A Recreational Win-Win

This month’s “Down on the Farm” posting was on the first page of the Living section in the Telegraph. Thanks to Julie Christie and Dan Harmon!feast130117_RecAccess_pic2

Local farms give something to their communities during every season, with freshly-picked strawberries to sprinkle over ice-cream in the spring, summer’s sweet corn for the Fourth of July, and pumpkins to celebrate the fall.  And, in winter, local farms offer the opportunity for outdoor recreation, with public access to much of the open farmland when the growing season is at rest.

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Maple Syrup Snow Candy

A wonderful recipe that uses snow to make candy!

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Oh Christmas Trees, Oh Christmas Trees!

Every year, farm stands in the Nashua area hang up strings of lights over rows of their Christmas trees. Local families flock to the sweet smelling displays of holiday decorations. Children get excited as the first snow brings out their Christmas spirit, and the annual pilgrimage to get the perfect tree begins.  However, the journey that the tree takes is much longer than a quick drive to your local farm stand, as the typical Christmas tree can take 6 to 12 years to grow to marketable size, depending on growing conditions and how tall people want their trees.

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Scrod Soup with Fresh Herbs

No holiday celebration can be complete without a delicious meal to go along with the festivities. This recipe is as delicious and aromatic as a freshly-cut Christmas tree.

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Apple Cider: A Sure Marker of Fall

Our first post by our new contributor, Julie Christie, is also published in the Telegraph!

John Chapman, who is better known as Johnny Appleseed, was most famous for planting apple trees throughout America. However, the people who harvested the apples didn’t just use them in desserts such as apple turnover and apple pie. They used apples to make the most popular beverage of the day: apple cider.

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Apple Cider Gravy

With Thanksgiving around the corner, this recipe is a delicious spin on a traditional part of the feast. Continue reading

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Pumpkins for all Reasons Abound this Season

Fall is in the air, and piles of pumpkins are ready for picking at your local farm stands. This year’s pumpkin crop benefited from fine weather conditions, as the summer’s low rainfall totals created a moderate drought condition that is favorable for growing pumpkins. Most of the diseases that affect pumpkins increase with excess soil moisture – so less rain means a healthier crop. As a result, this season’s crop has an especially large number of varieties to choose from. Continue reading

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Mini Pumpkin Cheescakes

Another wonderful desert recipe from Liz Barbour of the Creative Feast.

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Quirky Weather Spared many Well-Prepared Hollis Farms

Timing is everything when it comes to fruit trees and weather. Fruit trees have different patterns of shoot and fruit growth, so heat, frost, and rain patterns during different times of the season will result in varying responses.   An early frost can kill the vulnerable flower buds that were to become the season’s apple crop.  Low rainfall in the early season can affect fruit size, as the first 50 days after bloom is an important time for fruit development.  Mid-season drought can put stress on the shoot growth and the carbohydrate reserves for the following spring’s healthy root, shoot, leaf, flower, and fruit growth.

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Apple Sweet Potato Tarts

This recipe is from Liz Barbour of the Creative Feast combines fresh apples and sweet potatos into a lovely dessert! Continue reading

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