This week’s share contains a bunch of the mid-summer bounty.  In here you will find:

• Some yellow squash and an heirloom zucchini.
• A variety of fresh tomatoes.  The yellow ones are called Taxi, the larger red ones are New Girl and the small one are Super Sweet 100.  Each has it’s own personality – Kelli is digging the Taxi right now…  I have snuck a few early tomatoes off some of the heirloom plants that re not included yet…  but I can tell you – when they are… OMG!  Enjoy these as a primer!
• More colorful Bright Lights Swiss Chard – that was a favorite a few weeks back.
• There’s a pair of green peppers and a Hungarian Wax pepper as well.
• You will find a bunch of parsley and another bunch of fresh basil to spice up your life!
• Finally – there’s an alien egg…  some are purple (like the picture above – some are white).  Ok – maybe it’s not an alien egg – but the thing that looks like Sputnik…  that’s called Kohlrabi – and that’s this weeks feature for the recipe!

Here’s a primer on kohlrabi, raw or cooked it’s delicious – http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/kohlrabi/

So with all that goodness – maybe you need some inspiration.  Here’s a few thoughts for the share:

• Check out this weeks featured recipe : the kohlrabi ham bake (using kohlrabi and parsley from share)
• Use diced kohlrabi pieces in your salads
• Grill or saute squash and make a grilled veggie pita topped with cheese
• Make a pasta dish with sauteed swiss chard and squash
• Make some zucchini bread or muffins (we often add fresh blueberries as well!)
• Grill or shred zucchini and freeze it for later
• Try this simple zucchini recipe   http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/sauteed_zucchini_with_gruyere/
• Make pesto with your basil. We use this recipe and also follow the directions for freezing some as well   http://www.pickyourown.org/pesto.php
• Buy some fresh mozzarella and slice it, the tomatoes and some basil - sprinkle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar – fight off family members with a fork.

Here’s to hoping everyone had a wonderful Christmas full of friends, family and food.  I can tell you I personally went through several cycles over the long weekend where I felt I’d never want to eat a thing again – only to be disturbed when my stomach conspired to grow my girth due to it’s seeming endless desire for rich, buttery inputs.
As usual we had a very full house on Christmas Eve and although we didn’t have the high drama of last years wind storms, power outages and roof ripping off – we did eat heartily, drink well and fully rejoice with friends and family.

Christmas morning and opening the gifts was accompanied by piping hot from the oven scones as well as the usual treats.  When we got around to eating breakfast this year I served an Eggnog French Toast with an Apple-Cranberry Compote.  On the side were apricot-mustard glazed venison breakfast sausages I made fresh.  There was a fresh fruit salad and several other tasty treats floating around the table.

Midday we were starting to get hungry (which by my math was just a few hours after breakfast) – so we wheeled out a cheese platter and enjoyed a variety of yummy-ness.  Since Kelli is a fan of goat cheese I had made a special batch for here that was flavored with local maple syrup and our smoked chipotles.  The flavor started sweet, got rich and creamy and then would suddenly finish with some warmth… very good.

Shortly after we finished the cheese platter – played some Wii Sports Resort and Guitar Hero – the holiday hungers returned.  And why fight the always loosing battle to the holiday hungers?  Time for Christmas Dinner.

Christmas dinner this year was a much smaller production as the various family members had to travel and had other commitments – so it was a simple cozy Christmas dinner for 4…  which was a terrific opportunity to try something that, as a person who likes to cook in an adventurous way most of the time was even a massive stretch…  Four pounds of salt piled around a pork roast…  It’s called Roasted Salt-and Spice-Packed Pork Loin

Before we got to the main course we started with a fresh kale salad.  Not something I had ever had before on its own – but let me tell you kale has become a new friend of mine.  It has a terrific taste and texture.  The pine nuts and our own frozen currants from our back yard were perfect toppings with some sliced domestic Parmesan cheese.  Simple pear / white balsamic vinaigrette dressing made this a terrific start to dinner.

As for the roast – well the packing on of the salt and spices was very difficult as it just “felt wrong”.  But – as the recipe and reviews say – the final product was amazing.  The salt quickly bakes into a rock hard shell around the roast…  then as the roast cooks it shrinks inside and basks in the spiced steam it generates.  End result – a very moist and tender, uniquely spiced TERRIFIC pork roast.

We paired the pork with some maple – sherry glazed carrots and Roasted Onions with Gruyère Croutons which were both terrific.  The cool thing with the onions was the magnitude of the different flavors it brought.  Even Kelli – a self proclaimed onion hater – loved this dish.  A bunch of good recipes this year!

So – with the stockings all empty now…  the wrapping paper and bows cleaned up…  the dishes all washed and the visitors all gone…  we look back fondly on the containers in the refrigerator containing the remains of our fortunate Christmas repast.  It’s with fond memories we thank everyone – those who were here – those who were here in thought and prayer – for another wonderful Christmas!

So with the day of snacks and joking behind us (well at least the snacks) – the gifts opened and the pretty papers put to the garage for burning / recycling… the tummies started to grumble again and it was time to feast upon Christmas Dinner.
Kelli and I wanted to keep the meal simple – the flavors fresh – and use as many local things as we could… so here’s what we delivered:

Spiced Chicken Broth with Chive Flans

The eggs for the flan came from right down the street and the chicken broth was absolutely from one of our birds… amazing taste and simplicity. This opener set the stage for a fantastic meal.
Mango-Radicchio Caprese with Basil Vinaigrette and pomegranate seeds

This was a twist on the traditional summer salad – the flavors on their own are modest – but load up a fork of all the tenants and you have something that delivers a burst of flavor greater than the sum of its parts.
Rum-Molasses Glazed Garden Fresh Carrots

Prepared on the stove top – this takes the guesswork out of “are the carrots done”. Some of them were even pulled from the nearly frozen ground out back the week before.
Roasted green beans, caramelized sweet onions and blue cheese

The beans and onions were done on the grill and topped while still steaming with blue cheese – awesome!
Cheddar and Chive Yorkshire Pudding

A twist on the traditional – the cheddar and chive addition made these a perfect addition to this meal and kept it lighter than a traditional bread or role would have been.
Parmesan and Asiago Potatoes with mushrooms and thyme

The potatoes came from our larder in the basement – add in fresh mushrooms, a ton of heavy cream and cups of cheese – herbs – and – wow! How can it not be as good as it looks!
Standing Rib Roast with Spinach-Porcini Mushroom Stuffing, Irish Whiskey Gravy and Horseradish Cream

Standing rib roast – done. But stuff it with mushrooms that are rare and amazing, provide a gravy that took over an hour of preparation and top it with a special horseradish cream – I’m drooling on the keyboard (thankfully we “might’ have some of this in the freezer)
And here’s a plate of all the goodies loaded up and ready for a Christmas Dinner Feast to remember!

For dessert we enjoyed a homemade Roasted Chestnut Cheese Cake that I made and & Rum Cake my mom made. Both excellent and a perfect culmination of a very special and memorable Christmas!

After the guests left Christmas Eve – the elves scampered about depositing far too many gifts under the tree – and the family curled up all snug in their little beds… I was left with the thoughts of the roof in pieces, the howling wind in my ears, the slamming sound of sections of shingles lifting and falling right outside the bedroom, and a house running on generator. Somewhere around 1:30 I noticed the power had been restored – so I took to the 68MPH winds and Kelli took point in the basement – we left the generator behind and returned the house to grid power.
Needless to say – as Christmas morning dawned – I had found very little sleep and wasn’t in the best of moods – until Kelli ask the question that turned the entire day around and made for some the heartiest laughs this family has had together… This clip sets the stage – for Kelli asking… “What’s wrong with the shingles we got?” (it’s worth the minute of your day).
Food wise – the morning started with the traditional Christmas Braid loaf baked on the 24th. Then after coffee and present opening – we moved onto breakfast/brunch:
Local Raspberry/Blueberry Scones – served piping warm
Eggs Benedict with homemade Hollandaise Sauce
Fresh Tropical Fruit Salad with pomegranate syrup
Orange Juice Shrubs

Following eating (which seems to be a central theme to our holiday) – the day turned int conversation, joking and some casual preparation of the feast I had been diligently preparing over the last week. Somewhere in the afternoon – someone got hungry (of course) and it was time to bring out the cheese board Kelli and I had been planning… but the hours of windswept lack of sleep were weighing heavy on me – so I misspoke and declared that it was time for the “egg board” – whatever that was… Well – Meme pulled it together for all of us – but I passed and stuck with the cheese.

The initial plan for the Christmas feasts this year was to work of local ingredients like we do most of the year… but with several people not being fans of the foods provided by the squash family (myself included) and not having time to go ice fishing for some seafood… the idea of local foods – only – in a large holiday setting… well… not so much.
So – with the expectation of 10 people Christmas Eve (not counting the wind storm, roof damage and running on generator for several hours) – here’s the menu as served:

Shrimp Cocktail
Mozzarella in Carrozza
Oysters Prior
Chicken Thistle Farm Smoked Salmon Spread
Lettuce Wraps
Clementine + Pineapple + Pomegranate Platter
Shiitake Frittata Squares with Prosciutto

We never made it to the crab because people got full – and, well, the wind ripped the roof off and took out power to our road and 2 others we could see… so in favor of not making crab – instead we enjoyed Andy in the barn with massive wind gusts – and hooking the generator up (stupid me bought the correct connectors, plugs, cable, etc months ago – but never finished the job) in 68 MPH winds… and the party inside continued in the dark – and people enjoyed Jeph’s Yule Log.
Certainly I was a little stressed as it rained shingles in the front yard – but in hindsight – one of the best Christmas Eve’s… family, friends and food… around the lit tree, amongst the gusts of wind and the distant purr of the Honda generator.

Yup – we are the real – fresh Christmas tree types… every year we head off into the planted rows of trees to find that perfect reflection of the holiday and bring it into our home to be adorned with decorations spanning our lives. It’s usually a momentous occasion… this year was really no different except for the weather.
See – we picked the weekend in December where the winds were gusting and the temperature was dropping… fast… both.
As in – the wind chill was 4F…
SO – one of us here – had a face mask on to keep warm… kinda a “Nightmare Before Christmas” sort of thing if you ask me.
At any rate – we have the tree – the frost bite has thawed out – and we are busy planning the menu and decorations for another full house this Christmas at Chicken Thistle Farm!

My last post is not to imply that we haven’t slowed down… we have taken the time to enjoy a few of the finer things in life. For instance, recently my folks took a trip to Germany to visit the birth place of my mothers mother in Rotenberg, Germany. They came back and said the trip was awesome – they even found the original birth records of my grandmother at the town clerks office.
Although Kelli and I will likely someday make the trip – that’s a ways off. So, we had to “settle” for the German chocolates and authentic ginger bread they brought back for us. (It’s been rough as the picture shows)
We have been slowly sampling a piece or two of the German chocolate every night… I’m giving rave reviews to the strong chocolate flavors with strong rum infused raisin, nuts and nougats… Kelli, on the other hand, finds the flavors a tad too “harsh” for her tastes. But it’s fun since I know almost no German – and the map of chocolate treasures is in an umlaut heavy language!
Both of us like the ginger bread cookies!

For the faithful readers here – you know that aside from farming and general activities outside – Kelli and I also have a passion for good food. We like making and eating interesting dishes. So it seemed fitting that this last weekend we celebrated our 9 year anniversary with one heck of a tasty meal.
We thought about heading out to a local restaurant that specializes in dishes made from local products – sorta part of the Slow Food movement – but that seemed too “hippie-ish” – since we “participate” in the movement by growing our own items – it didn’t make sense to spend the cash for a lesser meal than we make on a daily basis. Actually – our friend Max turned us on to a show on PBS several months back called “The Endless Feast” – it’s a series of shows hosed by a set of pretentious, self-absorbed idiots (not a fan of the hosts) who are fascinated by the concept of eating locally grown food. Anyhow, the interesting part of the show is the spectacle that is put together ON the farm and the gourmet food that is served. There’s a social commentary in here that’ I’m not going to touch – but the show is fun.

So – Kelli and I find ourselves nightly making a meal and proclaiming it our own “Endless Feast” – a meal made up of over 95% of things that were grown or harvested right on our own farm – literally. The challenge in making a fancy meal for our anniversary was really not simply to make a tasty meal – but to also try to keep the point of origin of the food as close to home as possible… and the grocery store does not constitute “close to home”. With all of that baggage – and the desire to finally drink a bottle of pear wine we bought in Maine 2 years ago – this was the menu I pulled together. All inspired by as local and as seasonal as you can get while still have a bit of flair for the creative and good taste!

Pear/Gorgonzola Bruschetta
This is something I have always wanted to make – as big fans of cheese and fruit – this is a killer! The pears were locally grown, the cheese was from Vermont and the olive oil drizzle was from somewhere in Europe that folks visited… while that doesn’t qualify as local – since they were on holiday over there and brought it back as a gift…

Mixed greens with toasted pecans and pear dressing

The greens and pear were local and seasonal – pecans, olive oil and pear-infused balsamic, not so much. I did add a squeeze of fresh pear juice into the dressing to take the edge off the balsamic – that was a terrific choice.

Rainbow Trout with sautéed apple balls, lemongrass panko, and buttery Riesling sauce
The trout was farm raised in the US – so it’s a safe bet, Riesling is Finger Lakes produced, apples are in season locally and the balance of items are from within 500 miles.

I suppose when you eat like this at home (made Friday night after work in under 2 hours) – there’s not much excitement for the palate to be had in a restaurant given the price. We both very much enjoyed the feast – it was light and crisp – full of local fall flavors – paired well with the wine we have been wanting to drink up… and a great way to celebrate 9 years. Here’s to (at least) 9 more!

9 years
Originally uploaded by fishpickdiver

On October 16th – Kelli and I rolled over the calendar – starting on our 10th year together.
As she said – it still feels like we are playing house!