Organic Pest Control

As many of you all already know, growing sweet corn is no easy task, even when using conventional pesticides and fertilizers; and the task becomes even more difficult when you mirgrate from conventional techniques and into the realm of organic farming. Corn has a ravenous appetite for nutrients, meaning that a crop of corn zaps the soil of nutrients, meaning that the farmer has to ensure the sufficient nuitrients are put back into the soil, at One Straw we use compost as our natural fertilizer. Even beyond the plants difficult needs, corn is the premier breeding ground for the infamous corn earworm, which lays its larvae within the ears of corn and will eat away at the corn as it matures. At One Straw we recently began implements a natural measure of biological control by releasing trichogramma wasps into the cornfield. Trichogramma wasps are tiny wasps (less than 1mm in length) the parasitize the corn earwom larvae by laying their eggs within the egg of the corn earworm. The wasp larvae then eat the larvae of the corn earworm instead of the corn itself, neutralizing the pending damage the corn earworm would have done to the plant. The use of trichogramma wasps is a good, natural way to control the outbreak of corn earworms in a field, without the use of pesticides that have proven to be degrading to our natural environment. Hopefully the wasps will be effective enough so that when you all go to shuck your ears of corn you are not presented with a little insect surprise that got to your veggies before you could.

Mobile Grazers

Until recently we at One Straw have been using a very rudimentary mobile chicken coop for raising young chicks. The mobile coop allows the chickens to grow up free grazing in the area provided underneath the mobile coop. When the grass and weeds below have been eaten away we then move the coop onto another patch of grass to be grazed. The problem with the system we use now is that it: is too small, it allows chickens to escape when we move it, and occasionally a chicken will fall victim to walls when the coop is dropped

 

. So change was in order. After a week or so of hard work, a new mobile coop has been created, and it is certainly an upgrade from our previous system. The new chicken coop will allow us to ferry the free grazing chickens and guinea hens anywhere we want on the farm; and instead of simply eating the grass in the yard, the birds can serve a purpose. Guinea Hens in particular are quite useful for eating bean worms and various other pests that can cripple a crop. While the guinea hens take care of the bugs, then chickens can eat up any young weeds trying to take root in the field. There are some pictures here of the system in progress, new pictures will be added upon its completion.

 

 

It’s Almost Time

Over the past week our fields here at One Straw have begun bearing a healthy crop of every customer’s favorite vegetable, or should I say fruit? The vines are drooping under the weight of some healthy looking tomatoes, which, at this point are still quite green. Nevertheless, tomatoes are on their way and growing quite plentiful and plump. I don’t know about you all but I look forward to eating nice fresh BLTs and having my favorite dinner appetizer of fresh heirloom tomatoes, fresh, sliced mozzarella, topped off with fresh basil and a balsamic vinagerette. The true taste of summer. Now all we need are some nice sunny days, with some nice, mellow rainstorms in between and the tomatoes will be ruby red and ready for the markets.

All or Nothing

It is known to many that rain is a famers best friend, well that is not entirely right. There is such thing as a good rain and a bad rain. Friday in White Hall was a fine example of a bad rain. We had been in a significant drought for the prior couple of weeks and were in need of a hearty rainstorm, what we got was a taste of a monsoon. When rain comes down at a flash flood rate, the parched soil does not have enough time to absorb all of the water; instead the water washes over the surface and creates a flood line down the swales (grassy drainage ditches) and flows out into the road or stream below. Not only does torrential rain fail to satiate the thirsty ground, but it can also devastate crops. Tomatoes, when in season, will absorb too much water and burst, flash floods can tear right through a crop line, and, as shown, heavy rain can flatten significant portions of a field. This past rain devastated our current corn crop, and now we can only hope that there will be some to harvest for you, our customers. Keeping a healthy balance is the most difficult part about running a farm, and when the weather is (and always seems to be) pitted against you, the job is only more difficult. So when you do your rain prayers for One Straw be sure to specify that we need a prolonged, light, pour from the sky above.

More Than Just Leaves

Sorry again about the lack of recent blog posts, as I was without internet for the 4th of July weekend; but alas, now I am back. Now the other night my family and I were having dinner out on our front porch, enjoying the calm, cool summer breeze and talking about my favorite topic, food. I brought up the question of what would be everyones’ one vegetable of choice, and their one meat of choice. The answer to the question of what meat was unanimously bacon, but everyones choice of vegetable was different. My answer, believe it or not, was kale. Why kale? Kale is one of the more versatile vegetables out there; you can put it in pasta, eat it raw in a salad, stir fry, saute it, and the list continues on. What is even better about kale, it’s probably one of the more healthy food items you can put into your body, boasting very high levels of beta carotene, vitamin C, and K, and has a good amount of calcium as well. So kale might just look like some frilly green leaves, but really kale is one of the most versatile, healthy, and tasty vegetables you can eat. Below are some pictures of some kale and bacon pasta that I made, and this is one of my favorite dishes.