On The Farm with Suzie

Groundhog Day, All Over Again by Suzie Jones

Another day in the barn checking on the babies with Archie, our border collie

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Pop on the cheese lid. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

The tradition of pulling a groundhog out of its burrow to see (or not see) his shadow and forecast the coming of spring is so perfectly silly—so utterly ridiculous—I think it is downright charming. It has absolutely no basis in science, but who can resist a pudgy rodent predicting the weather?

The holiday has deep roots in both ancient pagan and Christian traditions in Europe. For a time, clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter, a vague predictor for how long and cold the weather was expected to be. Bears were weather predictors for medieval cults, as were sacred badgers for English Catholics. Over the centuries and in Germany in particular, many turned to hedgehogs to take over weather prediction. When German settlers came to America, they brought their traditions with them but found Pennsylvania to be completely lacking in hedgehogs. Groundhogs, on the other hand, were plentiful. The first official Groundhog Day was celebrated on February 2nd, 1887 in Punxsutawney, PA.

The 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray is equally ridiculous and equally charming. The idea that someone could be caught in a

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Twilight Zone-like time loop beginning the same day, day after day, is so silly it borders on genius. I love little details like playing the song “I Got You Babe” on the clock radio every morning as a metaphor for hell on Earth. In fact, if you’ve never seen “Groundhog Day,” I highly recommend popping some popcorn and cozying up on the couch one snowy February night and watching it!

I find myself thinking of that movie this time of year because every February I seem to experience a similar loop. Every day is the exact same sequence of events—day after day—with so little variation that my life becomes nearly 100% predictable. Such are the monotonous winter days on our farm: coffee and breakfast before dawn; then chores in the barn. I do a status check on our four-legged moms and babies, water and feed laying hens, goats, and sheep. My husband Peter goes to the cheese plant where he drains the cheese vat from the night before, hanging the heavy cheesecloths full of curd to drain. I eventually join him in the plant where we wash up and clean equipment until all the stainless steel is gleaming.

After lunch, phone calls, and computer work in the house—and maybe a few tosses of the Frisbee for Archie, our Border collie—it is back to the cheese plant for salting and packing. Peter visits the neighbor to get more milk, fills the newly cleaned vat and sets it to pasteurize before adding cultures and rennet to set overnight. The day ends much the same way it began: back in the barn for chores, checking moms and babies, gathering eggs, tucking everyone in for the night to start the next day anew. And do it all over again.

In between it all, we take turns feeding the wood stove in the house to keep it cozy. The days may become a blur with repetition, but at least I can mark the passage of time by looking at our shrinking woodpile!

But the comparison to the movie “Groundhog Day” doesn’t have to end with the drudgery of the same schedule of events day in and day out. In both the movie and on the farm, every day also represents an opportunity to improve ourselves and the world around us…not only to make sure tomorrow is somehow better than today, but to ensure a future.

When we first meet Bill Murray’s character, he is a jerk to his colJust keep stirring, just keep stirring...

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leagues, dismissive of the townspeople, and is generally an unlikable and miserable fellow. As he copes with his odd situation of endlessly repeating the same day, he goes through a series of adjustments in his behavior and actions, hoping to end the torturous cycle. At first, these changes are cynical and superficial in his ploy to woo the love interest played by Andie MacDowell. But by the end, Bill Murray’s character learns to embrace the repetition by taking piano lessons, warms to the townspeople he once scoffed and becomes beloved by his colleagues. Not until his attitude and behavioral changes are genuine and he actually betters himself does his day finally move on, breaking the cycle. There might actually be a small lesson here.

So, what have I been doing to improve myself and the world around me? Not quite enough, I assure you, but I pledge to do better in this regard. Spending time with loved ones, planning for spring, volunteering, even simply improving upon my record-keeping and cleaning out my garage are all small things that I can do, every day. The urge to move forward, even as we celebrate peculiar ancient traditions, will get me through this and every February! •

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Suzie Jones and her husband, Peter, own Jones Family Farm in Herkimer. Together, with their children, they produce specialty goat cheeses and gelato. Find them at local farmers’ markets and online: www.anotherjonesfamilyfarm.com

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roses are red and beets are, too! by Denise A. Szarek

I love fall and winter! Yes, I’m one of those crazy people who love to see the seasons change. Most people are looking forward to retiring in a warmer climate. I want to spend my retiring years a little farther north in the Adirondacks!

We live by the seasons and we eat by the seasons. I enjoy making hearty soups and stews in the fall and winter. And one of my favorite fall veggies is beets. Beets can be eaten raw, pickled, roasted, hot or cold, and make wonderful soups. We grow several varieties of beets on the farm, classic Detroit red, heirlooms early wonder and red ace, yellow beets, touchstone gold, boldor & golden beet, candy-striped Chioggia and long, red cylindra. Don’t forget the greens of beets are very edible and sweet and high in nutrients! We grow a special variety called Bull’s Blood mainly for greens, although the small beet root is very tasty as well.

Beets are one of the easiest veggies to grow. It’s also one of the earliest plants to grow in your garden. Cool temperatures produce the best color flesh. They grow quickly in a light, loamy soil with a pH over 6.0. You can begin early direct sowing when soil has warmed to 45 degrees F. and for a continuous supply of greens and small tender beets, sow seed in two-week intervals. Beets can be succession planted in two-week intervals up until 8 weeks before regular heavy frosts are expected. The best thing about beets – they have two growing seasons: spring and fall.

Beets also grow well in containers; just leave about an inch spacing from the side of the pot. Most beet varieties mature in 50-55 days. In a container, you may want to harvest a little earlier depending on the size beet you desire.

Don’t forget about those beet greens! Many greens come Full Moon Reflections Art Center

with beautiful magenta veins and we are trying a new variety from Johnny’s this year called babybeat which matures in 40 days for greens and has a small tasty taproot. The variety would do great in containers on your patio for beet greens in your summer salads, and the little beets would be a welcome addition to any summer salad.

Beet greens add a sweet taste to any salad mix and add a velvety texture when added to soups. They are dense in nu trients and a boost to your immune system in the winter and early spring. Not only are beets colorful and full of flavor, but they are also rich in antioxidants, folic acid, potassium, and fiber. They also contain unique antioxidants called betalains, which are currently being studied as a potential weapon in the fight against cancer. Betalains give beets their red hue.

This is one of those colorful veggies known to spark an impassioned response from folks who either love it or loathe it. While I’m definitely in the “love it” camp, the anti-beet camp has both President and Mrs. Obama, who asked that beets not be grown in the White House organic garden! Beets contain a substance called geosmin, which is responsible for the fresh scent in your garden after a rain. Humans are quite sensitive to geosmin, even in small doses, which explains the wide range of responses to this earthy veggies.

Now we couldn’t talk about beets without talking about beetroot soup, or borscht. Originating in Ukraine, borscht is a beetroot soup popular in many countries of Eastern and Central Europe. Every family in these countries have their own recipe for this soup, including ours. In Poland it is called Barszcz...

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BARSZCZ (Polish Borscht) By Denise Szarek Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wrap the beets in foil and roast until tender 30-45 mins. When cool to handle, peel and cut beets into chunks.

Meanwhile in a large pot, boil the spareribs with chopped onions, garlic, red wine vinegar, bay leaf, sugar, allspice, and peppercorns for 1-1/2 hours or until tender. (For a smoked flavor you could also add a smoked ham hock to the pork and boil.) About the last half hour, add the kielbasa to the pot with the pork. When the meat is tender, remove the bones and strip off the meat in bite-size pieces. Cut the kielbasa into bite-size chunks and set the kielbasa aside. Return the pork meat to the broth, and add the carrots, parsnips, cabbage, and leek. Cook until veggies are tender. Season the soup with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl stir together the sour cream, milk, and flour. Add 2 cups of the hot stock to the sour cream mixture and stir to combine. Pour this mixture through a strain er into the soup. Heat the soup over medium heat at a gentle simmer, but DO NOT allow to BOIL. Boiling will cause the sour cream to curdle.

In large soup bowls, place a dollop of mashed potatoes, the kielbasa, and chopped hard-boiled eggs in the bottom, pouring the warmed soup over the top. Sprinkle with fresh herbs of your choice. Serve with pumpernickel or rye bread. Na zdrowie! 1 onion chopped fine 1 lb kielbasa 4-5 beets, roasted 1 leek, white part only, sliced thin 2 cups cabbage, shredded 2 carrots, shredded 1 parsnip, shredded 1 clove garlic, minced 1 bay leaf 5 allspice berries 3 peppercorns 2 T red wine vinegar 2 cups milk 3 T flour 2 cups sour cream 4-6 hard boiled eggs, optional Mashed potatoes, optional

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