Salamander Springs Farm/Permaculture Organics

TODAY’S CSA share includes:

FRESH BAKED BREAD & GOODIES from Clementine’s Bakery.  We always look forward to Tuesday market...such good treats made for us...

BERRY BOX:  PIE CHERRIES & MULBERRIES (& Juneberries) These spring delights are rarely sold fresh since they don’t transport well.  You usually find pie cherries canned (or frozen) cherry pie filling, and mulberries in a jam.  Some of you may also have a few Juneberries in your berry mix (like a small blueberry) as they are just starting to produce at Salamander Springs Farm.
Use your berries ASAP as they don’t last long!  These fruits have stems, which are easily removed, but should be done shortly before use, since it bruises the fruit.  Bruised fruit is usable (and a bit sweeter!) but after couple of days it will begin to turn to wine!

PIe cherries & mulberries are wonderful in pies, cobblers, jams & jellies.  In the summer, one of our favorite ways to use berry fruits is in a cobbler or crisp, which is much quicker than a pie (see recipe below!). The tart flavor of the pie cherry also makes a great morning juice (cooked a few minutes with a small amount of water, mashed through a sieve to remove pits, then sweetened with honey and chilled).   Berries also freeze well if you want to save for winter use (to prevent freezer burn, “vaccuum seal” your zip lock bag by sucking air out while closing it--or use your vaccuum nozzle!).  

Pie cherries have a pit (source of much of it’s tartness).  If you don’t have a pit remover, cutting them open to remove the pit is tedious. Take a sturdy straw (or something like it with a hollow end), poke it through the stem end, twist and push the pit out the other!  It may take you a few cherries to get the feel of it and the twisting motion that works best.  Don't worry about the mangled mess those first few cherries may become – they'll still taste just as good!  If you cook your cherries for pie filling or juice you can just sieve the the pits out by pushing your cooked cherry concentrate through a colander.

These berries provide a considerable supply of antioxidants, Vitamins A, C, E, K, B-6, niacin, riboflavin, beta-carotene, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, copper, folic acid and iron!  Scientific studies have shown their health benefits in fighting cancer, neurological diseases, inflammation, diabetes, and bacterial infections.  Their supply of flavonoid phyto-nutrients protect against harmful effects of oxygen-derived free radicals that play a role in many aging and disease processes. They contain especially high amounts of resveratrol, known to protect against stroke and high blood pressure risk by altering molecular mechanisms in the blood vessels; reducing their susceptibility to damage and constriction. 

Cherries are especially rich in melatonin, which is soluble in both fat and water, and has been linked to pain relief in people who suffer from arthritis and gout.  Mulberries contain high amounts of anthocyanins, lutein and zea-xanthin, a carotenoid antioxidant that helps protect the retina (macula lutea) from the harmful ultraviolet rays!

GREEN ONIONS (scallions)  You’ll notice they are getting bigger--we’re starting to get “knob onions” with more bulb, but the greens are still tender too.  Bulb (sweet and storage) onions mature in July.

GARLIC SCAPES - this was the last scape harvest.  Garlic will be ready to harvest at the end of June. Chop and use with any dish for which you use garlic; with the health benefits of the nutrient-rich green parts. 

FRESH BASIL is great for salads & dressings, frittatas, in so many dishes, sauces, and soups.  See our favorite and quick “Garlic Scape Pesto” recipe below!

SALAD GREENS  enjoy your fresh greens many ways, with a good dressing (see last week’s posting for some easy, healthy homemade salad dressings) or in sandwiches.  A chef salad with eggs, other chopped veggies or fruit, sprouts, nuts & seeds makes a wonderful raw meal for a hot day.  

“East meets West” STIR FRY MIX!  These week we’ve harvested a flavorful nutritious mix of both the traditional “western” greens and some east Asian specialities!   In your mix you’ll find kale, chard, Joi Choi (like Pac Choy), mustards, “perpetual (or “beet”) spinach,” arugula, spring peas (still holding on!), Daikon shoots, radish, micro-baby carrots (from our thinnings!), onion tops (chives) and herbs for extra flavor.  
A quick stir-fry with butter or olive oil, green onions & garlic scapes is our favorite way to prepare them--with just salt or tamari, or with seasonings like cumin, chili, or curry.  You can add other chopped veggies or leftover meat.  For more protein, we add sunflower or pumpkin seeds, and sometimes make an Asian style peanut butter sauce with our peanuts to drizzle on top.  OR, we beat up a few eggs with a cup of milk and bit of cornmeal and make the stir fry into a fritatta (takes about 20 minutes in the oven).  ENJOY!

PARSLEY get your vitamins and minerals from one of the best sources (including A, C, many B vitamins, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, selenium, zinc and lots of iron!)  Use fresh in your salad, in sandwiches, pesto, or in a stir-fry, soup or frittata.

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BERRY CRISP or COBBLER
We use this quick recipe for all kinds of fruit through the season.

Melt  4 T of butter in the bottom of a 9-10” pie or cake pan (you’ll pour most of it off for mix below)
Fill the pan with about 2 cups berries & pie cherries, de-stemmed & pitted (for tart fruit like pie cherries, mix in a few T’s of sugar with the fruit)
Mix together (until crumbly):
3/4 cup flour (a mix of whole wheat and white works fine)
3/4 rolled oats
4 T butter (melted)
3/4 brown sugar (raw/turbinado)
1/4 chopped nuts of your choice (optional; we like pecan & walnuts)
Evenly crumble this mix on top of the berries and bake at 375° about 30 minutes or until the top looks golden brown and the fruit is bubbling (and it smell so good you have to get it out).

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GARLIC SCAPE PESTO!

In a blender or food processor, finely chop:
3/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves including the tender stems
2-4 garlic scapes coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (you can lightly toast the walnuts, soak them 4-6 hours ahead of time)
2 sprigs of parsley
3-6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (optional)
Salt to taste
Add 1/4 cup olive oil gradually while the food processor is running to make a thick paste.

Save this recipe for later in the season when our garlic comes in!

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Remember to bring your box each Tuesday. We’ll gladly reuse your produce bags for your produce each week--just wash & bring them too (with your name on them).  Thanks for recycling!

YOUR INVITED! Summer Solstice (the longest day of the year) will be here in a couple weeks and we have an annual gathering a Salamander Springs Farm.  This year’s date will be Saturday June 22.  Susana will be forwarding you the invitation with directions shortly.  Feel free to bring family & friends for any or all of the day.  Hope to see you then!

In your May 28 CSA box:

FRESH BAKED BREAD & goodies from Clementine’s Bakery

GREEN ONIONS (scallions)
PERENNIAL ONIONS
GARLIC SCAPES & GREENS
Use with any dish for which you use garlic & onions--get the flavor & health benefits of the nutrient-rich green parts (without having to peel!).  The scallions are also excellent raw in salads.

SALAD GREENS  can be enjoyed many ways, but tasty just as they are with a good dressing (some easy, healthy homemade salad dressings below).  We often make a chef salad with eggs, other veggies or fruit, sprouts, various nuts and seeds--a wonderful raw meal for a hot day.  

SWEET SNAP or SNOW PEAS are hard to resist whole & raw off the vine.  We plant them in February with hope that they’ll produce before they give up in Kentucky's May heat.  This was an unusual good spring for peas and we wished we had more! They can be chopped for salads, steamed or used in stir fries or other dishes.

RADISHES add color and crisp succulence, sliced or shredded, to your salad or stir fry.  Radish greens are tender when cooked and are flavorful addition to your stir fry or fritatta.

STIR FRY GREENS MIX:  a tender spring harvest mix including Kale, Chard, Turnip, Joi Choi, Mustard, or Cabbage greens. The mix is great for a flavorful stir-fry with oil, green onions, garlic scapes, tamari, and a little lemon juice. A simple and delicious way to prepare the greens is to steam them up with a bit of salt!

Fresh BASIL is a lovely, fragrant herb for the balsamic dressing recipe below.  Basil is great for salads, dressings, sauces, soups, pestos, pasta, and stews and more!

PARSLEY is a versatile green for many dishes in the kitchen.  The ancient Greeks associated the herb with Hercules, and rightfully so!  It is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, C (more than oranges by weight!) and many of the B vitamins, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, selenium, zinc and iron!  Another great addition to the diet in cases of anemia.  Freshens breath, and neutralizes indigestion as well!

FRESH PEPPERMINT makes an excellent ice tea. For hot tea, pour boiling water over about one sprig per cup (cut up a bit), steep about 5 minutes, strain into cup. To make a sun tea, you can steep the whole bundle of mint in a half gallon jar and place in direct sunlight for two or more hours.  Chill for refreshing ice-tea on a hot day! Excellent after-dinner tea, aids digestion, relieves tummy-aches, gas, headaches and colds.

“MICROWAVE POPCORN” on the ear!  a gift from last fall’s harvest.   Place the ear in paper bag and fold end over twice (butter the ear first if desired).  Microwave on HIGH for 2-4 minutes or until there’s more than 3-4 seconds between pops (microwaves pop at different speeds; monitor closely to avoid burning).  Remove cob from bag, add salt, seasonings & butter as desired.  
Children enjoy watching the kernels pop off the ear in a lighted microwave--without the bag!  
If you prefer to prepare on the stove top, remove the kernels from the ear by twisting off in your hand; pop by heating in oil in a pot with a lid.  A few of our favorite seasonings are nutritional yeast, curry or cumin, and garlic (chopped in big pieces and put in the oil with the popcorn).  
All popcorn is best stored in the refrigerator or freezer (in a sealed bag).  If left out, kernels can absorb moisture from the air.  Our popcorn is dried to under 15% moisture for best popping.

Remember to bring your box each Tuesday. We’ll gladly reuse your produce bags for your produce each week--just wash & bring them too (with your name on them).  Thanks for recycling!
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DRESS YOUR OWN SALAD!
Why buy bottles from grocery store--with a few ingredients you can prepare a wonderful fresh salad dressing without the HFCS, GMOs or unhealthy additives.

Balsamic Dressing
Beat together (with a fork or whisk) in a small bowl:  2 T of a good quality mustard,  1/3 cup balsamic vinegar.  Add 1/2 cup olive oil in a thin stream while beating until well mixed.
Our additions sometimes include minced garlic (or garlic scapes) or onion, a tablespoon of honey, black pepper and some minced fresh herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, thyme or dill).
(adapted from Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon)

Tahini-Lemon Sauce/Goddess dressing
Whip together with a whisk or electric mixer:  1 & 1/2 cups tahini, 1 & 1/2 cups yogurt or buttermilk, 1-2 stalks finely minced garlic scapes, 1/4 cup finely minced scallions, 1 bunch of finely minced parsley, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tablespoon of tamari.  (For a thicker dressing, whip longer)  Serve chilled as dressing on a salad, or as a sauce with sauteed vegetables. Yum!
(adapted from the original Moosewood Cookbook and from the kitchen of our friend Adrienne)
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Setting the Table...a word from Mirra
Our work stokes the a hearty appetite, and when we are ready to eat, Kayla, Susana, and I are ready to eat!  We set the table with bowls, spoons, bread, butter, cups, plates, condiments, and FOOD...
...and with tummies rumbling, it is a tradition at the Salamander Springs table for one of us to say a blessing, a prayer of gratitude, or read a silly poem! Sometimes we sit in silence with ears perked to the wind.
This tradition is a part of setting the table for a hearty meal!
One of our blessings is:
The Five Contemplations
This food is a gift of the whole universe, the earth, the sky and so much hard work.
May we live in a way that makes us worthy to receive it
May we transform our unskillful states of mind and learn to eat with moderation.
May we take only foods that nourish us and prevent illness.
We accept this food to help us realize the path of understanding and love.

And here is a silly working song, Garden Song (from the song book, RISE UP SINGING):
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All you need is a rake and a hoe (gonna mulch it deep and low)
And a piece of fertile ground (gonna make it fertile ground)
Inch by inch, row by row
Someone (please) bless the seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below (Please keep them safe below)
Til the rains com tumbling down

Pulling weeds, picking stones
We are made of dreams and bones
Need a place to call my own, for the time is near at hand
Grain for grain, sun and rain
Find my way thru nature’s chain
Tune my body and my brain to the music of the land

Plant your row straight and long
Temper them with prayer and song
Mother earth will make you strong if you give her love and care
An old crow watching hungrily
From his perch on yonder tree
In my garden I’m as free as the feathered thief up there!

Blessings on your food this week,
-Mirra

Thanks to Brandon and Phyllis at Save-A-Lot for saving the CSA boxes for us.  On the lid, you’ll see “Six L’s Co., Immokolee, FL.”  Supermarket & restaurant tomatoes shipped from FL in these boxes have a history which you may not know.  Intensive pesticide & herbicide use and post-harvest chemical ripening of green tomatoes is only part of the story.   
Susana worked with the Coalition of Immokolee Workers in its early years, translating and traveling across the country educating folks about the extreme farm worker exploitation, human rights abuse and modern-day slavery.  She travelled with CIW from YUM Brands in Louisville to California with 2 busloads of migrant farmworkers. They marched with thousands of supporters from 44 miles from East Los Angeles to Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine, CA.  Articles in the NY Times and National Geographic helped expose the exploitation and cases of modern-day slavery in the fields, and CIW won its first victory finally in 2005, with Taco Bell & YUM Brands finally coming to the table with an agreement.

"For the last 20 years, there’s been a quiet revolution in the tomato fields of Florida.  The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a group of immigrant farmworkers has been organizing to eradicate human rights abuses, wage theft, sexual assault and modern day slavery which have been rampant in the tomato industry, and to improve working conditions and wages for people who pick the tomatoes we eat... Many fast food and supermarket chains and have finally signed on to the CIW’s Fair Food Program and have agreed to only buy from fields where workers’ human rights are respected and to pay an extra penny per pound of tomatoes to raise wages above the prevailing 1970’s sub-poverty level...”

On the back is a recent article from the Washington Post.
Learn more at:  http://ciw-online.org/!

Welcome Bread & Harvest CSA-ers!

We hope you’ll enjoy the farm’s gifts this week with Drew & Lindsey’s delectable baked goods.  Despite losses to a tough spring of weather extremes, we work with hope toward an abundant season!

Here's some notes about the goodies in your box!   We’d love your feedback on trying new local foods, and your recipes, too.  

See Mirra’s quick recipe on the back for chicken or egg salad using many of the below ingredients (including nettles).  A cold bean salad is also good!  Adapt it to your own tastes and needs.

 
>LUFFA SPONGES harvested & dried from last fall’s luffa gourd vines.  Luffa is used for a lot of cleaning tasks at the farm, including ourselves!  They soften when wet & dry easier than a washcloth.

>Spring is ALLIUM time!  By spring our storage onions have run out, so we use a lot of green onions (scallions) instead.  The great thing about this season is you get the tender green nutrition of the onion’s leaf stalk too.  In the bigger bunch are perennial Egyptian Walking and Potato onions, which are farther along in making a bulb in the spring, and perennial leeks (the one with all the baby leek bulbs around the main stalk) also earlier than our annual leeks--which is nice in KY where it usually gets too hot for leeks by the time they are ready.  

>Garlic scapes & greens are another spring treat; just chop and add to your dish the same as garlic--the flavor & health benefits of garlic without having to peel cloves--and with the nutrient-rich greens.

>GREEN GOLD HEALING SALVE - We depend on this frequently in our work!  A very effective external remedy for wounds, stings, bites, bruises, rashes, burns, chapped lips and other skin irritations, Comfrey is the most potent natural source of the phytochemical allantoin, used medically to increase cell growth and regeneration of damaged skin tissues.  Also known as Knitbone, and Bruisewort throughout the ages, its Latin name, Symphytum, is derived from the Greek sympho meaning “to unite.”  Calendula’s phytochemical and nutrient properties reduce inflammation and relieve skin rashes & irritations.  St, John’s Wort & Rosemary provide astringent and anti-bacterial properties to stimulate the immune system against infection and aid in healing.

>HAPPY HEN EGGS - Our pastured hens lay abundantly in the spring, so we want to share the wealth since we may not be able later on, we when have more people at the farm.

>SALAD GREENS & SNAP PEAS! to be enjoyed many ways--as a chef salad chopped up with eggs or chicken, with sunflower or pumpkin seeds, nuts, scallions & sprouts, “wilted” greens with other dishes, in sandwiches...or just as they are with a good dressing (ask us about some easy & healthy homemade salad dressings)!  Sweet snap peas are hard to resist whole & raw off the vine; or steamed or sliced for cooked dishes.

>Fresh HERBS for flavorful dishes--Basil, Parsley, Thyme, Oregano, Dill...

>After a hard day, FLOWERS on our table brighten the soul.  We hope they brighten yours, too!

>NETTLES! Urtica dioica, Stinging Nettles are flavorful dark greens, more nutrient dense than spinach or broccoli and unusually high in protein for a green plant.   Often called a “super food” they’re rich in antioxidants, minerals, calcium, magnesium & potassium, and vitamins A, C, D, E, & K.  They are especially rich in iron and are an excellent remedy for anemia and fatigue, along with many other ailments--see “WHY EAT NETTLES” on the back!
You can cook and use nettles in similarly as other greens, in a stir fry, soup, frittata, quiche or as a “pick-me-up” tea or cold drink.  Empty the bag CAREFULLY (avoid touching without gloves but fear not, the nettle’s hairlike stingers vanish after just a minute of heat) to steam or blanch, stir-fry, sauteé or make tea.  In early spring, the whole stem is tender, but later we eat only the leaves.
If you want to chop nettles finer, blanch them first--bring a large pot of water to a boil (adding a tablespoon of salt helps retain their deep green color) and stir nettles into water.  After a couple minutes, drain nettles through a colander to chop or puree. You can keep some of your blanched nettles in the fridge for your next meal.  Save the nutrient rich water for a soups, or other dishes.
For a nutrient-rich tea, don’t add the salt to water and let it steep longer.  Enjoy tea with honey.  Refrigerate for a refreshing and nourishing cold drink (keeps several days).  
Sauteéd nettle greens are quick and nutritious way to prepare them--just with butter and salt...or add chopped green onions or leeks, garlic (scapes), sunflower or pumpkin seeds, meat, potatoes, carrots, seasonings like cumin, chili, curry, pepper... Beat up some eggs and make it into a frittata...

WHY EAT NETTLES?
from Herbal Legacy (Dr. John R. Christopher):
“Nettles are among the most valuable herbal remedies and nutritive foods.  Traditionally used as a spring tonic, it gently cleanses the body of metabolic wastes and toxins and acts as a restorative remedy for a sluggish liver.  It is one of the safest treatments of chronic disorders that require long-term treatment.  It has a gentle, stimulating effect on the lymphatic system, enhancing the excretion of wastes through the kidneys... an excellent natural protection against neoplastic diseases (tumors), cardiovascular disorders, and immune deficiency.  Fresh leaves have been found to show anti-tumor activity in animal studies and strong anti-mutagenic activity.”

From The Green Pharmacy (Dr. James Duke):   
“A serving of several ounces of nettle leaves contains more boron than the USDA daily recommendations. Boron is a trace mineral essential for healthy bones...effective because it plays a role in helping bones retain calcium.  It also has a beneficial effect on the body’s endocrine (hormonal) system, which helps the body maintain healthy bones and joints.  Recent multi-clinical studies have shown nettles to be as effective as an anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs for arthritis pain relief.  Its diuretic action alkalizes and releases uric acid from the joints of gout patients eliminating pain.”
Nettles are helpful for bladder and urinary tract function.  Acting as a natural diuretic, a nettle infusion increases increases the secretion and flow of urine, invaluable in cases of fluid retention and bladder infections.  It is also anti-lithic and nephridic, breaking down kidneys stones and gravel in the bladder and reducing an enlarged prostate.  

From Natural Health/ Natural Medicine (Dr. Andrew Wiel):
Nettles provide a more effective allergy relief with none of the side effects of decongestants, antihistamines and allergy shots...drowsiness, dry sinuses, insomnia, high blood pressure; these drugs treat only the symptoms of allergies and tend to lose effectiveness over a period of time.  Nettles contain biologically active compounds that reduce inflammation and relieve allergies and hay fever.   They can be used on a regular basis with an impressive number of other health benefits.”
If you want to use nettles regularly for specific health benefits, let us know.  We can also copy more info, recipes and infusions on the blog page.  We also dry nettles for use all year long.
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MIRRA’s Quick CHICKEN SALAD or EGG SALAD or BEAN SALAD
(with chicken or black bean leftovers or boiled eggs
Chop up:  several green onions, some garlic greens or scapes, a leek (or lots of small leek bulblets), some chopped salad greens, snap peas & nettles (blanch them a minute before chopping so you don’t get stung!), a carrot and stalk of celery.  Add a bit of minced cilantro or parsley, fresh basil, thyme or dill (if you like).  Mix it all in a bowl with chicken or black bean leftovers or a few boiled, chopped eggs.
Whisk together 1/2 cup+ plain yogurt (instead of mayonnaise we use our homemade yogurt from local milk), a few Ts of your favorite local mustard (we recommend Sunflower Sundries, Maysville, KY!), a few Ts olive oil,  a few Ts of balsamic (or apple cider) vinegar, some salt and pepper and spices you like (curry, cumin, a bit of chili?)     
Mix everything together and let it sit in the fridge until eating time.  Enjoy with some Clementine’s Bakery bread!        

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-Happy Eating from the Salamander Springs Farm team!

Though we don't have internet at the farm, we’ll try to post on Tuesdays while we’re in town for market, with recipes and information on the produce and farm updates.  This blog page can also be a place for CSA members to network and share recipes, questions and information. We'd love to see your recipes up here too!

You can subscribe below to receive updates automatically; just right click, copy the link and paste into your newsfeed reader.  You can also send comments.

We are grateful for the return of the sun and the warmth!  The middle of May 2013 found us still waking up with chilly hands and feet.  Warm tea and good work helped us start the day but our young heat loving plants have had less recourses to pull from.  We’ve been doing our very best with this unparalleled spring weather; the collection of too much rain, standing water and the cold nights have been a challenge to care for all of the various crops on the farm.

With the spring crops planted in the soil, our summer loving plants have been in a state of limbo. We followed suit; in the evenings we gathered the plastic sheeting, row cover fabric, buckets and whatever else we could find, (coolers and wheelbarrows, too!), to protect the poor plants from the cold, rain, early May hail and mid-May frost.   Until the warmth returned this week, any plants had to hang on too long in their trays, in the cold frame that has hay bale insulation to hold in the warmth the sun provides in the day. We lay the plants to sleep under the cover of storm windows, bubble rap, and an old tipi canvas.  The weather has called for inventive micro-climates. And we pray for abundance! 

There is always an abundance of activity at Salamander Springs Farm, whether it be chasing our lovely goose & ducks out of the popcorn, calling out in search for Bear, our great white Pyrenees friend and protector, feeding our hungry mama ducks when they take a break from their nest, moving chicken fencing, brewing Kombucha, butchering our long beloved rooster, making yogurt, harvesting and cutting the comfrey root for salve and propagation around the fruit trees, and wading knee deep in pond water for the harvest of cattail shoots. 

In between the rains we’ve been parting hay mulch in the gardens, preparing the cornfield to plant, adding compost and mulch to feed the soil for long-term fertility and a nutrient rich harvest.   We staked out the popcorn and heirloom cornmeal corn fields, orienting the rows to maximize their time facing sunlight.  Kayla marked both ends of cornfield rows with a sunflower seed. 

There's a lot of life in the soil which allows us to plant the vegetables like a close family.  We planted rows of several varieties for carrots, radishes, turnips and beets, snugly between our early potatoes.  It is fun to apply creative planting techniques to the garden; utilizing the wisdom of past experience and an openness to new possibilities.  We inter-planted chard and kale in a sunny side of the cornfield, inter-cropped cabbages in the garlic and onions.  Parsley and greens found their home below and behind the shade of the early tomatoes; cool loving garbanzo beans and peas are in shadier spots of our south facing gardens.

Then, sometimes there is a quiet that rides the breath of the wind. The willow is dancing and if you walk near to the earth, you can hear movement happening beneath its skin.

This is the movement of water. There has truly been an incessant flow! There has been so much water flowing in the soil this spring that it has collected and pooled beneath crops in our field.  We dug for for the still-alive (not rotted) French Fingerling and Austrian Crescent potatoes sitting the above muck. Tomato plants, cucumber, and squash and melons have all felt the effects of the rains.   Setbacks require that we farmers replant and change planting placement for the season, but who are we to stop the flow!

With the torrential rains this spring,  water flow and drainage have become eminent. We are grateful for the foundational work of Susana at Salamander Springs Farm.  At the top of the system is the spring box and cistern in the forest far above the farm.  Buried waterline brings our spring water from the cistern to the farm to wash & quench the thirst of all of us, animals and plants. Three ponds, three large water cisterns and an assortment of smaller rain barrels help to retain the rainwater that falls on Salamander Springs Farm for future use in the fields below.  Last spring these ran dry; this spring saw us emptying overflowing cisterns into overflowing ponds (sometimes in the middle of the night in torrential downpours).  Susana created channels for the surface waters to flow from the raised beds and the field to the ponds, and from lower pond down into the lower woods.  This year she dug more and deeper channels in the muck.

Last season we were blessed with an abundant corn crop through a serious drought, and this season we pray that with the hard work in drainage channels, we will still be able to support growth of life through the muck!

In the coming season we hope that you will visit all of us critters at Salamander Springs; Susana, Kayla, Mirra, our incoming helpers, Bear the dog, Samson the cat, ducks, goose, chickens, earthworms, and come witness the sunflowers in their full glory!  
We look forward to your smiles and conversation at the market and your openness in sharing the season as it unfolds with us.  We are working our darnedest to ensure a bountiful harvest and shall continue to do so.

Blessings for a beautiful week,
-Mirra Shapiro

for the Salamander Springs SWAT team (Salamander Women are Tough!)