The Plum Life at the Pastures of Rose Creek: All Hale KALE!!!

Hello to all from The Pastures of Rose Creek!

The fall veggies are finally here! Of late, our market table has been reflecting our transitioning garden and so has been a little light in comparison to Spring and early summer. Patience has been our motto. And this fall we've needed it - our fall garden had a slooowww start - partly because we're learning how to grow in this new, endlessly warm (love it!) climate and partly because (besides the occasional watering) - we let nature take it's course in our garden. No chemicals. No synthetic fertilizers. No pesticides. Just seeds, soil, water and, of course, lots of love....Oh! and I guess there has been the occasional rain dance. And maybe it was the rain dance that finally got our garden to POP! And with that, we can now really beginning to enjoy the fruits...or "veggies" rather, of our labor. Scroll on down to get a complete list of all the marvelous veggies we have this week!

And! Don't forget to get your orders in for our delicious grass-fed beef for Dec-Jan time!

Oh...one more thing..If you have been enjoying the wide array of peppers lately this may be the last week we;ll have them. So make sure you come by to get your pepper fix! We have 'em all - mild to eyes-buldge-out-of-your-head HOT.

And now news from the farm....

VEGGIE OF THE WEEK: All Hale KALE!!!

Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...It's...It's...KALE?!?

Ok, so maybe kale can't really leap a building in a single bound but eat enough of it and YOU probably could! So, move over Superman....heck!...move over Popeye, too! The knew SUPERFOOD is here and on our market table.

And there's a reason why this veggies is gaining popularity and has earned it's name as the "Queen of Greens." There are a MULTITUDE of health benefits to kale.

Numero Uno being that is is SUPER rich in vitamin K - 1 cup contains 1,020% of your daily value!!! Vitamin K is known as the anti-cancer vitamin and is especially important in reducing the overall risk of developing cancer.

Furthermore - that 1 little cup of kale contains only 36 calories, has 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of your daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6. Shall i go on? Ok, I will....40% magnesium, 180% vitamin A, 200% vitamin C and is a also a great source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus.

So what do you do with this abundantly beneficial brassica? Well it makes a great cooking greens for starters - use it as you would collards or spinach. Or quickly wilt it with lemon juice and serve as a salad topped with your favorite arrangements of fruits and nuts (great with goat cheese or feta too)! Juice it and put it in your morning smoothie. But my favorite are the KALE CHIPS....

And they couldn't be easier to make. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Take 1 bunch of kale and remove the leaves from the stem. Tear the leaves into bite size pieces. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt (and for added flavor grate parmesan over the top). Put 'em in the oven for about 10 minutes - or until edges are slightly browned (but not burned). And voila! You have kale chips! Great as a snack or bag them up and put them in your kids lunch boxes! I guarantee they'll forget about cheetos after one bite (of course - the trick is, you can't tell them how good kale is for you).

Kale...it does a body good! Get it this weekend at our table at the Watkinsville Market.

THIS WEEK'S HARVEST...

Aji Dulce Peppers

Americana peppers (bell peppers with a kick)

Arugula

Banana Peppers

Beets

Basil

Bell Peppers

Eggplant

Kale

New Mexico Green Chiles

Mixed Greens

Okra

Radishes (Red and White varities)

Tabasco peppers

Thai Dragon Peppers

Turnips

**Come check out other surprise veggies we may have to offer!**

HAPPENINGS:

FARM-FRESH EGGS - And yes! They are definitely here! Every week we are finding more and more eggs in our roaming egg mobile - which means more eggs for you! Although we have had some rogue (and naughty!) chickens attacking the gardens

- the rest of our chickens have been following our cows and foraging our fields - seeking out those pesky bugs and fly larvae - and of course being good little fertilizing machines along the way! Which means not only healthy, free-range eggs for you, but also healthy cows for you too! By using the chickens in this way they help decrease the fly population AND our need for commercial, chemically based pesticides and fertilizers - a healthier forage for the cows - and better eatting for you!

So, you don't want to miss out on these happy healthy eggs! You can find them at our market table!

GRASS FED BEEF - Well, let's all give a big thanks to T-Bone - the wonderful steer who has dedicated his life to becoming the tastiest beef the side of the Mississippi. He is the 2nd of our beef to be sold and will soon find himself on the plates of many satisfied customers.

And a big thank you to all of you for the support and interest in our grass fed beef! Although we are temporarily sold out, we are excited to know that there is such a high demand and interest in healthy, environmentally sound beef. After working the cows this week and weighing some of the up and coming steers and heifers - it look like we will have more cows ready for your dinner table by January at the latest! So go ahead and put your order in today and reserve your beef! These last cows went FAST!

Feel free to stop on by the Watkinsville Farmer's Market or give one of us a call/email if you have any questions about our grass fed beef! Dana Bradford: 575.613.2029 or Will Powers: 706.254.9391

"I was so excited to find out there was local grass fed beef available in Monroe. Only a week after placing my order for 1/4 of a cow, it was delivered to my door! Let me say, it did NOT disappoint. My husband and I have cooked it several times already and it is absolutely delicious, not to mention better for you than the beef you find in the grocery store. Will, John, and Dana at the Pastures of Rose Creek were a joy to work with. They made the process easy and convenient. We are extremely pleased and cant thank you enough!" -Meredith Bowman, Monroe

BAKED GOODS by Dana (Watkinsville Market):

Cranberry-Almond Biscotti...is BACK! (great for coffee and non-coffee drinkers alike!)