Hey guys.  I am Justin Dansby.  I have been working at Serenbe Farms part-time for a few years. I've recently transitioned to more of a full-time basis.  I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself to those who don't yet know me.       

   I arrived at a full-time position from a lull in computer work and a desire for something more tangible.  My computer business isn't staying as busy but its fortunate because I find farming to be a rewarding profession.  Farming has always been a part of my life.  I've helped my family farm pine trees in SC since I was able to walk.  I've worked previously on farms and lastly on Sisters Hill Farm in NY.  I have experience with mushroom production, vegetable production, forest management, and many other areas.  I also find myself doing things like fixing electricity problems, fixing machinery, and building livestock enclosures. 

 

WATERMELON! 

   We are giving watermelon in this week's share and I wanted to give you an idea of what it takes to provide this fruit to you.  We start by planting seeds in the greenhouse a few weeks before we transplant them into the field.  We next find a suitable piece of land and begin preparation.  We have to amend our soils a moderate amount to create an ideal condition.  We take into account previous insect pressure when choosing a location and previous evidence of anthracnose and fusarium wilt.  Once the watermelon are strong enough to be planted outside we prepare the field. We then use a row maker that creates a light grid pattern on top of the soil.  We use this to space the melons appropriately.  Once in the ground we cover with an agricultural cloth called floating row fabric or re-may for short.  This cloth keeps out potential insects.  The melons remain under the cover with ample irrigation until we see flowers forming.  We then remove the covers to allow natural pollination.  At this point we simply keep them weeded and wait until the harvest time.

   The harvest of melons is perhaps everyone's favorite time on the farm.  We typically observe a few signs of ripeness before picking a melon.  One is the yellowing of the melon on the bottom where it has been touching the soil.  Another is the sound it makes when thumped, a low reverberation is expected.  The final sign is that the tendril opposite stem is dead.  Once a melon is selected to be harvested we have to place it into a bin. 

  The method we use to get from field to bin involves a fun game of catch.  We have someone on the outside of the field catch the melon from the picker or thrower in the field.  We've had only one busted melon so far this year and have thrown well over 1000 lbs of them.  The bins are then placed into the cooler and shortly after the melons arrive into your hands.  Hopefully you enjoy our delicious summer fruit!

    And if you thought watermelons were not exciting enough, there is evidence that their cultivation dates back to the second millenium BC.  Watermelon seeds were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun.  By the 10th century AD watermelons were being cultivated in China, now the world's largest melon producer.  By the 13th century the fruit was present in Europe and was included in the English dictionary in 1615.  The exact method of importation into the US is unknown but Native Americans were cultivating melons in the early 1500's.  Today Georgia, Florida, Texas, California and Arizona are the USA's largest watermelon producers.  The main varities of watermelon we grow for you are sugar baby, sorbet swirl, peace, and new orchid. 

   Watermelon are best enjoyed cold and I think no one needs a 'how to' on what to do.   Us farmer folk take them anyway we can get them.  Evidence is usually found as sticky faces post watermelon harvest and the common statment that 'one of them busted'.   Being 6% sugar and 94% water by weight melons provide us with ample summer hydration, beta caretone, lycopene, and vitamin C. 

  Being a full-time farmer and avid mountain biker/rock-climber I am always looking for a natural 'athletic advantage'.  I live by the statment of 'Let food be your medicene' by Hippocrates.  I believe one of the keys to being a good athlete is a balanced and correct diet.  I have countless books on this subject and have been known to talk too much about what we really need to be eating.  So here is my thought on watermelon.  Watermelons contain high doses of an organic amino acid called citrulline.  It is present in higher quanities near the rind than the center.  What can citrulline do for you?  Well it can make you 'ripped'.  Not really. That's up to you but, the advantage to having high citrulline content in your diet is its ability to stimulate nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is important in endurance and muscle development.  You will see evidence that nitric oxide is important to body builders by sticking your head inside a GNC and seeing a shelf labled with nothing by nitric oxide supplements.  Many of these come from watermelon but take a long road that involves bad farming practices to acquire the melons to terrible chemical additives.  And if that's not enough to scare you off the chances of having toxicity problems with supplements is high and I've never heard of a toxicity problem from too many melons. 

   So enjoy your melons and their muscle building capabilities. We should have them for the next couple weeks.  We strive to grow a great selection of produce but melons are some of the hardest.  They take up alot of space in the fields and are favorites of insect pests.