Fall Maintenance

I was lucky enough to grow up with a wood stove in our house and the smell of the smoke and the sight of it coming out of the chimney will forever be a comfort to me.  Cozying up by the fire is one of the best ways to spend a winter evening and for that we need wood . . . lots and lots of it.  We now use a wood splitter to ease the task of chopping all that wood and it's an ongoing project to make sure we have enough.  We will need even more this year because we are planning on sugaring in the spring which uses an incredible amount of firewood to keep that constant hot fire burning.

Remember that compost I was telling you about? Here is Terry in action adding a layer of leaves to the pile.

We were able to harvest the last bit of the kale and then pulled it out of the ground. The stems will be composted of course.

Can't get enough of the beautiful fall colors...

Empanadas

Empanadas can make a great dinner or a snack and Anne and I made two different kinds and served them with a cabbage slaw on the side.  We made two different fillings: cauliflower, butternut squash, and pea as well as a roasted sweet potato, corn, and chorizo.  Though it is not traditional, we used a pie crust recipe for the dough because it is flaky and delicious.  There are many options for fillings-we came up with these based on what was leftover in our fridge.  Any kind of ground meat or vegetable would be delicious, it's really up to you on what you'd like in your empanada!

Crust (8-10 small empanadas)

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup shortening

1/3 cup cold unsalted butter

5-7 tbsp cold water

Mix dry ingredients together and then cut in butter and shortening into flour mixture until pieces are sizes of small peas.  Add water 1 tbsp at a time and mix until all the flour is incorporated.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Now is a great time to make your filling! You will probably need about 2-3 cups of filling for this amount of dough depending on how big you make them.  It is important that the dough stays cold, so work quickly! Divide dough into 8-10 pieces and roll out into small circles, about 1/8" thick.  Put about 2 tbsp of filling in each circle.  Dampen the outer edge of dough with water and then fold dough over filling to create a half circle.  Press edges down with the tines of a fork to seal.  Place on baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes on 350 or until golden brown.  

It's All About The Compost

It was a small showing of vendors and customers on Saturday and we didn't have a whole lot to bring but we were happy to see familiar faces for the final market.  We'd like to thank Cheryl, the market manager, for all of her hard work this season and we look forward to another season with her in 2012!

Back at Endeavor Farm we are taking advantage of all of the falling leaves to add to our compost piles and help tuck in the beds before winter.  The leaves act as an insulator and also add organic matter to the soil. Below is the rhubarb just about all covered up.

Terry has been doing some research about compost because we would like to introduce more organic matter into our soil.  Buying manure would be ideal but as it gets costly, we'd like to do as much as we can with what we've got.  We have 2 piles going right now and it's important to cover them so they don't get too saturated.  Turning it regularly with a pitchfork will encourage breakdown of the matter which includes all of our kitchen scraps and leaves.

  

Anne made the last 10 flower arrangements of the season on Friday night and the flowers were one of the most lucrative products that we had this year.  We will grow different varieties next year based on what we felt was most successful as cut flowers.  Terry cut them all down and the flowers that Anne did not use will be great for our compost piles.

We are enjoying all of the fall colors and loving the changing of the leaves. The vines are beautiful on the chimney at Bev + Terry's. 

On Saturday it was too nice of a day to pass up going apple picking one last time. While Terry held down the fort at the market, Anne and I went out to Eddy's Fruit Farm to get some apples for storage so we can have them as long as possible in the winter.  

Happy Fall!

Last Market

This Saturday, October 22, 2011 will be Endeavor Farm's last market of the year and we will have:

-Kale

-Carrots

-Cilantro

-Flowers

-Beets

-Garlic

This Saturday also marks the end of the Geauga Fresh Farmers Market. We would love to see as many people as possible out at the market to support all of the farmers who have worked so hard through this especially tough growing season. Stock up on squashes, cabbages, onions, and garlic as they keep for weeks if stored in a cool environment! Thank you again for supporting us this season!

Market (No More)

Sadly our season at the market has likely come to an end. We will not be there this weekend and while we  may be there another week in October, I think that our garden has given us everything its got this year. Thank you very much for coming this year and supporting us and reading the blog. I will continue the blog through the winter though and keep you updated on our plans for next year and what we're eating and soon enough I will be posting about all our little seedlings that will mature in our basement in the spring!