A New Volunteer

Wayne taking a quick photo break from harvesting summer squash

We have a new volunteer at Buttercup Farms. Wayne, who has lived in both California and Texas, brings a little cowboy culture to the farm. 

Wayne has been visiting us a few days a week for nearly a month. His willingness to tackle any task has been invaluable and we've enjoyed his help with our horses and his hands on approach in the garden. We are glad to have Wayne and his ten-gallon hat give us a Texas-sized hand on the farm. 

One of Wayne's lifelong dreams is to become a rancher and we are so grateful he chose to hone his skills with us here on the farm. As any farmer or rancher will tell you there is always work to be done and at Buttercup Farms we're no different. We have many diverse projects going on at any given time; we may need to walk a fence line, repave a portion of our driveway, clear out beds in the garden, or walk the horses to a pasture on the hill, and these are just a few that come to mind this week. Having a volunteer who is eager to learn about all aspects of farm work and life is a blessing for us. So when we have anything come up, we know we can ask Wayne for some help and he will attack it with gusto.  While we are definitely glad to have his helping hands it is even more rewarding to help him gain some farming experience so he can pursue his dream of someday becoming a rancher.

Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

When we included this recipe we had an abundance of red peppers in the garden and we decided to roast the peppers so we could use them in sandwiches, wraps, salads, side dishes and sauces.

We scoured the web to try and find an interesting way to use our roasted red peppers and we found a recipe on allrecipes.com for a roasted red pepper cream sauce. We tossed some whole-wheat penne in our sauce and served it to a hungry crew on the farm and the smoky, sweet creaminess of the sauce turned out to be a hit!

Below is the recipe for a Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce: 

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Bell Peppers
• 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• ¼ Cup Fresh Basil
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Cups Half-and-Half
• ¼ Cup Grated Romano Cheese
• 4 Tbsp Butter
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler. Lightly coat the red peppers with olive oil. Grill peppers under the broiler until the skin is blackened, and the flesh has softened slightly. Place peppers in a paper bag or resealable plastic bag to cool for approximately 45 minutes.
2. Remove the seeds and skin from the peppers (the skin should come off the peppers easily now). Cut peppers into small pieces.
3. In a skillet, cook and stir the garlic, basil, and red peppers in 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, so that the flavors mix.
4. Place mixture in blender (careful it is hot), and puree to desired consistency. Return puree to skillet, and reheat to a boil. Stir in the half-and-half and the Romano cheese; cook and stir until the cheese melts. Add the butter, and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes. Toss with pasta and garnish with any remaining cheese.

Our Visit to the UCSC Farm and Garden

Crops growing in the raised beds at the UCSC Farm and Garden

Recently we took a trip from Clayton to Santa Cruz to visit the UCSC Farm and Garden to learn about their facilities and how they operate. The Farm and Garden at UCSC runs a full-scale organic farm that supports a produce stand and a seasonal CSA for the Santa Cruz community.

I was impressed at the scope of their operation, since I am accustomed to our half-acre of raised beds and their garden seemed to stretch on forever. 

Despite the difference in size, I found the similarities between our two gardens comforting in that Buttercup Farms Garden felt like a more compact version of the university garden. 

Buttercup Farms Garden in the Foothills of Mt Diablo

Thanks to Gary, who manages the Buttercup Farms Garden and was an apprentice at the UCSC Farm and Garden, we operate in very much the same way, using the same techniques, equipment and concepts to run our garden. Visiting the university garden also inspired us to see the ways in which we can grow even as a small-scale garden and even in what we can grow for our community and ourselves. All-in-all the visit to Santa Cruz taught us a few things, inspired us to try some new ideas and left us excited to return home.