PIZZA!

Here on the farm we don't eat out very often. Not only do we want to save money for farm stuff, we also cannot find restaurants that compete with our culinary delights! The food  is so fresh from the farm! We are very happy when everything on our plate came straight from our own land. Next year, we will start growing grain for bread and baking so we no longer will need to purchase any flour and grains! The grains will also feed the livestock! Double bonus!

Pizza is our favorite food, so through trial and error, I finally came up with a pizza dough recipe that rivals any Italian restaurant. Jon likes really thin crisp crust, so I needed something that could withstand being loaded with toppings. The crust has garlic and rosemary kneaded in for extra flavor. I have also tried a blend of Italian herbs for an even tastier crust. The dough can also be used for making flat bread! YUM!

This recipe will soon be available in our new Cookbook coming this spring, so stay tuned!

Wind Storm and power outages

Last night we had some really strong winds blow through the valley and the power flicking off and on. First thing that starts worrying us, is the big barn. Last spring, we had a 'mini' tornado pass through and took a 30' x 40' chunk out of the back wall of the barn. We have been trying to fix it, but planting season turns to fall harvest, (plus each of us having other jobs as well,) that not much has gotten done in repairing that gaping hole. Now that winter is on our heels, we must get that barn ready for lambing season. Farming never ends! Once in awhile though, we do get to sit back and watch a movie from Netflix. We don't watch much television, nothing on anyway worth wasting time on anyhoo! Netflix is so great, order a movie, it arrives in our mailbox, send it back once we watched it! FABULOUS! Great for the busy farmer.

I wanted to share a movie that we watched recently, Zelary. It is one of my favorite films; I must've watched it 10 times and I cry every time. I wanted to share it with Jon, but I could not find the copy that i owned, too many moves, so we rented it from Netflix. It is such a good movie, takes place during WWII and it is about a women who helped get people out of the country and she almost gets caught and must leave everything she knows, change her identity, and marry a logger in the country; whom she doesn't know. Check it out!

Life on the Farm

This fall has been really eventful. Good, bad and the ugly. It was more than good! Our circle garden continues to grow and amaze me! Even after the ice storm, our lettuce is standing crisp and proud. We are even harvesting broccoli and we are one week away from Thanksgiving! I have to say, fall has been absolutely beautiful. The foliage this year out did last year and the weather this week is balmy. 


The good. I want you to check out this artist in Germany and his art with sheep. Really cool stuff! Here is a link with more information: http://www.planetpinkngreen.com/2008/07/page/4/

The bad. Well, being a farmer sometimes is brutal. During the ice storm, of course I was the only one home that day and had to get all the sheep into the barn where they would be snuggly warm. It was insane, because I could barely see- small ice pellets were pummeling my face and my fingers went numb. Jon had locked the sheep out of the barn because we cleaned it out and the weather report said sunny mild weather for the next few days. We don't watch much tv, so we had no idea the weather went for a drastic turn and all of a sudden an ice storm had moved in. Welcome to the Adirondacks! The gates were locked really tight, Jon has super hero strength and sometime forget that my viking strength is still girlie. I struggled with the locks, had to put hay bales down, feed the sheep, etc. The California Reds have our Angus cow in their pasture for protection and company. The cow is really very beautiful and she looks like velvet glistening in the sun. She as been angry with us every since we butchered her sister last spring. Note to self, cows have long memories and never forgive. She was standing first at the gate with the California Ram- who is crazy aggressive and brutally strong. If the ram pelted me in my hip, I would end up in the hospital. It was very intimidating to see a huge cow, an abusive ram, and 15 ewe's staring at me, pleading to let them in the barn while I deliberated on how to get the gate open safely. Needless to say, not a fun day on the farm.


Then we had an incident one morning, of course, I am all alone again to keep watch over everything and I go out to do my morning chores.  I walk into the barn, and hear a strange noise coming from behind a pile of chicken wire. This particular corner of the barn is directly to the right of the door and has an electrical panel and some stuff stored. When hearing a noise, I immediately think of large mice or rats and I get scared. It is a good thing that my dutch shepherds are always around me to protect me and check things out first! Chava loves to investigate and ran right over to where the noise was coming from while I tip toe slowly behind her. I see her start wagging her tail and run to see what is going on because now there is a frantic commotion that Chava was stirring up. I look behind a wheel barrow and there is a rooster hanging upside down by one of his legs. He perches at night in the barn because he is a free range rooster that roams around the farm eating all sorts of bugs for us. Evidently when he tried to jump off his perch, which is really old bars from milking stations, his dew claw got caught on the chicken wire and he could not free himself. He must have been hanging upside down for awhile, because his leg was cold and numb, the blood ran into his head so he could not hold up his head, and he had pooped all over himself. I rubbed his leg and did Reiki on him while I tried to soothe him. When he tried to get away from Chava, who kept trying to nudge him with her nose because she was worried about him and his nervousness, he would tumble and do somersaults because he could not walk or keep his head erect. The poor thing brought tears to my eye's and I was so upset that we would loose one of our roosters. I kept an eye on him all day, while he sat in one spot gaining his composure. He survived and runs around the farm like nothing happened. 


Really I could go on and on about the bad, but I will tell you one more. The Leicesters, http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/leicesterlongwool/index.htm, are my pride and joy sheep. I love their viking like curly long locks. They look ancient and positively medieval. One morning I went to the barn to feed them some hay, and one of the pregnant ewe's, Astrid, was tangled upside down in the electric fence. I started screaming for Jon, who thank goodness was home that day and working on the side of the house. We untangled her, but her foot had been cut in between her toes pretty badly. It was swollen and very hot to the touch. I did Reiki on her, while Jon cleaned and put ointment on the cut and we had to keep an eye on her for a few days. Seriously, sheep have a death wish and get into trouble a lot. If it isn't the burdock patch that ruins their wool, it is a bad weed in the field that makes them sick, or the rams fight each other till death, etc.


The Ugly. This is in regards to the political state of farming. There are bills trying to be passed that will treat small farms like big corporations! Small farms cannot compete with large scale corporate farms and we need to support the amendment to this bill. We need to fight against the Ugly! Here are some links for you to read more information and help fight against the monopoly on seeds!


Video on bill S510
http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=9209B7B02D4A5A8EA8B71038D6C18D26

Petition Link, people put in their zipcode and it generates the email for them to their reps.http://www.citizens.org/?page_id=2312

Another PetitionHttp://www.cornucopia.org/2010/11/action-alert-act-by-nov-17-on-senate-food-safety-legislation/
How to protest Senate Bill 510
1) Go to Congress.org and type in your zip code in the box in the upper right hand corner.
2) Click on your Senator’s name, and then on the contact tab for their phone number. You can also call the Capitol Switchboard and ask to be directly connected to your Senator’s office: 202-224-3121.
3) Once connected ask to speak to the legislative staff person responsible for agriculture. If they are unavailable leave a voice mail message. Be sure to include your name and phone number.
Give them this message in support of the “Tester Amendment” which would exempt small farms from S.510:
“I am a constituent of Senator___________. I ask that he/she support the Tester Amendment to the food safety bill. The Tester Amendment will exempt the safest, small, owner-operator farms and food facilities and farmers who direct market their products to consumers, stores or restaurants. Food safety legislation should not create inappropriate and costly regulatory barriers to family farmsand the growing healthy food movement in the drive to crack down on corporate bad actors. Please support the Tester Amendment and market opportunities for small and mid-sized family farms, and small food processing facilities.”

do stuff! » leethal store

I found this blog today and really got inspired to recycle old sweaters! I want to make a hat for my nephew for Christmas. He thinks he is a super hero, so having eye's on his head would be right up his alley. I love inspiring creative people! Check it out!

do stuff! » leethal store

The Clay Studio, Philadelphia: Shop

The Clay Studio, Philadelphia: Shop

Books that have helped us on the farm!

My favorite book is "The Good Life!"

Autumn finally here!

A heavy frost finally hit our area, but the winter garden is still growing strong! I planted the winter garden on the sloping southern part of the field where the corn and potatoes grew, so it is slightly protected. The circle also protects the more fragile lettuce plants! The circle garden has golden and red beets, three varieties of kale, two varieties of broccoli, green bib lettuce, romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, radishes, onions, red and green cabbages, rutabagas, swiss chard, and some winter squash. It is exciting to see the winter garden continuing to grow as the weather gets chillier and the fall colors are exploding!

We have HONEY!!

This is our first year with bees and we are super delighted to start offering honey to our CSA customer's! Since this is our first year, we have limited supplies of pint jars of honey and we also offer honey comb with honey! email us for pricing and details!

The meat and layer birds

Our meat birds are really beautiful and taste good!

One of our beautiful layers!

Brochure

Meet the turkeys!!

September 28

We are very excited that fall harvest is in full swing! Our gardens are still producing loads of fresh produce! We have gourmet lettuce blends, butter lettuce, crisp romaine lettuce, two kinds of kale, swiss chard, radishes, red and green cabbage, beets, rutabagas, turnips, carrots, broccoli, red and yellow onions, red and yellow potatoes, yellow squash, eggplant, variety of luscious tomatoes, green and striped acorn squash, butternut squash, and corn! We are getting ready for butchering and are taking orders for chicken, turkey, lamb and beef. Please check out our CSA application for details! PS: Turkeys are going fast so order soon!

We are currently running a special if you sign up for our summer CSA before January 1, 2011! Get 10% off the price of a share! Sign up a friend and save even more money!

CSA taking on new members

Glad to announce that after the Street Fair in Ticonderoga we were able to pick up some new members.


Application :

Welcome to Crystal Springs Farm!


Crystal Springs Farm CSA is your source for locally grown vegetables, herbs, bee products, wool, lamb, beef, chicken, turkey and cage-free, free-range eggs. Now accepting new members.

The total cost for a share, one large grocery bag of weekly produce, is $475.00, less than $100.00 a month, for the entire season (first week in June to the last part of October). Shares are sold strictly on a first come, first serve basis. Fall Harvest Special is $225.00; September 1 to mid-November. Winter Solstice Special is $275.00; December 1- March 15. Members willing to work 20 hours on farm during any season will receive $150.00 towards membership dues.
We offer a Payment Program for an additional $25, which then makes the total share cost $500. A deposit of $125 will hold the share for you, with 3 additional payments of $125 due on June 15th, August 1st, and September 15th. Fall Harvest Special payments are September 1st, October 1st, and November 1st.
CSA APPLICATION AGREEMENT: I would like to participate in the Crystal Springs Farm CSA for the 2010 or 2011 growing season. I have viewed the Crystal Springs Farm web-site/blog or brochure describing the produce Crystal Springs Farm expects to grow, and the expected times of harvest. I understand that the weather and other factors beyond the control of Crystal Springs Farm may result in more or less of these crops. I understand that shares are limited and available on a first come, first serve basis, and that the cost of a share is $475.00. Initial here: _______
I also understand that in addition to submitting this form, I must provide cash or send a check for $125.00, to guarantee that a share of produce will be reserved for me (Remaining $350 due by June 1st).

Member’s receive a $25.00 discount every time they refer a joining new member to our CSA!

Name:________________________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________________
City:__________________________State:___________________Zip:_____________
Phone Number:_______________________Email:____________________________
How many share’s needed:________________________________________________


Mail to: Crystal Springs Farm 447 NYS RTE 9N Ticonderoga, NY 12883
phone: (518-585-6903)


Crystal Springs Farm Meat and Eggs Order Form


Eggs $3.50/dozen (ungraded)_________
Broiler’s $3.00 pound_______________
Turkey’s $3.25 pound_______________
Lamb $8.00 pound_________________ (Bulk order discounts are available upon request.)

All Natural Grass-fed: Whole $2.75/lb.
One Half $2.85/lb.
One Quarter $3.00/lb.
(*Based on hanging weight, the cost of the processing is additional depending on your specifications to the processor.) You can order quarter or half of a cow in the fall, whole cows will be available fall 2011; we have limited quantities so order soon to fill your freezer for the winter or reserve for next season!

1/12 Beef bundle: (weight approximately 25-30 Lbs.)
This package consists of: 5 various thick cuts of steaks, 3 roasts, 12 Lbs. bulk ground beef and 16 ground beef patties. and 1 Lb. package of stew beef. Total cost for this beef bundle is $180.00, which is a 10% savings off of our retail price.

All Natural Grass-fed Ground Beef Bulk: $4.75/lb.. Vacuum packed patties $5.25/lb.
Selected Cuts Pricing: Chuck and Round Roast $6.99/lb., Cubed Steak $6.99/lb.., Skirt steak $7.99/lb.,
Boneless Sirloin Steak $9.99/lb., Boneless Rib-eye Steak $13.99/lb., Stew Meat $5.99/lb., Strip Steak/Delmonico $15.99/lb., T-bone Steak $12.99/lb., Beef Fillet $19.99/lb.
(All cuts have limited quantities and will be listed on Web-site/Blog for updates on availability.)

*Crystal Springs Farm Beef is butchered and vacuum packed by Locust Grove Argyle, NY 12809

*5% of all sales help fund CSA membership for qualifying member’s in need. See Web-site/Blog for details.

Mail to: Crystal Springs Farm 447 NYS RTE 9N Ticonderoga, NY 12883
phone: (518-585-6903)

Ewe giving birth

Not for the faint of heart!