Serenbe Farms
  CSA Newsletter and Recipes 6-5

May 23rd, 2011
Farm Update from Maya

 

Hello Everyone!

I hope this week finds everyone well and enjoying their CSA shares so far. This past week was a great week on the farm. On Monday we harvested and washed all day so that on Tuesday we could pack every inch of the van to Atlanta full of vegetables and offer a generous share to our CSA members here on the farm. I think we all throughly enjoyed working in the cooler temperatures this week, although the higher temperatures this weekend made last Monday seem like ages ago. It looks like this coming week will bring more warm temperatures, but I'll be prepared with sunscreen, my big straw hat and lots and lots of water. Wednesday and Thursday were planting days. On Wednesday we planted watermelon and cherry tomatoes. Thursday we planted 6 beds of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes. This spring, I have enjoyed observing the cycle of moving plants to the field from the greenhouse, weeding, watering, and maintaining the growing plants, and lastly, harvesting them. I'm ready to begin a new cycle and look forward to harvesting the summer crops like, my favorite, eggplant! 

 

The Beauty and Benefits of Organic Farming

 

This past weekend Ryan and I took a trip to Providence Canyon, also known as Georgia's "Little Grand Canyon". We went on a hike through massive gullies, with walls that were 150 feet high. Canyon
Although the area really does look like the Grand Canyon, it was surprising to learn that the feature was man made. The canyon was formed back in the 1800s as a result of poor soil management practices from early farmers. Early farmers in the Southeast took no precaution against erosion, so rainwater flowed from fields as runoff carving away the gullies of Providence Canyon. After walking around Providence Canyon, we headed back to Atlanta and passed a few larger, single crop conventional farms. It was interesting to see a different style of farming, and also see the damaging effects on the land that farming can have. Coming back to Serenbe, it made me appreciate how much we care for the land. Not only is farming about growing food, but it is also about being a steward of the land. For instance, at Serenbe we grow legumes and grasses as cover crops as a way to control erosion, provide habitat for beneficial insects, and return organic matter to the fields. We also use crop rotation as a way to ensure that we are not depleting the soil of essential nutrients, and lastly we add nutrient rich compost back into the soil to make sure that every year the soil will continue to thrive. I'm happy to be learning about how to grow food for my community, but also learning how to protect the land as well.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Maya 
This week's share
(this list is subject to change): 
 
Note!  This list isn't always 100% accurate. 

1 bunch of chard, kale or collards

1 bunch carrots

1 bunch beets 

1 bunch Chinese cabbage

Sweet spring onions

1 bunch herbs: cilantro or dill

1-2 heads lettuce

sugar snap peas

Broccoli

Green garlic

2 Kohlrabi (peel it--great raw in slaws or for dipping, roasted, sauteed -- try kohlrabi chips)

Garlic scapes (use chopped in place of garlic or for a simple garlic scape pesto)  


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Links
www.serenbefarms.com

www.georgiaorganics.org
www.slowfoodatlanta.org
RECIPES are found here: www.serenbefarms.wordpress.com

 

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