By Sarah
As I was heading out on my bike today to take photos for the blog, I paused and instead of venturing into the vegetable fields, I went to find Danny. I realized that the cows are often missing from the blog and wanted to feature them. Their presence on the farm is important, but they are often in the distance or out of sight from the barnyard. It is rare that anyone but Danny or Jesse interacts with them up close. I know that not only is Danny’s phone full of cow photos, but he has a story for each one. He captures their personalities in the pictures and in his tales. The current jefa of the herd is Dot, featured in the left photo below. She is a commanding cow, tall stature and beautiful horns. Her mother was Daffodil, one of the original cows that we purchased when we first moved to the farm. Now the herd has grown from the original 30 to about 150!
Open Field Farm 2025 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members
CSA Barn Hours:
Winter hours: 2:30-6:00 pm
Pick List:
Eggs
Nicola Yellow, Harvest Moon Purple, Red, and Fingerling potatoes
Merlin Beets
Yaya Carrots
Hablange Parsnips
Fehmel Steig Yellow, Spanish Sweet, and Red Onions
Shallots
Verdonnet Leeks
Purple Top Turnips
Purple Daikon Radish
Rutabaga
Mars Celeriac
Passat Green and Kilmaro Red Cabbage
Brussel Sprouts
Kohlrabi
Song Cauliflower
Rasmus Broccoli
Mei Qing Choi
Celery
Lettuce Heads and Lettuce Mix
Champion Collards
Rainbow Lacinato and Dazzling Blue Kale
Rhubarb Chard
Regiment Spinach
Parsley and Dill
Hot Peppers (Last week!)
Frisee, Chioggia, Radicchio, Sugarloaf, and Escarole
Delicata, Acorn, Blue Kuri, Butternut, and Spaghetti Winter Squash
Winter Luxury Pumpkins
Whole Dried Hot Peppers
Herbal Tea Blends
Pick your own flowers and herbs
Beef Bone Broth (Made by Olla Products)
Saltonstahl Olive Oil
Revolution Bread for sale on Tuesday and Friday
Open Field Farm Swag!
Smothered Cabbage, Wild Rice, and Parsnip Soup (after Marcella Hazan), from the Department of Salad
2 pounds green cabbage
⅔ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup extra-virgin olive (you can use less—try ⅓ cup—if you prefer a lighter soup)
1 heaping tablespoon chopped garlic
1 big parsnip, peeled and diced (1 to 1½ cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (or white wine vinegar), more at the end if desired
Parmesan rind for simmering (optional)
6 to 7 cups liquid total—I used half good chicken broth and half water
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
2 tablespoons butter (optional but really nice)
⅓ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional), plus more for serving
Remove and discard the outer leaves of your cabbage and finely shred the rest. (I did this by hand; it’s fun.) In a large heavy pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until it turns deep gold. Stir in the garlic and parsnip; cook for a few minutes until the parsnip softens slightly. Add the cabbage to the pot, along with salt, pepper, and the vinegar, and toss well to coat. (If you have a Parmesan rind, add it now.) Cover the pot, lower the heat, and cook for about 1¾ hours, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is silky, tender, and just beginning to take on color. Add a splash of broth if it begins to stick. (It probably won’t)
In a separate pot, bring 4 cups of the broth-and-water mix to a boil. Stir in the rice, reduce to a steady simmer, and cook, partially covered, until most of the grains have split open a bit and curled, 40 to 50 minutes. It should be tender and nicely chewy, not hard. Remove from heat and let it sit, uncovered, in any remaining broth.
When the cabbage is done, add the rice and its remaining cooking liquid to the pot. Pour in the remaining broth-and-water mixture and bring to a low simmer. Let this bubble gently for 10 minutes or so to allow the flavors to fall in love. If the mixture is still too thick (even though this is meant to be a very stewy soup), add another cup of hot water or broth. Taste for salt and pepper. You might want to add another splash of vinegar or a little lemon now.
To serve, stir in the butter and the ⅓ cup cheese, if using, and ladle into serving bowls. Pass around the pepper grinder and more cheese at the table for those who might want it.
