Hog Slaughter
November 18, 2024
It does come around each year, and though farming is so much about promoting life and then ending it, sending the pigs off to meet their maker is by far the hardest of all of the endings of life that are on my hands.
Ever since I slipped in the very thick pig manure at age six and ended up on my back in it on our northwestern Illinois hog farm in the late 50’s, I have had a love affair with pigs. This year’s pigs were our friendliest ever. I have a strong memory of coming over to see them in the west field about 2 weeks ago. When they spotted me coming in to see them, all 8 took off at a gallop to come and crowd around and greet me. What can be better than that!
Ricky Adams, when we were getting them into the truck on Wednesday said, “Wow this rarely happens (that they climb into the truck so willingly)” But I got to spend some quality time in their house, encouraging them to take this final journey, and thanking them for their time with us. As they drove away in the big stock truck, I could hear them contently chatting as they moved up the hill and out of sight. I guess the best any of us can hope for is that we will be happy until that final minute of our lives.
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Special Gratitude this week
Our son Dan has been following the path of nutrient density in food for more than 10 years, and was asked to speak at TEDx Boston on Saturday. We made the trek to MIT to hear him, and enjoyed seeing him on the big stage sharing his life’s work in this prestigious setting.
I am grateful to have been Dan’s partner in crime for almost 2 decades as we have practiced so much of what Dan has learned and exposed us to, and as we have shared our path to extraordinary food production.
2024 Summer CSA Members
- Please be sure to return your bags to your pickup site
- Please take a moment fill out this very short feedback survey. We have only received a few responses so far.
What is in your CSA Share this week?
Special Note to Worcester Shareholders: This week, you will receive your share on Monday at Elan Vital
Share week of November 11th
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- Tomatoes
- Brussels sprouts
- Carrots
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Leek
- Pears
- Arugula
- Squash/Asian Green/rutabaga
- Potatoes
- Garlic
- Cilantro
What, already time to sign up for next year’s CSA?
Yes, you can get in on some end of the year savings if you sign up by December 31. We have gotten rid of the sliding scale, as it was too confusing to folks, and are back with one price per size. Production costs for us go up across the board, and we also plan to give our salaried staff a $1/hour pay increase in 2025. But we appreciate early commitment to this venture, which comes to 50% of our budget, and are encouraging you by offering this discount.
- Small share: $475 before January 1; $500 in the new year
- Medium share: $640 before January 1; $675 in the new year
- Large share: $835 before January 1; $875 in the new year
- SNAP share: $Small – $425; Medium: $525; Large: $725
by Jack Kittredge
A good deal was heard during the recent political campaign about the price of eggs. It was, pollsters said, a prime example of the voters’ anger about inflation. It is true, I believe, that the price of eggs has gone up considerably recently. But I wonder if this is not the result of a conscious decision by consumers to eat more of them because they represent a great value for protein, one which had been underpriced for years.
We charge what seems like a reasonable price — $9 a dozen for fresh organic eggs. A little consultation with USDA data reveals that these $9 eggs (converted to pounds to make them equivalent to other protein sources) compare quite favorably with regard to protein to sirloin steak, ground beef (80% lean), salmon, and even chicken. The eggs come out at 1.9¢ per gram for protein, compared to steak (10.4¢), ground beef (10.0¢), salmon (14.0¢) or chicken (3.3¢). For those who care you also get less fat in eggs, 45 grams versus 87 for steak, 80 for ground beef, 56 for salmon, and 62 for chicken.
These are national prices, so your local ones may differ. I welcome you to do the research. I think you will be surprised!
Leek, Fennel & Carrot Barley Soup
This sweet and savory soup is perfect for the winter months! Root vegetables like carrots provide nourishing, grounding qualities that help pacify Vata. Rich in Vitamin A, they also support Pitta by nourishing the liver and purifying the blood. Leeks and fennel add digestive benefits, while barley—a preferred grain for excess Kapha—acts as a diuretic, adds bulk to the stool, and helps decongest the lymphatic system.
Enjoy this wholesome, balancing soup!
Hi Julie,
I thought you might like this recipe for Kvas. I’ve been using the beets from the CSA to make this and it’s absolutely delicious. It’s actually fermented beets and is super easy. The origin is Eastern Europe.
- Wash beets thoroughly and cut into small cubes, approximately ½” square. Smaller is okay too.
- Place in a mason jar or other container, preferably made of lead-free glass. I like using a wide-mouth mason jar. Be sure to leave some space between the beets and the top of your container.
- Mix two teaspoons of sea salt into 2 cups of spring or filtered water and pour over the beets until they’re completely covered. If you need more water, just respect the ratio of 1 teaspoon salt to 1 cup water.
- Cover the jar with a breathable cover. I like using the ring of mason jar lids to secure a paper towel in place (see attached photo).
- Place in a cool, dark place and let sit for 5 to 7 days. During this time, the liquid will turn beet red and you’ll see bubbles if you disturb the container. If you don’t have a dark place, you can wrap the container in a towel.
- After 5 days, start tasting the liquid to see if it’s ready. Kvas should be slightly sour and a bit effervescent when ready, and a beautiful red.
You can drink the liquid alone, use it in smoothies or add it to soup or whatever you like. To retain the probiotics, don’t mix it with anything that’s really hot. You can eat the fermented beets as they are, or use them in any recipe. If you prefer your Kvas to be more sour, let it ferment for a few more days.
Enjoy!
Joanna
- Frozen Apple sauce (nothing added) – $7/quart
- Frozen Pear sauce (nothing added) – $7/quart
- Frozen Peaches – $6 per pound in bags of approximately 2-3 lbs
- Canned Tomatoes – $10/quart
- Canned Tomato juice – $10/quart
- Canned Apple juice – $10/quart
- Pawpaw puree – $5 for ½ pint
- Dried Peaches – $10/pint
- Frozen Broiler Chickens – $9/lb
- Garlic powder – $12 for a 2 oz. jar
- Comfrey, Hemp and Calendula save – $10/jar
- Bitters tincture – $20 for a 4 oz. bottle
- Lavender soap – $8 for a 5 oz. bar
John Kempf Ask me Anything from October 15
Two hours of real gems for growers. John is a remarkable speaker with an encyclopedic knowledge of regenerative farming. If you grow things, I highly encourage you to listen to this.
AEA Blog | 11.13.24
Cover Crops and Mulch in Market Gardens
Keep your soil covered and feed its biology every day
By John Kempf
In this series, we’re outlining the 6 essential practices for market gardeners and small-scale growers to regenerate their soils and grow exceptional produce. It all hinges on thriving soil microbiology. We’ve discussed the first two steps: creating the right physical environment, and adding biology that has been lost. Today we’ll discuss how to keep that biology fed.
Feed biology every day
There is a cardinal rule when it comes to soil biology: you must feed it every day.
A general principle is that the smaller the animal, the more frequently it needs to be fed. Babies need to be fed every 2 hours, while adults will be fine for 8 hours without food. Now extrapolate this down to the size of a microbe. There cannot be any delay in food supply for your soil microbes, or they will starve.
There are 2 ways that market gardeners can provide a continuous food source for their biology: mulch and cover crops.
Mulch provides food for biology as it decomposes. But I much prefer living plants as a food source for biology. Green, photosynthesizing plants continuously send sugars out through their roots to feed soil biology. Cover crops do things that mulch does not. For example, cover crops can produce soil aggregation much faster than mulch does. With exceptional soil aggregation, you can stick your hand right into the soil as deep as the topsoil layer goes.
Exceptional Cover Crops
Here is a list of cover crops that I believe are the most exceptional in stimulating soil aggregation and developing disease suppressive microbiomes:
- oats
- buckwheat
- tillage radish
- forage rape
- annual ryegrass
- mustard
Mustard is a biofumigant and can help solve nematode pressure, but there is no need to use it in healthy soils.
Oats and buckwheat are strongly associated with both mycorrhizae and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria, so can rebuild soils that suffer from excessive phosphorus.
You’ll notice this list doesn’t include any legumes. This is for 3 reasons.
- Legumes don’t grow quickly enough to meet the fast turnaround time required by market gardens.
- They don’t offer the same degree of disease suppression.
- Legumes are nitrogen-fixers, and excessive soil nitrogen can oxidize carbon, and actually reduce soil organic matter and increase carbon.
You can use any method to terminate your cover crops: rolling, crimping, even tillage, as long as you get your soil covered again right away.
Now that your soil biology is established and fed, next week we’ll talk about what that biology can actually do for your crop: provide its nutritional requirements.
