LAURIE AND AARON STIRRING COMPOST
JEN TAMPING COMPOST DOWN
AARON COVERING THE PEAS WITH COMPOST
CREATIVITY IN THE KITCHEN
MONDAY EVENING FEAST
The morning got off to a slower-than-expected start when Laurie was on the phone trying to resolve their recent internet problems. Since they live in such a rural area, internet and cable come via satellite and a recent wind storm has knocked the dishes around a bit. We haven't had internet in a few days and this is a major problem for Laurie and Will as their CSA is online-based. Without internet access, they don't know who has placed orders or how many boxes will need to be packed and delivered this week. Will spent the morning in Atlanta picking up produce to pack in this weeks' boxes and once Laurie finished her calls we got our day started in the fields.
The sun warmed the air and the wind died down, so it was a glorious day to be outside. After prepping compost and some planting beds yesterday, we sowed pea seeds today. We planted two rows of english peas and three rows of sugar snap peas. Will and Laurie's garden features more than twenty rows that are used to plant a variety of crops, on a rotating schedule. The peas were planted in rows that grew squash last year. Every farmer has their own methods, but everyone we've encountered insists rotating crops annually is vital. Crop rotation is important for maintaining nutrient rich soil and also helps to deter pests. If you plant the same crop in the same place every year, the soil will be lacking specific nutrients. As a direct result, a certain type of insect will eat the crop in an effort to add the missing nutrients. If you have a pest problem, it is most likely because you have sub-par soil. Agribusinesses that insist spraying chemicals is the only way to keep bugs out of their crops are flat out lying. It is more cost efficient for them to spray chemicals than to plant and replant crops in a rotating fashion because they cannot plant money crops over and over. These big corporate farms want to plant one cash crop everywhere. For instance, tomato crops can be sold for more of a gain than cabbage crops. By planting a thousand acres exclusively of tomato plants, these big businesses stand to make more money. However, planting a mono-culture farm is both hazardous to the plants and the soil. In the long term it will cost less to maintain a farm and produce more nutritious food by rotating many crops, even if some of those crops may not earn as much money. Charles Schwab advocates for diversifying your portfolio...diversifying your farm and garden is just as vital. You would never put all your eggs in one basket, so why plant your entire farm with one crop? If it fails, you lose all. Failing is not an option, so spraying in ever-increasing amounts is the answer for Agribusiness. In a diversified farm or garden, if one crop fails, it's not the end of the world because all the other crops still can thrive. The likelihood of all your crops simultaneously failing is virtually impossible.
We had lots of cooking time today, which we enjoyed. For lunch, we cooked saffron rice with onions, broccoli, and tomatoes which we stuffed into green peppers and topped with cheese before baking them to perfection. We served the peppers with black bean and butternut squash sauces. For dinner, we made two kinds of fresh ravioli: butternut squash and basil/chevre. Finished in a brown butter and sage sauce they were delicious, even though some were in funny shapes. We all took a bit of creative license while stuffing and shaping them. Not only were the meals tasty, they were fun to create.
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