• Spinach is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It has very few calories (7 calories and 0 g of fat per cup), provides few carbs, and 1 gram of fiber.

• Baby spinach and mature spinach provide the same benefits, and both are readily available in most grocery stores.

• Even more benefits abound: a serving of raw spinach provides 56% of your vitamin A, and contains good amounts of vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, folate, vitamin E, potassium, vitamin B6 and B12. Spinach provides 14 percent of the RDA for vitamin C, 3 percent of calcium and 5 percent of iron.

• It also offers the trace minerals selenium, copper and zinc.

• Would you like me to continue? Okay, spinach is full of phytonutrients (stuff that fights against inflammation) such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which help with eyesight and protecting your body from illness and chronic disease.

This is where it gets interesting. Spinach is one of the “dirty dozen” listed by the Environmental Working Group. These are the items with the heaviest toxic chemical load. Please search out organic versions of ANYTHING on this list. How much contamination do you think is okay?

• The EWG found nine different chemicals present in conventional spinach. Eighth on the list out of 12, it was found to be one of the most commonly tainted crops. Some of the pesticides used on spinach are the most powerful toxins available or approved in the United States for food crops.

• The FDA has conducted similar tests and has found that 83% of conventionally grown spinach tested positive for dangerous levels of some of the 36 chemical pesticides commonly used to grow it. If the spinach comes from other countries- the number goes up- 57 pesticides have been found.

• Many of these chemicals are carcinogens. Dr. Sears (www.askdrsears.com) emphasis the benefits of spinach- calling a salad that includes it an ‘anti-cancer’ salad. Does anyone see the irony here? Spray cancer fighting spinach with cancer causing chemicals, wait for the rain and time to dissipate the levels to ‘acceptable’ and then feed it to the masses?

• And then they wash it. And contamination spreads. And they add sanitizers to the water to prevent contamination from spreading. And mostly it works. Except for the stories you hear on the news about bacteria outbreaks.

Okay, I’ll get off that soap box. I just want people to know what they are putting on the dinner table in the name of health.

And now for the GOOD NEWS! Red Ridge Farms spinach … JUST PLAIN GOOD FOR YOU.

• zero pesticides,

• zero chemical fertilizers,

• and zero chemicals in our wash water, wait… what wash water?

We grow our spinach in thick rows 36” wide. Plants are so tight, we don’t have to worry about weeds (ergo- no need for herbicides). We cover our spinach with a light weight blanket that allows sun and moisture through (ergo- most bugs can’t find the spinach- no need for insecticides). We harvest when temperatures are cool to preserve the crisp foliage, and immediately bag it for you. We do not wash it (no sanitizers, and no spreading of any contaminants). Our eaters (that means you) wash it right before eating, and the leaves stay crisp and fresh. Our spinach usually lasts 2 weeks in the fridge BECAUSE we don’t wash it ahead of time.

Please folks, take responsibility for what you feed those you love. We buckle our seat belts, right? We put fire detectors in our houses, right? How important is the food that fuels our lives? Don’t take my word for it, though. Do your own research, and take responsibility for your health. As always, thanks for reading- have a great and BLESSED day.

Do you have cabin fever?  Ha.  First snow day of the year.  Andrew is so excited.  And not for the reasons you would think.  We bought a bunch of discounted fireworks last summer after July 4th, and because of the drought, we weren’t able to shoot them off- much to Andrew’s dismay.  He woke up this morning, saw the snow, and announced “Fireworks today!”  Snowman AND fireworks- doesn’t get much better than that.

Andrew helped me make cookies yesterday while his sister made a wood carving.  I found her at her desk poking at a stick with a bobby pin.  I watched her for a little while, and she said she wanted to make the stick beautiful- was trying to get the bark off.    I found a handful of non-sharp tools that might be better then a hair accessory, and she got to work with a butter knife, and a handful of screw drivers of different sizes.  Her dad contributed a piece of sand paper, and she was happy as can be for 90 minutes, making that stick beautiful.  And it was.  Now we need to find a fitting way to display this latest gallery piece.

I asked Anna last night at dinner what she wanted to be when she grew up.  Without a thought she said, “I want my own farm and I’m going to plant stuff”.  What a kid.  Warms the heart right up.  Of course, she also mentioned being a doctor, pet vet and a chef (so that when you eat out, Mom, you can come to my ‘resta-not’).

According to recent surveys, farmers are less than 1% of the population, but 1/3 of them are women.  Huh.  Go ladies go.

Back to the cabin fever.  Do you want some fresh veggies?  We will be at Waldo’s indoor market (www.wholesomewaldowednesdays.org) Wednesday from 2-6pm.  Come on out!  We will have spinach, kale, chard, arugula, sweet potatoes, green onions, perhaps some cabbage, lettuce and microgreens.  Come pick up some veggies and then peruse our recipes for a new dish or two.  My faithful web sidekick Shannen has been very busy entering mouth watering recipes on our website, and now the produce is kicking in so you can sample them.  She’s working her way down the alphabet, so not everything has a recipe option yet, but they are coming!

Next, and last for today, please come find us at the Badseed Market this Saturday for the CSA Open House.  If you, or someone you know, is looking for more information on CSA’s, or want to check out some of the other producers (i.e. meat, cheese, and egg venders), come visit Saturday from 10-2pm.  There will probably be some incentives for those signing up that day… I hope to bring some fresh veggies to share with anyone who leaves a contract with us.  There will also be a raffle- winner gets a discount off a CSA membership.  More info?  www.kc-csac.org.  This is a great event- lots of conversations happening all around the room, lots of local eaters finding great local farmers.

CSA count… we are up to 20- which is FABULOUS for this early in the game.  We may just fill up!  Have a great day and thanks for reading.  -Ami

Spring Production is underway in the greenhouse

I have been contacting a few newspapers (and a local magazine even contacted me- I am so excited!) trying to find ways to market what we do to a larger audience.  If anyone can help me with that, let me know.  We will have a few articles about the farm in March, I’m hoping.  Now I’m looking for something to get out in February, and I probably need to develop a small ad to run in the local paper, here in Oak Grove, Lee’s Summit, and/or Overland Park.  I also need to develop a better looking (or more polished) logo.  Do you know someone who can help with that?

The enthusiasm out in the community for what we do is heartfelt, heart-warming, and inspiring.  We constantly get calls and emails asking about the program; so we know we are on the right track.  Now we need to translate that enthusiasm into actual members.  If you have inquired about membership, but haven’t sent in your contract, please know I can’t ’count’ you until we get the contract.

Yesterday, I planted potatoes in the high tunnel.  Way early, I know, but won’t they taste good in April?!

Thanks again for making Red Ridge Farms a small part of your day.

CSA members picking up their veggies

So, we had a quite indepth conversation this morning about God.  I’ll just give you the basic Andrew summary.  Andrew:  “So, when I get to heaven, I’m going to hug God.  Everybody should hug God, because if you don’t, that would make him sad.  Who is God anyway, Mom?  I think God helps us like when you are cooking.  It’s like if you make the wrong recipe, and you have to dump it out and wash the bowls and stuff.  God will help you find the right recipe.”

Just ponder that today and have a good one!

Her Aunt Jilly, (my sister, Jill) is also an artist.  Well, she’s an eye doctor, who likes to relax by perfecting various techniques such as turning a tree trunk into a windsor chair, or turning an ashtray into a silver brooch.  You know, the random work of art.  We all like to do it, and I completely blame my parents who like to also create their random works of art also (quilts, paintings, wood carvings, you know- basic stuff- you all grew up with a black smith studio in your backyard, didn’t you?)  I also blame my two favorite art teachers from my childhood- Mrs. Landes and Mrs Lamb, and then there was Jane, too- lots of shrinky dinks went in and out of her oven, but that’s another story.  My current art seems to be turning dirt into spinach and squash.  Anyway, I digress.

Back to Anna.  Well, she drew this flower.  Very simple, very folksy, whimsical, and totally Anna.  But she won’t let anyone have it.  So I gave Aunt Jilly a photocopy of it, which Anna approved.  And Jill turned it into a brooch.  Made from an ashtray.  Pretty cool.

It’s the seed catalogs’ fault.  Who knew that Akahana Mame, or Shirhana Mame for that matter, could sound so delightful and tempt me so utterly?  Or that Jeok Gat was affordable and available?  How can I narrow down all the hundreds of delicious sounding beans to just 2 or 3?  I did eliminate Red Komatsuna.  At $150 a pound, that one will just have to wait until someone gives us a winning lottery ticket.  It was hard enough to narrow down heirloom tomato seeds- but I still ordered 50 different ones (down from 100 two years ago, and 70 last year- I think I’m doing pretty good).  And I’m just getting started.  The myriad choices for microgreens, the oodles and gobs of different cucumbers out there.  The divine lettuces (OH! the Colors! the Variegations! )- and don’t get me started on all the winter squash types.  We’re gonna have to make the garden bigger…

“Oh, Jim??  Honey??  Sweetie??…ummm… think we could get the tiller started this weekend?”

I love getting your emails about the CSA program.  I can tell everyone is hungry for fresh veggies.  I actually have a few things ready now, if anyone wants some baby kale, spinach and chard.  Still have lots of beautiful sweet potatoes, too.  Maybe we’ll head to the Waldo market later this month. 

How early is too early to plant potatoes?  Last year I planted them at the end of February, and they were gorgous, delicious, and ready super early.  They did frost off once, but just the top 6″ of the plants, and they came right back.  I’m tempted to put a few in the ground and cover them – what could it hurt? 

On a stinky note, watch out for the brown marmorated stink bug this year.  This invasive pest is due to descend on Missouri - a hitchhiker from over the ocean, this guy is truly obnoxious.  Disturb one, and any others in the area also let off their stink, and from what I understand, they are truly stinky.  A farmer about an hour away found two last year – not good.  They are very hungry pests, piercing holes in produce to eat, they can shrivel up veggies very quickly.  Since they don’t eat foliage, many of the sprays or repellents available organically don’t work.  I’m not sure this is a candidate for mass scale hand picking either, unless you are wearing a clothespin on your nose?  I will have to find a photo of this nefarious creature so we can be on the lookout.  But for now, I’m heading out to the farm.  Have a great day! 

Are you ready for delicious, home-grown produce?  We are preparing for a great 2012 season.  Red Ridge Farms will be 4 years old, and we’ve made more exciting advances and changes to the farm. 

• We’ve already planted 2 high tunnels with cool season crops- everything is up and growing!  In fact, we ate a fresh greens salad of baby kale, chard and spinach for Christmas. 
• We’ve got a third high tunnel in process, which means we should have summer crops (tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans) ready a few weeks earlier than usual, and with less weather-related melodrama (“Class 101- how to trick mother nature in Missouri“).
• All 2.5 acres of the garden are now raised beds.  We’ve created a system that works with our heavy clay soils, which rewards us with more volume and more ‘perfection’ in our crops. 
• Our asparagus, strawberry, and rhubarb beds are in their 2^nd year, and ready to (lightly) produce. 
• We’ve added 3 new delivery locations – Grain Valley, Centerview, and Overland Park. 
• Our market (debit) style CSA program will be offered at Brookside, Lee’s Summit, and Overland Park. 

Our goal in 2012 is to double our CSA subscriptions.  We want to continue reaching as many people as possible who would like to put fresh, local produce on their table.  We love our CSA members; you reward us with so much.  Each week, we love hearing the stories, the recipes, the likes (and the dislikes), the ups and downs of our circle of farm friends.  You keep us focused on the “Why” we do what we do.  We share our lives with each other.  Honestly, you make this the best job we’ve ever had. 

We have new choices!

  First of all, we’ve added 3 new locations.  In order to justify the mileage and time, we need 10 CSA members per location.   This is where you come in.  We need your help reaching those new members.  Consider emailing this letter out to friends and family.  If you’ve subscribed in the past, include a personal note.  Perhaps you could share pick up responsibilities.    As a thank you for your time, we will deduct $20 from your subscription for each referral subscription we receive in your name. 

Secondly, we have tweaked our CSA choices again.  This year, if you pick up at Brookside, Lee’s Summit, or Overland Park, you can choose between a traditional CSA basket, where we pre-pack your bag, or a market (debit) style basket.  Market style means your dollar value is available to buy exactly what you want, when you want, at a discounted market price.  If you want 4lbs of green beans one week and 3 zucchini the next, that is fine.  If you skip a few weeks, that is fine too.  We keep track of your spending each week, and your funds are available to you until the season ends. 

Lastly, we continue to adjust how we communicate with our members.  Last year’s newsletter becomes this year’s blog post and website.  We will continue increasing our selections of recipes and tips for eating great food, while continuing to share weekly farm news.  We will be sending out a weekly pickup reminder, because even the most timely of us gets a little sidetracked during the summer!!

Last year’s Farm Tour was a success, and we look forward to scheduling a weekend or two this year where we can all get together and discuss “the big picture”.  Of course, you are always welcome to volunteer or just visit.  Gives us a call before you come, so we can enjoy the time with you.   

We pledge our best effort to provide the highest quality food to you in a consistent manner.  We are excited about the strides we have taken to reaching our goals, and invite you along for the ride! 

Happy 2012!  -Jim and Ami Zumalt

PS.  Don’t forget! Talk to your friends- each new membership is a $20 discount for you!