News from the Farm - Busiest Time of the Year, Easy Crock Pot Sausage & Peppers

Hey there local food eaters,

Hope you are all enjoying the last days of summer. It seems like it was cooler and shorter than usual. Maybe that is just me getting older.

Life is busy for us on the farm now. It is nearly time for our fall Porktoberfest events, please mark your calendar for our fall farm visiting day, and check out the butchering class for you or someone you know who is interested.

So we're tidying up around here, which is always a big job.

In addition, it is almost turkey time. We will start taking orders for Thanksgiving turkeys in late September.

For now, they are growing quickly, and just as quickly figuring out how to get out of fencing (their food and shelter are in the paddock on the right of the escapees):

It is that time of year where the weeds are huge around the farm and in my garden, where chaos now reigns, alongside heaps of tomatoes waiting to be picked. Those are the portable chicken houses in the top right in the field behind the garden.

This photo says 'work' to me, but to the little ones, the sunflower house and bean teepee are a lovely place to play and have a lemonade tea party:

There are still a few ducks sitting on nests, and many recently hatched ducklings. These do NOT add to our work load. In fact, Brooks calls the muscovy ducks "the most sustainable animal on the farm", since they take care of themselves, foraging around the barn and yard and continuing to procreate.

To keep things quick and easy in the kitchen this time of year, I like to make:

Crockpot Sausage and Peppers

I use a similar technique to this recipe, that is so basic it's not even a recipe (do I always say that?).

Take 1-2 lbs of sausage, or more for a crowd. Hot and sweet Italian are the best for this, but later in the fall I like to do this same thing with Lincolnshire and sliced apples and onions.

Combine the sausage in a crockpot with 2-3 thinly sliced peppers, 1 sliced onion, and 4-6 coarsely chopped large tomatoes (or a large can of crushed tomatoes). Cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 3 hours.

Enjoy on sandwiches, or on its own!

Hoping back to school and fall approaching is an equally busy and joyful time for all of you.

Thanks as always for supporting local agriculture!

Hope to see you soon,

Anna