Slow Wildlife at Windcrest Farm

September 10, 2010

Greetings!

The annual turtle migration took place at Windcrest Farm this week. The rather large Chelydra serpentina makes his (or her - I'm not getting close enough to tell!) trek from our pond to the larger pond across the road at this time each year. In some years we are able to watch the journey and yesterday on my way to delivery fall transplants, I was able lucky enough to spot this prehistoric looking creature and snap the picture above. I love all the creatures, great and small, that live here.

This week on the farm has been dry, dry, and dry. We are really enjoying the low humidity, but we could really use some rain. The pastures are crispy and we are delaying planting cover crop seed until there is significant rain in the forecast. Our winter cover crop of winter rye and crimson clover gives us home-grown fertilizer when it is tilled under in the spring and protects our planting field from wind and rain erosion. It also provides a nice green during the winter when everything else is brown.

We are preparing for the 2nd Annual Know Your Farms Charlotte Area Farm Tour next weekend September 18-19, 2010 from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. both days. For those of you who have asked to visit our farm, this will be a great opportunity to take a look around and visit other local farms. We are looking for volunteers to help with this event, so if you have a few hours to spare, we would love to have you help share our story with visitors.

AT THE MATTHEWS FARMER'S MARKET THIS SATURDAY

We will have more fall vegetable and herb transplants
as well as our specially blended soil amendments

plus

our baby lettuce mix, arugula, peppers & cucumbers

If there is anything you are specifically looking for, please let us know.

Good news for popcorn lovers!

I love popcorn. I love the crunch, the flavor, and the salt. Alot. But I don't like GMO corn, and the questionable "oils and salts" in microwave popcorn. Now a recent study U.S. research study showed that packaged microwave popcorn contains perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS). Perfluoroalkyl acids are a known neurotoxin. and can interfere with brain development in children, which leaves its mark on later behavioral functions such as cognitive performance. These chemicals are also found in food packaging and the non-stick coating on pans, can effect the liver, and are linked to higher cholesterol. Yikes!

I tried making popcorn the old-fashioned way with a heavy duty pot, organic popcorn and my favorite cooking oil. But it was bad no matter how I tried. Soggy, tough - I just couldn't get it right.

Then I heard you can microwave popcorn in a glass bowl with a lid! Delicious success! 1/4 cup of organic popcorn (Harris Teeter sells it), 1 tsp. olive oil, and 3 to 5 minutes in the microwave (just listen for the pops to stop). Popcorn the way it should be - light, fluffy, chemical free. Apparently you can do this in a paper bag also, but I prefer my class bowl with a dinner plate on top.

Give it a try!

Mary Roberts
Windcrest Farm

Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death.
- Earl Wilson

All photos in this newsletter are taken at Windcrest Farm unless otherwise noted.