Another Anniversary

One hundred fifty six years ago this Sunday, Nels Nelson Kjomme registered his claim for the 160 acres he and his sons had begun to develop in section 16 of Highland Township, Winneshiek County, Iowa—the land that eventually became Rock Spring Farm.

In 1853, Nels Nelson, his wife Margit Andersdatter, their five children, and Margit’s sister emigrated from Norway, and found their way to the homestead late in the year. They spent the first winter living under a rock overhang while they worked to improve the land, a requirement for making a homesteading claim. The farming venture proved successful, each son and daughter establishing a home in the immediate area. The original homestead was split into two 80-acre parcels, one of which is the farm I call home. The name Rock Spring derives from the spring next to the original home site, which bubbles straight up from a rock and provides much of the flow for our creek; this spring was the site of one of the original creameries in the area, since it helped maintain cool temperatures in a building erected over it.

It is hard to imagine how it must have felt to come here 150 years ago to break the land, without a roof over their heads, fields, barn, or fences. The plumbing may not have worked, but at least we had a house to live in when we arrived. Learning about the history of our farm, and meeting the families whose parents worked the land and were born in the house that was here when we moved here, deepens our connection to this farmstead and this land. We don’t see ghosts, but the shadows and footprints of other farmers and other days are all around us: hand-hewn beams in the barn, old whiskey bottles in the granary, the schoolhouse foundation, horse-drawn plows, a dump rake, the mailbox with “Flatberg” perched on the top. Working in these buildings, touching these tools, tilling this land, connects us to the lineage of this place.

Several years ago, we attended the Kjomme family reunion in honor of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the homesteading. I’m proud to have been named as an honorary member of the Kjomme family, and pleased with the ongoing expressions of delight that we hear about seeing the farm come back to life, with animals, crops, and running children.

Goings on on the Farm

Wow, what a turn around in the weather. By Sunday, it had dried enough to be in the field, and I put in the hours on the cultivator, the tiller, the digger, and the subsoiler, trying to get rid of four-weeks-worth of weeds in just a few days. It’s been pretty good weed-killing weather, too, although the fleshy purslane is a bear to get rid of with even a little bit of humidity in the air, since it comes with its own ready water supply.

Crop dusters worked the neighborhood on Monday, out early in the calm morning air with a helicopter spraying some concoction or another. I always get a little nervous about this, but Iowa has a sensitive crops registry that aerial applicators are required to check. And in my experience, these guys are actually pretty careful about respecting what we do. Still, it feels kind of surreal to spend all morning listening to a helicopter flying around the neighborhood, coming closer, flying away, coming closer, flying away…

Ben, Edwin, and Jason kept the transplanter jamming most of the week, putting in crops of broccoli, endive, Chinese cabbage, escarole, radicchio, and bok choi. With a little luck they’ll get the last crop of broccoli out, along with a new round of perennial herbs, on Thursday and Friday.

Sarah and Eric, with help from Jana and Little Ben, kept the harvest and the packing house jamming along, so that everybody else could focus on killing weeds and getting the crops out.

While I drove the tractor home on Wednesday afternoon, after undercutting the first of the shallots to harvest and cure, rays of sunlight cascaded through the high cirrus clouds, sunbeams falling through the humidity like curtains of rain through desert air.

In this Week's Box

When you get this week’s box home, keep the basil in a warm part of the refrigerator (such as the door), in its insulating paper bag. Tomatoes stay out on the counter. Remember, tomatoes will ripen faster in the sun than out of it, and you can accelerate ripening by putting them in a paper bag. Carrots, green peppers, fresh onions, and kale go in the refrigerator in a bag. Zucchini would like a warmer spot in the refrigerator. Garlic gets stored dry and cool, not in the refrigerator.

Round Red Tomatoes – From our greenhouses.

Sungolds - Ah, the sheer joy of Sungold Cherry Tomatoes. We really shouldn’t grow these in the greenhouse—their long vines have a tendency to take over despite our best efforts to slow them down - but we feel passionate about these little orange nuggets, even though we have occasionally had to get out our drywall stilts to harvest the uppermost fruits on this semi-wild crop! Does it get any better than this?

Gold Zucchini

Fresh Red Onions

Garlic

Kale – This curly green is loaded with all kinds of good things for you. When I feel blue or like I’ve got something coming on, I dive into the kale in a big way. I most often prepare it by sautéing stemmed and chopped kale in a covered skillet for a few minutes, then sprinkling on tamari soy sauce and covering again to let it stem for a few minutes longer. But the kids love it when I take a few extra minutes to make the crispy kale in this week’s recipes.

Carrots

Basil - Over the years, we’ve made a lot of pesto here, and I’ve learned that if you have a mortar and pestle, it is very much worth the extra work it takes to produce pesto this way rather than in a food processor; if you don’t have a mortar and pestle, it’s worth getting one for the extra-fine flavor and texture it provides. Besides, it’s much easier to clean than any food processor I’ve ever worked with. The kids and I made pizza this week with olive oil, salt and pepper, fresh basil, thinly-sliced tomatoes, and some fresh mozzarella cheese. It was outstanding.

Green Peppers – As I’ve heard from many other farmers this summer, our pepper plants are not doing as well as one might hope. We decided to dip into our supply of future red peppers to get some green ones this week.

Recipes You Can Use

Crispy Kale

1 bunch kale
salt
olive oil a bit

Preheat the oven to 375. Stem and chop a bunch of kale. Toss kale with olive oil. Put the kale on a cookie tray, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes, tossing once or twice during that time. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, tossing occasionally, until it is crisp. The kale will shrink and soften then it will begin to turn crisp. Remove from oven and let cool on the tray.

Zucchini Carpaccio

Slice zucchini extremely thinly, or use a vegetable peeler to shave off layers. Lay zucchini strips flat on a large platter, and drizzle with a high-quality olive oil. Lightly season with good sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Chill briefly, and serve.

Basil Pesto

Pesto can come a lot of different ways. Leave out the nuts, or change the nuts. A little more olive oil helps it cling to pasta, a little less makes it more spreadable. Don’t be afraid to mess with this recipe!

2 cups basil leaves (some stems okay)
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Parmesan
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/3 cup almonds or pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

Place basil, garlic, nuts, and lemon juice in a food processor; with the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. After you have a smooth paste, transfer to a bowl, stir in the Parmesan, and add salt and pepper to taste. For a real treat, try pesto made with a mortar and pestle—it’s a totally different experience!