Life's Better Here

The organic farming community has a long history of working together—if not in absolute harmony, then at least with the idea in mind that success in organic farming is not just about my farm, but about every farm. At Rock Spring Farm, we’re proud to play an important role in the growth of the organic movement.

I suppose to a certain degree the generosity of spirit just goes with the territory. Organic farmers, by definition, are concerned about what goes on a neighbor’s farm, and by extension, how what they do on their own farm affects their neighbors. A neighbor spraying toxic pesticides may contaminate products and soils; uncontrolled weeds may create problems readily controlled with herbicides, but not with cultivation; and genetically-modified crops may cross-pollinate organic varieties. And if we care about what our neighbors do, we’d best start caring about our neighbors, since that’s the best way to get them to care about us.

Likewise, organic farmers have always taken an active interest in what their organic cohorts are up to, and in helping them along. Organic farmers have been writing and publishing books since before the term “organic” meant much if anything, and very few organic farmers will turn down a request for even the most proprietary information about their key products. And the organic community, perhaps because of an historical lack of support from the universities, USDA, and extension services, has developed its own outreach and teaching resources.

Last weekend, I helped to put on the MOSES Organic Farming Conference. Held in La Crosse every February, the conference attracted over 2700 attendees this year – most of them farmers – for three days of intensive education in everything from organic dairy to food safety to the finer points of organic activism. As the co-director of the show, I organized 67 workshops and over 100 presenters as part of North America’s largest (and, we’re told, best) organic farming conference. For the experienced grower, it is an important piece of a continuing education; for beginning farmers or conventional growers thinking about going organic, it is often the first touchstone in preparing to make a dramatic change.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about the conferences we help organize and teach is the rampant enthusiasm and downright good time that the participants are having; at the Organic Farming Conference, in addition to the workshops, we serve thousands of excellent meals based on local and organic foods, put on ten full-day seminars, screen dozens of food films, host a benefit dinner and silent auction for the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, and put on a dance on Friday night that always goes well past midnight. My organic hog farming friend Tom Frantzen says that the first time he attended what was then the Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference, when he was just beginning to think about going organic, he knew he could never go back: “Organic farmers have more fun, the food’s fantastic—life’s just better here!”

Farm Happenings

Weather: We’ve had a string of beautiful, sunny days, with brisk mornings and warm, muddy afternoons. The snow is melting slowly, which helps avoid issues with runoff and streams running down our driveway.

What We Did: The whole crew took time off to attend the MOSES Organic Farming Conference last weekend (Chris went to work, Ben and Sarah went to learn). On Monday, we officially opened up the transplant house, so greenhouse seeding now becomes a priority and constant task to add to everything else.

In this Week's Box

When you get this week’s box home, put the cabbage straight into your crisper drawer; I don’t bag my cabbage until I cut it, as it likes a slightly less-humid environment than the other roots and greens. The salad greens go right in the refrigerator (they’re already in a bag), and the rutabagas, turnips, winter radishes, celeriac, carrots, beets, and rosemary should all go in bags and into the crisper drawer. There’s no need to keep them separate. The potatoes will prefer a dark, cool space with relatively low humidity; I keep my household spuds in a bowl on a shelf in the pantry, covered with a towel. Keep the onions in a dry location.

Baby Lettuce – From our greenhouses, we thought this crop had completely winterkilled, but it has come back quite nicely!

Red Cabbage – This is the last of the cabbage, and it looks a little tough, but it’s still delicious.

Rutabagas

Cipollini Onions

Yukon Gold Potatoes – This week’s spuds come from our neighbor Glen Elsbernd at G It’s Fresh. He’s a certified organic grower near Calmar. Growing potatoes on any kind of scale used equipment that isn’t readily adapted to other crops, and we are glad to have another hand at this.

Carrots

Purple Top Turnips

Black Spanish Winter Radishes

Gold Beets – A lot like red beets, but without the anthocyanin pigments that make them red; maybe a touch sweeter, and slightly less earthy in flavor. For years, gold beets all suffered from low germination and low seedling vigor, but breeding efforts in both the public and private sectors over the last ten years have finally resulted in some good, vigorous varieties. Hurray for good, old-fashioned Mendellian plant breeding!

Rosemary Bunches

Celeriac - Celeriac is the same species as celery, but bred for the swollen root rather than the fleshy stems. A more primitive version of the species, celeriac has contributed almost all of the modern pest resistance to modern celery varieties, another example of the success of old-fashioned plant breeding. It has the same flavor compounds, but they come through more strongly; the flesh is soggy-firm, and works best in cooked dishes, although this week’s celeriac salad recipe only briefly cooks the root and serves it chilled.

Recipes

Roasted Turnips and Carrots

1/2 lb carrots
1 lb turnips
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp fresh thyme (optional)
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400. Prepare the carrots and turnips so that they are about the same size and shape, by cutting the turnips lengthwise into halves or quarters. Toss with olive oil and thyme, and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread evenly in a baking pan in a single layer, and roast, uncovered, for 20 to 45 minutes, stirring and tossing periodically until the vegetables are cooked through.

Celeriac Salad

2 lbs celeriac, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 tsp stoneground mustard

Blanch celeriac in boiling water for 2 minutes; dunk in cold water to stop cooking, then drain. Place in a bowl and add oil and vinegar. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Refrigerate, covered, for at least two hours. Crush garlic into a paste and combine with the mayonnaise and mustard, and add this mixture to the celeriac and stir well just before serving.

Light and Lively Slaw

The Dressing
2 Tablespoons rice wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons minced fresh mint
salt to taste

The Slaw
3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh onion
1 small beet, grated (raw beet)
1 large carrot, grated
1Tablespoon sesame seeds

In a bowl combine all the dressing ingredients. Set aside.

Combine the cabbage, onion, carrot, beet, and sesame seeds in a medium bowl. Toss the dressing with the slaw ingredients. Wait 10 minutes for flavors to blend and serve.