Farmer Mary's Field Notes - August 16, 2025
This week was a delightful return to normalcy, or at least what passes for normal during the summer months. Not only did we survive county fair week, we delivered our first batch of chickens and turkeys to the processor on Sunday night!
Typically, we get up at the crack of dawn to load birds in crates, hook up the livestock trailer, and make the hour and a half drive to Baltic, Ohio, but this time our processor offered us the option to drop off the birds after dark the night before. I would so much rather stay up late than get up early, so we loaded up the birds after dinner and set off into the twilight. Although predator losses this year were the worst we’ve ever faced, we still managed to come away with a substantial yield of boneless, skinless breasts (hello, stir-fries and nuggets!) as well as three different batches of chicken sausage: maple breakfast links, a sweet Italian brat-style sausage, and a new salt and pepper variety, not to mention a new batch of bone broth. I’ll go back and pick everything up when it’s ready and sneak in breakfast for one at the cutest coffee shop/restaurant just around the corner from the processor facility.
Food is never far from my mind. I’m always scheming what to cook next, and garden season adds an extra layer of fun (read: mild panic). While we had a ton of rain early on in the summer, things are starting to get awfully dry. The cucumber vines are starting to shrivel, and the snap peas have long since given up. I’ve gotten two solid batches of pickles processed so far, and have plans to try a new recipe for the last batch of cukes that are currently stalled out on the kitchen counter. The green beans, however, are still going strong. I could pick those daily and not run out. I got a little aggressive this year, and wanted to try a new variety without losing the safety net of my regular bush bean. Thus, we have a bumper crop. Tonight, I simply ran out of time to make anything fancy and opted for a farm standard—comfort food to the max, but still taking advantage of the season’s best.
Ham, Potatoes, and Green Beans
Ingredients:
- ham steak(s)
- russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and halved
- green beans, snapped in half, ends trimmed
Tonight, we needed to feed four people, so we used two ham steaks, 8 medium potatoes, and a small apron-full of green beans. I covered the potatoes with water in a large pot, added the ham steaks and simmered it all till the potatoes were tender (20 minutes-ish). I opted to steam the green beans separately, but you could just toss the beans in the same pot as everything else toward the end of cooking. Salt and pepper to taste once plated, and we like to splash a bit of our favorite vinegar on top (red wine vinegar works nicely for some brightness). Minced chives would be a nice boost, too, or a bit of grainy mustard on the side.
With any luck, the okra will start coming in next week; I spied pretty yellow flowers on the plants tonight, so fingers crossed! Otherwise, there will be more green bean recipes on tap in my kitchen. Pray for rain and enjoy the beautiful sunshine in the meantime. These days are absolute gifts.