July 2nd, 2009

Rare Earth Farm

www.rareearthfarm.com

What’s in the box today?

It’s been a little dry around here and so we’re back having to irrigate every day. There’s been rain in the area this past week and every time it’s passed us by. That’s very frustrating when you need it so badly.

In addition to dealing with the weather, we’re challenged every day with keeping on top of the weeds.  About sixty percent of our weeding is done by mechanical cultivation, but the other remaining forty percent is all hand labor. Some of it’s very intense– like young carrot seedlings so small you can barely see them when mechanical and hand weeding begins. Needless to say controlling weeds by hand is very expensive, but it completely eliminates the need for chemical weed

A welcome sight with the beginning of our snap pea harvest. Last year most of our pea crop was flooded out by a bad storm in early June. This year so farm everything looks good for a bountiful pea harvest.

 “Behind the Scenes at Rare Earth”

 

As a subscriber to Rare Earth Farm you know that your vegetables are being grown locally in Belgium, WI but do you know much about how those veggies are getting from seed to your dinner plate? Some of our past members may already know but those that are new to the program may have some questions.  So, perhaps this information will help you to feel more informed.

Steve has been farming vegetables and selling them through the CSA for the past 19 years. It is in these past two decades that he has honed his skills for successfully growing food- something that can be tricky when you produce about 35 different crops throughout one season.  Debra Jo joined him two years ago after two seasons of growing and selling vegetables for another local farmer. They are the only full-time workers on the farm.

 Their season officially begins at the end of February with the seeding of the crops that are slowest to mature- onions, leeks, scallions and chives. This means that the first heated greenhouse must be turned on in order to encourage the little seedlings to grow while the rest of Wisconsin is still in hibernation. Once March rolls around Debra Jo is kept busy seeding into trays almost everyday (lettuce, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, herbs, eggplant, celery, celeriac and more) while Steve begins the maintenance and repairs on tractors and other miscellaneous farm equipment. It is also during this month that the new flock of young egg-laying hens arrives. This means that the indoor pen must be dusted, floors cleaned and fresh straw laid, nest boxes refreshed with new wood shavings, and all drinking receptacles must be checked over to ensure they are in good working order for the hens to stay hydrated.

April is, hopefully, the month that brings thawed fields and warmer Spring temperatures.  Although, if you’ve lived in Wisconsin for any length of time you know that is often not the case! This year Steve was able to start working some fields in early April and did manage to plant the first crop of peas by April 13^th. However, a fair amount of consistent rain kept him from accomplishing anymore direct seeding until May. It’s a good thing that there’s always plenty of greenhouse work to be completed during May.  Besides days and days of what is called “potting on” (moving a seedling from one size soil cell to a larger one) there is also a 96ft by 30 ft heated greenhouse to prepare for planting. Once compost is incorporated into the existing soil with a roto-tiller and the drip irrigation lines are set up the greenhouse is ready for the plants.  This year it is the home to 223  Big Beef tomato plants, 213 Sweet Slice cucumber plants and 832 Helda pole bean plants. It takes about 2 to 3 full days of work to prepare and plant the greenhouse.

May brings more tray seeding in the propagating room- tomatoes, melons, summer and winter squash, cucumbers and a few flowers. Once outside temperatures are warm enough the transplants are moved outside to cold frames where they go through a “hardening off” period for a week or two before being transplanted into the field.

The bulk of transplanting happens in May and is completed within the first week of June. It is always a relief once all plants are set into the ground because there are no longer multiple trips each day to the greenhouse and cold frames to water the plants that have started to dry out. But there are new concerns, like not enough rain from Mother Nature requiring Steve and Debra Jo to turn on the irrigation, insect pressure, and of course weeds, weeds, weeds!  The weeding begins just a few days after a field has been planted.  If the weeds are not kept in check they can take over in a blink of an eye robbing nutrients, light and moisture from the crops.  The smaller the weeds are the easier they are to kill with a hoe or the cultivating tractor. Steve and Debra Jo cannot possibly provide enough manpower to control all the weeds on the farm even if they gave up sleep for the entire growing season. This is where Lucas, Steve’s oldest son, thirteen workshare members and a part-time seasonally employed family of four comes in. Without the help of all these people the farm would not be able to operate. Steve and Debra Jo are very grateful to the contributions of each and every one of these individuals. Beginning in June each workshare member spends four and a half back-breaking hours per week working the fields with hand hoes. As the season progresses and the weeds are under control, most of their time is spent assisting with harvesting and bagging of the produce. Almost all crops get weighed before being bagged to ensure that each box will receive the same amount of food. Certain vegetables like cucumbers, broccoli, and lettuce are passed out by the piece according to their size. All of the workers at the farm do their best to make sure each shareholder is receiving their fair share of the week’s harvest. Therefore it does not matter which box a member chooses at the pick-up location – they are all created equal. Hopefully all of you are enjoying the season thus far. Get your freezers and canning supplies ready because as the summer progresses you will be inundated with fresh produce. Remember, this is just the start of the season and the boxes should only keep getting fuller and heavier.

 

 

 Cucumber, Basil and Mint Soup

                                                          -from Martha Stewart Living 2009

Easy no-cook soup!

Puree 1 cup sour cream, ½ cup fresh basil,1/2 cup fresh mint, ¼ cup sliced scallion and 1 cup water in a blender. Add 1 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped. Pulse just until combined nut slightly chunky. Stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and ½ teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco, and season to taste with salt. Chill soup at least 3 hours- soup is best served the same day. Top each of the 4 servings with thinly sliced cucumbers if desired.

StrawberryTofu Cheesecake

                                                                              -by Jennifer Taylor

Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup melted butter

1tsp. brown sugar (or 1/2 tsp. honey or maple syrup)

Filling:

3 eggs

8 oz. Firm Tofu, drained and pressed for 1/2 hour

¼ cup maple syrup

2 Tbsp. Lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 oz. Cream cheese

Topping:

2-3 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries (or other berry or combination of)

1 Tbsp Triple Sec, Cointreau, or brandy

1 Tbsp. Honey

3 Tbsp. Orange juice

2 tsp. arrowroot, cornstarch or kudzu

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

To make the crust, put the graham cracker crumbs into a blender or food processor, and blend to a fine powder. Mix it with the melted butter and sugar, and press it into a 8-inch spring form pan or a 9-inch pie pan.

Rinse out the blender/food processor. Put in the eggs and whip them.  Add the tofu in small pieces, as well as the maple syrup, lemon juice and vanilla extract  Blend until smooth.  Now add the cream cheese, bit by bit, and again blend until smooth.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust, and bake at 325 for 40 to 45 minutes, or until firm. While the cake is baking, prepare the topping.

In a saucepan heat the fruit, liqueur or brandy, honey and 1 Tbsp of orange juice. (If the fruit is large in size you may want to slice into smaller pieces.)

Dissolve the arrowroot or cornstarch in the remaining 2 Tbsp. OJ and stir into the fruit mixture. Cook until the sauce thickens and becomes clear. Set aside.

When the cake has finished baking, allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then cover with the topping. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

A Few Important Notes:

1. It is wise to pick up your shares as soon as possible on Thursdays. We can not keep the boxes refrigerated after they leave the farm and so this is most important on very hot days like we experienced last week.  Please take the time to look over your produce once you get home and tend to anything that can’t just be set in the fridge and left for later. Suggestions include washing/rehydrating greens and herbs( but not basil) with a cold water bath followed by a pat down until mostly dry. Most produce is best stored in a Tupperware or plastic bag with a little bit of room for air. Please do not leave produce uncovered in your fridge or it will tend to dehydrate quickly. This is also a good time to finalize your menu plans for the week. Take note of what will last longer in storage and save that for a later meal and use up the more fragile ingredients first.

 

2.  TO THOSE SPLITTING A SHARE. There has been a little confusion as to why all member’s names are not printed on the check off lists. Our database does not allow enough room in the descriptive fields to  include every name on the check-off list. Therefore, sometimes we have to put the share in one person’s name and it generally ends up being the first name on the agreement form. We are not trying to exclude anyone and we do have record of all share members who signed up together as long as you included that information on your agreement form. The check-off lists are for no other purpose than to identify who to call if a box has not been claimed by the end of Thursday evening. As long as the host at your pick-up location can contact one member of the splitting group we are satisfied. Please make sure that anyone who picks up your box for you during the course of the season knows who you are splitting the box with and whose name appears on the check-off list. If anyone in your party is  not getting the email with the newsletter link on Wed. evenings then please send us an email and we will add  the address to the mailing list.            

control. So when you look at what your cost per share is, it’s good to realize that a significant percentage of that cost is allocated for non-

chemical weed control.

Our harvestable crops at this time are still limited in our selections. For our new members who’ve never experienced this close of a connection to Wisconsin home grown food, we kindly ask you to postpone any premature judgments and let the season run it’s course. Then when you’ve experienced the total year you’ll be able to make a more accurate assessment of our program.  What you’re experiencing at this point is a natural occurring transition from spring to summer.  If it doesn’t make sense to you for the moment you may have a better understanding once you witness the overall season.  That’s what eating seasonally is all about. Have a great week!

Steve & Debra Jo