December 30

Farm Notes

Well friends, we’ve (almost) made it to the end of the holiday season.. let’s all let out a big collective sigh and take a deep breath. I know the holidays are a whirlwind of emotions and activity, and I just hope the past few weeks have brought some form of new joy, renewal, and deliciousness into your life.

We’ve had a busy but really wonderful few weeks celebrating with our families, and we just returned from an epic road trip home from the midwest after our return flight was cancelled (like everyone else, it seems)! We decided to let Sawyer tell us how far we could drive, as we knew that a 13+ hour car ride with a 15-month old babe wasn’t ideal, but he was an absolute champ and we powered through, making it home around 1 AM. Even though it was a looong day in the car, we were so grateful to wake up at home and see our little farm out the window.

But because it’s never dull around here, when we got home our heat downstairs wasn’t working (and is still off, so I’m typing this wrapped under lots of blankets) and some frisky mice were running around like they owned the place. And then looking outside, there were tarps blowing around and the end walls on the tunnels ripped pretty badly from last week’s polar vortex… alas! None of that really matters, we are just so grateful to be safe and together and home.

An ending and a new beginning…

As I reflect on this year and look ahead to 2023, I’ve been thinking a lot about this space and how to best serve this community moving forward. And after a LOT of hard thinking, I have decided to end this chapter of the Farmbelly Club – with the intention of taking a step back and ultimately creating a more useful and engaging way to share all about life on our farm, and to keep sharing helpful information about growing, cooking, and eating good food with a broader community. 

I’ll be honest that when I first dreamed up the Farmbelly Club over two years ago, I envisioned a dynamic online space where I could share the behind-the-scenes from the farm, and it would be a place to foster engaging conversations, share recipes and resources, troubleshoot kitchen + garden questions, etc. And if I’m being honest, I know that the current form of the Farmbelly Club (which is hosted via my website provider, Squarespace), hasn't quite created the dynamic online community that I originally envisioned (and that I promised to you, my amazing Farmbelly Club members).

And so, at the end of 2022 I will officially close the Farmbelly Club as it currently exists – but with this end comes the opportunity of a new beginning, and I’m truly excited to re-work how to better show up and serve this awesome community moving forward. In January, I will be switching over to a Substack newsletter – which will go out once a month to anyone and everyone for free, and once a week to anyone who would like to continue supporting this work, for $5/month. I’ll be in touch again very soon to let you know once the new newsletter has launched, and I’d be honored to have you join me there! THANK YOU for joining me on this journey, and for your grace and understanding as Farmbelly continues to evolve and grow.

So what does this mean for your Farmbelly Club membership?

• You will have access to your Farmbelly Club member account for 30 more days (January 31, 2023). After 30 days, the Farmbelly Journal and recipes will no longer be accessible – though if at any time you would like access to any of those pages, please just email me (michelle@farmbelly.com) and I will happily e-mail any and all resources/pages that have been posted over the past 2 years.

• If you are on a monthly billing plan and were charged in the last 14 days, you will be refunded for the entire month.

• If you are on an annual billing plan, I will pro-rate a refund for you based on when your annual renewal took place.

Still have questions? Please send me an email (michelle@farmbelly.com) and we will talk it out! Again, I so appreciate your understanding and continued support – it really means the world. Here’s to new beginnings and a delicious new season ahead!

with love,
Michelle

December 9

Farm Notes

It’s been a cold and dreary week around here, which means I’ve been inside doing lots of “computer farming” – i.e. planning for next year, seed organizing, and working on putting together some newly organized resources for y’all.

Speaking of which… I recently realized that I didn’t have an easy way for Farmbelly Club members to quickly find information on specific gardening / farming topics that I’ve covered in my journal entries over the past 2 years. So it’s about time we (and by we, I mean ME..) fixed that!

Behold! Here’s a brand spankin new Growing Tutorials & Resources page – where you can quickly find information on tons of different gardening topics, crop-specific tutorials, etc. This page will only continue to grow and become even more expansive with more entries over time. And if there is a specific growing topic that you don’t see that you’d like me to tackle, please let me know!

Sign up for a free Garden Consultation in 2023

As we look ahead to next year, I want to help YOU set goals + plans for your gardens! As a thank you for being part of the Farmbelly Club community, I’m excited to offer free 15-minute garden consultations in January for anyone who wants to dig in and make a game plan for a thriving garden in 2023. Whether you have just a few pots on your front porch or a big dedicated garden space (and everything in between) – let’s get you growing like a pro next season!

To sign up for your garden consult, please fill out this quick survey by December 31st. After submitting this form, you will be contacted within 1 week to schedule your consult, which will take place on the phone or via Zoom in January 2023. In addition to our Zoom call, you will receive a follow up email filled with helpful links, resources, and templates specific to our conversation.

And in case it’s helpful, I put together this printable 2023 Garden Goals Worksheet to help you start thinking about your growing goals for next year. Let’s get growing friends!

PS – Here’s a link to today’s virtual farm walk over on our Facebook group! A note that this will be the final farm walk of 2022, as we will be with family for the holidays the remaining weeks of the year. THANK YOU for following along and I’m excited to resume our virtual tours again in 2023!

Kitchen Notes

I’m going to be honest y’all… these days my culinary attention has been laser-focused on trying to come up with new, healthy meals that Sawyer wants to eat. Overall he’s a pretty good eater (there’s a reason he’s in the 80th percentile for his weight..), but he can definitely be a bit picky, especially whenever we introduce something new. One thing that I know he’ll always chow down? Muffins. Or literally any kind of baked good for that matter. So of course, I’ve made it my mission to find a muffin recipe he’ll be excited to eat, that is still healthy and chock-full of veggies. Thankfully, I found a great recipe over at the blog Yummy Toddler Food, making just a few tweaks of my own. I promise they are yummy enough that even if you don’t have a picky toddler to appease, you’ll enjoy them!

Healthyish Carrot Muffins

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup all purpose or whole-wheat flour

• ½ cup rolled oats

• ¼ cup brown sugar (for sugar-free, omit and sub 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup)

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• 1 cup applesauce (or any kind of veggie puree – sweet potato, winter squash, etc)

• 1 cup grated carrots

• 2 large eggs

• 3 tablespoons canola oil (or melted coconut oil)

• ¼ cup raisins

• ¼ teaspoon salt

PREPARATION

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 24-cup mini muffin tin with nonstick spray. Don’t be shy with the non-stick spray, or else the muffins will definitely stick!

• Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and stir together to combine thoroughly but gently.

• Add a heaping 1 tablespoon of the batter to each prepared muffin cup and bake 18-22 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out cleanly.

• Remove from oven, cool in the pan for 2 minutes, and use a paring knife to loosen the edges as needed. Tilt in the pan to allow air to circulate underneath or transfer to a wire rack to cool.

• Serve warm, at room temp, or chilled.

Today’s Stats

• Low temp: 40F

• High temp: 51F

• Sunrise: 7:16am

• Sunset: 5:03pm

• Moon phase: Waning gibbous

• Additional notes: Cloudy and chilly

December 2

FARM NOTES

Happy December! I hope y’all had a delicious and (somewhat) restful Thanksgiving… we had a lovely and relaxing holiday weekend here at the farm with family, and we’re still working through alllll the yummy leftovers. Somehow I’d gone 33 years of life on this planet without ever cooking a turkey, and this year was my very first time!

I followed a fairly straightforward recipe from Bon Appetit, and while the big ole bird came out of the oven looking gorgeous, the taste was kinda… meh. I mean, it was fine, but definitely not the star of the show (I’m more of a honeybaked ham girl myself)… alas, I’ll have to try again next year.

Now that our CSA season is over, things have really quieted down out in the garden. We do still have a good amount of nice greens, root veggies, herbs, etc ready for harvest – so local friends, make sure you check out next week’s Winter Farm Box! Each box is filled with 7-8 different veggies + herbs, for $25/box, with pick up here at the farm on Tuesday afternoons between 2pm-7pm.

Our main focus these days is tackling my ever-growing winter projects list. First priority is putting our growing beds “to bed” for the winter – which means pulling out any remaining plants (and weeds), removing and storing irrigation drip lines, and covering each quadrant with silage tarps. If you’re also working to put your garden to bed for winter, I very highly recommend using tarps! They serve a multitude of purposes – weed suppression, preventing soil erosion, and helping to keep the soil warm to encourage beneficial biologic activity underground. It’s definitely worth investing in high quality silage tarps (I like to source ours from Farmer’s Friend)… I’ve made the mistake of purchasing cheaper tarps in the past, and they ripped to shreds the first big storm that passed through. A note that if you need any help with winterizing your garden, I’m happy to help advise, just send me a message.

Silage tarps in action!

Another favorite winter activity is digging into the 2023 seed catalogues! I love pouring through stacks of seed catalogues to dream + scheme for the growing season ahead, flush with fresh enthusiasm and optimism that a new season brings. Here are my go-to sources for purchasing seeds (if you go to their websites, you can usually request a physical seed catalogue to be sent to your home):

• Baker Creek – a great source for rare/heirloom seeds

• High Mowing Seeds – 100% organic source for a wide range of seeds

• Southern Exposure Seed Exchange – seeds selected for the south/mid-atlantic region

• Row 7 Seeds – experimental seeds bred in collaboration with chefs for maximum deliciousness

• Johnny's Seeds – especially for larger-scale growers, Johnny's is a go-to for high quality seeds (and heaps of other growing tools)

• Floret Farm – incredible source for a wide range of flowers

Wishing you all a cozy and delicious first week of December… keep reading for a go-to winter recipe that’s made for keeping you warm on chilly days and nights.

PS – I just took y’all on a virtual farm walk! Tune in via our private Facebook group HERE. :)

Kitchen Notes

Got winter squash? Run, don’t walk, and MAKE THIS SOUP.

This recipe is super straightforward, uses all easy-to-source pantry ingredients, and is packed with flavor thanks to warming fall spices, zesty ginger, bright lime juice, and cooling coconut milk. I used butternut squash most recently, but use whatever local winter squash you have access to – whether it’s pumpkin, acorn, kabocha, or funkier squash varieties like koginut. A note that the ingredients list may look long/intimidating, but I promise this soup comes together super quickly and easily!

Roasted Winter Squash Soup with Ginger, Lime & Coconut

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 lbs unpeeled winter squash (such as butternut, acorn, kabocha, etc)

• Olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon turmeric

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• Pinch roasted red chili flakes

• 4 cups vegetable stock or water

• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Juice of 1 lime (~3 tablespoons)

• 1 14-oz can coconut milk

• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, plus more to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Peel the butternut squash and dice the flesh into ½” pieces. Toss the diced squash on a rimmed baking sheet with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

3. Roast for 30-35 minutes, until the squash is soft and beginning to caramelize. Set aside.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in saucepot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onion, a pinch of salt and cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.

5. Add ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and chili flakes, and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

6. Add the cooked butternut squash, along with the vegetable stock or water, salt and pepper.

7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

8. Stir in the lime juice and coconut milk, and simmer for another 2 minutes. Take the soup off the heat and add the fresh basil.

9. Use blender to carefully puree soup in 2 or more batches, until smooth.

10. Return soup to pot over low heat. Taste and adjust seasoning to balance the salty, pungent and citrus notes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with creme fraiche, toasted squash seeds, fresh herbs or anything else that inspires you. Enjoy!

Today’s Stats

• Low temp: 42F

• High temp: 53F

• Sunrise: 7:10am

• Sunset: 5:03pm

• Moon phase: Waxing gibbous

• Additional notes: Sunny and chilly