Newsletter Week 9

A strange thing happened at Wellspring this past week: we had to turn on our irrigation system for the first time this season. After all the rain we’ve had, irrigating our fields has just not been necessary.  Thankfully, we had our system set up and ready to go; all that was needed was to turn it on and give your crops a much needed drink.

The dry weather has allowed us to get into areas formerly too wet to weed.  Working hard, we’ve cleaned up the fields and they are looking stellar.  Come out and see for yourself!  While here, walk the trails and enjoy the beauty of this place.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the abundant amount of kale we’ve given you thus far. While we realize that kale is perhaps not the most sought after vegetable, I think I can speak for the rest of the crew in saying that it should be!  If you only eat one vegetable, many claim, kale should be it.  It has the highest protein content of any of the green vegetables, as much as whole milk and far fewer calories.  It blows almost any other vegetable out of the water where vitamin A is concerned.  Tons of vitamin C too.  And it keeps a long time. Read more about kale on the World's Healthiest Foods website.  Keep it in a plastic bag in the fridge, or blanch for 3 minutes and freeze for later use. Despite its nutritional superiority however, this powerhouse, around since the time of the Greeks and Romans, continues to be underappreciated in the US: the largest user of kale here is Pizza Hut, but they don’t even serve it to be eaten.  Since it keeps so well, they use it to decorate their salad bar!

After a frost, kale gets deliciously sweet (you’ll receive some then too, don’t worry!), and my body seems to crave it. Right now however, I’m craving parsley, which you’re receiving for the first time this week.  My working theory is that both vegetables have high amounts of calcium, and that most of us — myself included — don’t really get enough calcium in our diets. It’s no wonder, as continuous use of ammonium-containing fertilizer, such as is used in conventional agriculture, accelerates calcium loss from soil. No calcium in your soil, no calcium in your veggies!

-Jeff Schreiber