Wendell Berry speaks of farming systems as the
type of symbiotic relationships that our greater society should model our
culture around. Let’s take a look at
the farming system at Elmwood Stock Farm and discover just how correct he
is. Native habitats, whether rain
forest or prairie, are teaming with thousands of species of plant and animal
life, flourishing in a symbiotic relationship.
Although this coexistence of shared resources is stable, it will never
achieve a state of equilibrium. As
weather patterns and solar energy input constantly modify the availability of
those resources, the intricate inter-relationships ebb and flow in a
predictable manner. At Elmwood Stock
Farm, our job is to manage these relationships while asking the system to
provide us a certain crop at a certain point in time.
We balance our
ecosystem by rotating plant and animal nutrients around the farm that builds
fertility faster than the food crops can harvest them. This also maintains the all-important
balance of micro-organisms discussed in earlier postings. So, looking at the farm, each field has a
productive capacity based on slope, soil type, and accessibility of water. We have developed a management system to
utilize each in its own way to be productive while benefiting from some other
aspect of the operation, hence the symbiosis.
By describing the
field history of a single crop field you should get a sense of how this
works. Randomly we can start with planting
alfalfa in our crop field. Alfalfa is a
legume, which means a rhizobia bacterium attaches itself to the roots for life
support. It also fixes nitrogen from
the air, releasing it to the host plant and the soil around it. Alfalfa has a strong taproot that burrows
several feet deep into the soil that physically breaks up the soil, opening
pores for air, water, and the soil food web to expand. This plant also harvests minerals and
nutrients from deep in the soil with the help of mycorrhizal fungi. We bale the hay for three or four years
while this soil building is happening.
The following winter, we unroll the hay bales in that same field for the
cattle to consume and deposit their manure in the field, adding nutrients back
into the system. When spring arrives,
we plow under the roots and top growth, so the microbes can decompose them,
which converts them into a plant-available form. This is the area we would plant heavy feeding crops like tomato,
potato, cucurbits, peppers, and sweet corn.
Following one of
these food crops, we will lightly till the soil and plant a cover crop, which
are fast growing cold weather tolerant crops like wheat and vetch (vetch is
also a legume). During winter, the
actively growing roots maintain the food source for all the soil microbes and
fungi, albeit slowed down in the cold environment. These plants are easily tilled in, to release their nutrients in
spring for fast-growing short season crops like lettuce, greens, and broccoli. When such crops are harvested, other short
season crops can follow. These
double-cropped food crops (double crop means two crops in same year) may be
harvested until frost or after, which is too late for another cover crop to be
planted. Therefore, the following
spring, peas and beans are a great option here, as they are leguminous,
“making” their own nitrogen. After the
beans are harvested, sweet potato or winter squash can follow. When they come off, it is time to seed
alfalfa and begin anew.
The focus seems
to be on nutrient and nitrogen cycling.
This system does optimize nutrients and builds soil. However, the equally significant aspects
relate to managing insect populations and plant pathogens. This rotational system seems to keep
beneficial insect habitat abundant, while keeping plant pests from establishing
themselves in wait for the next crop of choice. Plant pathogens have little opportunity to gain reproductive
momentum in the ever-changing environment that is super charged with beneficial
bacteria and fungi.
The culture of agriculture is indeed based on
sound biological principles, realistic production goals, and symbiotic
relationships. Like Wendell said, it does sound like a pretty nice place to
live.
In Your Share
Fresh Asparagus
Broccoli – organic
Kohlrabi - organic
Red Leaf and/or Green Lettuce – organic
Spinach - organic
Sugar Snap Peas - organic
Red Beets - organic
Collard Greens – organic
Recipes to Enjoy
Greens with Parmesan and Garlic
3 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves,
crushed
4 scallions,
sliced
12 oz greens,
thinly sliced, tough stalks removed (this recipe is great with turnip, collard,
kale, and mustard)
¼ C water
2/3 C Parmesan
water
Salt and freshly
ground pepper
Shavings of
Parmesan cheese, to garnish
Heat the olive
oil in a large saucepan and stir-fry the garlic and scallion for 2
minutes. Add the turnip greens and
stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, so that the greens are coated in oil. Add the water.
Bring to a boil,
lower the heat, cover and simmer, stirring frequently, until the greens are
tender. Bring the liquid to a bowl
again, allow the excess to evaporate, then stir in the Parmesan and seasonings. Serve at once with extra shavings of cheese.
Peas with
Lettuce and Onion, serves
4-6, the long-enjoyed recipe traditionally uses English shell-out peas, but
we’ve found that sugar snap peas are just as tasty. Break the end of the peapod and pull away any strings. Break the pod into a couple of bite-size
pieces before adding the whole thing to the pan.
1 T butter
1 small onion,
finely chopped
small lettuce
head, halved and sliced into thin strips (use equal part lettuce to the amount
of peas you have)
2 C sugar snap
peas
3 T water
Salt and freshly
ground black pepper
Melt the butter
in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and cook over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, until
just softened. Add the pea pieces and
stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until crisp-tender (al dente). Season lightly with salt and pepper, then
add lettuce. Stir quickly until just
wilted. Toss lightly and serve at once.
Broccoli and
Spinach Soup, adapted
from a Martha Rose Shulman recipe
1 T extra virgin
olive oil
1 medium onion,
chopped
4 stalks celery,
diced
2 to 4 garlic
cloves, to taste, minced
2 lb broccoli,
chopped; stems, if using, peeled and diced
6 oz potato,
peeled and diced, or ½ C medium grain rice
2 quarts water or
vegetable stock
herb bouquet made
with a bay leaf, a Parmesan rind, and a couple of sprigs each thyme and parsley
salt and freshly
ground pepper to taste
1 ½ oz spinach
leaves (about 1 C tightly packed)
Heat the olive
oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the onion
and celery. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Do not allow
these ingredients to brown. Add a generous pinch of salt to prevent this from
happening (the salt draws out liquid from the vegetables). Add the garlic and
cook, stirring, until the garlic smells fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Add the broccoli,
potatoes or rice, water or stock, herb bouquet, and salt, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove the herb bouquet. Stir in
the spinach and let sit for a minute off the heat. Add freshly ground pepper,
taste and adjust salt.
Using a hand
blender, or in batches in a regular blender, purée the soup. If using a regular
blender fill only half way and cover the top with a towel pulled down tight,
rather than airtight with the lid, because hot soup will jump and push the top
off if the blender is closed airtight. Return to the pot and heat through,
stirring. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, topping each
bowl with garnishes of your choice.
Serves 6.
Optional garnishes:
chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, chives; drizzle of olive
oil; swirl of crème fraiche or plain
yogurt; a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan.
Linguine
with Roasted Chicken, Greens, Dried Fruit and Nuts adapted from a New York Times
recipe, use whatever greens you have on hand in this pasta, and you
can substitute different nuts or seeds for the texture. This week’s Elmwood chicken share will work
well in this recipe. Serves about 6.
1 whole chicken
(you can also use bone-in chicken thighs)
1 bunch leafy
greens, such as chard, collards or kale
1 lb linguine (or
other such as spaghetti or fettuccine)
1 small onion
sliced
½ C currants or
raisins or dried cranberries
2/3 C toasted
pine nuts or pumpkin seeds
2 T chopped fresh
rosemary
3 T chopped fresh
parsley (for garnish)
Roast a chicken
according to your favorite method.
When the chicken comes out of the oven, remove the
chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 20 minutes. When the
chicken has rested, pull the meat off the bones and break it into bite-sized
pieces. Chop some of the crispy chicken skin if desired; set the meat and skin
aside.
Cook the
linguine, drain it and set it aside, reserving about a cup of the pasta cooking
water.
Set the roasting
pan (with the drippings and fat that accumulated when you roasted the chicken)
back on the stove, over two burners if necessary. In the roasting pan over
medium-high heat, add the onion and sauté until softened. Add the chopped
greens and dried fruit, and sauté until the greens are wilted but still bright
green. Add the pieces of roasted chicken and skin (if using) as well as the
chopped rosemary. Add the pasta, tossing it around to coat it with the chicken
juices and fat (add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water if it looks
like it needs to be moistened). Finally, toss in the toasted nuts and fresh
parsley for garnish.