This list may change, but here's our best guess of what you'll be getting in your share this week. l

 

 

 

DIGGING RUSHTON FARM

 

We've got a blog!  More recipe ideas, musings about the farm and more...join the conversation at Digging Rushton Farm.

 

   

 

 

 

WCT BIRD BLOG 

 

Keep up with what's happening at our banding station at Rushton Woods Preserve as well as other activities in our Bird Conservation Program.  Inspiring photos and words from our staff and supporters.

 

   

 

   

The survival strategy of annual fruits and vegetables is one of "avoidance." Unlike perennial plants that shed their leaves and store food reserves in roots and trunks in a state of dormancy, annual plants die before they are exposed to harsh winter temperatures and declining light. All the genetic information needed to ensure the survival of its species is passed on from year to year in the form of a dormant seed. The plant itself is only meant to survive during a short period of the most favorable environmental conditions.

 

A good example of this can be seen by looking at the tomatoes still left in our fields. The once lush green vines and leaves are now black with decay and death and rotting fruit is dropping to the soil. Next spring we will be weeding out young tomato seedlings from these beds. The seeds, protected in a layer of fermented juices from the fruit, will remain dormant in the soil until ideal environmental conditions allow for germination. As humans, we help annual plants pass on their genetics to the next generation through the process of seed saving.

 

The connection human cultures have in regards to the protection and evolution of our food crops is a subject Michael Pollen writes eloquently about in his book Botany of Desire. His thesis is that our human desires, (for a sweeter apple or a pest resistant potato for example), have shaped the evolution of certain domesticated plants and inversely these plants have helped to shape our culture. What happens then to our culture and our food security, when we loose the genetic diversity of our global seed stock?

 

Our nation's oldest seed company, D.Landreth, which dates back to 1784, is in danger of closing and with it we will loose a link to the agricultural heritage of our forefathers and mothers and an heirloom seed stock that is a valuable source of genetic diversity. You can learn more about the history of the company and the current effort to save it, in the September 25th Philadelphia Inquirer's article Venerable Seed Company in Last-Ditch Bid to Survive.  You can help preserve our food heritage by ordering a D.Landreth seed catalog for $5 from their web site. 

 

-Ashley

 

 

 

 

- Joanna

   

Sweet Pickled Onion Watermelon Radish Salad


1 large watermelon radish, sliced into thin rounds
1 small white onion, sliced into thin rounds
1/3 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper (fresh ground)
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
splash of rice wine vinegar (optional - adds an extra layer of tart-sweetness)

Directions:

1. Slice your onion and radish. Place in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl - toss well.

3. Place in fridge to chill overnight.

4. Serve!