Every day since the first batch of baby chicks came a week ago, Sylvan has asked to go see the baby chicks.  At first, he did't want to hold them, but now he can't get enough! yesterday, he learned to catch them. It was adorable watching him chase after them and get frustrated when he missed, but he finally got the hang of it. Then he wanted to catch one for me and for Hazel, for her to hold. She was fascinated by them, and wanted to reach out to touch them but did NOT want to hold it.  When it was in my hand, she would reach out with one finger, then want me to put it down, but as soon as I put it down, she wanted me to pick one up again. I could only take that for so long.  Sylvan wanted to feed them, so he took the feed scoop and actually got it in the feedings area! (instead of all over the floor).  

We get the chicks in the mail as day-old birds. We use a design for the brooder house from an old war-era extension office booklet. It shows how to make a low-cost and super effective brooder area out of plywood (since metal was so scarce during the war). They stay in the brooder house till they are about two weeks (their "teenage" years), then they move out to the pasture to get bugs, grass and feed. They LOVE the grasshoppers, and they help fertilize the fields in the process. They're only cute for about a week, but they're super fun for the kids!

We're excited to announce a new partnership with Rainbow Blossom!  In addition to the Douglass Loop, Phoenix Hill/Nulu and St. Matthews Farmers markets, we'll now be delivering to all five Rainbow Blossom locations! Pickup day is Saturdays and there will be a longer timeframe than the market pickups to make it easier for you to get your CSA when it works for you.

All deliveries on Saturdays:

Rainbow Blossom St. Matthews: 8am-8pm 
3738 Lexington Rd

Rainbow Blossom Highlands: 9am-10pm 
3046 Bardstown Rd

Rainbow Blossom Middletown: 12pm-9pm 
12232 Shelbyville Road

Rainbow Blossom Springhurst Wellness Center: 12pm-8pm 
3608 Springhurst Blvd. 

Rainbow Blossom New Albany: 4pm-9pm 
3003 Charlestown Crossing Way, New Albany, IN

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Yes, they are actually called Superhero muffins! They taste like the most delicious, moist muffins you've ever had, but they're gluten-free! Also, maple syrup is the only sweetener. It's made with almond meal, zucchini, carrots, oats, eggs, maple syrup, and butter/coconut oil. It's a muffin that actually makes me feel good! Since we've been making maple, I've made quite a few batches of these in the last couple weeks. The kids and I both gobble them up.  They do freeze well, but I haven't had enough to save, and I always make a double batch! In fact, I finished off the last one of my most recent batch as I was writing this post! I included a photo of the recipe, but am writing out my double-recipe version. I adjusted the spices a fats a little.

4 cups almond meal (you can either buy or make food-process whole almonds)
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins (or chocolate chips or chopped dates but I always use raisins)
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups grated zucchini (Barr Farms when in season)
2 cups grated carrots (Barr Farms when in season)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 cup Barr Farms maple syrup
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin pan

2. In a large bowl, combine almond meal, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, salt. Stir in raisins and walnuts.

3. In a separate bowl, mis together eggs, zucchini, carrots, butter, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Batter will be thick.

4. Spoon batter into the muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. 

Enjoy as a quick breakfast or mid-morning snack.

It's our first year making maple syrup. We partnered with a young Mennonite boy to tap trees, and we're using our sorghum cooking pan to cook it.  We've collected four batches of sap now.  We collected yesterday and got 180 gallons of sap.  The run before that we got 210 gallons! That 210 gallons made about 5 gallons of syrup.

It's a long process, but the syrup is delicious! We've only given some away as gifts so far, and Adam's aunt said, "this is the best syrup I've ever poured on my pancakes!" We think it's awfully good, too. It's really fun to add half-cooked sap into your tea or coffee.

The first 120 gallons of sap we collected just before the January cold spell. When we tried to transfer it to the cooking pan the next day when the temp had plummeted, the valve broke, maybe because it was frozen, and all the sap spilled onto the ground! It took us about a half a day to recover emotionally, but we finally started to think of it as an offering to the Earth. Round 2 went well, when we figured out fire temperature, cooking process, when it was done, and how to finish it off. We made a great batch of syrup! Round 3 in progress now! Now we need to keep making a few more batches and figure out how to bottle and label it so you can enjoy some too!

Note on the date: I wrote this post in mid-January, 2019

We're bundled and staying warm during this freezing weather. The high tunnel is covered in snow. We're collecting and bringing firewood to the basement. Bundling up the children to get them outside at least once a day, if not more. Seeds are buried underground, waiting. It's a time of rest.  The rest and restoration lays the foundation for the fruit of the growing season, for the earth, and for our soft human bodies.  To quote the incredible Mary Oliver, "You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves."

Adam and I have been taking turns curling up with a book while the other plays with the kids.  We went to a farming conference and attended a racial equity training. This is ground that we've been working with already for a long time, but it re-inspired us to dive deeper. We're a seventh generation family farm and we're proud of that.  But unpacking it, we know this was once Native Cherokee land. It was fully settled with agriculture, industry and houses, despite the myths and stories of being "only hunting grounds."  As a seventh generation family farm, we try to look to the past and forward to the future equally. We've taken this to mean caring for the soil for the next seven generations, which is still central to our practices. The conference raised the question for us, "what does an equitable farm and equitable food system look like seven generations from now?" Will it still be in the context of a capitalism that rewards a few? Or can we create a more just creative economy? Will we be able to create a system where all people have access to healthy food and no one goes hungry or replies on nutrient-depleted food? How can we plant those seeds now? Primarily for us right now, what more do we need to learn and read to move ourselves forward?

That's what we've been loving right now, diving deep. Right now, our reading list includes:
A Foodie's Guide to Capitalism: Understanding the Political Economy of What We Eat by Eric Holt-Gimenez
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard For White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in Americaby Ibram X. Kendi
Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America by Jennifer Harvey
Wild Creative: Igniting Your Passion and Potential in Work, Home, and Life by Tami Lynn Kent
The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis*
* I heard this episode on Splendid Table about cooking turtle soup an was enraptured, then this episode of Splendid Table and was inspired to learn more about Edna Lewis and get her cookbooks. It's what I got for Christmas! 

Do you have any book or movie suggestions for us, or want to be part of this conversation? Send us your thoughts!  You actually are part of this conversation already by being part of a farm share with us, shopping at the markets, or being part of the Barr Farms community.  This is one way we think we can be part of creating a just food system. And... if any of this makes you uncomfortable or even angry/frustrated/confused... lets talk!
All thoughts welcome!
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