Maysie's FarmMaysie's Farm Newsletter: Fresh from the Fields
November 2008

November 19, 2008
Greetings!

Our very last "gleaning" pickups will happen this Friday, November 21 and Monday, November 24. We should be giving out lettuce, although the cold nights may do them in first (despite being covered with several layers of row cover). You will also be getting some scallions, garlic, small beets, turnips, and a modest amount of greens. Please let us know if you are not able to make this last pickup.

Don't forget that you can continue to order from Ben all winter long. We will also have frozen salmon and chickens (while they last) for sale. The store will be open for self-service every Friday.

Our Community Shopping Night to benefit the farm has been expanded! On Friday, December 12 from 5-9pm, Ten Thousand Villages AND Wendell August Forge will donate a portion of their sales to Maysie's Farm. Both are located on Rt. 100 at Main Street in Exton. Ten Thousand Villages has gifts from around the world and supports many craftsmen and their families through fair trade. Wendell August Forge (located in the refurbished barn on the property) sells hand-crafted metal giftware. What a great opportunity to get some holiday shopping done!

See you at the farm!

~ Colleen

November 6, 2008
Greetings!

Please remember that Friday, November 7 and Monday, November 10 are the LAST REGULAR CSA pickups. Sam is buying in some vegetables from Paradise Organics to supplement what we have and to make it worth your trip out to the farm. We will have one final "gleaning" pickup on Friday, November 21 and Monday, November 24. It's hard to predict now what you may be receiving then, but I'll send out another update a few days prior to give you a better idea of what will be available.

You may still order any of Ben's products throughout the winter for Friday deliveries. His complete product list can be found at our website's order page. Salmon will continue to be available as well, and we plan to keep a supply of Sweetwater Breads in the freezer for you to purchase.

Ben Stoltzfus is still accepting orders for his organic, pastured turkeys to be delivered fresh to the farm on November 21 and 24. They average between 14-18 pounds, but Ben will TRY to honor your requests for smaller or larger birds. Just leave him a note in his folder with your name, telephone number, pickup date, and special weight request (if any) along with a $15 deposit. Ben also has stewing hens for sale now. They are not as big and meaty as the chickens we get from Green Haven Farm, but they are great for soups. They cost between $1.50-2.00/lb and will come to us as whole, frozen hens. Give Ben a call at 717-768-3437 to order.

Member Jan Goren shared this recipe, using Green Haven Farm chicken. She says it's delicious, and makes the house smell so good:

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

1 chicken
kosher salt
ground black pepper
1 large bunch of fresh thyme
1 lemon, halved
1 head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 Tablespoons, butter, melted
1 Spanish onion, sliced
1 can chicken broth

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the giblets; rinse chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and pat the outside dry. Place chicken in a roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of the lemon, and all of the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Scatter the onion slices around the chicken. Add broth. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.

You can make gravy by adding two Tablespoons of flour to cold chicken broth and adding to remaining pan juices. If you want to roast vegetables with the chicken, place potatoes, carrots, etc. into the pan for the last half hour.

See you at the farm!

~ Colleen

 

Wish List
Looking to get rid of any of the following items? Maysie's Farm will put them to good use! The first three needs are for our new "office," which is (still) under construction in the old "staff room":

• Wooden file cabinets
• Small electric range/oven
• Sink base, under-counter cabinets, wall cabinets and a short length of countertop material
• Picnic table(s)
• Large outdoor canopy
• Solar powered walkway lights (ideally to match the two donated by Martha Thomae)
• Straw bale chopper (for mulching large areas)
• Assistance building a bio-diesel production system or a compost tea brewing system
• Diesel station wagon or delivery vehicle for use as our produce hauler (for the Farmers Market and our Farm and School partnership) that we could run on bio-diesel or vegetable oil
• Housing for potential Farm Manager
Please contact Sam at (610) 458-8129 if you can donate any of these items.

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