Around The House

The work never stops inside or outside around the farm.  Lizzie was really busy today with all sorts of tasks...

Today she started making two new coats for the boys...for next winter!  Her pattern was nothing more that a few pieces of butcher paper cut into the four main pieces...no cut here, sew here lines, no darts, no indication lines of where the hooks and eyes were to go.  When I asked her how long it would take to make she said that it all depended on what else she had to do, so a few weeks.  She also said that her sister Kate could make them in a week. The boys were excited.

 While standing there talking she mixed up some bread dough...no recipe just a regular coffee cup as a measuring cup.  I went outside with Andy and when I came back in this is what I saw!  Going to get that recipe!

 

 I always ask what's new on the farm because there is always something they have been doing to make the farm a little easier to run.  So today the whole bunch took me back into the  little back room...can't remember what Lizzie calls it...and showed me the new sink with RUNNING WATER.

The red pump Andy got at auction and it is rain water used for doing dishes and things like that.  The sink I think someone gave them.  So now they have running water.  It comes from the well, gravity pulls it down the hill and into the sink.  The water is the best water you have ever tasted!  Lizzie said it will be wonderful not to have to fill buckets of water.  Their drinking water use to be stored in an orange cooler like football teams have on the sidelines.

 

If anyone reading this blog knows of someone or somewhere that we can get a metal two sided sink please let me know.  We have been looking for one for the farm to use when washing vegetables for the CSA boxes. 

 

The Martins haven't returned yet but I saw the first bluebird.  Andy thought it was a robin because it was so fat.  Hey, this English (half Amish) girl knows her birds!  He didn't believe me  when I said it was a blue bird so I had to show him the picture on the camera.  He just smiled.

 

I love the farm and how it makes me think about the things I do and say.  I appreciate the things I have that make my life easier.  But then I realize maybe I don't need so much stuff.  A simpler life...

 

 

Anna's Bunnies

Finally made it out to the farm on Saturday. 

 

I didn't think I was going to make it down their lane once I turned off the hard road.  Didn't think wagon ruts could be as bad as potholes, but yes they are.  Then their road...the tires sunk down to the white walls. Thank heavens it was all downhill.  I was worried about getting out but Lizzie said no problem...they would just hook the horses up to the van and pull me out.  Oh how I secretly wish that would have happened.

 

We chatted for awhile before Andy said that he had to get some work done.  I will give you an update on the 'farming' part of Cedarmore in a bit.  Today is all about Anna's bunnies.

 

 This is the male that was the second member of the rabbit family.  He is a mini Rex. 

And there is goes and that is just about all I saw of him all day long.

 This is a female that was given to Anna so she could start her bunny business.  They plan to raise rabbits to sell at auction.  These will not be eating rabbits I am assured.

A little bit of sunning going on.

These are the two surprise bunnies the kids found one morning.  They are so cute and very skittish.  This is all could get. And they would only come out if we were very, very quiet.

 The buck and the doe.

 

 

 We've got us a little peeper.

 

 The shapes of their heads are just a little different.

 

I can't wait to see them when they are a little older.  One might just need to come home with me.  I do have one empty rabbit hutch....

 

 



Seems Like Forever

I was surprised and glad to hear from Andy via Rue via email a few days ago.  CSA members received an email from the farm catching us up on what is happening this winter on the farm.  Even though the CSA isn't actually 'in business', there are still things to do to get ready for the season what will be here before we know it.

All the snow that we have been getting makes it just a little more challenging...more firewood to cut and a little extra care for the animals.  Hopefully all of this cold, freezing weather will freeze out some of the bugs and diseases and there will be last pests to deal with this summer.



Tapping the maple trees will happen next...weather permitting.  They are running later with year on account of the cold weather.  They will start gathering sap when the weather changes. You can read about the process here from 2011.

Sign-ups for the upcoming season has been going very well.  And is going on now.  Quite a few have already filled out and sent in paperwork.  This helps plan for the next seasons.  Remember if you would like to take Andy up on his offer of receiving a free subscriptions to Farming Magazine, your All Season Share needs to be in by February 20th.  Don't forget to fill out the form.  If you are new to the CSA and would love to join, please email cedarmorefarm@gmail.com and ask for the paperwork.
Or you can click here and download and print the info.

Thanks to all you early birds!

Hopefully when the weather breaks I will be able to go out to the farm for a visit.  Viney will probably be walking or maybe even running around the kitchen.  Anna will be reading like a flowing river, and the boys will have extra chorese to be responsible for.

A Little Bit Of News

I haven't had chance to visit the farm in such along time.  I hope they don't forget what I look like.

I did get a newsletter from Andy with the Cedarmore Farm CSA info for the new season.  When he was writing there was so on the ground in Hillsboro...that could have been just about any day since the middle of December it seems.  They are predicting another good snow storm tonight and into tomorrow.  I love it but I can only imagine how hard it makes chores on the farm.  I love how he describes the school children enjoying the snow...

'the school children enjoy sledding on the hill here on the farm.  this is a joy for us older people to watch as well (that's funny...they are in the mid to late twenties).  It's just plain beautiful.'

Work has slowed down quite a bit but there are still chickens to tend to, cows to milk, and other animals to feed.  I missed butchering again.  Andy didn't have much luck during deer season so they will be slaughtering one of the cows for beef.  He hopes to get a deer in January during muzzleloader season.

The Andy's are always looking for and researching ways to improve the CSA.  Looking back over the 2013 season they feel that things went well.  They had about 200 boxes go out each week.  Justin and his sons last year had to build a big wooden box for the top of their van to accommodate the families.  I wonder if they might need to purchase a trailer for this year? That would be great!  They are hoping to again have that many members and hopefully pick up a few more.

Prices will stay the same but you might wan to check some of the delivery locations...there were a few minor changes.

An awesome offer this year is if you sign up for an 'All Season Share"  you will receive a free subscription to 'Farming Magazine'.    The entire family can enjoy the magazine about small family farming done right.  It is edited by their friends, David and Elise Kline.  To be able to take advantage of this offer you All Season Share needs to ne to the farm by February 20, 2014.  The idea behind the offer us to encourage everyone to sign up early.  This helps plans for the 2014 season.

Hoping to make a visit in the next few weeks.  Keep your fingers crossed that we don't get the bad weather they are calling for tonight.

Another New Rabbit

We sure aren't having good luck with rabbits at the farm.  Meet rabbit number 3...Hershey...a male Mimi Rex.  I will write an update when I visit in January.

Gingebread House Construction

Anna was looking in a magazine and saw a picture of a gingerbread house. She has been begging Lizzie to make one. Lizzie gives me this mischievous grin...little did I know we would be making one from scratch. We usually make ours from a kit. Oh, but wait, I am visiting an Amish family...

Love that Lizzie keeps her cookbook in a large plastic bag.  And at the end of this experience I understand why!

According to directions we were to make five packages of the gingerbread dough.  Done!

Templates were next.

The kitchen was a little warm for the 'cement' on the house to set up so we decided to put it on the back porch summer kitchen to cool and set.  I love that wood burning stove.

We mixed up some thicker 'cement' and loaded up the roof.  Then added a few Mason jars for support. Lastly, Lizzie gave the kids each one cinnamon bear.  There are...The Andy's all lined up on the front of the house. And this is how you make an Amish Gingerbread House.

 

I wonder how long it took before they stated eating it?

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

I just received this email from Rue...

Jan,
You might want to put on the blog that the boys (the hired driver and his little brother) are leaving the produce for Covington and Burlington at the downtown location.  I have sent them (CSA members)  an email to let them know.

And then a few minutes later...

Clifton will now be delivered downtown as well

Please take a moment and think about and pray for the boys driving the van.  The driver is 16 and I am guessing he has never driven in this mess. It is a long way on the two lane back roads from downtown to Hillsboro.  I worry about my boys.

Cedarmore Farm 2014 Sign-Up Sheet

Cedarmore Farm 2014 Sign-Up Sheet

 

Name __________________________________________________  Phone ___________________

 

Address __________________________________________________________________________

 

City/State/Zip _____________________________________________________________________

 

Email ____________________________________________________________________________

 

1.  Choose Your Shares  Free Delivery to the pick up location of your choice!

           All Season Share  sign-up by March 1st to get a produce box delivered weekly for 32 weeks   

               first full week of May - second week of December

        $515 x __________ (number of shares) = $ __________

 

Spring Share  sign-up by March 1st to get produce box delivered per week for 10 weeks

first full week of May - first full week of July

$190 x __________ (number of shares) = $ __________

 

Summer Share  sign-up by April 1st and get a produce box delivered per week for 12 weeks

2nd full week of July - last week of September

$180 x __________ (number of shares) = $ __________

 

Fall Share  sign-up by May 1st and get a produce box delivered per week for 10 weeks

first week of October - second week in December

$170 x __________9number of shares) = $__________

 

Weekly Egg Share lets you add a dozen pasture range eggs with your produce box

(number of weeks in your share choice from above)

__________ x $3.50 per dozen =  $__________

 

Bi-weekly Egg Share  one dozen pasture range eggs every other week in your share from above

(half the # of weeks in your share from above)

__________ x $3.50 per dozen =$__________

 

Canned Good Share  one surprise jar in your share from above! 

possibilities are ketchup, tomato juice, tomato chunks, pizza sauce, pickled beets, sweet peppers, sweet or hot pepper butter, bread & butter, dill, or mustard pickles, strawberry, blackberry or red raspberry jam, peach or pear butter and more

(number of weeks in your share choice from above)

__________ x $4.00 per week = $__________

 

Weekly Baked Good Share  get one surprise each week with your share from above

possibilities include pies (cherry, blueberry, blackberry, pecan nut or apple), cookies )monster, chocolate chip, pumpkin, chocolate no=bake, buttermilk or raisin oatmeal), bars (three-layer snack bars, peanut butter, pumpkin with frosting & nuts, pumpkin with chocolate chips or granola bars), cinnamon rolls, zucchini bread, banana bread or wheat bread

(number of weeks in your share from above)

__________ x $5.00 per week = $ __________

 

                                                                                                    TOTAL from above __________

 

 

 

 

2.  Choose Your Pick-Up Location Get boxes labeled with your name from...

• Cedarmore Farm:   126112 Turley Lane, Hillsboro, on Tuesdays 5:00-8:00pm
• Anderson #1:   7225 Cobblestone Court, Cincinnati on Tuesdays 5:00-8:00pm
• Batavia:  3553 State Rt. 222, Batavia, on Fridays 5:00-8:00pm
• Clarksville:  3668 Nicholson Road,  on Tuesdays 5:00-8:00pm 
• Eastgate:  4873 Beechwood Road, Cincinnati, on Tuesdays 5:00-8:00pm
• Hamilton:  914 Richwood Avenue, Tuesdays 6:00-9:00pm
• Hillsboro:  8586 US HWY 50, on Tuesdays 8:00-10:00pm
• Kenwood:  7791 Montgomery Road, on Tuesdays 5:00-8:00pm
• Lebanon:  2308 Wood Road, on Tuesdays 6:30-9:30pm
• Loveland:  865 Miami Ridge Drive, on Tuesdays 5:00-8:00pm
• Mason: 106 West Church Street, on Tuesdays 6:00-9:00pm
• Milford:  1224 Eagle Ridge Road, on Tuesdays 5:00-8:00pm
• Mt. Orab:  16844 Bodman Road, on Tuesdays 5:00-8:00pm
• Wyoming:  508 Wirtz Way, on Tuesdays 5:00-8:00pm
• Anderson #2:  1980 Gainsborough Lane, Cincinnati, on Fridays 5:00-8:00pm
• Burlington:  6989 Lucia Drive, Burlington, KY, on Fridays 5:00-8:00pm
• Clifton:  2170 Elysian Place, Cincinnati, on Fridays 5:00-8:00pm
• Covington:  836 Alhambra Court, Park Hills, KY, on Fridays 5:00-8:00pm
• Downtown Cincinnati:  1222 Race Street, on Fridays 5:00-8:00pm
• Norwood:  1624 Sherman Avenue on Fridays, 5:00-8:00pm
• Oakley July 1y:  2733 Arbor Avenue, Cincinnati, on Fridays 5:00-8:00pm
• Peebles:  33 Dodge City Drive (Bob Malcolm Chrysler), on Fridays 1:00-5:00pm
• Westwood:  3110 Coral Park Drive, on Fridays 5:00-8:00pm

 

 

3. Choose Your Payment Option

• Pay total now
• Pay 50% of total now and 50% by July 1st

Make checks payable to Cedarmore Farm and mail with a copy of your sheet to:

 

Cedarmore Farm

12612 Turley Lane

Hillsboro, OH 45133

 

 

*For questions, comments, or extra order items send an email to:

 

cedarmorefarm@gmail.com

 

 

Get a FREE 1 year subscription (an $18 value) to Farming Magazine.  Simply fill out this form and return it to Cedarmore Farm with your purchase of an All Season Share from Cedarmore Farm CSA.

 

Name____________________________________________________________________________

Address  _________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip code _________________________________________________________________

 

 

order expires February 20, 2014

Sign-up form and check must be mailed on or before

February 20, 2014 to be eligible for this FREE subscription



Last Week of CSA 2013

Today marks the last day of the CSA delivery for this season.  It went by so quickly!  Andy feels like when he looks back that it was a pretty good season.  Early in the season it was a little bit wet and then came the drought in September and August.  But all in all the weather we had in this part of the country was good for growing produce.  He feels like this season was the best on the farm so far.

And then there was the issue with not enough eggs.  Thye started out with over 250 chickens but because for predators, laying skills, and the cooler than normal weather, there haven't been enough eggs to go around to all those who ordered the Egg Share.  To compensate Andy and Lizzie sent canned goods in the boxes that had signed up for the Egg Share.  Guess I am just going to have to go out there and have a little talk with those chickens.  Hopefully they will do better next year.

Andy and Lizzie are already excepting sign-ups for the 2014 season.  Current members of the CSA will be receiving the paperwork in the mail in the coming weeks.  If you are new to the CSA and wish to gather information please email Rue at the email address for Cedarmore Farm on the right side of the blog.  Or you can send snail mail to Andy and Lizzie.  That address is on the right also.

We all thank you for your support and look forward to hearing from you for next year's CSA.  Please share you experiences and help grow the CSA.

Recipe Of The Week: Potato Bacon Omelet

Potato Bacon Omelet

 

8 slices of diced bacon

1 1/2 cups of peeled potatoes, diced into 1/4 inch pieces

1/4 cup of finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon of salt

3 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

12 eggs, beaten

2 Tablespoons of water

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

2 Tablespoons of oil

cheese (optional)

 

Fry bacon until browned, drain on a  paper towel.  Pour off about 2 Tablespoons of drippings.  Add potatoes and onions to drippings.  Cook until potatoes are tender and golden.  Stir in bacon and parsley.  Set aside.  Beat eggs, water, pepper, and salt.  Add potato mixture until well blended.  Heat oil in skillet and pour in egg and potato mixture.  Cook, lifting cooked egg portion around the edge to uncooked portion runs underneath.  Cook until mixture is set, (if desired, sprinkle with cheese) fold in half and slide onto a serving platter.