Notes from the Edible Classroom 

Unbenounced to me, last Friday was "bring a doll to the farm day"!  Not sure how I missed the memo, but I'm glad others got it!  The visiting dolls received a complete tour of the EC, a walk about the farm and a bouquet of freshly picked lavender!  Rumor has it they, and hopefully others, will be here on Saturday for Harvest Fest!

Speaking of Harvest Fest, we've all been gearing up for this fun-filled annual event!  Many of the kid activities will be in and around the EC - scarecrow making, sand art creations, plant-a-seed and many other cool things.  I'll be making scarecrow forms (2 sticks of bamboo lashed together) all week - feel free to stop in and refresh those lashing skills!

One of my favorite parts of working in the EC is seeing the kids run into the EC and get supplies from the shed. Some kids go right for thebutterfly nets, others grab jars while still others get either paper andpens, a trowel or

grasshoppers in the  bean patch

binoculars.  Regardless of what they grab from the shed, the constant is that every kid is excited to get out there and dosomething! I love their great energy and quest for something interesting to do or see.  On Friday,  Fred, JJ and I ventured into rows of beans.  The guys were resolute in their mission to find and capture as many Mexican Bean Beetles as possible!  As we walked through the plants, we talked about photosynthesis and how the beetles are often on the soft, underside of the leaves.  They collected a good batch of those nasty pests and we took them to the dumpster, where they were happily tossed into the bin.  

A quick word about visits to the EC.  I keep a daily tally of the number of people who stop by EC and, as part of our year-end review, I'll be reporting those numbers to Margot.  On a daily basis, sometimes the visitor number is a single digit (sometimes not), but in the aggregate, those single digits really add up!  So, thanks to all the kids and adults who stopped in to hunt for bugs, catch moths and butterflies, forage for a snack, draw or have a chat.

Have a good week and I'll see you at Harvest Fest.
Diane

Going to Seed  

           

Earlier this season, before the warmth of summer, the farmers planted a winter hardy variety of arugula called ice-bred arugula in order to harvest its seed. The term "ice-bred" simply refers to the process through which the plants were developed and bred under bitter, cold growing conditions then selected for their resistance and ability to perform in the winter weather. Ice-bred greens offer a noticeably more spectacular, robust flavor and are a farmer favorite.   

 

As the weather got warmer, the arugula leaves matured and their bloom stalks grew up to 36 inches tall. Their blooms are little, edible white flowers with many seed pods forming on their stalks.

 

The farmers watched and waited until the arugula flowers faded and the seed pods dried to cut the stalks and harvest the seed. Placing the stalks into plastic bags allowed us to whack and beat the stalks sending the seeds to the bottom of the bag.

A corner of the bag was then cut off allowing the seeds to fall onto a mesh screen filter that separated the seeds from the seed pods.
 













The screen was gently tapped to allow the seeds to fall through.














The arugula seed was collected into a bin ready for its final sifting.














A couple hours of this process yielded a truckload of arugula stalks for
the compost pile and about 8 pounds of seed.














Arugula is high in vitamins A, B-complex, C and K and is a rich source of copper and iron. Enjoy!

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