Grits!

Here's this weeks installment in Liz's One Local Summer ~

SHRIMP & GRITS

Shrimp - Edisto Island, SC (a little bit farther than 100 miles, but we bought it last month while on vacation). They are dusted in cornmeal from Blue Hill Farm (Madison County, NC - about 25 miles)
Grits - Blue Hill Farm (Madison County, NC - about 25 miles) cooked with Bath County, VA blue cheese (Charlie picks it up when he's there working - 15 miles from his office.) and jalapeno pepper from the garden (0 miles).

We washed it down with St. Therese's Pale Ale from Highland Brewing Company, Asheville, NC (7 miles).

It was exquisite!

Where Does the Time Go?

Is it truly the end of July? I'm trying to figure out where my summer has gone. For the last several years I've been extending my summers way into fall, but now I'm back on an academic schedule. It's three weeks until school starts. It's just not possible. And I'm already back at school because I'm the boss. Tell me again why I said "yes" to a job offer. Oh yeah, money and my inability to say no when someone flatters me by telling me how perfect I am for something...

So every spare minute I've been working in the garden and barnyard. My morning and afternoon rituals include picking off hornworms and tossing them to eager ducks and turkeys. While the ducks have not been a good addition to the garden, the turkeys have been excellent. They love to eat bugs. Eating bugs is good. This is the first year I've had hornworms. They are scary. See! They are big and fat (as long as and fatter than my index finger!!!) and ewww... Their shear size intimidates my chickens. Thank God for turkeys and ducks.

Dulcie works on weed control.

Another evening ritual is goat play. I'm still waiting on the fence to be finished. Charlie has been so busy with work, that he has had no time to work on it. So every night the girls come out for an hour or so and play in the yard. Their pen is large, but it's rather bare and not very interesting. The goats love to get out and frolic (Yes, they do frolic and it is quite amusing.). This has turned into Monkey's favorite time of the day because the activity normally revolves around her playset and I get to push her on the swing for a long time. The goats love the boulders in the yard and all the goodies that grow on the edge of the woods. I keep a close eye on them, but so far they stick pretty close to us. Have I mentioned that they are like springer spaniels with udders? It's true.

Anticipation in the Garden

The tomatoes are coming! The tomatoes are coming! We are watching all the tomatoes with much excitement. The plants, like this Cherokee Purple are loaded with fruit and it's only a matter of time. I wish I wasn't heading off to Missouri next week...

All the onions and carrots are out of the ground. I've started planting a third crop of beans. When I get back from visiting the family I'll start some lettuce and salads.

In animal news - all are doing well. The summer chicks are growing and will soon be out with the big birds (thank god). I'm tired of raising baby birds. And this batch are mean. Seriously evil-mean. Several start pecking me as soon as I come to their little pen. I wonder if they realize how tasty they are...

I trimmed the goats' hooves last night - a first for me. Dulcinea behaved much better than Agatha Grunker. Little Aggie put up quite the fight, but finally gave in. First I was afraid she would pass out, then I was afraid that I would cut too much; so I'll probably have to do a little follow up trim soon. It would be much easier with a milking stand to contain them. That's my next order of business...

How's This for Local?

Here's this week's entry to Liz's One Local Summer challenge. Last night we had a couple of friends over to share some homegrown goodness. The wine wasn't local, but everything else traveled less than 100 yards from where it was grown to our kitchen.

Chicken - our own, which we butchered Thursday night. 0 miles

Roma Green Beans - the garden. 0 miles

All Blue and Green Mountain Potatoes - the garden. 0 miles

We also enjoyed some Spinning Spider Creamery fresh Chevre cheese (Marshall, NC - 25 miles) with Strawberry Jelly Jam (Little Creek Farm - 0 miles) and we sampled some of Charlie's Kim Chee/Chow Chow, which we have now dubbed "Charlie Chee" (it's tasty!).

There's a nice little warm feeling when you can offer friends things you've grown with your own hands. We talked about starting a local food dinner club, where we could get together and share our favorites. It could have been the wine talking, but this idea is something I'm definitely going to pursue.

Garden Update

Despite the nasty heat, my new job, ducks of destruction (au revoir Haricot Rouge du Burkina Faso cow peas!), and an occasional rampant chicken; the garden is thriving. I had planned to pull up the onions this morning and leave them to dry, but there are severe thunderstorms in the forecast. I'll wait until tomorrow. The potatoes are ready to pull up as well. It looks like I'll be out there with the garden fork, digging up goodness for most of the day.

There has been a complete reversal of our old roles here at Little Creek Farm. The garden is now solely my charge and Charlie has taken over all canning. Which is fine with me.

I pulled out all the cabbage a couple of days ago. There were a total of twenty heads. What do I do with so much cabbage? We are planning a root cellar, but it's not ready. Charlie made about 12 jars of a sort of a chow-chow/kim chee. It's an experiment. I'm still looking at 12 heads of cabbage. The current issue of Mother Earth News arrived yesterday with recipes for sauerkraut (There is also an article on eating local food). I may have to try my hand at making some, although we don't really like saurkraut... Any other ideas for cabbage out there?

All beets have been pulled and there are way too many jars of pickled beets sitting on the shelves now. We've put up close to 30 jars of blackberry jam. The rest of the blackberries will be going in the freezer. We know what everyone is getting for Christmas...

And for the rest ~
Variety of Beans - going well, although slowing down a little in the heat wave. We'll be canning soon. The second crop is coming in and I'm getting ready to start a third crop.

Hookers Red Corn - is looking pitiful, but there are lots of little ears. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Its location has gotten a little shady.

Fennel - is looking lovely.

Cucumbers - are rocking.

Tomatoes - are going crazy. We had the first, Black Prince, on Sunday. Very sweet.

Carrots - I love Cosmic Purple and Amarillo Yellow. No more orange here! I'm pulling them all this weekend and planting more for fall.

It's time to get fall crops in. I had about a week where I could just enjoy the bounty. Now it's back to weeding and planting. I love growing stuff.

Enough With The Heat Already

The severe weather alert button on my computer keeps flashing. I check it hoping for rain, but all it ever says is "high heat and humidity through Friday". They have to warn us here in the mountains that heat is not a good thing. I am becoming a little soft when it comes to heat, but my hair sure is curly!

I've been making sure the critters have plenty of water and shade. All, but the big meat blob turkeys, seem to be holding up well. I've been avoiding the heat by staying in my new office. Yes, I said new. You see, I went and stumbled upon a real job. A real job - as in, full-time, title, desk, computer, responsibilities and no budget. I am now Interim Head of School for Monkey's School. What am I thinking? Do I want a full-time job? "Interim" is in front of the title, so there's always a chance I can escape...

Although, right now I'm quite enjoying myself.

An Odd Bird

For anyone who doubted the existance of Marie, the Lap Tukey - take a gander. This is what happens when I sit down in the yard.
I'm not sure why she does this. She just makes herself comfortable. Perhaps she was a cat in a former life...

Anyway, is there a better way to enjoy a hot summer afternoon than by sharing a big, juicy watermelon with friends?

Local Meal #3

It's really not fair that I have to choose. During the summer almost everything we eat is local. There's just too much goodness to pass up. Here's Friday night's One Local Summer dinner.

Little Creek Pizza

The crust does contain non-local flour, but I did make the yeast starter!

Tomato Sauce (from last year's garden - 0 miles)

Fullam Creamery Panela Cheese (Hendersonville, NC - 35 miles)

Basil (Fresh from the garden - 0 miles)

Organic Olive Oil (Italy)

I had planned on adding some italian sausage that Charlie made from Virginia pork, but the sauce and cheese tasted so good and fresh, I couldn't bring myself to alter it in any way. This is the first time I've used Fullam Creamery cheese, although I think I've had it in local restaurants. Panela is similar to mozzarella and was subtle and excellent on top of the sauce. It bubbled and browned just a little. The sauce was from my orange and striped tomatoes of last summer and when I opened the jar, it smelled like tomatoes warm and perfectly ripe from the garden. Simple is best when it comes to pizza. Sip a local beer and all the bustle of the week just melts away.

Goat School

In order to distance myself from the turkeys, I attended an all-day workshop on goats provided by our area State Extension Agents and NC State. The morning was long and filled with lectures by an extension agent telling us how to care for goats and a NC State professor teaching us the newest, hippest techinique for bloodsucking worm control. The afternoon everyone separated into two groups - dairy and meat. (Actually we sort of separated ourselves early on.) There was quite the distinction between the meat raising, boot-wearing, big belt buckle-sporting mostly male crowd and the natural fiber-wearing, clog and sandal-sporting, almost completely female (one man!) dairy crowd.

The new, hip FAMACHA method of parasite control is basically used to control the little blood suckers by treating only goats with a big load of the worms. This helps by keeping the worms from becoming drug resistant. You do a regular check of the membrane around the goat's eye and treat only those showing signs of anemia. We got to practice on real goats and it was then that you saw the real difference in the goat types. We practiced on Boer goats, a meat variety with horns. Most dairy goats are disbudded as babies, so they never grow horns. So some dairy people were a little timid at first around the horns. However, the dairy people had the least trouble handling the goats. You see we play with our goats everyday. The meat guys went in and wrestled the goats around by grabbing the horns and using brute force sometimes. The dairy people sweet-talked the goats and scratched their ears. We worked in teams of two so one person could hold the goat while the other looked at the eye. It was interesting, but I'm glad my goats don't have horns...

After lunch we broke into our respective groups. The meat people talked about fencing and housing and government regulations. The dairy people talked about breed personalities, shared recipes, discussed kidding and milking and feeding. And then we all trimmed hooves!

I met some great people, got a lead on a boyfriend for the girls and found out I can get great hay right down the road at the college. Oh and I got invited to join the dairy goat club!

The turkeys were rather upset when I got home and were only appeased by lots of food. I think they suspect that I like the goats more. Sshh. We'll keep that our little secret.

Birds of a Feather

It's time for a bird update!

It's true. They flock together. Meet Marie and Louis, two of the Royal Palm turkeys. The other, Sacre Bleu, is off getting in the garden and attacking potato beetles. Marie is my "lap turkey". She likes to sit on my lap, follow me around the yard and generally make herself into a giant nuisance (even more than Gigi). When she was younger and much smaller she liked to sit on my shoulder. The Royal Palms are not headed for the table, so they have been given names.

Sacre Bleu is the other hen. She is not black and white like these two, but blue/grey and white. These birds can fly! They take off across the yard to get to me as fast as they can. The giant meat blobs known as the broad-breasted turkeys lumber around with their massive weight and basically are just waiting for Thanksgiving... Louis and Marie have figured out that their priviledged status and are acting out the part. I had to shoo them off the front porch yesterday. But enough of the turkeys (who, along with the geese, are becoming my favorite birds).

Back to the whole flocking thing. I've been noticing that the birds tend to group themselves by breed,color and age. It's true. The older hens hang out with Rufus the Rooster and have little to do with the younger set. The others divide themselves by breed and/or color. The Speckled Sussex are always in a happy little group. The Minorcas flit around and refuse to come in at night. The oddest combo has to be the white Ameraucana, Stay Puff, and the white Bantam Cornish Game, Snow White (who is the size of a pigeon). Turkeys hang with turkeys. The young roosters (none of them are named!) hang out in a thug gang. The ducks and geese are very exclusive. Octavian, aka Gus - the Roman gander, attacks any wayward chicken or turkey who is unlucky enough to find its way into the garden or duck pen. That bird rules!

I'm spending too much time with poultry.

Local Meal #2

One Local Summer Sunday Night Dinner

Pork Ribs (Warren Wilson College Pig - 3 miles)
Green Beans (Garden - 0 miles) with Onion (Garden - 0 miles) and Bacon (from Bath County, VA - 15 miles from Charlie's home away from home)
Steamed All Blue and Green Mountain Potatoes (Garden - 0 miles) with dill (Garden - 0 miles)
Cole Slaw with Cabbage, Cosmic Purple and Amarillo Yellow Carrots, and Onion (Garden - 0 miles)

We are counting the Virginia food as local because Charlie spends almost as much time there as he does here. But he does bring home lovely meat and great wine when he comes home...
So, if we don't count the 5 hour drive for the bacon, I think a three mile radius is pretty darn good. I'm also counting the butter on the potatoes as an "oil". The salt came from England and the pepper came from somewhere warm and not within a hundred miles...

I wanted to make a pizza, but couldn't find local wheat. I'm searching. I'll probably make it later in the week. The basil is screaming to be picked.

In the Garden

Besides the sprouting ducklings, the garden is starting to give up some real goodness. I spent a good part of yesterday taming the weeds that blossomed in my absence back into submission. I've become emboldened by the success of starting almost everything from seed. The only plants were cabbage, one Black Prince tomato, and a few jalapeno peppers.

The tomatoes are happy and growing strong (I'm keeping fingers crossed). They are loaded with fruit. For the first time I've had success with cabbages. Mulch, mulch, diatomaceous earth and neem and mulch! While they are just the standard Dutch Early Round and a Bonnie Hybrid from the feed store, they are crisp and sweet and everything I could want. We've made some scrumptious cole slaw and Charlie is planning on canning some Kim Chee.














About 3/4 of the beets have been pulled and are awaiting pickling and canning. We had our first helping of Golden Wax and Jade beans the other night. And finally success with the onions. I set out little pencil thin plants this year instead of sets. Again mulch, mulch, mulch. And I left what weeds sprouted alone or cut them back. I've been rewarded with big, fat Walla Wallas and to-die-for Reds. The Kirby Whippoorwill cowpeas are coming along as well as the Roma, Trionfo Violetto, and Jacob's Cattle beans. I planted another couple of rows of beans yesterday as well as the Haricot Rouge du Burkina Faso cowpeas (I figure all the heat will do those African peas some good).

Oh, and the dill - did I mention the dill? My first crop of volunteers is blooming and a second crop should be ready for the pickles!














My new favorite gardening book is Edward C. Smith's The Vegetable Gardener's Bible. I'm crediting it with my organic success. That and chicken poop.

Oh, and a Happy 4th of July to you Americans. I need to get out and pick some more beans, mulch and weed then make up some deviled eggs for our 2nd Annual Fourth of July Party. We'll be having chicken, of course and some hot dogs and brats, lots of friends and maybe a few illicit fireworks when the sun goes down.

A Little Mystery

This little fella turned up on my drive this afternoon. I was in the garden and heard a fit of peeping. At first I thought monkey had let the chicks out, but no. As the little guy ran across the drive I noticed that it was most definitely a duck.

About an hour later I found a second one in my garden following one of the turkeys around. Poor little thing. I have no idea where they came from. There is no sign of a mother or siblings. I was afraid to leave them outside because they would be tasty little snacks for some critter - wild or border collie...

So, I put them in a brooder and decided someone must have sent me two little wild ducks. I think they are mallards. I am truly confounded as to where they came from. Charlie thinks that someone dumped them at the "Chicken Lady's" house. I'm not sure I want that title, but I'll keep the ducks.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

We returned home Saturday evening from a utterly fabulous time at the beach. This is what Monkey has to say about our short, but sweet, vacation:

We saw dolphins and alligators and pelicans and the BEACH. Daddy
caught a shark. It was a little one. And there were sea shells and
the OCEAN and waves and sand and the BEACH. I built a sand castle, but it got
destroyed. I built another sand castle. I got a necklace! I was at the BEACH. And we went to a snake museum! And there were alligators and I had
ICECREAM! And there was a pool! There were sea turtles. I swam in the ocean and I saw the sunset...

ONE LOCAL SUMMER

We ate lots of fresh seafood. On the local food front, in accordance with Liz's One Local Summer Challenge, our Friday night dinner consisted of shrimp bought off the boat a quarter mile away, cucumbers and tomatoes from George and Pinks, corn (delicious and sweet) from a boy on the side of the road and fresh locally grown potatoes from the Piggly Wiggly (which has a local fresh veggie and fruit section!) and beer from Palmetto Brewing Company, just up the road in Charleston.

This week's local meal was brought on early by a surprise visit from Chef Boots and Dr. E. We pulled potatoes from the garden, had the first golden wax and french filet beans, and local pork chops from Warren Wilson College. Our appetizers consisted of Spinning Spider Creamery's Midnight Sun cheese, our own Strawberry Jelly Jam (which is awesome with goat cheese!) and some of that shrimp from the low country. I have to admit that the crackers were not local.

Chef Boots is finally opening his own restaurant. We started discussing what I may be able to grow for him. This would mean the addition of a green house, but maybe we can swing it. I'll keep you posted. We told Dr. E she could quit her day job at the University and become the delivery driver between here and Winston. I don't think she was too enthused with that prospect. Although we did think that a weekly meeting in Hickory for lunch would not be out of the question. Hmm, this could be fun!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

We returned home Saturday evening from a utterly fabulous time at the beach. This is what Monkey has to say about our short, but sweet, vacation:

We saw dolphins and alligators and pelicans and the BEACH. Daddy
caught a shark. It was a little one. And there were sea shells and
the OCEAN and waves and sand and the BEACH. I built a sand castle, but it got
destroyed. I built another sand castle. I got a necklace! I was at the BEACH. And we went to a snake museum! And there were alligators and I had
ICECREAM! And there was a pool! There were sea turtles. I swam in the ocean and I saw the sunset...

ONE LOCAL SUMMER

We ate lots of fresh seafood. On the local food front, in accordance with Liz's One Local Summer Challenge, our Friday night dinner consisted of shrimp bought off the boat a quarter mile away, cucumbers and tomatoes from George and Pinks, corn (delicious and sweet) from a boy on the side of the road and fresh locally grown potatoes from the Piggly Wiggly (which has a local fresh veggie and fruit section!) and beer from Palmetto Brewing Company, just up the road in Charleston.

This week's local meal was brought on early by a surprise visit from Chef Boots and Dr. E. We pulled potatoes from the garden, had the first golden wax and french filet beans, and local pork chops from Warren Wilson College. Our appetizers consisted of Spinning Spider Creamery's Midnight Sun cheese, our own Strawberry Jelly Jam (which is awesome with goat cheese!) and some of that shrimp from the low country. I have to admit that the crackers were not local.

Chef Boots is finally opening his own restaurant. We started discussing what I may be able to grow for him. This would mean the addition of a green house, but maybe we can swing it. I'll keep you posted. We told Dr. E she could quit her day job at the University and become the delivery driver between here and Winston. I don't think she was too enthused with that prospect. Although we did think that a weekly meeting in Hickory for lunch would not be out of the question. Hmm, this could be fun!