This is such a cool aerial shot of the three growing fields in June. The black covers are tarps we use before and after a garden is growing a veggie crop, and the white covers are row covers that we put over growing plants to exclude pests this time… — This is such a cool aerial shot of the three growing fields in June. The black covers are tarps we use before and after a garden is growing a veggie crop, and the white covers are row covers that we put over growing plants to exclude pests this time of year, photo by Adam Ford

This Week’s Availability

This week we will have zucchini, summer squash, carrots, salad turnips, radishes, garlic scapes, rhubarb, scallions, baby bok choi, green curly kale bunches, lacinato kale bunches, baby lettuce, baby arugula, mesclun mix, pea shoots, and mini romaine heads.

What are garlic scapes? They are the flower top of garlic plants that we pick when they make their first curl to force the garlic plant to put it’s energy into making large bulbs under ground. They can be used just like garlic, roasted to be like baby asparagus, or also turned into their own divine pesto. Garlic scape season is one of my favorite seasons because it is only available for a short window, and nothing really substitutes scapes.

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Farm News

(Optional bonus reading)

Last week we had an inspection to become certified under the Real Organic Project label. This is an “add on” certification that certified organic producers can apply for, and even though it is a new and less well known certification among consumers, it’s an important program to support and participate in, because it essentially has a higher level of stewardship that we find important for the future of food.

Being a certified organic farm has been important to us in terms of being actively involved in shaping the future of food. As a certified organic farm, we participate in annual meetings and vote on new rules and proposals for our certifier’s guidelines. These are important meetings to be heard at because it’s often the regional certifiers’ rules that can shape and sway the larger rules of the USDA certified organic label. For instance, for years there has been a discussion about whether hydroponic agriculture should be allowed to fall under the certified organic label, but many of us in the organic community believe that the essence of organic agriculture is based on soil health, accessing the nutrients of soil in the food we eat, building soil, and using soil as a carbon sink solution to climate change. (Of course I believe nothing is black and white: While I think it’s important not to dilute the organic label with hydroponic growing, I also see a purpose of supporting the differentiation of “better” and “worse” hydroponic growing practices since it’s possible that hydroponic systems will be an essential part of urban food sovereignty in the future.) Having a voice in that discussion is an important privilege we get to participate in as certified organic producers. So that’s one of the reasons we choose to be certified organic even if we have more lofty ideals than the certification covers: to have a seat at that table.

And the Real Organic Project is for farmers that want to reclaim the ways that industrial organic agriculture has started to dilute that label. As a consumer, I still find organic labels super important when I shop in a grocery store: It tells me that product is better for the earth and our bodies, even if as a farmer, I know I want more stringent qualifications for the certified organic label. And of course, everything is a work in progress: The efforts of people and groups such as the Real Organic Project help us make forward leaps on that road to progress. So next time we print stickers, we will have another little label to add to our logo and certified organic label…. and this one signals that we aren’t just certified organic, but we really, really value the foundation of soil.

An extra little bonus from our Real Organic Project Inspection were some tips from the certifier for improving our tunnel tomato production. The certifier who came by has spent decades growing only in tunnels, so he not only had a ton of experience, but as he put it, he was never really “distracted” by field crops the way farmers like us are. We are eager to implement some of his suggestions, such as moving a bumblebee hive into the tunnel, pruning the suckers much younger, and watering more frequently. It may or may not make a big difference this year since they are already so far along, but we imagine it may be very useful in future years.

The farm is at the stage where we need to play a little catch up on certain projects before they get tremendously out of control, so hopefully this week we will be doing a lot of weeding, pruning, trellising, feeding, covering, and picking. The team picked and squashed all the potato beetle eggs from the eggplant and then Ryan tucked them in under row cover. Fingers crossed that row cover keeps enough pests out to let those plants get a nice jump...eggplant has been a tricky crop for us but we’re hoping a little extra attention will help them thrive this year!

Have a great week,

-ESF Team: Kara, Ryan, Taylor, Morgan, Molly, Sam, Grace, and Cindy

Weekly Recipe: Rhubarb Chutney

The rhubarb chutney recipe above is super fun, and it’s my favorite to put on another season treat: salad turnip fritters….. If you want to try that combination, just find any fritter recipe on the internet and substitute the salad turnips in place of whatever veggies are used in the recipe!