Skier: Olympian, Medalist, and Organic Farmer

Having spent some time as a ski bum in Aspen as part of my long and windy road to a vegetable farm in Northeast Iowa, I always find these sorts of things interesting… Chris

Barth Anderson
Fair Food Fight
www.fairfoodfight.com

Having

Two time silver medalist in past Olympic Games and a bronze medalist this year in Vancouver, Olympic skier Bode Miller of New Hampshire is also an organic farmer. After winning his second overall World Cup ski title, Bode purchased a plot of land and started an organic vegetable farm.

"I grew up in a house with no running water or electricity and we grew our own produce and it was all organic so I was born with that," he said in a Stonyfield Farm video. "We have a farm stand here and they can buy any vegetable they could buy in a store, and it's all organic."

Miller's 630-acre stretch, called Turtle Ridge Farm, seems sized for production, but Miller plans to keep it simple. The e Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests holds a conservation easement on part of the farm land, protects it from development and limits its use to farming and forestry. That's fine with Miller and his family.

“It’s going to stay the same. We’re just going to promote organic farming," said Kyla Miller-White, the skier’s sister and a member of Turtle Ridge’s board.

In 2005, Miller became the first American to win the overall World Cup title in over 20 years. He has 31 World Cup victories, more than any other American.

Farm Happenings

Weather: The weather has actually been quite pleasant these last two weeks, with the snowstorms happening at the right times to not interfere with our packing and delivery schedule. The sunshine and lengthening days have been quite appreciated.

What We Did: Ben worked with two carpenter friends of ours to build new benches in the greenhouse. As we continue our transition to a simpler, more user-friendly transplant production system, moving our flats up onto benches puts them into a more heater-friendly position, and will make them easier to work with, as well. Sarah kept the packing shed running, and Chris worked hard to put the final touches on preparations for the MOSES Organic Farming Conference, which happens next week.

Comings and Goings: Not much these last two weeks, just a lot of knuckling under and working on projects around the farm. Bryan Markhart, our intern for the month of January, left last Friday to head back to Bennington College in Vermont; we appreciated the boost his presence provided, and the many little jobs he was able to help us get done.

In the Kitchen

Spinach – The spinach has recovered nicely from December’s brutal treatment, and has started to grow vigorously with the lengthening days. We are pleased to be able to put a full pound in this week’s boxes.

Rutabagas - The smooth-skinned, purple-topped rutabaga was developed from crossbreeding a cabbage and a turnip; its original improvement and promotion was the work of Swiss botanist Caspar Bauhin in the early 1600’s—hence the rutabaga’s frequent appellation as a “Swede” or “Swedish turnip.” Delicious mashed with potatoes, but the recipe below is one of our household favorites.

Purple Top Turnips

Black Spanish Winter Radishes – Sliced thinly, these taste great with a good sharp cheese and a nice cold beer. Also nice cooked as you would a turnip.

Carrots

Cipollini Onions - These flat Italian heirlooms have a wonderfully rich flavor. I prefer to use them where the onion is featured, but they work just fine as a “regular” onion as well.

Red Beets

Dried Hot Peppers – Use these to infuse a puttanesca sauce, or grind them up in a coffee grinder for a cayenne-type seasoning.

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Rutabaga Gratin

1-1/2 lbs rutabaga, sliced very thin
2 tbsp flour
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup grated parmesan
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
2 cloves minced garlic

Preheat oven to 375. Steam rutabaga slices for about three minutes, until crisp tender. Butter a 5 x 9 baking dish. Arrange 1/3 of the rutabaga slices evenly over the bottom and sprinkle with 1/2 of the rosemary, 1/2 of the flour, 1/3 of the parmesan, and black pepper. Add a second layer, and sprinkle with the remaining rosemary and flour, another 1/3 of the parmesan, and black pepper. Add a third layer, and sprinkle with parmesan and black pepper. Combine the cream, stock, and garlic and bring the mixture just to a boil. Pour over the rutabagas. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes or so, until browned.

Turnip Cippolini Onion Saute

3 -4 medium turnips cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3 medium cippolini onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup butter
dash nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Boil turnips until fork tender about 7 minutes. Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until foamy. Add onions, and cook until soft adn starting to brown. Drain turnips and add to onions. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper; cook until golden brown.

Quick Beets

1 1/2 lbs Beets, julienned
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

Heat a medium pan and add olive oil and beets. Cover for 5 minutes to lightly steam in own moisture. Uncover and saute (you may need to add a tich more oil) until lightly browned. Toss the beets with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and thyme. Serve.