Harmony Valley Farm: Pumpkin

We’ve officially transitioned into fall and to celebrate, we’re sending the cutest little pumpkins your way this week! This week’s featured vegetable is a new one for us, Pie Pita Pumpkins. We’ve never been much of a fan of pumpkins as we favor the more flavorful and sweet winter squashes such as butternut and kabocha. Nonetheless, this cutie caught our eye because it has a large amount of hulless pumpkin seeds! I love two for one vegetables, so this one went on the trials list for this year. If you’re looking for recipe ideas this week, consider trying my recipe for Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Cilantro Sauce (See Below). I wrote this recipe in my head over the weekend after working in the cooler for awhile. I was hungry and cold and this soup was just what I needed. It’s packed with nutrients, flavorful and simple. The cilantro sauce is an added bonus to stir in at the very end when you serve it.

The other recipe I’ve included this week is for a No-Bake Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake (See below). I made this for the first time last year for our Christmas Dinner dessert. It’s vegan, raw, paleo and sweetened with only dates and maple syrup……but wait, it’s also very creamy, flavorful and delicious! The creaminess in the filling comes from soaked cashews. The crust is made with chopped nuts and dates. It’s a dessert you can feel good about eating!

Garlicky Broccoli Raab, Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Jam Sandwich
photo from seriouseats.com

This week’s cooking green is Broccoli Raab, a slightly bitter green that has a mustardy flavor. This green pairs well with garlic, fatty cheese, olive oil, fish, tomatoes, etc. I included several tasty recipe ideas for you this week such as Shrimp Scampi with Linguine and Broccoli Raab; Garlicky Broccoli Raab, Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Jam Sandwich; and Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe.

In addition to a cooking green this week, we are also happy to have both baby arugula and salad mix! That means it’s time to start tossing greens salads again! This is one of my favorite times of the year to create tasty, simple salads topped with fruit, nuts, cheese, etc. You really don’t need to follow a recipe, just use a flavorful oil, a fruity vinegar and some creativity in choosing the other ingredients. Anything goes as long as you use good ingredients and you like the final outcome!

Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken with Potatoes & Mini Sweet Peppers

We’re moving into our final few weeks of pepper season and this week’s pepper selections are quite colorful! Mini sweet peppers are great for snacking on, but they are also tasty when used in other savory recipes such as Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken with Potatoes & Mini Sweet Peppers, a recipe well-suited to this week’s Purple Viking Potatoes or last week’s Peter Wilcox potatoes. We also included either guajillo or Korean chili peppers this week to give you a little heat to spice up your meals! If you don’t have a use for these peppers this week, dry them, put them in a jar and use them later in the winter!

Looking ahead to next week, we’re going to see more shifting of the seasons with our vegetable selections. We’ll be harvesting some fall head lettuce, possibly daikon radish and a few beets. We also have a few winter squash selections we hope to send your way and a new crop of fall broccoli! I can’t believe we’re two-thirds of the way through our CSA season! Time flies when you’re having fun and I hope you’ve been enjoying all of your seasonal cooking adventures! Have a great week and I’ll see you next time!—Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Pie Pita Pumpkin

By: Chef Andrea Yoder

Description: These cute little pumpkins are a new addition to our line-up this year. We typically don’t grow pie pumpkins because, well they don’t taste as good as butternut or kabocha winter squash which are acceptable substitutes for pumpkin in recipes! Nonetheless, the leading line in the seed catalog description captured our interest: “A dual-purpose fruit with bright orange, sweet flesh and light green hulless seeds.” Well, this sounded different from other pie pumpkins so we thought we’d give it a try. When I called in our phone order to High Mowing Seed who is our supplier for this variety, the customer service gal chuckled a bit and then revealed that this is one of her favorite vegetables in their catalog! So we’re looking for feedback from you before we decide to grow it again next year.

Pie Pita Pumpkin Seeds

Preparation & Use: The flesh of this pumpkin is a rich golden color. Before you cook this pumpkin though, cut it in half and extract the seeds from the center. If you don’t save seeds from any other squash or pumpkin this year, humor me and at least save them from your pie-pita pumpkin! Once you’ve extracted the seeds, rinse them well in a colander and try to remove all of the fleshy pumpkin pieces. Air dry the seeds on a plate at room temperature or put them in a dehydrator. Once they are dry, toss them with oil, salt and pepper, then toast them in a low heat oven (275-300°F) until they are crispy and slightly golden (about 10-20 minutes). Each pumpkin may yield anywhere from ⅓ to ½ cup of seeds. They are a tasty little snack, but are also good sprinkled on salads, etc.

Pumpkin can be used in a wide variety of sweet and savory recipes ranging from soup, gratin, casseroles, etc. on the savory side to bread, cookies, cheesecake and pie on the sweet side! There are several ways to cook pumpkins, or any winter squash. You can cut them in half and bake them, cut side down. Once cooked, scoop the flesh out and puree it. You can also peel away the thin skin and cut the raw pumpkin into chunks to either roast or incorporate into other recipes such as soup.

Storage: We don’t have any experience with storing this pumpkin, but due to the fact that it has a thin skin, our guess is that they won’t store very long. So, store your pumpkin at room temperature and try to use it within a week or two. In the meantime, keep your eye on it. If you see a spot starting to develop, it’s time to cook it and eat it or freeze it!

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Cilantro Sauce

Yield: 6-8 servings (about 3 quarts)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, medium dice
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp dried turmeric powder
1 fresh guajillo or Korean chili, stem removed*
1 cup diced sweet pepper
1 ½ cups diced carrot
4-5 cups pumpkin, large dice
1 orange, peeled and seeded
5 cups liquid (water, vegetable or chicken stock)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1-2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lime juice
1 can coconut milk

Cilantro Sauce:
1 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup sunflower oil or olive oil
Salt, to taste

Heat oil in a 5-6 quart pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion and saute for 4-5 minutes or until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic and ginger. Saute an additional 1-2 minutes, then stir in the dried turmeric until it fully coats the vegetables.
Roughly chop the hot pepper, seeds included and add to the pot along with the sweet pepper, carrots and pumpkin. Cut the orange into eighths and remove any seeds. Add to the pot and stir to combine the entire mixture.
Add the water or stock to the vegetables along with 2 tsp salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Cover and increase heat to medium high to bring the entire mixture to a rapid simmer. Once the soup is simmering, adjust the heat to hold it at a steady simmer.
Cook for 15-20 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft.
While the soup is simmering, make the cilantro sauce. Roughly chop the cilantro with a knife, then add it to the bowl of a food processor or to a blender along with the garlic cloves, apple cider vinegar and a few pinches of salt. Blend until the garlic and cilantro are coarsely chopped, then slowly drizzle in the oil while the machine is still running. You want the sauce to have a little texture remaining, so blend until the desired thickness is reached. Taste and add additional salt and vinegar as needed. Set aside until you’re ready to serve the soup.
Once the vegetables in the soup are soft, remove the soup the heat and let set for a few minutes before blending. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender, working in batches and being careful to not overfill the blender pitcher. Blend until smooth, then pour into another bowl or pot. When the soup is all blended, taste a little to see if it has enough spice for your liking. If not, chop more fresh guajillo or Korean chili pepper and add it to the blender with several cups of the soup. Blend until smooth, then pour it into the remainder of the soup and stir well. Once all the soup is blended, return it to the original pot and keep it warm over medium-low heat.
Stir in maple syrup, apple cider vinegar or lime juice and coconut milk. Stir to combine and simmer for about 10-12 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding additional salt, black pepper, apple cider vinegar and/or maple syrup as needed.
Serve the soup with a few spoonfuls of the cilantro sauce. Each diner can stir the sauce into their soup.

*Note: If you want a more mild soup, use one guajillo. If you like some spice, use a Korean chili pepper.

Recipe by Chef Andrea Yoder.

No-Bake Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake

Yield: One 8-inch pie

photo from theroastedroot.net

For the Crust:
3 cups raw walnuts, almonds or pecans
10 medjool dates, pitted
3 Tbsp coconut oil, softened or melted
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:
2 cups raw cashews, soaked 3 hours
⅔ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup pureed pumpkin (may substitute butternut squash)
½ cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp lemon juice or 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon, to taste
½ tsp salt, to taste

Make the Crust:

Line an 8-inch spring form pie pan with parchment paper. If you do not have a spring form pan, you can also just press the crust directly into a lightly greased 8 or 9-inch pie pan or baking dish.
Add the ingredients for the crust to a food processor or blender and pulse until it is well-combined and forms a sticky dough.
Transfer the crust mixture to the parchment-lined pan and press it into an even layer. Stick the pan in the freezer while you prepare the pumpkin filling.

Make the Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:

Soak the cashews for at least 3 hours (or overnight). Drain the cashews and add them to a high-powered blender along with the remaining ingredients for the filling. Blend until super smooth and creamy. Taste the filling mixture for flavor and add more cinnamon, pure maple syrup, and/or sea salt to taste.
Pour the filling over the pie crust and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate pie at least 3 hours before serving. (Note: you can also freeze the pie for 2 hours to get it to set up nicely. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or at room temperature for 2 hours before serving.)
When you’re ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and cut into slices. Serve with a dollop of coconut milk whipped cream on top if you wish.

Recipe borrowed from www.theroastedroot.net

Thursday, March 18, 2021

March Farm Update: Farm Happenings, New Vegetables for 2021, and Survey Report!

By Andrea Yoder & Richard de Wilde

The greenhouses are filling up!

We’re less than seven weeks away from our first CSA delivery and this weekend will mark the official first day of spring! For those of you who have already signed up for your 2021 shares, we want to give you a huge “THANK YOU!” We are happy to report that we are 75% of the way towards our maximum capacity for this year and we are still accepting sign-ups for all types of vegetable shares at all sites right now. We do anticipate we’ll sell out earlier this year, so we encourage you to get your order in soon if you have not already signed up!

We want to update you on a few farm “happenings.” Our greenhouses are filling up quickly and our small winter crew is doing their best to keep us on schedule with plantings. This week we saw the first celeriac sprouts poke through along with head lettuce and broccoli! We also planted the savory and oregano for the beloved herb packs we’ll be delivering with your shares in May. Next week we’re scheduled to plant more head lettuce along with fennel and our first planting of kale and collards. We’ll also likely run out of space and have to move into our third and final greenhouse. Once that’s full, the only option we’ll have is to move plants to the field! We’re looking forward to welcoming more of our field crew back, hopefully the last week of March! Cross your fingers that we get some nice, mild spring weather so we can start preparing fields for planting as soon as they arrive!

Richard's sample harvest of overwintered parsnips

Before the four inches of heavy, wet snow we received earlier this week, it was actually starting to look like it might be an early spring! Rafael, Isidro and Moises spent a little time trimming pussy willow and curly willow hedgerows. They also pulled the cover off the garlic field and started loosening the straw mulch so the garlic sprouts can push through. Richard dug a few overwintered parsnips just to see how they looked. The ground was still a little frozen and after the snow, it’s very wet. We’re happy to report that they do look like they’ve fared well over the winter and the few we cooked up tasted like candy! Many of you are wondering about ramps, asparagus, and overwintered spinach. We haven’t seen any signs of ramps yet and it’s still too early for asparagus. Richard did sneak a peek at the overwintered spinach which is under a cover. It looks rough right now, but that’s always how it looks this time of year. There is new growth coming from the plants, so we’re hopeful for a good crop this spring!

Pie-Pita Pumpkins
(photo from HighMowingSeeds.com)

It’s crazy to think we could be doing our first field plantings in 2-3 weeks, but it is possible! We’ve received the majority of our seeds, but are still waiting on some backorders. Every year we trial some new vegetables, so we thought we’d give you a little glimpse at some of the things we’re trying this year. Pie-Pita is a new pumpkin with this description that caught our attention: “…A brilliant development in pie pumpkins……delicious, high Brix pie pumpkin flesh with the added bonus of hulless seeds inside.” They say you get an average of ¼ pound of seeds from each pumpkin. When I called this order in, the customer service rep taking my order got giddy with excitement and then confessed it is one of her favorite new vegetables being offered by High Mowing Seeds this year. With her endorsement, we’re excited to see it for ourselves!

GinFiz Tomatoes
(photo from OsborneSeed.com)

We also have a few new tomato varieties on the list. Our friends at Osborne Seeds had a couple new ones including Darkstar, GinFiz, MaiTai and CubaLibre. We’re looking forward to Darkstar because it has a “rich purple color with brown hues and incredible flavor……with the look of an heirloom tomato and the added bonus of Late Blight resistance.” Some years can be very challenging for growing tomatoes in our valley and leaf diseases can mark the early end of a tomato crop. We always try to select varieties that taste good and are attractive, but also have disease resistance so we can actually keep the plant alive long enough to produce good fruit! CubaLibre is a black tomato with “heirloom appeal,” but we also selected it for its “excellent disease package.” GinFiz and MaiTai are eye-catching varieties with hues of orange & yellow mixed with splashes of red….. “like a sunset!” We know you appreciate variety, so we’re hoping these varieties will add a little fun to your summer tomato salads and BLT sandwiches!

We received favorable feedback last year from our trials of purple napa cabbage, so we’re trialing a few more varieties in this class this year. The Amy melon from last year’s trials also received high marks from the members who had the chance to try this melon. Amy is a canary type melon with a bright yellow rind and creamy, sweet, smooth white flesh. We are looking forward to growing more of these so everyone can try it this year!

Garlic sprouts poking through the mulch.

We do value your feedback and use it to help us refine our plans, make changes, etc. We had an excellent response to our "2020 End of Season Survey" with 999 participants! Thank you for taking the time to do the survey and offer your feedback. We wanted to share a few highlights from the results. Overall, we received a very positive response with high ratings for satisfaction with the overall CSA experience as well as customer service, product quality and communications. We selected a list of 30 crops and asked for your feedback about how much you received. We try to strike a balance, yet offer variety and keep things interesting. Thus, we wanted to know how close we were to the bullseye. Of the 30 crops, 21 crops received a "Just Right" rating from 60-70% of respondents who felt they received a good amount of the item over the course of the season. We had 8 crops that received a "Just Right" rating from 70-75% of respondents. In some cases, the remainder of responses were nearly evenly split between "Not Enough" and "Too Much." When the pandemic is past and we can go back to having a Swap Box at the sites, those who feel there is too much of something can leave it for those who may want more! In the meantime, consider striking up a trade with a neighbor or friend after you take your vegetables home. There were some crops though where the remaining responses were more strongly weighted in one direction. 20-30% of respondents indicated they would like more green beans, garlic, sweet peppers, sweet corn and tomatoes along with Brussels sprouts, spinach, salad mix and kale. The takeaways from this feedback for us are that overall we're doing a pretty good job, but we have some room to tweek the quantities of some things. Some items, like sweet corn, are difficult. There's a limit to how much we can put in the box and still have room for other items!

Broccoli sprouts just pushing through the dirt.

We also asked you to choose your top 3 favorite selections from your CSA Box in 2020. Here are the top 10 vegetables that received the highest number of responses: Brussels Sprouts, Garlic, Greens, Ramps, Salad Mix, Winter Squash, Strawberries, Sweet Corn, Sweet Potatoes & Tomatoes.

We asked the same question but asked the children in the household to answer the question. Here are the top 10 responses from the children: Green Beans, Broccoli, Carrots, Brussels Sprouts, Cucumbers, Melons, Potatoes, Strawberries, Sweet Corn and Tomatoes. We’d have to agree with both the adults and the children--these are some of our favorites too!

Farmer Rafael scouting out ramps (2020)

Most of the top 10 favorites are fairly short season, with some coming on in the peak of the summer and a few in late fall. While we all enjoy eating these in the peak of their season, we have to be realistic that we need more vegetables in our diet over the course of the year than just these top 10 favorites! This is one of the reasons we’ve worked hard to extend our season early in the year with some unique spring specialties like asparagus, ramps and rhubarb. At the end of the season we rely on a wide variety of storage vegetables to sustain us when fresh vegetables from the field are not an option. If you were to ask either of us what our top three favorite vegetables are, the answer would probably be different depending on what season we are in! That’s the beauty of seasonal eating. You can have many favorites throughout the year which means you always have something to look forward too!

Colorful Mini Sweet Peppers!

Last year we had a phenomenal response to our “Produce Plus” offers, both during the year as well as with our “End of Season Special Offers.” This is another great way to “stretch” the season so you can continue to eat local the entire year. Last night we enjoyed our final bag of green beans we had frozen back in August and we’re still using frozen mini sweet peppers in everything from scrambled eggs to soups, stir fry and pizzas. They taste just as delicious now as they did in the summer! Some of you may still be enjoying jars of salsa or tomatoes you canned last summer and there are at least a few of you who have some pickled jalapenos on your shelf too! Just this week I spoke with two members who still have sweet potatoes and winter squash they got at the end of the season. They are storing well and they have found many ways to continue to enjoy them. We’ve received a few emails from members who ran out of carrots and other winter roots earlier than they anticipated and have made some notes for themselves that read something like this “Order more vegetables at the end of the season so you don’t run out before spring!”

There are many ways to extend the local Midwestern growing season and your CSA season. Whether it’s canning, freezing, fermenting or drying vegetables; stocking up on storage vegetables; or simply making large batches of recipes you can freeze and tuck away in the freezer, they all help bridge the gap between growing seasons while keeping your body well-nourished and healthy. So, this year we’ve tried to build in a little extra to our planting plans so we can better provide for those who would like to take advantage of stocking up beyond their weekly vegetable shares. If there are specific items you are interested in purchasing in bulk, please let us know. If we are able to do so we’ll add it to the list!

That’s a wrap for now. It’s time to go water the plants in the greenhouse, finish the fertilizer order, work on the spring training plan, and do the final edits to the 2021 CSA calendar so we can send it to the printer! Enjoy the rest of this month and we’ll catch up again in April!

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life

A Summary by Laurel Blomquist

The cover of Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life proclaims, “All of us have cancer cells in our bodies. But not all of us will develop cancer.” Did you know you have cancer cells in your body? Does that thought scare you? It doesn’t have to. Read on to see what you can do about making sure those cells never proliferate or become life-threatening.

David Servan-Schreiber was an ambitious psychiatrist who had spent his life climbing the ranks of his profession. One day the volunteer subject of his brain MRI study didn’t show up, so he put himself into the machine. The scans showed a walnut-sized tumor in his brain, and thus the doctor became the patient. After diagnosis, Dr. Servan-Schreiber was treated using the most modern techniques available: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation. When he asked his doctor if there was something else he could do to prevent the cancer from returning, his doctor told him to continue living life as he had prior to his diagnosis.

I have something to confess. I was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer this past February. Yes, I followed my doctors’ recommendations regarding established medical protocols for my cancer. However, you have a feeling of powerlessness when you are just waiting around to see if the cancer is going to come back. Reading this book, as well as Foods to Fight Cancer, changed the course of my life forever.

If you had a toolbox that you could use to combat an illness from all sides, wouldn’t you want to use every tool in the box? I was inspired to change the paradigm, from giving over control to my doctors to taking control. I established a self-care routine that included rest, diet, exercise, meditation, time in nature, breathing techniques, and many more small changes in my daily routine that would alter my prognosis for the future. Of course, these diet and lifestyle changes don’t just lower my chances of getting cancer, there’s more. According to the journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, “Oxidative stress impacts almost all acute and chronic progressive disorders and on a cellular basis is intimately linked to aging, cardiovascular disease, cancer, immune function, metabolism and neurodegeneration.” (http://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl)

In other words, an anti-cancer diet is also anti- diabetes, obesity, insulin sensitivity, metabolic syndrome, neurological disease (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.), gastrointestinal disease (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, etc.), autoimmune disease (Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, etc.), and any other acute or chronic disease characterized by inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as the process of aging in general. Everyone says they want a long, healthy life. I was willing to do everything in my power in order to achieve that.

Like myself, Dr. Servan-Schreiber was not convinced that he had no control over the recurrence of his cancer other than the treatments that doctors could provide. He points out that doctors who are at the pinnacle of research in their professions cannot stop to conduct research outside of their fields, or read experimental protocols that haven’t been given a double-blind study. He does not blame his doctors for this because they are busy doing important work to save the lives of their patients. There are many other practitioners doing alternative therapies and research, however. Dr. Servan-Schreiber is not a food chemist, so he uses research from other scientists to support his dietary recommendations. He often cites the research done by Drs. Beliveau and Gingras, who you may remember from Foods to Fight Cancer, the book I reviewed two weeks ago. Of course, these two are not the only scientists he has explored. He is a thorough researcher; the chapter on food alone has 140 citations! The scope of this article is much too short to present all his findings, so I’m going to summarize a few fruit and vegetable recommendations he recommends for an anti-cancer diet.

The doctor states that cancer is known to thrive on both sugar and insulin, so in general, eating foods that are lower on the glycemic index should be a priority. These include peas, beans, sweet potatoes, whole fruits, and alliums such as garlic, onions, and shallots, which lower insulin peaks when combined with other foods. (p. 70)

Stone fruits, especially plums, contain high levels of antioxidants and are more cost effective than berries, year-round. He cites a study showing that these fruits fight high cholesterol as well. (p. 119)

The labiate family, which includes mint, thyme, marjoram, oregano, basil, and rosemary, are rich in the fatty acids of the terpene family, which reduce the spread of cancer cells or provokes their death. (p. 138)

In order to grow more rapidly, cancer cells stimulate the creation of new blood vessels so that they have a fuel source close by. This is called angiogenesis. A molecule which inhibits cancer cells by blocking angiogenesis is apigenin, which is found in parsley and celery (p. 120).

Fresh Ginger Root grown on our Farm

Ginger root is also anti-inflammatory, containing antioxidants that reduce angiogenesis. It’s also anti-nauseating, helping control the side effects of chemotherapy. (p. 134)

Vegetables and fruits rich in carotenoids inhibit the growth of cancer cells and stimulate immune cells to attack cancer. These foods include carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, tomatoes, persimmons, apricots, and beets. The bright colors mean the foods contain vitamin A, lycopene, lutein, phytoene, and canthaxanthin. (p. 136)

Pomegranates contain antioxidants and slow prostate cancer growth by 67%! (p. 139)

Flaxseeds contain short-chain omega-3s and lignans, phytoestrogens that block harmful hormones, lower cholesterol, and maintain balanced blood sugar levels. Our friends at Driftless Organics just started producing their own organic flaxseed oil. Add it to salad dressings or smoothies for an anti-cancer cocktail. (p. 143)

Other foods the author includes as part of an anti-inflammatory diet are olive oil (especially virgin), mushrooms, and seaweed.

When Anti-Cancer was published in 2009, the health of the gut microbiome was just beginning to be on the radar; now it’s one of the hottest health topics in popular science. Dr. Servan-Schreiber cites research that states probiotic bacteria inhibit colon cancer growth by moving toxic waste out of the body. Why not make a batch of sauerkraut, kimchi, or kvass with a vegetable of your choosing (choose a brassica for an especially potent combination) and eat it regularly? Don’t forget to feed your probiotic bacteria with prebiotics, such as garlic, onions, tomatoes, sunchokes, and asparagus. (p. 143)

In addition to recommendations for specific foods, the author also emphasized the importance of organic vegetables versus conventional. He cites a study by Dr. Cynthia Curl, who measured the amount of organochlorine pesticides in the urine of 42 preschool children. Children who were fed an organic diet had pesticide levels below the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum, while children on the conventional diet had a level 4 times the maximum. While he states that some doctors have interpreted these findings as insignificant, he disagrees, and so do other doctors. (p. 89)

He further states that selenium stimulates immune cells and boosts the effects of antioxidants. According to the author, organic foods are rich in selenium, while conventionally-grown vegetables are lacking because of soil depletion of this mineral. (p. 144)

This book was written as a tool to help all of us flip our genetic switch for cancer off by making decisions that will impact our long-term health. In summary, the doctor states, “Every day, at every meal, we can choose food that will defend our bodies against the invasion of cancer by: detoxifying carcinogenic substances; supporting our immune system; blocking the development of new (blood) vessels needed for tumor growth; preventing tumors from creating the inflammation that serves as their fertilizer; blocking the mechanisms that will enable them to invade neighboring tissues; and promoting the suicide of cancer cells.” (p. 125)

For more information, be sure to check out the book and his website: http://www.anticancerbook.com

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Harvest Party Recap!

by Beth Brown-Lucas

Captain Jack loved meeting everyone

We could not have asked for better weather for our Harvest Party this past Sunday! It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the upper 70s and there was not even a chance of rain. Our party kicked off at noon with a Mix & Mingle and snacks.

Folks started arriving right at noon, excited to tour the farm and meet their fellow CSA members. Captain Jack was ready, making sure he greeted everybody as they arrived. We had delicious light snacks prepared and everyone raved about the Caramelized Poblano Chile & Onion Dip and Roasted Beet & White Bean Dip made by Farmer Andrea. Everybody mingled & chatted while enjoying NessAlla Kombucha and cold press Kickapoo coffee. We had a few activities planned, and kids tried their best to guess the seeds in the “Name that Seed” game or ringing a pumpkin in the Pumpkin Ring Toss.

In the pepper field

At about 1:00 Farmer Richard began loading the wagons for the farm tour. A few families were already on the wagons in anticipation of starting the tour! We loaded up 4 wagons and made our way down the road. Kids & adults were excited to catch a glimpse of the strawberry field and the rhubarb-we had a great view of the fields below. As we continued on our way to the sweet potatoes, we were also able to see the parsley, daikon and leeks.

The sweet potato digging begins

When we arrived at the sweet potatoes, we were all anxious to get off the wagons and into the field! Richard & Andrea led groups of children in digging the first of the sweet potatoes. Before long everyone was pulling sweet potatoes out of the dirt, and there were plenty to go around. Farmer Richard explained how to tell when a sweet potato is ready to harvest, and how the crew has to cut the vines back by hand when harvesting them. Jose Ramon, Alvaro and Rogelio helped cut the vines & dig the potatoes while our guests helped pull up bunches of sweet potatoes. One party attendee found one of the biggest sweet potatoes anyone had ever seen! It was over 2 feet long!

Now that's a giant sweet potato!

After we finished digging sweet potatoes, our wagon caravan made its way to the next stop- peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos and eggplants. Kids were so excited to pick the mini-sweet peppers and eat to their hearts’ content. Everyone wandered through the rows picking Orange Ukraine peppers, tomatillos, eggplant and some tomatoes. We made sure to tell everyone which peppers were the hot peppers, although a few brave souls tried eating raw jalapeños and lived to tell the tale! We were asked lots of great questions, like “How do you know when an eggplant is ready to harvest?”, “Why are the peppers planted on that reflective stuff?” and “Do you have extra bags?” Our expert farmers and crew were happy to answer questions and help everyone pick and carry lots of great treats back to the wagons.

Picking the perfect pumpkin!

From there we headed to the main attraction-the pumpkin field! Andrea & Richard helped people find the Cinnamon Girl pie pumpkins and we see a lot of pies and pumpkin soup being made soon. Others wanted the big pumpkins for carving and a few took armloads of pumpkins back from the field. Andrea searched high and low for her special pumpkin carved with her name until somebody called out that they found a pumpkin with “AJ” written on it. Captain Jack’s special pumpkin was never found even though Richard made it very easy this year and just carved “Dog” into the pumpkin. He wasn’t too disappointed that nobody brought his pumpkin back for him though. After everyone had picked their pumpkins, we loaded up the wagons and prepared to head back for the pig roast. A few adventurous partygoers took a tour of the effigy mounds with Richard while the rest of us made our way back to enjoy the food.

The food was plentiful!

Everyone worked up a good appetite with all the field work, and the pig roast was accompanied by an abundance of side dishes, salads and desserts. So many people commented on how wonderful the food was and went back for second and third plates just so they could sample everything! It’s safe to say that nobody went home hungry.

Thanks for coming to our party!

At the end of the day, it was a very successful Harvest Party. Many people commented that it was a perfect day to visit the farm and that they loved the chance to see where their food is grown and meet their farmers. It was wonderful to meet so many new people, and see long time friends of the farm. A big thank you to all the Harmony Valley crew who volunteered to help with set-up, drive tractors and clean up after the party ended. Thanks to all who attended the party and made it such a fun day. We were so happy to be able to share the day with you and had so much fun showing you the farm and talking with you. We hope to see you next year!

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Seasons Changing…

By Farmer Richard & Captain Jack—the dog

RICHARD: There is something in the air, I feel it and see the signs. Fall is coming, or is it already here? Our yard has a new silence. After seeing our resident barn swallows and bank swallows congregating on the overhead wires throughout the summer, suddenly they are gone! Did they see the same forecast we saw? Temperatures are dropping this week by 15 degrees! We’re preparing to say goodbye to summer and usher in fall…although we long for just a few more days of summer fun.

The crops are changing too! We are harvesting a mature crop of winter squash this week, at the same time the summer squash, cucumbers and melons draw to a close. We are also picking the last crop of green beans, edamame and sweet corn. We missed a couple of plantings this spring due to wet soil, but gambled on a late sweet corn planting. Gambled? Yes, the dreaded corn earworm, which does not overwinter here normally, migrates north from the south in mid-summer. Late planted sweet corn is very susceptible to corn earworms. We use a pheromone trap to tell us when the earworm moths are laying their eggs. Last year it failed us, no moths in the trap, but lots of earworms in the corn! So far this year we haven’t seen any signs of earworms, so lets keep our fingers crossed that they stay away for just a little while longer!

Sweet corn in the field is protected from birds by flashy streamers and bird scare eye balloons.
Thousands of dragonflies also keep insects at bay.

JACK: I check the corn every day with my dad, Farmer Richard. He checks the moth trap, I check for signs of deer or raccoons! We have a tall fence to keep the deer out and it has a low electric wire to keep the raccoons out. Sometimes I get excited sniffing around for signs of critters and forget about the wire. In fact the other day I got zapped by the electricity! I yelped and went back to the truck to recover from the surprise. I can guarantee that no raccoons will get in the corn this year! The corn field looks like a circus with flashy streamers and bird scare eye balloons all sparkling and flashing in the breeze. I know that is to keep the red-winged blackbirds from shredding the tip of the corn ears. I don’t understand why the birds can’t eat the entire ear of corn, but for some reason they must prefer just the tip of the ear.

Farmer Richard and Captain Jack counted
over 500 pumpkins in the field!

This week I saw something else exciting flashing in the air. The last time we checked the corn field, I saw dragon flies everywhere, thousands of them! Their iridescent wings flashing in the sun! I asked Dad about them and he says it’s just another sign of fall. Just like the barn swallows, the dragonflies congregate and migrate to the south for the winter.

Today we counted pumpkins! There are more than 500 pumpkins in the field (I got tired of counting) including some nice silky “Winter Luxury” pumpkins that make great pie. I hope you are planning to come to our Harvest Party on September 21st to help us pick all of these pumpkins. I might need my friends to help me find the pumpkin in the field with my name carved on it. Dad said it’s out there, but I don’t read very well and haven’t found it yet. If it’s a big one, I might need help hauling it home!

RICHARD: As for the other crops, the peppers have been slow to turn ripe, but here they come now! Enjoy the sweet taste of red/orange/yellow ripe, sweet peppers before the first frost ends the season!

The sweet potatoes and jicama are looking good, but they need to see a few more days in the 80’s to accelerate their growth. The fall cole crops, including broccoli romanesco, cauliflower, broccoli, rutabagas and cabbage, are enjoying the cool summer and are maturing extra early this year! A few of you might even get a purple cauliflower in your box this week!

As we move into root crop season, I’m happy to report that the parsnips look great! Celeriac, leeks, beets, carrots and the late russet potatoes are all looking good and it won’t be long before we harvest them for your boxes. Plus we may still see some nice greens like salad mix or spinach before the winter freeze moves in.

JACK: Summer is fun, but I prefer cool weather. If you have as much hair as I do you would understand why I like fall and winter. My dad helps make the summer heat more bearable for me by turning on the A/C in the truck for me on hot days, but I prefer to get out and run around instead of sitting in the cool truck listening to NPR. I’m happy to see the temperatures dropping…it means we’re one day closer to the first snow fall. I can feel it in the air!

RICHARD & JACK: We hope you’ll consider joining us for our harvest party in just a few weeks. We have a lot of exciting things to show everyone and we’re hoping you’ll help us dig some sweet potatoes, pick the last of the mini-sweet peppers, and find just the right pumpkin for you to take home! See you soon!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Pumpkin Carving Contest

Have you carved your pumpkin from the Harvest Party yet? Only one week left to submit a picture of your pumpkin carving for the "Most Creative Pumpkin Carving" award! The winner gets a $15 gift certificate to Harmony Valley Farm and their pumpkin featured on our Facebook page! This weekend is the perfect time to start those carvings if you haven't already.

Email your submissions by October 23rd to be entered!

Happy Carving :)