Farm Notes, Week 3

June 26/27, 2008, CSA Week 3

NOTE FOR JULY 4TH FARM PICKUP NEXT WEEK: WE ARE CHANGING PICKUP TIME FOR THE HOLIDAY. PLEASE COME BETWEEN 9AM AND 11AM INSTEAD OF NORMAL AFTERNOON TIME.

This past week, we had several members as us about spinach (or lack thereof) in the weekly shares. This got us thinking that we should talk a bit about soil fertility, our experiences thus far on this farmland, and our philosophy about making the soils better.

Here’s the reason we make the jump from spinach to soil fertility. Spinach likes to grow in nutrient-rich soil, and needs quite a lot of nitrogen to grow well (which is a nutrient we are lacking in particular). The land where our gardens are has been a hay field for many years, and nothing has been added back in terms of fertilizer or manure during that time…just grasses being taken away. Believe it or not, taking the hay away without putting anything back is a huge draw on the soil’s resources, so at the present time, our soil needs work to become more fertile. Here’s what we are doing about it:

Rotating cover crops. Cover crops are usually grains or legumes that are planted for the purpose of being plowed under to add organic matter to the soil and help control weeds. We are working with mostly heavy clay soils, so adding organic matter helps to lighten the soil, increase water absorption, and free up some of the nutrients that clay holds onto to make them better available for the plants.
Applying compost to the land. We have a compost pile just north of our uppermost garden where we were putting Honest Weight’s excess compost. It has become too big a time burden to continue taking their compost, but we are now adding to the pile with horse and cow manure from local farms and animal owners. The manure is composted (broken down) before adding it to the fields.
Adding rock powders and sea solids. This helps to remineralize the land. Soil that has plentiful minerals will yield crops with plentiful minerals…and our bodies need the minerals just like the plants do! Most farms are only concerned with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus (which are all important) but we want to take it further to get the trace minerals the soils and plants need, too.

As a short-term solution, we use fish emulsion as a foliar spray directly on the plants to give them a nutrient boost. We did plant spinach (quite a lot of it, actually) and we did spray it with our emulsion and we babied the plants, but we still did not get any real yields from it. Disappointing, but for now we just have to go with the plants that do grow well under the conditions we have. Within the next couple of years, as the fertility of the soil gets better and better, so will the vitality and vigor of the plants, and the varieties we are able to grow will increase, too.

Chris got the potatoes hilled up this week. He worked on weeding, and has been proactively searching out and squishing Colorado Potato Beetles and their larvae before they become a problem. We were fighting with Cucumber Beetles a couple of weeks ago, too (they chew on cucumber, squash and melon plants and pass along something called Bacterial Wilt, which will eventually kill the plants). We seem to be ahead on that battle front; Chris ended up dusting the plants with Diatomaceous Earth (tiny diatoms) which kills the beetles when they ingest it by cutting up their insides.

We have several small zucchinis on the plants and more blossoming, the tomatoes are covered in flowers and are getting some nice fruit on them. We pulled some beets and baby carrots, but don’t have quite enough ready yet (although they are looking great). The peas are covered in blossoms and small peas, but again, not enough to cover the shares this week…it’s looking good for next week, though! Enjoy the recipes, and remember that if you have any to share, feel free to send me an email with them so I can include when appropriate (otterhookfarms@yahoo.com). Thank you!



Warm Greens with Roasted Garlic Dressing

6 Cups Bite-Sized pieces of hearty salad greens (like Devil’s Ear)
Roasted Garlic Dressing (recipe follows)
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Place greens in a large salad bowl.

Heat Roasted Garlic Dressing in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm, 1-2 min. Add shallot and simmer until the shallot is softened, 3-5 min. Pour the warm dressing over the greens and toss until they are wilted and coated. Add pine nuts and goat cheese and toss again, slightly melting the cheese with the warm greens. Season with pepper.


Roasted Garlic Dressing

1 large or 2 small heads garlic
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/8 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Rub off excess papery skin from garlic without separating the cloves. Slice the tips off the head, exposing the ends of the cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with one Tbsp oil and wrap into a package. Put in a baking dish and bake until garlic is very soft, 40 min to 1 hour. Unwrap and let cool slightly.

Squeeze the garlic pulp into a blender or food processor (discard skins). Add remaining 3 Tbsp oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper and process until smooth.


Braised Mustard Greens with Golden Raisins

3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 1 pound bacon, chopped 2 bunches mustard greens, chopped 3/4 cup chicken stock 1/4 cup golden raisins Salt and freshly ground black pepper
On medium heat, sauté garlic and bacon in a large sauté pan.
While bacon is cooking boil water in a large pot. Blanch mustard greens in boiling water until bright green. *Cook's Note: Add a few greens a little bit at a time into boiling water. Make room for more greens by pushing down with a spoon. Drain greens.
In a sauté pan with the bacon, add greens and garlic. Stir together. Add chicken stock and raisins. Mix well together. Add salt and pepper, for taste, and let simmer for 5 minutes.


Ginger-Garlic Sauce

This recipe can be used as a stir-fry sauce, dipping sauce for spring rolls or dumplings, or a marinade for chicken, pork or tofu.

½ cup Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.




This week’s recipes (except for the mustard greens) courtesy of Eating Well magazine.