 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Happy Spring!
It is warm and sunny and this new snow is melting away fast! We still haven't been able to do our first tilling and planting of favas, limas, and peas, because the ground is too damp (and snow covered!). But hopefully we will dry out a bit by this weekend! The sun's angle is changing and it feels stronger and warmer - and the air definitely is starting to smell like Spring!!
If you are having a bit of Spring fever and are thinking about starting some seeds indoors to get a jump on the garden - stop by tomorrow for our Seed Starting Workshop (March 21st from 10 am - 12 noon). The cost is $36 per person and you'll leave with lots of great info on our tried-and-true methods for germinating seeds and growing healthy plants. This workshop will cover all you need to know to set up and to start your own organic seedlings in your house. Cost is $36 | Please reply to this newsletter to let me know if you'll be joining us!
On Friday morning, March 22nd from 10 - 12 noon, we'll be doing our Backyard Organic Chicken Workshop. It is good timing now to plan and know what is involved with raising chickens before you actually buy the chicks. There is still plenty of room in this workshop as well - just reply to this newsletter and let me know you'll be joining us. Cost is $36.
This weekend, March 25th and 26th, we'll be open for visitors from 9 am to 12 noon. We'll have asparagus crowns for sale, as well as eggs, and be available to answer questions you may have on our CSA program. Note - we will not be selling seedlings yet as it is just too early and too cold to plant outside. This Spring does seem to be running on the cool side ... but I'll also be transplanting like crazy in the greenhouse this weekend, getting ready for our upcoming Plant and Seedling sales! The schedule of our Spring Plant Sales is now finalized and is listed below ... I'm also working on our official 2013 Plant Variety List - which I'll post as soon as I get it all typed up!
And I want to thank everyone who has been emailing and asking about our Plant Sales - Your excitement and support and encouragement means so much to us. As I plant and transplant I can't help but think of who requested a particular plant I'm working with, or who told me how a new variety worked out in their garden... We are super excited to grow plants and seedlings that get planted and spread throughout the area gardens, and can't wait for the April and May Plant and Seedling sales!
 Asparagus crowns (roots) for sale!
We have 3 varieties of asparagus to choose from this year - we have grown all 3 in this area with good results.
The coolest thing about asparagus is that it is a perennial vegetable. Once you establish your patch, you'll be able to enjoy asparagus each spring for 20 years or more! It is quite easy to take care of and you can even get fancy and blanch the stems and harvest your own white asparagus.
Now is the time to plant your asparagus crowns. If you can't get them in the ground within one week, you can store them in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
We'll be selling the crowns in sets of 5 ... And we will also be giving out a recipe packet of ideas for cooking your asparagus harvest and a tip sheet on how to grow them.
Here's the pricing and a little description of each variety we're offering this weekend:
Purple Passion - 5 crowns for $7.00 Large, mild, sweet spears. Stalks turn green when cooked, but I usually eat these raw! I don't know if any have made it into the house as they are usually eaten right out in the field! These very mild, sweet tasting spears are a delight to eat. The sugar content of the spear is 20% higher than green asparagus. A little more finicky to grow than the other 2 below...
Jersey Giant - 5 crowns for $6.00 This superior, predominately male variety from Rutgers University is renowned for its heavy yields, thick spears, and outstanding flavor. Attractive, dark green spears with purple bracts are large, uniform, and succulent. One of the most frost hardy of the Jersey hybrids, it is resistant to rust, Fusarium wilt, and crown rot. Popular with commercial growers and home gardeners alike due to its high productivity and earliness.
'KB3' Hybrid - 5 crowns for $5.00 Very hardy and vigorous - you don't have to wait as long to start harvesting this variety. Also has a lot of disease resistance. Spears are tender and have nice asparagus flavor. We tried this one out three years and had great results.
Assortment - 5 crowns for $6.00
-----If you buy 3 sets of 5 crowns, you can take $2 off!----
|
_______________________________________________________________________
RECIPE: Asparagus with Tarragon-Parsley Herb Sauce
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ingredients:
2 lb asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
Sauce ingredients:
2-4 cloves of garlic
about 1 cup of fresh parsley
about 1/4 cup of fresh tarragon leaves
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp champagne or white wine or golden balsalmic vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt
a bit of black pepper
Directions:
Toss asparagus with olive oil and sea salt. Then spread out on a baking sheet and broil on high for just 2 minutes. Turn them over and broil another minute or so. Don't let them get blackened or mushy.
Put sauce ingredients into a food processor and puree. Then, just toss the sauce and asparagus together gently and enjoy!
_______________________________________________________________________
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Still space available in our 2013 CSA program!
We are accepting registrations now for the CSA ; please visit our CSA WEB PAGE for more info!
As a Holistic Health Coach, I really recommend becoming a member of a CSA - one of the key ways to achieve better health is to eat more vegetables and greens. By joining a CSA, you are automatically receiving a big basket of fresh vegetables every week and you have to use them! For some it may be a healthy challenge - but it is one well worth the effort! And we're here with all sorts of ideas and recipes for helping you make the best use of all the great veggies!
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~Upcoming Workshops and Events at Midsummer Farm~
Seed Starting for your Organic Garden Thursday, March 21st, 10 am to 12 noon
Over the years, we have established tried-and-true methods for germinating and raising seedlings in the house to get a jump on the spring planting season. This workshop will cover all you need to know set up and to start your own organic seedlings in your house! Cost is $36 | Email me at info@midsummerfarm if you would like to join us!
 Backyard Organic Poultry Rearing Workshop
Friday, March 22nd, 10 am to 12 noon
For anyone who has dreamed of walking out to your own chicken coop and collecting fresh eggs for breakfast, this course will guide you through starting up your own flock and in organic and natural rearing methods. We will discuss all of our secrets to Organic chicken care that we have discovered over the years. Chickens are wonderful stewards of the earth; and kept in proper conditions, chickens are valuable assets to the garden, lawn, and compost pile. They also provide backyard joy. They are easy to take care of, are not noisy or smelly, and are an important part of the Organic garden. This is a great time of year to plan for chickens for the Spring. (Please be sure to check with your town to make sure that chickens are allowed where you live.) Cost is $36 | Email me at info@midsummerfarm if you would like to join us!
Advanced Natural Poultry Rearing (Backyard Chickens Part 2)
Friday, March 22nd, 1 pm to 3 pm
For the experienced poultry enthusiast ... Discussions will include herbal remedies, nutritional issues, whole grain and soy-free feeding programs, flower essences, natural preventative measures, holistic land stewardship, organic certification, things to consider when expanding your flock, and more. We will mix up some herbal remedies including an antibiotic ointment and elecampane tea. Come prepared with your questions and current flock issues for personalized attention and discussion. Cost is $36 | registration closes 3/20/13
VERY Early Spring Cold Planting Sale and CSA Day!
Farm will be open on Saturday, March 23rd
and Sunday, March 24th from 9 - 12 noon
Come by with your CSA questions! We'll also be offering asparagus crowns and some dormant plants for sale. We'll be out in the early garden tilling and putting in our peas and favas and be available for answering gardening questions. We will also have plenty of eggs available for sale as well. Feel welcome to stop by!
Making Homemade Cat and Dog Food
Saturday, April 13th, 10 am to 12 noon
Featured in the NY Times! Check out the article here! Healthier, Economical, Delicious. Either as a supplementary meal or as your pets' regular diet, homemade food is better, safer, and easy to make. We will mix up a batch of balanced food using raw chicken as a base. We'll go over tons of options in food bases - raw vs cooked, various nutrition additions, dogs vs cats, special needs pets, and discuss the wide range of commercial diets and brands. You'll take home recipes, a clearer knowledge of the commercial pet food available, and resources for suppliers. We'll also make up a wonderful whole foods supplement that you can add to a commercial diet using higher quality ingredients and for a lot less money than the fancy brand names. Even if you're not ready to switch over completely to a homemade diet, you'll get a lot from this workshop. Workshop takes place in the kitchen at Midsummer Farm | Cost is $36 | Registration closes 4/11/13
Annual "Allium and Brassica" Pre-Sale!  Saturday, April 20th, 9 am to 2 pm We designed this Pre-Sale for our gardener and farmer friends who want to plant in stages. So, we'll have a nice variety of cold-hardy plants and seedlings for sale that are ready to go in the ground! (Or you can hold them for a bit too.) We'll also have some hardy perennials for sale and some other awesome plants. The Brassicas are all the dark leafy greens: kales, collards, cabbages, pak koi, broccoli, raabs, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mustards, etc. The Alliums are all the onion-flavored plants - leeks, chives, scallions, welsh onions, walking onions, bulbing onions, etc. We'll also have spinach, chards, escaroles, endives, radicchios, chicories, parsleys, lettuces, many thymes, a couple oreganos, a couple sages, cilantro, flowers like violas and violets, celeries, cresses, dill, lovage, mints, many of our hard to find European greens like erba stella and agretti, and lots of perennials and native plants available.
 Backyard Organic Poultry Rearing Workshop Sunday, April 21st, 10 am to 12 noon
For anyone who has dreamed of walking out to your own chicken coop and collecting fresh eggs for breakfast, this course will guide you through starting up your own flock and in organic and natural rearing methods. We will discuss all of our secrets to Organic chicken care that we have discovered over the years. Chickens are wonderful stewards of the earth; and kept in proper conditions, chickens are valuable assets to the garden, lawn, and compost pile. They also provide backyard joy. They are easy to take care of, are not noisy or smelly, and are an important part of the Organic garden. This is a great time of year to plan for chickens for next Spring. (Please be sure to check with your town to make sure that chickens are allowed where you live.) Workshop takes place mostly outside at Midsummer Farm (dress appropriately - wear boots) and is weather permitting. Cost is $36 | Registration closes 4/17/13
We'll be at the First Annual Hudson Valley Garden Fair
Saturday, May 4th, 10 am - 4 pm
And we'll be bringing a great assortment of plants!
The Hudson Valley Garden Fair is the place to be if you are into plants or gardening! Demos, lectures, tons of vendors and garden and plant clubs! I can't wait to shop and sell plants!
 7th Annual Big Plant and Seedling Sale Opening Weekend at Midsummer Farm!
Saturday and Sunday, May 11th and 12th 2012,
9 am - 2 pm
We'll have our full variety of certified organic plants and seedlings available. Over 100 different varieties of heirloom and hybrid vegetables, over 200 culinary and medicinal herbs, plus annual flowers, native and pollinator friendly flowers, unusual and collectible perennials!
Every year we grow more and more of each variety and we add over a hundred fun new varieties of herbs, veggies, annual flowers, natives, and perennials! All kinds of great things for your summer vegetable and herb gardens! We also have hard-to-find and really cool herbs and perennials for those of you with more eccentric tastes like Medicinal Yarrow, Dragon's Blood Clover, Skullcap, Trollius, Primula Viali, and St. John's Wort...
~I'm working on our 2013 Plant Variety List and will post it to the website shortly!~
 We'll be at Trade Secrets Plant Sale
Saturday, May 18th
A Northeast traditional annual garden event! Trade Secrets begins on Saturday, May 18th at Lion Rock Farm in Sharon, CT with the antique and rare plant sale from 10am to 3pm! For the past 12 years, Trade Secrets has brought garden-lovers from around the world to the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut to discover new plants, topiary, and antiques for their gardens. 2013 will be no exception with nearly 60 vendors and garden antiques dealers from around the northeast region. Shoppers can find rare plant specimens from specialized growers and from some of the nation's best known small nurseries, as well as furniture, antiques, cloches and garden statuary from the choicest purveyors of garden antiques, wrought-iron fencing, textiles from select antiques dealers, and so much more.
We'll be at the West Milford Community Garden Opening!
Sunday May 19th, from 11 am to 1 pm
 Annual Big Plant and Seedling Sale Weekend #2 at Midsummer Farm!
Saturday and Sunday, May 25th and 26th 2012,
9 am - 2 pm
We'll have our full variety of certified organic plants and seedlings available. Over 100 different varieties of heirloom and hybrid vegetables, over 200 culinary and medicinal herbs, plus annual flowers, native and pollinator friendly flowers, unusual and collectible perennials!
Every year we grow more and more of each variety and we add over a hundred fun new varieties of herbs, veggies, annual flowers, natives, and perennials! All kinds of great things for your summer vegetable and herb gardens! We also have hard-to-find and really cool herbs and perennials for those of you with more eccentric tastes like Medicinal Yarrow, Dragon's Blood Clover, Skullcap, Trollius, Primula Viali, and St. John's Wort...
Week of June 3rd - Our CSA program starts!!
Herbal and Compost Teas for your Garden
Sunday, June 23rd, 10 am to 12 noon
Plants enjoy tea too! Just as with human skin, plants can absorb many nutrients through the pores on their leaves. Plant teas are applied by spraying the plants foliar areas with nutrient dense brewed liquid fertilizer - or tea. We'll go over the basics of brewing plants teas made from aged manures, compost, and various herbs. And we'll also discuss the Biodynamic 500 prep. Cost is $36 | Registration closes 6/19/13
Workshops at Midsummer Farm: Classes are taught from a strictly Holistic and Organic standpoint. Class size is kept small to ensure individual attention. Fees include all materials and supplies needed. Children are welcome; children under 5 are free. If more than one person from a single household is taking the workshop together, the second person may deduct $5 from the cost of the workshop. Many classes take place outside in the gardens and are weather-permitting. Participants must register in advance. Cooking classes are hands-on and tasting is encouraged. NOTE: times and dates of workshops are subject to change.
If you haven't been to our farm yet, we're located at 156 East Ridge Road, Warwick, NY 10990. And welcome! |
|
|
|
| ___________________________________________________________________________________
© Copyright 2013 Barbara Taylor-Laino, HHC / Barbara Taylor Health. All Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Barbara Taylor Laino is required.
This information newsletter is designed as an educational tool for better health. Recipes and information are included as examples for you learn from; they are not diagnostic or prescriptive. Everyone's health needs are different. This newsletter is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed to your own physician or other healthcare provider. The entire contents of this newsletter and the websites of Barbara Taylor Laino and Midsummer Farm are based upon the opinions of Barbara Taylor Laino, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author(s), who retains copyright as marked. The information on the www.midsummerfarm.com website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Barbara Taylor Laino. You are encouraged to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
|
Midsummer Farm Contact Info:
Barbara and Mark Laino
Midsummer Farm
156 East Ridge Road
Warwick, NY 10990
845-986-9699
info@midsummerfarm.com
Holistic Health Counseling Contact Info:
Barbara Taylor-Laino
Barbara Taylor Health
156 East Ridge Road
Warwick, NY 10990
845-986-9699
info@barbarataylorhealth.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
|
|
|
|
