Finally a bit of cooler weather, boy what a hot summer. We are very busy at the farm these days not only with the harvest, weeding and farm tasks, but preparing for our upcoming organic and biodynamic audit. We are committed to sustainable, pesticide free farming and are certified with EcoCert and also Demeter. If you wonder what the heck biodynamic is, this style of farming was developed by a scientist and philosopher Dr Rudolf Steiner in 1924. Farms that hold Demeter certification help preserve wildlife and endangered species habitat, they must dedicate a minimum of 10% of its land base as a biodiversity reserve. They measure their farm’s fertility by the ability of their soil to sustain agricultural plant growth by using green manure, crop rotation, legumes and nitrogen catch crops. They control diseases, insects and weeds through crop rotation, plant diversity and timed plantings. Use of mulching and stale bed plantings also help control things. But the biggest requirement in biodynamic farming is the use of special preparations that are like healing remedies for the earth.
Here is what you can expect this week:
Peaches Good by raspberries, hello peaches. These hand picked, perfectly ripe beauties are ready to enjoy. Add them in your smoothies, desserts or just eat them fresh. So sweet and juicy.
Sweet Banana Peppers An early variety of sweet pepper, they have such a bold wonderful taste.
Fresh Garlic So many recipes call for chopped garlic. We save time by chopping up a jar full and keeping it in the fridge, that is called “batch processing” It keeps for ages and is great to add a spoonful ready whenever needed.
Radish Nice round red radish, crunchy and a bit peppery.
Cucumbers Make a nice cucumber salad, thinly sliced. Either a creamy kind with sour cream and red onion, or one with vinegar and line dressing. Either is delicious.
Potatoes Nice white potatoes with endless possibilities.
Chives A light onion flavour with a slight hint of garlic, their hollow green leaves can be chopped and added to stews, pasta, salads and soups for a zippy taste and a little boost of green nutrition. Add them to your baked potatoes (see above).
Enjoy
