This week, we knew that many of our Farm Share customers would be traveling and it would be difficult for them to eat all the fresh greens we have been harvesting lately. To accommodate the holiday travel schedule, we made some dishes that would also travel.

Nasturtium Leaves and Flowers with Country Terrine

My favorite dish this week was the nasturtium leaves and flowers with country terrine. Country terrine is a pate made from pork liver, pork roast, onion, garlic, spices, cream, and high-quality brandy. Every ingredient in this dish was grown or raised on our farm (except the brandy!).

The terrine is served in small dollops on the nasturtium leaves and topped with a nasturtium flower. These flavors are incredible together.  The nasturtium leaf brings a bold fresh flavor and the flower tastes almost of fruit.  The mixture of these flavors with the unique taste of the terrine is just exquisite.

To keep the flowers fresh, I dug up the roots of the plant and stored them with the soil in a zip lock bag. You can moisten the soil and put the flowers in the refrigerator and they will stay fresh for days.  The blooms will open again when they come into the light.  We also included edible radish flowers for a slightly different flavor.

Organic Fuji Apple Tart

We delivered the organic Fuji apple tart to be finished at home. Kayla prepares the raw dough for each of the tarts, then wraps the dough in butcher paper.  She pours the apple filling into mason jars.  Each customer is given directions on how to roll out the dough, form the tart, and bake it.  That way, our customers can enjoy their tarts hot and fresh out of the oven.

The filling for this tart is a pure taste of freshly-picked apples. It is tempting to want to add a lot of brown sugar and cinnamon, but Kayla lets the flavor the apples shine through.  The sweetness of the filling balances perfectly with the sweetness of the crust.

Challah

Challah is a wonderful bread often served at Jewish holidays. Kayla braids the dough into a beautiful loaf and bakes it to golden brown perfection.  We thought challah would be nice toasted and topped with country terrine, if any is left when the nasturtium leaves run out.

The King of Pork Chops

We gave each customer a package of our thick-cut pastured pork chops. I can’t decide whether I love these chops better on the grill, or in one of Kayla’s crock pot masterpieces.  These chops were particularly large; some of the packages would go for nearly $50 if we sold them retail.

But these chops are worth it. The nasturtium leaves with terrine are a wonderful taste, but they are more of an hors d’oeuvre.  These pork chops are the main course, and then some.

Really Good (and Healthy) Breakfast Sausage

We had an idea that a nice brunch would be fitting at some point over the Christmas weekend. We put a pound of ground pork into the Farm Share, along with a recipe for Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage.  We took the recipe straight from the Jimmy Dean website, but we eliminated the massive amount of MSG’s they put into their sausage.

This breakfast sausage is not a guilty pleasure, but part of a healthy breakfast. The sausage, along with pastured eggs and toasted challah, is exactly how we started our Christmas morning at the farm.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

I should call these birthday cookies, because Kayla makes them for my birthday, at my request, instead of cake. I don’t know how she makes these cookies so good.  I tell the children that she dips the tip of her little finger into the batter to make them so sweet, and that they all must learn how to do this.

Produce

Additionally, we had a good selection of produce in the farm share this week. Our customers had a choice of some or all of the following:  broccoli; kolh rabi; Siberian or curly leaf kale; green leaf mizuna; Prima Rosa chard; Chinese or All Season or Early Dutch cabbage; broccoli greens; pak choi; yams; sweet onions; garlic; Laurentian rutabegas; Shogoin or Purple-Top turnips; and heirloom radishes.  We even had a small amount of zucchini and eggplant to add to some of the boxes.

We included some recipe ideas for a soup or crockpot, to help make the most of the produce and protein in the share. There should be plenty for one or many delicious and hearty holiday meals.

Why We Love our Customers

We are so blessed to partner with such wonderful people. Our Farm Share friends are faithful, loyal customers.  They have been there for us during flood, drought, heat, cold, good harvests, and bad.  They take care of us in big ways, like paying for their share up front each month; and in little ways, like returning mason jars and egg cartons for us to recycle.  Our customers keep us going.

Farm Share friends, we want you to have a good Christmas because you have made it possible for us to have a good Christmas. We have plenty of presents under the tree for the little ones, and YOU made that possible.  We have had some lean years building our farm, but this is a really great year, and we are so glad to share it with you.

Thank you so much, friends. We wish you a blessed holiday, good eating, and a very Merry Christmas!