Circle M Farm

Yesterday morning was so bright and temperate that I comfortably went about feeding the animals in nothing but shirtsleeves. Halfway through hay-hauling, a neighbor pulled up in her truck and we enjoyed a relaxed chat in the front drive. She used the word “hope” in a sentence. I contemplated scratching back some snow and planting peas. By afternoon, the sun had coaxed puddles out of thin ice on the paths. Inside, I spread my garden books across the rug in front of the woodstove and started drawing up plans. Then overnight the temperature plunged cruelly and when I woke today the back porch thermometer needle pointed to negative eight. continued »

Weather.com is flashing yet another winter storm watch at our area, a storm which all of us here hope is the last big snow of the season. Meanwhile at Circle M, we’re in the midst of our own Gabby Watch. continued »

My first response to the news about this week’s gigantic beef recall was to read the stories and skip the videos offered on the internet. I feel pretty ambivalent about the ubiquitous access we have to graphic “news” footage. While I appreciate the accountability such access allows, I think the media often slides into a voyeuristic, almost abusive sensationalism that is as unhealthy for the viewers as it is unkind to the objects. Occasionally scarred by seeing such pieces, in this case I realized that as a small meat producer, I had a certain responsibility to know what the accusations of illegal and inhumane treatment at the slaughter facility were all about. The videos turned my stomach. continued »

To atone for my recent disparaging comments about Julia Child’s grayscale “Potato Show,” I pulled out “Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1” and made her wonderful Potage Parmentier this week. Thank you, Madame Julia, for the world’s easiest and most romantic-sounding Potato Soup. continued »

Readers have several times criticized this site for not posting pictures of the human residents of Circle M farm. I guess our faces are just old hat to me. But if you want to see what we look like, check out this precious video introduction by one of our FLFFGs (favorite little frequent farm guests), Lucy Boyd. She is just learning to talk, and does an adorable job of identifying the people (and the pig) on our Christmas card. continued »

For the past few weeks, I’ve slowly been developing a fierce hunger for fresh greens. There was a time in the middle of July that I felt I’d be content to never taste a leaf of lettuce or stalk of spinach again. But I’ve gone just about as long as I can go, and I watched the “Salad Nicoise” episode of The French Chef with Julia Child last night. Now I’m desperate. continued »