Good for the table, good for the ground

Daylight savings time change confirms we are now officially 

on the other side of summer, and even "early"fall. 

It's the time of year we want to burrow into a favorite sweater 

and are happy to have the aroma of a long 
simmering soup or stew throughout the house. 

Our chefs are also tweaking the menu at the girl & the fig.

A new chicken dish on the menu is this 

pan-roasted half chicken, fall panzanella, butternut squash, 
currants, walnuts, pancetta vinaigrette, which certainly makes 
good use of our prolific crop of winter squash at the farm.

.

It seems to fit the feeling of the season that 

much of what we are growing at the farm burrows underground, 

just the way we are inclined to do under a throw blanket with a book by the hearth.

Even though radishes, carrots, onions and leeks are 

part of the spring bounty at the farm, we also grow them at this time of year as well.

"Plants like onions, garlic, and other members of the allium family confuse bugs 

with their strong scent and just encourage them to fly away," 

so having them in our rotation is a core part of our biodynamic farming plan. 

We've talked about "companion planting" here before. 

Here are some other tips on companion planting and 

which good tasting vegetable plants are also good for your soil.

Baby tri-colored carrots a few weeks ago

carrots growing fast

good for the soil

Not only do the alliums replenish the soil and provide nutrients so 

the beds can thrive throughout the year, these vegetables are 

important ingredients for so many of our Chefs' inspirations.

onions cooking at the fig

Alliums appear in almost every recipe since they are so versatile and 

pretty much essential as flavoring component. 

So, of course we would grow them all year round! 

Shallots are considered a "cousin" to onions and garlic, but they have a milder flavor. 

They are just as "flexible" but chefs use them differently 

than they do their stronger cousins. 

Food writer Michele Anna Jordan describes her relationship with shallots this way: 

"A shallot can insinuate itself into a wide variety of dishes 

without overwhelming other ingredients.

It is suave and elegant, with an appealing subtlety. 

When it is used with other alliums, any dish blossoms with a full spectrum of flavors, 

which is why I always add shallots of my French onion soup."

She considers them indispensable for vinaigrettes, as do our chefs at "the fig." 

And a must-have in your kitchen are our "Pickled Shallots," courtesy of

 Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country:

Pickled Shallots
2 cups shallots, sliced
11⁄2 cups red wine vinegar 1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄2 tablespoon salt
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf

In a saucepan, combine the wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the thyme, bay leaf and shallots and stir to coat evenly. Cook briskly for exactly 1 minute over high heat and remove from the heat. Allow the mixture to stand until it cools to room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Makes 11⁄2 cups 

 How do you like to use alliums?

And what vegetables are simmering 
in that stew on your stovetop these autumn days?

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Spring at the farm

 Signs of spring across Sonoma Valley continue to pop up 

and our work at the farm accelerates. 

Still in prep mode but now with an eye towards 

what we will plant where, and even more importantly when. 

Work at the farm at Imagery Estate Winery is in high gear, 

laying new lines for irrigation as we finalize the planting plan. 

We know these beds will be abundant with all the tomatoes 

that are now starting to grow in the greenhouse 

and we already have onions growing. 

Radishes are a staple on the menu at the girl & the fig, 

so we rotate where they will be, but we know we always need to be growing them. 

radishes at the farm

always top of the menu at "the fig:"
heirloom radishes
mixed seasonal radishes, anchovy butter & grey sea salt

onions at the farm

But some things can't wait for the larger plan at the farm. 

Our chefs at "the fig" have diners to please, so we make sure 

there are radishes in the beds behind the restaurant,

as well as parsley and other herbs. 

chives, beans, asparagus, rhubarb and nettle all are growing
in the garden outside the kitchen of" the fig"

And the chard that grows at the fig is always happy, now more so than ever.

"Moms" would be proud–we love our greens! 

We never can get enough of them and are always looking for creative ways 

to use them, whether trying the new idea of "massaging greens when raw" 

to make a sweet salad, or cooking them.

rabbit with greens & vegetables

And our friend, Marcy Smothers shares a great tip from her blog 

about "sleeping with lettuce." 

Who knew?

Do you have any tips about your greens?

And what's up with your spring planting?

Under cover crops?

While we plant vegetables that will inspire the chefs this winter, 

part of the seasonal plan for our farm is planting cover crops. 

"Planting a cover crop brings many benefits. It can improve the soil, prevent erosion, enhance drainage, inhibit weeds and attract beneficial insects,"

 which makes this practice a significant part of our biodynamic farming. 

"Cover cropping and crop rotations are two organic gardening practices 

that can protect and rejuvenate soils, while fostering 

balanced, biological diverse garden ecosystems."

fava beans planted behind the fig

Mustard is another good cover crop-hard to see,
but there are small green bits of mustard starting to grow

Growing Your Greens is the most watched gardening show on YouTube. 

In this episode, John Kuhler demonstrates "harvesting" mature fava bean plants, 

not to eat them (although you can do that), but to either cut them down 

or plow them under to access the rich nitrogen this cover plant 

brings to the soil. Fava beans are "nitrogen fixing" plants 

which pull nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil. 

In a few months, we will be doing something similar to this 

at the farm to reap the benefits of the fava beans we are planting now. 

This video gives you a good idea how to do this, even in a small space at home. 

You will get a close-up view of the root nodules that are "nitrogen central" for this plant. 

Our farm project encompasses the garden behind the fig 

(where our farm-to-table all started) and the farm at 

Imagery Estate Winery and we have cover crops at both locations.

fava seeds

fava beans as cover crops

Simultaneous with our work at the farm, we are keeping things 

going behind the fig: In addition to our cover crops, microgreens in the greenhouse 

and the worm bin, we are planning to create an insectary in the back area. 

two varieties of thyme in the greenhouse

new micro greens to plant

the worm bin a few weeks after creating it-
how many worms are in there?

the beginning of the insectary

Matt from Local Landscapers is starting the insectary
with wildflower seeds. He is still deciding what else to plant.

The farm at the fig also includes the raised beds right outside the greenhouse. 

In the summer, herbs overflow here making it easy for the chefs 

to dash outside the kitchen door to pick just what they need. 

Now the raised beds offer quick transport and protected spots 

for some of our fragile starts.

these onions growing in the raised beds

started out small in the greenhouse 

soon there will be onions ready for the kitchen

onions on the grill at the girl & the fig

All the work we do is a part of the cycle of 

farm to table and we keep it going all year long, 

no matter what the season.