Angelica's Garden

So, back when I posted “Farm-girl Poetry” or “Ode to my Rotovator” I left the impression that I was pretty smitten with a certain ‘ol piece of metal, namely my Howard Rotovator. Well, not long after that post the old girl locked up on me while out doing field work and I had to retire her to the weeds. Mike spent the better part of a week ripping that machine apart and rebuilding a portion of her only to discover that she really did want to retire after taking her for a test spin. The chain case blew up after engaging the pto, and with that both of our hearts sank to our bellies. That episode sent Mike and I packing straight for the beer fridge in the shop.

So as we hashed over the details of the rotovator’s demise while watching the setting sun reflect off of the pines and the highland cattle, I knew in the back of my mind that I had to call Clyde in the morning. He’s the Rotovator guy; one of only 2 in the U.S. Morning came and I pulled out my literature on new Rotovators and another rotary tiller called a Falc and dialed up Clyde. I told him about the tragedy of the previous day and how much I was in a bind and needed a good piece of equipment. In the end I chose to purchase a new Falc rotary tiller, which is much like my old Rotovator, only instead of being English, it is Italian, which is my preference, because I never really much cared for the English. Long story on that one. But now I am the proud owner of an even finer piece of metal. She is awesome and as a friend of mine asked: “does it come with an espresso maker?” The answer is no, but she tills like nobodies business!! Arivaderchi, Rotovator.    -A

Just want to let all you loyal customers out there know that my kraut is back. The cabbage I was using in previous batches was cabbage I purchased after running out of my last years stash of Sauerkraut. That purchased cabbage was bitter and just not very tasty and it left the sauerkraut tasting a little off. I apologize to customers who have hung in there for the past couple of months eating bitter kraut. All of the good health benefits of the lactobacilli were present, but the taste was just not up to snuff. After harvesting our first round of green cabbages here at Angelica’s Garden in the last month, I can safely say that my sauerkraut you are buying at your local co-op is in fact yummy and not bitter, because it is made with our cabbage.

Also, while on the subject, check out the 32 oz. sizes of Sauerkraut and Kim Chi, especially if you are an avid consumer of the products and want to save a couple bucks while buying in bulk. I know the Wedge is carrying them and other co-ops will soon follow. That’s it for now. Stay tuned for updates announcing new seasonal products and where to find them in the next week. -A

It’s been a spell since I last posted. The farm and the family have my hands tied. Crops are coming in from out in the field and as we all know, summers bounty waits for noone. I tried to bribe the cabbage to stay good for a few more weeks after harvesting it, but I did not get a response. The kids are busy being kids, which pulls me away from the kitchen and garden to either join them in some summer fun or break up a fight. Mike’s been helping out here and there and enjoying his summer off of construction work. We harvested 421 pounds of beets today which will go into making pickled beets. Can’t wait to hang out in the 120 degree kitchen and put up these sweet little morsels. But that’s summer. Canning and food processing is done during the warmest time of year. It’s an injustice, really. But come winter it will be worth every effort!! -A

Well, I’m finally letting the cat out of the bag and announcing that I’ve got new products on the docket for this summer. Some of the products are seasonal, which means they will only be offered until supplies run out. I’ve offered seasonal products in the past only to a limited number of co-ops, but this year I contacted each of the stores I do business with and asked them if they would like to carry these products. Here is a sampling:

Fermented Dill Pickles, Fermented Dilly Beans, Fall Ferment, Fresh Salsa & Fridge Pickles (sweet and not fermented).

Also new to the list of offerings is a salsa ferment that is tomatoless. This product will most likely be available year-round with the other products. And all of this will be available at participating co-ops starting no later than August. As time draws nearer, I will let you all know about what product is available where.

And last, but not least is the introduction of larger sizes of Angelica’s Garden Sauerkraut, Kim Chi and Red Cabbage/Ginger. The new 32 ounce jars will give you the option of buying more product at a better price. Each store will need to figure out its margin, but I am encouraging them not to go overboard on the price and give you, their customers, the break that I am giving them. I am so excited about the new offerings, and I plan on visiting the co-ops in coming months to sample the products. And as you read this, vegetables are ripening in our field getting ready to transform into healthy, delicious foods. I look forward to seeing you at a demo or if you want, leave a comment or question right here on the blog. I would love to hear from you!!  -A

I’m off to demonstrate my products at the Good Food Co-op in Rochester on Saturday, June 19. I’ll be there from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. giving samples of my Kim Chi and Pickled Beets. Can’t wait to meet the fine supporters of that co-op whose location is at the nerve center of conventional medicine. So come on down and visit if you shop at that co-op. I’d love to meet you and talk food. -A

The rain sooths, nourishes and cleanses. For 44 acres in Elmwood, WI it is a blessing. Last summer as our area went through bouts of dry and wet; I found myself dragging the irrigation equipment in and out of the field always muttering to myself (which I do frequently) “there has got to be a better way!” That better way appeared in an article I read a year or two earlier in Acres magazine. The authors, farmers themselves in rural Pennsylvania, wrote of successful dryland farming practices. For most of you out there that subject matter would be a real yawner, but I get goose pimples even now when I write about it. The truth is we use too damn many nonrenewable resources. Food production takes no exception, especially when it comes to irrigation. Eric and Ann Nordell, the farmers who I am referring to, created a system of farming that relies mostly on the health of their soil and cover crops to retain moisture in the ground. These folks are farmer rock stars. There is no doubt about it, because their organic water conservation system has been outperforming even other organic farmer neighbors of theirs. Their system requires a real leap of faith; so jump I did. The picture above shows hairy vetch interseeded between each vegetable row, a hallmark of their farming system. The vetch helps keep water in the soil and around all of the vegetable plants and acts as a living mulch. In a nutshell I have made their complex system sound easy, but it is very intricate. Suffice it to say that I’ve been woken up at night by bad dreams that told me this year I would lose all of my crops because I decided to jump off the proverbial bridge and not irrigate. And then came the rain….., the blessed rain. It has closeted my angst and with that has invoked in me a greater appreciation of the unexpected weather patterns that dance around the upper Midwest. Oh, blessed rain.Beautiful “Babe.” She’s one of the motley crew of our highland cattle enjoying the wet weather while begging for more sea kelp.  

Sweet, wet red clover sucking up the rain.

Young Napa Cabbage, soon to become Kim Chi here at Angelica’s Garden.

In the distance on this wet day is a stand of rye that we’ll be harvesting and selling in some form. We’ve had some comments from the conventional farmers around our parts that they are impressed with our stand of rye. (in fact most don’t even know what the hell it is because they’re so use to seeing corn and soybeans. They are jealous though cuz I see them gawking from their trucks as they drive by- almost driving into the ditches.) Who says organic farmers can’t produce stellar crops without the aid of modern chemistry?!

-A

I’m truly envious of the nine to five crowd some days. Not every day of course. But now when the clock of summer ticks away, farmers get busy with making hay while the sun shines. You hear the bumbling of the tractors and haybines running up and down the country roads, heading to neatly cut the first hay crop of summer. Oh, that sweet intoxicating smell of the first cut of hay…. it sends you into summer’s trance.

I wish the work to be over when the clock strikes 5 these days, but it ends up just being another hour of the day, a number on the clock. The sun shines until about 9 p.m. and I feel guilty if I hang up my hat before 7. Crazy how these long days seem to never end. Vegetable production is a very demanding profession in the summer and it can zap all of your energy and free time, as noble as it is. The spring planting is almost finished here at Angelica’s Garden, but as the first spring produce is being harvested fall crops will be sown. As the summer clock ticks away vegetable production is orchestrated from seed to jar of sauerkraut and every step in between. It’s always a race to the end -the first frost of fall. As taxing as it can get, I can’t imagine having any other job. -A

It’s a sad day in Wisconsin. Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed the raw milk bill that sailed through both houses of the legislature earlier this year. Troubled with misguided information about the risks of drinking raw milk, he succumbed to the persistant pressures of industry lobbyists and state health “experts.” And sadly it is us the consumers who are left with the consequences of someone telling us what we can and cannot consume. And more importantly, the small dairy farmers who needed this bill to help their farms stay financially solvent are now trying to figure out how to proceed. It saddens me to see corporate interests successfully vilify and squelch the efforts of these small, sustainable farmers. This fight is not over despite the setback. I’ll continue to blog about this issue as it is something that impacts everyone who eats, especially those of us who eat well. -A

Well, it was a hard decision, but due to a smaller quantity of Ramp Kim Chi available this season from Angelica’s Garden, the Wedge will be the only store carrying this product. For anyone who is a big fan of this “seasonal” product, it will be available at the Wedge May 22 in limited supply. This year’s batch is heavier on the ramps and a little less heavy on the hot pepper. We would love to hear comments on this year’s batch, so pick up a jar and shoot us a comment. More seasonal products are coming up this season, so stay tuned here as the season moves forward.  -A

It’s a mighty fine thing observing animals in their natural environment. Mike and I just finished fencing a 10 acre paddock for our three Scottish Highland cattle. Since we first acquired them back in December, they have been hanging out in a smallish paddock eating hay and rations of sea kelp. They were content in the winter to abide by this arrangement, however they have turned their desires elsewhere since the green grass of spring started taunting them from the other side of the fence. Today, we just finished the fencing and they are now roaming with pride through the thicket of range, snubbing their noses at the confinement cattle up the road. It’s amazing to see domesticated animals nowadays doing what they are meant to do in nature, eating the foods they are meant to eat and living in the way that is their heritage. I only wish the rest of us could follow suit. -A