Farm News

Its been an eventful week at the farm, and I am feeling a bit under “attack”. On Friday, CT Agricultural Experiment Station entomologist Kim Stoner came out to the farm to look at our sweet corn. Those of you who were in the CSA last year know that while our corn tastes great, it tends to come with a lots of ‘friends’ in the ears. One thing I learned from Kim’s visit is that we may be the only fools in the state attempting to grow organic sweet corn on a commercial scale. And there’s a reason for that-namely European corn borer, corn earworm, and fall armyworm. These three sweet corn pests are actually the caterpillar larvae of nocturnal moths that lay eggs on or near the ear. The caterpillars hatch, and begin their munching. I am trying to do a better job of controlling these pests. Conventional corn growers wait until the eggs begin hatching and then spray liberally with toxic insecticides to kill the bugs. Personally, I think I’d rather just chop the tip of the ear off and have some nice chemical free corn, thank you, but the average American consumer just won’t put up with that kind of situation. We learned that we need to be more on top of the situation. We are already a little late for the corn borers, as Kim found eggs and tiny larvae right away. But we made a quick call to the insectory to get some natural enemies. A tiny wasp called Trichogramma seeks out the corn borer eggs and lays her eggs inside the caterpillar egg. They destroy the caterpillar egg, then hatch out and look for more eggs to parasitize. We are also going to use Bacillus thuriengiensis, a natural soil bacterium that is harmless to just about everything except caterpillars. We’ll spray the corn when the larvae begin boring into the ear and hope that we can get them before they get inside the ear.

This really demonstrates what a work in progress organic agriculture is. We have spent the last 50 years cooking up toxic concoctions to pour on our food. Imagine what would happen if we spent the same amount of time and money to better understand the root causes of pest outbreaks, and the biology of the pest itself. We need more knowledge, but it is equally important that growers and consumers develop a new ethos that recognizes that cosmetic perfection of produce comes at an incredible cost in terms of human and environmental health. So when you find a worm in your delicious sweet corn next month, remember that it hasn’t been sprayed with a neurotoxin, and it was picked fresh that morning just miles from where you live. Dealing with your uninvited ‘friend’ might not be so bad when you consider the alternatives.

Hope you enjoy the harvest,

Paul (For Tara, Michael, Bob, and Jean)

Crop update: This is the last of the strawberries. It has been a good year overall, although we did have some disease outbreaks that limited the yield, size, and quality of the berries. More on-the-job learning! Overall, I am really pleased with the way things are growing. Summer squash is really kicking in, and the greenhouse tomatoes are at breaker stage, blushing away and teasing us on the vine. Field tomatoes, spuds, beets, carrots, and cukes look great, lots of lettuce and greens to choose from, and as usual we are keeping our fingers crossed on the melons. On the ‘needs improvement’ side our peppers and eggplants have been a bit lethargic the last few weeks but they are showing some rejuvenation recently.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Return all boxes next week! Thanks! They unfold very easily, please do not rip tabs.

In the box this week: (It’s bonanza week. Lots of crops came in earlier than expected. Nearly all veg in this box except berries and snow peas will hold for at least a week. Which is good, because next weeks box will probably be less robust!)

Summercrisp lettuce Broccoli Raab

Snow peas Radish

Spinach Garlic scapes

Strawberries Beets

Scallions Summer squash What do I do with it?

Broccoli Raab: This bitter Italian green is great over pasta, see the recipe below. Definatly needs to be cooked, not a salad item.

Snow peas: For sugar junkies like me, this is as good as a vegetable gets. Enjoy them raw, stir fry, or sauté with garlic scapes in oil.

Beets: ‘early wonder’, use them tops and all. Beets are nutritional power houses, full of vitamins A and C, and also flavanoids, antioxidant compounds that keep you young! Recipe below.

Summer Squash: if the squash is in, summer is here (happy solstice, by the way). Saute with scallions or onions, grill with oil, garlic and tamari sauce, or stir fry. Farm crew member Bob Cornell enjoyed his zucs dipped in eggwash, battered, and fried in olive oil, which sounded darn good to me.

Coming soon:

kale, lettuce, salad turnips, carrots, radicchio.

Recipes:

Broccoli Raab over Cavatelli: by Paul Bucciaglia

1 big handful garlic scapes, chopped

1 bunch scallions, sliced lengthwise and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 bunch broccoli raab, stems cut into ½ inch pieces, leaves into 2 inch pieces

½ pound ground sweet Italian sausage (or meatless Italian sausage equivalent)

1 pound cavatelli (macaroni, usually found in frozen ‘roni section of market)

¼ cup white wine (optional)

chili’s or chili pepper to taste (optional)

½ cup or so of olive oil

pepper and romano cheese to taste (absolutely required)

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil until warmed. Saute garlic scapes for 5 minutes or so, then place the sausage in the pan and cook until the sausage has browned. Add scallions and broccoli raab, continue to simmer and stir. Add white wine and continue to cook until the wine has reduced slightly. Cook cavatelli according to package directions, drain well. Toss the pasta with the sauce (you can add some of the pasta water if the sauce is too dry). Season with pepper and sprinkle with the romano cheese. (Farmer’s note: neither Dr. Atkins nor the American Heart Association will approve of my recipe, but to a hyper-active Italian-American market farmer, this sure hit the spot.)

Quick Beet Greens

From "Asparagas to Zucchini: A Guide to Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce." (This is a great resource for ideas for fresh produce, available at http://www.wisconsinmade.com)

1 bunch beets w/ greens

2 garlic scapes, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

Toss Beets with greens, garlic, and oil in large sauce pan or skillet. Cover and saute until greens are just wilted. Add a splash of water if necessary to prevent greens from sticking to the pan. Toast sunflower seeds in a dry skillet or hot oven several minutes, tossing often and stir into greens. Four servings.