Seared Scallops and Potato Celery Root Puree

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This is a Goldilocks story. I was looking for something to make for a weekend dinner that would be kind of a special meal. I had just finished reading, and cooking a few other things from, the brand new Barefoot Contessa Foolproof book. In it, there’s a Seared Scallops and Potato Celery Root Puree dish that sounded delicious. Even though the dish seemed perfectly lovely, I wanted something just slightly more dressed up, more special, more this-isn’t-your-usual-weekend-dinner-at-home. A few days later I was flipping through Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition which is full of great ideas and has never disappointed. There, I found a very similar dish called Scallop and Pureed Celery Root Gratinee. This was a dolled up version of the same thing with just a few differences. It was topped with crispy breadcrumbs, finely diced Granny Smith apple, and a celery emulsion. It was beautiful in the photo. But, I realized I didn’t really want to fuss with a celery foam. I can be hard to please. I picked my favorite parts of each dish from both books, and voila. I went with Ina’s version of the puree which included leeks and potato and was cooked in cream. Then, after pureeing it, I pushed it through a fine-mesh strainer just like Barbara Lynch suggested for a velvety smooth finish. I topped the seared scallops with buttery breadcrumbs and diced apple as shown in Stir, but instead of a celery foam, I used finely diced celery. The last detail was Ina’s drizzle of olive oil. And, dinner was just right. 

This is what the cooking entailed: Chopped leeks were sauteed in butter, and diced peeled potato and celery root were added along with cream and salt and pepper. I used two and half tablespoons of butter, two chopped leeks, two Yukon gold potatoes, one celery root, and one and a half cups of cream. This was brought to a boil and left to simmer for about 25 minutes until the potatoes and celery root were very tender. The cooked vegetables and cream were transferred to a food processor and pureed until smooth. Then, I scooped the puree into a fine-mesh strainer and pushed it through using a metal spoon. The strained puree was kept warm in a saucepan over low heat. The scallops were patted dry, seasoned with salt and black pepper, and seared in grape seed oil over medium-high heat for about three minutes per side. To top the scallops, panko breadcrumbs were toasted in melted butter, Granny Smith apple and celery were finely diced, and chives were chopped. Once plated, Ina recommends drizzling the scallops with basil oil, but I used a plain, extra virgin olive oil. 

I never would have thought to pair Granny Smith apple with scallops, but it was a fantastic idea. The tartness of the apple functioned just as a squeeze of lemon would but added a little crunchiness as well. During dinner, we argued as to whether the apple, celery, and breadcrumb toppings were better with the scallops or the potato and celery root puree. They were great with both, and I wouldn’t change a thing when I make this again. 

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Dark and Stormy Fresh Ginger Gingerbread

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On a day when I wanted to make dessert but didn’t want it to be an all-day project, this was the perfect cake. It’s from Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts which is full of great desserts that don’t take all day to make. I was drawn to the idea of a quick gingerbread made with fresh ginger, and the variation suggested in the side-bar sealed the deal. That variation was to replace some of the water in the recipe with dark rum to match the flavors in a Dark and Stormy cocktail. So, not only was this cake whipped up in record time by mixing everything in a food processor, adding a little Gosling’s Black Seal rum took me back to that pretty, pink sand and that sparkling, blue water of Bermuda on a January day. Alice Medrich also offers all sorts of great ideas for garnishing desserts, and there’s even a page of “Things to do with gingerbread” that lists accompaniments like lemon whipped cream, dessert chutney, and fruits in syrup. Sticking with the Dark and Stormy theme, I topped mine with grated lime zest and poured a little more rum over the mascarpone whipped cream. 

The only slightly time-consuming task here was peeling some fresh ginger. You need to peel and slice enough to fill one-half cup. Then, the fresh ginger was finely minced in the food processor. Next, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground dried ginger, allspice, cardamom, salt, molasses, butter, an egg, rum, water, flour, and baking soda were added. In all of about 15 seconds, the batter was done. The cake baked in an eight-inch square pan for about 30 minutes. I whipped mascarpone and cream with a scant bit of sugar and washed a lime for zesting. Once the cake was cool, it was ready to be topped with the lime zest, some whipped cream, and a drizzle of more black rum. 

Ginger and molasses have become a couple of my favorite ingredients in recent years, and they’re especially good in the wintertime. They’re also quite good with the flavor of rum. Admittedly, our winter hasn’t been too harrowing, but still, a dessert that brought back memories of Bermuda was a welcome idea.

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Walnut Spice Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

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The birthday cake conversation has changed over the years. There was a time when I would ask Kurt what kind of cake he’d like for his birthday, and the answer was chocolate. No pondering, no pause, no prompts for suggestions. Just chocolate. In recent years, the answer hasn’t come quite so quickly. He still likes chocolate but wants to hear other ideas too. This year, I presented three options that I thought he’d like, and he chose this lovely, layered creation with white cake and spice cake topped with chocolate fudge frosting and chopped walnuts. It’s from Saveur, and the recipe is online. It’s simpler to make than it appears because you only mix one cake batter rather than two. After making the white batter and pouring half of it into a pan, you add spices to the remaining half before pouring that into a second cake pan. I liked that approach. And, the frosting was something new and different to me. It’s cooked on the stove and brought up to just below soft ball stage before being mixed briefly to fluff it up a bit. Then, you have to work quickly to top each layer and cover the cake before the frosting sets. Next time I make it I’ll know just how quickly it sets up and once it does, there’s no moving it. My only regret with this cake was that I didn’t really get the walnuts pressed into the sides of the cake because the frosting set so quickly. The fine powder of the walnuts stuck to the frosting on the cake sides but not the bigger pieces of nuts. In the end, I placed the nuts around the edge on top of the cake and around the bottom edge which was good enough. Kurt was happy with his choice, and I was thrilled with the spice cake flavors mingling with the chocolate fudge frosting. 

Although the recipe suggests using vegetable shortening, I never use it. I used butter instead which worked perfectly well and gave the cakes better flavor. Before mixing the cake batter, dry ingredients were combined, and wet ingredients were combined separately. Also, the spices including cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and I added nutmeg were mixed in a small bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer, butter and sugar were creamed before egg whites were added. I had a laugh at the recipe which states “add egg whites one at a time.” Of course, I had already separated all six egg whites into one bowl. I just slowly added them a little at a time while mixing. Have you ever separated egg whites into separate bowls? The dry ingredients were then added in three batches with the wet ingredients being added alternately in two batches. Half the batter was poured into a nine-inch prepared pan, and the spice mix was stirred into the remaining batter before it was poured into a second cake pan. After the cakes baked and cooled, each layer was cut in half horizontally. You’ll want to have the layers sliced and ready for the frosting. To make the frosting, sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa powder were brought to a boil and cooked while stirring until the temperature reached 232 degrees F which took about 30 minutes. Then, off the heat, vanilla and baking soda were added. With a hand mixer, the frosting was mixed for only about one minute. And, then you have to work very quickly. A spice cake layer was placed on a cake stand, and it was topped with frosting. A white cake layer was added followed by more frosting. You’ll feel as you spread the frosting that as soon as it’s spread thinly, it cools and sets. Quickly, quickly, the next two cake layers were added, and the top and sides were frosted. I spent too much time making swirls on top of the cake and didn’t realize the frosting on the sides was meanwhile setting up too much for the walnuts to stick. Lesson learned. 

Who knows where the birthday cake conversation will lead next year. Maybe we’ll circle back to plain chocolate. I do know that Kurt will pick his cake more quickly than I ever pick my own birthday cake. I can never easily decide what kind of cake I want, and my birthday is only a little over a month away. I should probably start thinking about this now. 

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Marinated Cauliflower, Olive, and Caper Salad

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At the tail end of cauliflower season, I’ve had enough of bubbly, gooey gratins. With spring just around the corner, I wanted to use what might be the last of our local cauliflower for something with more zip. I found a marinated cauliflower salad from Bon Appetit’s November 2003 issue, and that was just the inspiration I needed. Of course, I made a few changes by including carrots, switching up the olives, throwing in some capers, and adding some heat with crushed red pepper. But, I was thrilled with the basic idea of this mix of marinated vegetables that could top a bed of arugula for a fresh, crunchy salad of winter produce. You’ll want to start the salad either several hours or a day before you plan to serve it. The cauliflower, carrots, and olives need some time mingle in the dressing. I served it just like it appeared in Bon Appetit on a bed of baby arugula leaves, but it’s also great by itself. Or, you could top it with some toasted pine nuts and crumbled feta. 

I started with a large head of cauliflower and cut the florets into pretty small pieces of about an inch or smaller. You can add the chopped vegetables to a large mixing bowl as you go. Next, a mix of olives like green and black Cerignolas and Kalamatas were pitted and roughly chopped. While shopping for these olives, I discovered that red Cerignola olives exist. I’d never seen them before. I looked it up and learned that they’re dyed red during the curing process, and I lost interest. For a moment, I thought there really was a strange, red variety of olive, but no. Carrots were sliced and celery was chopped as well. I love using the very middle stalks of celery and chopping the pale green leaves and including them too. Last, capers were drained and added to the bowl. I didn’t add any salt to the vegetables or to the dressing because of the saltiness of the olives and capers. Taste as you go to decide if you’d like any added salt. The dressing was made by whisking together apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, some fresh herbs, and crushed red pepper. Olive oil was drizzled in while whisking, and black pepper was added last. I used both chopped fresh oregano and parsley because both are currently growing in my herb garden. You could certainly skip the oregano or used dried. Half of the dressing was poured over the vegetables in the mixing bowl, and it was stirred to distribute. Cover the bowl and store the remaining dressing separately. Both should be refrigerated until ready to serve. For serving, arugula leaves were tossed with some of the remaining dressing and placed on a platter to be topped with the marinated vegetables. 

The marinated cauliflower keeps well in the refrigerator for several days, and I found another great use for it that I can’t wait to show. The pops of flavor put this on the opposite end of the cauliflower spectrum from a cheese-filled gratin, and that makes it a good transitional dish on our way to spring. 

Marinated Cauliflower, Olive, and Caper Salad 
inspired by recipe from Bon Appetit November 2003 

Dressing: 
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 
1 clove garlic, minced 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (optional) 
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsely 
pinch crushed red pepper 
1 cup extra virgin olive oil 
black pepper 

Marinated cauliflower: 
1 large head of cauliflower, cut into small florets 
2 cups mixed olives, pitted and roughly chopped ( a mix of green and black Cerignola olives and some Kalamatas made a good combination) 
3/4 cup sliced carrots 
3/4 cup chopped celery, (middle stalks with the leaves) 
1/4 cup capers in brine, drained 

To assemble: 
10 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry 

In a small bowl or glass measuring pitcher, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, minced garlic, herbs, and crushed red pepper, and slowly drizzle in the oil while continuing to whisk until emulsified. Season with black pepper to taste. I don’t add salt here since the olives and capers add saltiness to the salad. 

Combine all ingredients for the marinated cauliflower in a large mixing bowl. Add about half of the dressing to the vegetables and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for several hours. Store the remaining dressing in the refrigerator overnight as well. If you think of it, stir the cauliflower mixture a time or two to distribute the dressing while it marinates. 

Remove dressing and marinated cauliflower mix from refrigerator about an hour before serving. Toss arugula with some of the remaining dressing and place on a platter. Top the arugula with the marinated cauliflower and serve. 

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Vegetarian Muffuletta

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As I put together the Marinated Cauliflower, Olive, and Caper Salad, it reminded me a lot of the kind of olive salad that’s usually on a muffuletta. The only problem for me with a standard muffuletta is that it’s usually filled with several varieties of salami and ham which all fall into the red meat category that I avoid. So, I thought, why not build a vegetarian muffuletta? I skipped the meat and sliced roasted portobellos to take its place and added a layer of piquillo peppers. I chopped the Marinated Cauliflower Salad to a smaller size before adding a generous portion to the sandwich. Just as a muffuletta should be, this was a piled-high sandwich with big flavors. I’m not sure if this version will catch on in New Orleans, but it was hit at my house for Mardi Gras. 

I started with ciabatta rolls which were sliced, brushed with olive oil and toasted. From the bottom up, I layered arugula leaves, sliced provolone, roasted and sliced portobellos, and piquillo peppers. Of course, any roasted red pepper would add good color and flavor, but I had some piquillos on hand. Next up, I chopped some pepperoncini which were added before the chopped cauliflower salad. A little more arugula sat on top, and that was the sandwich. 

I love how the dressing from the cauliflower salad and the brine from the pepperoncini seep into the crunchy, toasted bread and flavor the whole sandwich. And, it’s a sandwich that requires a napkin or two to be served with it, but that’s part of the charm of a muffuletta. Mardi Gras inspired this creation, but from now on, it will make year-round appearances in our sandwich rotation. 

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Blueberries at Farmer Mac's....Still Green!

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Although it has been warm for weeks, the nights have still been cool.  Our blueberries aren't ripening as fast as some of the other farms in the area seem to be.

It could be because of the frost damage we got that reduced our first picking across the field or just a pocket of cool weather at night around here.

Either way, the berries aren't blueing up as quickly as we would have thought.

We should be open next weekend (probably Saturday May 19) as the beginning of our season berries start turning.

Again, this is still an estimate at this time, we'll update as we see changes in the field.

And we've done a fine job of feeding the deer in the back field this year...again.  The left corner of the back field had really nice berries that they thanked us graciously for eating.

Thanks for being a valued customer and friend!

Melissa

Few Blueberries at Farmer Mac's This Year

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We posted last week that we should be opening tomorrow (Saturday, May 19).

I think the best thing to do would be to not officially open this year.

We have some blueberries that are still green, but overall, a very light crop.

However, we have eggs if you're interested in them!

What we'd like to do is to have those of you who want to come out just show up and pick what you can find on a self-serve sort of basis like we used to do on Sunday mornings.

We'd like to concentrate on growing plants and getting the farm in shape to have a good year next season.

We'll still be here and working around the farm, and will be glad to talk and show you the improvements we've made since last year and that we are continuing to work on as we progress through the calendar year of 2012.

Melissa

Another Harvest Completed at Farmer Mac's

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We never officially opened this year, but we are now officially closed.
Mom has been bugging me to post this ever since the tropical depression brought us 8 inches of rain last week and I'm just getting around to it.

Between young plants, frost damage, and an aboundance of rain this season, we had virtually no blueberries to harvest.

That being said, the biggest problem, young plants, is a self correcting issue that should be much less of a factor next year! 

We hope that you will continue to be a loyal customer if you've been with us for a while or that you will give us a try next year if it's your first time.

Our farm is people friendly.  I know that can't be said of all farmers because many of them choose to farm to avoid dealing with the public.  That's not the case with us!  We are friendly to the young and the old and all ages in between.

*********************************************************
I've started this thing this year that I'm calling Blueberry Farmers in Training (B. FIT for short).  I asked our farm kids to come up with the design for a kid shirt that would work well with this program.

They came up with several designs that I'll put on the blog for you to look at.  Hopefully we can decide on one and get shirts made for next year. 

We were going to do it this year, but with less than no revenue, it didn't make sense to spend money we didn't earn yet.  That's one of the values I'm trying to teach my kids...you have to earn it before you spend it.  Hard concept when there's the whole but you can just use your ATM card argument.

We've been saving up money to go on a national parks camping trip out west.  All of the farm (grand)kids will be participating with the exception of my youngest two nieces.  I can't tell you the excitement level to both get out of school and to get started on this grand adventure.  They all have roles in the program:  mapping out the route, figuring out the supply list, figuring out how much gas will cost, where we will stay, what we will eat, how long it will take to get from here to there and back, what games to take, and on and on.  If you see any of our Berry Patch Road kids this fall or next summer, ask them about it.  I know they will have lots to share.

Take care, have a wonderful summer, and I'll post more when we get back if I don't get another post in before we leave.
Melissa

Let's Talk About Snails & Snakes

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Snails yes, snakes no. I am petrified when comes to snakes; spiders and dogs too but that is a different story for another rainy day. I was reading something about snails and let me share this with you. There are more than 80,000 different species of snails, yes 80,000 that is darn a lot. I think I probably seen 20 the most including the one I ate. They are widely distributed on land, in the sea and in the fresh water. Land snails have two pairs of tentacles where their set of eyes reside on the lower set. Water snails have only one pair of tentacles, with eyes at the base.

Now my favorite subject - the snakes. What can I say about the snakes? They hatch from eggs - and no they are not related to the chicken. However, there are some species of snakes that do give birth to live young snakes.

Recent Quakes Definitely Doing Their Job - Relocating Cities & Shortening Earth's Days

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That is all I need - a shorter day! Researchers at NASA calculated that the Chilean earthquake shortened Earth's days. It shortened by one-millionth of a second, still small but shorter. I think this is a second earthquake in a decade to result in a shorter day.

After the catastrophic 2010 Haiti earthquake at magnitude of 7.0 with 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater, a chain of other earthquakes surf through the Earth's crust. The second one to start was Chile with an 8.8 magnitude. If I correctly remember, then it was Japan, Turkey, Kosovo, Japan again. I probably missed some. This may be normal after after all, shake the world and it will move - like everything else.

Well, these earthquakes did shake the world enough to relocate cities in Chile. Researches found that cities and islands physically shifted west. From the satellite data, scientist at Ohio State University and University of Hawaii found that city of Concepcion moved about 3 meters to the west. When compared to Earth size it may not be big shift, but to me three meters is a lot. In addition, the Chile's capital Santiago moved only 30 centimeters. Buenos Aires in Argentina moved 2.5 cm.

Scientists say that this usually happens with earthquakes, but usually too small to notice. However, this time it was definitely noticed.

Blueberries at Farmer Mac's....Still Green!

To contact us Click HERE
Although it has been warm for weeks, the nights have still been cool.  Our blueberries aren't ripening as fast as some of the other farms in the area seem to be.

It could be because of the frost damage we got that reduced our first picking across the field or just a pocket of cool weather at night around here.

Either way, the berries aren't blueing up as quickly as we would have thought.

We should be open next weekend (probably Saturday May 19) as the beginning of our season berries start turning.

Again, this is still an estimate at this time, we'll update as we see changes in the field.

And we've done a fine job of feeding the deer in the back field this year...again.  The left corner of the back field had really nice berries that they thanked us graciously for eating.

Thanks for being a valued customer and friend!

Melissa

Few Blueberries at Farmer Mac's This Year

To contact us Click HERE
We posted last week that we should be opening tomorrow (Saturday, May 19).

I think the best thing to do would be to not officially open this year.

We have some blueberries that are still green, but overall, a very light crop.

However, we have eggs if you're interested in them!

What we'd like to do is to have those of you who want to come out just show up and pick what you can find on a self-serve sort of basis like we used to do on Sunday mornings.

We'd like to concentrate on growing plants and getting the farm in shape to have a good year next season.

We'll still be here and working around the farm, and will be glad to talk and show you the improvements we've made since last year and that we are continuing to work on as we progress through the calendar year of 2012.

Melissa

Another Harvest Completed at Farmer Mac's

To contact us Click HERE
We never officially opened this year, but we are now officially closed.
Mom has been bugging me to post this ever since the tropical depression brought us 8 inches of rain last week and I'm just getting around to it.

Between young plants, frost damage, and an aboundance of rain this season, we had virtually no blueberries to harvest.

That being said, the biggest problem, young plants, is a self correcting issue that should be much less of a factor next year! 

We hope that you will continue to be a loyal customer if you've been with us for a while or that you will give us a try next year if it's your first time.

Our farm is people friendly.  I know that can't be said of all farmers because many of them choose to farm to avoid dealing with the public.  That's not the case with us!  We are friendly to the young and the old and all ages in between.

*********************************************************
I've started this thing this year that I'm calling Blueberry Farmers in Training (B. FIT for short).  I asked our farm kids to come up with the design for a kid shirt that would work well with this program.

They came up with several designs that I'll put on the blog for you to look at.  Hopefully we can decide on one and get shirts made for next year. 

We were going to do it this year, but with less than no revenue, it didn't make sense to spend money we didn't earn yet.  That's one of the values I'm trying to teach my kids...you have to earn it before you spend it.  Hard concept when there's the whole but you can just use your ATM card argument.

We've been saving up money to go on a national parks camping trip out west.  All of the farm (grand)kids will be participating with the exception of my youngest two nieces.  I can't tell you the excitement level to both get out of school and to get started on this grand adventure.  They all have roles in the program:  mapping out the route, figuring out the supply list, figuring out how much gas will cost, where we will stay, what we will eat, how long it will take to get from here to there and back, what games to take, and on and on.  If you see any of our Berry Patch Road kids this fall or next summer, ask them about it.  I know they will have lots to share.

Take care, have a wonderful summer, and I'll post more when we get back if I don't get another post in before we leave.
Melissa

Let's Talk About Snails & Snakes

To contact us Click HERE
Snails yes, snakes no. I am petrified when comes to snakes; spiders and dogs too but that is a different story for another rainy day. I was reading something about snails and let me share this with you. There are more than 80,000 different species of snails, yes 80,000 that is darn a lot. I think I probably seen 20 the most including the one I ate. They are widely distributed on land, in the sea and in the fresh water. Land snails have two pairs of tentacles where their set of eyes reside on the lower set. Water snails have only one pair of tentacles, with eyes at the base.

Now my favorite subject - the snakes. What can I say about the snakes? They hatch from eggs - and no they are not related to the chicken. However, there are some species of snakes that do give birth to live young snakes.

Recent Quakes Definitely Doing Their Job - Relocating Cities & Shortening Earth's Days

To contact us Click HERE
That is all I need - a shorter day! Researchers at NASA calculated that the Chilean earthquake shortened Earth's days. It shortened by one-millionth of a second, still small but shorter. I think this is a second earthquake in a decade to result in a shorter day.

After the catastrophic 2010 Haiti earthquake at magnitude of 7.0 with 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater, a chain of other earthquakes surf through the Earth's crust. The second one to start was Chile with an 8.8 magnitude. If I correctly remember, then it was Japan, Turkey, Kosovo, Japan again. I probably missed some. This may be normal after after all, shake the world and it will move - like everything else.

Well, these earthquakes did shake the world enough to relocate cities in Chile. Researches found that cities and islands physically shifted west. From the satellite data, scientist at Ohio State University and University of Hawaii found that city of Concepcion moved about 3 meters to the west. When compared to Earth size it may not be big shift, but to me three meters is a lot. In addition, the Chile's capital Santiago moved only 30 centimeters. Buenos Aires in Argentina moved 2.5 cm.

Scientists say that this usually happens with earthquakes, but usually too small to notice. However, this time it was definitely noticed.

We've Done the Best We Can, But We Have Few Berries Left!

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We are officially closed for the 2011 season for fresh blueberries and on farm sales.
We were hoping to be open for a nice weekend to end out our season. Do you hear a but in that sentence?

It is with a significant amount of sadness that I say that the weather has officially done us in. The 3 days we gave the fields to reblue and rejuvenate just haven't do the trick. :(

We've been irrigating nearly around the clock since last Saturday and the water is only enough to keep the plants alive. It is not enough to do anything for the blueberries themselves. Any of you who have actually stopped by this week can attest to the number of branches on otherwise healthy plants that are wilting and turning brown.

Luckily enough we were intent upon replanting a good portion of the full grown plants that we have in the fields because if this keeps up, we'd have had to do it anyway.

I just hope the young plants can hold out for the rain that must be coming this way sometime soon. They are the future of Farmer Mac's Berries and we hope to start harvesting them next season.

So...for those of you who know the drill, we have that period between being officially open and officially closed. We take the open signs down but don't put up the closed sign yet.

That's where we are right now. In that in-between stage. We do have blueberries in the field that you can come and pick. We'll be around (and so should these berries) for the next week or so doing clean up and field work. If you don't mind walking alot and picking a little, feel free to come out and get a few pounds of what we have left.

When the blueberries are all gone, I'll put the closed sign out and post to the blog that we're officially closed.

Thank you for being loyal customers, great friends, and good neighbors. We enjoy sharing our family with yours and we love to hear your stories. If we don't see you again this year, have a great rest of the summer and look for us again in May 2012!

Melissa

Mulberry Pizza at Farmer Mac's Berries?

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Ok, so I get home from work yesterday and the kids are all hanging out in the mulberry tree.  There's only one, it's at the far end of the pasture beside the gate at the barn.

The mulberries are early this year as is nearly everything else in the agricultural world in this part of the state.

Many of the frost-damaged blueberries are turning blue too, but they (as southerners say it) aren't fittin' to eat so we'll have to go through and pull them off so the rest of the fruit can ripen appropriately.

At any rate, they decided on Dominos for supper so I went to get cheeze pizza which is the only kind of pizza if you're a kid in this family.  When I brought it to Grandma's house, they all rushed in, grabbed a slice and ran right back out the back door.

I went out later to see what was what and Maali said she was eating mulberries for supper.  I told her mulberries weren't enough for supper, they were just a snack, but she corrected me on that.  She, Wyatt and Hollie were having mulberry pizza and all agreed it was delicious!

So here's there recipe, it's quite easy....
1 slice of cheeze pizza
1 kid in a tree tossing down mulberries to try to land in the mouth of a grounder (kid on the ground)
2nd kid to catch or find the mulberries that don't make the target
Any kid to put the errant mulberries on their slice of pizza and chomp it down

Chef's note:  kids can be of any age

Bet you wish you were having this much fun!
Melissa

******************************************
We are getting the farm spruced up, the blueberry building cleaned out, and the fields manicured for the start of the blueberry season.


We anticipate starting about a week early this year but will know more as the month of May progresses. I'll make periodic (more frequent than usual) updates as we know more and as the weather makes information available.

The Farmer Mac's Management and Crew have made the decision to get back to our core values. What this means is that we have officially decided to not be open on Sundays so we, our families, our animals, and the farm can take the day of rest that we have been given to recharge our batteries and energize ourselves for the workdays to come.

Farmer Mac is doing good and should be around this season. Take a minute to stop and talk with him when you come out. We're doing what we can to reduce his workload and to make his job as easy as possible without taking it away completely.

We also have eggs available for purchase or for subscription. Let us know if you're interested!

Blueberries at Farmer Mac's....Still Green!

To contact us Click HERE
Although it has been warm for weeks, the nights have still been cool.  Our blueberries aren't ripening as fast as some of the other farms in the area seem to be.

It could be because of the frost damage we got that reduced our first picking across the field or just a pocket of cool weather at night around here.

Either way, the berries aren't blueing up as quickly as we would have thought.

We should be open next weekend (probably Saturday May 19) as the beginning of our season berries start turning.

Again, this is still an estimate at this time, we'll update as we see changes in the field.

And we've done a fine job of feeding the deer in the back field this year...again.  The left corner of the back field had really nice berries that they thanked us graciously for eating.

Thanks for being a valued customer and friend!

Melissa

Few Blueberries at Farmer Mac's This Year

To contact us Click HERE
We posted last week that we should be opening tomorrow (Saturday, May 19).

I think the best thing to do would be to not officially open this year.

We have some blueberries that are still green, but overall, a very light crop.

However, we have eggs if you're interested in them!

What we'd like to do is to have those of you who want to come out just show up and pick what you can find on a self-serve sort of basis like we used to do on Sunday mornings.

We'd like to concentrate on growing plants and getting the farm in shape to have a good year next season.

We'll still be here and working around the farm, and will be glad to talk and show you the improvements we've made since last year and that we are continuing to work on as we progress through the calendar year of 2012.

Melissa

Another Harvest Completed at Farmer Mac's

To contact us Click HERE
We never officially opened this year, but we are now officially closed.
Mom has been bugging me to post this ever since the tropical depression brought us 8 inches of rain last week and I'm just getting around to it.

Between young plants, frost damage, and an aboundance of rain this season, we had virtually no blueberries to harvest.

That being said, the biggest problem, young plants, is a self correcting issue that should be much less of a factor next year! 

We hope that you will continue to be a loyal customer if you've been with us for a while or that you will give us a try next year if it's your first time.

Our farm is people friendly.  I know that can't be said of all farmers because many of them choose to farm to avoid dealing with the public.  That's not the case with us!  We are friendly to the young and the old and all ages in between.

*********************************************************
I've started this thing this year that I'm calling Blueberry Farmers in Training (B. FIT for short).  I asked our farm kids to come up with the design for a kid shirt that would work well with this program.

They came up with several designs that I'll put on the blog for you to look at.  Hopefully we can decide on one and get shirts made for next year. 

We were going to do it this year, but with less than no revenue, it didn't make sense to spend money we didn't earn yet.  That's one of the values I'm trying to teach my kids...you have to earn it before you spend it.  Hard concept when there's the whole but you can just use your ATM card argument.

We've been saving up money to go on a national parks camping trip out west.  All of the farm (grand)kids will be participating with the exception of my youngest two nieces.  I can't tell you the excitement level to both get out of school and to get started on this grand adventure.  They all have roles in the program:  mapping out the route, figuring out the supply list, figuring out how much gas will cost, where we will stay, what we will eat, how long it will take to get from here to there and back, what games to take, and on and on.  If you see any of our Berry Patch Road kids this fall or next summer, ask them about it.  I know they will have lots to share.

Take care, have a wonderful summer, and I'll post more when we get back if I don't get another post in before we leave.
Melissa

Few Blueberries at Farmer Mac's This Year

To contact us Click HERE
We posted last week that we should be opening tomorrow (Saturday, May 19).

I think the best thing to do would be to not officially open this year.

We have some blueberries that are still green, but overall, a very light crop.

However, we have eggs if you're interested in them!

What we'd like to do is to have those of you who want to come out just show up and pick what you can find on a self-serve sort of basis like we used to do on Sunday mornings.

We'd like to concentrate on growing plants and getting the farm in shape to have a good year next season.

We'll still be here and working around the farm, and will be glad to talk and show you the improvements we've made since last year and that we are continuing to work on as we progress through the calendar year of 2012.

Melissa

Another Harvest Completed at Farmer Mac's

To contact us Click HERE
We never officially opened this year, but we are now officially closed.
Mom has been bugging me to post this ever since the tropical depression brought us 8 inches of rain last week and I'm just getting around to it.

Between young plants, frost damage, and an aboundance of rain this season, we had virtually no blueberries to harvest.

That being said, the biggest problem, young plants, is a self correcting issue that should be much less of a factor next year! 

We hope that you will continue to be a loyal customer if you've been with us for a while or that you will give us a try next year if it's your first time.

Our farm is people friendly.  I know that can't be said of all farmers because many of them choose to farm to avoid dealing with the public.  That's not the case with us!  We are friendly to the young and the old and all ages in between.

*********************************************************
I've started this thing this year that I'm calling Blueberry Farmers in Training (B. FIT for short).  I asked our farm kids to come up with the design for a kid shirt that would work well with this program.

They came up with several designs that I'll put on the blog for you to look at.  Hopefully we can decide on one and get shirts made for next year. 

We were going to do it this year, but with less than no revenue, it didn't make sense to spend money we didn't earn yet.  That's one of the values I'm trying to teach my kids...you have to earn it before you spend it.  Hard concept when there's the whole but you can just use your ATM card argument.

We've been saving up money to go on a national parks camping trip out west.  All of the farm (grand)kids will be participating with the exception of my youngest two nieces.  I can't tell you the excitement level to both get out of school and to get started on this grand adventure.  They all have roles in the program:  mapping out the route, figuring out the supply list, figuring out how much gas will cost, where we will stay, what we will eat, how long it will take to get from here to there and back, what games to take, and on and on.  If you see any of our Berry Patch Road kids this fall or next summer, ask them about it.  I know they will have lots to share.

Take care, have a wonderful summer, and I'll post more when we get back if I don't get another post in before we leave.
Melissa

umbrella quilt...

To contact us Click HERE
 i ticked off a WIP from the list today...
after waiting for my stripes to dry (i had to print up my own binding fabric as i didn't have just the right thing in my stash) i set to sew yesterday and finished it off today.
i am so in love with this umbrella prints range and can't take my eyes off it.
a while ago i got sent some pieces from the elephants love water collection and instantly fell in love. it's no secret that umbrella prints are one of my favourite pair of clever designers and this range is a real winner. the red/blue combo is always a success and coupled with amy and carly's eye catching designs on beautiful organic cotton, elephants love water really is a must have range.

i wanted to do something relatively simple and let the bold designs do the talking. i paired the fabrics with some coordinating solids and backed it in a red solid for simplicity.

 more simplicity with some straight line quilting through the wonky windmills and we were done.


i really encourage you to try elephants love water if you haven't already. you won't be disappointed. check out a stockist near you here.
i've listed this baby quilt in my etsy store here. 

lights...

To contact us Click HERE




 i am proud and delighted to announce my new Patchwork Lampshade Kits, the first of the series made with Leanne's fantabulous Little Housemartin screen printed fabrics.

 it seems an aeon ago that Leanne and I caused hysteria on IG with my makes with her wonderful fabrics.you can blame the courier service who shall remain nameless as I am too dang fed up of them to want to read their name on my blog. suffice it to say that it had something to do with the old excuse of swearing blind they had put a note through my door to say they had tried to deliver. chin wag!

moving on...the kit contains a selection of strips of Leanne's fabrics along with a lampshade kit and full instructions to make a beautiful and unique patchwork lampshade for either a pendant shade or a table lamp. it comes in a choice of 20cm or 30cm diameter shade.

i really am quite delighted with these kits and hope you love them (and will want one!) too!
as i said this is just the first of a series of different kits that will be available, one of which includes naturally a couple of blueberry park options and another that i am just putting together and very excited about. it is rather a sophisticated shade that i think may just cause some hysteria of its own.

half term round up

To contact us Click HERE
half term is never easy...juggling the kids...squeezing in work...and not forgetting this half term the daily visits to see dad who is in week 5 of being in hospital.it really hasn't been the best of weeks, but looking back on it, despite all that, it has been pretty full and productive.

clockwise from top left the week included...
1. completing day 1 of training for the 24 hour walk i'll be doing in may...2. printing the new designs...3. finishing my honey loop cowl...4. finally sending off bee blocks and siggies...5. packaging up the new lampshade kits...6. customary half term venture into town to meet dad for lunch...7. starting (and almost finishing, Liz) a long over due custom order.8. oakshott lampshade sample
not a bad week all said and done.

We've Done the Best We Can, But We Have Few Berries Left!

To contact us Click HERE
We are officially closed for the 2011 season for fresh blueberries and on farm sales.
We were hoping to be open for a nice weekend to end out our season. Do you hear a but in that sentence?

It is with a significant amount of sadness that I say that the weather has officially done us in. The 3 days we gave the fields to reblue and rejuvenate just haven't do the trick. :(

We've been irrigating nearly around the clock since last Saturday and the water is only enough to keep the plants alive. It is not enough to do anything for the blueberries themselves. Any of you who have actually stopped by this week can attest to the number of branches on otherwise healthy plants that are wilting and turning brown.

Luckily enough we were intent upon replanting a good portion of the full grown plants that we have in the fields because if this keeps up, we'd have had to do it anyway.

I just hope the young plants can hold out for the rain that must be coming this way sometime soon. They are the future of Farmer Mac's Berries and we hope to start harvesting them next season.

So...for those of you who know the drill, we have that period between being officially open and officially closed. We take the open signs down but don't put up the closed sign yet.

That's where we are right now. In that in-between stage. We do have blueberries in the field that you can come and pick. We'll be around (and so should these berries) for the next week or so doing clean up and field work. If you don't mind walking alot and picking a little, feel free to come out and get a few pounds of what we have left.

When the blueberries are all gone, I'll put the closed sign out and post to the blog that we're officially closed.

Thank you for being loyal customers, great friends, and good neighbors. We enjoy sharing our family with yours and we love to hear your stories. If we don't see you again this year, have a great rest of the summer and look for us again in May 2012!

Melissa

Mulberry Pizza at Farmer Mac's Berries?

To contact us Click HERE

Ok, so I get home from work yesterday and the kids are all hanging out in the mulberry tree.  There's only one, it's at the far end of the pasture beside the gate at the barn.

The mulberries are early this year as is nearly everything else in the agricultural world in this part of the state.

Many of the frost-damaged blueberries are turning blue too, but they (as southerners say it) aren't fittin' to eat so we'll have to go through and pull them off so the rest of the fruit can ripen appropriately.

At any rate, they decided on Dominos for supper so I went to get cheeze pizza which is the only kind of pizza if you're a kid in this family.  When I brought it to Grandma's house, they all rushed in, grabbed a slice and ran right back out the back door.

I went out later to see what was what and Maali said she was eating mulberries for supper.  I told her mulberries weren't enough for supper, they were just a snack, but she corrected me on that.  She, Wyatt and Hollie were having mulberry pizza and all agreed it was delicious!

So here's there recipe, it's quite easy....
1 slice of cheeze pizza
1 kid in a tree tossing down mulberries to try to land in the mouth of a grounder (kid on the ground)
2nd kid to catch or find the mulberries that don't make the target
Any kid to put the errant mulberries on their slice of pizza and chomp it down

Chef's note:  kids can be of any age

Bet you wish you were having this much fun!
Melissa

******************************************
We are getting the farm spruced up, the blueberry building cleaned out, and the fields manicured for the start of the blueberry season.


We anticipate starting about a week early this year but will know more as the month of May progresses. I'll make periodic (more frequent than usual) updates as we know more and as the weather makes information available.

The Farmer Mac's Management and Crew have made the decision to get back to our core values. What this means is that we have officially decided to not be open on Sundays so we, our families, our animals, and the farm can take the day of rest that we have been given to recharge our batteries and energize ourselves for the workdays to come.

Farmer Mac is doing good and should be around this season. Take a minute to stop and talk with him when you come out. We're doing what we can to reduce his workload and to make his job as easy as possible without taking it away completely.

We also have eggs available for purchase or for subscription. Let us know if you're interested!

Blueberries at Farmer Mac's....Still Green!

To contact us Click HERE
Although it has been warm for weeks, the nights have still been cool.  Our blueberries aren't ripening as fast as some of the other farms in the area seem to be.

It could be because of the frost damage we got that reduced our first picking across the field or just a pocket of cool weather at night around here.

Either way, the berries aren't blueing up as quickly as we would have thought.

We should be open next weekend (probably Saturday May 19) as the beginning of our season berries start turning.

Again, this is still an estimate at this time, we'll update as we see changes in the field.

And we've done a fine job of feeding the deer in the back field this year...again.  The left corner of the back field had really nice berries that they thanked us graciously for eating.

Thanks for being a valued customer and friend!

Melissa

Few Blueberries at Farmer Mac's This Year

To contact us Click HERE
We posted last week that we should be opening tomorrow (Saturday, May 19).

I think the best thing to do would be to not officially open this year.

We have some blueberries that are still green, but overall, a very light crop.

However, we have eggs if you're interested in them!

What we'd like to do is to have those of you who want to come out just show up and pick what you can find on a self-serve sort of basis like we used to do on Sunday mornings.

We'd like to concentrate on growing plants and getting the farm in shape to have a good year next season.

We'll still be here and working around the farm, and will be glad to talk and show you the improvements we've made since last year and that we are continuing to work on as we progress through the calendar year of 2012.

Melissa

Another Harvest Completed at Farmer Mac's

To contact us Click HERE
We never officially opened this year, but we are now officially closed.
Mom has been bugging me to post this ever since the tropical depression brought us 8 inches of rain last week and I'm just getting around to it.

Between young plants, frost damage, and an aboundance of rain this season, we had virtually no blueberries to harvest.

That being said, the biggest problem, young plants, is a self correcting issue that should be much less of a factor next year! 

We hope that you will continue to be a loyal customer if you've been with us for a while or that you will give us a try next year if it's your first time.

Our farm is people friendly.  I know that can't be said of all farmers because many of them choose to farm to avoid dealing with the public.  That's not the case with us!  We are friendly to the young and the old and all ages in between.

*********************************************************
I've started this thing this year that I'm calling Blueberry Farmers in Training (B. FIT for short).  I asked our farm kids to come up with the design for a kid shirt that would work well with this program.

They came up with several designs that I'll put on the blog for you to look at.  Hopefully we can decide on one and get shirts made for next year. 

We were going to do it this year, but with less than no revenue, it didn't make sense to spend money we didn't earn yet.  That's one of the values I'm trying to teach my kids...you have to earn it before you spend it.  Hard concept when there's the whole but you can just use your ATM card argument.

We've been saving up money to go on a national parks camping trip out west.  All of the farm (grand)kids will be participating with the exception of my youngest two nieces.  I can't tell you the excitement level to both get out of school and to get started on this grand adventure.  They all have roles in the program:  mapping out the route, figuring out the supply list, figuring out how much gas will cost, where we will stay, what we will eat, how long it will take to get from here to there and back, what games to take, and on and on.  If you see any of our Berry Patch Road kids this fall or next summer, ask them about it.  I know they will have lots to share.

Take care, have a wonderful summer, and I'll post more when we get back if I don't get another post in before we leave.
Melissa

We've Done the Best We Can, But We Have Few Berries Left!

To contact us Click HERE
We are officially closed for the 2011 season for fresh blueberries and on farm sales.
We were hoping to be open for a nice weekend to end out our season. Do you hear a but in that sentence?

It is with a significant amount of sadness that I say that the weather has officially done us in. The 3 days we gave the fields to reblue and rejuvenate just haven't do the trick. :(

We've been irrigating nearly around the clock since last Saturday and the water is only enough to keep the plants alive. It is not enough to do anything for the blueberries themselves. Any of you who have actually stopped by this week can attest to the number of branches on otherwise healthy plants that are wilting and turning brown.

Luckily enough we were intent upon replanting a good portion of the full grown plants that we have in the fields because if this keeps up, we'd have had to do it anyway.

I just hope the young plants can hold out for the rain that must be coming this way sometime soon. They are the future of Farmer Mac's Berries and we hope to start harvesting them next season.

So...for those of you who know the drill, we have that period between being officially open and officially closed. We take the open signs down but don't put up the closed sign yet.

That's where we are right now. In that in-between stage. We do have blueberries in the field that you can come and pick. We'll be around (and so should these berries) for the next week or so doing clean up and field work. If you don't mind walking alot and picking a little, feel free to come out and get a few pounds of what we have left.

When the blueberries are all gone, I'll put the closed sign out and post to the blog that we're officially closed.

Thank you for being loyal customers, great friends, and good neighbors. We enjoy sharing our family with yours and we love to hear your stories. If we don't see you again this year, have a great rest of the summer and look for us again in May 2012!

Melissa

Mulberry Pizza at Farmer Mac's Berries?

To contact us Click HERE

Ok, so I get home from work yesterday and the kids are all hanging out in the mulberry tree.  There's only one, it's at the far end of the pasture beside the gate at the barn.

The mulberries are early this year as is nearly everything else in the agricultural world in this part of the state.

Many of the frost-damaged blueberries are turning blue too, but they (as southerners say it) aren't fittin' to eat so we'll have to go through and pull them off so the rest of the fruit can ripen appropriately.

At any rate, they decided on Dominos for supper so I went to get cheeze pizza which is the only kind of pizza if you're a kid in this family.  When I brought it to Grandma's house, they all rushed in, grabbed a slice and ran right back out the back door.

I went out later to see what was what and Maali said she was eating mulberries for supper.  I told her mulberries weren't enough for supper, they were just a snack, but she corrected me on that.  She, Wyatt and Hollie were having mulberry pizza and all agreed it was delicious!

So here's there recipe, it's quite easy....
1 slice of cheeze pizza
1 kid in a tree tossing down mulberries to try to land in the mouth of a grounder (kid on the ground)
2nd kid to catch or find the mulberries that don't make the target
Any kid to put the errant mulberries on their slice of pizza and chomp it down

Chef's note:  kids can be of any age

Bet you wish you were having this much fun!
Melissa

******************************************
We are getting the farm spruced up, the blueberry building cleaned out, and the fields manicured for the start of the blueberry season.


We anticipate starting about a week early this year but will know more as the month of May progresses. I'll make periodic (more frequent than usual) updates as we know more and as the weather makes information available.

The Farmer Mac's Management and Crew have made the decision to get back to our core values. What this means is that we have officially decided to not be open on Sundays so we, our families, our animals, and the farm can take the day of rest that we have been given to recharge our batteries and energize ourselves for the workdays to come.

Farmer Mac is doing good and should be around this season. Take a minute to stop and talk with him when you come out. We're doing what we can to reduce his workload and to make his job as easy as possible without taking it away completely.

We also have eggs available for purchase or for subscription. Let us know if you're interested!

Blueberries at Farmer Mac's....Still Green!

To contact us Click HERE
Although it has been warm for weeks, the nights have still been cool.  Our blueberries aren't ripening as fast as some of the other farms in the area seem to be.

It could be because of the frost damage we got that reduced our first picking across the field or just a pocket of cool weather at night around here.

Either way, the berries aren't blueing up as quickly as we would have thought.

We should be open next weekend (probably Saturday May 19) as the beginning of our season berries start turning.

Again, this is still an estimate at this time, we'll update as we see changes in the field.

And we've done a fine job of feeding the deer in the back field this year...again.  The left corner of the back field had really nice berries that they thanked us graciously for eating.

Thanks for being a valued customer and friend!

Melissa

Few Blueberries at Farmer Mac's This Year

To contact us Click HERE
We posted last week that we should be opening tomorrow (Saturday, May 19).

I think the best thing to do would be to not officially open this year.

We have some blueberries that are still green, but overall, a very light crop.

However, we have eggs if you're interested in them!

What we'd like to do is to have those of you who want to come out just show up and pick what you can find on a self-serve sort of basis like we used to do on Sunday mornings.

We'd like to concentrate on growing plants and getting the farm in shape to have a good year next season.

We'll still be here and working around the farm, and will be glad to talk and show you the improvements we've made since last year and that we are continuing to work on as we progress through the calendar year of 2012.

Melissa

Another Harvest Completed at Farmer Mac's

To contact us Click HERE
We never officially opened this year, but we are now officially closed.
Mom has been bugging me to post this ever since the tropical depression brought us 8 inches of rain last week and I'm just getting around to it.

Between young plants, frost damage, and an aboundance of rain this season, we had virtually no blueberries to harvest.

That being said, the biggest problem, young plants, is a self correcting issue that should be much less of a factor next year! 

We hope that you will continue to be a loyal customer if you've been with us for a while or that you will give us a try next year if it's your first time.

Our farm is people friendly.  I know that can't be said of all farmers because many of them choose to farm to avoid dealing with the public.  That's not the case with us!  We are friendly to the young and the old and all ages in between.

*********************************************************
I've started this thing this year that I'm calling Blueberry Farmers in Training (B. FIT for short).  I asked our farm kids to come up with the design for a kid shirt that would work well with this program.

They came up with several designs that I'll put on the blog for you to look at.  Hopefully we can decide on one and get shirts made for next year. 

We were going to do it this year, but with less than no revenue, it didn't make sense to spend money we didn't earn yet.  That's one of the values I'm trying to teach my kids...you have to earn it before you spend it.  Hard concept when there's the whole but you can just use your ATM card argument.

We've been saving up money to go on a national parks camping trip out west.  All of the farm (grand)kids will be participating with the exception of my youngest two nieces.  I can't tell you the excitement level to both get out of school and to get started on this grand adventure.  They all have roles in the program:  mapping out the route, figuring out the supply list, figuring out how much gas will cost, where we will stay, what we will eat, how long it will take to get from here to there and back, what games to take, and on and on.  If you see any of our Berry Patch Road kids this fall or next summer, ask them about it.  I know they will have lots to share.

Take care, have a wonderful summer, and I'll post more when we get back if I don't get another post in before we leave.
Melissa