red pepper flakes or chili powder. I like to describe this sauce as “punchy” – ie you should really taste the vinegar, garlic, and fresh herbs in every bite.

Tonight we had the chimichurri with some creamy polenta, roasted cauliflower, and pan-fried local fish – though it’s fabulous spooned over pretty much anything… cooked grains, roasted veggies, grilled proteins, etc etc. I've learned to always make extra, because it never goes to waste. The best part? It takes approximately 5 minutes (or less) to make – just combine all the ingredients in a food processor and viola!

Chimichurri Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large glove of garlic (or 2 small cloves), peeled

• 1 small shallot (or 1/2 of a red onion), coarsely chopped

• 1 packed cup parsley leaves

• 1/2 packed cup cilantro leaves

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• Combine all the chimichurri ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until well chopped, but not pureed.

• Taste and adjust seasoning as needed - keep in mind you want the sauce to be pretty punchy from the vinegar, garlic, fresh herbs, etc!

Today’s Stats

• Low temp: 36F

• High temp: 62F

• Sunrise: 6:43am

• Sunset: 6:15pm

• Moon phase: Waning Gibbous

• Additional notes: Blue skies and sunny all day, windy!

March 1

FARM NOTES

Holy guacamole, how is it already March?! This month we will be planting a TON of veggies outside, which means that the next week or two will be focused on getting our growing beds prepped and ready for planting.

Our process for prepping each bed goes like this: 1) Thoroughly weed the bed, 2) use a broadfork to lift/loosen the soil, 3) put down compost (about 3 wheelbarrows per bed) and any other natural amendments, and 4) use the tilther to blend in the compost/amendments and create a smooth bed for planting. Bed prep is actually one of my favorite farm tasks, as I find it incredibly satisfying to take a bed that has gotten a bit weedy and disheveled, and to get it back into shape for a new round of plants to grow and thrive.

Prepping beds for spring veggies! (this photo is from last season)

Kitchen Notes

On Sunday night, I was rooting around the pantry and fridge to figure out what to make for our #sundaysoup, and I’ve gotta say, the final result may be a new house favorite! I ended up making a tuscan-style kale, white bean and sausage soup, which came together super quickly, and was made from staple ingredients that you most likely already have on hand. If you wanted to make this vegetarian/vegan, you could certainly leave out the sausage (though I’d suggest adding another hearty vegetable like potatoes for some extra body/protein if you leave out the sausage). One secret to making this soup uber delicious is throwing in a wedge of parmesan cheese (or a leftover parmesan rind) to simmer with all the other ingredients. The parmesan (while optional) is highly encouraged, as it adds a bit of salty / umami flavor that makes this soup just a liiiiitle something extra that will have you going back for seconds (and thirds)!

Kale, White Bean & Sausage Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 12 oz beef Polska Kiebasa Sausage , sliced into 1/4” thick slices

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 2 cups chopped carrots (4-6 carrots)

• 2 cups chopped celery (4-6 stalks)

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• Parmesan wedge/rind (optional, but highly encouraged)

• 5-6 cups chicken or veggie broth (or water)

• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1 bunch kale, thick ribs removed and roughly chopped

• 3 cans cannellini or great northern white beans

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until slightly browned, tossing occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage, while leaving any fat in the pot, and side aside sausage on a plate lined with paper towels.

2. Return to pot with oil to medium heat, add onion, carrots, and celery with a pinch of salt and saute for 4-5 minutes (while scraping bottom of pan to get the browned bits). Add garlic, dried oregano, and dried rosemary and saute another minute longer.

3. Stir in chicken/veggie broth (or water) and parmesan wedge/rind and season with salt + pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken a bit.

4. Stir in chopped kale, cooked sausage, white beans (I like to include the liquid from the cans of beans, but you can drain if desired), and red wine vinegar and allow the flavors to meld over medium-low heat for about five minutes. Serve warm, top each serving with parmesan cheese.

Today’s Stats

• Low temp: 34F

• High temp: 61F

• Sunrise: 6:47am

• Sunset: 6:12pm

• Moon phase: Waning Gibbous

• Additional notes: Cloudy and rainy most of the day.