Thursday, April 7, 2011

Volume 1: Issue 7

Greetings! I don’t know if anyone else wonders about how an organic farm gets enough nutrients in the soil to grow things without normal fertilizers. Well, I started with two years of cover crops that add nitrogen and humus to the soil. Then I put on about 100 yards of composted horse manure. And now I brew up a fantastic liquid fertilizer that I inject into the irrigation system and apply with a watering can. These barrels are an aerated “tea” made up of worm castings, liquid kelp, fish fertilizer, raw milk and organic molasses. All of the ingredients bring beneficial microbes with them, which develops my “living” soil. This microbial goodness inoculates my soil, breaking down nutrients already in the soil and making them available to the plants that need them. It takes about three days to brew the tea, until it gets a frothy head on it and is ready to use. It seems to be working so far! And producing some yummy food :) Braising Mix is a mix of all sorts of hefty greens from beet and rutabaga tops, to chard and kale. It is best to slice them all into strips and sauté in a bit of olive oil, with some chunks of garlic. They seem like elephant ears raw, but cooked, the are tender and divine. Enjoy! Shell Peas! Do require a bit more work than edible pod peas. But shelling peas is a great family activity and boy are they yummy! Just snap the end off, pull the sting and they pop right open. Blanch them in a bit of boiling water and throw them in soup or salad or stir fry. Enjoy!

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