a family cow

this is going to happen. the check has been written. nick has met her and loved her. she arrives either tomorrow or easter sunday. this is her milk. and it is delicious. we must spend, happily, nick's birthday morning preparing the barn and the barnyard crew for her arrival. cheese, yogurt, icecream, and butter are all nearly within my reach. unless the check receivers are really just swindlers....but i don't think they are. i think we may actually welcome our cow this very weekend.

happy fridays to you.

happy birthday to nick.

Quiche and a Community Garden - Life with a Cinnamon Girl

julie wrote me last may to say "i read through your blog a few days ago and i've decided you need to be my friend! and i mean that in the least creepy way. :)". i thought it was pretty funny, especially given all the things we had in common; backyard chickens, doula-ing, love of pitbulls, she and her husband spent a chunk of time on the island where i grew up, they used to buy veggies from a farm that we would end up working on .....the list literally does go on. but i never actually thought that this would translate into us truly becoming friends in real life. she lived in tennessee when she wrote this, i lived in north carolina. i was moving to boston. and her family was trying to move back to boston but wasn't sure when. 


and then after many many emails back and forth she and i found ourselves both living in boston at the same time. and so, we met for scones and tea. that was this past january. and in just those three months since julie and her husband craig and their beautiful son and their charming pit bulls have become some of our dearest friends. they are some of the people i miss the most since leaving and they are a family that i would very much like, selfishly, to have living right across a hill from me. because they are the most phenomenal cooks. because julie has the World's Best Pound Cake recipe. and its a secret. because their son is a lovebug. because their pit bull always tries to sit in your lap. because every time we see them we spend more time laughing and eating and smiling than we do anywhere else. 


julie and craig! move to vermont already!


and they are thinking about it. but in the meantime, they have gotten themselves a little plot of community garden in cambridge. and i asked julie to share about it and something delicious they have cooked lately. 


so here you are, my friend, julie and her blog life with a cinnamon girl. 

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Every year we've gardened has been an experience all unto itself. A small patch of earth under a break in the wooded canopy of Martha's Vineyard, a mess of unintentionally re-homed plants after Nashville's record breaking flood of 2010, and then a relatively-simple-out-in-the-open-natural-disaster-free-plot in the back of our first home. Now we live in the city and all my past growing seasons seem to have more in common than I originally thought. At least I always found myself with a little piece of dirt I could call my own! This year it's rooftop grow ops, windowfarming, and community gardens. I am completely lost.

I've given up dreams of a rooftop garden recently as neither my husband nor myself have ever been able to get ourselves all the way onto said roof. Paralyzing fear does not a good gardener make! And up until just a few days ago I hadn't heard of windowfarming so our plans have mainly been focused on the community garden we were so lucky to get a plot in. Out came the bag of seeds. Out came the stack of books that trick us into thinking we have even the slightest idea what we're doing. Out came the questions. What have we successfully grown before? What have we failed miserably at? What can we grow at home? 

Slowly a picture of what our gifted little bed is to be emerged. Familiar with the tomatoes, a little adventurous with purple tomatillos, trying again with the kohlrabi, and fool proof with the radishes. In all, in our tiny 8 x 10 space, we've managed to lay out a plan that comfortably includes 18 plant varieties. Eighteen! Who knew you could get your hands that dirty in the big ol' city? Our seeds are started and our hands are itching for April 22 when the gardening gates open. We are pretty excited considering our prospects for this coming season, with community garden and windowsills combined. Did I mention the bees we're begging the garden committee to let us bring in?? Just in case we have it all wrong though we've pledged our pennies to a nearby CSA. Come hell or high water, as both have come in seasons past, we are reveling in this summer's bounty!

And one last thing..

In the last weeks of Kate and Nick living in Massachusetts we just weren't able to find the right pocket of time for a farewell dinner. So in wishing those two and their brood a safe journey north my husband and I put together a little meal perfect for an egg farmer straddling the fence between winter's tubers and citrus, and spring's first green arrivals. Whether the craving hits on a lazy Sunday morning or a blustery Tuesday night, breakfast is always the right choice. Without further ado- we raise our Vermont brewed Long Trail Pollenator and wish our new friends the best. May your nesting boxes be full, your earth's bounty endless, and your hearts wholly content. Massachusetts will be happy to have you back any time you see fit! (So, like, if you want to come back right now.. that's totally okay.)

Spring Quiche

preheat oven to 425

8 eggs

2 tablespoons heavy cream

oil for cooking

1 bunch spring onions, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 c mushrooms*, sliced

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped

3 stalks asparagus, cut into 1 inch segments

2 oz goat cheese, of course from Vermont Creamery because this is after all a recipe for newly minted Vermonters

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

*You can use whatever mushroom your prefer. Whole Foods sells a 12 oz variety pack of "gourmet" mushrooms that is affordable and really great. Always a favorite around here.

In a medium bowl whisk together your eggs and cream. Set aside.

In a medium skillet, saute onions until soft, almost translucent. Salt and pepper to taste while cooking. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute. In a bowl set onions and garlic.

Saute mushrooms and tarragon until mushrooms are tender. Salt and pepper to taste while cooking. Stir into the onions and garlic.

Saute asparagus until vibrantly green, 1-2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste while cooking. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir until melted. Stir in previously cooked vegetables to the asparagus in the skillet.

Pour egg and heavy cream mix over the vegetables. Break goat cheese over top. Bake in the oven until down and browned on the top, about 30-40 minutes.

Rosemary Smashed Potatoes

preheat oven to 425

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

3 cups mixed baby potatoes

Bring large pot of water to boil. Boil potatoes until easily pierced with a knife. Strain potatoes.

Toss potatoes in oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Spread evenly in large baking dish. Flatten potatoes with the backside of a pan or skillet.

Roast potatoes until crispy, about 25 minutes.

Blood Orange Butter Asparagus

one bunch of asparagus, minus the 3 stalks for your quiche

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 blood oranges, or other citrus

In a small saucepan juice three oranges. On a high heat reduce the juice by half. Add butter and remove from heat. Stir until fully melted. Set aside.

In a medium skillet saute asparagus until a vibrant green, 1-2 minutes. Salt and pepper while cooking.

Place cooked asparagus on a plate and pour blood orange butter over top. 

It's totally okay if you sop up the extra blood orange butter with bread. Or just your tongue.

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thank you Julie! thank you Craig! Miss you guys.

Dream the Dairy Goat - Fig and Fauna

fig and fauna is the stunningly beautiful blog of megan martin and rose estelle martin (sisters in law). they live on a small farm in south florida where they raise goats and chickens and gardens. currently the two are writing a cookbook about cultivating relationships with the food we eat.  the recipes and photos they post on their blog are enough for me to be certain i will be purchasing the cookbook when it is finished. 

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The mornings belong to a goat and a girl. Dream raises her head and peeks over the top of the wood planked barn, as she hears me open the back door and slide on my boots. Our greetings have become a ritual - a quick exchange of touch, while I grasp her collar and direct her toward the house. We set off to the milking parlor, hidden on the side of our wrap around porch.  A Bougainvillea trellis shades our quiet area from the heat, while dapples of sun peak through the leaves. It's a hiding spot that my child self would have begged for - a quiet place made just for two friends. Dream knows where to stand as she itches to be milked and fed both with equal fervor. Her muscles relax from side to side while I rhythmically let her milk down into the bucket. Leaning her sides into my head,  the conversation between us is a simple exchange of movement. I embrace the quietness of our time together, allowing it to set the pace for my day. Nearing the end of her milk reserve, she snuffs her lips and lifts her legs impatiently. I can hear her clearly, telling me that the rest of the milk is meant for her babies.
A bucket of fresh frothy milk rests in the silver bucket, and the possibilities are endless. Inspired by the warmth of the Spring day, I begin a soft airy cheese to accompany a garden salad.
Gathering what is fresh from the garden: dandelion greens, fennel, cilantro, arugula, beets, radishes and a yellow onion -  I assemble the salad, imagining the taste of the fresh Chevre finding it's way into every bite.

Spring Salad with Chevre - Serves 2

Handful of greens (arugula, radicchio, endive, orach, mizuna, kale, dandelion)
1-2 Radishes Thinly sliced
1 Small - medium beet thinly sliced
1/4 cup yellow onion thinly sliced
One orange, peeled and segmented
Cilantro leaves and flowers, to taste
Fennel sprigs and flowers, to taste
handful of crumbled Chevre
Toasted Pepitas, to taste

For the dressing
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup EVOO
1/2 cup Orange Juice
Salt + Pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients well and shake before each use.

Using a mandolin slicer on the second thinnest setting, slice beets, radishes and onion. Tear cilantro and fennel into small pieces and combine all ingredients except the cheese and pepitas. Drizzle salad dressing and gently combine. Sprinkle Chevre and toasted pepitas on top to taste.

* The Chevre pictured is Poppy Seed + Cracked Smoked Pepper

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thank you megan and rose!

this is just to say...

that i am alive. and that we are here in vermont. at the new farm. and that life is so fantastically wonderful here that i am terrified i am missing something. i keep slapping myself to wake up.

i cannot wait to tell you more about it. but we have over a dozen friends coming here this weekend and a farm to prepare. so next week i will talk your ear off.

for now. we will continue the parade of lovely women farming and blogging.  today one of the most visually stunning farm blogs....stay tuned.

shearing time - Oliver and Abraham's

you may remember mckenzie from a post back in january when i thought i could be ambitious enough to bake a cake every week. oliver and abraham's  is her charming and witty and honest farm blog about the life she shares with her partner jamie. i would very much recommend a visit over to her if you haven't already.  here she is on longest acres today writing about a farm chore i hope very much to dive into this year; shearing.

When Kate asked me to write about my animals, I couldn't figure out what to do! I've been really lazy about taking pictures of them lately. Jamie (my partner in crime) has been herding them this week by bicycle... that would have made for a pretty hilarious post, but alas, my camera is nowhere to be found when he gets the whim. Finally it dawned on me that I should write about shearing time, since it's getting so near. These pictures are from last year on Memorial Day. I can't believe we gave them haircuts so late! They were hot and stinky. We got 16 pounds of wool from Bill Murray alone!

I guess before I get into details about shearing, I should tell you a little bit about how and why we became sheep and alpaca "farmers." We were living in a rental farmhouse with 2.5 acres of land, working at the local grocery store, and dreamily trying fulfill our dream of living of the land. One day while scrolling through Craigslist, I found an ad for two rescue-alpacas. They were only $100 each, which is absolutely unheard of. Most alpacas are in the thousands of dollars. Of course, these were unregistered and male... but that didn't matter because alpacas are the most magical-dinosaur-unicorn-creatures ever... We named them Oliver and Abraham. A year later we found Boots the Babydoll Sheep on Craigslist. We got him because he was tiny and adorable. Since he was still young, we decided to give him a more appropriate name, Bill Murray. Wouldn't you?

Back then, we weren't really thinking about why we were going to keep alpacas and sheep. We just thought they were awesome. Obviously that's not very responsible, but it did lead us down a path we're both very pleased with. Last summer we were given five more sheep. So now we're supposed to figure out how to use their wool. For the past year I've been slowly picking through the tangles and hay. I'll be honest. I hate that part. The carding is awesome. I haven't yet gotten to spinning, but seeing how I like instant gratification, somehow I think I'll love it. The solution to better picking is definitely going to be an investment in sheep jackets. They're lightweight coats that the sheep wear to prevent "vegetable matter" from getting into their wool. (Since we don't need dishes or silverware, we added them to our wedding registry... naturally...) 

For the past few years we've hired someone to shear the animals for us, but I read about how electric shears cut the wool too close to the skin and can cause the sheep to get a sunburn. On Friday I caved in and invested in a pair of non-electric wool shears. They're cheaper than what it would cost to pay someone anyway. I'm not sure I'll be completely successful (and I know they won't look very pretty) but I'm going to give it a go! After watching dozens of YouTube videos, it seems that getting the sheep to sit on their fat, wooly rumps is the key. So check in at Oliver and Abrahams over the next couple of weeks. I promise you, Jamie will be laughing at me the whole time and taking loads of embarrassing pictures. Oh, and Abraham will most likely be spitting green slime in my face while I'm shearing Bill Murray. He's in love with that silly sheep...


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thank YOU mckenzie!