The beef cattle are grazing the pastures where
the chickens grow and prosper, which prompted the idea to follow up on the
value of pasture and organic weed control. First, we failed to mention much
about poultry grazing patterns last week. The birds eat the nutritious cloverleaves
and the small tender leaves of various weeds. They like Bluegrass leaves, but
fescue, not so much. They also scratch and dig in the soil providing natural
minerals, while searching for and eating insects, but this activity essentially
cultivates the soil in small patches allowing the desirable species to have
room to expand their foot print by extending underground shoots known as
rhizomes or stolons into the open space. The single greatest value of the
pasture for the poultry is the natural cleaning properties the pasture provides
for the birds. By continually moving the birds to fresh pasture, the beneficial
bacteria and fungi associated with plants, acts an anti-microbial keeping the
birds clean and free of disease or parasitic issues, much like compost does for
the soil.
Now, back to those pesky weeds. The taller weeds that
we mowed to keep things short for the poultry are seeing their stalks wither, while
smaller weeds are sending the energy to the lower branches that were not cut. Yesterday, we saw where the cattle are
snipping off the seeds as they ripen, leaving the less mature plants alone. So,
the plan is to mow the field as soon as the cattle move to the next field. This
is the optimum time since the cattle have consumed most of the desirable
vegetative growth, allowing our 50-year-old 7-foot bush hog mower to chop up
the remaining weeds, as they stand alone in the field. In this field we can
then send in the sheep to eat the new emerging shoots and seeds that ripen.
More about the tractors on the farm: Tractors are
still rated in terms of horsepower. A
tractor has to be heavy enough to pull a load up a hill and heavy enough to
stop a load at the bottom of a hill. It has to have a strong enough pump to
force the hydraulic fluid through the hoses at very high pressure in order to
move the cylinders or motors on the equipment. The Power Take Off (PTO) shaft
out the back must be strong enough to turn with enough force to have the
equipment operate, as it should. For example, swing an empty five-gallon bucket
in a circle like a Ferris wheel. Then fill it half full and try it again. Do
not attempt it with the bucket full ‘cause you ain’t got that much horsepower
in ya.’ This is called the PTO
horsepower, separate from the engine horsepower. A tractor has to do all these things, at the same time. By the
way, all tractors no matter how big or small, what country they are made in, no
matter what color they are, are still mounted from the left, just like mounting
a horse since the time of Caesar.
We have had several questions recently about GMOs,
or more accurately, how to avoid them. There are only two ways to keep them out
of your body. (1) Consume only Certified Organic products. The organic
certification program ensures no usage of GMOs through meticulous records
evaluation, seed sourcing verification, and buffer zones that offset potential
harm from neighbors – all done to keep GMOs out of organic foods. (2) The other
way is only consuming processed foods that have gone through a Non-GMO
verification certification. However, Non-GMO
verified gives no consideration to synthetic fertilizer, herbicide,
insecticide, or fungicide use, much less the principles of soil building,
biodiversity and continual improvement, which are the tenants of organic
farming. Kentucky’s bourbon industry can be considered a GMO-free zone. Because
GMO products are not allowed in the European Union and Japan, the distillers
contract with farmers for GMO-free grains to make their products. Did you catch
that? No GMO products on the shelves of an entire continent, period! And here, the products do not even have to be
labeled. Some people think that GMO labeling may be only a few years away in
this country.
We
hope you are enjoying your share from Elmwood Stock Farm this season. Your
support helps us stay focused on what we know to be the right way to grow food,
and to consciously care for our little piece of the earth.
In Your Share
Green Beans – organic
Blackberries – organic
Sweet Corn - organic
Bell Pepper - organic
Potatoes – organic
Tomatoes - organic
Garlic - organic
Eggplant
Radishes - organic
Recipes to Enjoy
Tomato and
Green Bean Pasta, serves
6, adapted from Martha Stewart
3/4 lb penne,
rigatoni, or shell pasta
1 lb green beans,
trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb tomatoes,
diced medium
1 small garlic
clove, mashed to a paste
¼ C olive oil
1 T red wine
vinegar
salt
black pepper
1 C crumbled feta
cheese (4 ounces)
½ C fresh basil,
dill, or mint
In a large pot of
boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes less than package instructions, then
add beans and cook until just tender. Drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, in a
large bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, oil, and vinegar.
Season with salt
and pepper.
Add pasta, beans,
and half the feta and herbs; toss to combine and season. Serve warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle
with remaining feta and herbs.
Corn and Zucchini Flan, our thanks to a CSA member for sharing
this recipe she found online.
4 large eggs
¼ C half &
half
4 oz cream
cheese, softened
1 T cornstarch
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black
pepper
1 medium
zucchini, grated
1 ½ C corn
kernels
2 T fresh
basil, chopped
Preheat oven to
375° F. Prepare six 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups by spraying lightly with
nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, half &
half, cream cheese, cornstarch, and salt & pepper; beat with an electric
mixer on medium speed for 1 minute, or until well combined. Stir in zucchini,
corn and basil.
Spoon mixture equally
between the ramekins; place each on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes
or until puffed slightly golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Fresh Corn Sauté, serves 6 – a nice change if you get
tired of corn on the cob. Recipe from Simply in Season.
3 T butter
1 C green pepper,
chopped
½ C onion,
chopped
4 C corn
¼ C water
1 T honey
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 T red sweet
pepper, diced (optional)
½ C cheddar
cheese, shredded
4 slices bacon,
cooked and crumbled (optional)
Melt butter in fry
pan. Sauté green pepper and onion for 2
minutes. Add corn, water, honey, salt,
pepper, red pepper, and stir well.
Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle cheese and bacon over corn and
serve.
Master Recipe
for Mashed Potatoes, from
Cook’s Illustrated Perfect Vegetables, serves 4 to 6.
2 pounds
potatoes, scrubbed (today’s share contains an heirloom red skinned white flesh
variety that has great flavor for mashed potatoes)
8 T unsalted
butter, melted
1 C
half-and-half, warmed
1 ½ tsp salt
ground black
pepper
Place the
potatoes in a large saucepan with cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the
heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes are just tender when pricked
with a thin bladed knife, 20 to 30 minutes.
Drain the potatoes.
Spear a potato
with a dinner fork and peel back the skin with a paring knife. Repeat with the remaining potatoes. Working in batches, cut the peeled potatoes
into rough chunks.
If you like
silky, smooth mashed potatoes, use a food mill or ricer. Set it over the now empty but sill warm saucepan. Drop the rough chunks of potato in the hopper
of the food mill or ricer. Process the
potatoes into the saucepan.
Stir in the
butter with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
Gently whisk in the half and half, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
NOTE: If you like
chunky mashed potatoes, use a potato masher.
Drop the peeled potato chunks back into the warm sauce pan and mash them
with a potato masher until fairly smooth.
Proceed as directed, but REDUCE the half and half to ¾ C.
Garlic Mashed
Potatoes
Toast 2/3 C small
to medium-large garlic cloves, skins left on, in a small covered skillet over
the lowest possible heat, shaking the pan frequently, until the cloves are a
dark spotty brown and slightly softened, about 22 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and let stand,
covered, until the cloves are fully softened, 15 to 20 minutes. Peel the cloves and cut off the woody end. Add the peeled cloves into the food mill or
when mashing with the peeled potatoes.
