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Creamed Chard and Eggs

1 bunch (about 6 leaves) chard
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
6 large eggs

Separate the chard leaves from the stems. Chop the leaves and dice the stems. Saute stems with onions in a skillet with butter, until softened. Add garlic and chard leaves and cook several more minutes until wilted. Add cream, lemon juice, mustard, and half of the Parmesan. Simmer several minutes then make shallow wells, and crack the eggs into them. Sprinkle with pepper and remaining Parmesan. Bake 10 minutes or until eggs are set.

Makes 4 servings. (Shown is 1/4 recipe)

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Around the Homestead – Calendula

This morning for my shift at the farm I was out in the North field hand weeding around some beets that hadn’t gotten any attention yet this season. The interns had said rescuing crops that had gotten overly weedy was intimidating, but I like it! It’s work I can do sitting down and scooting along the row, and I know the plants appreciate it as the next week I can see a huge growth spurt.

I had paused my meat CSA for a while to work on emptying the freezer, so I was excited to get my goodies this month now that I’ve restarted my subscription. It looks great! I’ve gotten to know my butcher through facebook and the farmers markets, and I’m glad to be able to support him and the local grassfed farms he sources from.

In my own garden, the food has started rolling in. I was most excited about colorful beans 🙂 But I’ve now harvested lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peas, tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, and new purple potatoes. Between that, the beets, potatoes, carrots, and garlic I got at the farm, and my meat CSA basket….I’m looking foward to whipping up some goodies this week.

I’ve finished up all my fall plantings, including this section of spinach, two types of beets, and kale. It’s probably too early for spinach, but I picked two spots that get part and mostly shade to see how it goes.

And tonight I had breakfast for dinner so I could try cooking with Calendula 🙂

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Buttered Radishes with a Poached Egg

6 french breakfast radishes
1 green onion
1 TBSP butter
1 egg
1 piece of toast

Trim the tops and bottoms off of the radishes, and slice in half lengthwise.  Saute radishes and green onions in butter in covered pan for about 5 minutes or until radishes are tender.  Meanwhile, poach egg.  Serve radishes on toast, topped with egg.

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Around the Homestead – De-stressed

Spent a toasty morning weeding at the farm with the heat index rising into triple digits. It’s exciting to see how quickly things grow this time of year. The beans I planted last week are already up! Picked some kale and carrots for this week…you know it’s getting juiced.

I’m still making ridiculous amounts of juice. I’ve been replacing 2 meals most days, saving one for making good use of my meat csa, veggie csa, and garden goodies.


This year’s garden is a good indicator of how much better things for me. For the last few years, I came home from work stressed, tired, and defeated and weeds ruled the yard. This year, I’m feeling great, my evenings suddenly feel long and productive, the garden is looking good, and I’m enjoying spending time working in it again 😍🌈 (but notice the rabbit in the middle of the yard disrespecting me)

That empty spot in my garden pic where spent spinach, radishes, and lettuce came out is already sprouting with carrots, beets, spinach, and kale. 🙂

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Around the Homestead – Broadfork

Get to use a broad fork for the first time yesterday at the farm. The first row of carrots had been harvested, so I fertilized and prepped the bed and got beans planted.

At home, I’ve been weeding doubletime. We’ve had a lot of rain lately and they are going crazy. But, so are the veggies. The first tomato is sooooo close!

And I got a new toy! This being a 3 payday month, it seemed like a great time to finally get an omega juicer.

I’ve been doing a juice cleanse for 3 days now, juicing a full day’s worth at a time….and plan to see how far it goes 😀 Based on the amount of produce that’s found it’s way home…I can probably make it until August…lol.

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Around the Homestead – Picking up Speed

This week my shift at the farm was spent trellising tomatoes in exchange for beets, carrots and lettuce.

Things in my own yard are picking up! I snapped some hightlights of the happenings in the mulched front yard garden

And some of the highlights of what’s going on out back

This morning I wrapped up my effort to get fresh mulch and straw down. And since I’m working from home will weed during my lunch break before the storms roll in.

And…what became of some of those farmers market goodies, with chicken from a local farm, plus lettuce and strawberries from my own garden.

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Beef Barley Stew

Beef Barley Stew

1 pound stew meat
salt and pepper
1 TBSP butter
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
1 red potatoes, chopped
4 cups beef broth
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup pearled barley

Preheat the oven to 250F. Season stew meat with salt and pepper and set aside. Melt butter in a dutch oven and saute carrots, celery, and onion until tender. Add potatoes and cook several minutes longer. Remove veggies from pot and set aside. In same pot, add stew meat and brown. Add broth and stir well, scraping bottom of pot. Add veggies, barley, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme and bring t a boil Cover pot and transfer to oven. Bake 2 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving.

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Around the Homestead – Local Food

The yummies are starting to roll in at the farm! This was what I brought home this week. Afterwards I followed up on a lead at a farm down the road from her. An older woman had lost her job and was having money troubles. Unfortunately after talking to her I found she was in debt and had a mortgage payment almost 3 times mine. Even if she rented out her spare room and the bit of land that’s not in hay or dedicated to her horses it would’t pay the mortgage much less anything else. But at least I checked it out, and she obviously desperately needed the company and someone to listen.

I celebrated the bounty in my CSA box by trying serving up some braised beets along with the very first of my own strawberries.

Things in my own yard are starting to fill in. This is the view along the walk to my front door. I’ve started picking salads from my leaf lettuce, loads of chamomile and lemon balm have been dehydrated, and pretty much everything I eat is covered with parsley, cilantro, or green onions.

And tonight was the annual Makers Market at my City’s Farmer’s Market. I came away with a good haul, and I’m really excited about finally getting to try some morels tomorrow. Tonight, I’m off to make some lemon mango iced tea. :thumb: