Come on sunshine! The lettuce needs just another week before it’s ready for market. Though not available again this week, we are shooting for next week.
It’s almost there!
Lettuce Update
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Immune Boosting, Stress Relieving Ginger & Turmeric
I thought this was worth sharing again as I’m stocking up on this. I plan to have some available at the farmers markets this weekend.
Our farm still has fresh ginger and turmeric. You can pick up while it lasts, every Saturday at Webb City Farmers Market and Joplin Empire Market.
My friend Mary recently shared with me what she did with the ginger she received in her CSA share. She made Ginger, Turmeric & Lemon Honey Bombs! With the arrival of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I found this to be a timely treat. Add a teaspoon or two to hot water, add it to tea or juice, or slather it on bread. This supercharged mix will nourish your body, mind and spirit.
Chili Relleno Casserole with Roasted Anaheims
By popular demand, I’m sharing the recipe! This is super simple to make. I use our farm’s roasted anaheim chilies. They are mild but have a nice chili flavor!
This is a delicious breakfast side served with tortillas, bacon or sausages and topped with sliced avocado, salsa and cilantro.
Ingredients
- 2 cups anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, and chopped
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 or 9 inch casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well mixed. Place in the prepared casserole dish. Bake 45-50 minutes or until set.
- Remove from oven, let stand for 5 minutes.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 276 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 15.5g | 20% |
| Saturated Fat 8.9g | 44% |
| Cholesterol 96mg | 32% |
| Sodium 376mg | 16% |
| Total Carbohydrate 20.4g | 7% |
| Dietary Fiber 3.8g | 14% |
| Total Sugars 8.1g | |
| Protein 15.5g | |
| Vitamin D 8mcg | 39% |
| Calcium 400mg | 31% |
| Iron 2mg | 10% |
| Potassium 414mg | 9% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on oakwoodsfarm.com should only be used as a general guideline. | |
Cooler Weather Signals Time For Ginger & Turmeric Golden Milk
We are at the end of this season’s ginger and turmeric harvest. The crop has been bountiful this year!
With the temperature dipping to the low 40’s tonight, I thought I would share my recipe for Golden Milk. Think of Golden Milk as an Indian Turmeric Latte. Curcumin, the active component in turmeric, has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries due to its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Other ingredients are ginger, peppercorns, and cinnamon, also packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.
Although delicious anytime, a cup full of golden milk in the evening can relax you into a restful sleep. Whether it helps you sleep or not, it’s a creamy, soothing bedtime snack for you to cradle as you relax at the end of the day.
Golden Milk
Perfect for an evening drink just before bed, these ingredients that have been shown to promote a good night’s sleep.
- Heat 2 cups light, unsweetened almond milk (or coconut or soymilk)
- Add 1/2 tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
- Add 1 tablespoon peeled, grated fresh turmeric
- Add 3-4 black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Heat all ingredients in a saucepan
- Stir well
- Bring to a simmer and simmer covered for 10 minutes.
- Strain and sweeten with honey to taste (if desired).
We have fresh baby turmeric and ginger available at Empire Market and Webb City Farmers Market every Saturday while the harvest lasts. If you’ve never tried baby ginger and turmeric, you’re in for a treat. No need to peel, it’s not tough and fibrous and contains the highest levels of antioxidants.
Pick some up this weekend and ask me about my favorite way to preserve the rhizomes to enjoy fresh all winter.
Karen
Spring Greens: “Dino Kale”
We had a beautiful snowstorm yesterday and, overnight the temperature dipped to 25 degrees. We were a little worried about the tomato plants in the high tunnel but all is well this morning. Bright, beautiful sunshine is warming it up nicely.
The Lacinato kale did just fine too. Lacinato kale is also known as Tuscan kale, Italian kale, or dinosaur kale. It has dark blue-green leaves with a bit of texture; its taste is slightly sweeter, nuttier and more delicate than curly kale. Especially after a freeze.
It contains many nutritious benefits with tons of Vitamins A, C, and K. and is known for balancing blood sugar levels and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Kale Salad: Lacinato can be used like any other kale though my favorite is a very simple fresh salad. To prepare, slice it into ribbons. Toss the ribbons with lemon juice, olive oil and garlic paste. Top with sliced avocados, scallions and parmesan cheese. You can also add freshly toasted bread crumbs.
At market on Saturday, along with Dino kale, we will have more Swiss Chard for you. Plus our lettuce mix, curly petite kale, green leaf and romaine lettuce, spinach, cilantro, parsley and mint. All the microgreens and spring greens! Plus beautiful French Breakfast Radishes.
Come see us at Empire Market and Webb City Farmers Market.
You can pre-order from our store here or Empire’s Curbside Pickup here. Call or text me too, 970-980-9395.
Be well!
Karen
P.S. If you know people you think would be interested in news from our farm, please forward this to them and encourage them to sign up at Subscribe Here.
Spring Greens: Swiss Chard
What is it? It’s a beet, minus the root. But unlike regular beets, chard produces big, tender leaves and crunchy stalks. The leaves are a bit milder than spinach but with the same texture. They are mild, sweet, earthy and just slightly bitter. The stalks remind me of celery with a sweet taste similar to beets.
To prepare, I simply rough chop the leaves and finely chop the thicker stalks so that the two parts cook in about the same time. Steam or sauté and toss with butter or olive oil, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper. I like the contrast between the tender leaves and the crunchier stalks. Serve this as a side or toss with cooked pasta and Parmesan cheese. Yum!
We will have Swiss Chard at Empire Market and Webb City Farmers Market for you on Saturday. Plus our lettuce mix, market mix, kale, green leaf and romaine lettuce, spinach, mixed petite greens, cilantro, parsley and mint. All the microgreens and spring greens! Plus beautiful French Breakfast Radishes.
You can pre-order from our store here or Empire’s Curbside Pickup here. Call or text me too, 970-980-9395.
Be well!
Karen
P.S. If you know people you think would be interested in news from our farm, please forward this to them and encourage them to sign up at Subscribe Here.
Ginger Update
The ginger and turmeric is doing so much better this year! Sprouts are up and I’m looking forward to transplanting them into the gardens and high tunnels. Last year was so disappointing. We’re not sure if it was the seed source or just the season but we’re off to a good start this year.
We sprout them on heat at 85 degrees to simulate their tropical origins. This gives us a big head start on the growing season.
We are at Empire Market and Webb City Farmers Market this Saturday.
It’s Paris Week at Empire Market. What’s better than Paris in the Springtime? And you don’t even have to leave town! Come join us in our 3rd annual celebration of all things Parisian! Freshly baked macarons, Baguettes, Croissants, La Creperie de Marché, Cocktails and Coffee, Paris-themed Photo Booth, And much more fun! Oui, oui, oui! Fun, fun, fun!
We’re bringing lettuce mix, market mix, baby kale, spinach, petite swiss chard, cilantro, mint in clamshells, radishes, and all the microgreens. And, Aloe Vera plants! Plus bonus! The hens are laying! Text me to reserve your farm fresh eggs! 970-980-9395.
Be well, stay well!
Karen
P.S. If you know people you think would be interested in news from our farm, please forward this to them and encourage them to sign up at Subscribe Here.
Spring Farming Adventures
It seems like there is always a crazy dip to freezing temperatures right around the time we are ready to transplant tomatoes. We put them out to harden off anyway. Doug tucked the tomato seedlings under heavy row cover last night in preparation for the hard freeze. We were expecting a low of 31. When I looked at the the thermometer this morning, it registered 25 degrees!
Yikes! Did they freeze? That would set us back 6 weeks!
I was very happy to see that the plants were fine. Thank goodness! We’re not out of the woods yet though, there are 4 more weeks until our last frost date. Spring, it’s a raucous adventure.
We’re bringing more spring greens to market on Saturday. Our lettuce mix, market mix, mixed greens, baby kale and microgreens.
See you there!
Karen
Welcome Spring!
The spring thunderstorms bring such beauty and renewal to the farm. We’re busy prepping beds, seeding and transplanting in preparation for a bountiful harvest. While also herding baby goats, lol! I love this photo of a corner of the garden that our son Stephen took.
We will be at Webb City Farmer’s Market and Joplin Empire Market tomorrow. We’ll have our mighty microgreens, mixed greens, spring lettuce mix, sweet baby kale, spinach and our popular Market Mix. Stephen will have a very limited supply of radishes and beets at Empire Market, the first of the spring season.
As we shift our total focus to our market gardening, we won’t be offering Bierocks at Empire Market. Look for them again later this fall. What a treat they have been and Thank You!
Stay safe and well and we hope to see you all at the market soon!
Karen
Did I write “welcome February” in my last post?
Ok, I’m totally rethinking that.
This is our first experience with sub zero temperatures for an extended period. I haven’t peeked beneath the row covers yet so I don’t know the extent, if any, of damage to our crops. Today at least the sun is shining clear and bright. Right now it’s 60 degrees in the high tunnels. We’ll know more on Friday when temps are forecast to be above freezing. Stay tuned…
It’s also kidding season here at the farm. It seems like those babies decide they want to be born on the absolute coldest days of the year. Two hypothermia babies out of 11 and hopefully no more. They have both fully recovered and have been happily returned to their mamas thanks to Doug’s loving care.
On the upside, the snow cover is providing much needed moisture for spring growth! And we’re seeding tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, scallions, onions, lettuce, kale, chard. Plus, cilantro, parsley and basil. We delayed transplanting seedlings this week due to the extreme temperature. We have a lot of work to do to catch up next week.
For Winter Farmers Market, it’s too cold to harvest this week. We will be back at market (weather permitting) on Saturday February 27.
Stay warm and safe!
Karen
P.S. If you know people you think would be interested in happenings at our farm, please forward this to them and encourage them to sign up at Subscribe Here.
OakWoods Farm 