Hungry Hollow Happenings: February 2023

Hello, again, and Happy New Year!

We took a pause on our newsletter, as we didn’t have much in the way of “news” to share over the last few months. A bit of a winter hibernation felt fitting. Around November, after we finish packing all our winter squash for the season, our farm becomes pretty quiet as people take off for winter vacations and the fields are put to rest for the cold months ahead.

In fall, we plant our barley and cover crops (and snap peas, if we have time!). The seeds get tucked into the fields and we wait for rains to come water them in. This year, the rain delivered in a big way! As I’m sure you know, California got a deluge of rain in late December and early January. Luckily, we didn’t experience much damage on our farm, but there are signs here and there of the grand effects water can have on a landscape with its rushing currents and heavy downpours.

The photo below shows a newly formed creek running through our vegetable field after a series of heavy rains. Can you see the tiny plants holding on with their strong roots

The heavy rainwaters overflowed the slough and canals that run through our farm causing water to rush through several fields.

With it, the flowing water carried branches, rocks, plant matter, and silt. It moved pipes, carved shallow channels through the dirt roads and exposed pebbles and rocks that were underneath layers of soil. We are curious to see what new weeds the traveling silt may have brought in – only time will tell!

We removed our oldest asparagus planting last season, and in doing so lifted the woody crowns and roots out of the ground. Over time, they began to decompose, losing most of their mass to resemble gnarled straw hay. Being so light, all these asparagus roots were carried away with the storm waters, many collecting in one area of a field, like kelp and sea foam on a beach. We’re also finding them scattered around roads in areas where water drained out of canals further “downstream.” Amazing to be reminded of the power water has to transform a landscape, in ways big and small.

The photos below show a close up of the tangle of asparagus roots (left) and how they washed up and amassed in the field (right).

The parched land is drying out quickly, though, with help from days of strong north wind that followed the rain.

Cracks are already forming in our field roads, and our fields are just dry enough to begin working on in preparation for upcoming plantings. It’s moments like these where we can see the benefits of our long-term soil-conscious practices at play.

Healthy soil absorbs, percolates, and stores water deep below the soil surface whereas pooling and standing water may occur in less vibrant soils (compaction and lack of organic matter and living organisms may play a role in this). One marker of “good soil” is that when you get several inches of rain, it all goes “down.” That’s not to say that you can’t get flooding in “healthy” fields – geography, topography, and weather conditions are all contributing factors.

The rains came in a helpful manner this year where we would get 1”-2” of rain and then it would stop for 24 hours allowing the water to soak in or run off, then we would get another shot of rain. This is ideal because more of this water percolates through the soil into our aquifers. We certainly had some puddles for a few days after the constant barrage of storms but mostly the water was absorbed.

In the photos below, cracks form as the roadways and bed tops dry out (left). We use our tractor to break up the crust on the beds in preparation for planting (right). The heavy rain drops cause a bit of compaction and a thick crust to form on the top layer of the soil, especially on fields with sandy clay soil (sand, clay, and heavy rain combine to create a cement-like effect). We need to crack open the hard top layer to let air back into the soil.

The flow of rainy days gave us lots of time to work on our planning for next year.

The past several years have been trying, to say the least, but we are hoping for a vivacious and abundant 2023. We’re still working on our crop plans -- they’re never really “finished,” as adjustments will inevitably come up throughout the planting seasons.

We would like to incorporate more crop diversity into our fields this year – one thing we’re thinking about is sweet corn for our local customers. Any takers? We welcome feedback year round, but now is an especially good time to ask about any crops or let us know what you want to see growing at Durst Organic Growers this year!

One of our goals as a farm is to feed and nourish our community. So, tell us – what would you like us to include in our crop mix? You can reply to this email or fill out the survey using the button below.

Local Customer?

If you’re a local (Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, etc.) customer who’d like to know what we have available, consider signing up for our weekly availability lists through the link below. It’s especially helpful for those of you interested in our “small crops,” like Romanesco (pictured above), which we only offer for direct local sales.

What’s for Dinner?

In case you’re like us and still have some winter squash on your counter, you might be looking for some recipes to help you go through them before asparagus season starts. We’ve been enjoying Sugar Pie Pumpkin Jam, Butternut Squash with Chili Paste, Creamy Squash Pasta, Roasted Winter Squash (for a multitude of uses!)…balanced, of course, with plenty of greens - like Collard Greens Pesto! To see the collection of recipes we gather on our website, use the button below.

Thanks for keeping in touch!

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