Preserving the bounty...

You might be surprised to hear me say this, but I'll be the first to admit - canning, pickling, freezing, dehydrating - all the many ways we can work to preserve the bounty of our local seasonal food...well it's a major pain. All the jars kicking around the house for months on end, baskets of rims, then all the prep work - cutting, slicing, snapping - followed by a rush of packing hot jars and then waiting, waiting, waiting for the water to boil and the allotted hot water bath/pressure canner time. And finally, the nerve-racking will my jars "ping?" Please, please let my jars ping!!!!
And since my daytimer has me pretty well scheduled during all daylight hours in the fields, food preservation for this farmer usually entails a very, very late night.
BUT...Is there are more satisfying feeling than looking at a counter of jars full of healthy, chemical-free food, food that was grown in your region supporting your local farmers keeping your favorite open lands in production???? Especially come December and January and February when the abundance of summer - the tomatoes, the beans, the beets - are long gone?
If you haven't ever tried preserving your food, its not as hard as it appears, and especially as you find great recipes and perfect your techniques, the products you end up with are well, really, really good. Just takes a little time and planning. And it is something that is much more fun with some friends and family. Get a good book - or google - here is one of my favorite sites for quick and easy info on canning, pickling, freezing and the many ways to put food up - www.pickyourown.org
So this Sunday I plan to preserve some of the bounty. Especially since the batch of pickled Dilly Beans we did do this week is already about 1/4 gone! My husband has been eating about a pint of them a day! I do admit, they are addictive, kinda like potato chips only beany!
If you would like to stop by the market and put up some food for your family and friends, well we have lots of choices. And, on that note, we are offering a special promotion on all the veggies you need to make your own batch of dilly beans:
* FOR JUST $12 - 5 lbs of fresh beans (choose any of our 4+ varieties of beans, they are all great pickled!), one bunch of dill and 2 heads of garlic. We will also include a recipe, but basically, that's enough beans, dill and garlic for at least 8 pints. A bargain!

And what else of the summer bounty will be at market today, well, quite a bounty. Here is the brief (hah!) summary:

From Willowood Farm
- Potatoes - 7 flavors today plus baby new potato bags!
- Garlic - Probably 8 flavors today?
- Head Lettuce - loads of beautiful head lettuce!
- Kohlrabi - giant tender heads! Great raw in coleslaw, baked...
- Chard
- Kale
- Cabbage - three beautiful kinds! Great for coleslaw, sauerkrat (another fun and yummy home project!)
- Peas
- Chickpeas (probably the last week they'll be available in fresh form)
- Summer Squash - loads of perfect summer squash!
- Beans, beans, beans - We have our favorite Dragon Langeries and gorgeous Golden Rocky yellow wax beans....
- Gourmet mixed Italian Onions

From our friends at Prairie Bottom
- Lots more beans! Golden Bacau wax bean, Green Romas, French Filets
- Beet Bottoms! Great for canning
- More onions
- More taters
- Spinach
- Leeks
- Dill bunches
- Carrot Bunches
- Fava Beans
- Basil

And at Bayview Market only we will have a selection from Mikey at Whidbey Green Goods of Sungold tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, basil and yes, even more beans....

We hope to see you there!

Happy preserving!
Farmer Georgie
Willowood Farm of Ebey's Prairie

Farmer or Gardener?

So when does a gardener become a farmer? Or vice versa?
This topic comes up a bit at Willowood Farm. Partly because it has only been in the last year or so that I've felt I've earned the title "Farmer" versus, for example, "Out of Control Gardener..."
Now a lot of folks out there might think that's just nuts. I know Willow the intern does. Her words today, "The next person who comes over here and refers to this as a "garden" I'm going to knock them over the head with a kohlrabi..." Or something to that effect...
But she has a point. I am, afterall, actively growing on eight acres this year. I have two tractors, one combine, numerous implements....I plant rows 250 feet at a time (today I planted about 20 rows, so, let's see 5,000 row feet?).

Yet, growing up on Ebey's Prairie, surrounded by 100s of acres of field crops and with neighbors that mean actual "tons" (as in 2000 lbs of wheat) of a crop when they use the term versus just a descriptive word meaning "lots" (as in I have "tons" of beets for market, like 50 bunches...), the title of "farmer" has been one that hasn't really felt right until recently.
So what is the difference between a "farmer" and a "gardener." I would like to say that a farmer is a person that makes a living off their gardening. But since there have been a lot of farmers that spent many years NOT make a living off their gardening, well, that doesn't fit.
Perhaps it is more fitting to say a farmer is a person who at least HOPES to make a living off their gardening! Okay, I qualify there.

Does a farmer need to have large equipment? Well, not neccessarily. I think there are probably a lot of folks farming all over the world that don't own anything that runs on horsepower (except, for maybe actual horse power...). Although, I do admit that the purchase last fall of "Manny" the cutest little manure spreader I ever did see, made me feel like I had earned the title of "farmer." Spreading manure by machine rather than by pitchfork? Definite step up.
I think feeling like a farmer has been something that has grown on me. Something I have began to "own" the more years I do this, and the more I learn. I'll never know it all. That is the one thing about "farming" that I find endlessly fascinating. Working with plants, soil, bugs, and nature is so incredibly complex. I don't know how anybody could say they have a total understanding of it. It is constantly mystifying (and inspiring) to me.
Perhaps that's the difference. Gardeners, well anybody with an interest and effort can be a gardener. Even a good one. But a farmer? You've got to earn that right from Mother Nature herself (plus throw little bit of crazy in, because us farmers have to be a bit crazy to love working this hard!)
So, enough pontificating and on to the good stuff - the FABULOUS FOOD COMING TO THE COUPEVILLE AND BAYVIEW MARKETS TOMORROW!
Here we go -
From Willowood Farm of Ebey's Prairie
* Fresh Chickpea (aka Garbanzo bean) Bunches. These are a short seasonal treat so get them while you can, I would guess we'll have one more picking on them then they will be past the fresh stage. Yes, they are a bit of work to shell but so worth it! Chef Vincent Nattress, who recently moved to Coupeville with his family and is selling AWESOME sourdough pancakes and pulled pork sandwiches at the Coupeville Farmer's Market blogged about our chickpeas on his new local foods blog. And he came up with a great recipe. Check it out here - http://pugetsoundbites.wordpress.com/
And the really cool thing? Along with being an accomplished chef, Vincent is a COUPEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE! Go Wolves! Welcome back Vincent, Coupeville Rocks!
* Potatoes. Adding more kinds this week. Romanze (yellow/red), Mountain Rose (red/red), Purple Majesty (crazy purple), Carola (yellow) and some Maris Pipers (creamy white), as well. Come check out the growing selection (pun intended!).
* Garlic - should be coming with a nice mix of this as well. It is all curing nicely in the barn!
* Head Lettuce! New crop in. Looks great so come and enjoy!
* Onions, onions, onions....Lots of flavors.
* Brocolli
* Summer squash
* Romanesca Cauliflower (the crazy spiral orangey kind)
* HUGE cabbages. Red and green. Time for coleslaw and sauerkrat!
* HUGE kohlrabi. Add to above...
* Beets - Red, Chioggia and Golden!
* Carrots - Medium size and tasty! Some red ones too...
* Parsnips
* Kale and Chard bunches...
* Squash blossoms
* Bulb Fennel

From our friends at Prairie Bottom Farm
* Big Carrot bunches
* Huge beets for canning
* Lovely fresh beans - yellow wax, french filet, etc...
* More onions including green onion bunches!
* Lettuce Mix
* Summer Squash
* Leeks
* And more stuff but Wilbur keeps forgetting to send me his list so I'm not sure what else. WIL-BUR!!!!

So, thanks for reading all this and we sure do hope to see you tomorrow. I will be down at the Bayview market for those who have been missing me!

Eat your Vegetables!
Farmer Georgie
Willowood Farm of Ebey's Prairie

So what makes local food local, anyways?

So lately I've been thinking a lot about the whole concept of "local" as it is certainly bandied about a lot. I really got to thinking about this because of some "local" beans selling in our small town grocery store. They were advertised as local Washington grown beans, by the Inaba Family from Eastern Washington. They were priced at $1 a lb sell price and well, looked pretty darn bad. Now just to give you perspective, we've picked probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 lbs of beans today, took 4 people about 5 hours to do this. So 20 (wo)man hours. For $1/lb, well...unfortunately my farm does have to turn a profit at the end of the year! Our beans are going more in the neighborhood of $2.50 to $4 a lb, dependent on variety. I would love my local grocery store to sell my beans, and I would give them a wholesale price to be able to do so for a quantity sale, but I certainly would never be able to compete with beans priced at $1/lb retail...And well, customers are used to getting those $1/lb beans so coming in with a bean more at $3/lb even if they were picked fresh that morning and are of the highest quality - well, that's a bit of a shocker for some!
Yet those Inaba Family beans still can claim the "local" tag? As a farmer less than a mile away from the grocery store with 200+ lbs of beans sitting in my cooler, well...that's kind of a frustrating situation!
I've actually met members of the Inaba Family. Nice folks. Run a lot of acres in, I believe it is the Yakima area. Quite a few hours away. It would take most of us, what about 5 hours, to get from Whidbey to Yakima? Are those beans really local when they are available abundantly on Whidbey Island this time of year?
I think locality means a lot of different things to people. And it can be a small (20 miles) or big area (200 miles). And it can depend on the product. Some things - coffee and chocolate, two of my personal favorites - are great examples of things that, short of major global warming, probably won't be found growing locally on Whidbey Island. But so many, many things are! And the really cool thing, the more people like you - the consumer - ask for and purchase locally grown items then the more they will be available!
So remember, if you want to support your local farmers make sure that the local product you buy is "local," at least as far as you define it, and that they are actually farmers! Just because somebody is selling produce at your local farmer's markets doesn't always mean they are farmers! Sometimes they are just folks that bought the food off the supply truck and are reselling it, food from who knows where that they have no connection to! I was dismayed to read these articles...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2000-04-01/Real-Versus-Fake-Farmers.aspx
http://www.chow.com/media/2555
Those of us working our the Willowood Farm market booths can assure you, we've all had a lot of one-on-one hours - lots and lots of hours - getting to know the beans, and other veggies, we offer for your eating pleasure! And on that note...
Coming to the Coupeville and Bayview markets tomorrow -
From Willowood Farm
- Potatoes - 4 lovely kinds even a fingerling this week!
- Garlic, garlic and more garlic...
- Beans. Oh, did we mention beans? We have 4 kinds - all the colors of the rainbow and so yummy!
- Gorgeous dwarf snow peas
- Fresh chickpea bunches! These are a very short season treat, incredibly tasty and we will bring recipes!
- Beet bunches - 2 kinds!
- Onions - Red Torpedos, Cippolinis, Tropeana Tondas...
- Broccoli
- HUGE kohlrabi
- Lovely savoy cabbage - one of our favorites!
- Kale and chard bunches

From Prairie Bottom Farm
- Big, sweet carrots
- Beet bottoms for canning
- Dill - for making Dilly Beans!
- More onions
- Even more beans...
- Fava Beans
And more...

We hope to see you there and THANK YOU! for supporting local farmers!
Farmer Georgie
Willowood Farm of Ebey's Prairie

Beans and Taters and Peas - Oh My!

IT WAS HOT THIS WEEK!


So what do Pacific Northwest farmers do when it's record heat wave time? Go jump into the wonderfully cold waters of the Puget Sound...Ah, I got so cold I had to go cover up with a blanket! Bliss!




So, the greens aren't so fond of this hot weather, but there are some other veggies that are including...BEANS, BEANS, BEANS oh yeah, AND MORE BEANS!






So, anyways, we picked a lot of beans this week, and well, they are really just getting going. We picked over 60 lbs of beans on Wednesday, and then today - well, I didn't hear the final numbers but it definitely was somewhere around 100 lbs! We will be offering FIVE different types of beans at the markets tomorrow so come on by and enjoy the bounty! And on that note, here is a great recipe for fresh, locally grown beans!

Marinated Rainbow Bean Salad

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb Haricot Vert (french Filet), 1/4 lb Yellow Wax Bean, 1/4 Dragon Langerie bean, 1/4 Purple Bean.
  
• 2 large Red Onion diced
• 1 cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar
• Kosher Salt to taste
• Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Directions

Wash and trim beans. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, cover and chill several hours or preferably overnight.

Note:

This is one of those recipes that gets better the longer it marinates!

So, coming to the BAYVIEW ONLY market tomorrow (Coupeville market is closed due to the Arts & Crafts Festival, so all our great loyal Coupeville customers we hope to see you down either at the Bayview market, or you can find a selection of Willowood Farm goodies at the bayleaf Store in Coupeville!) -

From Willowood Farm

- Beans - We have Dragon Langerie (my personal favorite, it means Dragon's Tongue, not Dragon's Underwear as the interns suggested...), Royal Purple, Dwarf French Filet (aka Haricot Vert) and Yellow Wax

- Potatoes - 4 kinds this market (and oh so many more to come...). Mountain Rose, Romanze, Carola and Maris Piper

- Garlic - Also 4 kinds this market...Brown Tempest, Asian Tempest, Red Toch and Persian Star

- Peas! A fabulous late picking. Several kinds including heirloom Dwarf Grey Sugar (featured on Oystercatcher menu)...

- Onions, onions, onions - Red & white cippolinis, Ailsa Crag (a big sweet onion, like Walla Wallas), red Torpedos, Tropeana Tonda...

- Kale & Chard bunches

- Bulb Fennel

- Broccoli

- And more...

From Prairie Bottom Farm:

- HUGE GREEN KOHLRABI

- Beets

- Carrot bunches

- Even more onions

- And more...

Also we will have lots of baby summer squash from our friends Linda and Valerie at Rosehip Farm and Garden...

Hope to see you at market and THANK YOU for reading this and supporting WHIDBEY ISLAND FARMERS!

Regards,

Georgie Smith, Farmer

Willowood Farm of Ebey's Prairie

The Turkey Hoe-Down....

Turkey feet up...
Turkey feet down...
Don't ever put more than one foot down!











Gobble and whistle, shake and preen
Flip your feathers and swing
back around!
And don't ever put more than one foot down!






And that would be the Prairie Turkey Hoe-Down!
So on that note, the turkeys - we have a small flock of 12 - were hanging out enjoying our company and begging for any veggie left-overs out of the packing shed this afternoon. (And for anyone who hasn't been around turkeys, they are amazingly sociable, curious creatures). Lucky for you (and not so lucky for the turkeys), we only tossed the turkeys the trimmings of the following fabulous vegetables...Coming tomorrow, to the Bayview and Coupevile Farmer's Markets:
From Willowood Farm
* 4 KINDS of new taters - Reds, yellows, whites! Yummy!
* Glorious green kohlrabi
* Baby green cabbages
* Quinoa greens (yummy, think spinach like, but with a nuttier flavor)
* Rainbow Chard
* Huge, beautiful bunches of kale
* Rhubarb
* Loads of onions - Torpedo onions, tropeana tonda onions, cippolini onions, ailsa crag onions...
* Broccoli
* Pea Vines - with beautiful little flowers
* Baby bulb fennel - new crop thinnings...
* Gourmet garlic, several kinds!

From Prairie Bottom Farm
* Carrots, carrots and more carrots
* Beets, beets and more beets!
* Fava beans
* Even more onions
* Savoy cabbage
* Roma Green beans (limited quantities)...

You might notice from the list, not a lot of salad greens at the moment! That's what the hot weather does! But, more on their way...Also coming soons - LOADS more fresh green beans, lots of peas, fresh chickpea bunches, more garlic, summer squash, more cabbage, etc, etc, etc...
We hope to see you tomorrow! And for those of you in Coupeville, remember, not market the following weekend (Aug 1-2), due to the Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival so don't forget to LOAD UP NOW!

Happy local eating!

Georgie Smith, Farmer
Willowood Farm of Ebey's Prairie

A Garlic Tale...

Many of you have asked, so how is it that you get all this garlic. What do you do? How does it happen? So here you go. The tale of how we may have garlic (well, actually this it just the end part of how we may have garlic, it really starts in October with planting time!). But, since this is what we were doing this week, here you go!


Here is the tractor wheel. Driving through the garlic. To loosen the dirt. To pull the garlic. So we may all have garlic...

And here areWillow and Eric, doing the garlic dance - shake the garlic, shake the garlic, SHAKE THE GARLIC. So we may all have garlic...(okay, they are just putting it in the truck, but a dance sounds cooler...).





And this, well this is just a big pile of garlic. (So we may all have garlic...).
And this? This is Georgie, showing off the newest high fashion garlic "up do." No really, this is Georgie hanging garlic. So the garlic can cure. So the garlic doesn't mold. So the garlic keeps 6 months (or more!). So we may all have garlic (for a long time...).







And here? Here is the garlic. The glorious, gorgeous garlic! So, yes, we MAY ALL HAVE GARLIC!







And for those of you who would like to know what we are bringing to market tomorrow (Coupeville and Bayview), of course...Here is the list.
From Willowood Farm
- Garlic (of course, although just a few of the other varieties so far, many are still waiting to be cleaned, hung and cured...)
- New potatoes! A lovely mix of yellows, whites and reds. True new taters (with uncured skins), ever so sweet and tender
- Kales. Two kinds and great recipes!
- Quinoa greens. This is seasonal treat. They can be used as salad greens or lightly cooked. Mild, nutty taste.
- Beet bunches - Golden, Red, Chioggia - you name it we got it!
- Baby carrot bunches
- Cippolini onion bunches
- Tropeana Tonda onions (famed Italian "top shaped" red onion...)
- Rainbow Chard
- Fava Beans (try them grilled, we just did it tonite - yummy!)
- Brocolli
- Rhubarb
- Mesclun and Leaf Lettuce mix - perfect for summer salads!

From Prairie Bottom Farm
- Big Carrot bunches
- Beet bottoms - great for canning
- Green Roma Beans! Wow! So early!
- Scallions
- Spinach
- Sugar Snap Peas
- And more...

We hope to see you tomorrow!
Farmer Georgie
Willowood Farm of Ebey's Prairie

Fava Freedom!

Fava Freedom! We needed this photo for last week with 4th of July and all (kudos to the interns for snapping this great shot)! Doesn't it look like they are little green rockets getting ready to blast off? Off to spread their message of legume love to the world?
This photo does seem apropos for this week however, as the "Sound of Freedom" jets have been in action a lot this week flying their touch and go circles around the farm, as those jet fuel streaks in the photo attest to.
It is an interesting juxtaposition this photo, fava beans being one of our most ancient vegetables, first cultivated around 6000 BC. And still thriving, even amongst the trappings of a modern, fast-paced, jet-fueled world...Hmm...I'm not sure what it all means, since I cooked my brain out in the sun today harvesting garlic, but I'm sure in means something important. If any of you can figure it out, well drop me a note and let me know!
And now, on to the goodies...
Coming to the Bayview and Coupeville farmer's markets tomorrow (and for those of you attending the OH market, we were unable to attend unexpectedly this week, we expect to be back on track next week...):
From Willowood Farm-
* Arugula
* Yukina Savoy Tatsoi
* Spinach
* Beets - Red Detroit, Chioggia and Golden! Big and BEE-YOOTIFUL!
* Kohlrabi
* Kale - baby Tuscan bunches from a new crop! Extra tender and sweet!
* Radicchio and Frisee Endive (Bayview only, cuz you guys have been asking for those lovely bitter greens!)
* Fava Beans! (or course)
* Head Lettuce
* Pea Vines
* Baby Green Cabbages
* Carrots
* Broccoli
* Sugar Snap and Snow Peas
* Walla Walla and Torpedo onions
* Fresh Garlic
And from Prairie Bottom Farm
* Bulb Fennel
* Salad Onions - multiple kinds
* Baby spinach
* Shelling Peas
* Beet Bottoms
* BIG carrot bunches
* Maybe a few green beans - I heard a rumor....????
And more stuff, for sure, but Wilbur (are you reading this Wilbur???? has yet to send me his list tonite so I'm not sure what all he's got but I know he's been busy! Ahem, Wilbur!!!!?????).
For a final note, a reminder that yes, Garlic Harvest Party tomorrow at Willowood Farm. And yes, we are feeling a bit desperate for any and all help! A lot of garlic yet left to clean! If you would like to come, check out the previous posting for info and directions.
Thanks for reading and your support of local, Whidbey Island farms!
Georgie Smith, Farmer
Willowood Farm of Ebey's Prairie