This Week's Produce Harvest: Winter Spinach Red Beets Carrots Beautyheart Radishes Salad Mix White Button Mushrooms - from River Valley Ranch, Burlington, WI Frozen Zucchini Frozen Asparagus Frozen Strawberries - from Mick Klug Farm, St. Joseph, MI Frozen Tart Cherries - from Mick Klug Farm, St. Joseph, MI *Note: All items are grown by Prairie Wind unless otherwise specified.

Farm Journal

From chasing a Cooper's hawk out our hen house multiple times to endless giggles watching Twix the goat take a snowy walk, there's truly never a dull moment at the farm! Here's a photo journal of last weekend's snowfall (11.5 inches!) and the farming adventures that followed.

Going into the storm, Jeff raced to service the main farm well to make sure all of the animals had plenty of water to drink.

Note to self: this is one way to hunker down!

Not long after the snow storm began, our resident Cooper's Hawk smartly realized food would soon be scarce. He/she decided to sneak into the chicken's coop to do some hunting to our dismay.

Once inside, the hawk's mood went from frightened to indignant. As a family of hawk lovers, we were amazed to watch this nimble creature navigate from perch to perch without any trouble. As chicken farmers, we were apprehensive about the damage being caused! We spent hours getting her/him out, coaxing our timid chickens back into the coop and adding protections.

Luckily, Twix calmed our frayed nerves with comic relief!

The boys also entertained us with their snow creations.

And thankfully, the sturdy hoophouse walls kept the winter spinach protected. Enjoy this week's harvest! Warmly, The Miller family (Jeff, Jen, Owen & Gavin) and the winter farm crew (Tyler, Abbey, Kim & Arlet)

Frozen Produce Tips the Farm Kitchen Our frozen produce is harvested at the peak of freshness, trimmed or chopped, blanched in water (when appropriate, e.g., broccoli, green beans, asparagus) and frozen. There are no additions to the vegetables or fruit. The freezing process preserves the best qualities of the produce -- the flavor and nutrients! We recommend using frozen produce within recipes where the flavor is important (e.g., soups, stews, baked, pureed) and texture needn't matter.

Seasonal Recipes in the Farm Kitchen Chocolate Zucchini Bread Asparagus Soup Winter Beet Salad - I omitted the fennel and added a light sprinkle of cheese instead. Yum! Cherry Almond Muffins Beautyheart Radish on Antipasto Platter Addition ideas for beautyheart radishes: Given their mild, sweet flavor slice them thinly and serve raw, garnish a salad, sandwich or taco. Add to stir fries or soups, cooking lightly to preserve their color and pleasant crunch.

← Older Post Newer Post →