Saturday, January 29, 2011

 Cayenne pepper string hanging in the Farm Store. Jamie and Dylan made these!

 A jar a dilly beans with a Cayenne decorating the rim

 Dressed up rice with a dried Cayenne pepper

 Cayenne peppers for sale at the Farm Store. Dresses up the winter produce table.

 That is one HOT pepper!

 More bedazzled canned goodies.

Remember where they once were...Jalapeno pepper's growing in Foxhollow Farm Center's Market Garden in August 2010.

After a little winter get away to Mexico I came back with a new found love for peppers. In  In the middle of January, there is nothing more beautiful than a bright red hanging strand of dried Cayenne peppers. When winter is gray and dark, a pop of color can brighten up the gloomiest of days. No longer can I step out my backdoor (usually minutes before supper) and pick a bunch of bright pink peonies to add beauty to my table setting. There are no more tangy orange Nasturtiums waiting for me in a pot on my back stoop begging to dress up a salad. The ability to snip a few squash blossom, gently stuff them with chives and fresh goats cheese, and add atop an already fancy grass fed beef steak is out of the question these days. Fortunately, we do have red hot cayenne peppers. One tiny (and hot, very hot) cayenne pepper can dress up a whole room, a bowl of plain rice, a jar of canned beans, a winter table setting, and even a kitchen sink... (well kind of). Here at Foxhollow Farm we are lucky to have pepper enthusiasts, Jamie and Dylan. Jamie and Dylan smoke, dry, can, roast, and grow all sorts of pepper in the summer. Thanks Jamie and Dylan for adding a little spice to our winter life!




Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Winter on the Farm

     The cold months can sometimes seem dull on the farm.  Bright sunny fields of fruits and flowers are replaced, instead, with frozen landscapes, seemingly lifeless.  While winter is a stark contrast to the fast paced summer season, exploding with new growth each day, it is far from a dead time.  Life in the forests and fields is active.  Winter walks on the farm, especially the forest, can be some of the most enchanting experiences.  There is a special energy on a winter day that can't really be compared to anything else.  The cold air nips at your face and hands, sounds seem more clear, smells are almost nonexistent.   Visually the forest is completely transformed.  Trees become stately dark statues, cutting the landscape into silvery white slivers of snow covered ground; which in reflecting the small amount of sunlight becomes brighter than the gray January sky.  Ice freezes and thaws in a rhythmic dance across the tops of ponds.  Streams of spring water provide warm havens for fish and turtles to eat and to bask on the sunniest days.  One of the coolest effects of having a little snow on the ground is that animal tracks can be observed and often identified by amateur naturalists.  Following tracks and observing their sheer numbers gives proofs that all sorts of creatures are active in the winter, and helps us to learn about their habitats and needs.  In actuality wintertime on the farm is a time full of life force, it simply takes a keen eye and inquisitive mind to discover it!  We invite you to break your winter doldrums with a walk on our nature trails, and a visit to our store for our wintertime Saturday cooking demos in a laid back winter fashion.  This week we'll be giving "cook & freeze" demos with Jamie, our resident food-preservationist! We'd love to see you!




Saturday, January 22, 2011

Welcome To "The New" Foxhollow Farm Store

Welcome to the Foxhollow Farm Blog!  Our community here at Foxhollow wants to stay connected to everyone year round, through rain, snow, or shine!  We want to tell you all about our happening's here, what activities we are having, when you can come out and hang with us, what we are researching and discovering, and most of all we always want you to join into conversation about it too!  Questions, feedback, random thoughts are all welcome!

One of the most recent happenings here is the Foxhollow Farm Store Renovation Project!!  In the effort to bring a warm & comforting, fun, inviting place for anyone and everyone to hang out at, we decided it was time to give our store a makeover (see pictures below).  I am loving all of the extra seating that provides a space for people to come hang out for a few hours to read, knit, chat, and meet the Foxhollow Farm Community to learn about who we are and why we are so passionate about the local and slow food movement!  Believe me, we would talk about it for hours if you gave us the opportunity!  Now every Saturday from 10am to 5pm (the store's new winter hours) we have live music, cooking demos, delicious soup, coffee, and tea!  It is so much fun and is now a great community gathering place!  I hope everyone comes and checks it out soon!

Farm Store before renovation, the day we packed everything up.
View from the front door

Everything is almost packed up.  View from back.  

The renovation has started!
View from front door

A big thank you Rusty & his crew for working so hard!

Farm Store Renovation is Finished!  
View from checkout counter.

Another sitting area!  
View from above picture (front door is to the right)

Final Product = Warm, fun place to hang out! 
View from Front Door