Happy New Year!

The new year is just around the corner, and all of us at Country Blossoms would like to wish you and your family well in 2015. We were very blessed to be able to spend time with family and friends over the Christmas holiday, and we are looking ahead to an exciting year of learning and growing in the new year.
We are planning on attending the MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse at the end of February, and we are also planning to visit other area farms to see what is working for them. We are helping organize a brand new farmers market in Lomira, WI. Working with other farmers and crafters, we hope to bring some amazing foods and art into the community. Look for more information regarding the farmers market in the upcoming months!
I (Jenny) received an immersion blender for Christmas this year, and I am eagerly searching for simple recipes to use this baby in! I didn't need to look any further than the instruction/recipe booklet that came with the Cuisinart CSB-75 Hand Blender to find something that looks healthy and delicious. I may modify the recipe a bit in my own kitchen, but here is a copy of the recipe for you to try.

Yukon Gold Potato and Roasted Garlic Soup
A hearty soup that can also be served chilled like vichyssoise. Makes eight cups (8 servings)

1 ounce garlic cloves (8-12 cloves), peeled
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1⁄2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion (5 ounces), peeled, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1 carrot (2 ounces), peeled, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1 rib celery (2 ounces), peeled, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
3-1⁄2 cups fat free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups water
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1⁄2-inch slices
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1⁄2 cup evaporated fat free milk or half-and-half
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place cloves of garlic in the center of a 12-inch square of foil, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and toss to coat. Wrap the foil around the garlic and fold or crimp to seal. Roast until garlic is tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly before using. (Garlic may be roasted ahead, and will keep in a resealable container for 5 days in the refrigerator.)

While the garlic is roasting, heat remaining olive oil with butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery.Reduce heat to low, cover loosely and cook until vegetables are tender but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the stock, water, potatoes, herbes de Provence, and roasted garlic. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, loosely covered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes.
Insert the hand blender into the saucepan, making sure the protective guard is submerged. Blend on Low, using an up-and-down motion, moving the blender slowly throughout the saucepan, until well
combined, smooth, and no visible pieces of vegetables remain, about 1 to 1 1⁄2 minutes. Add half-and half, salt and pepper. Insert the hand blender and blend for an additional 15 to 20 seconds. Serve hot. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

What to do with those leftovers?!

With a refrigerator full of leftovers, I am always looking for some creative ways to change what we have into something a little more, let's say, interesting. I'm all about simple, and I know it tastes best when using high quality, organic ingredients. Since we had organic sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving, and our 1 year old daughter and I are the only ones who eat them in this house, I thought I'd post a simple, yet delicious looking recipe to help me "re-purpose" the leftovers that no one else seems to want to touch. Maybe I can talk my husband into just trying a tiny little bite?

Mashed Sweets from Greene on Greens by Burt Green, Workman Publishing Company, Inc, 1984
4 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream
2 tablespoons bourbon
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Cook the potatoes in their jackets in boiling salted water until tender, 45-50 minutes. Drain.
2. Carefully peel the potatoes and place them in a medium saucepan. Mash, over very low heat, with a potato masher until smooth. Beat in the butter, cream, bourbon, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring constantly, until warmed through. Serves 4.

Are You Interested?

As we prepare for the upcoming winter months, we are looking ahead to the spring and the next growing season. We're looking through seed catalogs and reading plenty of literature, trying to find the perfect fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers to compliment the garlic on our farm. If you are a business that uses fresh produce, herbs, or flowers, or you're an individual looking to make more of a connection with your food sources, please take this survey to let us know what types of crops and products you are interested in. We are looking to collaborate with existing businesses and with individuals interested in local, organic produce, crops and other products. We would love to discuss how we can help you meet your needs!

If you aren't looking to purchase these items from us, but you have a couple of spare minutes, take the survey anyway so we know what people in the area like to eat! We look forward to hearing from you.

Garlic is in!!

After months of planning, we have finally gotten the garlic in the ground! The weather last weekend was perfect for planting, and so we all made trips to the farm to get it planted.

Seriously, does it get any better than this?

We soaked the garlic for a few minutes to prep for planting.

Then we got to work!

Our team mascot, Mosie

The work went quickly, and we had the rest of the day to enjoy wonderful weather and time with family.

Welcome to Our Farm!

Thank you for visiting the Country Blossoms Organics blog. We hope to update frequently with pictures of our farm, stories of our progress, recipes and more. Currently we are planting garlic to be harvested in summer of 2015, but we are looking to expand into other crops. We are MOSA certified organic, and operate on about 60 acres of tillable land.

Our farm will include specialty organic crops. If you are looking for a certified organic grower for your specialty crop (herbs, flowers, grains, etc.), please feel free to e-mail us your information at countryblossomsorganics@gmail.com