organic farm

A word about the nuts and bolts of being an organic farm:  We have to document our work and processes for the inspection.  Crop rotation is an important factor in organic farming because it makes for healthy soils with plenty of organic matter, and because the changing environment helps to control pests and diseases.  For example, when clover is growing, the Colorado potato beetle has to move on.  Unfortunately they seldom move on all the way to Colorado; however, after the cover crop and a rotation of potatoes to a new area, it takes the beetle some time to find the potatoes, and we, so far, have been able to control them with little effort.  Below is are a couple of pictures of cover crops on the farm.

On the left you can see us mowing down a summer cover of Sudex grass and cowpeas  On the right, the winter cover of crimson clover has flowered and is ready to turn under.

Kohlrabi is rapidly becoming one of my favorite vegetables. It is tender, crisp, and slightly sweet, and I just munch on raw slices. We are now able to buy seeds for different varieties that remain tender at larger sizes.  Since one must peel off the rind, this greatly increases the edible to non-edible portion of the bulb.  The leaves are also good and can be sautéed and used in slaws and salads.  It turns out that there are storage varieties that have been grown in Europe for years.  They are now available here in the US, and we are growing one of these varieties.  Supposedly the bulbs can be stored in a cooler up to 4 months and retain their quality! We are going to test storing some, and if it works, CSA customers can look forward, some year, to it popping up in their boxes just when they think they never want to see another tomato or eggplant. Meanwhile, enjoy them now! We will have some at the DFM on Saturday.