We’ve just finished having the COCC Culinary Institute Farm to Table class at the farm for the past two weeks and it was great fun and we got a lot done.  Look for photos on the website soon.  In a continuing spirit of community we like to invite our friends, family and customers to join us for viewing the fireworks Sunday evening.  We have a great view and plenty of room.  Bring your chairs.

Yes we have a bounty of colorful lettuce and yummy eggs.  The frig will be well stocked all weekend.

fresh from the ovenNot only is Kohlrabi alien in appearance but it is alien to just about all of our food histories–We have no reference of what to do with it and its not something that fits into a category so we can just plug it in, in place of other foods.  It is unique, yet paradoxically a very versatile ingredient.Fields Farm has got them and I bagged a couple at the Farmer’s Market.  When I got home I had some Pizza dough that had risen.  Pizza could very well be the most popular food ever invented.  A few years ago I mastered the art of making my own Pizza –its not that difficult– I then asked myself what had I been doing with my life up until that point.Pizza dough is simply 3 cups of flour, a teaspoon of yeast, a tablespoon of salt and a cup of warm water.  This will make 2, 10-12 inchers.  Knead it well to break down the gluten.  Let it rise at least a hour and a half and stretch it out onto a cornmeal covered peel.  You will also need to get a Pizza stone to cook it on.  Stretching it out does not take too much practice, you do not need to be one of those showman Pizza tossers, you can just stretch it over a large bowl.  You cook it at your ovens highest temperature and it takes only 6 to 8 minutes.
A couple slices with some of the
greens and a hearty redAfter the layers of tomato sauce and Mozzarella Cheese, I grated a medium small Kohlrabi and added to it 1/3 of a chopped onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, 2 good tbls. of olive oil and some fresh thyme.  I spread this over the pizza.The Kohlrabi added a subtle, slightly spicy, vegetative crunch that balanced well with the crust, sauce and cheese.  I used 2/3 whole wheat flour for the crust and this complemented it well too.  Though this was the first time ever on Earth that a Pizza like this was made, it seemed like a normal, natural Pizza.  It wasn’t as dramatic as say a Jalapeno, anchovy and pineapple Pizza, but it was wholesome and satisfying.  This was an experiment that worked and I will do it again.  If any Pizza place puts this on their menu, they must name it after me!
sliced

A few warm days and rain make for very happy plants.  This week we will have:
Lettuce Mix – $4.50/bag
Greens Mix – $4.00/bag
Broccoli Rhab – $4.00/bag
Kohlrabi – $2.00 or 2 for $3.00 depending on size (very tender and sweet)
Morel Mushrooms(wild crafted) – $5.00/ quarter pound bag
Eggs – $4.00
Our squash planting, all out tomatoes and cucumbers made it through some very
chilly nights for which we are very thankful.

A slideshow of fieldtrip photos is now up on the Fields Farm website at:
http://www.fieldsfarm.org/fieldtrip

Parents, teachers, volunteers and whoever took photos–there were many of you–are encouraged to add their photos to the flickr Fields Farm fieldtrip group at:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1459758@N22/

Your photos will then show up in the slideshow.  Details on how to add your photos are at the first link above.

Please excuse our construction mess. On Monday we took down the old harvest shed and now there is an open space.  Tomorrow we start the framing of a new walk in harvest shed which will offer more protection for the produce and a more comfortable pick up space.  However for the next few weeks the eggs and veggies will continue to be in the grey refrigerator which is perched on a pallet.  The information board and green box are under the white canopy over to the left of the old shed.  If the winds are howling we have to take the canopy down.  The large white coolers under the canopy are for CSA members only.  There is an ample supply of eggs, lettuce mix, mizuna, arugula and spinach.  If you can’t find what you need, give a honk and someone will come help you.

As last years intern at Fields Farm, you may know Jeremy from the farm or Farmer’s Market.  This year he is staying involved with Fields Farm by  putting together the educational program that is bringing hundreds of school children to Fields Farm for fieldtrips.He was interviewed recently on the KPOV show Radio Airstream about the program and about his experience working at Fields Farm.  KPOV graciously provided us with a copy for your listening convenience. JeremyFox.kpov.interview.mp3

Support KPOV!

Jeremy introduces the kids to a real farmer-JimIn a program created and run by last years Field’s Farm intern Jeremy Fox, hundreds of Central Oregon kindergarten through 6th graders are visiting Fields Farm on educational field trips.  The visits started Monday and will continue through the next 3 weeks. 
Feeding the goatsVolunteers are guiding the kids to various areas of the farm where they learn about field plantings, greenhouses, irrigation, livestock at the farm (goats and chickens), bees and compost.  They also get their hands on some farm tools and get to plant some seeds, which they get to take back to school and watch grow.  How the natural ecosystem interacts with the farm is also pointed out.  So far the kids are having a great time, while they learn something too.If visiting the farm over the over this time period, before 1 pm, you can expect children running around, school buses and other traffic, so please be cautious.

Spring Greens!   The wonderful thing about spring greens is even though it is snowing they still grow.  We are harvesting a multi-colored lettuce mix, a mild asian greens mix( good both fresh and steamed) and spinach.  Bags of these green are available in the grey refrigerator with the eggs for $4.50/bag.  Remember to bring correct change as there is usually no more than $1 of change available in the box.  Please write down what you are buying in the small spiral notebook in the green box.  Enjoy some of the most tender greens of the season.

Hi Folks,
As usual we are having typical challenging spring weather here in Central Oregon.  However  we have two field tunnels filled with starts of lovely spring greens.  The first plantings of carrot and peas are also in the ground waiting for a bit of warm weather to pop their heads up.  The irrigation water should start flowing this evening.  The honeyberry bushes bloomed in the midst of this cold snap so we probably won’t be seeing any berries from them this year.  All the other fruits have held off blooming.  The garlic is a good 8 inches tall and the rhubarb is up and growing.  We continue to have plenty of eggs and Wild Rice.
Good food is coming soon!