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How to Grow Better-Tasting Vegetables!
Everybody’s had that one piece of fruit or vegetable whose taste just knocked their socks off. Mine was a blackberry given to me by Chef Jess at Triumph Brewery New Hope: it was at the peak of ripeness, perfectly sweet, utterly memorable.
But how do you grow tasty fruits and vegetables yourself? What’s the secret?
Turns out there are a variety of factors.
The first deals with climate. Make sure the plants you intend to grow are appropriate for your particular climate, microclimate, and growing season. This sounds obvious, but can make a huge difference where taste is concerned. Root crops and leafy vegetables prefer moist, cool conditions; and melons and most nightshade prefer sunny and warm weather. Planting your fruits and veggies in ill-suited microclimates will inevitably lead to an inferior-tasting crop.
Another consideration is the age at which you harvest. Harvesting immediately after maturation—especially true of root crops—tends to provide a fresher, ‘brighter’ tasting crop. This window is generally narrow, so make sure you’re checking your garden daily!
Of course, the plant’s genetic background also makes a huge difference. Seed brands chosen for outstanding taste often make an enormous difference. However, while selecting for taste, breeders have often inadvertently bred out essential nutrients in the process.
The most important determinant of taste, however, is soil. In short, the better one cares for one’s soil, the better tasting one’s fruits and veggies. A crop grown in healthy soil will have consistently higher sugar levels, and will also have higher diffusion levels. (Diffusion is a measurement of the dissolved solids within a particular plant, including flavor, nutrients, and aromas.) To improve your soil health, follow the tips in our blog: It’s the Soil Stupid.
Growing excellent-tasting fruits and vegetables does involve a little extra work, but is well worth the effort!
What is Permaculture?
Permaculture is one of those words that gets tossed around almost as often as ‘sustainable’—and is perhaps just as misunderstood. But just what is Permaculture? It sounds intimidating, as if it were some complicated growing practice that only someone with a doctorate in horticulture could understand. But the basic tenants of Permaculture are surprisingly simple, if not downright obvious.
Permaculture is defined as “an agricultural system or method that seeks to integrate human activity with natural surroundings so as to create highly efficient self-sustaining ecosystems.” The term was first coined by Bill Millisons and David Holmgren, the originators of the modern Permaculture movement. Basically, Permaculture is the practice of a.) working with nature to avoid unnecessary labor, and b.) incorporating one’s crops within the existing environmental backdrop. Where agriculture requires the destruction of the landbase to accomplish its ends, Permaculture works within that landbase.
Like nature, Permaculture works in layers. That is, different species that grow to different heights are planted together, creating special ‘microclimates’ which are optimal for each particular plant. These layers include the canopy, understory, shrubs, herbaceous (plants that die each winter), soil surface and ground cover, and the rhizosphere (the root layers). By arranging plants within appropriate layers, you can diminish the need for watering, irrigation, and pest- and disease-control.
Permaculture also makes use of guilds. In Permaculture, guilds are groups of species where each individual plant provides a unique set of diverse functions that work in conjunction with the whole. These can include more than just plants—insects and animals too. In the same way that a traditional ‘guild’ involves individuals working toward a common goal, so too do Permaculture guilds involve a synergistic collaboration with the goal of mutual betterment.
Another feature of Permaculture is zones. Zones are ways of organizing design elements on the basis of the frequency of human use, as well as plant or animal needs. Basically what this means is those plants that need the most attention—or that would be used the most—are planted closest to your house. This is Zone 1. (Zone 0 is your house). The zones continue spiraling outward, until Zone 5 is reached, which is a wilderness area.
For thousands of years, Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest made use of Permaculture principals to great effect. With traditional agriculture saddled with so many problems, a mass switch to Permaculture might just be what our ailing planet needs.
All About Lettuce!
Whenever I think about Blue Moon’s baby lettuce heads I think about Alex Levine, Whole Earth Center’s beloved deli manager. Last year when I delivered the seasons’ first baby lettuce harvest, Alex pulled a glistening head from the box, tore off a leaf, and began feasting—right there in the walk-in cooler. It was the first, fresh greenery he’d had since the previous autumn, and judging by the ecstatic look of satiety that filled his eyes, it was much needed. Like Alex, I’ll often eat lettuce straight from the head—greedily, luxuriating in the texture, the taste, the privilege of eating local lettuce so early in the season. And after a winter like this year’s, it’s just what the doctor ordered.
Lettuce is so ubiquitous we rarely stop to think about its origins. It was the Egyptians who first cultivated the plant, turning it from an oil-producing weed into a crop grown exclusively for its leaves. They used lettuce to honor their reproduction god, Min, whose stamina was purportedly benefited by copious consumption of the crop. These early lettuce strains resembled a large version of romaine, and later spread to the Greeks, and then the Romans, and finally to Europe. It was the barbaric Christopher Columbus who brought lettuce, along with pestilence and disease, to the Americas.
Originally, lettuce had to be sold close to where it was grown, thanks in part to its short life span and delicate nature. But with the advent of new packing, storage and shipping technologies in the early 1900s, lettuce began to proliferate. The later development of ‘vacuum cooling’, which allowed for the crop to be cooled and packed in the field, only added to its popularity.
At Blue Moon, we grow five varieties of baby lettuce heads. Red “Little Gem”, Green “Sucrine”, Green “Oakleaf,” Green “Sweet Crisp”, and red “Incised”. The first harvest of these beauties is always a special occasion—they are the very first crop of the season, and, as such, mark the arrival of spring. And whether you choose to enjoy them in a salad, on a wrap or sandwich, or, like Alex and I, straight from the head, they’re delicious.
A Brief (and Mouthwatering!) History of Risotto
I was never a Risotto fan. In fact, before we started growing Italian rice here at Blue Moon, I can’t even say that I’d ever had the dish. But then one day, resident rice connoisseur Jim Lyons brought some freshly-cooked risotto into our office. I was hooked. Within a week, I was using our Arborio to make my own Risotto, a ritual I’ve repeated a half-dozen times since.
Risotto’s history is an interesting one. The shorter-grain rice varieties that would later be the dish’s foundation made their way into Sicily and Spain by way of Arab merchants. From there, they spread throughout Italy, consumed mainly by the upper class. But it was not till these varieties caught the attention of elites in Spanish-occupied Milan that the techniques we now associate with modern Risotto—slow-cooking; the use of stock, onions, butter, wine, parmesan, and saffron—were developed. Today, the dish remains largely unchanged.
Almost without exception, Risotto is made from one or more of the following varieties: Arborio, Baldo, Carnaroli, Maratelli, and Vialone Nano. It is because of their ability to absorb liquids and release starch that these are used. Generally speaking, the higher the starch content (amylopectins), the more creamy and textured the final product. That’s why long grain rice—very low in amylopectins, flakier and dryer— makes for a poor Risotto.
As a vegetarian, I’ve never made classic Risotto. Instead of chicken broth, I use vegetable broth, adding spinach and tomatoes, or sometimes even—yes—kale. Their version incorporated our own organic Maratelli rice, and contained, among other delicious ingredients, morel mushrooms. Morels are to Risotto what peanut-butter is to jelly: it’s an amazing combination, one I highly recommend you try ASAP!
Of course, there are a number of traditional variations on Risotto. There’s Risotto alla Milanese, made with beef stock, bone marrow, lard, and cheese. And Risotto al nero di sepia, prepared with the black ink sacs of cuttlefish. And then there’s Risotto alla zucca, made with pumpkin, nutmeg, and grated cheese.
But no matter how you prepare your Risotto, one thing is certain: With so many varieties of Italian rice available at Blue Moon, it’s hard to go wrong!
Pasture-Raised Eggs Made Easy!
If you’ve ever tried our pastured-raised eggs, you know how eggcellent they are. Bright orange yolks; sturdy, perfect-for-hardboiling shells; and uncommonly good taste. But have you ever wondered what goes into pasture-raising? Or wanted to try doing it yourself?
Although the practice of pasture-raising has yet to be formally defined, it’s generally agreed to signify a few crucial things. First, the animal is free to spend his/her days roaming spacious plots. Second, a significant portion of the animal’s diet comes from the live worms, grubs, seeds, and grasses foraged on that plot. And third, the plot must be organically certified.
First, in order to ensure that the birds receive adequate natural nutrition, you will need to construct a movable coop—sometimes called a “chicken tractor”. Not only will this afford the hens ample fresh pasture, it’ll also serve as a natural means of controlling weeds and insects, as well as providing natural fertilizer in the form of manure. Examples of movable chicken coop can be found here.
After you’ve constructed your coop, you’ll need to choose which breeds best suit your situation. An average chick costs around $2, with adults clocking in around $40. The breed’s temperament, its adaptability to confinement, how noisy it is, and the size eggs it lays are all factors you’ll want to consider. Certain breeds fare better in hotter climates; others prefer cold. A few versatile varieties include the Rhode Island Red, the Leghorn, the Buff Orpington, the Black Star, and the Ameracauna. PawNation has a great page about breed selection.
Now that you have your land, coop, and birds, you’ll need to consider supplementary nutrition. True, pasture-raised hens derive much of their diet from the pasture they feed on, but they will absolutely need feed, especially in the winter. Feed can be purchased at a local feed store, or, if you have enough acreage, home-grown!
Of course, you’ll also need to regularly check your birds for health, providing them with plenty of fresh water, and keeping their living areas clean. Keeping them safe from predators and ensuring environmental sustainability are other important concerns.
So what are you waiting for? Go get some chicks and get started!
A Brief (and Interesting) History of Rice!
Ever since we at Blue Moon started growing our own rice, I’ve found myself wondering about its history. Where did it originate? How long have we been cultivating it? What makes it so special? Rice, it turns out, is a fascinating crop—and not only because of its history.
When you get right down to it, rice is basically a seed—a grass seed. There are two major types of rice: Indica and Japonica. Indica is the non-sticky, flakey, long-grained variety; Japonica is the sticky, short-grained variety. Basmati and jasmine are two well-known indica rices; sushi rice and Arborio are two well-known Japonica varieties. Indicas are generally grown near the equator, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, etc. Japonicas, on the other hand, are grown in temperate and mountainous regions, including Japan and Korea.
According to Chinese legends, rice domestication began under Chinese Emperor Shennong, the inventor of Chinese Agriculture. (Though from what we know about emperors’ propensity for self-aggrandizement, we would do well to assume it was invented by one of his minions!) More reliable genetic evidence shows that rice originates from a single domestication some 8,200 to 13,500 years ago, in China’s Pearl River valley region. From there, it was introduced to Europe, and later the Americas.
These days, rice plays an enormous role in global nutrition. It’s the staple food for over half the world’s population, providing 20% of total global dietary energy supply. It provides more than one fifth of calories consumed by human beings. And it’s the agricultural commodity with the third-highest worldwide production, after sugarcane and maize. All of which is to say that rice is a pretty big deal!
Rice’s history is a long and interesting one, and we at Blue Moon Acres are humbled to play a small part in its future.
5 Cheap and Easy Ways to Build Your Own Micro-Greenhouse!
When we think of greenhouses, most of us think of hulking, ship-like monoliths made of plastic or plexi-glass. But greenhouses can be small, too. Small enough to fit in your back yard, in fact. Or even in the palm of your hand.
A greenhouse, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “a structure enclosed (as by glass) and used for the cultivation or protection of tender plants.” Greenhouses allow for more control over the growing environment of plants. Temperature, sunlight levels, fertilizer and water amounts, can all be regulated. Plants are protected against the worst of the elements, extending the growing season. And while most greenhouses are large, there’s no hard and fast rule where size is concerned. Below are five examples of truly mini greenhouses!
1. Two liter soda bottle
What could be simpler? Or littler? Simply remove the top and the label from an (empty!) soda, juice, or water bottle; and turn upside down! Can be used directly on the ground, or around a small planter.
2. Plastic salad-greens container
How ironic! A product that once held greens being used to grow… greens. But anyway. The picture pretty much says it all, but for those of you who prefer narration: fill bottom of container with topsoil and seeds, and cover with either lid or another container. Check out this video for another take on this easy garden hack.
3. Used Windows
My personal favorite! Brace four old windows together, using a fifth window as a lid. The base can be made from an old pallet or crate, or even a simple raised bed. A superbly effective way of not only extending your growing season, but keeping those old windows out of a landfill.
4. Aquarium
Look how happy that couple is with their aquarium greenhouse! Simply take your old unused aquarium greenhouse, turn it over, and, voila: instant greenhouse!
5. Milk Crate and Comforter Bag
If you’re like me, you saved the plastic bag that your comforter came in, thinking you would use it to store your comforter come summertime. But you’re not that kind of person, which is good news, because now you have a perfectly good excuse to build a very cool mini-greenhouse. Just get an old milk crate and place it inside the comforter bag! You’ll be sprouting seeds in no time!
The Season Grows Nigh: Planning for 2015
Though spring may seem a long ways off, we at Blue Moon have already begun to prepare for the 2015 growing season. Planning begins as early as the summer, but ramps up in earnest around the winter solstice. From seed-sourcing to crop rotation-planning, there’s much to do in these cold months.
As early as late summer, we begin by assigning cover crops to specific fields and plots. A good winter cover-crop—radish, rye, oats—protects the soil against erosion and ensures continuity of essential biological processes. With the arrival of consistent hard frost, we remove and compost residual summer and autumn crops. Mulch is applied to blueberries and other essential crops to prepare for the following spring. This ‘winterization’ is as much about protecting the fields from harsh winter elements as it is about clearing the way for the next year’s growing season.
Once the winterization is complete, we gather to review the previous season’s successes and failures, so as to be better prepared for the coming year. New crops are introduced; some are jettisoned. A large seed order is then placed—as early as possible, to ensure we get what we need. At this time too, we finalize our crop rotation plan. Crop rotation, planting different crops on different fields each year, hedges against soil nutrient depletion, ensuring a healthier, stronger, more disease-resistant plant. And finally, we purchase fertilizer and other components to add to our amazing compost.
After the orders have been placed, we begin the seeding process. Early January sees the planting of cold-weather loving crops—kale, cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli— in heated greenhouses. Come February, these seedings will be large enough to be transplanted into our high tunnels. And by the end of March, weather permitting, our first crop of baby lettuce heads will be ready to be harvested!
There’s always something to prepare for on the farm. Fortunately we have the winter to get it all done!
A Roadside Cleanup Event with Blue Moon
On Wednesday, October 8th, Bucks County got a little cleaner. In concert with Heritage Conservancy, Blue Moon Acres held a roadside cleanup event on Upper Mountain Road between Durham and Quarry Roads. It’s a gorgeous stretch of road—wooded, cloistered, populated with deer, raptors, and wild turkeys. It’s also a favorite dumping ground for litterers.
Litter is a massive problem, both environmentally and economically. Each year, 1.9 billion tons of litter wind up in the ocean, harming marine life and damaging riparian communities along the way. Each year too, $11.5 billion is spent to clean up that litter, money which could be better spent on health care and housing. Cigarette butts, which are made of cellulose and take more than 10 years to disintegrate, comprise around 50% of roadside trash. But the most commonly-found object during clean-up events such as ours is fast food wrappers.
But litter creates more than economic and environmental problems; it creates aesthetic problems too. Litter just looks bad. It’s demoralizing. It forces us to confront the fact that there are those in our society who would rather sabotage the landscape than exert the small effort to properly dispose their waste. It turns even the most beautiful roadside into a landfill.
Organizing a roadside clean-up, however, is a way of combating this demoralization. In addition to benefitting the environment, and the biology dependent on that environment, it provides a sense of empowerment, a way of overcoming the helplessness that a littered landscape elicits. And if conducted with coworkers, it provides an extraordinary sense of camaraderie. Cleaning up that stretch of road was fun. It gave us an opportunity to bond over a meaningful and important action, and helped us remember that we’re friends as well as coworkers.
It’s easy to take the view that roadside cleanup events are little more than symbolic, that the problem is too huge to solve with volunteer efforts alone. But such a view misses the point. We clean roadsides not because we think we are going to save the world, or even because we think those roadsides will remain litter-free, but because it is the right thing to do. And doing the right thing, reflexively, without consideration for what’s practical or achievable, is precisely what’s needed in this age of deeply-rooted, unconscious cynicism.
Five Steps to a Greener, Gentler Christmas
This just in from the North Pole: Jolly Ole Saint Nick’s going green. That’s right: Father Christmas is reducing his carbon footprint, and so should you. As you probably already know, Christmas is a notoriously wasteful time year, contributing greatly to swollen landfills and polluted skies. According to one source, 1.9 billion Christmas cards are sent each year, and 20.8 million trees are cut down. In Australia alone, the holiday is responsible for the emitting of 2,285,000 tons of greenhouse gas. Santa’s doing his part; what can we do?
1. Support locally-owned businesses
Ditch the malls. Boycott Amazon. Find local purveyors of your favorite goods and patronize them. Not only will this reduce your carbon footprint, it’ll boost your local economy. What’s more: small, independently-owned storeowners are more likely treat their employees fairly. And that’s what Christmas is all about.
2. Cut down on the lights
They’re bright and pretty, but they sure use an awful lot of electricity, 50% of which comes from coal-burning power plants. If you must use lights, why not try LEDs? They use 90 percent less energy and are even prettier than conventional lights. (In my own humble opinion….)
3. Say no to disposable dishes and cutlery
Yes, doing dishes is anathema to the very idea of holiday, but do you really have to use paper plates? The little effort it takes to load the dishwasher is well worth the rewarding feeling you’ll experience having not used disposable dishware. And you’ll save money to boot!
4. Consider purchasing a living Christmas tree
Unless you plan on using a single artificial tree over the span of your life, it’s more environmentally sustainable to get a living tree. Living trees can be composted after use, or used in other beneficial ways. And they smell really really good.
5. Make your own decorations!
Because, why wouldn’t you? It’s fun, it’s creative, and it allows you to have complete, aesthetic control. Plus, if you use items from nature (pine cones, berries, evergreen sprigs, apples), it’s ecologically friendly. You can also make edible ornaments—popcorn, cranberry strings, et cetera—which can be snacked on while creating! What can be better than that?
