a little organic farm

diva bees?

Who knew that the lowly honeybee, the backbone of our agricultural society, could be such a diva.  Is it be true?  While they will do the heavy lifting of pollinating crops from sunup to sundown as they forage for nectar, they will not fly when the weather is foggy, rainy, windy or if the temperature is below about 52 degrees, which pretty much describes the climate on our organic farm from fall to mid-spring.   Even on late spring days we can have a shimmering blanket of fog hugging the hillsides - the infamous June gloom. While we as farmers love to be out working in warm, sunny weather, if we limited ourselves to only those days not much work would get done in the field or the farmyard. We have a little joke around here that the bees must have airport flight boards in their hives listing current information: orchard–delayed; berry patch–holding pattern; flowering herbs–grounded; vegetables–please book another flight.

Despite our good-natured ribbing (we kid the bees!) here are a quick few facts about honeybees that do make them must-haves for a little organic farm's integrated ecosystem: as bees forage for nectar, pollen sticks to the hairs on their body, and some pollen will rub off on the next flower in line, which fertilizes that flower resulting in better fruit, berry or vegetable production.   It is interesting to note that some trees and plants will not produce at all without the help our hardworking honeybees, and it is estimated in the U.S. alone that honeybees perform one-quarter of the pollination needed for the produce and fruit that is used for human consumption.

Now we can see why the little ole honeybee is an important component of a little organic farm and our farm's biodiversity - divas or not.  

a little organic farm's February recipe

Kale is a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables and is nutritional powerhouse that tastes wonderful when properly cooked. Kale is one of nature’s best sources of vitamins A, C and K and a very good source of copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus. The flavonoids and sulfur-containing compounds are believed to have antioxidant properties, as are two other compounds that kale delivers, zeaxanthin and lutein, both thought to play a role in protecting the eyes. 

These greens are hearty, and they maintain about 50 percent of their volume when you cook them, unlike spinach, which cooks down to a fraction of its volume. The various types of kale also maintain a lot of texture, which makes them perfect for stir-fries. Remove the ropy stems and wash the leaves in at least two changes of water, as organic kale can be very attractive to aphids. Aphids won’t hurt you, but it might take a few rinses to clean them off the leaves.

Stir-Fried Tofu (or chicken) With Kale and Red Pepper

Kale is a good choice of greens for a stir-fry because it retains its texture.

1 bunch curly kale (about 10 ounces), stemmed and washed

1 14-ounce package firm tofu, sliced about 1/4 inch thick (or same amount of chicken breast)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry

1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, preferably white pepper

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon peanut oil or canola oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced

1 red bell pepper, cut in 2-inch julienne

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

1. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil, add the kale and blanch 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and place in a bowl near your wok.

2. Cut the tofu into dominos and place them on paper towels. Place another paper towel on top and prepare the remaining ingredients.

3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, stock and cornstarch. Combine the salt, pepper and sugar in another small bowl. Have all the ingredients within arm’s length of your wok.

4. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch steel skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in the canola or peanut oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and swirling the pan, then add the tofu. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, until it begins to color. Add the garlic, ginger and chili and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds.  If using chicken, stir fry until done.

5. Add the red pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the kale, salt, pepper and sugar and toss together. Add the soy sauce mixture and the sesame oil.  Stir-fry for another 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from the heat and serve with grains or noodles.

Yield: 4 servings.

We finally got our fall cover crop seeded and into the ground over the weekend, just in time for the rain that came on Monday.  We planted organic seed of cayuse oats, beardless barley, red winter wheat and triticale, which we hope will grow well and provide nourishment for both the soil as well as grazing opportunities for the does come springtime.  We also overseeded the goat pasture with the same mix, with the addition of some raw organic crimson clover seed for perennial grazing during the summer months.

The Red Star and Ameraucana chicks are growing well and looking like smaller versions of the big girl hens, and they are starting to venture out further away from their coop, suddenly realizing that they can find good things to eat out in the big wide world of the farm!  Sometimes they seem a little fearful about being so far away from home base and run for cover under the nearest bush, but they are the healthiest batch of young hens we have raised so far.  I attribute this to getting them off the heat lamp after a few days and acclimating them to outdoor temperatures as soon as possible. 

In the goat department, the older does (Wildflower and Jasmine) are now two months into their pregnancy and are starting to show their condition ever so slightly, with a bit of slowness in their gait and their increased tendency to snooze in the warm sun instead of graze.  The three doelings (Daisy, Buttercup and Rose) have just passed the 30-day mark of their pregnancy and will go to be ultrasounded this weekend, to make sure they are bred as well as to see how many kids they are carrying.  If all goes well, we will have five does kidding, two in March and three in April.  I think Farmer Gary will have some work to do over the wintertime to ready the farm for the new arrivals :).  With each doe usually having two kids, that means ten new goat babies needing a warm, dry place to be with mom for a few weeks.

Farmer Cindy