Kale Chips your kids will eat too.....

Kale shouldn't be eaten raw. It needs to be broken down either by heat or citrus to be digested properly. From a health perspective Kale has a high concentration of vitamins, K, A, C, B6, and E. Vitamin K is great because it helps reduce inflammation. More vitamin C is helpful this time of year because helps to elevate our immune systems to attack viruses. Kale is rich in antioxidants and fiber. A single cup has 30% of your daily recommended intake of omega 3s. This is about as close you can get to a "super food."

One final thing to note, I had my girls try this (when they were hungry of course) and they can't stop eating it. We tested this out on a few 9-year olds at a birthday party we hosted at "The Farm" and they loved it too!!  Make sure you wait until they are nice and crispy before you remove from the oven or no one will like them.  We hope you enjoy them!

-Chris

Kale Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch of kale, rinsed and spun
• Organic non-stick olive oil spray
• sea salt 

Instructions:

• Pre-heat the oven for 180
• Remove the stems from the kale and rip them into bite-size pieces
• Spray sheet pan evenly with the olive oil 
• Arrange the kale in a tight single layer on the sheet pan and spray with olive oil.
• Season with sea salt, be liberal
• Bake in the oven until crispy, usually about 20-30 minutes.

Tip:  A yummy addition to this is adding fresh parmesan cheese before putting it in the oven!

Fresh Heirloom Zoodle salad

This quick, easy salad was created for a kid's birthday party we recently held at The Farm. The birthday girl was into healthy foods so I decided to create this vibrant, tasty side.

Fresh Heirloom Zoodle Salad

Yield- 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. zucchini, zoodled
• 1/2 lb. yellow summer squash, zoodled
• 1 lb heirloom tomatoes, diced
• handful fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Arrange all zoodles between paper towels (this draws out the moisture) let them sit for five minutes, then press gently on the paper towel to extract all the moisture
• Place the zoodles on a chopping board and run a knife through them a couple times
• Using a large bowl add the zoodles and tomatoes together, season with salt and pepper
• Cover and place in the fridge for thirty minutes
• Remove from fridge, give it a stir and taste to see if you need to add additional salt and pepper. 
• Rip the basil and garnish the top. Enjoy!!!

Oh, we forgot to mention we have fields too.

Before we began the barn renovation we spoke to some experts about what we have to do to improve our soil quality. Our current farmer has rotated commercial soybean and corn for close to 30 years. So, you can imagine what his reaction was when we asked him to convert our land to a certified organic farm. He embraced the change with open arms! For the next 2 growing seasons we need to plant cover crops to re-vitalize the soil. Our farmer was here last week to disk the soil and turn under all the weeds. Today I looked out and could begin to see these little green sprouts coming up! It will be more than amazing to know that our fields will now be filled with quality organic soil to enrich our environment.   And more importantly we will be able to provide the community and our customers with healthy products. We're told there is an emerging market for heritage grains, like spelt and einkorn.   Our hope is to one day grow the grains to make the flour we use in our baked goods.  Only, time will tell....

More updates to the "BIG" Barn project next week. Waiting on some more beams to come in!!

-Chris 

This week in the barn- The doors are coming!

It's so awesome when you uncover things and realize what they are. The builders are working tirelessly bringing down the old siding and replacing them with new wood. I noticed today these large notches in the front of the barn where our garage door used to be. After looking closer I realized these were the original notches for the original barn doors- Amazing right? Each of these doors measured seven feet across and twelve feet in height. Those doors were huge!! Our new doors have just arrived this week and the builders are planning on installing them very soon. They are going to frame the opening perfectly! Below are some pictures I took of the rough opening where our new doors are going to be installed. Can't wait to see how this turns out!!

Chris

Super "Easy" Pita Chips......

Last week we were having some family over for dinner and we realized that we did not have much in terms of appetizers.  I checked in our freezer and found some Ezekiel Pita Bread.  As a family we like to eat Ezekiel Breads or Sprouted Grain Breads as they have a higher protein content and are easier to digest.  I used these and made the perfect "Everything" Pita Chips.  These tasted great dipped in a little hummus.  Sometimes the best things are made when you have to use what you have on hand!

Enjoy,

-Becca

Everything Pita Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of Ezekiel Pita Bread or Any Brand of Pita Bread
• Poppy Seeds
• Sesame Seeds
• Sea Salt 
• Garlic Powder
• Organic Olive Oil Spray - (We use Nature's Promise)

Method:

1. Pre-Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut pita bread into triangles using a pizza cutter.  We cut them into 8 pieces, but depending on the size of the pitas you use that may vary.
3. Pull apart the pitas so that you now have 16 triangles from the 8 pieces you had cut.
4. Lay out on a sheet pan and spray with your Olive Oil Spray.
5. Sprinkle with any seasonings you would like.  We used poppy & sesame seeds, garlic powder and sea salt.  Parmesan cheese would be a great addition too!
6. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until nice and crispy.
7. Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy!!