By Alyssa
One of the things farmers do in the winter is clean and fix everything. This year, I have spent a chunk of my winter hours deep-cleaning some of our barns. It was on the docket last year, but we were too short-staffed in the winter to do much. This year, since we have kept on our whole crew, we have had time to do so much!
First up was the straw barn, where we store not only straw, but also all of our tarps and sandbags, all of our row covers, and many other odd bits and bobs. I swept and reorganized and scraped all the dirt and growing weeds up off the concrete in front of the barn. Jesse rebuilt part of the floor and put in a new support beam, so that it is safer and easier for us to bring things in and out from the barn.
Second up has been the storage barn aka Danny’s barn aka the milk barn (no name has ever really stuck). It is the barn right next to the bathroom and the herb room. Holy cow, did we have a lot of junk in there! Not just trash, but things we’ve saved for a rainy day, equipment we no longer use, and so. much. raccoon poop. There was a pile of old electric fencing that has been back there since I started working here, just covered in raccoon poop. Throwing that out was one of the grosser things I’ve done at this job, and that’s saying a lot! But it has been deeply satisfying.
We have also deep-cleaned the potting shed, including sharpening all our hoes and oiling all our tool handles. I have begun to reorganize the irrigation shed, where we keep all our little irrigation pieces and trellising supplies. I’ve been able to sell some of our old equipment to other local farms, and offer other things to the community for free. I’ve learned so much about how to properly dispose of different types of waste – Zero Waste Sonoma is awesome. I miss touching plants, but the inside spaces of the farm are looking a lot cleaner these days, which will make the rest of our season so much more pleasant. Happy spring cleaning!
Open Field Farm 2024 | The "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW" guide for members
CSA Barn Hours:
Summer hours start this week: 2:30-6:30 pm!
Pick List:
Eggs
Harvest Moon Purple and Yellow Finn Potatoes
Yaya Carrots
Purple Daikon Radish
Rutabaga
Parsnips
Celeriac
Sweet Spanish Colorado #6, Cabernet Red, and Cortland Yellow Onions
Leeks
Red and Green Cabbage
Kossack Kohlrabi
Kale
Rhubarb Chard
Chicory Mix
Lettuce Mix
Fava Greens
Cilantro and Parsley
Ground and Whole Dried Hot Peppers
Herbal Tea Blends
Pick your own flowers and herbs (from the herb garden and perennial field)
Sonora Wheat Flour and Cornmeal
Beef Bone Broth (Made by Olla Products)
Saltonstahl Olive Oil
Revolution Bread for sale on Tuesday and Friday
Carrot Leek Soup with Miso, from nytimes.com
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups peeled, cubed carrots (from about 6 medium carrots)
2 medium leeks, white part only, chopped
Salt and black pepper
8 cups water or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons yellow or white miso
1 small lime
Thinly sliced chives, for garnish (optional)
Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. When the butter starts to sizzle, add carrots and leeks. Season generously with salt and pepper, and stir to coat well. Sauté for a minute or 2, then add water (or broth, if using). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. As soup simmers, taste and add salt as needed. Cook until carrots are soft, about 15 minutes.
Once the soup is cooled, reserve 2 cups liquid, then purée the remaining contents of the pot in a blender. (Alternatively, use an immersion blender in the pot.) Use reserved liquid to adjust the purée’s thickness, adding just enough so the consistency is that of a thin milkshake.
To serve, heat soup and whisk in miso. Divide among 4 bowls. Grate a little lime zest over each bowl. Quarter the lime and add a good squeeze of lime juice into each bowl. Scatter with chives, if using.