Peach Blackberry Pie

This week's pie is a combination of peach and blackberry with a decorative lattice crust.

We start with our signature pie dough of organic whole wheat flour and house rendered lard, then fill it with delicious peaches and blackberries. The trick to a great filling is to macerate the fruit the day before - soak it in sugar essentially - and let the juices gather in the bottom of the pan. We then cook the juices first until thick, then add those to the fruit, allowing for firm fruit and a gooey, sweet filling.

Enjoy this week only! Next week's flavor will change again.

Small Pies - $10

Large Pies - $18

Zucchini Bread

This has been a very popular option this summer. A simple quick bread made well. We keep the sugar down and keep it moist by sweetening with homemade applesauce. Enjoy toasted in the morning with a thick slab of butter!

$5

Watermelons- $1 off

Last week we had a tremendous response to watermelons. Our growers say Thank You and we hope to move more this week.

This week we have two nice selections, both $1 off.

Ruby Red Seedless Watermelon - large, super sweet and dark red flesh. A family and party favorite. $7 each.

Crimson Sweet Seeded Watermelon (pictured) - and old fashioned watermelon, with seeds and tender pink flesh. As for seeds, simply cut out, swallow, or have fun spitting them as far as you can!

Cantaloupe - $4



Soon, muskmelons will be gone. It will be a sad day, but the recent rains and being late in the season already, the vine crops - like cantaloupe, cucumbers, and pickles - are getting hit hard by downy mildew. Enjoy a cantaloupe while they are still available.

Tree Fruits



Nectarines - 2# bags - $7

Peaches - 2# bags - $5

Santa Rosa Plums - 1.5# bags - $4

The plum is my go to right now. These sweet, firm little plums are delicious little snacks.

Blackberries - Price Drop!



Bumper harvest this week and the price has dropped.

1 pint - $6.50

2 pint - $11.50

Apples



This week we start to see some of the first decent eating apples of the season. Three varieties to chose from - the ginger gold and paula red are in the totes.

A note on blemishes - the early apples this year were hit by hail back in June. They were small and have grown out of it, but small black scars remain. If you closed your eyes and ate it, you wouldn't know they were there. These little blemishes are harmless, just slightly unsightly. We can't punish the farmer for what Mother Nature did!

Ginger Gold - 6 ct, approx 2.5# - $3.5

Early season green apple, sweet-tart apple great for fresh eating or baking. I always enjoy this apple sliced thinly and on a salad. Pairs well with roasted beets and goat feta!

Paula Red - 6 ct, approx 2.5# - $3.5

Early, sweet apple that cooks down great for sauce and pies, but also a decent eater. A dusty, dull skin gives it a distinctive look.

"Foxtrot" Gala - 6 ct, approx 2.5# - $4

Earlier maturing sub-variety of Gala. It's sweet, crunchy, and very good eater.

This week I'm really excited about a new mushroom producer we have who is growing big, meaty shitakes. The flavor is great and so versatile.

So this week I made some sour cream and we got noodles in from Flour Pasta Company to do something special - stroganoff.

You can use your creative freedom on this recipe - but the kit has a few basics that you need. Your fridge likely has other FFM ingredients that can go well with it - including onions and tomato.

The bundle includes:

1, Boston Butt Pork Shoulder Roast (approx 2 to 2.5#)

1, Homemade Sour Cream (8 oz)

1, Flour Pasta Company Pappardelle Noodles (8 oz)

1, Homemade Chicken Stock (32 oz)

1, package Shitake Mushrooms (6 oz)

Retail Value: $34

Bundle Price - $25

Basic Recipe Suggestions

Every Eastern European grandmother has her version of a stroganoff, but the common thread is that the sauce is finished with sour cream. I'm guessing I'm saying you can't make it wrong, just different.

Step 1: Cut your pork roast into approx 1 inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper, and dredge thru seasoned flour.

Step 2: Preheat a dutch oven or oven proof pan, and add a good glug of oil. Over medium heat, brown the meat, turning to get most sides browned. Remove meat with slotted spoon, then drain off grease. If the heat was too high and there are burnt bits on the bottom, scrape those off.

Step 3: Mushrooms. Remove the caps from the stems. Chops the caps into strips and reserve to cook separately. You want to highlight this ingredient. Keep the stems for cooking in the broth.

Step 4: Pour chicken stock into original pan, scraping the bottom to remove any flour bits. Add the pork chunks and mushroom stems. Add a chopped up tomato as well, and you can even add some garlic for extra flavor. Add enough chicken stock to cover the pork, not make a soup.

Bring to a simmer and transfer to the oven, 300 degrees covered. Cook until the pork roast chunks are tender and tear apart easily with fork. Approx 2 hrs.

Step 5: Meanwhile, sweat the onions and mushroom caps (sliced) in butter until translucent but not browned. Reserve to fold into the finished dish.

Step 6: When pork is finished, two options:

1) If you have time, refrigerate as is and scrape the fat from the top the next day. Then continue.

2) If you don't have time, try to ladle any excess grease from the surface, then remove the pork chunks. Pour the cooking liquid thru a strainer or better yet, process thru a foodmill.

Step 7: Cook noodles separately until 75% cooked.

Step 8: Combine noodles, pork (pull it apart some), mushrooms and onions into the dutch oven. Add back cooking liquid, enough to make the mixture saucey but not soupy. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

At this point, you can do two things:

1) Add the sour cream and stir it in.

2) Place the sour cream in a bowl. Add some of the hot cooking liquid to the sour cream slowly and stir it. This will "temper" the sour cream up to temperature without making it "break." Then add the sour cream back to the noodle and pork mixture. "Break" would be when the protein and the fats separate and the product "greases out."

A note on the cooking liquid. I tend to err on the side of caution and I like to:

1) Refrigerate overnight and remove the fat that rises to the top

2) Reduce the cooking liquid down by half to concentrate the flavor.

3) If I reduce too far and need more liquid after putting everything back together, I can just add some water, milk, or cream. It is easier to rehydrate than to cook extra liquid out without overcooking the other ingredients.

Enjoy!

There are many challenges on a farm, but for me, the most challenging part of my operation is the farrowing operation - the breeding of hogs.

I was at a BBQ this past weekend and as it happens when I meet new people, they always have a ton of questions about my work. Then I start to explain, and there are terms and phrases that I just take for granted, so here is a little hog breeding FAQ.

When to breed? I have to work backwards from the projected kill date. Right now I'm breeding sows (females) for piglets that will be born at the end of November or early December. Those piglets will grow out over the course of 8 to 9 months and will be harvested in August of 2024.

How do you know when to breed? A sow cycles every 21 days, and generally she will begin her cycle about 3 to 5 days after weaning pigs.

We practice natural breeding - meaning we use a "service boar" and sows. Most of the industry uses Artificial Insemination because it is safer and easier than keeping a boar around, and they can get the exact genetics they want and know the date of conception and the projected farrowing (pigging) date.

I keep sows in small groups of about 4. When a sow is in heat, the other sows will start to mount her. I watch for signs then introduce the boar to the sow.

Standing heat. The sow is most fertile when she is what's called "standing heat." She will stand strong and wait for the boar to mount (or cover) her. To test, you can stand over her back and push down. If she stands there, you know she is ready.

How long does it take? There is a saying on a farm. If one were to >>>>>> as often as a rooster, or for as long as a boar, you would have no hours left in the day. Use your imagination.

How do you know it worked? After 3 weeks, if she doesn't come into heat again, you know she "settled." After 42 days, generally it is safe to say that she will take the piglets full term. Each sow carries her litter differently. Some look like they are about to go into labor for months, others hide their belly better. I do have a small ultrasound, but it is difficult to use. The sow doesn't like to stand still while I use it.

How many sows can a boar "service?" In natural breeding, it's suggested to keep the ratio of 1:12 or so. Meaning 1 boar for every 12 sows. But if they all come into heat at once, it's a better bet to do 1:4.

I keep two boars in the barn to rotate. One is a "cleanup" boar, meaning that he'll also breed a sow in case the first boar didn't service her.

Keeping two boars also helps to promote competition. The boars are kept in separate pens. When they come close to another boar, they can smell each other and begin to get very aggressive. At that point, they seem to want to mate more.

Do you need a special place to mate? Ideally, we take the sow to the boar's pen. This way he isn't distracted by other sows or other smells. Sometimes, such as over the weekend or when I might not have time to monitor them, I'll keep the boar in a small group of 4 sows. I'll rotate the boars in and out each day to keep them interested.

If a boar mates with one sow, he might lay by her side or cling to her for a few days. In the meantime, he could miss another sow coming into heat. It is best to take him out daily, or at least for 8 hours per day.

How often can the boar mate? A mature, healthy boar can mate up to twice per day, usually with a max of 6 to 10 times per week.

How do you know when the sow is about to have pigs? Ideally, you know the breeding date and use a calendar. But in general a sow will start to fill up and "bag up." Her teets will begin to swell and right before she has pigs, you can actually squeeze her nipples and milk will seep out. At that point, if she doesn't have pigs in the next 24 hours, I generally induce her.

She will also generally be restless and start to build a nest out of straw or other material in her pen.

How many pigs does a sow have? I've had them have up to 14, but rarely will they all be born alive. I've had once where 14 were born alive. Often times, they may have about 10 born, with 8 to 9 being alive. I hope to wean 6 to 7. If I could wean 8 every time I'd be happy.

What is the hardest part? Keeping the pigs healthy and clean. The piglets will do anything to walk in their feed or water. Keeping food and water clean is really a challenge in a pasture based operation. The confinement operations have figured it out by using "slat floor," essentially a special decking that lets manure, urine, and water runooff fall into a manure pit below. This keeps things sanitary. Outside, I struggle with rain, puddles, mud, and other elements that can be troublesome.