December at Sage Hill Farms

December is truely the month I love most on the farm. Most everything is sleeping and life slows down to a pace that can really be enjoyed. I still have that bit of child-like magic expectation that comes with cold and snowy days, warm kitchens and bright lit christmas trees. So please join me in seeking out the magical moments of this time of year and share them with someone you love.

Here in middle Tennessee, we bounce back and forth from cold to warm to rain to threats of snow and then we awake one morning and realize the cold has landed for the season. That is when you want to be sure everything is well protected and then just let it all be until spring.

We have winter greens growing in the garden, turnips, spinach, mustard, loose leaf lettuces and kale. Doesn't really matter how cold it gets they will be just fine and makes for a nourishing meal at the end of a cold work day.

We had our own pumpkin supply this year for Thanksgiving, and I have to say, they were beautiful and very tasty. From the small Baby Whites to the very large bright orange (i don't know what it is)pumpkin, they were all interesting to grow. Our first time to try that crop and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year.
I learned some things and will be better prepared for the next try.

Things in your herb garden that will produce all winter...your rosemary, thyme, sage, and oregano should be happy as long as you aren't too far north, I'm not real sure how the herb gardens survive the very harsh winters. Maybe someone will share their experience with me on that.

Sage Hill Farms has signed a fairly large contract with "Kids Culinary Adventure" in CA., for the upcoming spring, and as a result we will be growing herbs in greenhouses all year. This is a big step for us and I'm very excited and a little scared.
Growth is frightening sometimes, when it takes you out of your comfort zone...but then I suppose if you never leave your comfort zone you really don't grow.

I'm wishing you all a very "Happy Holiday" season.

For your herb needs, please visit us at: http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

As always we are just a phone call or email away.

Blessings,
Bea Kunz
Sage Hill Farms

Holiday Cooking.

This is the time of year we pull out all the favorite , time tested, and generational cooking secrets. I'm no different, I have recipes that go back to my great-grandmothers time.

Sage Hill Farms is working on a very special cookbook, and these are some of the special gifts that will be included.

Happy cooking and eat in moderation, good for the soul and the scales!

~~~Onion Strudel~~~

4 medium red onions, sliced

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

fresh ground black pepper to taste

3/4 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup white wine

1-1/2 cup buttered plain croutons

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 package phyllo pastry

1 cup melted butter

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

~~~Saute' the onions in 3 tbsp butter until tender. Stir in the flour and pepper, mix in the broth and white wine.

Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Let stand until cool and stir in the croutons and cheeses.

Place 6 sheets of the phyllo pastry on a work board and cover with a damp cloth to keep it from drying out. Brush the pastry one sheet at a time with melted butter, and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, stacking after the completion of each sheet.

Spread half the onion mixture to within 1 inch of the edge in the middle third of the pastry. Fold one end over the onion mixture. Roll, as for a jelly roll. Place seam side down on a baking sheet and brush with butter.

Repeat the process with the remaining pastry to make another strudel.

Bake at 350* for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves 6 to 8 easily.

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~~~Crab Bisque~~~

1-1/2 ribs of celery chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 pound of fresh or frozen crab meat

1-1/2 teaspoons paprika

3/4 teaspoons sea salt

3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

1-10oz can-cream of mushroom soup (organic if possible)

1-10oz can of cream of celery (organic)

2 soup cans of half-and-half or evaporated milk

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

~~~Saute' the celery, onion and carrot in a sucepan until tender.

Stir in the crab meat, papriks, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the soups and mix well, pour into a food blender and process until smoothe.

Return to the saucepan and stir in the half-and-half and white wine.

Cook just until heated through. Stir often or it will stick.

Ladel into soup bowls, top with 1/2 tsp butter and a sprinkling of parsley.

Serves 6 to 8.

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~~~Chicken and Dumplings~~~ (comfort food at our house)

1 5 lb hen-cut up

1 tbsp sea salt

1 rib celery, sliced

1 lemon, sliced

1 onion, sliced

8 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Combine the hen and the salt with enough water to cover in a stockpot and bring to boil. Add the celery, lemon, onion, peppercorns, and bayleaf.

Simmer for 2 hours until the chicken is tender, add water if needed.

~~~Dumplings~~~

2 cups flour

2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup pure vegetable shortening

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

Cut in the shortening until crumbly.

Whisk the milk and egg together in a bowl. Add to the crum mixture, stirring until a firm dough forms. Add additional flour if needed for a firm consistency.

Roll the dough 1/4 inch thick on a slightly floured surface and cut into strips.

Drop the strips into the hot broth, cover and high simmer for 30 minutes. Do not stir during cooking or your dumplings will dissolve.

Discard bayleaf before serving.

Serves 6 to 10.

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~~~Oyster and Pecan Dressing~~~

8 ozs of turkey sausage, sliced

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

6 cups dry bread crumbs ( I use cornbread, but any stout bread such as french will do)

3 cups, drained, fresh oysters

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1-1/2 tsp worsestershire sauce

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Saute' the sausage in a 6 qt Dutch-oven until golden brown. Remove the sausage and drain. Reserve the pan drippings

Heat the butter with the pan drippings until the butter melts, add the onion and celery, saute' for 5 min and remove from heat

Add the bread crumbs, oysters, pecans, parsley, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and toss lightly.

Place in a well oiled baking pan and bake covered w/ baking foil until a knife test is clean. About 45 to 60 min.

You can use the dressing to stuff the turkey or chicken, be sure to follow the baking time chart for the proper cooking time if you do.

Serves 10 to 12 easily.

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Autumn Highlights.

Around our house October and November means lots of pumpkins, big fat orange ones, and dainty, and not so dainty, white ones, fat, skinny, perfect and totally warped ones. I never ever have enough pumpkins to satisfy my never-ending use for them. Of course the pumpkin isn't the only autumn fruit/vegetable that is worthy of attention in the colorful scheme of this most loved part of the year.
Gourds, corn stalks, and the different array of apples, from green to yellow to red and a combination of all the previous mentioned colors, it really is the most colorful season.

We enjoy using the colorful selection as an inviting grouping on the front porch, a lovely selection of pumpkins on the farm table in the dining room is very fitting.
A few scattered around the gardens provide a little touch of color to a somewhat fading look by this time of year.

And...of course we must not forget the Jack-O-Lantern.

What would October be without that special face sitting by the door greeting everyone who passes by or comes to call.

One of my very favorite uses for the pumpkin is in the kitchen of course.

For the family meal at Thanksgiving I use a medium size "Sugar Pumpkin"...(best for cooking)as a serving bowl for our favorite stew.

The options are many, just use your imagination for the stew.

Cut the top from a medium size Sugar Pumpkin, scoop out at least half of the pulp/without leaving the shell too thin. Set aside to use in the stew.

In a large deep pan place the pumpkin in boiling water, about 1/3 of the way up on the pumpkin.
Place in a very hot oven and cook until all the water is gone or until the pumpkin is just starting to get soft.(don't overcook)

Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes to cool slightly.

Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper or your favorite spices.

Saute' the firm parts of the pumpkin pulp, season according to your other ingredients. Stir all together and add to the pumpkin shell. Put it back in the oven and cook about 20 minutes, just enough to blend the flavors.

Makes a lovely centerpiece for the table and delicious too!

Enjoy this season, however you celebrate it...it is so special.

Bea Kunz
Sage Hill Farms

HERB and SPICE CHART

While cooking with herbs and spices really have no hard and fast rules, there are however some time-honored ways of using them that seem to be traditional.

HERB/SPICE-----------------SUGGESTED USE---------------------
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Allspice~~~~~~~~~~~Stews, peaches, apple dishes and tomatoes.
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Anise~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Baked Goods, fruits, and some vegetables.
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Basil~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tomatoes, fish, lamb and soups.
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Bay Leaf~~~~~~~~~~~Stocks, stews, soups, chicken & tuna.
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Cardamom~~~~~~~~~~~Baking, good cinnamon substitute.
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Chervil~~~~~~~~~~~~Asparagus, eggplant, mushrooms, fish, poultry.
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Chives~~~~~~~~~~~~~Eggs, salads, baked potatoes and soups.
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Cinnamon~~~~~~~~~~~Baked goods, rice pudding, coffee, Mexican food.
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Clove~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sweet baking, sweet potatoes, apples, hot teas.
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Coriander~~~~~~~~~~Indian and curried foods, rice pilaf, chicken.
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Cumin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chili, curries, brown rice, black beans.
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Dill~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fish, eggs, potatoes, pasta salads and squash.
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Fennel~~~~~~~~~~~~~Seafood, pork, squash, beets and pasta sauces.
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Ginger~~~~~~~~~~~~~Winter fruits, Oriental dishes, carrots, hot teas.
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Marjoram~~~~~~~~~~~Vegetable soups, fish, poultry, most meats.(oregano substitute)
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Mint~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Roast lamb, hot/cold teas, fruit dishes and salads.
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Nutmeg~~~~~~~~~~~~~Spinach, sweet potatoes, squash, cream soups, baked goods.
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Oregano~~~~~~~~~~~~Tomato dishes, vegetable juices, broiled fish, greek dishes.
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Parsley~~~~~~~~~~~~Eggs, meats, fish, cream cheese.
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Paprika~~~~~~~~~~~~Egg salad, pasta salad, fish, cajun cooking.
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Rosemary~~~~~~~~~~~Lamb, beef, roasted potatoes, grilled foods, eggplant, tomatoes.
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Sage~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Pork, stuffings, squash, cornbread, stewed peaches.
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Tarragon~~~~~~~~~~~Eggs, chicken, crab, mushrooms, herb vinegars, french sauces.
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Thyme~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chowders, soups, stews, stuffings, meatloaf, cheese & grilled food
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Beasbeatitudes Herb Blog, all rights reserved.

Autumn Delights!

Happy Autumn!
I'm about as pleased as a pig playing in the mud. I am so ready for some cool brisk days, and we have had those in my part of Tennessee for the last week or so. WEll, actually it has been brisk nights and mornings, heating up at midday through about 3 pm, but I'm not complaining at all.

I'm almost at a loss for something to do in the gardens, can you imagin!
The annual herbs are past the point of harvest and the garden is still producing, well, okra and tomatoes at least.
Soon we will till those under and plant a nice patch of turnip greens.
Nothing better than fresh greens for Thanksgiving.
Turnip greens are so good for you, do you know they serve as a natural detox for the free radicals that take up housekeeping in your body and make you sick.

A fine autumn dinner to please any anyone would be fresh turnip greens cooked with ham bone. Sugar beets simmered in a small amount of honey and dill, and sage cornbread cooked until it is crispy and brown.

Lets get cooking!!

Happy Autumn and be blessed.

Bea Kunz

PS: I've had a few request for a zone map, this is about as good as I could find.
As you can see it is compliments of the NGA.

A Day Of Remberance. 9/11/2006

Today was one of many different feelings for me.
I prayed early in the morning for all the people who were in the towers, the ones who escaped and the ones who did not. I prayed for strength to spend my day doing what would put something useful back into the universe. So it seemed rather natural when I found myself in the gardens digging in the dirt. I feel very close to my maker when I'm there on any given day....today was very special.

The air was warm, but not too hot, a slight breeze to temper the sun. There were no bugs flying around at all, I felt like an artist with a brand new canvas.......so I went to work.

I cleaned the thyme beds, cut the plants back to the ground level so they will be nice and strong by the beginning of winter.

I worked on some new beds for the spring and cut and dried lemon balm and lavender for tea blends.
I hauled compost and treated all the beds to a good feeding of fish emulsion.

I didn't watch TV today, not because I wasn't interested but because I felt moved to be outside "doing" something with my hands, something I could look at and see results when the day ended.

My thoughts ran a marathon during the course of the day....flash-backs to 2001, a friend who escaped the towers just minutes before it collapsed, why this thing happened-always the why...never an answer.

I ended the day with a loving tribute to my mother and father who gave me life, a life I am so grateful for.

May God have mercy on our world.

Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

Herb Harvesting Tips for mid-August.

August is harvesting time for all herb plants.
Annuals need to be cut back as if this is the last cutting. If they give you another growth that will be a bonus, but most will die and you will want to turn those back into the soil and let them decay for good rich compost soil matter.

Perennials should be cut back to about a third of the plant, this will give the plant time to regrow and become strong again before the winter months set in.

If you cut back too late the frost will kill any new growth and your plants could easily die from the harsh cold on the tender plants.

Your basic perennials(ones that can be harvested all year)are:

Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Oregano, Lavender, and Tarragon.
Of course all of these will have different levels of tolerance, depending on where you are.

Your local farm co-op is a great place to get good solid plant information on weather tolerance.

Once you have harvested your herbs, then you must decide how you wish to keep them.
They can be dried by hanging in small bundles and left to dry at their own speed...doesn't take very long, a few weeks for most.
You will want to hang them in a cool, dry place such as an attic, a clean barn or inside a closet will work.
When I dry using this method, I cover the herbs with a fine piece of netting to keep flying bugs, dust, etc., from settling on them.

My favorite way to dry most things is by using a commercial grade dehydrater.(if you are drying small amounts, then a regular one will be just fine.)
I don't like using a microwave or the oven, and would not suggest that anyone else do so.
After your herbs are dry, store in dark colored glass jars with good fitting lids, away from heat and bright lights, inside a pantry, closet or any cupboard that is used for storage. Don't store over or close to the cook stove.

TIP: If you leave the leaves whole until you get ready to use them they will retain more of the essential oils.

Enjoy your harvesting !

Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com