Newsletter #3

"In terms of things you can do to have a better life, picking berries simply works."

- Barbara Pleasant, Homegrown Pantry

Happy Friday Everyone! 

It's been a busy week on the farm (but then again, every week is busy over here)! We finally got a chance to work the greenhouse soil and it get planted. Typically, the greenhouse would be the first thing to be planted in the very early spring. However, we didn't get our greenhouse built until late March so alas, a June planting. As you can see in the picture above we've got a ton of peppers planted (19 different varieties to be exact!) as well as eggplant, melons, and a spring variety of tomatoes. Juniper and I spent last Saturday, while Taylor was in class, using the broad fork to work the soil, amending it, and finally planting it with lots of goodies. What a help she was! I'm actually being serious. As I planted everything she neatly stacked all the pots, helped mix our special worm fertilizer, and then finished off the project by thoroughly watering the plants and herself. She's becoming quite the little farmer! Proud mama moment.

Additionally, this week we planted our first batch of microgreens for next weeks shares. Microgreens typically take between 7-10 days to grow which makes them a quick yet delicious option to include for our CSA members. We're working on developing a few mixes that we really like- both spicy and mild. This batch is fairly low-key and includes peas, turnips, and sunflowers. We also started our corn, beans, and winter squash seeds. You would typically direct-sow those types of crops, however, we're working with a very small space and a very tight schedule. Starting them in pots and letting them germinate there gives us two to three extra weeks before they're ready to go into the ground and another crop is ready to come out. In theory, when the peas are slowing down production the beans will be ready to go into the ground and when the garlic is harvested the corn will get a new home. We'll keep you updated on how smooth (or not!) this transition goes. In the meantime, enjoy those peas y'all!

Your Farmers,
Shannon, Taylor and Juniper Kane
Wild Grown Farm

Let’s Talk About Peas

Oh my goodness, peas are something special! I don't think there's a better way to "eat the essence" of spring. When I was growing up, my Nana and Papa would harvest huge bowls of peas for my brother and I. We would spend hours sitting on their back porch shelling them and munching them down. We would eat peas until our stomachs hurt and we simply couldn't anymore. When I eat them now, even at 29, they make me reminisce on my childhood. Food has such a magically way of doing that, right?

Peas are a staple crop for many Oregon farmers. In fact, many of the United States most beloved and popular varieties have been breed and developed at Oregon State University. In 1969, a young breeder named Clavin Lamborn was tasked with creating a snow pea with straighter and smoother pods. Through traditional cross breeding he spotted a rogue offspring with a thicker pod than regular peas. Suspecting that a more sturdy pod could yield a straighter, smoother snow pea, he singled it out as a possible candidate. Years later, instead of an improved snow pea he had an entirely new product on his hands- the sugar snap! There are now three types of peas- shelling, snap, and snow. We're growing all three types on our farm this year so you'll get a chance to explore them in all their glory.