As the Cold Grip Is Released
Even with the record snow, ice and sub-zero temps, life continued to hum on the farm. And with lots of help from four hard working aspiring farmers, twice a day, we’re feeding beef and dairy cattle, sheep and pigs, and our flocks of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and guinea fowl. A lot of hungry mouths! We feed them and they feed us, the great loop and cycle of the farm continues, even in through that hard winter.
Thank goodness for signs of spring. Mostly heaped around the kitchen table! Seed catalogs, maps and drawings of 2011’s garden, shoe boxes of saved seed—we’re busy planning, calculating, dreaming our crops for next year, ordering seed, and starting seedlings of cold-hardy plants to transplant into the greenhouse. Our first round of chicks have hatched, we’ve pruned fruit trees, and announced the details for our 2011 CSA, Bacon Bucks. We also have an update for you of in-season items for sale, and an amazing, simple and delicious recipe for smoked pig’s feet bean soup. Enjoy the signs of spring as things green up. Come on down to the farm!
Dom
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2011 Bacon Bucks Now Available
As we prepare for the upcoming growing season, we’re especially encouraged by those who’ve already sent in subscriptions for your 2011 Bacon Bucks. We need and appreciate all of you who are committed to local food, community agriculture, sustainable farming and food security. Without your participation we can’t do what we do—it takes a community to farm. Your subscription provides the seed money (literally) to produce a wide selection of sustainably raised foods for the upcoming year. If you haven’t yet, grab some Bacon Bucks—join us!
No other CSA works like Bacon Bucks. Instead of a subscription box of vegetables for each of 20-25 weeks, like most CSAs, we give you choice to shop more like you usually do. You decide when you want to shop, how much and what you want from a wide selection of sustainably raised foods, both heirloom vegetables and heritage breed meats, eggs, honey, …whatever we raise—year ‘round. (Check our “Harvest Year Guide”.) And there’s no due dates or expiration. You send us your subscription money and we send you MITP dollar that we call “Bacon Bucks”. Then you spend them ‘til you run out, whatever way you want, whenever you want, on our products at the farm, or at (any of three) farmers’ markets where we sell. Simple, convenient, flexible and fun.
Sign up now to support local, sustainable agriculture and provide your family with a year of healthy, nutritious foods produced right here in your community. We have a range of affordable commitment levels and membership premiums to show our appreciation for your support.
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In-Season Item Update
We’ve got loads of delicious, local food even at this time of year. We’ve tested several recipes and finally have our own amazing veal and pork stocks for sale, the perfect base for any soup, stew or braise. The veal stock is a traditional-French-mire-poix-brown stock, and the pork stock has an Asian inspiration with ginger, scallions and soy. Both are available now.
Our chickens and ducks are consistently laying again (another sign of spring!), so there’s now a supply of fresh eggs available at the farm. Stop by to pick up a dozen and experience the difference from bland store-bought eggs.
Winter, with its cold temperatures, was the perfect time to fire up the
smokehouse full of sustainably-raised meats—and that’s what we did. We have a range of smoked pork products, including a large batch of bacon, ham hocks, and pigs’ feet and ears. Not sure how to cook with pigs’ feet? Check out our featured recipe for one way to make a delicious, smoky bean soup.
We also have a variety of your favorite cuts available (Check the current list), including hot and sweet Italian Sausages, hot dogs, liverwurst, grass-fed ground beef, beef stew, and pork chops . Call in or email your order today (413/229-3092, or dom@mooninthepond.com) or stop by the farm and we’ll be happy to help.
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Local Food Recipe
Moon In The Pond has brought back another wonderful food from the past! Just in time for all the food enthusiasts finding the exquisite joys of nose-to-tail eating. I was always very hesitant about pig’s feet myself, but chef friends and those in the know convinced me to be brave—I’d be rewarded. Wow, were they right! I’ve rarely had a dish so satisfying.
We’ve added to the deliciousness by smoking some of our great Large Black pigs’ feet. After five weeks curing in a traditional brine of maple syrup with earthy exotic spices, they’re slowly smoked four days over sugar maple wood.
I put this recipe on, went outside to work for a couple of hours, and came back to a dinner that restoked my fire!
Smoked Pig’s Foot Garbanzo Beans
Ingredients:
1 smoked pig’s foot
1 lb. dry garbanzo beans
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large onion, diced
3 bay leaves, whole
2 tsp. salt
5 white peppercorns
½ lb. winter squash peeled and chunked
1 bunch dandelion greens, chopped
1 lb. pasta (fuseli)
-Soak the garbanzo beans for 24 hours, discarding water and rinsing two or three times, then set aside.
-Cover pig’s foot with cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let gently simmer for 20-30 minutes. Discard the water and add the foot to the following.
-In a large pot just cover the beans with water and add the garlic, onion, bay leaves, salt, peppercorns and squash. Bring to a boil over med heat. Add the boiled smoked pig’s foot. Let simmer for 2 hours stirring occasionally. It’s ready to serve when the meat falls easily off the bone and the skin is cooked soft. Add the dandelion greens and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Everything but the bones is edible and delicious. Serve over fuseli pasta. Enjoy!