Gale Woods Farm Newsletter
December 2008

Farm Reflections
Happy solstice and a merry new year from everyone at Gale Woods Farm.

Daylight is waning as we near the winter solstice and life on the farm is pretty quiet. The pigs, turkeys and chickens we raise on pasture are all gone for the year and the laying hens and sheep have moved into the barn. The cattle are out on the winter pasture and stay pretty close to the hay bales they receive every day.

While the cold, dark days of December may seem hard on farm animals, in some ways it is the easiest time of the year. With shorter days, the hens lay fewer eggs and don’t eat as much and the sheep and cattle don’t have to forage around the pasture to find grass, they just wait for the farmer’s daily hay delivery.

Our Galloway cattle have a good coat of hair and the sheep have been growing wool since last March’s shearing so they are well-dressed for the cold. It is probably easier for them to find a warm place in the winter then to find shade and keep cool in the summer heat. All of this makes the farm a pretty peaceful place right now.

The barn is filled with the quiet munching of hay and an occasional bleat from the sheep, but otherwise activity is pretty minimal. It makes for the peaceful kind of scene depicted in greeting cards. It's a time for reflecting on the past season and planning for the next. From all of us here, thank you for being part of the farm over the past year. Whether you volunteered, came for a program, joined the CSA or stopped by for a hike, we hope you enjoyed the farm.

Come out this winter and try snowshoeing. With the fresh coatings of snow the farm is a beautiful place.

Restorative Farming Conference to Be Held at Gale Woods
The Crow River Chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association will be hosting their annual conference at Gale Woods on January 3, 2009. The theme is Restorative Agriculture—Healing the Land and Feeding the People. It will be a day of food for thought and sustenance; fun, music and socializing with other people who are passionate about sustainable agriculture. Workshop sessions include Permaculture, Holistic Animal Care, Indigenous Farming Methods, Soil Fertility, Farmland as Natural Habitat and more. Bring the whole family—there are activities for kids too! Lunch is potluck with a delicious locally grown main dish prepared by MN Garlic Festival Chef Wrangler Mary Jane Miller.

What is Restorative Farming? It is a philosophy that encourages us to look at farming as a way to make both the land and people healthier. As we learn more about the interconnectedness of human and environmental health we discover that contemporary agriculture and food production often tend to deplete soil fertility, increase livestock disease and reduce the nutritional value of our food. With this awareness many people are turning to organic and sustainable agriculture for alternatives. These terms refer to farming methods that use techniques such as composting, natural fertilizers and pesticides, mechanical weed control and more to reduce the negative impacts of farming. Restorative agriculture is the next step and strives to heal the land and improve it, rather than simply not deplete it. Restorative farming engages people as a community of producers and consumers.

Presenters at the conference include Holistic Veterinarian Will Winter, University of MN Agronomist Nick Jordan, Author Dana Jackson from the Land Stewardship Project, Dream of Wild Health Native Farm Manager Diane Wilson and many others who are promoting and practicing Restorative Farming.

Registration begins at 8:00 a.m., Programs from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Conference is $40 and $5 for each additional family member. Student rate of $10. Fee includes membership in the Crow River SFA. For more details or to register visit www.sfa-mn.org.

Folk School Fun!
New Volunteer Opportunities at Gale Woods

Gale Woods Farm’s Folk School has taken off! Participation and interest is growing, therefore, we’re offering more and more programs. The Folk School is a great opportunity to learn practical and artistic crafts, such as knitting, bread making and gardening, alongside other adults and families. All the enthusiasm surrounding the Folk School classes has created great need for volunteer support.

Have a particular interest within the Folk School programming? Let us know! Our goal is to create groups of volunteers with specific skills or interests, like fiber arts or cooking. Staff can then pull in volunteer support for these new and exciting program opportunities.

If this sounds like a good fit for you, contact Andi at: 763-694-2003.

Recipe of the Month: Glazed Ham in Maple-Raisin Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Gale Woods Farm smoked ham, bone-in, any size
1 cup maple syrup or honey
Maple-Raisin Sauce:

• 1/8 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot
• 1/8 cup ice water

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring ham to room temperature, place in a roasting pan, and bake until heated through (the internal temperature need not be more than 130 degrees), about an hour. Remove the ham from the oven and increase the heat to 425 degrees. Using a knife, score the outside of the ham by making a series of crisscross cuts. Brush on ¼ cup of the maple syrup, return the ham to the oven for 20 minutes, and baste 2 or 3 times with the pan juices. Remove the ham from the oven, set it on a cutting board, and brush with another ¼ cup of maple syrup. Tent loosely with foil, and let rest while you make the raisin sauce.

To make the sauce, place the roasting pan on two burners over low heat. Pour in the ½ cup water and the remaining ½ cup of maple syrup and simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Add the raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, and lemon juice; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the mixture by about a third, and lower to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch or arrowroot and ice water until smooth, and slowly pour into the sauce. Continue to cook, and stir 1-2 minutes longer until the sauce has thickened. Carve the ham and serve the sauce separately.

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