I absolutely love recipes that can change through the vegetable seasons. My latest obsession is quinoa salad. It's light yet filling and feels so nourishing when I eat it. The quinoa and chickpeas both add protein, and I can make it as vegetable heavy as I like. I've been making a giant batch on Monday and eating for lunches all week long.

it's a great way to use up the veggies in my fridge to make way for new veggies to come. I also use leftovers a LOT in this. I often make roasted veggies for dinners, and we sometimes have multiple containers of random leftovers. These are great in this salad, and a great way to clear out little bits of leftover roasted veggies.

Now, most of my recipes aren't really recipes, because I adapt all the time and don't measure. So I'll share this with you as best as I can.

Base:
Quinoa
chickpeas
feta

Vegetables: changes with the season. Mostly cooked/roasted

Seasoning. To your taste. I like white balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar and black cherry juice concentrate, or balsamic reduction. These last two add some sweetness to the tart. You could also add a little lime or lemon juice.

On my most recent version, here's a close approximation to what I did:

9 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry = 3 cups cooked)*
4 cups cooked chick peas
1 tray roasted cauliflower (about 2 big heads or 3 small heads)
1 tray roasted zucchini and yellow squash (about 5-7 each, zucchini and squash)
1 bunch sautéed chard, stems included
3 cucumbers, peeled, cored and diced
1 bunch spring onions
(Pickled chard stems- optional)
1 overflowing cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
Balsamic reduction to taste.
​chopped basil for garnish

Cook the quinoa and chick peas early so they're ready. Cut the cauliflower, zucchini and squash into bite sized pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, stir to cover veggies with oil. Roast at 400 for 40-ish minutes. When finished, set aside to cool. Meanwhile, chop chard. Separate stems and leaves. Chop stems first, chopping small. Get these going on medium heat while you chop the leaves into ribbons or bite sized pieces. Cook stems about 10 minutes, then add leaves and cook until just wilted, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Peel and dice cucumbers. Chop spring onions.

Combine all the elements (quinoa, chickpeas, all the chopped and cooked veggies, feta) in a very large bowl. I also added some pickled chard stems, just because I had some leftover in the fridge that needed to be used from the fancy meal I made last week, but these are totally optional. Add your dressing (vinegar, reduction, citrus juice if using). On the reduction or cherry concentrate, drizzle all over the top of the combined salad. Then mix it all up.  Taste and adjust/add more seasonings as needed. Add basil when serving. Basil doesn't keep well in the fridge, so add some chopped basil each time you eat it.

*actually, I used my small rice cooker to do this and filled it to the three cup mark, so I'm not sure if that's exactly three cups, but it was close

In previous versions, I've used cooked collards cut into ribbons, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted beets, and so much more. Let me know how you get creative with this dish!

New chicks arrived last week! We get new day-old chicks in the mail about every four weeks. The boys-- and Hazel now, too!-- love to be a part of picking them up from the post office and helping them get settled into their new home of the brooder house. They help ensure the chicks have food, water and are warm.

The kids ride in the truck to pick up the chicks, bring them home and help unload. We sometimes use the baby stroller to get the boxes from the driveway to the brooder house. (Baby tools are used for all kinds of things around here!). Then the boys help open the boxes to get the chicks safely into their new home.

They recently have started wanting to have a pet chick. They've "adopted" three chicks so far. It usually lasts for about a day, where they bring one up to the porch and make a special home for it in a large box, with grass, water and food. They've actually been doing pretty well taking good care of them, being super gentle and ensuring they have everything they need. Hazel squeals when she pets them. After a day or so, they start to forget about checking on it, so we put it back with its family in the brooder house. Farm training has begun!

Every farm has different challenges, based on so many factors. Geographic location, microclimate, how many trees are on the property, the direction and angle of the slope of the fields, etc.  Some things can be both a challenge and a blessing, depending on the context. One challenge/blessing we have is our soil holds water.  In drought years, this is great, because the soil holds onto moisture longer than fields just down the road from us. But in wet seasons like we've been having, it's a challenge.  Without doing anything to mitigate the situation, root crops like potatoes and carrots can rot in the field, it takes longer to dry out to be able to plant new crops, and harvesting can get pretty sloppy. 

We've been experimenting with many different ways to help with this situation. One of the first things we've been doing since beginning to farm has been raised beds. We mound up soil into beds for the rows, and have sunken pathways to walk between the rows. This helps the water drain out of the area where the crops are growing. However, in times when it's wet for weeks like we've had this and last week, that isn't enough.

The soil type we have is silty loam, but we also have a fragipan of hardened mud about 2 feet under the top soil that keeps the water from fully draining away. Roots can't penetrate it, and there's even a story of Adam's great grandmother getting in a hole they were digging, trying to get at it with a screw driver, and even that didn't work. This is unique to our little area in Rhodelia along the Ohio River. Farmers just 10 miles away in Brandenburg have well-draining soil.

In Adam and Rae's short farming history on this land, some ways we've been working with this are using raised beds, planting cover crops that get plowed back into the soil to increase organic matter and build the soil, and positioning the slopes of the beds so the water drains out toward the edge of the field instead of getting trapped in the middle. About three years ago, we also started using plasticulture on the raised beds, which is basically using a layer of plastic as a mulch to help limit weeds and better control water conditions of the soil. It helps the soil from getting too wet, and also keeps moisture in the beds in the middle of August when it's typically dry.

In October 2017, Adam read some new research out of the University of Kentucky Extension service that was showing that a particular type of Rye grass was having success in breaking through fragipan, so we've been experimenting with this too. Now, this is a little embarrassing, but we've never once since we've been farming had a good potato crop. ("A farmer who can't grow potatoes? What kind of farmer are you, anways?" That's how it feels).  This year, we used plastic mulch on a raised potato bed, and planted rye grass in the walk paths.  The rye grass is digging deep into the soil helping create pathways for drainage, while also sucking up excess water. The potatoes are able to access the water they need, and the soil under the plastic is moist but not wet.  It looks like we're going to have an excellent potato crop this year. We started harvesting this week. The plants are loaded, and the potatoes are looking great.

There's no silver bullet solution in organic farming. It's a lot of experimentation and trial and error to figure out exactly what works, and how to use natural elements to help challenges become blessings.

Ingredients:
1 head of Cauliflower
2 TBS Ghee (melted)
1/4c. Bufalo Sauce (I like Tessemae's Mild Buffalo).
1 TBS. Celery Salt

Directions:
1. Wash and cut cauliflower into small florets.  
2. In a bowl combine the cauliflower, melted ghee, and buffalo sauce and mix until the florets are well coated.
3. Spread on a roasting pan (making sure the florets do not overlap) and sprinkle with celery salt.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-50 minutes are until Cauliflower is crispy.

Barr Farms was part of hosting a really cool farm to table dinner at MESA, a Collaborative Kitchen in New Albany.  Chef Peggy of Ready, Set, Prepp'd prepared an amazing dinner full of Barr Farms deliciousness. I was talking about the farm so didn't get to eat, but it looked so good, that I made it myself at home the next day. Chef Peggy was generous enough to share her recipes, and let me share them with you! I love chard, and I have never had chard this way. It was so incredible, I couldn't get enough! I made a double batch, and we ate it all! The dinner actually wasn't that hard to prepare, and was really fun to make. Just to note, I roasted my chicken whole, not spatchcocked, and it only took about an hour because I was using smaller birds. Be sure to have a meat thermometer handy so you can take the chicken out of the oven when it just reaches "done". Overdone chicken equals dry meat. And pickled chard stems? Oh my goodness, I'm going to have these handy every week. I'm loving them!

Roasted Chicken with Yellow Corn Grits, Coconut Braised Greens and Pickled Chard Stems
 
Serves 4-6
 
For the Roasted Chicken
 
1 whole chicken, spatchcocked
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
 
Preheat oven to 325 F.
 
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, black pepper, and salt.
 
Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and liberally rub on spice mix on both sides.
 
Line a large baking sheet with a trivet and spray with non-stick spray. Place chicken, skin-side up, onto trivet and roast in oven for 90 minutes – or until internal temperature of thigh area reaches 165 F.
Let cool, then shred/pull as desired.
 
For Yellow Corn Grits
 
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ear of corn, grilled and kernels removed from the cob
1 cup Weisenberger yellow corn grits (or any non-instant grits)
Salt, pepper – to taste
 
 
In a large pot, bring chicken stock, heavy cream, and butter to a simmer – right below a boil.
 
Whisk in corn and grits – constantly whisking for a good 2-3 minutes.
 
Reduce heat to a simmer, and continue to cook for about 20-25 minutes – whisking almost continuously to avoid scorching.
 
 
Coconut Braised Greens
 
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, peeled and julienned
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1” piece of ginger, peeled and minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes – more if you want an extra kick J
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 bunch collard greens, stems removed, washed, and leaves thinly sliced
1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed (but reserved for pickle recipe), washed, and leaves thinly sliced
14 oz. can coconut milk
Salt, pepper – to taste
2 tablespoons lime juice
 
 
Preheat oven to 350 F.
 
In a large dutch oven or oven-proof pot, melt coconut oil over medium heat on the stovetop.
 
Add onions and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
 
Stir in garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and curry powder. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in coconut milk and bring mixture to a boil.
 
Reduce heat to a simmer and add the greens by the handful. Stir until slightly wilted and coated well with liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then cover and transfer to pot to the oven to braise for 1 hour.
 
Remove pot from the oven and finish with greens by stirring in the lime juice.
 
 

 
For the Pickled Chard Stems
 
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bunch of chard stems, thinly sliced on the bias
 
 
In a small pot, combine the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, black peppercorns and red pepper flakes – and bring to a boil.
 
Once sugar is dissolved, turn off heat and let mixture cool slightly.
 
Place chard stems in a shallow container or bowl, and pour pickling liquid over top – completely submerging the chard stems (can add a plate or weight on top to accomplish this if needed).
 
Let pickle in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.
 
Stored covered in the refrigerator, can be kept for up to 14 days.
 
 
To plate dish – Spoon grits into a large bowl. Top with braised greens, pulled chicken, and pickled chard stems.

Saag is one of my favorite dishes to make because it's so easy and adaptable and a great way to eat a lot of greens! I use a very basic approach. If you want a more refined version my sister-in-law (who is one of the best cooks I know) check out this link.

For my basic version, I chop onions or garlic or both. Have them ready, but separated. Start cooking the spices first, in a couple tablespoons of oil. Fresh ginger, ground turmeric, cumin, coriander. (I hear fenugreek is good too, but I actually haven't done that one yet. Maybe tonight!)

After about a minute, add onions. Cook about 5-10 minutes. If it looks like the spices are starting to burn, add just enough water that they don't burn.  Add garlic and greens at the same time. This is the best part. You can use ANY kinds of greens you want. At least two bunches, up to five. Be sure the greens are chopped very, very small. Salt to taste.

Cook 10-20 minutes.  Add chickpeas, potatoes, chicken, tofu or paneer (choose one). Serve over rice.

Here's another great meal to try Cajun Baked Tofu with Braised Collards and Grits:  

Gluten Free Chocolate Kale Muffins
Recipe by Mallory Froman
​
Ingredients:

• 1 C. Coconut Milk (canned/full fat)
• 2 C. Fresh Kale
• 1 Banana
• 2 tsp. Vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 C. Honey
• 1/4 C. Melted Coconut Oil
• 2 C. Oat Flour (you can make your own by blending GF oats in a food processor)
• 1/2 C. Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp. Soda
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 C. Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips (optional)

Directions:

1. In a blender, blend banana, kale, and coconut milk until very smooth.  Poor into a bowl.
2. Add remaining wet ingredients and stir well (vanilla, eggs, honey, melted coconut oil).
3. Add all the dry ingredients and mix well (oat flour, cocoa powder, soda, and salt).
4. Line muffins tins with liners.  Scoop batter into muffin tins filling 3/4 of the way up.
5. Sprinkle the tops with mini chocolate chips.
6. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or cooked through (they’ll start to crack and little on the top).