Soil Toil

Sir Albert Howard said, "the health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible." I would argue that this concept of interconnectedness can extend to the health of communities, regions, or even of the planet itself. For me it all starts with the soil, and that's why I have gone to great effort in this first year to feed the land which I now rely on to produce both sustenance and income.

There are many ways to measure the health of soil. Some trust their senses, rubbing dirt between their fingers, inhaling its aroma, tasting its richness. Perhaps a more dependable metric is the health of the plants the soil grows (without the crouches of pesticides or highly soluble fertilizers), or the health of the people eating those plants. But for us science-loving Westerners, there's something appealing about a soil test. I can't say I rely on them, or even entirely believe them, but seeing those quantitative results, accurate to the nearest hundredth of a part per million, somehow excites my inner engineer and has been known to trigger a whole slew of excel spreadsheets.

However abstract or overly precise, these soil test results at least give a sense of the progress that has been made in building the farm's soil over the last year. The first result is from soil sampled as I purchased the property in November, 2010. The second is from that same soil sampled 12 months later.

I find little more exciting than the thought of continuing to build this soil's health, to maximize its fertility and the nutrition of the food it produces. I look forward to ever improving it, and take pleasure and pride in each added bucket of compost, wheelbarrow of leaves, and stand of cover crop.

Big Girls & Little Ladies

Much of the preparation for winter has revolved around our noble egg layers, both present and pending. The mature layers have recently moved several climate zones south, to a newly constructed hoophouse behind the barn. They seem quite happy in their warm sunny quarters, free to roam into the wintery outdoors but often preferring to roost in the protected sunshine of the hoophouse.

A new round of 80 laying chicks arrived a few weeks ago. After spending a week in the farmhouse kitchen (and providing 24-hour entertainment for Saffron and Charlie) they moved to the greenhouse for more space and access to soil and sun. They are Golden Comets, a breed known for their friendliness, ability to forage, and excellent production. They should begin laying in May, allowing us to double our available egg shares this coming season.

Fall Flavors

A flipbook summary of the last month:

Clouds

Red Maple

Leaves

Kitten

Pac Choi

 Garlic beds

Garlic planting

Advanced garlic planting

Greenhouse

Turkeys

White Halloween

People always warned me of Maine winters, and I was certainly impressed by last winter's offerings ending with a 12" snowfall on April 1. But six inches in October? Rather uncalled for, I'd say, especially since we still have a week of CSA pickups. I guess we'll be digging in the snow for Tuesday's harvest.

Kitten Caboodle

Integrated Rodent Control has arrived on the farm. After noting a spike in chipmunk and mice populations, we decided it was time to increase our biodiversity to cope with the imbalance. Meet Saffron and Charlie, siblings from the Animal Refugee League of greater Portland:

Preparing for Fall

Despite the noblest of intentions, it has been too long since our last post. In that time a lot has happened, as one would expect during harvest season on farm.

Our first pigs made their final voyage to the butcher a few weeks ago, filling the freezers of our customers and leaving us the gift of a hundred pounds of smoked bacon and whole-hog sausage (now for sale on the farm). Four new piglets have already taken their place, and have been up to their ears in soil ever since!

The turkeys are growing visibly every day. They are by far the friendliest livestock on the farm, closely following all visitors while pecking avidly at their shoelaces. They are also easily entertained by an empty bucket.

We transformed the greenhouse recently in preparation for a late fall crop of mesclun greens and spinach. It had become quite a jungle of storage and tomatoes over the summer.

And of course it wouldn't be a complete blog post without some photos of what's been harvested lately.

Salsa Verde

We've been enjoying lots of salsa verde these last few weeks as all the ingredients for this delicious condiment - or side dish, depending on how much you enjoy it - are ready to harvest!

Tomatillos on the vine.  These fruits are related to a tomato, but perhaps not quite so delicious raw.  When they begin to pop out of their 'paper lantern' like husk, they are ready to be picked!

 

Jalapenos!  When small stretch marks develop along their sides are they are ready to go.  Each jalapeno seems to have it's own level of spiciness.  The seeds will make it more spicy too - things to consider when making your salsa!

Cilantro!  You cut this one like most herbs, a few inches above the base of the plant, use the leaves, not the stem or flower, and leave the rest to regrow for another harvest.

Onions! When the tall green tops begin to dry out and flop over, these onions are ready to be pulled out of the ground.  They can be eaten right away, or cured in a dry place to store away for winter.

On to the cooking!  This is a simple recipe developed here on the farm - exact quantities and times are unimportant. What matters is that you use fresh ingredients from your local farm!
Ingredients:
15 Tomatillos
2-5 Jalapenos (depending on desired spiciness)
1 large Onion
1 bunch Cilantro
Juice from 1 Lime
Method:
Grill (or broil) Tomatillos, Onion, Garlic, and Jalapenos 5-10 minutes or until surfaces are lightly blackened. Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend for 10-20 seconds or until desired chunkiness. Serve with tortilla chips or as a garnish to just about any meal.

We ate lots fresh but also canned some to enjoy this winter.  We recently acquired a pressure canner that makes canning easy and safe. 10 psi for 10 minutes is sufficient to kill the potential of botulism in pint jars of salsa verde. If you're a canner, this will make sense, if not, no worries, just enjoy it fresh!  It's great with swiss chard tacos, fried eggs, or just about any meal!  Buen provecho!