Market

This Saturday, August 25th, we will have:

- Green Beans
- Swiss Chard
- Cabbage
- Eggplant
- Parsley
- Arugula
- Basil
- Beets
- Carrots
- Kale
- Cut Flowers
- Sunflowers 

Hope to see you there!

Farm Updates

I have nothing terribly new or exciting to report at Endeavor Farm except that we are loving every drop of rain we get and enjoying these cooler temperatures.  The tomatoes are ripening and as we transition into the fall, we are able to plant cooler weather crops like lettuces and cilantro.  The heat of the summer makes the lettuce bitter and the cilantro doesn't grow so we are starting seeds again for those crops. 

Terry put out the some of the cut sunflowers for the birds to enjoy the seeds.

Our cucumber experiment has been going great! The radishes are flowering and doing their job and we now have some small cucumbers on the vine. 

 

 

Our biggest pest was the rabbits this year and we have had to put up chicken wire all along the bottom of the deer fence.  They are great at finding holes and got to our Savoy Cabbage.  We think we have solved the problem but this is evidence of what they ate.

The tomato jungle!

 

 

Slugs have been going to town on the Swiss Chard and we put out slug bait but they still do a number on the leaves.  Luckily we have enough planted that we can still pick for market, but it seems like they are just not full!

 

This flower called 'Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate' is a new flower we are growing this year.  

I have never seen such a massive plant with the smallest flower!

They are beautiful but take up a lot of space.

 

We sold some kraut cabbage and eggplant this week.  The flea beetles have made the eggplant leaves look like lace but we are still able to harvest some beautiful heirloom eggplants.

Now is the Time!

While we have so many fresh vegetables available it's time to process food and can it so that we can have a taste of summer during the cold months. I've been making pickles, jam, and tomato sauce and am so excited that tomato season is finally here. There really is nothing better than fresh tomatoes and I am excited to make sauce, salsa, ketchup and pickled green tomatoes this year.

Processing food may sound a little daunting but once you do it a few times, you get the hang of it and it is really so much fun.  Below are some pictures of Anne's process of making ketchup! If you've never had homemade ketchup, you should really make some. It definitely isn't the same as Heinz but it is so much better. The color is beautiful, and the sweetness and subtle vinegar taste is such a delicious balance.  Making sauce or ketchup definitely takes time because you have to evaporate so much of the liquid from the tomatoes but trust me, it is worth it!  See below for the recipe.

Ketchup
4 1/2 lbs of tomatoes makes 2, 16 oz jars

7 tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp english mustard powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar

Cut tomatoes in 1/2 and put cut side up on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil. Add peeled, sliced cloves of garlic, shallots and fresh basil on top of the tomatoes.  Salt and pepper.  Roast tomatoes at 350 for about 1 hour, or until the juices have started to release from the tomatoes.  Put tomatoes through a food mill to separate the skins and seeds from the juice.

At this point you should have about 4 1/2 cups of liquid.  Add all ingredients except the sugar to the tomato liquid and bring to a simmer.  Once it simmers, add the sugar.  I would cook it down for about an hour and a half or until you are at a consistency that you would like for your ketchup (should be similar to a spaghetti sauce consistency). 

You can either put the ketchup in canning jars and hot water process them or if you don't want to do that, you can keep it in the fridge.  Use it relatively soon if you do not plan on canning it. Enjoy!

Market

This Saturday, August 8th, we will have:

-Green Beans
-Swiss Chard
-Beets
-Kale
-Cabbage
-Basil
-Parsley
-Arugula

A farmer's market dinner: steak from Sand Farm, corn from Jack's Mountain, cucumbers from Pheasant Valley, tomatoes from Hershberger's, and basil and garlic from Endeavor Farm. We love to support our fellow vendors!

Market

This Saturday, August 4th, we will have:

-Green Beans
-Swiss Chard
-Basil
-Parsley
-Beets
-Kale
-Sunflowers
-Cut Flowers
-Cabbage