“We lean towards it
Imperceptibly the moments
Gathering under us
Length and breadth slowly stretching
Until we notice the light
The gentle spread
That vernal pull
Oh spring “
-poem by Annie McIntyre
Hello!
It’s been a while since we wrote. I thought I’d reach out and catch you up on our “Winter” season. It’s been sweet and quiet on Warm Valley Farm. We’ve had the time to make a few needed updates and some infrastructure changes, and we are also busy dreaming us and hatching new ideas for the upcoming season. Lambing starts in about a month for us. The ducks have been free ranging and doing slug patrol and we are gearing up for seeding, and new starts!
First off: Orcas Community Participatory Agriculture - OCPA is just about to start up. Did you attended the Orcas Farm Tour last October? Did you hear about OCPA and were intrigued with the idea of joining? Now is the time to consider it seriously!
This local program beautifully interlaces building a connected community, upping participants skill set and knowledge, adding food sovereignty to the community, along with a lot of delicious fun! We had such a wonderful OCPA crew last year, and we along with several other local farms will be increasing the size of our OCPA crews this season. To find out more please check out their site and indicate your interest. We would LOVE more participants this season.
BIG NEWS
We are super excited to announce two new enterprises: the first is a small but mighty Plant Nursery at Warm Valley Farm! We plan to open this Spring. We will have our farm-grown organic vegetable and flower starts, as well as our own flower and herb seeds. We’ve been busy contacting the region’s best plant producers to be able to carry a select variety of annuals, and perennial plants and trees. Our goal is to carry a small but wonderful selection of both farm grown and locally imported plant and tree stock, seasonal goods, decorative pots, and a selection of our favorite hand tools, plus organic soil amendments for a one-stop-shop.
If there are nursery items that you’ve been craving, please let us know, it’s possible that we can carry them! AND, please stay tuned for some upcoming how-to classes that we will post on our event calendar.
Secondly: We will be hosting a Wednesday afternoon/evening hyper-local Farmers Market at Warm Valley Farm, featuring food producers, growers, and makers from this end of Orcas Island to create a well rounded one-stop-shop this season. The market will run Wednesdays May 3rd though October 4th from 3-7pm, with a total six to eight local vendors, to start. We are currently reaching out to possible vendors, stay tuned for the list!
BARN SWALLOW VINTAGE
Located within our farmstand. We would love to consider consigning your select unique home-goods, decor, garden items, and other consignment treasures. If you have something you feel fits the vibe and size of our shop, please let me know and we can set up a meeting in April to view your items.
UPGRADES
The farmstand has some new used windows, a gate, and a sliding barn door for the pack-shed. We are in the midst of trying to add a donated building, from generous donors in Westsound, to the area near the Hearth. We are looking for help to get it here… Anybody with a low boy trailer, or? We hope it will become a wonderful addition in the near future. We are also upgrading and plugging away on landscaping our Event Area for weddings and life celebrations, and farm to table dinners.
AT THE FARMSTAND : AVAILABLE NOW
Succulent Mangalitsa / Berkshire cross pork in many cuts
Pastured organic duck eggs
Winter squash
Potatoes
Onions
We are in the process of interviewing our farm interns for the 2023 Season. We were SO incredibly lucky last year to have Miche and Joel. We miss them so much, and wish them well in Texas this season. If you know of perfect candidates for us, please send them our way.
We continue to be happy and honored to be part of the incredible community of Orcas Island.
WINTER SUN ORANGE SHORTBREAD COOKIES
This is what happened when I was craving oranges (and sweets) this winter… soooo yummy!
Orange shortbread cookies are made with homemade dehydrated unsweetened orange slices, fresh orange zest, and a bit of orange juice. They are a bit of sunshine in the midst of winter and a perfect holiday cookie!
This year we bought organic oranges and tangerines. I thinly sliced and dehydrated them for our holiday wreaths and Winter Faire Event. The farmhouse smelled divine. I got curious and tasted the finished product, and they are super delicious! Especially the middle part. So, craving an orange-y cookie, I combined this with a shortbread recipe and threw in some other ingredients to round out the flavor. We use all organic ingredients, especially dairy items. If you don’t have the time or inclination to dehydrate orange slices, you can purchase them here
Yield: 3 Dozen cookies. Prep Time: 1.5 hour
Cook Time: 10 minutes + minutes. Dehydration time: 6-9 hours
Total Time: 10 hours 10 + minutes
Ingredients
1 cup organic butter (2 sticks), softened
¾ cups granulated organic datura sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed orange juice (after you’ve zested the peel)
2 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
Zest from 1 orange (zest before you juice)
6 - 8 slices of dehydrated orange slices without the peel, chopped fine
½ cup chopped pecans
optional: add ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
Dehydrated Oranges: You will need a dehydrator, an air fryer or oven. We use an Excalibur dehydrator. Thinly slice 5 oranges with a sharp knife or mandoline slicer into ⅛” round slices. Place the slices in single layers on the your dehydrator racks. Dehydrate the orange slices at 135F for about 6 - 9 hours. Depending on the size of your dehydrator or air fryer and your time, you can make more for your holiday decorations!
In the bowl of a food processor combine the chopped dehydrated orange slices, and the nuts, mix until finely chopped
Add sugar so that it’s coated in the orange and nut crumble.
Add softened butter. Cream together for at least 3 minutes until smooth.
Add the vanilla extract and orange juice, mix until just combined.
Add flour, salt, zest, almonds, and cranberries if using. Mix until the dough is crumbly and mixed. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Test the dough, it should stick together in a ball. If it is too crumbly, add 1 teaspoon of extra juice and mix. If it’s not crumbly enough add up to 1/4 cup more flour and or sugar combined until you reach the desired texture. You should only need 1-2 teaspoons liquid (if at all) to reach the desired consistency.
Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper. Press the dough into a round log about 12" long and 3" in diameter. Fold up the sides of the parchment paper and roll until smooth round log is formed. Chill for at least 20 minutes.
Once chilled, remove the dough and slice into ¼" - ½" thick rounds (depending on how thick you like your cookies). You will end up with about 3 dozen cookies.
Place the unbaked cookies on baking sheets leaving about ½" space between cookies and if it’s warm and the dough is slumping, chill for an additional 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325F.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10-14 minutes (depending on cookie thickness), and are a light golden brown.
Cool on sheet before eating! If you move them to a cooling rack they will break. You can then transfer the rest to an airtight container. Enjoy!