Plants are growing!
So much of this winter has been spent thinking about and working with animals. Obviously, there was still some vegetable “action” (harvesting for restaurants, CSA, etc.), but much of what we’ve been handling in that regard was harvested in the fall and stored.
But now as the sun is returning to our life (slowly but surely), it is time to think again about PLANTS! All kinds of plants. Plants are where it’s at.
Even though we now have a very diverse farm with animals in the mix, we still consider ourselves first and foremost plant growers. Animal husbandry is a beautiful art, one we are still just novices at, but for us farming is about the soil and the sun. This is where it all begins. Plants. Photosynthesis. Green growth.
Although the sun is very important for us animals too (take your vitamin D supplements!), we obviously can’t photosynthesize sun energy into bodily energy the way that plants can. All of us animals — cows, chickens, humans — need these plants to magically capture that energy for us. As the prophet Isaiah wrote: “All flesh is grass.” (Or, as the son of the farmer we trained with frequently said: “Meat is just really condensed grass.” True enough too.)
So, this week, as the mild weather came to its end, we scurried to begin our seasonal work again with seeds and plants. Casey and the crew planted out both of our high tunnels with cooking green transplants and then direct seeded lettuce and tender greens in the paths between. They also transplanted our early round of peas into the field, along more kale and lettuce (direct sown). Jasper spent the better part of two days on the tractor drilling about 15 acres with a pasture seed blend (orchard grass, perennial rye grass, and white clover). This will become a perennial pasture for our animals. Soon we’ll be sowing another section to alfalfa and annual rye grass. In addition to going into winter with “stockpiled” pastures full of good stuff, we’re planning to make some hay this year — our first time, so it will be exciting I’m sure.
Meanwhile, last week Stephanie was busy sowing seeds into trays. Between her sowing magic and the mild weather, we’ve had phenomenal germination success in the greenhouse (the best in years). This makes us happy farmers, because there’s nothing quite so uplifting as a greenhouse full of healthy starts ready to go out into the world.
Of course, as soon as this work got done (literally within an hour or two), the rains returned. And, boy has it become February again around here. I’d sort of forgotten that we were still in the midst of winter when I was sitting outside on the grass with the kids. But, winter it is. There have been some chilly, windy and rainy days of late, forcing us back inside next to the fire.
We feel very fortunate to have had a window to get all that planting and seeding done when we could. It’s not every year that allows us these early opportunities. Of course, in our experience, these earliest planted crops (at least the ones outside) will grow quite slowly now. But, grow they will. Anytime the temperature during the day pops up above 38° at the ground level, the peas will grow a bit more. It’s much too early to really “count” on these early outside crops, since we’re still in winter and there are potential floods, storms, slugs, and such to consider. But, we are still so excited at the prospect of a large early pea harvest. Yum yum.
Now that we’re nearing the end of February, even the overwintered crops are coming out of “storage holding mode” and back into growth mode. Soon it will be rapini season! Hoorah! Unfortunately we don’t have quite as many overwintered greens as we would normally like, but there’s not much we can do about that now. The season when we would have been planting and/or tending to these crops aligned with Dottie’s birth and Casey’s surgery last fall — once in a lifetime types of distractions! Which is why the hoophouses are so heavily planted to greens. Gotta eat those greens. Yum yum!
All of this is so positive, and yet there is still always a gloominess that settles in during February. I’m not sure why T.S. Eliot chose April as the cruelest month, because I’m pretty sure here in Oregon it is February. This is the month when, inevitably, our commitment to vitamin D supplements still can’t hold the colds at bay. The kids and I have all been snuffly off and on over the last few weeks, keeping us home from our usual playdates and outings. Cabin fever anyone?
But it will end. March is on the horizon. The daffodils are up and starting to push out buds. The forsythia has green buds. It is light at Rusty’s bedtime. The sun is returning. And, everyone, and everything, on the farm welcomes it.
Enjoy this week’s vegetables!
Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla
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Veggie CSA members! You’ll see Casey’s smiling face at pick-up this week. Alex is our regular guy, but Casey didn’t want to miss out on all the fun. If you have any questions or concerns about the CSA so far this year, check in with Casey in person at pick-up or email us: farm (at) oakhillorganics (dot) org!
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Meet this week’s vegetables:
- Spicy mustard greens — These are mustard greens that you definitely want to cook. (And, do NOT juice them unless you love burning your mouth and throat!) Once cooked, they become quite mild (while retaining that distinctive mustard flavor). We love these at breakfast, paired with fried eggs and some kind of cured meat if we have it (ham, bacon, sausage, etc.).
- Salad mix
- Sunchokes
- Kohlrabi
- Butternut winter squash — Thanks to Rusty, this has been quite the Butternut winter for our household. He loves the stuff, and it makes such a quick easy component of the meal that we feel pretty sure he will eat (you never know with three year olds!). We most often cube and roast it in oil, but in a pinch it also works well to cook it in a pan with lots of fat so it doesn’t stick. In that case, I slice it rather than cube so that the inside will get cooked too.
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Onions
