An Organic Way of Thinking, Week 17

All farmers have pesky pest pressure on the crops they grow. Be it insect or disease, there are opportunities for a crop to be compromised or destroyed. To combat the pressure, there are basically three playbooks to choose from: Commercial production, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), or Certified Organic. Three very different philosophies with somewhat similar outcomes, but with very different impacts on the environment.

“Commercial conventional” farmers are conditioned by the markets to grow flawless products. Because of commingling and competition with other farmers for flawless products, sub-par farm goods are docked by the buyers and sent into lower value outlets to be further processed with less financial return to the farmer. So farmers who choose this approach use every available tool to raise a perfect crop. There are thousands of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and miticides, etc. available to farmers to use in the right combinations to prevent problems with their crop. The USDA and Land-Grant University Institutions collaborate with the companies that make these crop protection inputs on research and development, in the name of national food security. 

Many Colleges of Agriculture around the country publish the results of how well the various chemicals work in their geographic area, to help growers decide which ones to use, how to use them, scouting techniques, how to minimize off-site environmental impacts, worker protections, and the like. To be very clear, the vast majority of these chemicals are extremely toxic compounds.  Over time, albeit ever evolving, each region has a typical regimen to follow to eliminate all the pestilence for the various crops they grow. Herbicides go out first to get the crop established and as needed thereafter, insects are sprayed at first detection or preventatively, sometimes in mixtures to cover all the different types. Fungicides are sprayed at regular intervals, often weekly, or after every rain in a prophylactic approach. To be fair, these chemicals are expensive and difficult to apply, so farmers are not out there applying them indiscriminately. State health departments perform random checks for pesticide residue as does the marketplace as does the USDA to be sure growers are complying with pre-harvest application intervals. Commercial growers’ decision making process is to maximize yield with flawless quality. This is considered an input based system.

Because of the expense and concern for human and environmental health, many farmers use an IPM approach. They employ insect traps that use pheromones to draw the insects in and keep them away from the crop. Some pheromones are mating disruptors specific to a certain species causing no harm to other insects. A regular scouting program, combined with the use of sticky traps that have been strategically placed around to see when populations of pests reach a potentially damaging economic threshold, is another technique that may reduce the number of spray controls necessary. Many of the government based research facilities help growers with a more fundamental understanding of insect and disease cycles, which in turn gives the farmer the ability to avoid many costly crop protection chemical applications to the crop. But they still use highly toxic compounds when warranted to get maximum yield with good quality. They can take a little less for it, since they have less cash outlay in it. IPM is considered a reduced input system because of the techniques employed. 

The organic way of thinking is more about optimum yields with great quality. We know the plant pests are out there and about when they show up every year. We utilize lots of non-chemical IPM type techniques, but have no interest in grabbing some highly toxic compound and nuking the food we consume. Once you spray one of these chemicals, the life cycles of countless species of insects are so disrupted, another pest may fill a void with no competition. Thus, the chemical treadmill has begun. Thankfully, the University of KY and KY State University provide growers with a deeper understanding of the life cycles of insects and how to attract beneficial insects that prey on the crop pests. We can purchase insect eggs, or pupae or adult insects from beneficial insect farmers and release them into our crop fields. The organic way of thinking is to rotate crops more diligently, select varieties resistant to bacterial infection, and deploy row covers to repel pests, to name just a few. Scouting to stay ahead of the pests is an organic way.

The quality is superior as there is no risk of residue from a highly toxic chemical. We have studied the pestilence potential and worked diligently to put together a system that has no need for toxic chemicals.  It’s a lot more interesting work than just knowing what to spray to kill something, and we don’t have to don Tyvek chemical suits to apply crop protection chemicals to the food we grow. We are all about optimizing the capacity of our land to produce crops, not just maximizing it.

In Your Share 

Dragon Tongue Heirloom Beans

Heirloom Corn Meal

Cucumber

Okra

Bell Pepper

Potato

Rainbow Swiss Chard

Yellow Squash

Tomatoes

Garlic

Recipes

Squash Angel Hair Pancake, thanks to a CSA member for sharing one of her favorites!

3 C shredded squash or zucchini

1 tsp salt

8 oz pkg angel hair pasta, broken into 3 inch pieces

½ C marinara sauce

1/3 C flour

1/3 C sour cream

¼ C grated parmesan cheese

2 T minced shallots

1 T chopped fresh basil

1 tsp chopped fresh oregano

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 garlic clove, minced

1 T butter

Place squash in a colander and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Toss well. Drain for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally. Press squash between paper towels until barely moist. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.  Combine flour with remaining ½ tsp salt, and the next 9 ingredients in a large bowl. Add squash and pasta to bowl. Toss well.  Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add squash mixture to pan, pressing down. Cook for 5 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned. Carefully flip pancake out onto a plate, then slide back into skillet so that cooked side is on top.  Cook another 5 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned. Cut into 8 wedges. Serve with warm marinara.

Mac and Cheese with Slow Roasted Tomatoes, recipe by Josh Miller

3 medium yellow squash, peeled, halved and seeded

¼ yellow onion

salt, divided

¼ C buttermilk

½ tsp smoked paprika, divided

2 C whole wheat penne pasta

¼ C chicken broth

1 T whole grain mustard

1 C shredded Cheddar cheese

3 T plain Greek yoghurt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

¼ C Japanese bread crumbs

4 T grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

6 plum tomatoes

Olive oil

Dried basil

For Tomatoes: Preheat oven to 275°F.  Slice 6 plum tomatoes into ¼ to 1/3 inch thick rounds, and place on a rimmed baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle tomatoes with ¼ tsp each salt and pepper and 1/2 tsp dried basil.  Bake until tops are shriveled, approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
 

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a Dutch oven, add water to halfway full.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, add squash, onion and 1 ¾ tsp salt.  Cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to the work bowl of a food processor, draining excess water.  Add buttermilk and ¼ tsp paprika; pulse until smooth.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water; cook according to package directions.  Drain, and set aside.  Return pan to stove, and reduce heat to medium-low. Add squash mixture, broth, mustard, and pasta to pan, stirring to combine.  Add cheddar, stirring until melted.  Mixture will not be smooth.  Remove from heat.  Stir in yogurt, ¼ tsp salt, and pepper until combined.
 

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, 2 T Parmesan, and remaining ¼ tsp paprika.  Sprinkle half of bread crumbs mixture in bottoms of 4 each 1C gratin dishes.  Divide pasta mixture evenly among dishes; sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 T Parmesan.  Top with desired amount of Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, and sprinkle evenly with remaining bread crumbs mixture. Bake until topping is golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.

Oven Fried Okra

½ C buttermilk

1 garlic clove, grated

½ tsp salt

¼ - t tsp Tabasco

1 lb okra, sliced in half lengthwise

3/4 C cornmeal

1 T flour

2 T (expeller pressed) canola or grape seed oil

Combine buttermilk, garlic, salt, and Tabasco in a large bowl. Add okra and allow to marinate for 15 minutes. Place a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 450°F.  In a large food-safe plastic bag, combine cornmeal and flour. Drain buttermilk from okra and add okra to the cornmeal; shake until the okra is fully coated with cornmeal. Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven. Add oil and swirl the sheet to coat. Immediately place the breaded okra on the baking sheet. Return to the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring carefully once, until golden. Season with salt if desired and serve. Note: All ovens are different. Keep an eye on the okra after 10 minutes to prevent overcooking.

CSA News, Week 16

The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

 

We often get asked by people at the market how our organic produce looks so good, when the plants in their garden either do not yield much fruit, or get nailed by some force of nature. There are countless numbers of factors that play into growing a healthy crop without the use of toxic chemicals, so here are a few principles to consider. The tricky part is that most of it happens underground and it takes several seasons to build the system.

Soil is much more than a mixture of sand, silt and clay. Structurally these various sized and shaped particles are naturally jumbled together forming little air gaps where the bigger sand pieces rest against the smaller silt and clay pieces. Clays, and there are many kinds, are flat and can stick together, eliminating air gaps and potential for rainwater to penetrate. Try to wet a magazine and see how long it takes to become completely soaked, and then how long it takes to dry out? So having a good mixture is important, and if you don’t there are ways to improve it. These particles are not only structural building blocks, but each has a varying capacity to hold nutrients needed for plant growth, like phosphorus, calcium, etc. This is referred to as the natural fertility of the soil, and the Central Bluegrass region is blessed with great soils with high natural fertility. Unless it got messed up when your home or subdivision was built where often the less healthy sub-soils were shoved into the back yard when digging a basement or foundation. If this has happened to you, all is not lost. It will just require a more diligent effort and more time for your soil to heal.

It is important that you never till or handle the soil when too wet. If you do, it has the effect of destroying the structure allowing air and water to penetrate, essentially making adobe bricks. Sometimes we wait for weeks until the conditions are right to work the soil to prepare for seeding, but it must be done to give the little seeds a chance with all those weed seeds lurking about waiting for an opportunity.

The soil is much more than structural building blocks with some naturally occurring minerals hanging around. The Soil Food Web is where the farming begins. Organic farmers are actually microbe farmers. Having a good mixture of the tens of thousands of species of bacteria and fungi that live in all those little nooks and crannies is the basis of life as we know it. As these microbes live, breathe, regenerate, and die, they release nutrients back into their tiny ecosystem. The bigger, albeit microscopic, creatures like flagellates and nematodes feed off of the microbes and subsequently release nutrients back into the system. As this miniature jungle of the food chain becomes more active, the more nutrients there will be available for our plants to thrive. Plant roots are not passive sponges absorbing whatever they bump into. Specific fungi actually dissolve the minerals attached to the soil particles and deliver them into the plant root in a symbiotic relationship.

When you introduce plant roots, they naturally push and wind their way through the small channels to secure the plant to the ground. Each season when the plant dies back, the dried up roots have effectively made new channels for air and water to go deeper into the soil, nourishing the soil food web. So if you do not have this healthy condition, there are several things you can do.

If you have the tools and/or equipment, incorporate compost or other decayed plant material into the top few inches of soil when the conditions are right. Compost is an inoculant of bacteria and fungi to invigorate the soil food web. The more diverse the plant material in the compost, the more species you will introduce. For example, a pile of chemically fertilized and treated grass clippings will not benefit you as much as a mixture of decayed leaves, clean clippings, old weeds, vegetable trimmings, etc. Mixing with the soil may also help form little pockets for air and water to be held for later use. It is entirely possible to achieve the same success with no tillage whatsoever. A thick layer of mulch that slowly decays will release the microbes into the soil over time. Other larger soil organisms and earth worms will move into this environment and begin the healing process. With this system, you can plant small transplants directly into the ground with very little disruption to the soil and scrunch the mulch back around the base of the plant. 

Now the above-the-ground part of farming starts. Make a habitat for beneficial insects to thrive like having rows or sections with flowering plants like sunflowers, or buckwheat, or flower beds with a diversity of plant material. The mulch will be great for beetles and spiders that eat insect eggs and larvae and the like. Uniform watering is a key component of success. Trickle irrigation systems are best as the water goes directly into the soil, without wetting the leaves and allowing airborne fungi to set up camp on your plants. Select varieties that are known to be resistant to some of these plant pathogens as well. We recommend that one-third of your available space be planted to legumes like clover, to allow for rotation of plants in a new location each year, breaking the insect and disease cycles.

So, when we are asked about why someone’s plants are not productive or pretty, there are too many potential factors for us to come to any conclusion. What we have seen is that at Elmwood Stock Farm, the longer we employ the numerous philosophies associated with organic farming, the more productive the plants can be and the prettier our produce gets.

In Your Share

Snap Beans

Celery

Cucumber

Daikon Radish

Garlic

Fresh Herb

Lettuce

Bell Pepper

Tomatoes

Kale Greens

Okra

Recipes

Pan Fried Daikon Cakes, thanks to a CSA member for sharing this dish from Allrecipes.  She reports that she uses this recipe for any type of radish she gets in her CSA share or turnips and kohlrabi. 

½ C grated Daikon radish

1 tsp salt

1 clove garlic, minced

½ onion, chopped

1 egg, beaten

½ C Italian seasoned bread crumbs

½ tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp chile-garlic sauce

1 ½ C oil for frying

Place the Daikon in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Drain Daikon. Stir in the garlic, onion, egg, bread crumbs, pepper, paprika, and chili garlic sauce. Mix well. Form into 8, small round patties. Pour oil into a large skillet. Heat over medium heat. Fry patties in the hot oil until firm and nicely brown, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Enjoy alone or serve with ketchup, your favorite spice condiment, or the basil cream dressing (recipe below).

Basil Cream Dressing, use as a topping for fresh sliced tomatoes, or dab a little on fritters or veggie pancakes. 

1⁄2 cup Greek yogurt

1⁄2 cup packed fresh basil leaves

1⁄4 tsp salt

2 T crème fraîche

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy. Refrigerate to store.

Baked Eggs in Tomato Cups from Vegetarian Times. This is a recipe that allows you to enjoy the bounty of summer and the satisfying taste of organically produced eggs. 

8 large tomatoes

1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese

8 medium eggs

1 tsp dried herbs, such as oregano, chervil, basil or sage

Preheat oven to 425F. Slice tops off tomatoes and scoop out seeds and pulp. Place tomatoes in shallow baking dish, and sprinkle cavities with salt, pepper and pinches of cheese.  Crack one egg into each tomato. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, herbs and remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes for soft yolks, 30 to 35 minutes for hard yolks. Serve immediately.

   

Warm Beans in Bacon Vinaigrette, thanks to a CSA member for sharing this Food and Wine dish, a cross between a salad and a side dish. It's served warm and loaded with the bright, fresh flavors of tomatoes and basil. Makes 6 to 8 servings. 

2 lb beans, trimmed

3 T extra-virgin olive oil

4 oz thickly sliced bacon, cut into matchstick size pieces

2 T sherry vinegar

10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small shallot, very finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

1/3 C chopped basil

salt

freshly ground pepper 

Cook the beans in a large pot of salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5-8 minutes. Drain the beans and cool them under cold running water. Drain well and pat dry; transfer the beans to a large bowl. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the bacon and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the vinegar, tomatoes, shallot, garlic and basil. Scrape the bacon vinaigrette over the beans, season with salt and pepper and toss to evenly coat. Serve warm. Cooked beans can be refrigerated for 2 days, but bring to room temperature before using.

Cream of Celery Soup with Bacon, thanks to a CSA member for sharing this delicious recipe, makes 7 cups

4 strips bacon

1 T butter

5 C (loosely packed) chopped celery, stalks and tops

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T fresh thyme

1 medium baking potato, peeled and cubed

2 C vegetable or chicken stock

2 C whole milk

salt and pepper

Cook bacon in the bottom of a large stock pot or Dutch oven over low heat for about 15 or 20 minutes, until crisp (cooking time will depend on how thick your bacon is). Remove and set aside on paper towels.

Add butter to the pot, increase the heat slightly, and add celery, onion, garlic, and thyme. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the potato, stock, and milk to the pot and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the milk from forming a film, until potato is very soft.

Purée the soup with an immersion blender or by transferring it to a food processor or blender. Season to taste with salt (we added at least 2 or 3 more tsp) and pepper (about 1 tsp). Serve with cooked bacon crumbled on top.