Hello
One of my favorite things is being able to work with our producers to make new or custom items. It's not a fast process as we have to get both the recipe and the label approved by the state, but once it is done we can make these new products at any times.
This week's new item is a bratwurst burger - essentially a sausage that has been formed into a burger. It's great baked in the oven, pan seared, or grilled.
This burger starts with our pasture raised pork and is ground up and paddle mixed with whipping cream, fresh jalapenos, and big chunks of smoked cheddar cheese. It has a slight heat (not too much) and goes great with everything from LTO to pickled beets and homemade mayo (my choice).
More news this week
Winter Season Registration Open: details can be found HERE on our website
The crickets are chirping. The sound of crickets in the evening can be deafening these days. It tells me that fall is here! Read below to know more about putting the farm "to bed" for the fall.
Sale items this week. Winner winner, chicken dinner. Now that the weather is cooling down, feel free to fire up the oven and warm the house with a whole roasted chicken. Pasture raised, whole chickens are on sale this week for just $4 per lb.
Eggs are back. But not unlimited supply. We suggest that you purchase your eggs online to be guaranteed that you get them. Tiffany in Avon - this is a reminder to place your order online now.
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The Fall Rush
As they say, when it rains it pours. The fall around a farm can be quite busy. For us, it's as much about making next year a better year as much as it is finishing this season.
Right now we are busy trying to remove any produce that has finished - like tomatoes and watermelons - and get in cover crops.
In the pastures, I'm fertilizing and adding "microbiology" (good bacteria and enzymes) to help break down plant matter and add nutrients to the soil. We are also figuring out the pasture rotation to balance our grazing, stockpiling of grass for when the snow flies, and patching up some pastures with grass seed to improve them for next year. It's a lot all at once.
But this past week I read in the local paper about the local soil and water conservation district broadcasting barley as a cover crop from an airplane! I should have saved paper longer, but I think they said they seeded nearly 30,000 acres, mostly soybean fields.
They had explained that cover cropping wasn't common among conventional crop growers. The intent was to add "green manure" and prevent erosion over the winter. The airplane broadcasting didn't produce a strong "stand" of cover crop, but it was better than nothing and way cheaper than what we do.
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Planting Green Manure
On the farm we are busy cleaning up the produce fields and trying to prepare our soils for next year. Cleaning up means removing all the twine that supported tomato plants, pulling tomato stakes, plowing up the plastic mulch that is used to create weed-free rows, pulling up the drip irrigation, and getting ready for a cover crop. It is all very manual work.
Cover crops are interesting. The concept isn't new, but the practice isn't widespread, particularly in crop fields (where corn and soybeans are grown).
Cover crops are crops that are planted before winter with the intent that you plow them under the next spring. Some people call this "green manure" as the vegetative matter adds nutrients back to the soil as it decomposes. Some plants, such as legumes like peas and clover, have the ability to pull nitrogen to the surface of the soil and have it ready for next season.
Sounds like magic, right? Well why doesn't everyone do it? It's simple. Time and money. It takes a lot of time for us to get the fields ready for cover crops, all at the same time that you are trying to harvest other crops and get ready for winter food holidays.
Timing is also very important. Not all plants will germinate this late in the season. For us, we are going to be planting hairy vetch and winter ryegrass, both very cold hardy and quick to germinate.
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In the spring, we plow down the cover crop
If done correctly, next spring the plowing down of the green manure will add up to 120 lbs of nitrogen per acre (as well as many other important nutrients). Nitrogen is important for promoting green growth in plants, which allows them to trap more sun and nutrients. This is just one of the many nutrient benefits of the cover crop.
When I say plowing down, that means just running the plow through the field and turning the cover crop under the soil. It has to sit there for a few weeks before the ground is worked further. This allows the plant matter to decay and add nutrients back to the soil. If the farmer plants in it too quickly, he can actually "burn" his crops with too many available nutrients. The ground is eventually worked with a series of discs, harrows, or a tiller to make it workable for planting. The plant matter and roots left in the soil help to add tilth and drainage all at the same time.
Beyond the price of the labor and time, the seed to do this isn't cheap. The planting rate is approximately 50# per acre, and a 50# bag of seed ranges from $175 to $200.
For a farmer in conventional agriculture, this price and the work is prohibitive. The easier solution would be to apply synthetic chemicals like urea. Using urea at 46% nitrogen would require approximately 200 to 250 lbs per acre to get the same amount of just nitrogen. At a cost of approximately $200 per ton, that means only $20 to fertilize that acre of land.
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This week we have the entire pear harvest from Eshleman Farm, and it's not much. Pears are hard to come by anymore. The saying in the orchard business is, Pears for your Heirs. Meaning - the pears you plant today will benefit the next generation of farmers.
Pears take much longer to mature and produce fruit than apples. And most apple growing today is almost unrecognizable to most. This is a teaser to a future article about apple growing and vertical shoot positioning. Essentially, apples, unlike pears, have are being grown today in a setup almost like a vineyard. They can produce better quality and higher yields in much less time than old fashioned mature apple trees.
This week, we asked Rich to ripen the pears up for us a bit. Pears are picked firm then they develop their flavor as they ripen at room temperature. There is so much temptation to bite into an unripe pear! I personally struggle with the wait, so we figured we'd ripen them up some for you before you get them.
This means they are ripe and delicate. Please handle with care and refrigerate to prevent further ripening.
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Still Time To Join this Season - Prorated |
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As our season continues, please tell a friend to join us for the remainder of the season.
All subscriptions are prorated for upfront payments or on the weekly payment plan, so you only pay for the remainder of the season.
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Small Omnivore
Cheddar Jalapeno Brat Burgers
Bartlett Pears
Red Potatoes
Acorn Squash
Carrots
Grape Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cauliflower
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Small Vegetarian
Bartlett Pears
Red Potatoes
Acorn Squash
Carrots
Grape Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cauliflower
Brussel Sprouts
Heirloom Tomatoes
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Mini
Acorn Squash
Red Potatoes
Grape Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cucumbers
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Large Omnivore
Cheddar Jalapeno Brat Burgers
Bartlett Pears
Red Potatoes
Acorn Squash
Carrots
Grape Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cauliflower
Sweet Peppers
Butternut Squash
Zucchini
Tatsoi
Ground Chicken
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Large Vegetarian
Bartlett Pears
Red Potatoes
Acorn Squash
Carrots
Grape Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cauliflower
Brussel Sprouts
Heirloom Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Butternut Squash
Zucchini
Tatsoi
Green Beans
Kale
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Small Vegan
Bartlett Pears
Red Potatoes
Acorn Squash
Carrots
Grape Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cauliflower
Brussel Sprouts
Heirloom Tomatoes
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