News and blog

       This respite from grizzly winter weather has certainly been a catalyst for us on the farm. Something about warmer (above freezing) weather is a great motivator to do the jobs that your winter self may have put off until tomorrow. Sure signs of spring on the farm are plenty: we got a shiny new bucket for the tractor (trac-taurus as Stephen calls it), the first lambs from Cobb Hill's flock of Icelandic sheep were born, maple sugaring has begun at the Cobb Hill sugarhouse, and we've started our greenhouse preparations! Sifting the compost we moved inside last fall (in a stroke of sheer genius, Kerry!) to prepare it for starting mix is the first step in growing our delicious veggies. We'll mix the screened compost with other natural ingredients and fill up our seed trays so we can get planting hopefully this week! First to be planted will be onion, and other long-season and slow-germinating crops like Brussel sprouts, parsley, celeriac, etc. It won't be long before the inflated tunnel is filling up with bright green things!            

We've finally compiled the results of the survey! To see them: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1mSU-8KxcWO3V32Go0y0c1HoO28UbXvHllMWwM3IYtCA/viewanalytics. We've really enjoyed learning more about what you all want from your CSA membership and we are excited to implement some new crops and ideas into our model.

Here's some of the new things you might see in your share this year:

Sweet onions

Lunchbox sweet peppers

Yellow wax

Napa cabbage

Baby bock choi

Vates green kale

Lots of new tomatoes

Golden beets

Sunshine winter squash

Patty pan squash

Snow peas .  

And more of everyone’s favorites:

Green beans

Spinach

Corn

Peas

Greens

Tomatoes

Yellow onions

And many other things too.                

**Events** Pizza Night! It's happening! Friday at 630 at the Cobb Hill Common House possibly with movie screening to follow  

**Recipes** from wellplated.com

Sausage and Cabbage Skillet

· 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

· 4 Andouille sausages

· 1/2 head of cabbage, cut into thin slices

1 small yellow onion, diced

· 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

· 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

· 1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

· 1 (15 ounce) tomatoes in their juices

· 1 cup rice, cooked

Directions:

1.    Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add the sausage slices and cook for a few minutes on each side, until brown. Remove to a plate, blot with paper towels if needed, and set aside.

2.    With a paper towel, carefully wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium high. Add the cabbage, onion, salt, and pepper and cook the onion begins to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the remaining 1/4 cup chicken stock, canned tomatoes in their juices, and rice, stirring well. Bring to a boil, stir again, then cover and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved sausage slices mixing well, then recover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, until most of the remaining liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Serve warm.  

What's cooking? Send us your recipes: jhaas7@gmail.com, or fjordworks@yahoo.com. OR bring a print copy by the farm!

We have created a new look for our mail-in CSA form. Click on the link below if you want to mail in your CSA membership.

http://sfc.smallfarmcentral.com/dynamic_content/uploadfiles/3438/CSA2015.pdf

Thanks,

Kerry

March 3,2015

            There's nothing like a cold and the cold to make you dread every detail of the day ahead. On the farm there's no such thing as “sick leave” so when you're feeling down (as we've all taken turns doing these past few weeks) you just have to buck up and get it done. While summer is definitely busier, when there are animals involved, winter still means work. Here's a basic run-down of what a day in life is like here these days, complete with potential hazards: Day starts at 4AM and there are emails to respond to, and a quick coffee to chug before getting to the barn to start milking. Just getting out of the house takes a few minutes to put on two sweaters, long underwear and the insulated pants plus crampons on the boots for the ice. First thing at the barn is to check the maternity pens. When there is a calf, it is dried- off, a coat put on and fed a bottle of colostrum. Then feeding the dam and giving her buckets of electrolyte water. There are many cows to milk and if it's a busy morning, like when Cobb Hill Cheese and Dairy Farmers of America are both taking milk, there's no room for dawdling! Additionally once a month the milk tester comes. On the day that all three things happen, the morning starts at 3:30 AM. The horses get an early feeding when it is below 10 degrees. Next the grain is put out in the parlor and to let the first group of cows come in. The sanitizing cycle runs in the milk house while the 40 animals in the barn get grain. This is also a good time to do heat check on the cows and heifers that are ready to breed. Milking continues while the middle barn chores go on. Barn chores include mucking maternity and heifers pens and making sure all the middle-barn residents have fresh, warm water, plenty of hay and their morning grain ration. Everyone in the pack barn also needs fresh water, so that means dragging out the hose, breaking through the ice with an ax in the tanks, pumping out any dirty water, and topping everyone off. On truly frigid days this can be a real race, even a extra-thick hose like we have can freeze up solid if you're not careful. We take care to remove any cow pies from the pack to keep the girls clean and make sure they all have enough hay. Fresh pine bedding is added every other day and once a week we remove any wasted feed from the troughs. The alley in the pack barn is scraped every day. The horses need their pen mucked too, they get grain and hay. Their water is changed every third day. When milking is finished, the parlor is cleaned and we do a check through the middle barn to make sure everyone has what they need. Bringing in more hay, or bedding too. Once the morning routine is through we can move on to any jobs that need done. Usually this will include some kind of snow or ice management. Even a small bit of snow can freeze in a door jamb and make the door unusable if not taken care of. Paths need to be kept clear to ensure safe and easy movement around the barnyard. Inside jobs can include vaccinating, breeding, dehorning, cleaning, sweeping out cobwebs, and making updates to the barn and farm stand. There are days, though, when the cold and wind is so punishing that we turn to desk work. At mid-day we give the smallest calves a bottle of milk to make sure they have enough calories to keep warm. The feed alley is scraped while the cows are ruminating on the pack. A million pounds of compost starts here. An hour will move a lot out to our stacking pad. We double check everyone's water and feed hay and then stop for lunch. We take a few hours in the middle of the day to rest( or work through lunch at the desk) and then it's back to the barn at 3 to start evening milking and chores. If all goes well, everyone is home by 6. There is a final barn check at 11 PM (sometimes more if there is an expecting cow mother) to make sure everyone's okay.

**Events** Pizza Night! It's happening! Friday, at 630 at Jada's house. RSVP and we will let you know what to bring to this community feast. Come hungry.

**Recipes** Slow Cooker Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese Soup

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)

• 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced, plus additional jalapeño slices for serving

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1 cup milk

• 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

• 3 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 1 3/4 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus additional for serving

• Green onions, for serving

• 1. Melt the butter in a large, deep stockpot or Dutch over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and jalapenos and sauté until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper and cook the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the vegetables, then cook 1 additional minute until lightly golden. Slowly stir in the milk and cook until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. 2. Transfer the mixture to a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir in the chicken stock, then add the chopped potato. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 hours on low. 3. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree in batches until smooth (alternatively, you can use an immersion blender directly in the slow cooker). Stir in the cheese a half-cup at a time, allowing it to melt completely before stirring in the next half cup. Serve garnished with jalapeño slices, green onions, and additional cheddar cheese.

What's cooking? Send us your recipes: jhaas7@gmail.com, or fjordworks@yahoo.com. OR bring a print copy by the farm!

              Sitting in the kitchen staring at a bowl of beets slowly wither away. I'll cook them this week, possibly in a pasta sauce. Eating local food in the winter means making compromises, dew-kissed greens and shiny, tomatoes are not always feasible if we choose to commit to local agriculture. Storage crops will sometimes loose their perk as they respirate in storage or are improperly stored. This translates into softer out-sides and formation of blemishes. These items are usually fine and delicious to eat but they appeal less to our conceptions of perfect produce. This often leads to wasted food – items that get thrown away when they still hold significant value as food. Food waste is a big problem worldwide – enough food is produced globally to support the (albeit skyrocketing) population, but much of this sustenance does not make it to consumers' bowls. The reasons for this vary in different parts of the world. In developing nations, lack of equipment, infrastructure, or transport is often the reason for un-eaten food crops. In developed nations, customer behavior is the leading cause. The demand for physically perfect and identical items drives sellers of foodstuffs to go through inventory at an astonishing rate. Foods are discarded, often in the trash (though in some cities, composting ordinances are being established). I'm not advocating that everyone eat the moldy carrot that fell in the crack in the refrigerator door, but I do think that it's important to be aware of food waste and the simple ways we can be better and more economical consumers of food. The most important step is to be aware of our consumption habits and to be as efficient as possible with the foods we bring into our kitchen and eat. For one, it's good to have a sense of how you actually eat. It's okay to not like broccoli, and it's okay to not buy broccoli because you do not like to eat it. Buying broccoli at the store every week when you know you are going to throw it out is crazy, so be true to yourself and your preferences! Next, use what you have. It's tempting to cook up the newest recipe from the newspaper, but if you've got beets staring at you (ahem), maybe better to cook those up first, stash 'em in the fridge and get to your hot new dish a little later. Then, know what options there are to make use of unused or surplus foods. There are lots of religious organizations that accept donations of food and food shelves that do the same.         

            Check out the UU church in Hartland or VT FoodBank for more information on this. Here are some more tips for rescuing food items on the brink: -bananas turning brown can go right in the freezer to await your next banana bread exploit. -Slightly squishy roots can get boiled up and pureed into soups and sauces, no one will ever know! -Stale bread can be used as bread crumbs, croutons, French toast, etc. -cabbage that is wilted or browning on the outer leaves is often bright and lively the next layer down, peel that sucker! We'll talk more about proper storage another time! Stay warm and enjoy the sunshine, all! Thanks everyone who responded to the surveys. We're still compiling your data and will show you the results soon!

Cobb Hill will be sponsoring a day-long spinning and knitting workshop on Saturday and Sunday February 28-29th. Jada's mom is teaching along with a friend of Cobb Hill.

**Recipes**

King Arthur Carrot Cake Cake

1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) vegetable oil 2 cups

(14 ounces) sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

3 cups (11 1/2 ounces) finely grated carrots

1 1/2 cups (5 3/4 ounces) chopped pecans or walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter one

8-ounce package cream cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla OR 1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups (10 to 14 ounces) glazing sugar or confectioners' sugar

milk or cream to adjust consistency of frosting, if necessary

Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9" round layer pans, or one 9" x 13" pan. Beat together the oil, sugar, salt, eggs, and spices. Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir in. Add the carrots and nuts, and mix until just blended. Pour into the prepared pan(s). Bake the cake(s) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Allow the cake(s) to cool completely before frosting. (If you're using round layer pans, remove the layers from the pans after about 15 minutes, and place them on a rack to cool. Frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla. Beat in the sugar. Add a teaspoon of milk or cream if the frosting is too stiff to spread; add additional sugar if it's too thin. Frost the sheet cake right in the pan. For the layers, frost the top of one layer, top with the second layer, and frost the top and sides of the cake. Yield: 1 cake, 16 to 24 servings

What's cooking? Send us your recipes: jhaas7@gmail.com, or fjordworks@yahoo.com. OR bring a print copy by the farm!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cedar Mountain Farm CELEBRATES NATIONAL CSA SIGN-UP DAY FEBRUARY 28

Hartland, Vermont -February 23, 2015: Cedar Mountain Farm is pleased to join other farms from around the country for National CSA Sign-Up Day on February 28. The day encourages food consumers to buy a share of their local farm’s harvest for the 2015 season, a buying model known as Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. CSA has become an important model to support local agriculture since it was introduced to the United States in the 1980s and since grown to over 6,000 farms across the country. To join a CSA, members buy a share of the harvest in the Winter and Spring and then get a box of local produce each week throughout the growing season. “CSAs are the most authentic connection between a farmer and eater available. CSA members get the freshest, high quality, seasonal local produce, but they also get a direct connection to their farmer. This model is economically important to farmers, especially small and beginning farmers, because they can grow with confidence knowing that they have a market for their produce ahead of time.”, says Simon Huntley from Small Farm Central, a technology company that works with CSA farms across the country, and the creator of National CSA Sign-up Day. February 28th was chosen as National CSA Sign-up Day because this day is the most popular day to sign up for CSA shares according to the 2014 CSA Farming Report. Buying a CSA share in late winter is important because farmers are making the capital investments for this year’s harvest now and the CSA model means they do not need to finance these costs with costly credit. “Sign-up is easy,” says Kerry, Stephen and Jada “To learn more and to join us for the 2015 season, you can reach us at cedarmountainfarm.org, at our farm stand and payment can be done by check or credit card online. To learn more about National CSA Sign-Up Day and the CSA model, visit www.csasignupday.com. For information about National CSA Sign Up day visit: http://csasignupday.com

or contact the organizer: Small Farm Central Simon Huntley simon@smallfarmcentral.com http://www.smallfarmcentral.com 412-567-3864

Dear CSA members,

We are busy planning the garden and getting ready to order seeds. Signing up soon will allow us to plant the right variety and amount of each vegetable to keep the CSA shares full this season.

Kerry for the farm crew.

This week we had a farmer from the UK visit. Ed is one of a small number of young farmers blazing new trails in British agriculture. Only the 10th CSA on the island, and perhaps the only horse-powered CSA in the country, Ed's farm Chagfood, http://www.chagfood.org.uk in the United Kingdom town of Chagford, which utilizes the power of three horses and a slew of people to grow 7acres of vegetables and cover crops. Ed's mission (among many) is to revive the cultural history of small diversified farms in Britain and Europe, not only in leading by example but by being an advocate for small farmers at a political level. He helped found the group Land Workers Alliance, a group that lobbies the British government and the EU to move towards a system more beneficial to “peasant farmers” and less to industrial farms. Ed remarked that this organization that been “shockingly successful”.            

Ed is touring horse-powered farms in the US. His trip is sponsored by an American group called the Greenhorns, an organization of and for young farmers seeking to revive an ailing agricultural system. Grassroots efforts like these seem to be enormously effective. It's very easy to feel powerless when faced with a giant conglomeration of lobbyists, lawmakers, and other money-and-power-wielding individuals.            

At the end of his presentation last night, Ed shared two things. One was a picture of his son on one of their hogs. His point, he said, was to emphasize this mission that we, the small farmers and the supporters of small farmers have in common: leaving the state of the planet and of our food systems in a better state than we found them. A small but growing number of farmers like us and like Ed are working hard to simultaneously feed our communities and support our own families in the present, and build a healthy planet for future generations. The second was a traditional folk song from his home in Devon. He sang to us in dialect, words that told a story of people who live from and for the land, changes in agriculture and the refusal to do away with traditions. It was warm, funny, but also serious. Farming for a community and a future generation is a serious thing, and it is in no way easy to do what needs to be done. Despite that, I feel so inspired by the success of a young farmer from abroad, innovating in his field and pushing for something greater.   Thanks everyone who responded to the surveys. We're analyzing data and making this year even better!

**Events** Pizza Night! It's happening! Friday, 630 on the hill. Come hungry.

Cobb Hill will be sponsoring a day-long spinning and knitting workshop on Saturday and Sunday February 28-29th. Jada's mom is teaching along with a friend of Cobb Hill.            

**Recipes** Coleslaw

1 medium-large cabbage (or two smaller cabbages one of each color!) shredded

3 medium carrots grated (or more)

1 small onion shredded thin

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

herbs of choice – fresh parsley or celery seeds are classic

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons dijon mustard  

Mix vegetables together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and pour over slaw. Chill for at least 30 minutes. This basic recipe is infinitely adaptable. Try adding different veggies – red cabbage and a small amount of beets for Valentine's day!!   What's cooking? Send us your recipes: jhaas7@gmail.com, or fjordworks@yahoo.com. OR bring a print copy by the farm!

The Windsor Farm Bureau and the Hartland Cattle 4-H Club presents:

A History of Farming by Stephen Taylor, Former secretary of Agriculture for NH

Saturday February 21st at 1PM Hartland Public Library

Join us to hear this historic talk. Refreshments will be served.

Cedar Mountain Farm will host a potluck dinner at the common house at Cobb Hill co-housing in Hartland, VT at 6pm on Tues Feb.10th.
We will have the pleasure of a visit from Ed Hamer--a horse powered market gardener from Great Britain.
Ed runs Chagfood farms which is a CSA market garden in Chagford, England. Ed and company farm with Dartmoor x Gypsy Cobb ponies---the Dartmoor is a hardy draft pony indigenous to the region. After the potluck Ed has offered to share with us about his farm, his work with horses and using the Kassine and Homesteader tool carriers, and the horse-powered agriculture scene in the UK. Please join us!

Please RSVP,

Kerry

Dear CSA members and farm friends,
We are excited to offer a few new types of shares this year. Thank you to everyone who filled out our surveys. We got lots of great input. The new shares include the "Free-range share" which allows the member to load their 1/2 bushel basket with whatever combination of produce available. We have a stand alone beef share which will have a choice of 3lb burger, or 1.5lbs steak, a roast or stew/kebob meat every week.  We are will be partnering with Edgewater Farm to have a strawberry share. More details on the share next month. The CSA relies on members signing up early to plan the harvest and pay for seeds, greenhouse materials, labor and other garden preparations. Please sign-up early if you can. If you answered to survey that you wanted to host a CSA drop-off please send me a message so I can talk more about it.

Check out our website for all the share choices.  We will have a paper form available soon.

Thank you,

Kerry- for the farm crew