Marsh Edge Farm Notes

Marsh Edge Farm Notes:
Welcome to my farm blog. I don't have a farm, but I do everything possible to have fresh produce on my table all summer long, as well as can and preserve much of what I grow. I live on the edge of Tolland Marsh and three years ago began calling my home garden Marsh Edge Farm. I created a label to place on all my canned goods, and everything I preserve, from jams to saurkraut end up with one of my simple labels.

I have two gardens, one is a spring garden and the other is my summer garden. From each garden I usually can grow enough to keep me in fresh vegetables for the whole summer, as well as enough to can and freeze to last the winter.

I also grow many of the herbs that go into my dishes. One of my favorite things to do with all these vegetables is create recipes that my family will eat. That is what this blog is mainly about, the recipes I develop or create in my kitchen as I experiment. Hope you enjoy reading my farm blog, and I hope you will try some of my recipes.

Updates for 2014

After a few years of very bad crops, I have left behind the vegetable gardens for awhile. However, I have found that fresh produce is available throughout the summer at the many farmers markets in the area. Here is a list of some of the markets and farms I gather my fresh fruits and vegetables from.

Rockville Farmers Market: Thursdays from 10 to 1 at the courthouse parking lot.

Tolland Farmers Market: Saturdays from 9 to 12 on the green.

Coventry Regional Farmers Market: Sundays from 11 to 2 at the Nathan Hale Homestead on South St.

Wright's Orchard on South River Road in Tolland, CT

Larry Lemeks Berries on Goose Lane in Tolland, CT.

Johnny Appleseeds Peach Orchard on Old Schoolhouse Rd. in Ellington, CT.

Buell Orchards in Eastford, CT.

There are many other farmers markets throughout the state of Connecticut on different days as well as numerous roadside stands. Support your local farmers no matter how small and you will gain in health and well being by eating the freshest of the fresh.

A link to the Connecticut Farmers Markets for 2014
http://www.ct.gov/doag/lib/doag/marketing_files/2014/fm_listing_as_of_07-01-2014.pdf



Thursday, June 30, 2011

Peas Coming Out of My Ears

This year I started two 12 foot rows of sugar snap peas.  I planted them at the end of March.  The peas are now coming hard and fast, and I don't know what to do with all of them.  I have put them in salads, whole with the pod, and have mixed them with everything under the sun.  Peas are very versatile little critters and go with many different foods.  Sugar snap peas have edible pods, and if you leave them to mature, you can get very full pods.  The pods are still edible, but the older they get the tougher they may be on digestive systems, so I wouldn't recommend eating the pods when you have left them to fill with peas.  Today's experiment was with fully developed pea pods. 

I started my morning by picking the biggest, fullest pods I had.  It was a delightful morning, feeling more like late August then on the threshold of July.  The cool temperatures are extending the season for spring crops, including peas.  So after picking the peapods, I brought them in and split the pods to get out the tender sweet peas inside.  The pods then went into the compost heap, since I have one of those delicate digestive systems that don't take kindly to mature pea pods.  Here is what I did with my peas.

Tri-Color Rotini Salad with Peas:

Ingredients:
3 cups Tri-Color rotini
1 cup fresh peas (don't have fresh, then use frozen)
one third of a red onion
one half of a red pepper
1/3 to 1/2 cup Hellmann's light mayonnaise
2 -3 tsp dried dill weed, or 2 - 3 Tblsp fresh dill weed
1 six oz can tuna
romano or parmesan cheese

Cook pasta for 8 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water. 
Cook peas in a small container with a little water in the microwave, on high, for about 3 minutes.  Drain and cover with cold water to make peas cold.
Chop onions and pepper, add to pasta.  Add peas, tuna, dill and shake on your cheese.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Mix in your mayonnaise and enjoy.

 We are big fans of cold pasta salads in the summer, so tonights menu will be the rotini salad, a caesar salad, and steak strips on the grill. 

More pea recipes to come, as well as how to freeze fresh peas and pods for the future. 



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