Eastside Farm Chronicles

A Not Quiet Day at the Farm

2008-08-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

(Jeff's Mom and my friend/ mother in law, Barbara and our friend Josh, fellow chef and owner of Syrah Bistro)

We had a lovely day out at our site 3 farm, the Ruff Garlick Patch, named after our farm partner and his wife, Larry Ruff and Hazel Garlick. Larry and Hazel invited some people, we invited some people, we made the food from the garden...it was a fine day.

Here is the menu:

Hors d’Oeuvres

Fried Green Tomatoes with Corn Relish

Grown at the Ruff Garlick Patch

Dill Pickles and B&B Pickles

Made with Great Northern Pickling Cukes from RGP

Involtini

Grilled Eggplant wrapped around Fresh ZIN-Made Mozzarella

Assorted Eggplant and Basil from RGP

Meats

Smoked Pork with Fresh Plum Chutney/Salsa

Plums from the front yard of RGP

Roasted Chicken with Rajas of RGP Pasilla Chile and Onion

Side Dishes

Potato Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Green Beans and RGP Basil Vinaigrette

Caprese Salad

Sliced RGP Vine ripe Tomatoes with Freshly Made Before Your Eyes Mozzarella, RGP Basil and extra virgin olive oil

Rice Chile Sour Cream Casserole

Made with RGP Pasilla and Anaheim Peppers

Thai Red Kabocha Pumpkin Curry

With RGP Kabocha Pumpkins and Yellow Bells

RGP Yellow Sweet Peppers with Italian Sweet Sour Sauce/Agrodolce

Dessert

RGP Plum “Fruchtwahe” Swiss Fruit Tart

(Yes, my heritage is Swiss and I do what I can to promote that cuisine!)

The real star of the day was the C-17 from the nearby AIR SHOW!!! "The C-17 Globemaster III is the newest, most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force". It was simply AMAZING!!!

We knew that Larry's property was below the flight path of the little local airport. This very same airport also has an annual airshow. We have been talking with Larry about cooking food for a party which would include friends of each of ours.

Today was the day. The weather was perfect, about 80 degrees, clear and a light breeze. Ideal for an afternoon day.

We saw a few old planes flying around and then this big monster came blasting through!!!

(this is a little noisy, so check your sound first!)

Then, before we knew it, here came the craziest, noisiest, sneakiest plane of the day! I will leave it to someone else to tell me exactly which kind of plane this is!

It was really a thrilling day and I loved the juxtaposition of the jet and the farm. Ah, the quiet life...NOT!

Happy Monday!

Where in the world...?

2008-08-10T14:34:00.001-07:00

(The above photo was taken by Alan Campbell at "Site 3", aka The Ruff Garlick Patch, of
Eastside Farm. Thank you, Alan!)

We haven't been on vacation, we haven't been sick, we HAVE been working our A***S OFF!!!

The farm is full to burstin' with corn, peppers, tomatoes, chiles, eggplant and more chiles! We have been picking, taking care of business at both the farm and at our restaurant, ZIN, have been selling at 3 farmers' markets AND catering 2-3 events a week!!!

In the last two weeks we have:
Had a visit from my German girl friend and former co-worker, Miz Julia, seen here with our other former co-worker, Muff.

The next day after this picture was taken, we catered a high end birthday party for 40 in the Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves. It was beautiful!

In addition to catering we have also been picking a lot of produce!!! We are even amazed at all that we have picked! The cherry tomatoes started coming in full force a couple of weeks ago and we are just now beginning to get our full sized tomatoes. The eggplants are starting to show up as are the peppers. The "Great Northern" pickling cucumbers are just flipping out with such a heavy production...we are picking something like 70 pounds every 3 days!!! Thankfully ZIN can take them.

We catered an event at Acorn Winery for their Eastside Bunch Summer Open House (99 degrees in the shade!) and made our fresh B.A.T.'s with Jeff's House-cured and smoked BACON, ZIN Garden at Eastside Farm Arugula, Tomatoes and home-made Focaccia. We also added a little home-grown Basil mayonnaise. YUMMY!!! It went PERFECTLY with their wines!

We were treated to a visit from faithful ZIN customers visiting from Utah for the afore mentioned open house. Apparently they come out every year to the Acorn event and eat at ZIN on their first night in town! Thank you!!! (So sorry, I can't find where I wrote down your names!!!)

The very next day we did another Farmers Market in Windsor and my girlfriend brought her totally darling son with her. He tasted his first raw sugar pearl corn on the cob and LOVED it!!!

I love to introduce kids to fresh produce. During market I give stuff to kids to munch on. It often freaks them out to be handed a strange raw food product, but their parents are amused by it and encourage the kids to at least try it. Every once in a while they will come back after their child realizes, Hey...this tastes good!

Not to be slackers, Jeff also taught a cooking class in our back yard on Friday night with Relish Culinary Adventures. It was an all tomato class, starting with Fried Green Tomatoes and ending with a Red Fig Tomato and Ricotta Cheese tart topped with Yellow Tomato sorbet. It was GOOD!!!

I guess I just wanted to show y'all that we haven't been slackers...although right now that sounds so appealing!!! Tomorrow we rest...right after a couple of meetings and Pilates class!!!

Happy Monday!

Music Hath Charms...

2008-07-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

...to soothe the savage breast,
To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.

Written by William Congreve (1670-1729) for the first act of his play, The Mourning Bride, this statement still rings true.

I have had a piece of music that I "play" to myself when I seek peace and tranquility. Absentmindedly I search my I-tunes library looking for it, always hoping to find it and then I realize it is not there.

When I was in 9th grade, my father bought a record of Spanish guitarist, Andres Segovia. It was called, Platero y Yo. The first song of this collection is what I have played over and over again in my head for most of my life. The song is: Platero y yo, Opo. 190, I.Platero. I, like the trusting and foolish teenager I was, let a friend borrow the record 30 years ago and never saw it again. Not only that, I could never find that record in the stores.

My father took me to see Segovia perform, just the two of us. It was such a beautiful experience and a happy one for Segovia. He had just turned 80 AND had JUST fathered a child. Needless to say, I never forgot any of that night.

After years of singing/replaying these pieces in my head, today I found a collection of his on I-tunes and downloaded it.

I am sitting here, listening to Segovia's playing, typing away, and feeling very "blissed out". Que Tranquilo!

My Green Kitty

2008-07-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

Our dear kitty, Julian, aka J-Boy, Sputnik, Gray, loves to eat greens. He will eat cabbage, lettuce greens out of the salad spinner, celery leaves out of the grocery bag, whatever he can sink his teeth into. He is a salad opportunist.

I caught him today happily munching away, like a little happy bunny, on the newly picked lettuce we just brought home from our third farm site, the Ruff Garlick Patch.

Daddy/Farmer Jeff doesn't know that Julian ate a little before he did...so don't tell him, okay?

The Real Cost of Organic Produce

2008-07-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

We grow produce organically. We are not certified as an organic producer, however, we follow all of the same rules of pesticide control (natural/insecticidal soap) and fertilizer (natural/fish emulsion) that certified organic farms use.

Farmer Jeff and I repeatedly hear, while selling at Farmers Markets, that the produce sold at said Farmers Market is expensive. Not only is this a "probably won't break even this year" endeavor (land cost, materials cost, labor cost, fuel cost) but "we" farmers sell our produce for less than what SAFEWAY is charging!!!

Tonight, just for comparison (and to counter all of the folks that complain about the prices!) we went in Safeway grocery store to price the produce.
Organic Swiss Chard: $2.89 per bunch. We charge $1.50 per bunch. The difference? Ours weigh exactly the same and were grown no more than 4 miles away. They are also picked and sold on the same day.
Organic Tomatoes - Standard Variety: $4.99 per pound
Heirloom Tomatoes: $6.99 per pound.
Eastside Farm Tomatoes: $3.00 per pound; we pick and sell on the same day
Non-Organic Nectarines: $2.00 per pound, same price as our...but we couldn't give them away. No one was interested.
Non-Organic Cucumbers: $1.00 per cucumber, same price as ours, but ours are organic.

So, now I know what people will pay if they buy it at the regular grocery store. I can only guess that those complaining at Farmers Markets just don't pay attention to the prices in the stores.

There are so many great reasons to buy from Farmers Markets:

The produce is picked at its peak.
The food is grown on a small scale
You can support your local farmer
The food is grown locally (usually! Be sure to ask where the farm is!)
Less gas is used to transport the food than if grown out of the area
More varieties are available of each food group because mass produced produce only uses a few varieties due to "heartiness" or decent if picked while green.

We hope to see you at Market! Happy Tuesday! (Bring your own bags!)

Proustian Moments at Farmers Market

2008-07-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

French author, Marcel Proust, wrote a twelve volume novel, Remembrance of Things Past. In this novel he is transported from his dull life and connected to pleasures of life as well as forgotten memories because his mother gave him a cup of tea with a madeleine almond cookie.

Working in the food business for many years, and now as a purveyor of fine fruits and vegetables, I am the happy recipient of peoples own Proustian moments.

Yesterday, while at the Windsor Farmers Market, a gentleman came to our booth in search of rhubarb. This is not a usual request. It so happens that at the Ruff Patch, growing right now, is a big green rhubarb plant and a couple of small red rhubarb. I told him about these plants, fully expecting that he would NOT want the mature green kind. Surprise! He does!

He started to tell us a story of summers at Grandma's farm, where he would go out in the field with the rhubarb, taking with him a knife for cutting the rhubarb and a shaker of salt. He would sit on the ground, take the stalk of cut rhubarb, sprinkle it with salt and then suck on the stalk. This, for him, looked like heaven. He was transported to that moment while standing in front of us.

I alternately felt like a voyeur and an honored recipient of his memory. I will share more of these Proustian moments as I receive them. Feel free to post your own!

Farm Video

2008-07-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

How crazy are we? We are so crazy that we are farming on 3 different properties! This is a video of our third and largest farm plot. It is at the house of our friend, Larry Ruff, so it is called, "the Ruff Patch".

We are growing all kinds of vegetables and fruit there, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, over an acre of corn, rows of basil, arugula, Italian parsley, baby pumpkins, butternut squash, cucumbers, drying beans (Jacob's Cattle), watermelon, peaches, pears, plums, pluots, apricots, apples, grapefruit, lemons and other things I know I am forgetting!

We are having fun!!!

Farmers Markets

2008-07-12T22:17:00.001-07:00

Here we are at the Farmers Market in Healdsburg on Tuesday night. This past Tuesday was "fry an egg on the sidewalk" kind of hot. I was wicked cranky until Farmer Jeff brought me several cold glasses of water!

We are now selling: bright lights Swiss chard, collard greens, 9 kinds of summer squash, pickling and Armenian cucumbers, and, drum roll please, TOMATOES!!! As of tonight, we have not found any "large" ripe tomatoes, still selling green tomatoes and giving away recipes for fried green tomatoes.

We are delighted to have 16 different kinds of "cherry" or little tomatoes such as: Matt's Wild Cherry, Cheeseman's, Sprite, Sweetie (my current favorite), Mirabell, Yellow Marble, Snow Queen, Black Cherry, Brown Cherry, and Isis Candy, among others.

Getting ready for market takes a couple of hours. First I collect eggs and wash them all, dry them, package them (of course they are color coordinated!) and then label them. Then we pick squash (all nine kinds!), pick tomatoes, check the okra to see if we have any ready, pick Armenian cucumbers, pick pickling cucumbers and then on to the raised beds for chard and collards.

I kinda blew it yesterday. I sprayed the chard and collards with an insecticidal soap which also contained garlic and a little peppermint oil...After I had completely emptied the bottle I read the directions, "apply at dusk for slow drying". GREAT...well, today I see that it completely burned the chard. They will still taste good, but I can't sell them at market tomorrow. Sigh...
(This is a picture of last Sunday's market in Windsor)

We pick the chard and place it directly into an ice chest with ice and cold water. It really helps the greens to stay crisp. Once we have picked everything we bring it into the house and package it or carry it directly to the old truck.

Today I did a little cleaning of the garage to gather a "kit" for market which included bungee cords, tape, zip ties, scissors, water cups, our market sign, rubber bands, and whatever else will fit into the kit.

We love selling at Farmers' Markets. I have made friends with the people we meet at market, going so far as to invite a woman I met last week to join my knitting group! I look forward to seeing the families out for a stroll, engaging people in conversations about our colored eggs, our beautiful produce and just saying hi. If it weren't for the space age blue tooth phones in every other persons ear, I can almost feel that I have traveled back in time to simpler days, days of locally grown produce and folks that know the farmers that grow their food.

Wait a minute...that is what has happened!!! Yeah!!!

One of the fun markets of the week takes place on Tuesdays in Healdsburg. It has the added benefit of being the social event of the week for our little town. Through the summer on Tuesday nights from 6-8 pm, there is a concert in "the Plaza", a.k.a. our town square. One night it might be jazz, another night swing music or big band or blues. No matter what, the square is filled with families and friends out enjoying life.

Thursday night in Windsor is a very relaxed market. Entire families turn out for time together. There is an area for kids to play, a band playing, every other Thursday night there is even a classic movie shown. Once again, we get to see familiar faces. Last year I watched a posse of girls that hung out together, this year they have discovered make up and boys and don't hang out together. Pregnant women last year now pushing strollers, kids growing up, and some folks not with us any more.

This is our life. It is a full, rich and wonderful life. I am thrilled to be living it to its fullest!

Eastside Farm Girls at Play!

2008-07-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

It was such a gorgeous day yesterday that I just had to let the girls (and guys) out to play! They LOVED the grass and picking around in it gave them such joy!

I had to laugh when Tyner ran over to me, asking for more of her special food. I swear that girl eats a LOT! She had such fun running around.

I also couldn't help myself. I am (shhhh!!!) so in love with our rooster, Eric. I followed him around and took several pictures of him. I think this is the cutest one...

We are selling eggs now at 3 different Farmers' Markets and find ourselves running out before we are out of customers. We also heard that our favorite live chicken store had in a fresh shipment of chickens, so Farmer Jeff and I EACH bought 3 chickens that are due to start laying in 4-6 weeks.

We ended up with 2 Red Sex Links (they were bred with White Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds), that are red with white tail feathers and 4 Rhode Island Reds that are red with black tail feathers. You may recall the movie we had for the new nesting boxes where Ruby couldn't make up her mind which box was perfect. Ruby is a Rhode Island Red.

When the chickens are out of their pen, the dogs are either locked up in their pen or in the house. Let me tell you, it was not a perfect arrangement for them. To add insult to injury, Ginger has taken over one of their favorite sleeping spots.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I leave you with a picture of the new "Queen of the Dog Bed".

Bruce's Film

2008-06-29T22:35:00.001-07:00

Yes, he really is that loud!

This was taken on the day we brought Lorenzo and his harem home to Eastside Farm. I couldn't get over all of the posturing and vocal claiming of territory that was going on.

I can't help it! I just love my chickens!!!

Tomato Love

2008-06-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

Heaven, I'm in Heaven...no, actually, I am in Healdsburg and the tomatoes are RIPE!!! I picked these tonight, initially thinking that we would have a basket ready to sell tomorrow morning at the Windsor Farmers' Market. Can you tell that didn't happen?

I couldn't help it. I asked Farmer Jeff to bring home some basil and goat cheese so I could make a dinner of freshly picked and sweet summer squash, some of our market neighbor's incredible "Chinese Striped" garlic (Tom Noble's Armstrong Valley Farm), and these lovely little tomatoes.

Represented above are tomatoes with names like Matt's Wild Cherry, Yellow Marble, Mirabel, Sprite, Sweetie, Isis Candy, Green Grape and Red Fig. I love these names! I promise more pictures.

Okay, I have had folks requesting more recipes, so here you go. This is what we had for dinner tonight.

First Summer Tomato Spaghetti
Serves 2-3 (depending on whether or not you go for seconds!)

Salted boiling water
6 oz. dry spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup yellow onion, sliced
2 cups fresh summer squash, diced
*Squash blossoms can also be used along with the squash
2 tablespoons basil, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup tiny cherry tomatoes (or cut in half)
2 ounces goat cheese, soft kind

Method:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt once it has boiled. *No need to add oil, just use a gallon of water per pound of pasta. Add the spaghetti and stir to separate the pasta.
2. In a large, COLD saute pan, add the oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Turn on the pan.
3. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring while onion is cooking.
4. Add the squash and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Add the white wine and stir until the wine is almost gone. Add the basil and cook another minute.
6. Check the "done-ness of the pasta. I bite a piece in half or break it in half and look at the center. If you see more than a dot of white (uncooked) then let it cook longer, about another minute. If you just see a dot, NOW ADD THE TOMATOES to the squash and gently stir to heat the tomatoes. *JUST HEAT the tomatoes.
7. Quickly drain the perfectly cooked pasta and add to the saute pan and stir. Add a little of the pasta cooking water, about 1/3 cup or as needed to keep it moist.
8. Divide the pasta into 3 servings (I know this is a strange number but this is how much I usually make so we can have a little more!) by first removing the pasta and putting onto the plate.
9. Next scoop out the squash and tomato mix onto the top of the pasta.
10. Break the goat cheese into little lumps/nuggets and then a good grind of fresh black pepper.

Enjoy!

New Kids in the Coop - The Video

2008-06-16T22:32:00.001-07:00

Please help me in welcoming the new kids to the coop. Sorry about the picture quality. I love all of the crowing and posturing!

New Kids in the Coop

2008-06-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

My sweet honey got up early this morning and found chickens on Craig's list. He has been extolling the virtues of getting up early and indeed, in this case, because of being one of the first people to contact the owner, we were able to secure the chickens.

I don't know if y'all remember our little Belgian Booted Bantam, Mille, that passed away last year...I told Farmer Jeff I wanted a little rooster of that variety and that is exactly what he found! I am a firm believer of stating what you want and, chances are good it will happen. Just takes making up your mind and then asking for it. (yes, I keep asking for money to arrive by mail...!) Not only was the owner offering the little rooster, also in the bargain were 3 hens. We now also have a full sized Light Brahma, now named Petunia (yes, Pork Pigs girlfriend's name), a Black Cochin already named Cassie, and a little golden Sebright now named Lacey. The Belgian Booted Bantam a.k.a., Belgian D'Uccle, was named Mr. Gucci, now given the first name of Lorenzo. He is one of the few individuals that pull off that name. He carries himself like a lion. The name suits him.

I set up a portable dog pen for the new kids and then sat out there to see how the resident chickens would handle it. I also threw in some newly trimmed grape vines both as a treat and a distraction. I think it worked...

A Chicken Walkabout

2008-06-12T22:42:00.000-07:00

When Farmer Jeff said to me, "Be careful of what you dream, it could come true...", I froze in my tracks. Uh oh...what do you mean, I asked.

I looked in the same direction he was looking and my heart alternately jumped and sank. The chickens were out of the pen and wandering through the yard, and luckily, the dogs were locked up in the pen. WHEW. I didn't need another dead chicken or 10. Once I realized they were safe, I was REALLY happy!

Ever since we have had the chickens, I have wished that they could freely wander where ever they wished. With the dogs, that didn't seem like it would be possible. I happen to agree with my friend that said she never had pets on the same food chain. I kinda like that. Makes sense to me!

However, I do have dogs and chickens, so I follow the other adage, "Good fences ...keep chickens alive...". Well...you get what I mean!

We have actually let the chickens out 3 times now for several hours at a time. They have helped us by both weeding and fertilizing to garden. I just have to make sure they don't make it to the tomatoes!

I had to laugh. A couple of them started following me up the path towards the house, following just like the dogs!

Tyner, the hen with the scissor beak, is out of her baby bird food. (You might recall that for the last 2 years I daily feed Tyner a mash of baby bird food.) We ran out last night and I usually buy it in the town 1/2 hour south of us. With gas prices being what they are along with close to 100 degree heat today, I wasn't about to make that drive. I drove to the closest feed store and they had just run out. I drove to the town south of us and BOTH of the pet stores there have gone out of business! Sad to see that...

Once I realized that her special food was not going to be found, my ingenuity went to work. I went out to the coop, got a scoop of the regular feed pellets that she can't pick up in her beak, and ground it up in my coffee grinder! (Note to self: REALLY clean out the grinder before grinding coffee!)

I don't think she liked it quite as much as the gourmet stuff, but she did eat and I found a way to save some money. Works for me!

Farewell, Sweet Prince

2008-06-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

Rest in Peace, Napoleon. You will always hold a special place in our heart.

The Figurehead

2008-06-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

When I think of our chickens, the first one I think of is Napoleon Dynamite. He was in the first group of chickens we adopted close to 3 years ago. A little toughie, he picks fights with everyone he meets, well, other roosters. He has a growing harem with a devoted little hen, Josephine, that rarely leaves his side.

Tonight when I went in to collect eggs and lock up the chickens, I found Napoleon in one of the nesting boxes, his comb flopped over and a blueish pink, not the normal healthy red. His eyes were not the normal orange, but red and the skin around his eyes also red.

I have moved him to the infirmary, given him a little dropper-full of water, and some of Tyner's soft baby bird food. Before putting him in his protective cage for the night, I held him and told him that I would really like him to stay. I also told him I understood if it was his time to go.

Time will tell.

Summer Fun is upon us!

2008-06-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

I guess Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, but I think I tasted the real signal that summer is here, our first Tomato!!! Had I been thinking, I would have taken a picture of it first, but no, I popped it in my mouth and bit down. Squish...sweetness with a little acid. Yum...a fresh tomato! (It was a tiny yellow/gold cherry tomato, Mirabell. This picture is from Gary Ibsen's Tomato Fest site...thank you!)

I am still working on the CPC (certified producer's certificate) and seem to find more to add to it. When you are making your living, well, part of your living as a farmer, you look at everything in the garden and ask yourself, do I really need to have roses in my house or could I get a dollar for one? That goes for the mint, the lavender and grape leaves. Hey, you COULD make dolmas out of them, right?

Tonight was the official start of Farmer's Market in Healdsburg, but we just didn't have it together to go. We still have to find a car battery to use for powering our scale and I have to find a stand for our new umbrella. Sigh...

One of the very worthy organizations to which we belong, Sonoma County Farm Trails, was featured in the New York Times this past week. Check out the article: http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/travel/01explorer.html?th&emc=th

Our little community is getting famous!

Silly Salmon Faverolles!

2008-05-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

The newest members of the flock, the Salmon Faverolles, Pacifica and Coho, never want to go to bed.

Everyone else knows what time to go to bed. They start wandering inside about an hour before the sun sets and by the time it is down, everyone is inside.

Everyone but Pacifica and Coho. Silly Girls! They want to be camping outside!

Hold on to your Hats!

2008-05-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

It is WINDY!!! We have had crazy wind lately and it is keeping us from being able to plant the eggplant and peppers. Farmer Jeff struggled today getting the plastic row tarp down over the rows because the wind was blowing so badly. In the end, it was dealt with. With luck we will be able to plant tomorrow.

The baby swiss chard is also ready to be planted. It will go in the raised beds as well as the pickling cucumbers. Wow...we are growing a lot of food. Tomorrow I get to fill out the CPC forms, Certified Producer's Certificate, in order to sell at the Farmer's Market. We have to list EVERY SINGLE PLANT that will produce either fruit or vegetables. Oye! We then have to estimate how many pounds of produce each of them will...produce. Does anyone have a crystal ball I can borrow for this job?

We have 35 varieties of tomatoes with anywhere from 1 or 2 up to 12 of each kind of tomato. We have 8 kinds of squash in 30 foot rows, okra in 60 foot rows, 4 kinds of corn in about an acre, swiss chard in raised beds, 400 pepper plants/7 varieties, 200 eggplant/6 varieties, assorted lettuces, collard greens, cucumbers, and other veggies I know I am missing. We will plant Genovese basil at the end of each row to take advantage of the little drips from the irrigation.

Once we have figured out all of the vegetables, we have to count all of the fruit trees (we have over 25 on our property) and then there are easily that many at the other property where we are farming. Sigh...

It looks like we will be selling at the Healdsburg Farmer's Market on Tuesday nights June through October and then Windsor Farmer's Markets on both Thursday nights and Sunday mornings. I guess we will sleep after New Years!

Hot Chickens, Hot Dogs, Hot Chicken Mama and other news

2008-05-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

How hot was it? Hot enough. Today it hit either 101 or 102, depending on who you believe. All I know is that our family has been hammered by the heat. Not quite like "Lawrence of Arabia/The Devil's Anvil" heat, but too hot for me!

We had a warning that today would be hot so I rigged up some new misters yesterday for the chickens. Small problem: I did it in a hurry on my way to a catering job and 2 of the 6 emitters worked...that was all. Grrrrr....

This is the third day of heat and my honey has gotten to see firsthand how I handle heat...not well. Kind of like a delicate flower...or a cube of butter. I melt/wilt to an unrecognizable form. My face goes red, I swear like a sailor and feel trapped like a rat in a glass jar. That bad.

Today it was 95 degrees at 10:40 am and it just got worse from there. Sigh...I didn't do much today but do what I could to stay cool, including climbing into an empty bathtub and just turning on the cold water!

The chickens are surviving the heat with the help of the misters and the fan in the coop. The dogs have gotten to come inside, the inside kitties are sleeping in the sun (yes, they are crazy) and the outdoor kitties are hanging out.

Garden Update:
The tomatoes are HAPPY!!! The property that was hit the hardest by the frost (can you even believe that less than a month ago we had frost???) was replanted and they are all fine, as are the corn. The 200 plus eggplants (6 varieties) and peppers (over 400/8 varieties) are still in the greenhouse but will be planted on Sunday and then the other plants will be moved to the greenhouse.

Ginger Update:
She is fine. Still no signs of a return of cancer, thank you God. I am so happy she is healthy.

Callebaut Update:
He is fine. His tummy issues seem to have calmed down and he is much happier. I am happy not to be supporting the emergency vet hospital!

Farmer Jeff and Chicken Mama Update: Farmer Jeff has his hands full with the garden, the restaurant and the catering jobs this past week. He is happy, exhausted and falls asleep when he stops moving!

I am happy to have a few days between catering jobs to catch my breath, see friends, get caught up on paperwork and hang out. My wrist is almost completely healed (Yeah!) and tomorrow I am going on a field trip to the super-cool yarnstore, Knitterly, in Petaluma. There I will learn first hand what a yarn "trunk show" by "Habu" is all about!

Coming soon...the second half of the Portland trip, including the famous Bacon Maple Bar donuts from "Voodoo Doughnuts" shown on Anthony Bourdain's show this week, No Reservations.
(They are strangely wonderful!)

Stay Cool!!!!

Upcycling and Recycling

2008-05-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

"Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value." The term upcycling was coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, authors of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things .

Until I spoke with some women from San Francisco that were in the recycling business I had no idea that a word had been coined to explain this age old practice. Isn't that what quilts were traditionally made from, "post-consumer" clothing?

I have stepped into the special world of upcycling by creating shopping bags from our chicken feed bags! I have envisioned using these for close to a year and finally just said, oh what the heck, and made the darn thing.

I hate to say it, but I am so tickled with myself and so JAZZED over the final result, the bag, that now I am trying to figure out how many of these sacks I have stashed by the chicken coop! I think we have saved something like 30 of these bags. I will need to wash the ones that have been out in the rain and elements, oh...and find the time to sew them!

In the meantime I am trying to figure out where I can get hold of cheap black webbing for the straps. I would like to use 1 inch or 1 1/2 inch thin nylon webbing. I just bought the sample webbing at my local fabric store, but I would like to find it for cheaper than $1 a yard.

I need to time myself in making the bags to figure out what to charge for them. They are really basic: no pockets/buttons/cell phone holders. In other words, a bag! Thoughts?

I am still making my sustainable sacks. Currently they are for sale at The Cheese Shop in Healdsburg. Once the Farmer's Market on Thursday night in Windsor begins, I will be selling them there, too! I think there is a market for the both of them. Besides, I have way too much fabric that needs to be used!

Playing in Portland

2008-05-08T22:51:00.001-07:00

Farmer Jeff, our Mom and I all flew up for a wonderful weekend in Portland. Farmer Jeff’s bro, Greg, lives in Portland and we decided to pay him a visit before things got too crazy on the farm to get away. I didn’t realize how much I thought about the farm until I had a dream last night in which the fans were blowing on the vineyards and I was afraid that our tomatoes would freeze! Heavens! I don’t worry about it during the day, but I guess I do at night!

We arrived on Saturday night and took no time in finding a great old restaurant, Jake’s Famous Crawfish, for dinner. On our way out the door of our downtown hotel we almost literally walked smack dab into 2 people. I took one look at them and yelled, “STOP…We know you from Florence, Italy!” Honestly, you could not have planned this. One year ago on Saturday night we were walking to have dinner in Florence, Italy and found ourselves walking with a young couple in search of the same restaurant. We started talking and found out they were a couple from Houston on their honeymoon! We chatted as we approached the restaurant and then were seated at our respective tables. It just so happened that we finished dinner at the same time so we walked back together towards the city center. We hit it off so well that we agreed to show them around Florence the next day and then go to our favorite restaurant there, Da Ruggiero. (To the left is a picture of Mike taken in Florence and yes, he IS sticking his hand into a bronze boars mouth!)

You can only imagine our shock at running into the very same couple in Portland! They were here to …celebrate their first anniversary! I have tried to email the man but had my email come back to me, so I begged him to please write us because we were meant to be in touch. He has written to us already with a promise to come and visit us in Sonoma County. We are just supposed to be in one another’s life!

Okay, off to dinner we go. We walked 12 windy blocks, past Powell’s, the best and biggest bookstore I have ever been in, and had a fab meal. We ate WAY too much, the recurring theme of the trip, and had a great time. We started with the fried calamari, mussels puttanesca and their famous crab and shrimp cake with a light ginger mayo sauce. I then ordered grilled Alaskan Salmon…basically because it is the only salmon I will have until next year. (Ban on Salmon on the west coast this year) Sigh…Farmer Jeff ordered the Jake’s famous smothered crawfish over rice. It arrived in a small cauldron and was enough to feed him that night and brother Greg AND his roommate the next day! Mom got sautéed rainbow trout and brother G ordered razor clams. We were all very satisfied and FULL and passed on dessert that night. TOO Full!!!

The next morning we were off to another meal, breakfast. We ate at a great new Jewish-style deli, Kenny & Zuke's. It was incredible. Farmer Jeff got eggs scrambled with onions, lox and topped with sour cream. I got potato pancakes and a side of noodle kugel. The kugel was perfect, the pancakes were a bit thick for me, but still good. Brother G ordered a bagel and Mum got the Challah French toast.

From there we went to …MECCA. I have found a new yarn store. To the tune of, “I left my heart in San Francisco”, I could sing the song, I left my cash… at the yarn store. What a very cool place. My dear sweetheart could not imagine that I could EVER "need" more yarn. Silly boy! The true test, of whether or not I must have it, usually is indicated by the urge to put it in my mouth ...it looks THAT good! (Romi, you know what I mean!!!) The name of this wonderful store is Knit Purl. They have a tradition of Thursday night champagne, nibbles and knitting. Doesn't that just sound FAB?!!!

Part 2 of the trip: a visit to Mt. Hood, the amazing Chocolate/Pepper/Salt/Flower store, the Japanese Garden and more flowers.

I leave you with one of my favorite pictures I have ever taken. Enjoy!

Eastside Farm dot com

2008-05-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

I am pleased, tickled, and over the moon to announce the debut of EastsideFarm.com

Here I thought I would be posting a blog on our weekend trip to Portland, Oregon, but I am bursting with pride and joy. YEAH!!!

Please take a look. Keep in mind that it has JUST made its appearance and we are working out the kinks, etc.

In other words, this is my baby, so just smile and tell me she is the most beautiful baby in the world!

Perched on the Soap Box - Chicken Mama Speaks

2008-04-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

The Subject: Water and Gasoline

Water: Water is a necessary part of life. We will die if we don't drink water. Our bodies are 2/3 water.

Gasoline: Gasoline is also a necessary part of life but we won't die if we don't consume it. We won't be able to get places, nor will food make it to a store near you.

How much does water cost? Well, that depends on whether you get it out of the tap, out of your fridge through an internal filter, in a 5 gallon jug or a 16 oz or 8 oz personal water bottle.

I cringe every time I have left the house, am out in the world, and I am thirsty and buy water in individual bottles. Not only am I paying anywhere from .65 for a bottle to $2.50 for 16 oz. I don't believe water should cost so much nor do I like using plastic bottles.

I know that these plastic water bottles are a great commodity in the post consumer recycling market. The problem? Only 20% of these bottles are recycled. The rest end up in landfills, if we are lucky, and by the side of the road, in lakes, streams, and, basically, everywhere humans go.

Also, recently in the news, was the revelation that clear plastic actually breaks down very quickly and over 92% of the population is currently carrying bits of plastic around in their bodies.
Okay, still with me?

Gasoline now is up to $4.00 a gallon. Let's put this in perspective. A 16 oz water bottle costs, for sake of argument, a dollar. That means you are paying $8 a gallon for something that is almost free out of the tap.

If you do use the water out of tap, do what we do. We slice up cucumber and lemon, call it infused water, chill it and it tastes GREAT!!! If you really want to get fancy and make a huge batch for a party, add a sliced apple, lemon and lime along with the cucumber and lemon. WOW!

In summary, you will save money by drinking tap water, you will be helping the environment by not adding more plastic to the planet, less bottles will be made (they ARE petroleum products!) and energy will not be wasted making them. SAVE and SAVE and SAVE again!

Please share the ways you are saving money and/or not contributing to the plastic problem.

Praise the Lord and Pass the Tomatoes

2008-04-29T11:30:00.001-07:00

After our devastating freeze last week in which we lost 80% of the tomatoes planted at the Ruff Patch, our other farming area, we had almost enough tomatoes so we could re-plant. This is why Farmer Jeff starts 1,000 sproutlings... We only bought 12 plants to fill in the hole created by the freeze.

There is so much trial and error along with "acts of God" aka weather that makes farming such a precarious and courageous pursuit. Farmer Jeff kept telling me, "This is why I didn't follow in the family footsteps of being a commercial grower. I can't stand this kind of loss or gamble!". So he is in the restaurant business instead!

In Other News:
While capping off T-tape, an irrigation hose with holes/emitters every 24 inches, I stood up, fell over my feet and fell backwards on my hands, wrenching my back, neck and spraining my wrist. Sigh...My neck is better, my back is still a little sore, but the wrist is taking a while to mend. The hardest things to do with my wrist (thankfully the left wrist and I am right handed) is hooking my bra and giving the girls in the "hospital" their twice daily pills.

They are almost done with the pills, but still have a little bit of a sneeze/cough. I think I have to take one of them back in for a final exam.

Callebaut is fine. He has not had any stomach issues for a couple of weeks, thankfully. India is good, too.

Now the great news: Tasso is the break out star of the group. He has found his calling and you can tell it has done wonders for his self-esteem. He has become the official "Ratter" of Eastside Farm. A nasty business, rats. When you have chickens/aka the 24 hour buffet with water, you will have rats. We have tried just about everything except for poison, which is too dangerous around the dogs and chickens. We have rigged up the food bins on pulleys, we have lined the floor of the enclosure with wire cloth, we have put out traps of all sorts, and we even bought a pellet gun. The best ....TASSO!!!

The cats are all good. Ginger hasn't had any recurrence of her cancer. I keep praying over that one!

The most important being at ESF (Eastside Farm) is Farmer Jeff. He is happy and tired. We are catering like crazy and when not doing that, he is at the restaurant, smoking bacon and sausage, checking on all of the vegetables/plants, mowing the lawn and ...working. We are both happy when we are busy. I am feeling it a bit more than he is...sigh...

It is cool today and for this I am grateful. If it were a prettier, sunnier day I would be tempted to be outside planting flowers and trimming. However, today is cool, breezy and cloudy. Perfect for staying in and catching up on paperwork. I think I will sneak in a nap today!!!

Happy Tuesday!