Dear Friends,

 

July brought plenty of excitement and bounty with the hot weather! We celebrated Independence Day, the birth of another bull calf, and a super-early run of fresh-pressed olive oil. Though our main olive harvest occurs in late August, we picked for three days pressed the juice and collected it. Olive juice then sits for a few days so the oil can rise above the water, which we skim off and bottle. It doesn't get much fresher than this! We're excited to compare the July press with our late-August product. 

 

We also extracted over four tons of honey, our largest harvest yet! Honey, itself, is a perfect food, but it also complements most other foods in delightful ways. Imagine vinaigrettes made from honey, olive oil, herbs and ripe berries, and vinegar created from organic fruit. 

 

Warm regards,

 

Marissa Ames

General Manager, The Farm at Okefenokee

 

 

July 25th through 27th featured the bitcoin2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Team members Jason, Doug, Judy, Will, and Missy represented The Farm at Okefenokee as the only agricultural institution at the convention. Many people stopped by specifically to ask, “What's a farm doing at a Bitcoin conference?” Great question!

Like Bitcoiners, we focus on the future with a dedication to build and work each year so we can secure a better “tomorrow.” We cherish self-sovereignty and the freedom to control our own finances and food sources. To say the least, our message was well-received! Though overwhelming interest kept our team busy, we took short breaks to research other presenters, such as the team building a machine that mines bitcoin while using the waste heat within a home water heater!

 

Podcaster Robert Breedlove joined us at The Farm's booth all three days, where he signed bags and spoke about all of The Farm's amenities and his own plans to live here and enjoy the organic, rural family-friendly lifestyle. Check out the podcast What is Money? to hear the interview with Jeff Meyer and Doug Davis.

 

Other notable speakers at bitcoin2024 included multiple state senators, Edward Snowden, Russell Brand, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Vivek Ramaswamy, and Donald Trump.

 

 

 

Can someone really be good at everything? Even if that's impossible, Jerrie is the perfect candidate to challenge the notion daily. We're constantly amazed at her talents and eagerness to try new things. Whether jumping on a tractor to move manure and hay, driving the mule-pulled cart down dirt roads, learning crop cultivation and seed saving, or fixing irrigation problems within the garden, she doesn't skip a beat. 

 

Jerrie takes her role seriously. Residing a few properties away from the farm, she shows up early for her shift then makes another evening run to The Farm to check on the mules and horses. And, in a contest for the hardest worker willing to get the dirtiest for a job well done, Jerrie rises to the top.

 

 

What grows well in summer heat? Hot peppers, surely! If you have an abundance of spicy solanums from this year's garden, consider pickling them for use later. Create tangy antipasto peppers by choosing slightly spicy versions like leutschauer paprika or pepperoncini, then adding in garlic, onion, and spices with vinegar, sugar, and water. Or build a culinary showcase within a jar by selecting colorful, uniquely shaped varieties such as biquinho, aji, and Brazilian starfish.  If your acidity is high enough, you can process these in a water bath canner to last years on a shelf. (Food quality always declines after a year, though the vinegar keeps away deadly bacteria.)

 

Here are some tips for pickling peppers:

 

The turkey figs are ripening on The Farm at Okefenokee. This leaves a lot of people thinking, “What do I do with them now?” 

Historical Sweetness: Though the Bible mentions over 60 fruits, figs are considered one of the five “main Biblical fruits,” with mentions as early as the Book of Numbers. Scientists backed this up by confirming nine subfossil figs in the Neolithic village of Gilgal, in the Jordan Valley. The scientists propose that people domesticated figs a thousand years before learning to grow wheat and rye.

Beyond the Newton: Though the name-brand cookies are popular, figs can be eaten fresh or dried. Their thin skins make them a delicious morsel. Ripe in the Northern Hemisphere between July and October, figs are high in dietary fiber plus the micronutrients manganese, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin K. Popular recipes include fig cookies and tarts, served fresh or roasted on salads, mixed into goat cheese, and infused into balsamic vinegar. (Try them lightly roasted, on a salad of baked beets, goat cheese, balsamic glaze, and mesclun lettuce!)

Did You Know: You can use fig sap to make cheese! Traditional rennet is an enzyme from the second stomach chamber of a very young ruminant animal. It's usually a byproduct of the veal industry. But, as early as ancient Greek times, the desire for cheese outweighed the desire for veal. People searched for other ways to coagulate milk and separate curds. Homer referred to fig sap as a coagulant in the Iliad. Heat milk to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, add an acidifier such as citric acid, then add a couple of drops of milky fig sap. Stir well then allow to sit 12-24 hours. Drain the whey, add a bit of sea salt, then serve as ricotta or another spreadable cheese.

Fig Preservation Tip: Like most tree fruits, figs freeze just fine without needing any blanching beforehand. But, like most tree fruits, they thaw a bit … floppy. This isn't a worry if you're using them for baking! While you can wash the ripe figs and throw them into a freezer bag, many experts suggest cutting off the stem, slicing the figs into halves or quarters, then packing them in sugar. This protects them from freezer burn and packages them in a way that's ready to use when you're in a baking mood!

 

 

Have you ever cooked with figs? What did you make?

 

 

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