Pleasant Valley Farm

Updates from
JUNE/JULY, 2014 VOLUME 6, ISSUE 2
We hope our farm friends all had a safe and happy Fourth of July filled with deli-
cious local food! Our farm stand season is in full swing, and you can visit us eve-
ry week on Tuesdays or Saturdays. New produce is coming into season all the
time, weve detailed what is current in this newsletter. Weve also got lots of
fresh herbs to add healthy flavors to your meals. Weve gone into detail about
our current offerings on page 2, and herbs feature prominently in our recipes in
this edition!
Another exciting development is our new Spotted pig (learn more on page 2!),
and were excited to be expecting piglets soon, which will help us keep providing
you with our famous pork & sausage. Weve got four varieties of delicious home-
made sausage hot and mild Italian sausages, plus bulk breakfast or sage sausages.
Also in stock are favorite cuts of pork like ribs, hand-cut chops, ham steaks, ba-
con and more. At the moment, our beef selection is limited (our grass fed, herit-
age breed Dexter beef is so tasty, steaks sell out quickly!) but weve got lots of
roasts and ground meat on hand. Chicken will return at the end of the month.
We recommend preordering birds if you dont want to miss out, as our naturally
raised chicken becomes more popular every year.
Emilys Dill and Bread and Butter pickles are back in stock and as the garden sea-
son moves along well be adding lots more things like salsa, pickled beets and
more. Plus, dont forget about our great gift options like Dans hand-forged metal
work and Emilys handmade jewelry.
See you at the stand!
-Emily
Hello Friends!
crookneck and a new,
two-tone variety that is
both delicious and pro-
lific! Beets are ready,
and were also digging
new potatoes. We ex-
pect to be harvesting
tomatillos this Saturday,
and more produce is
coming into season
weekly. Be sure to
check out our website
for a complete listing of
produce in stock each
week (with prices!) or
just stop and say hi!
Summer brings an amazing
bounty from the garden,
and despite the cool wet
spring, things are catching
up fast! (Our new green-
house space doesnt hurt,
either!)
If you havent stopped by
the stand in a while, you
may be amazed at what
weve got growing on right
now! Tomatoes, the stars
of summer, are available
now. Emily cuts lettuce &
other greens like arugula
and escarole to make a
stunning salad mix.
Were starting to har-
vest bell & banana pep-
pers, with more varie-
ties coming soon. The
cucumbers are coming
on strong weve got
them for sale individu-
ally and by the whole or
half peck. Our summer
squash is growing so
quickly that were pick-
ing it every other day
weve got several
shades of zucchini, plus
Produce A-Plenty!
Summer
Happenings:
2014 HOURS:
Saturdays 10 4
Tuesdays 126
Chicken returns late July/
early August order now so
you dont miss out!
New veggies available
weekly-check our website to
see whats in season!
Cheese & Coffee available
now!
Lots of new hand forged
items like fire pokers, key-
chains and more




Pleasant Valley Farm

Dan & Emily Stevenson

4792 Sage Road
Tionesta, PA 16353

(814)755-3911

pleasantvalleyfarmpa@yahoo.com

www.pleasantvalleyfarm.weebly.com
www.localharvest.org/blog/27987
confinement, but make
great homestead hogs.
They do wonderfully in
farmstead conditions, root-
ing in the great outdoors.
Our girl is already trained to
respect electric fence so we
can rotate her outdoor pen!
Spots are also known for
being efficient in converting
feed to weight gain, turning
things like our excess gar-
den produce & GMO free
corn into lean bacon and
other pork cuts!

hardier and thriftier than
other colors. They were
from Poland China and
Glocestershire Old Spot
stock. A registry was start-
ed in 1914, so the breed
dates back 100 years! To-
day, spots are great produc-
ers of lean pork like we
offer here at the farm. They
dont do well in industrial
Its been a few years since
we kept breeding hogs
although we have been rais-
ing pigs for our delicious
sausage all along, they
werent being born here.
We are excited to say that
has changed with the recent
addition of a registered
Spotted hog and she is due
with her first litter of baby
Spots in a few months!
The origins of the Spotted
hog date to the 1880s in
Indiana. Farmers selected
for the spotted pattern be-
cause they felt the pigs were
Spotlinght on Spot Hogs
Healthy Cooking with Herbs
Chives give your dish a mild
onion flavor with fresh chives.
They are wonderful when
paired with egg, potatoes,
cheese, or any combination of
the three!
Salad Burnet a less common
herb, it has a cool cucumber
like flavor. Great in salads &
on sandwiches, try it in your
lemonade or wine spritzer, or
add to dips
Lemon Balm adds a lemon
flavor great in fruit salads, in
sorbets, or make a calming tea
from the leaves. It also pairs
well with fish we like to place
it inside a trout before baking
or grilling!
Are you looking for a way
to make food taste great
without adding nasty chemi-
cals or lots of salt and fat to
your diet? We hope youll
try spicing up your meals
with fresh herbs! Herbs are
flavorful and good for you!
They add vitamins and anti-
oxidants to any dish, and
can be cooked or eaten raw.
Easy to use, just chop up
the leaves then you can
add them to your recipe, or
kick up a salads flavor!
Heres a look at the
herbs weve got in
season right now:
Basil a classic herb
which pairs well
with tomatoes and is
the main ingredient
in pesto, basil is also
great with zucchini,
eggplant or peppers.
Thai Basil has basil flavor
with licorice-anise notes.
Its wonderful in stir fries,
and is often used in soups
and curries.
Mint we offer peppermint
and chocolate mint (which
tastes like a peppermint pat-
ty!). Mint is great for mak-
ing a refreshing tea, adding
the signature flavor to a
mojito, in desserts, or even
paired with meats in Middle
Eastern and Vietnamese
cuisines.
Parsley fresh parsley has a
refreshing flavor, so unlike
the dried version. The
leaves are great chopped,
and the stems can be used
making stocks & soups.
Best of all, parsley goes with
just about anything!
Page 2 PLEASANT VALLEY FARM
Herbs are
flavorful &
good for you.
Weve got a
great selection
of homegrown,
organic herbs
on sale now!
Page 3 VOLUME 6, ISSUE 2
Fun Herb Recipes

Here are some fun recipes featuring the flavors of summer.
Items in bold are available here at the farm!
Cucumber-Tomato Relish

1 cucumber or 2 small zucchini, diced
1 lb tomatoes, peeled & diced
1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced



Combine in medium bowl. Add dressing, starting with half &
adding more to taste.

Dressing:
1/4 cup oil
2 Tbsp apple cider or red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley OR 1 Tbsp basil, chopped
Wisk together until sugar is dissolved & dressing begins to thick-
en. Salad will keep refrigerated up to 3 days.

Try it with green beans or meats!


Easy 3-Herb Dip

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp minced Salad Burnet
1 Tbsp minced Parsley
1Tbsp minced Chives

Blend all ingredients together with a
fork (do not use food processor).
Cover and chill. Refrigerate at least
an hour, or better yet, overnight to let
flavors meld.

This is great for dipping veggies or as
a cracker spread.

Green Bean Sides 4 options!

1 Lb green (or yellow!) beans (cut in 1 pieces)
Cook in small amount of water until crisp-tender, 5-10 minutes. Drain & add one of the options below!

Parsley-Lemon: Saut 2 cloves garlic in 1 Tbsp oil or butter. Add 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, season
to taste with salt & pepper. Add to beans and heat through. Sprinkle with the juice of 1 lemon.

Mint: Saut 1/4 cup green onion (chopped) in 1 Tbsp butter or oil. Add 2 Tbsp fresh chopped mint.
Add cooked beans & season with salt & pepper to taste.

Basil-Tomato: Saut 1/4 cup green onion (chopped) and 1 clove garlic in 1 Tbsp butter or oil. Add 2
Tbsp chopped fresh basil, 1 cup chopped tomatoes and the cooked green beans. Cover and cook ~ 5
min. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Ham/Bacon: Saut 1/4 cup green onion (chopped) and 1 clove garlic in 1 Tbsp butter or oil. Add 1/4
cup cooked, chopped ham or bacon. Add cooked beans & season with salt & pepper to taste.