We hope this finds you all well and cool. We are actively staying hydrated at Sugar Creek. Beverage of the weeks to come - as of yesterday = water + cold cranberry juice.

Thursdays have taken on the name Trellising Thursdays and for the last good month and a half - trellising has been a weekly event. We use what is called the Florida weave method of trellising: pounded t-posts or conduit poles every 3rd or 4th plant (one row per bed), attaching a box of twine to the waist, and stringing them up about 8" off the ground. Looping the trellis around the t posts and along one side of all the plants, turn the corner and come back to sandwich the tomato stems between twine. As they grow, continue to trellis them as high as needed, keeping the growing tips of the tomato above the line so that you're not trellising in vain.

This trellis is helpful for disease control - keeping the fruit and leaves off of the ground, a trellised tomato makes it easier to pick, and evident today, it brings a little shade to the picker. Last week's trellising Thursday turned into planting and harvesting day so we were dealing with a small jungle in block 8 - home of this year's tomatoes. The sungolds - our height superstars - got 2 lines on Tuesday and then yesterday, were ready again for another round. As Jeff mentioned last week, last year we had terrible blight problems which knocked us out of field tomatoes pretty quickly. This year we acted more proactively - let's talk about copper!

Cu. It's amazing. Copper is antimicrobial and thus one reason why a lot of plumbing is based on copper. Copper has been used for carrying water for a long time - not as much slime forming on the container keeping the water more pure. It slightly acidic with a pH of 5.5. Some folks wear copper bracelets for arthritic purposes - though not scientifically proven. There is ongoing medical research on the components and various uses of copper. But for our purposes, it is an organically accepted way to fight diseases. All of our tomato plants now look like little Frankenstein. We stripped copper wire down and stuck the wire directly through the base of the plant. At the Rodale Institute, I learned that a stressed plant produces more antioxidants. I've also read that a splinter through the stem under the artichokes produce a bigger flower. Once a week, we spray a 10% hydrogen peroxide to water solution on it. This is to be used as a preventative measure. I was much more enthusiastic about this process last week when everything was a healthy dark green, we are getting a few specks of brown on the leaves - we'll keep you posted as to what happens, but in the meanwhile, enjoy the heirlooms we've picked today!

Callaloo - seed from some Jamaican friends up the road - she recommends peeling the skin off the stem of the plant before washing and chopping into small bits

Callaloo and Codfish recipe pictures with the recipe here

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to prepare enough callaloo and codfish for 4 people:-

1/2 lb Saltfish (dried, salted codfish)
1/2 lb shredded callaloo
1 medium onion

1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp of butter
1/2 a hot chili pepper (ideally scotch bonnet)
1 sweet pepper
1 chopped tomato
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme

Optional ingredients:-
2 cloves of garlic
4 Scallion (or spring onions)
6 Slices of bacon

Preparation

Cover the saltfish in cold water. Let soak overnight (minimum 8 hours) changing the water several times (this removes most of the salt)
Bring a pan of cold water to the boil and gently simmer the fish for 20 minutes (until the fish is tender)

Chop the onion, sweet pepper, chilli pepper and tomato whilst waiting for the fish to cook.

Wash the Callaloo in a pot of water and drain thoroughly.
Remove the fish from water and allow to cool.
Remove all of bones and skin then flake the flesh of the fish.

Cooking

Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the onion, black pepper, sweet pepper, chilli and thyme. Fry for about 5 minutes.

Add the callaloo and half a cup of water, cover and steam for 15 minutes

Add the tomatoes and flaked fish and steam for another 10 minutes

Serve with yam, green banana, fried dumplings and Irish potato (collectively known as food).

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Delicious: Roast Beet Salad with Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients

5-6 Small beetroot, any colour
1 small package of goats cheese
2Tbl Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp sugar
4Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Cooking Directions

Rinse beets and quarter. Place on a baking tray with Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper. Cover.
Roast for 35-40 Minutes on 180C
Place Balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan with sugar. Cook on low until syrupy. Add Olive to pan.
Remove beet greens and rinse, and add additional lettuce if desired.
Remove beets from oven and let cool. Carefully remove skins.
Add greens, goat cheese, and beets to bowl and spoon over some dressing. Enjoy.

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Here is a list of what is available for our Friday on-farm pickup (today 4pm-6pm) as well as the Dixie Classic market tomorrow morning from 6am-12pm. The Friday on-farm pickup will be at our barn at 1451 NC Hwy 801 N, Advance NC 27006. Just look for our black mail box on Hwy 801 and you'll need to drive all the way back to the barn/greenhouse. For the folks that are members of our market share program we will happily reserve produce so you can pick it up at the market please so just reply back to this email with a list of what you would like.

beets - 3.00/bunch
kohlrabi - 2/pound
swiss chard - 3.50/bunch
green onions - 2/bunch
basil - 2/bunch
thyme - 2/bunch
flat leaf parsley - 2/bunch
turnips - 2/lb
squash - 2.25/lb
zucchini - 2.25/lb
carrots - 3/bunch
cucumbers - 2.25/lb
zinnias - 3.5/bunch
sunflowers - 2/dollar
bachelor buttons - 2/bunch
onions - 2/lb
eggs - 5/dozen or 2.5/half-dozen
leeks - 3/bunch
yukon gold potatoes - 1.75/pound
russian banana fingerlings - 4/pound

elephant garlic - 7/pound
softneck garlic - 2 for $1

fennel - 2/head

callaloo (jamaican spinach) to be cooked - 2/bunch

sungold cherry tomatoes $4/lb
green tomatoes $2.5/lb

heirloom tomatoes - 3.50/pound

hybrid tomatoes - 2.50/pound

This week has been busy! Slowly but surely we are taking steps to get out of spring production and into the full-blown summer season. This has included getting the older crops out of the ground and putting in the new. Last week we pulled out all of the garlic and hung them up to dry in the barn. We also pulled up most of the sweet onions from the same block. This morning we took some time to weed and prep the bed to seed some mesclun mix and a spicy green mix I am excited to try. From there we moved onto the sugar snap peas, which I am quite sad are done. We pulled out all the old plants as well as the trellis and tee posts. Next door we pulled out older heads of the romaine lettuce. Here we will amend the soil and plant some okra. Getting older things out of the ground and putting new summer crops in is an ongoing process but assures us that we will have new and exciting things throughout the season.

Getting out of spring production and into the summer we focus a lot of energy on the soil and make sure we amend it so that the nutrients are present for what our plants need. Soil is a farmers’ main capital and the secret to a successful farm is good soil management. We don’t just want to maintain the soil but over time also improve the soil quality. So what do I mean when I say soil? Soil is the unconsolidated outer surface layer of terrestrial earth. Soil is made up of air, water, mineral particles, living organisms and dead organic matter. On Sugar Creek farm we improve the soil by little tillage, the use of cover crops, crop rotation and the addition of organic matter. By taking these steps we increase water holding capacity, infiltration and soil organisms. This all will increase the soil structure and overall soil quality. With good soil the farm will be the most productive.

So how is the soil looking at Sugar Creek Farm?? Awesome! Soil management is an ongoing process but since I have been at Sugar Creek I have been quite impressed with the quality of the soil. Still some blocks around the farm need some work and I know that Jeff and Natalie have BIG BIG plans! In order to classify a soil one can look at the soils physical and chemical properties. Physical properties to look for are the texture (mineral size and distribution), structure (spatial organization of soil particles), tilth (the ease of working the soil), amount of soil organic matter, aggregate stability (resistance to water), bulk density (weight by volume) and porosity (spaces between soil particles). The chemical properties for soil are measured by the pH, amounts of various nutrients, the cation exchange capacity (which measures how many nutrients the soil can hold), salinity (amount of salts in the soil) and the alkalinity. The physical properties can be observed and maintained on the farm by us but for a more in depth analysis we send off a soil test twice a year to find out what our soil needs in order to be the best quality.

Speaking of soil, I need to be off to get my hands dirty and have some quality tomato time!

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Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese, and Avocado Sandwhiches

2 med. beets, stems discarded, and rinsed
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup mixed greens
A few tablespoons of vinaigrette
4 slices whole grain bread
2 ounces goat cheese
1 avocado, sliced
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 °F. Wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil. Toss the into a roasting pan and place in the oven. Cook for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife can easily slip into the flesh. Let the beets cool slightly, peel them, then thinly slice the beets into 1/4 inch rounds. Sprinkle the almonds into a skillet set over medium-low heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove from heat before they burn. Toss the greens with a tablespoon or so of a vinaigrette. Something really basic. Add the almonds to the greens. Toast the slices of bread. Spread an ounce of goat cheese on two slices of the bread. Top each of those with a few slices of avocado, a little bit of the salad, and then a few slices of beets. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each with another slice of bread. Slice in half and serve.

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Here is a list of what is available for our Friday on-farm pickup (today 4pm-6pm) as well as the Dixie Classic market tomorrow morning from 6am-12pm. The Friday on-farm pickup will be at our barn at 1451 NC Hwy 801 N, Advance NC 27006. Just look for our black mail box on Hwy 801 and you'll need to drive all the way back to the barn/greenhouse. For the folks that are members of our market share program we will happily reserve produce so you can pick it up at the market please so just reply back to this email with a list of what you would like.

beets - 3.00/bunch

kohlrabi - 1.50/ each

collards - 2.50/bunch

swiss chard - 3.50/bunch

romaine lettuce - 3/head or two for 5

green onions - 2/bunch

boc choi - 2/each

mint - 2/bunch

basil - 2/bunch

thyme - 2/bunch

flat leaf parsley - 2/bunch

baby cabbage - 1.50/lb

turnips - 2/lb

squash - 2.25/lb

zucchini - 2.25/lb

carrots - 3/bunch

cucumbers - 2.25/lb

zinnias - 3 for $1

onions - 2/lb

eggs - 5/dozen or 2.5/half-dozen

leeks - 3/bunch

yukon gold potatoes - 1.75/pound

Weeding Wednesdays: Every Wednesday from 8:30 to 12 we are weeding, if you would like to join us, drop me a line - we'd love to have you.

June 29, 2012

Callaloo and Codfish recipe pictures with the recipe here

Ingredients

Preparation

June 15, 2012