Amazing Heart CSA

Small is BIG – some inspiration:

Elizabeth Weller — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 02:02:52 +0000

We’re thrilled to introduce Sara Tower, our intern for the 2012 season:

Elizabeth Weller — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:51:34 +0000

Sara hails from Northfield, MA where she got her first taste of farming at Northfield Mount Hermon School, mucking stalls, weeding the lavender fields, pressing apple cider, and collecting endless buckets of sap for maple sugaring. Before attending Gettysburg College, she spent a year traveling in South Asia and working in Perryville, Arkansas at the Heifer International Learning Center at Heifer Ranch. In college, she quickly became involved in local food initiatives, volunteering at the Gettysburg College Campus Kitchen, the Adams County Food Policy Council, and the Adams County Farmers Market Association. She also helped to found the Gettysburg College Farmhouse (student theme house) and served as the Center for Public Service (CPS) Sustainability Program Coordinator and student director of the college’s Painted Turtle Farm for two years. Without a doubt, issues of food and sustainability have become a personal and intellectual passion for Sara, tying together many social, political, economic, and environmental realities, both at home and abroad. In May, she will graduate with a BA in Environmental Studies and Globalization Studies, with a minor in Philosophy. She is thrilled to be joining Amazing Heart Farm this season and is eagerly looking forward to meeting everyone and robustly exploring the small farm dream.

Something to smile about:

Elizabeth Weller — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:20:54 +0000

No Such Thing As Waste
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

A Quick Announcement:

Elizabeth Weller — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:10:33 +0000

Greetings CSA folk!

Next year, we’re adding a forth distribution site to make it a bit easier on the folks in Gettysburg. Many thanks to Thom and Judy Marti of Broad Valley Orchard for offering to share the basement space in the St. James Lutheran Church! Because of the addition, I’ve switched up the pick-up days just a bit. The 2012 CSA distribution schedule will be as follows:

Mondays: on farm pick-up after 2pm
Tuesdays: St. James pick-up in Gettysburg after 2:30
Wed.: Blue Ridge Summit and Waynesboro pick-ups

Also, I’ve made a few adjustments to the 2012 membership application. You can find the latest version HERE. Please check it out!

Dreaming of spring,

Elizabeth

a practice for awakening the heart

Elizabeth Weller — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:49:49 +0000

BODHICITTA: A practice for awakening the heart at

Amazing Heart Farm

Lead by Christy Smith, Certified Meditation Teacher

Experience embodiment & nourish your relationship with yourself and the earth

“The degree of our awareness is the degree of our aliveness. We have forgotten the virtue of sitting, watching, observing. Nothing much happens. This is the way of nature. We breathe together. Simply this. For long periods of time, the meadow is still. We watch. We wait. We wonder. Our eyes find a resting place. And then, the slightest of breezes moves the grass. It can be heard as a whispered prayer.”

-Terry Tempest Williams, from Finding Beauty in a Broken World

Christy Smith has been a student of meditation and awareness practice for seven years in the practicing lineage as taught by Dr. Reginald A. Ray. She has a unique gift for offering practice in a way that is plain, practical and down to earth. She loves practice for its everyday pragmatic quality, but also for its ability to facilitate profound transformation. If you have questions please feel free to call her at (617) 388-1601.

Date: Saturday, March 17, 9:30-4 PM

Cost: $50, contact Elizabeth to inquire about scholarships

Registration: Contact Elizabeth Weller at amazingheartfarm@comcast.net

An update on our irrigation project:

Elizabeth Weller — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:11:39 +0000

A freshly dug trench – the PVC irrigation line is almost in! These irrigation lines will distribute the overflow from our artesian well (which will be collected & stored in our newly constructed irrigation pond) to the drip tape that lines our crop rows during the growing season. Due to the excessive rains this season, it has been too wet to install the irrigation lines. There are still a few sections we’ll have to hand dig. But in the meantime, the trench digger that Zach’s operating (see below) is a big help! This project is underway thanks to the Rainbird Intelligent Use of Water Award that we received in March of 2011. Many thanks to all of you who diligently voted for us over the 2011 winter months! Our goal is to complete the irrigation project by March of 2012.

Bill “welding” PVC pipe

Zach operating the trench digger

Creamy Sweet Potato & Rosemary Soup

Elizabeth Weller — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:39:32 +0000

While in the Berkshires for Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law introduced me to a delicious recipe for a creamy sweet potato & rosemary soup. I made some last night with the sweet potatoes we’ve been storing from our fall harvest. The recipe is below. Enjoy!

Creamy Sweet Potato & Rosemary Soup

Ingredients:

3 T unsalted butter
3 T olive soil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Mike Mahr’s smoked garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 stems dried rosemary – remove leaves from stems and chop until fine
2 pounds sweet potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (you can peel them if you like but it’s not necessary)
6 cups chicken broth (less broth for a thicker soup)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
3 T maple syrup

Preparation:

In an 8-quart pot, melt the butter and oil together over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic, salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes or until soft. Add the sweet potatoes, rosemary & broth. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until thick. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese and maple syrup. Top with a few dried rosemary leaves and enjoy!

Join us for A Seasonal Cooking Adventure!

Elizabeth Weller — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:10:46 +0000

Have you ever walked through the local farmer’s market and wondered “what’s
THAT!?!?” Or opened your weekly CSA share and felt intimidated by a new variety of winter squash or some colorful Asian greens?

These are issues Danielle Schneider encountered when she joined Amazing Heart Farm’s CSA is 2009. That’s why, starting in June of 2012, Danielle will be offering a bi-monthly cooking class designed to teach cooks of ALL skill levels how to take better advantage of the fresh food available during the growing season.

These classes will begin with an overview of the produce featured that class and the recipes that will be used. Following the overview, a side dish and a main dish
will be prepared by the class. The evening will end with a casual meal in which
we enjoy the recipes prepared together.

THE DETAILS

The cooking classes/dinners will be held on the 2^nd and 4^th Mondays
of June through October (10 classes), from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Amazing Heart Farm kitchen.

To cover the cost of Danielle’s time and the ingredients needed to prepare meals,
we ask participants to pay $12 if you are an Amazing Heart CSA member and $15
for all other participants.

Registration Options:

Early Registration: We’ll be using our own kitchen so space is limited and we recommend signing up in advance. Pay for the whole series (10 classes) in full by Feb. 1, 2012 and receive a 10% discount. CSA MEMBERS/$108; NON-MEMBERS/$135
Regular Registration: Pay for the whole series (10 classes) by May 15, 2012 CSA MEMBERS/$120; NON-MEMBERS/$150
Pay Per Class: If you’re unable to attend all 10 classes but would still like to participate in some of them, you may pay per class. Please designate the number of classes you’ll be able to attend and their respective dates on the registration form. CSA MEMBERS/$12 per class; NON-MEMBERS/$15 per class

To Register, please fill out THIS form and send it to Amazing Heart Farm: 181 Orrtanna Road / Orrtanna, PA 17353

Parsnip Fries

Elizabeth Weller — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:55:10 +0000

1. Peel parsnips and cut in half. You’ll notice a core running through their center (see top photo). Working around the core, cut the parsnip into 2 inch pieces.
2. Toss in a mixture of olive oil and seasoning (I use flavored salt, more on that later).
3. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast @ 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until crisp.

The makings of one sassy vinegar:

Elizabeth Weller — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:43:47 +0000

Nasturtium leaves, buds & flowers. A Nasturtium Vinegar is quite simple, here’s what you need to know:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup nasturtium leaves, flowers, and buds
Other herbs & spices, perhaps some basil,
parsley, ground pepper etc. (optional)
1 pint champagne or white wine vinegar

Place the ingredients in a clean clear glass jar or bottle. Tightly seal
and set aside in the refrigerator or a cool, dark place. Let sit for about 3
weeks before using. Place a new nasturtium in the finished bottle for
decoration, but you should make sure the vinegar always covers the flowers or
they will mold. Makes 1 pint vinegar to use in salads, sauces and flavoring in
other dishes.