In your share

• Chicken
• Ground beef
• Lamb shank or roast
• Pork chops
• Italian sausage
• Steak (random beef variety)

On the Farm

We have two off-farm adventures to report on this month, the first was an actual vacation (at 9 days, it was the longest trip we’ve taken in at least 15 years!); we flew to El Paso, TX, rented a Jeep, and did a road trip visiting 4 National Parks: White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe Mountains, and Big Bend. Except for the winds in the Guadalupes that gusted up to 100 mph (!!!), the trip far exceeded my expectations. I am already looking forward to exploring Big Bend more at some future time, as it reminds me of a cross between Death Valley and Zion National Parks. But I highly recommend all of these parks.

A few days after we returned, I (Mike) got back on a plane and flew to Washington DC to take part in the “Farmers for Climate Action: Rally for Resilience” where we had a (peaceful) rally and march to the capitol steps, followed the next day by appointments with our congressional delegation to advocate for more progressive measures in the upcoming renewal of the farm bill. We are fortunate to have lawmakers who “get it,” as all of them – Merkley, Wyden, and Blumenauer – are supportive of climate-friendly agriculture. I have a full recap that is posted at goodstuffnw.com. (you may need to scroll down a bit, past the newly posted stories; but do read those, too!)

On the farm, despite the gloomy weather, spring is coming and things are starting to ramp up here. We had our first calf of the season, a little bull calf who will live his best life for two years before becoming part of your CSA share. We also have our first batch of broiler chickens in the brooder, they’ll go out to the pasture in a few weeks, then will be ready for our first processing date of the season just before Memorial Day. We are making some refinements to our flock of sheep, adding in some genetics from a breed called Dorper, to hopefully get a little more size and consistency in our lambs. Finally, we are crossing our fingers for a little more sunshine and warmer weather to get our pastures growing so we can get our grazing season underway. But we are thankful for the conditions we do have, and concerned for all of our colleagues in California who are dealing with flooded fields, evacuations, and seemingly no end in sight to their weather whiplash.

Recipe

Lamb and Turnip Stew from Good Stuff NW

We’re going back to the Good Stuff NW blog from Portlander and long-time friend of the farm, Kathleen Bauer. If you belong to a veggie CSA and have a bunch of winter turnips that you don’t know what to do with, here you go.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 lbs. lamb meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 onion, halved lengthwise and again crosswise into eight pieces
6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
6 Tbsp. flour
1 c. dry white wine, or rosé
4 c. chicken stock or broth of your choice
3 medium-sized turnips, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ dice
2 medium carrots, quartered and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 c. half-and-half
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chopped turnip leaves, parsley or mint for garnish

Directions

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the oil until shimmering. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, cook the lamb over medium heat until browned all over, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a large plate. Add the onions to the pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes, transfer to the plate with the meat. 

Remove the pot from the heat and add enough oil or lard to make 6 tablespoons of fat. Whisk in the flour, then return the pot to the heat. Add the wine and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, scraping the bottom of the pot. Stir in 2 cups of water along with the stock and whisk until smooth, then add the lamb and onion mixture and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is tender, about 1 hour, adding more water or stock if there isn’t enough liquid. (Note: Sopping the gravy with bread is critical!)

Add the turnips, carrots and potatoes to the pot and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream; season with salt and pepper and warm briefly without boiling. Ladle the stew into bowls and garnish as desired. Serve with crusty bread.