Field Day

On Friday I spent the morning with some local farmers at a field day sponsored by the Potter-McKean County Conservation Districts. The purpose of the field day was to demonstrate the use of cover crops and the no-till planting method.
Last fall, after a corn planting had been harvested, the Conservation District planted several cover crops using several different methods on a beautiful field in Coneville.
It was an interesting morning and I learned a lot about conventional agriculture and new processes (like no-till) that focus on conservation of the soil. However, the process, like most of conventional agriculture, is heavily dependent on herbicides and chemical fertilizers. 
As we all introduced ourselves, I was pleased to note that I wasn't the only one who used the word "organic." I was, however, the sole female workshop participant.
Pictured at left is Joel Myers from the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance. His cap says "Soil Is Meant To Be Covered.:

Spring on the Hill

Awakening to snow on the skylights yesterday was a bit of a shock after a week of 70+ degree days! But by mid-day, the snow had melted away. Everything outside is well ahead of schedule and I fear for the apple blossoms if we get a really cold snap. Last year we lost our entire apple crop when a late-season freeze moved in after a very warm spring.
The photo of Rowan Day published first here accompanies a nice little article in the Endeavor newspaper about the Pennsylvania Path to Organic program and the two Potter County farms embarking on this ambitious project.
The new greenhouse should be at a place where I can move my little tomato plants from their sunny windows in the house. For those of you who know our place, you'll see that Arthur has converted the southeast corner of the shop into a lovely sunny space.

Heritage

In the 1940s and 1950s, the Potter County farmers working these rocky fields began growing more and more potatoes. They shared in the development of the "Potato City" complex at the summit of Denton Hill on Route 6 dedicated to the breeding and development of new potato varieties. The complex served as a site for field trials, demonstrations and meetings all aimed at marketing Potter County as the potato capital of the east.
Here on Crandall Hill, the Mattesons and Metzgers were part of the Potter County potato growing family. Though it's been many years since potatoes were grown commercially on these acres, we've ordered organic seed potatoes to plant this spring and hope to market several unique and time-tested varieties of organically grown potatoes this fall.
Here's our six-month-old grandson, Rowan Eugene Day, surveying the seed potatoes that his parents (Jonathan and Kate Metzger Day) will soon plant in their Oregon garden. I calculate that he's the sixth generation of a potato growing family!

Shallots

I love shallots. Until I was introduced to the unique taste of shallots, I would substitute onions when I came across shallots as an ingredient in recipes - not knowing what I was missing!
We have grown shallots for the past two years on the Metzger Farm. The first year was strictly an experiment with one packet of seeds. Last summer we experimented more, growing four varieties with staggered plantings and were rewarded by harvesting enough to offer some for sale at the Coudersport Jubilee.
This year we're planning to grow more and market more.
In the meantime, we still have some of last year's harvest left as they're keeping well- as evidenced by the photo accompanying this blog post.
Today I'm planning to fill the old farmhouse with the aroma of carmelized shallots - an idea sparked by a visit to Williams-Sonoma yesterday afternoon.  On their gourmet food shelves, I spied jars of carmelized shallots and checked the label for and idea of how to make it at home.;
Here's the recipe I'm going to use. I'll let you know how it turns out and if you'd like to try your own, let me know and I'll provide the shallots!
Caramelized Shallots
2 lb. shallots, peeled but left intact
3 Tb. unsalted butter
2 Tb. sugar
Melt butter in an ovenproof skillet, add the shallots and sprinkle with sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the shallots begin to turn golden brown, stirring to keep them from sticking.. Add 3 Tb. red wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper and stir. Place the skillet in a 400 degree over and roast 15 to 30 minutes until they are tender. Season to taste.

Spring Showers

Only a few lonely patches of snow remain on the hill behind our old farmhouse this morning after days of warm breezes and yesterday's fitful rain showers. I heard the heavy rain on the skylights last evening but I missed the promised thundershowers. I mention this here because I remember someone telling me that there was a correlation between the first thunderstorm of spring and the first frost date in the fall. Do any of you know of that old farmer's tale?

St. Patrick's Day Treat

If you would like a source of fresh, naturally-grown vegetables this summer, consider the Metzger Farm.  For the past two summers we've grown a large assortment of vegetables and sold some through the Farmer's Market and the Food Matrix's CSA program. This year we're expanding our farm and are ready to offer a broad selection of fresh produce. I'll tell you more about our plans in upcoming blog posts.
How many of you remember the little natural foods store that Carolyn and Francis Castano opened on North East Street in Coudersport? It was located in the building that had housed Dominic Castano's tailoring shop I remember from my childhood. The Castanos ran weekly ads in the Potter Enterprise (where I worked as a compositor/graphic designer at the time) and sometimes included recipes. I remember this recipe for Colcannon when St. Patrick's Day makes its annual appearance.
You'll note that it uses ingredients that we can still enjoy from last summer's gardening season.
COLANNON
3-4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and quartered (no need to peel them!)
2 cups chopped cabbage
2 Tb. butter or olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
Milk or unsweetened soymilk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Cook potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and put in a casserole dish that has been lightly coated with butter or oil or cooking spray Mash potatoes but leave a few chunks. Cook cabbage in a skillet with a small amount of water until nearly tender. Drain and add to casserole dish. Saute the onion in butter or oil until lightly carmelized. Add to casserole dish along with the cheese and milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix together and bake at 325 until heated through and the cheese is melted.

Potter County Potatoes

One of the crops we're investigating growing as we transition to organic is potatoes. For years we've grown our potatoes without chemical fertilizer, herbicides or pesticides so we know it can be done - as evidenced by this photo of the 2009 crop. For 2010 we've ordered a selection of organic certified seed potato varieties and can't wait for the package to arrive!
Meanwhile, we still have a goodly amount of last fall's potatoes in the cellar. If anyone is interested in purchasing some, let us know and we'll get them to you. We have reds and whites.
Here's a recipe, modified from my dog-eared copy of a 1972 version of "Recipes For A Small Planet," for potato soup.


POTATO SOUP
1/4 cup butter (you can use oil and and/or use less but I like the rich flavor that butter adds)
2 large onions, chopped
2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
In a large soup pot, saute the onions, carrots and celery in butter until the onions are transparent. Sprinkle with a bit salt and pepper during this process.
Add 6-8 medium potatoes, diced (you can add more if you wish), 1 tsp. dried marjoram, 1 tsp. dill seeds, 1 tsp. caraway seeds and about a quart of vegetable stock or water to comfortably cover the vegetables. Simmer until potatoes are cooked.
Dissolve 1 1/2 cups milk powder in 2 cups of the cooking liquid (I use a blender for this process) and add back to the soup. Adjust the seasoning - it will probably need additional salt. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or chives or a bit of chopped sweet onion. Homemade salt rising bread is a wonderful accompaniment but we'll need to invite a guest blogger to provide that recipe!
If you don't care for the strong flavors of the caraway seeds or dill seeds, omit them. A little bit of dried dill is good with the soup.
Enjoy!