Weare Summer Market June-October Weare Town Gazebo

The winter farmers markets will be moving outside!The Friday Weare Market will move June 7th (4-6:30pm) to the Gazebo area next to the middle school. The Saturday Contoocook market (9am-12noon) will be at the Depot June 1st!   Come on down and find meat,veggies,plants & preserved food to compliment your summer meals!

You say you don’t have time to visit the market,but it is on the way home….the solution is to order & pay online at the Harvest to Market site and then it will be a  quick trip just to pick up your purchases!

Iris about to bloom next to our front door

close up of an Iris

Yes, everything is growing,the chicks,lettuce in the green house,lambs out in the field and the bugs! I love seeing everything blooming ,the wild flowers along the road ,the Bosc pear and wild cherry trees.

The Iris patch next to our front door has slowly gotten larger . This year the patch is bigger ,more blooms and it makes me smile to see how well it is doing. But ,it is crowding the granite stairs and I can’t contain it without damaging the plants. I will need to move the patch this fall and create a more permanent enclosure to contain it and protect it from our dogs .

Oh ,yes it is also my mother’s birthday!

The frittata is made from Potatoes & Kale  from Warner River Organics, the onion was from Work Song Farm, the eggs are from our chickens and the feta cheese was made by Neighborly Farms of Vermont.

Remember Webster Ridge will not be at the market on May 11th due to a conflict with the Sheep and Wool festival.
See you next weekend!

Very Spicy Mesclun mix

It’s almost summer and it is time to fire up the grill! In honor of the nice weather we are offering 5lbs of Ground beef for $5 a lbs,that’s $1.30 off our regular price! Our burger is not fatty,but has enough fat to give it a great taste and texture. It is loose, not in patties and is vacuum packed, giving you the most flexibility!

We have split chickens, steaks, lamb/ pork chops,pork /beef kabobs and ground lamb for your grilling pleasure! Don’t forget to visit your local farmers market or Coop for veggies to grill and accompany your  almost summer feast.

If you don’t want potato salad with dinner,but want some comfort food, make lumpy mashed potatoes with spring greens!

Lumpy Mashed Potatoes with spring greens

I use the handful  method of measuring greens,2 handfuls of greens that are then chopped up will give you enough green in your potatoes and add great flavor,texture and nutrition.The amount of potatoes is up to you. Usually it  is 1/3-1/2 lb of raw potatoes per person ,I am only cooking for 2, but like leftovers.

2lbs of potatoes boiled with or without skins(remember to clean them), smash them with butter or olive oil and some milk,add salt ,pepper  and chop up (pick one) arugula (rocket),baby kale,watercress or spicy greens and add them to the hot potatoes and stir  till they wilt. Then serve.

Time to order
chicken!

It’s time to order your Chickens!  Today at the Contoocook winter farmers market I sold the last whole chicken in our freezer and only have 5 or 6 halved chickens left in the freezer.

To ensure we have enough chicken for all our customers  we request that you order in advance .  You can go to Harvest to Market and pre-order  your chicken and anything else we sell from eggs to Sweet tomato chutney!

June 8th we will be doing the Articulture market in Webster from 11am-4pm. Come on by see the artists and enjoy the art of local food!

See you at the Market!

Holstein’s ears had ATTITUDE!

Yesterday Brandon got back from the farmers market and went out to check on the animals. He found Holstein dead ,she  was the  second of our 3 original goats to die this year, she was 14. It looks like she lay down to sleep and that was it. She was quite a character and many people who visited the farm can attest to being marked by Holstein. She would rub her head and lips against you,marking you as hers.  One time when we had some surveying done on the property all 3 of the goats were removing things from the surveyors pockets, luckily he was use to farm animals and largely ignored them.

The 3 goats came as a group to the farm in 2001 and all were 2 years old. We learned why the first day that you needed a 5 wire electric fence and not just 3 wires……….more escapes that day than we could count,so up went the other 2 wires.

Ocher, Holstein’s younger daughter

Nimari- Holstein’s oldest Daughter

Our remaining 5 goats are lead by Pinkie who is the last of the original 3 and she is 14 yrs old, her daughter Ring is 8yrs old, Brownie’s daughter Pixie  is 10 yrs old and Holsteins 2 daughters (in order of age), Nimari who is 11 yrs old and her sister Ocher who is 10.

We will miss Holstein’s Mohawk(hair ridge on her back), her ears and her voice

Very Spicy Mesclun mix

It’s suppose to be in the 30′s tonight so the tunnel has to be buttoned up!

We have gotten one field of 5 wire fence electrified and are in the process of  putting up permanent wire fencing around  the property to replace the old 5 wire fencing . We will run 5 wire fence and electronet in the new areas  that have not yet been open to the animals. We have been pounding posts ,hitting rocks and resetting the post,next rolling out the fence and getting it tight then securing it to the posts. We still have along way to go!

Sunday we starting letting the chickens out of the hen house to free range. I found 12 eggs in the lamb hay feeder this morning and only 4 eggs in the hen house. We still put the girls back in the hen house at night for protection from predators  but not all 22 chickens end up in the hen house. Some just don’t get it and are enjoying their freedom……….hopefully they won’t get eaten .

Lettuce will be planted in the greenhouse this weekend and we should soon see the asparagus coming up! Our bottle baby lamb is down to 1 bottle a day and is 22 lbs,she should be fully weaned in another 2 weeks.

The nut (hazelnuts) bread with the applesauce variation

I found this recipe in “A World of Breads” cookbook written by:Dolores Casella  in 1966- the recipe comes from the 3rd printing August 1970. I had an overabundance of apple sauce and preserve samples in my fridge  and they were still good, but I wasn’t going to be eating all of them anytime soon. So I was looking for a recipe that I could use both the applesauce and preserves . I am making 2 batches of nut bread, one with the applesauce and one with the preserves. Once they are baked I will keep one loaf out and pack the other loaves (once they are cooled) in the freezer for later use!

Basic Nut Bread (I have included 2 of the 9 variations)

1 1/2- 2cups sugar(white,brown) -1/2 cup melted or soft butter – 1 3/4 cups milk- 2 large eggs,beaten stir until well blended

1  tsp salt-5 cups flour-2 tbs baking powder-2 cups chopped nuts-stir the first 3 ingredients add the nuts and stir till they are well coated.

Stir the dry into the dry ingredients until they are thoroughly moistened. Pour the batter into 2 well buttered load pans(or non stick) and let stand for 20 minutes. Bake at  350 degrees in oven until browned and done,about 1 hour. Test to see if it is done before turning off the oven. Note: if you use King Arthur unbleached flour you may find you need to add more liquid.

Jam or Marmalade Nut Bread variation: add 3/4 cup of any jam,preserve or Marmalade to the basic recipe above.Note: I warmed the jam in the microwave to help it to mix better with the wet ingredients

Applesauce Nut Bread variation: replace milk with applesauce. If the batter is too thick, thin with 1 0r 2 eggs. Add 1 tsp cinnamon and use half brown and half white sugar.

Rocky Rooster and his girls

The chickens are busy laying brown. white,pastel pink,green and an occasional pastel blue or yellow eggs.

Our over achieving chickens

With these many different colored eggs  you have an instant Easter celebration. You can dye the white eggs , add colors or stickers to the pastel eggs and then make a great frittata for easter brunch!

Our girls like to lay 2 1/4, 2 1/2 and 2 3/4 oz eggs. But you have to realize that a large egg (farm or store bought) is 2 oz ,but our girls just don’t get it, they are a group of over achievers !