By Nicole Sugerman
Even though the CSA has just begun, we have been farming for quite a while; we started full-time outdoors in March, but started our first seeds in January. A lot has already happened out on the farm! I thought I would detail a few of the production trials and tribulations of this season so far:
The weather: So far, things in the weather department are looking much better than last season. While our bok choy and mustard greens are bolting early, the heat is good for the majority of our crops, with tomatoes looking perky and healthy and summer squash blooming already. Last year was uncharacteristically wet and cool, leading to slow growth and disease problems.
The bugs: Every year brings new and unique challenges, which is why we grow a large diversity of crops, to make sure some succeed even as others struggle. This year, our crops in the chenopodiacae family are battling an infestation of leaf miners. Unfortunately, this family includes some very popular crops, including beets and chard. Although we are helping them through this battle, this is why we don’t have chard yet in the share, and beets too may come in a week or two later than we expected.
The weeds: We have had both successes and challenges so far in our dealings with weeds. As some of you know, having started a farm in a field of turf grass has meant some pernicious and determined weeds. We cover cropped all of our beds this past winter, meaning some of the early weed growth was shaded out in the spring. We are also growing more in black plastic, which is good for the weed issue, because very few weeds can grow through black plastic (although a few can!), but also undesirable, because black plastic is made from petroleum and must be discarded after one season of use. Our onions are looking great; our turnips are still in a virtual field of grass. Still, the weeds will diminish each year as we continue to stay on top of them.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
PEA SHOOTS WITH BLACK MUSHROOMS
• 8 dried black mushrooms, soaked in hot water until soft and then sliced
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch blended with 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp oil
• 300 grams of pea shoots
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp rice wine or sake
1. Place the mushrooms, water, soy sauce and sugar in a pan. Bring to boil, cove rand simmer until the mushrooms become tender.
2. Add the cornstarch/water blend to the mushrooms, stirring constantly over low heat until the mixture thickens and clears. Sprinkle with sesame oil. Keep warm.
3. Heat the oil in a wok and add the pea shoots. Stir-fry for a few seconds, pour in the chicken stock and rice wine and simmer until tender.
4. Serve the pea shoots on a plate with the mushrooms on one side.
Source: Suite 101, http://asiancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/stir_fried_pea_shoots
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch blended with 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp oil
• 300 grams of pea shoots
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp rice wine or sake
1. Place the mushrooms, water, soy sauce and sugar in a pan. Bring to boil, cove rand simmer until the mushrooms become tender.
2. Add the cornstarch/water blend to the mushrooms, stirring constantly over low heat until the mixture thickens and clears. Sprinkle with sesame oil. Keep warm.
3. Heat the oil in a wok and add the pea shoots. Stir-fry for a few seconds, pour in the chicken stock and rice wine and simmer until tender.
4. Serve the pea shoots on a plate with the mushrooms on one side.
Source: Suite 101, http://asiancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/stir_fried_pea_shoots
MUSTARD GREENS
Feel free to substitute collards, or kale for the mustard greens
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound mustard greens, washed and torn into large pieces
• 2 to 3 Tbsp chicken broth or vegetable broth (vegetarian option)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1. In a large sauté pan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until the onions begin to brown and caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant.
2. Add the mustard greens and broth and cook until the mustard greens are just barely wilted. Toss with sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Serves 4.
Source: Simply Recipes, http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/mustard_greens/
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound mustard greens, washed and torn into large pieces
• 2 to 3 Tbsp chicken broth or vegetable broth (vegetarian option)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1. In a large sauté pan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until the onions begin to brown and caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant.
2. Add the mustard greens and broth and cook until the mustard greens are just barely wilted. Toss with sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Serves 4.
Source: Simply Recipes, http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/mustard_greens/
RAW KALE GREENS
• one bunch of kale
• 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup green onion thinly sliced (white parts only)
• 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Wash the kale thoroughly and chop into small pieces. Put into large bowl and add the olive oil and sea salt. Mix well. I use my hands to toss the greens and squeeze them a little bit as I do to make sure the salt really gets into them to help wilt them a bit.
In a separate bowl mix the red pepper, black pepper, vinegar, garlic, green onions and sun-dried tomatoes. Then dump you kale into the bowl with the marinade. Mix thoroughly making sure all of the kale is coating. Refrigerate over night.
Source: The Art of Balanced Living, http://artofbalancedliving.net/2008/01/03/raw-kale-greens-recipe/
• 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup green onion thinly sliced (white parts only)
• 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Wash the kale thoroughly and chop into small pieces. Put into large bowl and add the olive oil and sea salt. Mix well. I use my hands to toss the greens and squeeze them a little bit as I do to make sure the salt really gets into them to help wilt them a bit.
In a separate bowl mix the red pepper, black pepper, vinegar, garlic, green onions and sun-dried tomatoes. Then dump you kale into the bowl with the marinade. Mix thoroughly making sure all of the kale is coating. Refrigerate over night.
Source: The Art of Balanced Living, http://artofbalancedliving.net/2008/01/03/raw-kale-greens-recipe/
Meet the Farming Team!
Weavers Way has a few different farms around North West Philadelphia. However, we don’t all work at all the farms; we specialize in one location. At Henry Got Crops, Nicole Sugerman and I co-manage the farm. We work year round in every aspect of the farm, from harvesting to planting to administrative tasks to working with the students at Saul. Every year we invite apprentices to work with us on all of the Weavers Way Farm sites. The apprenticeship is an educational, working experience, geared towards people who want to learn more about farming through hands-on experience. Nicole and I started at Weavers Way as apprentices ourselves. The apprenticeship is April through November and is full time. Apprentices are involved with every aspect of the farm, including production and education. This year we are thrilled to be working with Sarah Garton, the apprentice at Henry Got Crops.
We also consider the students and integral part of the farming team, here at Saul. Students come out to the farm to work with us, weeding, planting and harvesting. It is important to us that the farm not only be a production farm, but also a working, educational farm.
We also have members of Weavers Way Co-op come out to the farm to work with us and complete their working hours if they are enrolled as working members with the store. If you want to fulfill your co-op hours this way, look for our work shifts posted on the electronic work calendar on the store’s website.
As the season progresses, our team will only grow. Half way through the first pick-up week a new intern will join the team, and the first week in June a second will be working with us as well. We’ll introduce them in the newsletter as they arrive. Over the summer we also employ a few Saul students to work with us through the Philadelphia Youth Network.
And last but not least, we recognize that all of you, the shareholders, are members of the farm team as well. We certainly couldn’t do this without you, and through your unique contribution as a shareholder in the farm, you are more than customers- this is your farm as well!
We also consider the students and integral part of the farming team, here at Saul. Students come out to the farm to work with us, weeding, planting and harvesting. It is important to us that the farm not only be a production farm, but also a working, educational farm.
We also have members of Weavers Way Co-op come out to the farm to work with us and complete their working hours if they are enrolled as working members with the store. If you want to fulfill your co-op hours this way, look for our work shifts posted on the electronic work calendar on the store’s website.
As the season progresses, our team will only grow. Half way through the first pick-up week a new intern will join the team, and the first week in June a second will be working with us as well. We’ll introduce them in the newsletter as they arrive. Over the summer we also employ a few Saul students to work with us through the Philadelphia Youth Network.
And last but not least, we recognize that all of you, the shareholders, are members of the farm team as well. We certainly couldn’t do this without you, and through your unique contribution as a shareholder in the farm, you are more than customers- this is your farm as well!
Since Last November
At the end of last season many shareholders asked, “What are you going to do over the winter?” The answer was, “take a little bit of time off, and get ready for next year.” Well, that’s pretty much what we did! Unlike most people in the winter, I was very excited to head north to colder, snowier climates. I grew up in Vermont and was thrilled to spend a relaxing vacation with family, friends, and feet upon feet of fluffy snow. Nicole was a bit more adventurous and traveled to the other side of the world to spend some time in India. Ask her to tell you some stories about farming in India!
While growing slows tremendously in the winter, and farming as we typically think of it ceases, we were still able to grow and sell a small but consistent amount of produce. Along with the other Weavers Way farm, located at Awbury Arboretum, we attended the Head House market on Second and Lombard until December, and sold at the Piazza market in Kensington every other week February through April. We also occasionally sold to Weavers Way Co-op. Harvests were taken from the hoop house at Saul, as well a few hoop houses and a greenhouse at the Awbury farm site.
Most of the planning for the upcoming season happens in our “office” (which is a living room) on our computers. While planning for the upcoming season is necessary and time consuming, it doesn’t bring in any immediate income, so one day a week we each worked a second job. I did deliveries for the produce department at Weavers Way and Nicole worked for Penn State Extension. The main jobs that we need to complete every winter are:
Seed Order- One of the most exciting tasks of the winter is to browse through seed catalogues and pick new varieties of vegetables to grow. As the weather dips below freezing, pictures of beautiful vegetables and tantalizing descriptions keep us dreaming about the season to come.
Work Schedule- We make a master calendar and plan out what needs to be planted when, for every vegetable, for the entire season, for every week. We look at last year’s schedule, make changes regarding what we think should be planted earlier or later and adjust for new crops that need to be added to the schedule.
Crop Information Data Base- This is our database of planting information. We have a massive spread sheet that includes every vegetable we plant and specific information for each one. This includes how much we want to harvest for each shareholder, how many we need to plant, how many times we plant it during the season, what the spacing is of the plants in the field, how many feet we need to allocate for each crop, and how many flats we need to seed in the greenhouse. Each winter this needs to be updated as the number of shareholders increases, and we review feedback from shareholders about what crops were more or less popular.
Applications for Apprentices and Interns- Urban farming is growing in popularity faster than ever. We had dozens of applicants for our apprentice and intern positions this year. Reading resumes, calling references and conducting interviews in order to find the right fit is a lengthy process that starts even before the previous season ends!
Crop Map – We practice crop rotation, which means every year we move the location we plant our vegetables around the field. This is important for nutrient balance, weed management and pest control. Figuring out where everything will go (and how to fit it all in!) is a complex jig saw puzzle to say the least!
While growing slows tremendously in the winter, and farming as we typically think of it ceases, we were still able to grow and sell a small but consistent amount of produce. Along with the other Weavers Way farm, located at Awbury Arboretum, we attended the Head House market on Second and Lombard until December, and sold at the Piazza market in Kensington every other week February through April. We also occasionally sold to Weavers Way Co-op. Harvests were taken from the hoop house at Saul, as well a few hoop houses and a greenhouse at the Awbury farm site.
Most of the planning for the upcoming season happens in our “office” (which is a living room) on our computers. While planning for the upcoming season is necessary and time consuming, it doesn’t bring in any immediate income, so one day a week we each worked a second job. I did deliveries for the produce department at Weavers Way and Nicole worked for Penn State Extension. The main jobs that we need to complete every winter are:
Seed Order- One of the most exciting tasks of the winter is to browse through seed catalogues and pick new varieties of vegetables to grow. As the weather dips below freezing, pictures of beautiful vegetables and tantalizing descriptions keep us dreaming about the season to come.
Work Schedule- We make a master calendar and plan out what needs to be planted when, for every vegetable, for the entire season, for every week. We look at last year’s schedule, make changes regarding what we think should be planted earlier or later and adjust for new crops that need to be added to the schedule.
Crop Information Data Base- This is our database of planting information. We have a massive spread sheet that includes every vegetable we plant and specific information for each one. This includes how much we want to harvest for each shareholder, how many we need to plant, how many times we plant it during the season, what the spacing is of the plants in the field, how many feet we need to allocate for each crop, and how many flats we need to seed in the greenhouse. Each winter this needs to be updated as the number of shareholders increases, and we review feedback from shareholders about what crops were more or less popular.
Applications for Apprentices and Interns- Urban farming is growing in popularity faster than ever. We had dozens of applicants for our apprentice and intern positions this year. Reading resumes, calling references and conducting interviews in order to find the right fit is a lengthy process that starts even before the previous season ends!
Crop Map – We practice crop rotation, which means every year we move the location we plant our vegetables around the field. This is important for nutrient balance, weed management and pest control. Figuring out where everything will go (and how to fit it all in!) is a complex jig saw puzzle to say the least!
Welcome to the Henry Got Crops! CSA 2010
By Nina Berryman
This is the week we have all been waiting for! Since the close of the CSA season last year, we’ve been working hard to get ready for the 2010 season. One of the aspects about farming which I love most is the constant learning process that happens by necessity. Given the variability of the weather, no two seasons are the same. Given how many different ways there are to do the same task, there is always a new method to experiment with in an attempt to make systems more efficient on the farm. I’m excited to see how this season unfolds!
So what is new this year? We have expanded from 55 shareholders to 80 shareholders. These numbers represent large share equivalents, meaning we’ll count a small share a ½. Because small shares are so popular this means we actually have about 130 individual families eating off of the farm (and that’s not including shares that are being split by multiple families). This year we have also expanded our working share option, meaning a crew of people will be exchanging work on the farm for a lower priced share. You’ll see most of these people helping out with the pick-ups on Tuesdays and Fridays.
To accommodate our larger shareholder population, we are growing on a bit more land. We are not leasing more land, instead we are utilizing the land within the space we used last year more effectively. More beds will be in production this year and a few or our pathways are smaller so we can grow more food. We have two new growing structures on the farm this year which will greatly increase our ability to grow earlier and later into the season. They are the hoop houses which are located on the left hand side of the field. In the first, larger one, we have early season tomatoes planted. The second one was just finished last week and we hope to put late season crops in there so they can keep growing into the fall when it would otherwise be too cold to be growing out in the field.
Another new structure on the farm is our wash station. Construction for this was started last fall and we are just about to start using it for the first time. Construction was done by volunteers from Friends of the Wissahickon as well as students from the Saul’s AP Environmental Science class. The new wash station is located just behind the old one, next to the side of the white building by the parking lot. This wash station was made from wood that came from wind-fallen trees in the Wissahickon park. It has four wash bins so multiple people can wash at one time and has built-in tubs and spray tables to make washing our vegetables faster and easier!
This year we have expanded the number of classes we are working with at Saul as well. All the classes we worked with last year have returned and three more are joining us in the field once a week to learn hands-on about small-scale, vegetable production. We currently work with the AgroEcology class, AP Environmental Science, Wildlife Biology, two Landscape design classes, a math class, and soon we’ll start working with Plant Science and an Animal Science class that is incorporating urban farming into their curriculum. Also, occasionally the food science class comes out to the farm as well. Last week the food science class prepared all the food for a Future Farmers of America banquet that was held at the school, and they used spinach and lettuce from the farm in their recipes.
An update about changes for the upcoming season would not be complete without mentioning the exciting new vegetables we are trying this year! In the spring we have vitamin green, an Asian green that grows quickly and can tolerate colder temperatures. We are also growing dandelion greens to add variety to our selection of cooking greens. We are also planting tomatillos and ground cherries, relatives of the tomato. We will also be planting some scorzonera, a root vegetable that grows similarly to parsnips. Our herb and flower section along the fence line will be expanded, with exciting new additions like sorrel and statice. We have already expanded our perennial section this spring as well. As many of you know, perennials take a while to get established so they may not end up in the share until next year or the year after. In the ground we have sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem artichokes), rhubarb, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. They should be ready in one or two years.
This is the week we have all been waiting for! Since the close of the CSA season last year, we’ve been working hard to get ready for the 2010 season. One of the aspects about farming which I love most is the constant learning process that happens by necessity. Given the variability of the weather, no two seasons are the same. Given how many different ways there are to do the same task, there is always a new method to experiment with in an attempt to make systems more efficient on the farm. I’m excited to see how this season unfolds!
So what is new this year? We have expanded from 55 shareholders to 80 shareholders. These numbers represent large share equivalents, meaning we’ll count a small share a ½. Because small shares are so popular this means we actually have about 130 individual families eating off of the farm (and that’s not including shares that are being split by multiple families). This year we have also expanded our working share option, meaning a crew of people will be exchanging work on the farm for a lower priced share. You’ll see most of these people helping out with the pick-ups on Tuesdays and Fridays.
To accommodate our larger shareholder population, we are growing on a bit more land. We are not leasing more land, instead we are utilizing the land within the space we used last year more effectively. More beds will be in production this year and a few or our pathways are smaller so we can grow more food. We have two new growing structures on the farm this year which will greatly increase our ability to grow earlier and later into the season. They are the hoop houses which are located on the left hand side of the field. In the first, larger one, we have early season tomatoes planted. The second one was just finished last week and we hope to put late season crops in there so they can keep growing into the fall when it would otherwise be too cold to be growing out in the field.
Another new structure on the farm is our wash station. Construction for this was started last fall and we are just about to start using it for the first time. Construction was done by volunteers from Friends of the Wissahickon as well as students from the Saul’s AP Environmental Science class. The new wash station is located just behind the old one, next to the side of the white building by the parking lot. This wash station was made from wood that came from wind-fallen trees in the Wissahickon park. It has four wash bins so multiple people can wash at one time and has built-in tubs and spray tables to make washing our vegetables faster and easier!
This year we have expanded the number of classes we are working with at Saul as well. All the classes we worked with last year have returned and three more are joining us in the field once a week to learn hands-on about small-scale, vegetable production. We currently work with the AgroEcology class, AP Environmental Science, Wildlife Biology, two Landscape design classes, a math class, and soon we’ll start working with Plant Science and an Animal Science class that is incorporating urban farming into their curriculum. Also, occasionally the food science class comes out to the farm as well. Last week the food science class prepared all the food for a Future Farmers of America banquet that was held at the school, and they used spinach and lettuce from the farm in their recipes.
An update about changes for the upcoming season would not be complete without mentioning the exciting new vegetables we are trying this year! In the spring we have vitamin green, an Asian green that grows quickly and can tolerate colder temperatures. We are also growing dandelion greens to add variety to our selection of cooking greens. We are also planting tomatillos and ground cherries, relatives of the tomato. We will also be planting some scorzonera, a root vegetable that grows similarly to parsnips. Our herb and flower section along the fence line will be expanded, with exciting new additions like sorrel and statice. We have already expanded our perennial section this spring as well. As many of you know, perennials take a while to get established so they may not end up in the share until next year or the year after. In the ground we have sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem artichokes), rhubarb, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. They should be ready in one or two years.
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