March Musings
We are a little late in posting this to our blog page, but the following is our newsletter we sent out in March. Our goal is to send out updates about farm happenings, as well as non-farm-specific topics that are on our minds to keep our community up to date with what we’re doing. If you like what you read, and want more, subscribe via the form at the bottom of this page (“Stay In Touch”) and you’ll receive “news” like this straight to your inbox. Maybe even a recipe we are loving every now and then! Don’t worry, we won’t overload you; we send out emails at most once a month…realistically every other month because, you know…we’re busy growing veggies! Ok, on with the post…
Well this may not be news to any of you, but apart from the deluge of rain we had late fall/early winter, this season so far has been D-R-Y, dry, here in the Hungry Hollow. At first, the “break” in the rain was welcome as we needed to get our tractors into the fields for cultivating our snap peas and asparagus, spreading compost and prepping beds in anticipation for the first tomato planting, a new planting of asparagus, and finishing the barley and snap pea seeding we didn’t get to before the rains.
But, then, we realized this lack of rain might last a little longer than expected (like, two or three months longer…), and comes complete with warmer, spring-like, temperatures.
The “break” in the rain gave us an opportunity to give the weeds in the asparagus field a good “tickle” before the spears started coming up. It is important to keep the field “clean” (weed free) for many reasons, but one is that it allows for easier, quicker, harvesting.
Now we are irrigating cover crops that usually rely on winter rains, planning to transplant tomatoes and direct seed processing butternut earlier than we might have if the fields were too wet, and making sure our newly seeded barley and snap peas have enough moisture to germinate. As with everything, the rain, or lack thereof, has its own pro/con list, and this year’s weather has us reflecting on seasons past (last year we had 6ft cover crops and were still waiting to get into our too-wet fields in early May!), wondering what this season has in store, and thinking about seasons to come.
Here, Jim is checking out what’s going on below the soil of one of our cover cropped fields. What’s below ground is just as important as what’s above. We look at the root development (are they doing a good job aerating and breaking up the soil?), soil moisture and structure, and critters (how many earthworms do we see?)! After surveying the biomass both above and below ground, we decided that rather than continue to irrigate and let more biomass build above ground, this field was ready to be mowed.
Another topic that has our minds simultaneously in the past, present, and future is the current debate on hydroponics in organics. Should hydroponics be certified organic under CCOF and USDA (currently it is allowed and hydroponic operations are being certified)? From where did CCOF originate, and for what purpose? Do changing times and new innovations mean changing our standards and definitions of organic?
It’s a topic sure to make your head spin, and as I’ve been told, “if you’re not confused you’re not paying attention.” We strongly encourage anyone who buys groceries, eats and cooks food, and lives on the earth (read: everyone) to learn more about this topic, and what food labels really tell you. A great place to start is the Real Organic Project – an organization working to create an add-on label for soil-grown, “real,” organic farms. They present information on this topic, including the history, in a really easy-to-digest manner and have great, short, videos of interviews with farmers that they have visited and certified as Real Organic (check out their interview with Jim Durst!).
Without getting too much more into it, I will say that at Durst Organic Growers, we believe organic should be rooted in the soil. Healthy soil makes healthy plants make healthy people make healthy communities…you get where I’m going with this. Organic farming is about the whole system - a system that starts with and revolves around the soil - not just the product.
As a farm, we want to work with nature, not against it. “Grown in the Soil & Sunshine,” isn’t included on our pint boxes just because it looks good; it’s a practice that we believe in!
We understand hydroponics and that it is a system with potential benefits, merit and a place in our food system, but we don’t think it should be under the same definition, and label, as soil-based, true, “organic.”
We incorporate plantings of annual flowers, perennial herbs and grasses (some of which are native species) to attract beneficials all over the farm — around the edges of fields, in fields between tomato rows, and around our office. Sweet alyssum is a great attractant to, and habitat for, many different species of beneficial insects.
Ok, I have gotten a little side-tracked here so let’s get back to the farm and exciting news on hand before we part e-ways: asparagus season here at Durst Organic Growers has officially begun! We started harvest over the weekend, and will begin packing and shipping this week. We’d love to hear from you as the season goes on. Tell us how you enjoy our asparagus! Share recipes! Share pics! We’ll do the same. In the meantime happy March and happy eating!
This is what the asparagus looks like when it comes into the cooler from the field. The ends haven’t been trimmed yet, and you can see that the harvesters cut the spears just below the surface of the ground (the blanched, white part). From here, it goes through our packing line where it is rinsed, sorted, bunched, trimmed, and packed into boxes.
We do appreciate hearing from the wonderful people who eat our produce, so stay in touch! You can leave a comment here, subscribe and reply to our emails, share a comment (or pic) on social media, or fill out a contact form through the “contact” page on this website. Don't be shy!