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3.28.2012

all the leaves are brown (and unbagged!)

What do you get when you mix 1,000 bags of leaves and 17 nordic skiiers?
DAMN fast leaf unbagging!
All- time records were broken here at littleGrasse this past Saturday morning when SLU athletes enthusiastically tackled our mountain of leaves from last fall. About 10 dump truck loads worth. 
(Admit it, you thought it would take longer!)
The task was knocked off right quick, and we enjoyed a mid-morning snacking.
the task at hand
the crew!
workin' it
sooooo many leaves
their trusty steeds

The leaves are now spread and ready to be fertilized by our summer chickens. Go organic matter go!
 before: winterized leaf bags
Um.... is this a bad time to mention the yet to be delivered spring cleanup leaves?!

3.12.2012

field notes

I reckon it's not necessary to wax/marvel at the weather these past couple days.  So we'll skip that, and give some insight into what we've been able to accomplish around the barnyard.

boiling sap
burning last year's brush piles
turning early soil! for greens
 
 
First  group Saturday morning in the garden coming up in three weeks.  
April 7th. 9:30a. 
Chance to see the land in its early brown glory. 
We'll keep in touch about it.

3.09.2012

march flavors- aka kitchen crafts 4 of 4


Tomato Vegetable Juice- Why isn’t this juice thick and red? It’s because the juices have been extracted with heat, rather than pressure.  We steam juice a variety of fruits and vegetables, when we desire a clear product, without a lot of pulp.  There's a small bit of residual hovering at the bottom, which can be mixed in and consumed.  The result is a good match for drinking straight, as well as a base for soup, cooking rice etc….
ingred: tomatoes, carrots*, peppers*, onions*, salt.
Savory Shallots- Introducing…. A Favorite!  These shallots were the first pickle of 2011.  As you may know, shallots are known for their incredible storability.  They remain dense and firm long after the stored onions.  So by pickling the past season’s harvest, we make space on our plate for the new season’s shallots.
ingred: shallots*, apple cider vinegar*, garlic*, dill*, bay leaves*, sea salt.
Concord Grape Juice-This juice is lightly touched with raw honey.  We enjoy it straight, though you could cut it with seltzer, add it to a smoothie or create a new cocktail. Be warned of, 'blue tongue,' if you drink it all straight!
ingred: concord grapes, honey*.
Fresh Yogurt- Stir before serving.  Yogurt can be frozen if not eaten within 3 weeks. I considered flavoring this batch, and opted to keep it Real. That way you can bake with it, etc...  I often enjoy it with blueberry spread and a touch of syrup stirred in. This batch is thinner than some. The milk hails from Windy Ridge dairy in West Potsdam.  
ingred: jersey milk*, active cultures.
Peach butter- The richness of this comes from reducing the peaches through prolonged cooking.  There is a slight touch of sweetener, but oh so little!
ingred: peaches, raw cane sugar*.
Chunky Apple Chutney- This recipe intertwines sweet and savory, playing the raisins and sweetener against the ginger and garam masala.  Garam masala is a fragrant Indian spice mixture that livens up many a dish. The ingredients are included below.
ingred: apples, apple cider vinegar, raisins*, ginger*, raw cane sugar*, shallots*, lemon*, garam masala (cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg)*, vegetable oil.

*marks organic ingredients

Raise a glass to the bounty of our North Country summer!
We'll be in touch, eager to gather feedback and impressions.