The Farm Kitchen

The turkeys are now processed and sitting in a row in the barn fridge, waiting for their chance to shine this Thursday. And shine they will. But for now, they are not the only items that need to be addressed to prepare for that great day. Of course, I’m talking about the Stuffing. If I were to wait until Thursday to begin, there would be nothing of that nature to be had. Because to be a true and proper stuffing, the bread must be stale. And to be stale, it must be made in the first place and allowed to get that way. This year, we will be having Stuffing…

Every place deserves a name. For so long now, our place has been called, simply, The Farm. It is the same in the books as it has been spoken aloud. The Farm. Well, that has been itching at me for a bit. But what to call ourselves? We are on the Stone Road–so shall it be Stone Hollow Farm? I had thought that was it. Until I went to Market, and saw Stone Hollow Bakery–true, their Stone Road and their Hollow was two towns over–regardless, it was back to the drawing board for me. The Hollow felt important, seeing as that is the nature of our Farm–when you come and…

Aunt Mary stopped over today. She does that from time to time. Usually to sit and talk, drink coffee and make something special. Today that was bread. And cookies. We had a slice slathered in butter and slurped up some Firehall Chowder and before either of us knew it three hours had passed. She visited the turkeys, who are spending more time out of their yard then in these days. But I don’t bother too much about it. Thanksgiving is a little more than a week away-if they want to explore the greener grasses a bit, more power to them. It’s the least we could do. We visited Piggly and…

There are days when I love having a Farm. The sun is shining. The tomatoes are juicy (and plentiful). There is joy in any and everything. Today is not one of those days. Either was yesterday. Did I tell you the pigs got out? Oh, yes. They did. I was taking a little mid-afternoon stroll in the backyard (feeling a little under the weather, actually) and there they are, digging deep ruts in the Turkey yard. Well. Let me tell you, the Turkey’s must still be upset over it, because they themselves showed up at my backdoor this afternoon to lodge an Of-ficial complaint. So, I had to usher them…

The East Garden has been completely laid to rest for the Fall. Each raised bed has been stripped of it’s vile weeds and a thick coating of compost has been laid over it all. Even the bed that surrounds the fence (that surrounds the garden) has been cleared and thus treated, so that next Spring all I must do is plant and water, water and plant. This has been such a strange year! Usually about this time (actually, two months before this time), I would be done and ready to be so. Now I find myself pouring over plans for next years garden. Some things are already known. That bed…

The good weather continued throughout the weekend, making it an all-around remarkable birthday, really. We (being my sister and mother) went kayaking at my favorite hidden lake (it’s tucked in behind a cemetery–you’d never know it was there–and it’s a honey-hole for fishing–caught my first fish of my life there, as a matter of fact). That was Saturday. On Sunday, which was the actual birthday in question, we had a fairly low-key kind of day. After church we came home and settled in a bit. I took my standard Sunday nap, and then got to cooking. Hey. Leave me alone. It’s something I enjoy. And enjoy it I do, but…

So no rolls last night, but I am making them for tonight. We’re having a(nother) beautiful day today, sunny and mid sixties, so it felt like time for a last hoorah on the grill. Cheeseburgers it is, and of course, a cheeseburger isn’t complete without it’s bun, so that’s what I’m making as we speak. Well, okay, not that exactly making it; the rolls themselves are doing that; in the way of puffing out a bit. Once they’ve gotten to be the proper shape and size, I’ll bake them for a bit in a hot oven and call it a day. I tend to like my rolls with flecks of…

The sun has finally come out and with it a nice soft breeze; a perfect day to hang clothes up on the line, which is just what I have done. More leaves were moved from under the big maple out front to the berry patch–this time the rosehips and the raspberries. If this nice weather holds out tomorrow I’ll work on the blackberry patch and the cranberries. Then that will be just about done, which will be fine with me. By this time of year I am ready to slow down a bit with a good book and a cup of tea. There’s a pot of chili on the stove,…

The drizzle continues on this first day of November, but it’s warm–nearly sixty degrees. And it’s a good thing, too, because the furnace decided not to work. It appears now to be it’s annual thing. Sometime in November it up and decides it’s done. We coax it along, pat it gently, plead with it to give us another year, and it does. One of these days it will not be so easily swayed. But, thankfully, today was not that day. It only needed a new battery; an easy fix. But, I must say, my heart skips a beat each time it decides not to work. A furnace isn’t an easy…

The rain is coming down in sheets, but it doesn’t seem to bother the pigs at all. Oh. Didn’t you know we had pigs? Yes. They came on Sunday and now we have pigs. They’re pasture pigs, so we put them in the chicken yard, under the mulberry trees. Oh, my did Chicken Little have a fit about that! She spent the whole day squawking to anyone who would listen. She’s much better today, though. She’s discovered that a pig can be useful, after all. Now you’ll find her right behind them, scooping up all the worms their digging brings up. I spent the morning moving leaves from under the…