Friday
13Nov2009

Guy Writes: Flu Season Wisdom

DateFriday, November 13, 2009 at 9:35PM

Last Thursday, I went to bed with intense fatigue and a raw, cutting sore throat.  I stayed flat on my back all of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with fitful nights punctuated by trips to the kitchen to gargle with warm salt water.  Finally, the light fever that had accompanied the fatigue lifted, and while even a brief journey off the couch left me weak, yesterday I could tell that the body was on the mend.  Today, incremental improvements in the same direction—I managed to take a shower, cook the morning oatmeal, and make coffee before needing to lie down again.

Through this extended bed rest, I listened to the audio version of “The E-myth Revisited,” a business book that I first picked up five years ago.  Hearing the gravelly voice of the author talk about the importance of “working on your business, not in it,” I could see the need for a change of structure in my own life.  Namely, due to the farm’s demands and my own penchant for satisfying others’ needs, I have fallen back into the trap that ensnares countless small businesspeople:  the trap of working endlessly just to keep up with the work.

Some would argue that a heavy workload requires such a call to arms.  After all, businesses have real needs, and isn’t the way to meet those needs to jump in the trench and get on with it? 

True, but an important distinction should be made regarding the exact type of work that is called for.  The E-myth divides tasks into two kinds of work:  tactical and strategic.  Tactical work relates to the work on the ground—the movement of resources, the gearing up for a big sale, the hiring of a summer staff, balancing the books.  Strategic work relates to maps, paper, and models—the planning of a business.  Strategic work means thinking about questions such as:  How do we grow?  What level of capital will we need in three years?  In five?  What information systems do I need in place to gather business data?

Typically, the tactical work is the easiest to focus on and in some ways the most rewarding.   It feels like real work, its effects can be readily seen.  A new water line is installed.  The pallets and cardboard at the fruit stand have been organized.  The high-tunnel has new end walls.  It’s no wonder I’ve been swept into this strong current.

But the critical reminder that this illness with all its flat couch time has brought me is the importance of the strategic work.  When will we plant more grapes?  When will the market expand?  Where will we increase our wine production?  How will we weave foodservice into the winery?  And that learning center we’ve been dreaming about, how far off is that in the plan?   In short, the strategic work asks questions related to where the business is going and how it will get there.  Steven Covey calls this “Beginning with the End in Mind.”

Answering these questions, or at least starting to ask them, requires time away from the din of the front lines, time for quiet thought and the scribbling of notes.  And given the complexity of our business, I am seeing that it isn’t enough to do this occasionally—say, every winter when a snow-storm sets in or a wicked bug lays me low.  If I want to continue to evolve the farm, and improve its elegance of operation (right now it runs a little crazy), more strategic time is required.  Regularly.  So, from my sick-bed, I am envisioning a weekly ration of a half a day of strategy.  I’m picturing this away from my office and the farm, in a place unencumbered with the papers, projects, and problems of daily life in the business.  Maybe the library?  Or a coffee shop?  We’ll see.

Some of you reading this are invariably involved with small business.  I’m curious:  how has this tension between the tactical and the strategic manifested in your own life?  How have you managed it?  What structures did you create to better help you focus on the strategic?  Did they work?  I’d love to hear from you on this front.  Please, send me an email and I’ll share some of the major themes later this winter with the farm community.

Until then, I’ve got some new work to get under way.  That is, just as soon as I have enough energy!
 

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Friday
13Nov2009

Farm Cooking:  Squash

DateFriday, November 13, 2009 at 9:29PM

One crop we always seem to do well with on the farm is winter squash.  This year the squash has been particularly good, since we let it ripen longer on the vine than in 2008.  We grew a new variety of butternut that turned out to be huge–enough to feed a family for a week!  Our buttercup variety has been especially nice—it’s the green squash with the blue button end, simliar to the Japanese kabocha squash.  It has dense, sweet, fiberless flesh and small seed cavity.  And then of course you have the old standby acorn squash! 

There are numberless recipes that use squash—and any of these will do your Thanksgiving table proud.  Here's a few to get you started.

 

Aromatic Butternut Squash Soup
from “Cooking from the Heart” by Michael J. Rosen

4-5 lbs butternut squash (about half of one of Sunshine’s!)
3 medium carrots, cut into thirds
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
10 cups chicken or strong vegetable stock
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground mace
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Place the squash halves, skin side down, in a shallow roasting pan.  Arrange the carrots and onions around the squash and pour 2 cups of broth into the pan.  Place 1½ Tbsp. each of butter and brown sugar in the center cavities of each squash half.  Cover the pan with foil.  Bake for 2 hours.  Uncover squash, and cool slightly. Scoop the squash pulp into a large heavy pan and discard skin.  Add the carrots, onions and cooking liquid from the roasting pan.  Add the remaining 8 cups of broth, as well as the ginger, mace, and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.  

Cool the soup slightly and puree, either with a submersible hand blender or in small batches in a food processor or blender.  Return the puree to the pot and stir in the orange juice, taste and adjust the seasonings.  

 

Maple-Ginger Baked Acorn Squash
from “Starting with Ingredients:  Quintessential Recipes for the Way We Really Cook”

3 acorn squash
½ cup maple syrup
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2-inch section of ginger, peeled and grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Prick the acorn squash 2 to 3 times (to prevent from exploding), then microwave on high for 3 minutes.  Split squash in half and, using a large metal spoon, scrape out and discard seeds.  

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, combine maple syrup, butter, ginger, salt and pepper and process until creamy.  Divide maple-butter equally and spoon into the cavity of the acorn squash halves.  Arrange the acorn squash in a tightly fitting baking dish and bake 45 minutes, or until lightly browned and soft when pierced with a skewer.  

 

Buttercup Squash Quinoa Salad
from  the Hope for Healing blog
www.glutenfreehope.blogspot.com

1 medium yellow onion
1 Tbsp. of olive oil
1 cup dried quinoa
2 cups water
1 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
2 cups of diced, baked buttercup squash (dice squash, lay on cookie sheet and bake at 400 F for 1 hour, let cool and peel off skin)
1 cup of finely chopped fresh kale
1 cup of finely chopped fresh spinach
2-3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
½ cup of freshly chopped parsley
½ cup toasted walnuts/almonds
½ cup dried cranberries/cherries (optional)
Salt and pepper


Sautee onions in a little bit of olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Add 1 cup of dry quinoa and toast up for a few minutes before adding the water.  After 2-3 minutes add 2 cups of water and 1 Tbsp. tamari sauce.  Cook until to a boil, turn down to simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes until there is no water left and there are air holes in the pot of cooked quinoa.  Set aside and let cool.  

In another frying pan, add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to the bottom of the pan and place diced squash (already baked) in pan to warm up and fry.  After a few minutes of toasting the squash add the kale and spinach, slightly wilting the greens.  

In a large mixing bowl add the cooled quinoa mix, and the butternut squash and greens mix.  Toss in the vinegar, maple syrup and toasted nuts and berries.  Lastly, thoroughly mix in the parsley.


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Friday
13Nov2009

Video: Planting Garlic

DateFriday, November 13, 2009 at 9:20PM

Check out some of Scott's fine video editing work!  Rachel walks us through planting garlic on the Sunshine Farm.

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Friday
13Nov2009

Field Report

DateFriday, November 13, 2009 at 9:19PM

We’ve been blessed with plenty of good, sunny working days this fall.  The first week of November brought our final harvest days in the orchard.  After starting with cherries in July and moving through all those lovely peaches, nectarines, and apples, we finally reached the last piece of fruit to harvest:  the Pink Lady apple.  A few years back, I grafted a row over to the Pink Lady and have been really pleased with the apple.  I love it sweet-tangy flavor and its ever-present crunch.  We picked enough to sell them through the winter, so if you need apples, don’t hesitate to drop us a line.  This past season we were enjoying Pink Lady apples on our morning porridge all the way into June, so yes, it’s a good keeper!

Harvest hasn’t quite wrapped up in the veggie fields yet.  We are still harvesting collards, kale, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, and parsnips from outside.  We are even still getting some salad mix and head lettuce from our outside beds—those beds we have protected with row cover to mitigate the cold a bit.  And then there’s our high tunnel.Walking inside our high tunnel is like walking into spring—you open the door and your nostrils fill with the warm, fresh scent of active soil and greens growing.  In the morning, the condensation falls from the poly-film ceiling like a gentle rain.  Beets, spinach, lettuces, broccoli, kohlrabi, collards and kale—all so lush and verdant you feel like you’re in a different land.  We’ll start harvesting these greens when the ones outside are spent.

And who’s enjoying all these crops?  The lucky few members of our winter CSA are still picking up weekly boxes of food.  And we’re still selling plenty on the weekends when the market is open.  Campbell’s restaurant is still making arugula salad with our greens.  Holden Village is also enjoying some of our squash and carrots. 

Jesse puts up fence on our new, expanded goat pen above the market.November also means time to get to work on the projects we don’t have time for during the season.  So far these have included:  Expanding the parking at the market for easier access for RV’s and trailers;  moving our goat pen up the hill and expanding it six-fold (the new baby goats next year are going to love that!); and getting to work on some videos!   Our retail manager Scott was a broadcasting major in college and we’re taking advantage of his skills.  Check out new videos on planting garlic and cider pressing!
 

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Friday
13Nov2009

Christmas on the Farm

DateFriday, November 13, 2009 at 9:13PM

This year we’re excited to offer fresh-cut Noble Fir Christmas trees for sale on the farm following Thanksgiving.  That’s right!  Christmas trees on the farm.  We have some select Noble Fir trees coming in from Brewer’s Tree Farm in Shelton, Washington.  The Brewer family has four generations of roots in the Shelton Valley and specialize in the highest-quality and freshest-cut trees.And to make it a fun event for the whole family, we’re throwing in a free cider press.  Every tree purchase includes a 20lb box of apples and the use of our cider press.  So you won’t only go home with the perfect Noble for the living room, but also a jug of cider for the refrigerator! (Can you say Hot Spiced Cider?)

The Brewer family also puts together high quality wreaths which we will have for sale.  These make perfect gifts to friends and business associates.  And we’ll be putting a few Sunshine Farm gift baskets together as well with some of the fruits, wine, chocolate, and cheeses you love!

Tree shopping and cider making will happen every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Thanksgiving until all the trees are gone.  (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)  And because we value organic matter as a farm, we want your tree after the new year!  Drop your used tree off at the market and we’ll chip it up for use on the farm.
 

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Friday
13Nov2009

Video: Making Cider

DateFriday, November 13, 2009 at 9:10PM

A new tradition on the farm:  making fresh apple cider.  Come out this holiday season and press cider after picking out your Christmas tree.  You have to taste it to believe it.

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Friday
13Nov2009

Trees with a Face: Gail and Bob Brewer, Shelton, Washington

DateFriday, November 13, 2009 at 8:11PM

Usually, we devote this column to foods that we sell in the market.  But since its Christmas tree season, it seemed fitting to focus on the growers behind these beautiful trees.  The Brewer family has lived in the Shelton Valley for four generations. In 1966, they moved to their current ranch, raised four children, and operated a Grade A dairy.  In 1980, the family planted the field of trees on the home farm and the business has grown ever since.   The Brewers have several plantation fields located in Mason and Lewis counties, with Noble Fir being the primary seller.

In addition to trees, the Brewers are proud supporters of the Mason County Rodeo.  Bob and Gail enjoy watching their granddaughters ride in the rodeo. Kailyn has been a rodeo princess for the past three years and her younger sister, Bailey carries a flag in the ceremonies.

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Thursday
12Nov2009

Notes from the Winery

DateThursday, November 12, 2009 at 2:22PM

The crush is complete and the leaves o If you missed out on cider-pressing during Fall Crush, there’s still a chance to bring your family out to this enjoy this unique old-fashioned fun. When you buy a Christmas tree, you get a 20 lb box of apples free to press into cider right there! Make it a holiday tradition! Speaking of holiday traditions, our winery is a great place to host holiday parties! Call Scott at 509-682-2423 to get your event on our calendar! n the vines are dry, brown, and dead.  Ready for rest and winter.  Meanwhile, in the cellar, things are just warming up for the season.  The primary fermentations are complete on the red wines and malolactic fermentation is underway.  Many red wines, including our Pinot Noir and Syrah, undergo these two fermentations on their way to being finished wine.  The first, or primary fermentation, converts the sugars into alcohol, and the second, or malolactic fermentation, converts malic acid into lactic acid.  This second step tends to soften the wine and round its features out.  It doesn’t produce any more alcohol, but does let off a good bit of carbon dioxide.  Riesling production doesn’t include this secondary fermentation.  Lighter bodied, fruit-driven wines like Riesling just go through a single fermentation. 

Our Riesling production was down quite a bit this year.  Earlier I wrote about fruit thinning and its importance in the maturing process.  Well, we thinned a bit too much.  This error, combined with a small sale of Riesling grapes to Vin du Lac, added up to only a half-full tank in the cellar.  So next year, when we run out of our ’09 Riesling, I guess folks will have to head across the lake to taste the other bit of the harvest.  Get ready, Larry!

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Tuesday
06Oct2009

Rachel Writes: Farming with Baby

DateTuesday, October 6, 2009 at 5:31PM

I used to work 50 plus hours a week outside in the garden.  I was willful and active, energetic and independent.  I did what I pleased and what I saw needed to be done, as immediately and quickly and thoroughly as I could.  Pregnancy (especially morning sickness!) slowed me down some, but I continued to work through it.  Even on my due date, the day before I went into labor, I spent a long day in the greenhouse potting up tomatoes.

Now everything is changed.  When little Jessie came into our lives last April, I became for a while something of an “armchair farmer.”  I would sit in the house, with Jessie on my breast, going over plans and notes, researching issues on the internet, ordering supplies…and then talking on my cell phone to Renae up in the field who put everything into action.

There are several things that have made it possible for the veggie operation to continue to run even with a little baby in our family.  First, we made a great hire when we found Renae Haug to manage the market garden.  She came to us with only one year vegetable growing experience, but with the talent, will and energy to step up and do the physical work that I could no longer be counted on to do.  Even better—Renae has committed to stay on with us in 2010! 

Second, we were lucky in the baby lottery.  Jessie has an extremely mellow temperament and for the most part is happy to fit her needs into our busy schedule.  She’s also a pretty good sleeper, allowing us to avoid the chronic sleep deprivation that many new parents confront.

We have also had an incredible amount of support from family.  Guy’s grandma Jessie (little Jessie’s namesake) comes over to the house to baby-sit two mornings a week.  Grandma Linda (Guy’s mom) also comes up once a week to baby-sit and help with housework.  Grandpa Denny and Grandma Jaclyn live right here on the farm and make sure they get their baby time in too.  Having a baby in the family has a way of inevitably bringing extended family closer together.

The times when we don’t have a babysitter, little Jessie gets plenty of time out on the farm.  I “wear” her a lot in a baby carrier called a Mei Tai.  It’s a traditional Thai carrier, a simple square of cloth with straps on the corners.  I can tie her on my front or on my back in the Mei Tai, and she’s held close enough to my body I can manage most of the farm work—at perhaps a slightly slower pace.  She sleeps contentedly or watches over my shoulder.  When she starts “talking” I slide her out of the Mei Tai and maybe let her kick for a bit in the clover.  When I have to do tractor work, Renae will watch her or we’ll call in Guy to put in his Daddy time.  Guy likes wearing her in the Mei Tai too and has been seen riding around the farm with her on the Honda 110 motorbike—while talking on his cell phone!  This was enough to get a talking to from Grandpa Denny.

With Jessie here, my role on the farm has significantly changed.  I used to be the vegetable grower and CSA manager and that’s where my duties began and ended.  Now I do a little bit of everything, fitting it all in between feedings and diaper changes.  I help out in the market when I’m needed and put in a shift in the winery once in a while.  I am doing more of the marketing (writing newsletters, sending out emails, keeping our web presence up-to-date) and all of the bookkeeping for the farm.  I do some of this office work when Jessie is napping, or playing on the floor next to me.  When she needs more closeness than that, I strap her on my back and bounce on the yoga ball while working on the computer.

Having a baby in my life has forced me to slow down.  It’s taught me that sometimes there’s more important things than getting This Job Done Right Now.  Farm work used to be what I lived and died for, but now I have a much less intense attitude toward it.  What gets done, gets done.  What doesn’t, well, we do our best.  Right now it’s time to cuddle with Jessie and coax out some of those unmatchable smiles.
 

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Tuesday
06Oct2009

Grass-fed Beef

DateTuesday, October 6, 2009 at 4:14PM

Time to sign up for your share of Sunshine-raised beef!

Our eight steers have been happily grazing all season long in green pastures, overlooking our veggie fields and enjoying the gorgeous view of Lake Chelan.  Now they're looking for a good home in a friendly family freezer!

Happy Cows Means Healthy Meat

Sunlight, nutritious pasture, and fresh air make for a healthy cow.  These cows have never received hormones or antibiotics.  Grass-fed means a better ratio of Omega-3s to Omega-6s than supermarket beef.  Our beef is corn-finished to mellow the flavor.  The beef is also dry aged, not wet aged like most supermarket beef.  Our customers can't say enough good things about the flavor and texture of this beef!

Our beef is available by the half or by the quarter.  A half will feed a family of four for a year.  It's about 180-250 lbs of meat depending on the size of the animal (rough cost of $800-$1100).  A quarter is half that:  90-125 lbs of meat at $400-$550.  The approximate price of the beef cut and wrapped is $4.30/lb.

What a quarter beef looks like. This is in our home upright freezerA $50 deposit will reserve your beef.  The butcher date is in January.  You must pick up your own beef at butcher shop in Omak in February.  You will be able to specify the types of cuts you would like to the butcher.  All these details to follow. 

Deposits can be sent to:  The Sunshine Farm 37 Highway 97A Chelan, WA 98816.  For more info, contact Rachel at 509-670-8958 or Rachel@sunshinefarmmarket.com.

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