Teaching Children to Cook

Here at the Farm, our kitchen is the center of family activity. Much of the time, it is socializing, working and eating: and with eating there's usually conversation.
 
In preparation for eating, there's cooking.  With our food from the Farm, and Helen, a great cook, you can bet we all love to eat; isn't it natural that our children have all learned a bit about cooking?
 
Sam, now 30, Rose 28, and Penni 26 all take their turns at cooking --- sometimes consulting Mom and sometimes getting a bit adventurous with cookbooks or experiments. 
 
When I grew up in the 1950's, my Mom did a lot of cooking so this does, indeed seem natural to me. I love to cook and also love to read good recipes.
 
Today, many parents don't have the time (or take the time) to cook so it is not knowledge they pass on through the family. People's connections with food are lessened, I think, by their lack of cooking experience. So, it was with great pleasure, while bumbling around the web the other day, that I found out about Tribeca Yummy Mummy.
 
This woman cooks with children: children four years old and under.  She teaches classes to these children and their parents giving the families she serves ways to engage in the kitchen.
 
Bravo!! Cooking plus trips to the Farm help children understand a bit of history and life many have missed lately: good food from start to finish.
 
I hope the video link below works, it is from "The Green Fork" the blog of the "Eat Well Guide,".  I have also included a link to Cait's blog where there are some excellent recipes to read and try.
(Note: Dec. 1, Friends have told me the video does indeed work.)
 

 

 

Cate Bruce-Low of Tribeca Yummy Mummy teaching a cooking class for children.

http://bit.ly/jUS79

 

 Video from The Green Fork.

 

Tribeca Yummy Mummy

(blog)

http://tribecayummymummy-cate.blogspot.com/

Local Delivery of Farm Products Available

We sell pasture raised poultry and pork as well as seasonal produce on Rt17 in Chelsea across from Crystal Falls. We are offering delivery services to the

towns of Augusta, Windsor, Chelsea and South China. Deliveries can be made to homes, businesses, offices, etc. There is a $1 charge for orders less than $45, we encourage you to order together

with friends, neighbors, coworkers to avoid this charge. Please Email or call for details such as delivery days, product availability, etc. Leave a message

if no answer, we're busy farming... 207.445.2141.

We deliver at retail prices unless a wholesale account is arranged.

 

Current offerings are

Strawberries: 4.50 a quart

Fresh Eggs: $3.50 a dozen

Frozen Chicken: $2.65 per pound processed June 11

Frozen Duckling: $5 per pound processed June 18 

Item quantities depend on availability, meats are Maine state inspected, someone must be available to accept and pay for delivery.

Payment is expected on delivery.

Fresh chickens will be available on July 11. 

Order early for best availability, and please let your friends and coworkers know about this service.

 

Eat Local, eat Fresh!

 

posting from Emma's Family Farm,
 Windsor Maine;
 Steve Hoad
See what we're doing on the Farm at
http://twitter.com/TheHoads
 

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Sharing the Bounty of Knowledge

WINDSOR (June 13, 09): We farm. We grow things. People eat the food or use the products that we grow, and that, in itself, is an exciting process. We deal

with natural things: the weather, the insects, the soils, and such dicey matters as things that decompose in the night. We also deal with manure, death,

life, and beauty! Its a big cycle of emotions that we work through; many times, many emotions, throughout a day.

 

Keeping that in mind, human interactions can either be a breath of fresh air or an interruption. Lately, there have been lots of breaths of fresh air. Our

human interactions with customers and friends have been filled with chances to share knowledge.

 

More than 20 years ago, I began to frequent the poultry shows at fairs. I met members of the Central Maine Bird Fanciers organization because I was interested

in poultry. I had grown some of my own, for my family's use --- eggs, meat, and pleasure. My children and my wife enjoyed the lives and antics of hens

and roosters, turkeys, geese, and ducks. At the poultry shows, and in the Bird Fanciers, I met many people who shared this interest and enjoyment --- poultry

of many different sorts. I learned about breeds, pure for show of course. I learned about habits of various species and I learned much about the friendships

that sharing knowledge can create.

 

The interest of late in local food has offered yet another chance to share knowledge. People interested in raising poultry for the first time stop and ask

questions. People coming to buy produce want to know about growing methods, about ideas for eating new and different foods, and about the practices on

our farm and what our opinions are of other farming practices.

 

This inquisitiveness offers a chance to share knowledge and discuss some of what's happening here and around the world in farming communities and its a

joy to offer what we know, trade opinion, and listen to others sharing their stories.

 

Now, in towns and cities across the state and country, urban and in-town gardens are again springing up. The movement to bring chickens back into town is

flourishing and people are relearning skills that many of their grandparents took for granted. Over a number of generations it seems that people have gradually

disconnected from the land and their food. I really believe that sharing, asking questions, and learning can again reconnect the people, the land, and

our food. Its exciting and really quite exhilarating to be involved in the process here in Maine.

posting from Emma's Family Farm,
 Windsor Maine;
 Steve Hoad
See what we're doing on the Farm at
http://twitter.com/TheHoads
 

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Poetic Venting

 

"Let 'em Eat Cake"

Is Governor Baldacci the reincarnation of Marie Antoinette?

 

"Please, I'm disturbed by the noise that you make,

If you can't make your  bread,

You'll have to eat cake!

 

Your car broke down while I was out golfing?

Relax, check in for a session of rolfing.

 

We're bowling and skiing, it doesn't tax us,

If your car doesn't work,

You must ride the bus!

 

If there's no bus and you can't get to work,

Stay home, bake a cake,

Stop grousing, you jerk!

 

As Mainers we must host all for their pleasure,

We can't help those folks whose work ethic's a treasure!"

 

This poet ponders and looks at new taxes,

His car's all broke down while our gov'nor relaxes.

Taxing repairs will punish the poor,

While bowlers and golfers don't have to pay more.

 

And then, when its winter, the weather is cold!

The poor person's car needs repair 'cause its old,

Its sales tax increasing the bill that he's seeing,

While pleasurful folks go scot free for their skiing.

 

Logic does dictate that taxes are there,

We know its important, we should pay our share.

While others seek pleasure, it just isn't fair,

That those who must work pay tax on repair.

 

The Sound of the Lawn Mower

Its almost time here in Maine. These warm days will eventually cause people's lawns to grow and then: roaring, clattering, flying stuff as one walks or drives by --- more pleasantly, the smell of new cut grass, the good times in the yard, the control of mosquitoes.

I grew up in a house where the lawn, and lawn care, were a revered passtime. My dad mowed, watered, studied, fertilized, pulled weeds, sprayed for weeds, spread stuff for weeds, and even installed underground irrigation and a special well so the lawn could thrive. It was His matter of pride, and the neighborhood apreciated it, often stopping to talk about lawn care. My Dad was the local expert!

I was more interested in the mechanics of growing: I played with starting shrubs, understanding effects of fertilizer, and the garden that was hidden out back.

Recently, I participated in the "White House Garden" project: I signed a petition, blogged in the NY Times "Well" section, forwarded articles and petitions to friends etc. I was pleased when the Obama's decided to tear up some lawn for a garden.

There have been some things written about the amount of pesticides used on the White House lawn. So, as I was catching up on Email I thought this was worthy of consideration: something from a publication I receive twice a month.
"Big green: Lawns in the U.S. cover 40 million acres, making them the largest agricultural sector in America.

And paying to keep it that way: Americans shell out $40 billion annually for seed, sod, and chemicals to keep their lawns green.

Chemical hogs: Lawns use ten times as many chemicals per acre as industrial agribusiness farmland.

With an insatiable thirst: Lawn watering consumes 270 billion gallons of water a week.

More than its share: One-third of all residential water use in the U.S. goes for landscaping.

Food not lawns: The land and water used for lawns could instead produce over 80 million acres of organic vegetables."
The publication is called "FoodLinks America" and it can be found at this web site, along with an Email address for subscription. http://www.tefapalliance.org/
There are often things worth reading in Foodlinks.
And, back to the lawn of my youth? My Dad died after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease. Research has shown that exposure to pesticides is a cause that often leads to Parkinsons. I think the lawn is kind of nice with dandelions...

Firsts of the Spring!

I noticed in one of today's papers that there is an "ozone alert" posted for this weekend. It seems early for this but I guess the warm air flowing in is bringing with it something we don't really want.
And then: the native variety of black flies have made their appearance here in Windsor. We were just speaking of them the other day: I decided long ago that I'd rather have black flies than a dry spring. Black flies need running water to breed so --- let's keep the water running so we'll have green and lush gardens.

A Satisfied Customer

At the farm, in the spring, when purchases far exceed sales in monetary value, we're offering a few extra things for sale:
pullets, adult guinea fowl, bags of rabbit manure, and, of course, the best fresh eggs for eating, and some fertile eggs for hatching. This is a time when we can connect with other farmers, gardeners, hobbyists and talk about our favorite growing things.
This morning a man visited us to buy the one guinea hen we have left. We have lots more males, but only one hen.
Sometimes the guinea fowl are hard for us to tell apart, male from female. We were sure this one was a hen and maybe, just maybe, there's another...
I received this Email this afternoon:
"good afternoon steve,
i wanted to thankyou for allowing me to come out today, 4 of my guinea cocks are very happy, they have taken to the hen already.
again, if and when you identify some more hens i would be happy to purchase 3-4 more. as well if you do get some turkey eggs ( fertile of course) i would
be more than happy to purchase 6 from you.
pls thank your daughters for me they were very kind. i look forward to hearing from you sometime in the future.
enjoy the beautiful day and wknd
wayne"
Thanks Wayne, we enjoyed meeting you too!