Kitchens! (ordering closes tonight)

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Eating is an inescapable fact of life, and too often we in the modern world succumb to the so-called conveniences to minimize the time needed to prepare food.

In the face of daily schedules, how easy it is to take short cuts just to get food on the table! Without sounding too much like a purist, I too give in to this habit. But I also take comfort in the idea that overall, convenience food is kept to a minimum.

In the same way that we make time in our schedules for spending quality time with loved ones, this can apply to the kitchen. A little bit of forethought goes a long way, and kitchens can be places where family togetherness is a part of the creative activity of answering the question “What’s for dinner?” And here is the one place in the house where local and home-grown food intersects with good nutrition and health. Celebrate kitchens!

Caroline McColloch
Chez Nous Farm
cheznousfarm@gmail.com

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Order this week for Easter!

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I got it wrong when I opened the Market on Tuesday and mentioned ordering items for Easter and freezing them in case you couldn’t order next week. You would actually need to order this week in time for Easter! And Studebaker, “History in the Baking”, has a Challah bread she offers especially for Easter.

I’ve always been a bit time-challenged…ask my family. They’ve learned to tell me that an event starts half an hour before it actually does (and not let me know they’re doing that!) All the clocks in my house are a different time based on where I see them during my daily activities, which of course causes its own confusion.

One of my favorite days of the year is the fall Daylight Saving Time change. To gain an extra hour in a day seems phenomenally fantastic to me. And the spring time change is inversely discombobulating, despite the excitement of spring on its way.

Also, I have numerous examples of when I messed it up…one fall I left two hours early for Indiana on the time change morning, another fall I woke up two hours early waiting for newspapers to be delivered while watching a friend’s children. And oh, did I kick myself – missing out on the joy of that once-a-year extra hour was painful!

Then again, I’ve read that Ohio will probably be converting to permanent Daylight Saving Time by the fall of 2024. I have to admit though, I don’t understand the difference between permanent Standard Time and permanent Daylight Saving Time. I guess that’s not surprising considering the struggles I already have with time!

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We're open!

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One more cold and rainy weekend…let’s hope it’s the last!
At least we have Farmhouse back after a two week break, and she has gelato – woohoo!

With Studebaker back after a week break as well, along with Walker Cabin Farm, we have a lot of baked goods that would be great for Easter. They’ll keep well in your freezer in case you can’t order next week.

Mark your calendars for our next Night Market on Tuesday, May 3rd* from 4 – 7PM here at First Christian Place. These are always fun gatherings where you can meet the vendors who produce your favorite local foods (and of course buy some favorites as well!)

Have a great week everyone!

Erin

Ordering closes tonight!

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We have lots of greens left still – spinach, romaine, microgreens, kale, mustard greens, parsley – and also Grumpy Goat’s scrumptious bagels and breads.

J & S Buehler Family Farms has their eggs available again now – so I think we might finally be past the egg crunch!

Get your orders in for pickup this Tuesday, April 5th!

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The Miracle of Seeds

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As I have been starting flower seeds in an impromptu facility in my spare bedroom with supplemental heat, it’s the first time I’ve tried germinating seeds on wet paper towels. Why? Maybe I should have asked the question before actually doing that. Just to see them sprout? Speed up the process perhaps? It’s all a learning curve :)

Two weeks in, I’ve been furiously making flats and flats of soil blocks, adding shelves and a new grow light—a very cool three-pronged flexible thing on a tripod…and trying to keep up with getting sprouts into soil before they go bad. It’s almost like surgery, some of them are so tiny. Such is the price to pay for trying to beat the cold. Even though I have a small greenhouse for starting seedlings, it’s still too cold in early April to use it for germinating seeds.

But there’s something child-like about anticipating going into that room to check on the plants…noting every little change, getting excited about seedlings starting to thrive. It is sheer joy about the rebirth of spring, this cultivation of young life with each new year. Long live farms and gardens!

Caroline McColloch
Chez Nous Farm

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We're open!

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Snatched chickens, missing microgreens, exploding eggs (cracked anyway – exaggeration for the sake of alliteration)…what a day! Thank you for being flexible and kind and sticking with us – I appreciate you all, dear loyal customers!

Erin

Ordering open until tonight...

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We still have some fresh greens calling your name! Spinach, Winterbor kale, and just a couple microgreens, mustard greens, and rainbow Swiss chard.

Also, Studebaker will be off next week so you might want to stock up on her nutritious and delectable breads, pizza crusts, biscuits, and cakes.

We’re open until 9PM tonight for ordering, so take this cold spring day, while it’s snowing/hailing outside(!), to browse and order delicious local food from your favorite farmers!

Erin

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Dispatch from Chez Nous Farm - Boots on The Ground

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Poised…is a good description of an ideal early spring. Of course it doesn’t always happen this way but the present spring is one of the best since starting the business in 2018!

Two hallmarks of success are early planning and collaboration with important resource people. I’ve been on the phone with suppliers and browsing websites for the best deals. The weather (and dry enough ground) coincided beautifully last week, and I was able to get all that good compost hauled to the flower beds for what should be a wonderful production season for flower bouquets at the market. Each of the six raised beds is now heavily covered in straw to preserve moisture and deter weeds. This is the first season I’ve tried germinating seeds on wet paper towels in covered flats in a temperature-controlled grow rack. Careful what you wish for! They’re all germinating so fast that I had to start making up flats with soil blocks today. Gonna need more flats…and it’s only March 24th :) This is a first!

Plans are in place to rent a spreader and purchase a ton of organic fertilizer for the hay field, to be applied after the first cutting in May; I’m waiting to hear from OEFFA (Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association) on a grant toward a new hay baler that will automate picking up harvested bales in the field; 60 bare root seedling raspberries are ready to ship from Norse Nursery to replace one fourth of my plant stock (with a planned sequential replacement for the other three rows); an irrigation upgrade is in the works, with a timer and four valves that will allow for automated irrigation for short intervals many times per day. This will be a much-improved regimen for these plants that live in porous grow bags, and a huge savings on my time. This year I plan to start a small you-pick enterprise.

Whew! I could go on ad nauseum – but you, dear supporters of MCLG, get the idea, I hope. The more you understand about what goes into producing the food and farm products you buy, the more you are connected with your local community and the more you foster relationships toward that end. And we all benefit from that.

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We're open!

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We’re open for ordering!

Now is your last chance to order Walker Cabin Farm’s European-style crusty rolls until at least October, and her garlic pretzel twists and pretzel bites are available again after a week’s absence.

And Decker Indoor Farm has his radishes listed – spring is officially here!

We have carrots!

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We have carrots – yay! Burns’ Green Leaf Market still has the sweeter winter carrots coming up, and we lucked out with having them available here.

Also, Grumpy Goat has her beautiful Salad Mix of mild mustard greens, and there are just a few of Simple Living’s Microgreens left. Grab these delectable and nutritious veggies while they’re still available!

The Market is open just until 9PM tonight, so order today if you want your goodies this coming Tuesday, March 22nd.

See everyone Tuesday!

Erin

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