While last calendar week we write about take time to celebrate and savour seasonal teemingness , in realness , we acknowledge that metre is at a premium right now . As summertime rolls along , the to - do tilt grows along with that pile of peas on the counter that need shelling .
Do n’t tension or panic — or so we attempt to prompt ourselves daily this time of class ! We moved to our Wisconsin farm 18 years ago because we wanted to hold up nearer to the land and bring up our own food , but that process needs to remain realizable and fun for it all to work successfully . Here are our favorite organizational tips that help us save time and concern in our summer kitchen .
1 . Break Down TasksStaring at that batch of pea can be overwhelming , but putting the peas in a colander and washing them feel doable . fall apart down larger processing project into small baby steps or approaching the project from the view of “ what do I need to do next ” help to take quick and simple action .

call back you do n’t call for to do a whole Book of Job all at once . When Lisa throw salsa , she gathers and cleans all of her supplies and chop up up ingredients the Nox before processing , then does the actual cooking and canning the next morning . With all the canning jars , lid and other supply line up , she does n’t need to desolate time hunting for things while focalise on salsa - making . fall in up a process in this way helps it sense more come-at-able when coming off a busy sidereal day on the farm .
2 . Replenish Your EnergyThe last couple time of day of the evening can seem like a goldmine in the kitchen , but if you ’re like us , you need an energy boost that meter of daylight . Unless you ’re a creative , productive nighttime owl — we are not — the eventide time of day might not be good for focused undertaking like replying coherently to CSA member e-mail or updating expense accounting system record .
For an energy boost after a prospicient day of work , we head aside from caffeine and stick to cold ice water orkombucha . For her natal day , Lisa obtain a modest , portable speaker to dally music and listen to podcasts off her iPod , which is a great room to keep thing piquant and full of life as we work on more senseless activities , like shucking pea plant .

3 . Cook in BulkWhen making a formula that imply more preparation or multiple steps , fudge up a two-fold or even treble batch and freeze the extra for when you need a warm repast . We do that for Spinach Taquitos and our favorite Beet Burgers , a recipe feature in ourFarmstead Chefcookbook .
For dishes that do n’t freeze down , see find a couple staple recipe that you could bulge cook and store in the refrigerator for easy straightaway meals . We first started makingfresh kale saladlast summer , and it stay our “ go - to ” meal this year . Unlike a bracing immature salad , kale salad improves in texture and flavor as it sit around in the fridge a twenty-four hour period or so . Lisa will make a double sight at night and we ’ll have that for lunch and snacks over the next couple days .
4 . Wash and Trim Veggies Before StoringWhile we may have an overburden of invigorated veg right now during elevation summer , in our family we miss need to snack on them if we have to drag out the salad spinster or cullender and wash and treat them every time . It ’s easier if we clean and prep pocket-size amounts of veggies every evening so we ’re ready to make a fast salad for tiffin or much on pea pod in the good afternoon .

A balanced perspective on managing prison term on the farm , in particular during the summer time of year of copiousness , remains an on - going learning process for us . For some more time direction tips , check Lisa ’s clause , “ Sun Up to Sun Down . ”
Get more helper for your summertime kitchen from HobbyFarms.com :
Savoring the adept life ,
< < More Farmstead Chef > >