It's winter on the farm, but it really just feels like mud season. A lot of rain and the freeze, thaw cycle means sloppy fields, getting stuck, and muck boots. As farmers we need to be prepared and remain flexible to the weather. In addition to running Grounded Hands Farm, I also work at Chickadee Creek Fam, an organic vegetable producer in Pennington, NJ (where you can now pick-up chicken orders on Saturdays!). This week on the vegetable farm we had to remove the plastic covers of our caterpillar tunnels, where we grow winter veggies, so the wind didn't take it off for us. Once the wind calmed but before the temperatures really dropped, we had to put the plastic back on and tighten it up. These plastic tunnels allow us to grow salad and cold weather greens throughout the winter and they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and permanence. But the true joy of growing winter vegetables is in the taste. Let me tell you how amazing winter spinach is and how it makes the best tasting winter soup!
The cold causes the spinach cells to produce more sugars as a form of frost protection, so it is so incredibly delicious... almost sweet. I have made the most memorable soups this winter and I am giving the credit to my fresh, local ingredients. My soup starts with Grounded Hands Farm chicken stock and evolves into a cold-fighting, nutrient rich soup thanks to Chickadee Creek Farm root vegetables and leafy greens. I always make sure to wait until the soup is off the heat to stir in a chopped green. Really, do yourself a favor and wilt some spinach (or kale, or chard, or microgreens) into your next chicken noodle soup!
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