Orecchiette & Arugula

this is a 1 pan meal
easy, quick, nutritious and delicious
compliments to Martha Stewart, where I got this recipe
which of course I altered

Oreccchiette (little ears) Pasta dish

12 oz. orecchiette
1 can mixed beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
2 T. tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 6 inch sprig of rosemary
olive oil
pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan/asiago/reggiano cheese
1-2 cups arugula

Combine pasta, beans, olives, tomato paste, garlic, rosemary, oil, pepper flakes
and 4-5 cups water in pot. Season with S & P. Boil, then cook until pasta is al dente
and liquid is reduced to a sauce and coats pasta.
Remove from heat, discard sprig of rosemary and stir in cheese, arugula and more olives.
Drizzle with olive oil and more pepper flakes.

Arugula is a spicy green
easier to grow than lettuce

New Home Place

Just now the lilacs are in bloom

all around my home of little rooms

and in the new flowerbeds

nearby the garden shed

await the blooms of glory be

viewing all with my cup of tea

lilac bushes

planting perennials

Summer Garden to Winter Table

It is rewarding and warming to be able to eat from your garden while its snowing.
Giving thanks to preserving, freezing, storing and local farmers.  As I am trying to be more self-sustaining in providing more food from the garden and local area and less corporate food from big Agri-business. This results in less chemicals, more nutrients, less cost, less carbon footprint while supporting local CSA (community supported agriculture)


Dinner

store bought                                                          

• oil                                                               
• salt                                                                 
• quinoa                     
• mushrooms                                                     



Supper Menu:
Baked Chicken
Butternut squash with sorghum
Sauteed veggies with Quinoa




• soy sauce                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

From the Garden & Yard & Local Area

Chicken
garlic
onion
peppers
Amish butter
Amish sorghum
butternut squash
locally produced cheese

Locally Grown

Got Seeds?

another year is upon us
take time to plan
the cold will soon be gone
and before you know it
it will be time
to plant
or for the non-growers
to order from your CSA





seed catalogs, Journal & packets of seeds

 

Seeds are really cheap, for all that they deliver.
But remember, a seed is not a seed.
There are heirloom and open-pollinated seeds,
then there are the unstable hybrids and genetically modified seeds (GMO's)
that do not promote diversity.
We must all try, as we can, to re-invent our country's food system, from the Big Corporate Government supported food and farms to more community supported agriculture (CSA),
farmers markets and more organic and heirloom varieties in grocery stores.
We all love food that taste good and that is what good seed delivers.

Variety is the spice of life.


 

The Green River

The Green River flows between our farm house and the farm lands.
This river begins in the Appalachian mountains and flows westward for 384 miles toward the Ohio River.  Yes, the river is green, but its the General Green of the Revolutionary War that the river got its name. It is a beautiful river, as all rivers are. I'll post a few photos from Google images.

A river of Beauty



The River flows west toward the Ohio River.

The river forms the Mammoth Caves
the worlds longest cave system.

Jug fishin on the
Green river lake
is Fun!!!

 Green River Lake
summer fun

 

The river also has a ferry boat crossing, marinas, houseboats, cottages and cabins, campgrounds and horse stables.
The Green is river that we all should enjoy and care for.

A dinner to begin the new year

A farm food dinner

Menu

• Backyard Chicken--Roasted
• Fall Pumpkin Squashed
• Garden Garlic & Potatoes Mashed
• Preserved Beets in a Salad with Onions in a vinaigrette
• July-picked Blueberry Pie with Fresh Cream Whipped

As others have had a food goal: crazy as they are:

• eat all meals for 365 days at Starbucks
• cook all dinners from a Julia Child cookbook for a year
• eat at McDonald's for a full year

Everyday this year I will try to eat food that we produced on the farm.

Totally Delicious

 

Invest in Nature

Nature is the foundation of our well-being.

If we nurture our land, like any other asset or investment, we and our children can profit.

After working and walking the long aisles of the big bazaar of Amazon.com with its tons and billions of goods (>90% from China) sold, I got to wondering about our investment in Amazon vs. nature.

This is a huge Topic, including sustainability, conservation, climate change, organic farming,
all which involves moral and economic choices.

I had to laugh at what people were buying:  bronze statues of sitcom anchorman, electric warmers for birdbaths and plastic this & that by the ton. No, we do not need this junk. We need to make better choices, take care of this planet we live on and treasure the resources we are given.

I intend to live with less, get rid of "stuff", garden more and be happy.

 

 

Hoping that 2014 will bring you'll joys from Nature.