Spinach… Super Food or Super Bad?

We all know spinach is good for us, right? Well… it depends.

• 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.

Snow Dreams of Spring Veggies

…veggie stuff at the bottom of the post… first is kid stuff… scroll down if you want to skip the kid stuff…

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

Whoo hoo! 9 CSA Members!

9 members!  I know that may not sound like a lot, but it is!  Usually, we get flooded with contracts and checks, finally, in March and April–well past when we have spent oodles and gobs of money on seeds, heating the greenhouse, chickity doo-doo, equipments, etc.  So to have 9 of you believe in us this early is fantastic!  Thank you thank you THANK YOU.  Now go out and find me MORE PEOPLE!  Hmmmm… lets see…. 9 out of 75 is 12%.  If we continue to get 9 every week, we will be full in 7 more weeks, or the middle of March, which would beat last year by a month.  And be more appropriately targeted to match our expenses.  Wow!!  Now to stay on track!

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

Straight from the mouth of babes

Andrew’s turn to have a 102 degree fever.  This is when I get my office sit down time.  I was going to plant in the high tunnel today.  But we are home.  You wouldn’t think he was sick, except for the random sneezing.  And the ‘tenjabur’ (temperature).  He wants to go outside to play.  He wants to go for a hike.  He want to eat everything in the house.  I suspect he’ll be fine.

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!

Early Sign Up Ends January 31. Sign Up today to preserve your spot (and help feed a farmer)

Are you joining Red Ridge Farms’ CSA program this year? Just a quick reminder that the early signup period ends January 31st- to receive your best discount, I need your contract and check postmarked by then. If you need to pay later, that’s fine too, but I would love to know if you will be returning, as we are getting quite a few new inquiries. Just a reminder that we do a great debit style program at some of the locations, where you DON’T have to pick-up each week, and you can get exactly what you want, rather than a pre-packed basket. Thanks a bunch!  Don’t forget you can print the contracts directly from the website.

Artistry at its Best

So, my daughter is a budding artist.  She’s 5.  She cranks out, oh, say, a couple hundreds works a month.  And randomly, she creates something that is worthy of a second look, and a picture frame.  She’s also very possessive of her art, deciding who should get each picture or object.

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.

Resistance is Futile

Okay.  I lied.  I didn’t mean to.  I have told LOTS of folks that I was going to order FEWER varieties of vegetables, make simpler planting diagrams, eliminate funky weird things that nobody knows, nix veggies that I have to coerce market goers into sampling, and concentrate on the majority of crop that are completely recognizable.  Oops.

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?”