New Beginnings

Posted on May 6, 2020May 6, 2020 by Lisa Mobius

This year has certainly brought on new outlook on life. COVID-19 has brought on new life practices and changed the way many of us are living our lives. Here at Crooked Beak Acres, we have changed our product lines from commercial sales to offering CSA shares to the local community. We have moved from one main crop to… well, about everything. I can say, however, that we are doing everything to adhere to the new practices set forth by federal and state regulations.

As many of you already know, we have added CSA vegetable shares into our growing season. We will now be offering fully customizable boxes on a weekly basis, giving our customers the most flexibility in choosing which items to include in their shares each time they order. Choosing not to require the yearly purchase is huge risk, but we feel it is best for our customers this season. Maybe next year will be different, but we will see.

Our plan was to set up a small “farmers market” on our farm once a week and allow customers to come and pick out items while they are here. Unfortunately, state regulations will not allow that, so we will have to pack orders prior to pick-up. We can still display items, but only myself and the staff will be able to handle the items. For convenience, we’ve created an online storefront so customers can order ahead of time and even pay online if they choose. Even with these changes, we are determined to be the most flexible CSA farm out there. This is all about customer service.

We have made some exciting changes here on the farm. Two new low tunnels were added for the raised beds, and two more are coming. We have also added a temporary high tunnel to use before we get our greenhouse up this summer. If all goes well, I am hoping to be offering vegetables all year long. Since purchasing the adjacent land on both sides of us, we have been able to add new hay fields for our horses also. We’ll have about 30 acres in hay this year, so hopefully, it will provide enough hay for the animals during the winter (and not to mention saving us a bundle).

Offering the CSA is allowing us to grow a variety of items that I am so excited about. The last few years, our main crop has been peppers, both sweet and hot. My mouth is watering about all the different types of vegetables we are adding. From lettuce to onions, squash, beans, peas, tomatoes, herbs, and so many more, we are so excited to see the end product.

More to come in the near future, so stay tuned.

CSA Time

Posted on February 6, 2020May 6, 2020 by Lisa Mobius

Quick!! Sit down and grab a seat for some exciting news! Crooked Beak Acres is offering a CSA this year to the local community. CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture program. Traditionally these programs are pre-purchased in the beginning of the season. However, we do not feel comfortable with this process and instead, our program will be offered on a weekly basis with your choice of seasonal products. This way, when you are out of town or too busy to cook, there is no worry about a scheduled order.

We will offer small and large boxes of available vegetables grown here on our farm. The small size will have 5-7 vegetables and the large size will have 8-12 vegetables. Offerings will consist of greens, lettuces, herbs (fresh and dried), squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, root crops, and more. We will have more information in the near future, so stay tuned for all of the delicious details. Below are some items we had last year. Eggplant, patty pan squash, tomatoes, jalapeno’s, poblano’s, green peppers, kale, assorted herbs, and even flowers.

Many would think this is a slow time for farmers. However, I consider it one of the busiest as we are doing maintenance on equipment, preparing new fields or raised beds, choosing which seeds to purchase, and much, much more. Since we are incorporating the CSA into our produce growing, the pre-season preparation is increasing as well, such as adding in some smaller cold frame beds. Here is a photo of what our beds will look like. This is from a local farmer who did not need them anymore. She had some greens and herbs in them. I am so excited about these!!

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more exciting news and don’t forget to sign up for email updates.

Chicken and Rice

Simple and easy classic chicken and rice done in 30 minutes. The recipe can be adjusted for serving sizes by adding or removing items. If adjusting the rice you will need to add more stock, and so forth.

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

American

Keyword

Chicken

Prep Time

Cook Time

Servings

Ingredients

3 Each Chicken Breast de-boned
4 TBL olive oil
4 TBL Butter
2 Cup Mushrooms rough chopped
1/2 Each Onion diced
4 Cup Chicken Stock will vary
1 Each Pepper red, orange, green, optional
2 Cup Rice
2 Cup Peas
1 TBL Paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

American

Keyword

Chicken

Prep Time

Cook Time

Servings

Ingredients

3 Each Chicken Breast de-boned
4 TBL olive oil
4 TBL Butter
2 Cup Mushrooms rough chopped
1/2 Each Onion diced
4 Cup Chicken Stock will vary
1 Each Pepper red, orange, green, optional
2 Cup Rice
2 Cup Peas
1 TBL Paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

PREP and Set Aside:
Cut chicken breasts into small bite-sized pieces
Dice Onion
Rough chop Mushrooms
Dice Pepper
Place butter and olive oil in saute pan. Add chicken when hot and saute until done.

Add onions and mushrooms: you may need to add some more oil and/or butter here if the mushrooms soaked up all of what was in the pan.
Saute briefly until onions and mushrooms are soft.
Add 2 cups of the chicken stock (or if you want to use water and chicken base, that is fine).
Add rice and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer.
Add more stock when necessary as mixture cooks.
While simmering, continue to add liquid until rice is tender
Add chopped vegetables (pepprs, peas) when liquid is nearly gone.
Simmer until these are tender.
Remove from heat and serve.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Posted on February 8, 2019February 8, 2019 by Lisa Mobius

I promised good food and recipes. Here is one I want to share. My mom has been making stuffed mushrooms for years. Some of the best if you ask me and many others who have had the pleasure of tasting these over time. Ours is stuffed with Italian Sausage…not crab, or lobster, or other proteins. We love our Italian sausage, and if I don’t say so myself I make a pretty good home-made one.

I cannot share a recipe but I can share how I prepare them. First, remove the stem from the mushroom and place the caps on a baking sheet lined with parchment or non-stick liner.

Prepare the other ingredients. Small dice a couple peppers. Green, red, yellow, orange…it does not matter. Set them aside. Take the mushroom stems and place in food processor to rough chop and set aside. Place sausage in skillet and brown. Scrape the bottom several times to prevent sticking. Drain off the fat. Return back to burner and add chopped stems and peppers. Sautee for a few more minutes.

Remove this mixture from the skillet and place in large bowl. Now add mozzarella cheese and bread crumbs. I add about 12 ounces of cheese when I use 2 pounds of sausage. Mix this quickly to help it melt. Add bread crumbs to make mixture stick together. This is why I cannot provide a recipe. It all depends on how much fat is in your sausage and how much cheese you used. What you are looking for is a nice mixture that forms a ball and will not fall apart when you stuff the mushroom.

Let this mixture set until cool enough to stuff the caps. Once cool, just scoop up a small ball and fill the mushroom. Make sure you have enough mixture to make a nice round ball on the top of the cap. At this time, you can either bake them in a 350 degree oven or put them in a container and freeze. I make a large batch and freeze them all the time. Makes it easy to pull out and bake for quick appetizers. At the end of baking put a little more cheese on the top. Choose your flavor here. Enjoy.

Well, comment below and let me know how your’s turned out or what other type of recipe you would like to see.