|
Location:
North Albany, Oregon
Providing
the Co-op with: Basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, chives,
celery, fennel, chard, kale, eggplant, green peppers, red
peppers, garlic, frisee, dandelion, celeriac, spinach, collards,
arugula, lettuce
Farming practices: Certified Organic
Acreage
farmed: 25 acres
Crew
size: 22
Farming
since: 1988
Products
used to control weeds, pests and pathogens: Safers soap,
clay, and neem and Bt israelensis on greenhouse seedlings
only
"I
studied forestry at OSU but found more enjoyment in my work-study
job at the research vegetable farm. That lead to various farm
jobs including a year each at Gathering Together Farms and
Denison Farms. Then we dove in head first into our own place.
Farming
and working with nature is my passion. I love learning our
seasons and trying to find new windows of when we can grow
certain things. I especially enjoy growing all the offbeat
European-style greens like frisee, arugula, radicchio, dandelion,
etc.
I
think we've found a balance (finally) between farming and
family life and feel like we'll be at this for a long time
to come." -Jamie
Did
You Know?
Dandelion
greens
The name dandelion comes from the French dent de lion, meaning
"lion's tooth," a reference to the jagged-edged
leaves of this noteworthy weed that grows both wild and cultivated.
The bright green leaves have a slightly bitter, tangy flavor
that adds interest to salads. They can also be cooked like
spinach. The roots can be eaten as vegetables or roasted and
ground to make root "coffee." Dandelion greens are
an excellent source of vitamin A, iron and calcium.
Radicchio
Radicchio is a mildly bitter tasting leafy vegetable. It is
actually Italian Chicory. Some varieties include radicchio
di Verona which looks like a small head of red lettuce and
radicchio di Treviso that looks a bit like a red version of
Belgium Endive. This vegetable is very popular in Italy and
has gained in popularity in the United States in the last
few years. It is eaten raw with just a bit of olive oil and
salt, as well as mixed into a variety of salads. It may also
be grilled or roasted or combined into other dishes such as
risotto. It is high in magnesium, potassium, and has 10.8
I.U. of vitamin A.
Frisee
This fluffy vegetable has a mildly bitter flavor and is often
used in the special salad mix, mesclun. Frisee is a member
of the chicory family, which includes radicchio, treviso,
Belgian endive, green endive and escarole. It's a fine-leafed
endive displaying dark green outer leaves, paler yellow middle
leaves and delicate white center leaves. Frisee is a little
wild in salads, lending its feathery burst of green color
and mildly bitter kick to them.
|
