Welcoming the New Year and New Opportunities

This year marks the 25th anniversary of working the farm, over 100 acres preserved in it's natural state (from the 1800s)!  I never tire of this life.  Nurturing animals comes easy to me - I've had an affinity to it since I was 5 years...eating fresh and fine foods learned from great Italian cooks my mother, father, and extended family... being outdoors... being a bit of a maverick... being independent...being challenged.

... life as a farmer is good to me!

I need to finalize our 20c license for commercial kitchen, gain a wider audience for my upickcsa.com, and help distribute the many local farmer artisan and baker products that are soooo much better than similar products for reasons of farmland preservation and carbon footprint as well as taste and nutrition.

Each year I try to grow my farm crops more effectively by becoming more efficient without sacrificing quality.

The many local products that I like besides our own wood fired pizzas, pestos, tuscan soup, frozen heirloom veggies, fresh goat cheese ricotta, and garlic include:
Evans Farmhouse Dairy
Poplar Hedge Farm
Kriemhild Dairy
Kutik Honey
Belly Acres Maple Syrup
Siggi's Yogurt
Sister Farm Produce
Shitae Mushrooms
Haar Family Farm Eggs
Fiddle Tree Farm Melons
Aaron Strawberry Fields

I will be posting individual reviews of small producers products and compare to other local plus store shelf items.

Mostaccioli

Benefits of Coffee

Coffee has gotten some good press recently - may lower risk of oral and prostate cancer, increases metabolism, boosts brain, opens airways...

The problem is the bulk of this country is turning toward a greater waste product from homeowner and office coffee making - Look at the latest trend and I will show you an new environmental disaster!

The waste from these single coffee makers (k-cup, keurig, etc.) is not recycled due to coffee grinds, and plastic, and foil thrown out together. This is a step back in the "greening" of America.  Plus, I can't see running boiling hot water through plastic, ugh! 
"the K cups are a mix of plastic, with a foil top and are neither recyclable nor compostable (unless you took the 9-11 grams out of every k cup and put it in the compost pile). According to SPI Guidelines, the plastic would be labeled a “7” – which is a catch-all category for newer plastics and combinations of plastics."

at a time when people are becoming more aware of the negative consequences of consumption, this latest trend is an oxymoron.

Here at the farm we use a stove top with a metal filter (or use the similar version that's electric) -everyone states how great the coffee is - step back in time for more natural taste and benefits of coffee!

Carrot Cake w/Cardamom Frosting

Carrot Cake w/Cardamom Frosting

blend

1.5 cup sugar

.5 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

.5 cup milk 

1.5 cup olive oil

add 1.5 cup crushed pistachios and 1.5 cup chopped apricots plus 4 cup grated carrots

combine dry ingredients whisked together beforehand

3 cup flour

2 tsp bking powder

1 tbl bking soda

flavor with tsp

salt 

cinnamon

cardamom

nutmeg

all spice

bake 350 degrees F

F.A.B. : Homage to Local Business

Italian Farmhouse: Greek Honey Cookies

Longevity Basics