HomeSpun Magazine ~ 2019 Summer Issue

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HOME 2019 Summer

pun

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Magazine

Choosing Soil Amendments

IN IDE

Soil

Science

Sprout App

Sell your prepared food or produce

MORE THAN

HONEY

Providing residential support for the restoration of wild spaces and diverse forage for all insects, pollinators and birds.

541•647•7566

#revegetationgeneration | #feelthewilds | #ghyagardens |

@gohiveyourself

QUINOA CHICKPEA BOWL ORGANIC GREENS QUINOA

MARINATED CHICKPEAS

PICKLED RED ONIONS

HERB CASHEW CREAM CUCUMBER

TOMATOES

WE OFFER FISH & FAMILY SALMON AND LOCAL TENDER GREEN MICRO GREENS

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May - August 2019

CONTENTS Summer

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HOME

2019

12

The Science in the Soil

OSU Extension

8

pun

Sprouting Up in Bend

8

Sprout Mobile App

12 Planted A Sustainable Lifestyle

36

Deschutes Brewery

16 Choosing Your Soil Amendments

Desert Sage Farms Superior Soils

20 Go Hive Yourself Jennifer Sawyer

24 The Relationship Between Soil & Water in the High Desert North of South Landscapes

20 28 Cooking Comes Alive After Winter

Central Oregon Restaurant Consulting

Recipes 10 Asparagus Salad

by Brian Kerr Owner of Central Oregon Restaurant Consulting

22 Herbed Polenta

with Spring

Veggie Hash

by Savory Spice Bend - Old Mill District

30 Chocolate

Rhubarb Bread

by Linda Stephenson The Rhubarb Lady

38 Grilled Lamb Chops

by Brian Kerr Owner of Central Oregon Restaurant Consulting

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32 Taking It to a New Level Scott Maricle

36 Growing 30,000 Pounds of Veggies on One Acre Seed to Table Oregon

39 Jar Soil Test OSU Extension

40 You’re Living in Rhubarb Country The Rhubarb Lady

41 Central Oregon Locavore Local Product Review

42 Standing Up for Small Farms

Friends of Family Farmers Spring 2019

EDITORIAL

RYAN MOEGGENBERG

W

hen I talk to people about why they garden, usually the word ‘healthy’ is mentioned in the conversation. We want the healthiest food to give us the best chance at achieving our maximum potential to be the healthiest person possible. So then, as gardeners, shouldn’t we apply that same thought process to the food that we feed the plants in our garden? Are we feeding our plants the healthiest diet they need to achieve their maximum nutrient potential for us? Our contributors for this issue have dug into the topic of soil — pun intended — to teach us all about what soil is made of, and how you can work with whatever you have to make it healthy for your plants.

Clare Sullivan, an agronomist for the OSU Extension Agency, expanded my mind with her article that goes deep into soil science and specifically working with ‘Deschutes sandy loam’ that everyone in Central Oregon is blessed with. When we go looking for amendments to fix our garden soil, we can refer to Keegan Uhler’s article explaining what we should be looking for. I especially liked how he boiled it down to two simple rules to live by.

After meeting Scott Maricle through the Central Oregon Gardeners, I asked him to share with us what he has learned about the relationships and ratios between the different minerals and nutrients required in order for them to be bioavailable to the plants that need them. He has proven in his garden that a plant that is meeting its full potential is more able to resist pests. It made me think of garden pests similarly to a pack of coyotes picking off the weakest members of a herd of elk. Garden pests target the plants that are the least healthy first. That is the way it works with everything else in life and makes sense to me that it would work the same way in the garden.

Audrey Tehan of Seed To Table in Sisters — our sponsored farmer this issue — explains how she grows 15 tons of food per season on one acre in Sisters. Additionally, she shares the methods that she has used to increase the organic matter in the soil on her farm from 1.7 percent to 5.5 percent in four years and how she plans to reach her target goal of 7 percent organic matter.

When I read the article by Molly McDowell Dunston, who teaches Irrigation Basics at COCC and co-owns North of South Landscapes, I changed my mind about the proper way to irrigate in Central Oregon based on our soil type. From her article I ascertained that most of what I had heard about watering my garden or lawn must have been based on a soil type that holds water much better than what I am working with at my house.

I hope you learn and benefit from the knowledge that our local experts are passing on to you in this issue.

Happy Growing!

#BeADoer

HomeSpun Magazine is a Bend, Oregon-based magazine, family owned and operated by Ryan and Marcee Moeggenberg.

Published Quarterly: November, February, May, August HomeSpun Magazine is a division of MoeGang Productions | PO Box 1874, Bend, OR 97709 www.HomeSpunMagazine.com | www.Facebook.com/HomespunMagazine Ryan@HomeSpunMagazine.com | Marcee@HomeSpunMagazine.com Send your advertising inquiries, press releases and photos to Ryan@HomeSpunMagazine.com | ©2019

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The Science in the Soil

by CLARE SULLIVAN, OSU Extension Agronomist, Small Farms & Specialty Crops

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he Importance of Soil A lot of people are surprised to learn that soil science is a profession, and a little confused about where “studying dirt” could get you in life. This is understandable, considering most of us were taught to not drag dirt through the house, rather than to pick up handfuls of soil and evaluate its potential. However, many farmers and gardeners, realize that soil is the foundation of everything and is a precious resource that requires attention. Soil supplies us with not only the food we eat, the textiles we use, the trees we like to sit under; but soil is also our earth’s water purifier, atmospheric gas exchange site, and source of many building materials. We literally would not survive without soil.

So what exactly is soil? The Soil Science Society of America defines soil as “the unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the immediate surface of the earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants.” Soil is the material beneath our feet that is made up of complex mixtures of minerals, organic matter, water and air, and is capable of supporting plant growth. We tend to use the word ‘soil’ when we are using this material (i.e. amending the soil in the garden to grow vegetables), while people tend to call it ‘dirt’ when it is smeared on their hands or shoes and not necessarily serving a purpose.

Why is it Important?

What is the Function of Soil?

If you are interested in growing plants, soil is so important because it provides nearly EVERYTHING that your plant needs! Soil supplies plants with water, physical support, air for the roots, and 14 of the 17 essential plant nutrients (carbon, hydrogen and oxygen come from air and water).

Soil also houses an infinite number of soil macro- and microorganisms, which are nature’s prime recyclers (and are the reason we aren’t being overrun by piles of detritus here on Earth!) Soil is made up of four main parts that all have important functions: • mineral fraction (essentially different sizes of rocks) • organic fraction (dead and dying things) • water • air The mineral fraction makes up the largest percentage of your soil, and defines many characteristics of your native soil, including: soil pH, inherent nutrient content of your soil, water and nutrient holding capacity, and workability of your soil. The mineral fraction is made up of three different particle sizes — sand, silt and clay — and the mixture of these particles determines your soil texture. Sand is the largest and most coarse soil particle, silt is medium-sized and has a smooth feel, and clay is the smallest particle and gives your soil a sticky feel. Knowing your soil texture is important

because texture has a large effect on the capability and limitations of your soil, and directly impacts the way you manage your land. For example, a sandy soil has large pores (the space between soil particles) that allow for good airflow but does not hold onto water and nutrients very well. This type of soil has good drainage, so you can work your ground earlier in the spring, but you will also need to irrigate more often. A clayey soil with small pores holds onto water very tightly, and you will need to wait longer after irrigation or precipitation before working your ground, but you can get away with watering less.

SOIL PARTICLE SIZES SOURCE: GROW OBSERVATORY

The organic matter fraction of your soil is also very important for water and nutrient supply. Soil organic matter includes fresh plant residues, soil microorganisms, and various stages of decaying organic matter — and organic matter helps ‘hold’ your soil in a structural pattern that facilitates good airflow, root growth, and water retention. Soils with increased organic matter have higher water holding and nutrient holding capacities, and organic matter also serves as a nutrient reservoir that provides crops with slow-release forms of nutrients throughout the growing season.

The water and air fractions of your soil are obviously important for ensuring your plant roots stay alive and healthy. Plants absorb the majority of the nutrients they need through their roots, and nutrients are transported to roots via soil water. We often say that nitrogen is the most limiting factor for plant growth, but in reality, water is the most limiting factor since it is needed to transport nitrogen to your plant. Roots, and also microorganisms, need air to breathe, therefore ensuring adequate air supply in your soil is essential. As described above, soil texture inherently influences pore space, but the way you manage your soil can be influential as well. Avoid working your soil when it is too wet because this destroys soil structure and decreases pore space. Pore spaces in soil are used for both water and air, and if all the pores are filled with water (i.e. you’ve overcontinued on page 6 [

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irrigated), then there is no room for air in your soil.

What Makes Good Soil & What Role Can You Play?

Some qualities of your soil are inherent (such as soil texture), while other qualities can be influenced by you. You cannot change your soil texture, but soils with different textures are ‘good’ for different reasons. As described above, sandy soils provide ample drainage and air for plant roots, and clayey soils have a higher water and nutrient holding capacity. The most ideal soils for agriculture are loamy soils, which have a combination of sand, silt and clay particles (see texture triangle), giving you the best functional mix of the soil particles.

SOIL TEXTURE TRIANGLE SOURCE: SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA, SOILS.ORG

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A typical soil is Central Oregon is described as a ‘Deschutes sandy loam’. This soil developed from pumice sand (think volcanic activity), so it is not surprising that the topsoil is quite sandy. Looking around, you see the natural vegetation is sagebrush, bunchgrass, rabbitbrush, bitterbrush — all plants that have low water and nutrient requirements.

Native soils in this area tend to be sandy and shallow, low in nutrients, low water holding capacity, and low in soil organic matter. But don’t worry they have good drainage, and you can work with them.

You can influence how ‘good’ your soil is by the practices you use on your farm or in your garden. Two areas you can directly influence your soil are: soil structure, and soil organic matter. Soil structure refers to the way soil particles are arranged in soil aggregates, and affects your soil pore space. Typically, roto-tilling your ground (especially when wet!) degrades your soil structure and results in decreased pore space, which means lower rates of water infiltration and water retention. Leaving your soil bare and susceptible to wind and water erosion also degrades soil structure.

Having living roots in the ground is one of the BEST ways of improving your soil structure — both microorganisms and roots exude glue-like substances that help bind soil particles together. Macro- and microorganisms feed off of living roots and the additions of above-ground materials, so keeping roots actively growing in your soil as long as you can (i.e. perennial grasses) is the ultimate way to improve soil structure.

However, if you are not growing pasture or a forage crop, it is not easy to keep plants growing year-round in Central Oregon. Another great approach to building your soil structure and soil organic matter is the addition of organic materials. This includes organic materials you apply (i.e. compost, manure), and materials that you grow on your land and return to the soil (i.e. cover crops, crop residues).

To use organic materials effectively on your property, it helps to know as much about the materials as possible.

Composts and manures all have different nutrient contents that will affect nutrient availability in your soil differently.

Composts are generally thought of as ‘soil conditioners’ that help build your soil organic matter in the longterm, but are not a short-term source of nutrients. Some manures can provide a fairly rapid release of nutrients (i.e. poultry litter), but others can tie up nitrogen in the soil when they are applied. Cover crops that are legumes, or young and tender, will release nutrients to the soil within several weeks if incorporated; whereas cereal cover crops or those that are more mature will release nutrients more slowly. Knowing the nitrogen content of the material you are adding is ideal, or at least applying the material several months before planting your crop.

See Fertilizing with Manure and Other Organic Amendments for more information: catalog.extension. oregonstate.edu/pnw533 Plant Nutrient Requirements As mentioned above, plants are supplied with 14 of their 17 essential nutrients from the soil; therefore, it is important to ensure plant nutrients are present in the soil.

All crops have different plant nutrient requirements, but we can generalize a bit. Before talking about nutrients, however, you need to make sure your soil has the correct pH for growing plants. Soil pH is a relative measure of soil acidity or alkalinity, and soil pH influences the availability of nutrients, availability of toxic metals, and activity of soil microorganisms (see soil pH diagram). Most plants prefer a neutral to slightly acidic soil pH.

FIGURE: GENERAL PH EFFECTS ON NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY AND SOIL BIOLOGY. WIDER PARTS OF THE BAR INDICATE THE ELEMENT IS RELATIVELY MORE AVAILABLE TO PLANTS, WHILE NARROW PARTS INDICATE DECREASED AVAILABILITY OF THE ELEMENT AT THAT PH. DEVIATION FROM NEUTRAL PH DECREASES AVAILABILITY OF MANY ESSENTIAL PLANT NUTRIENTS AS WELL AS BACTERIA POPULATIONS. (ADAPTED FROM TRUOG 1947).

SOURCE: WSU EXTENSION

While there are 14 essential plant nutrients in the soil, start with making sure your soil has the right supply of macronutrients for your crop. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are the building blocks for your plant, and are the three numbers you see on a fertilizer bag. For most crops, N is required in the greatest quantity; it is a major component of chlorophyll and amino acids (building blocks of proteins), and is responsible for leaf growth.

Most vegetable crops require 100-200 lbs N/ac (3-5 lbs N/1000ft2). Phosphorus promotes healthy root growth, early shoot growth, fruit quality, and seed formation. Soil test requirement for most vegetable crops is ~25ppm P. Potassium is often required in quantities similar to N; it promotes plant vigor, disease and stress resistance, flavor

and color enhancement, and regulates water pressure in plant cells. Soil test requirement for most vegetable crops is ~200ppm K. Sulfur (S), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) are also macronutrients. Sulfur can be low in sandy soil with low organic matter, and it is common to need to apply 20-40lbs S/ac here in Central Oregon. Soils in this region are typically sufficient in Ca and Mg. For specific nutrient requirements of different crops, take a lot at fertilizer and nutrient management guides on the OSU website: catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu How do I test my soil?

If you’re interested in learning more about your own soil, the best way is to take a soil test. Taking a soil test involves using a soil probe or shovel to collect a representative sample from your garden or farm, and sending the soil to a lab for nutrient analysis. Here are some quick tips on soil sampling: • Soil sampling should be done post-harvest (fall) or early spring ° Give yourself enough time to make any nutrient management decisions • Take soil cores/samples from SOIL SAMPLING PROBE SOURCE: OSU EXTENSION ~15 locations in field to tillage or rooting depth of (6 or 12”) ° Mix together to get a representative sample of field • Make sure you are sampling soil only, not organic materials or fertilizer ° Scrape away any growing plants or freshly added organic amendments • Conduct soil sampling at same time of year to compare across years ° Sample fields every 2-3 years, depending on your goals • Use the same soil lab to compare your soil test results over time The OSU Extension website has many great resources available to guide you through the soil sampling and soil test interpretation process: • A Guide to Collecting Soil Samples for Farms and Gardens: catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec628 • Analytical Laboratories Serving Oregon: catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/em8677 • Soil Test Interpretation Guide: catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec1478 extension.oregonstate.edu photos courtesy of Clare Sullivan

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Sprouting Up in Bend Farm Fresh at Your Fingertips

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by NATHANIEL COX, Founder & CEO of Sprout

started my career as a Chef and Pastry Chef in Sydney Australia, 1999. It was a time of food fascination and the birth of Chef Rockstardom that still lives on today. The blood, sweat and tears of the culinary scene at that time is the backbone for all things chefy today.

After 17 years of globetrotting and using my culinary talents to pay my way, I spent a year reflecting on my journey while living in beautiful Central Oregon (shhh). The more I reflected the more I came to understand that a lot of the amazing moments during my career were directly related to the relationships I had with the farmers that brought me supplies. Not to mention the hands down better quality of product that I received from them compared to the commercial supply chains that restaurants rely on for much of their orders.

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My grandmother and mother were both enthusiastic gardeners, growing citrus, rows of corn and lovely tomato bushes that I took much pleasure in raiding as a kid. My time WWOOFing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) in the Tuscan hills stomping grapes, making goat cheese and tending to the crops are amazing memories.

I am constantly deflated by the inferior products that people are consuming on a day to day basis within the commercial food supply chain. Eighty percent of the food we eat from grocery outlets contain residual pesticides — “Organic” or otherwise.

Commercial purchasers reject amazing produce simply because a caterpillar had a little snack on some leaves or some such natural occurrence. The ever increasing prices being charged by corporate food outlets is becoming a huge strain on peoples

budgets. It vexes me greatly to know that farmers are being ripped off as well as consumers.

The margins that are made for farmers, thanks to the many layers that exist between farmers and consumers, makes farming a tough business to be involved in. Especially for the smaller tier operations that require more manual labor for their output. My relationship with food and my constant efforts to support local growers led me to a light bulb moment in my reflective times while staring at Mt. Bachelor, staring at me.

Two years ago I came up with a plan. I invested much of my life savings and today, through all the heartache, self-doubt and nonbelievers, I am launching a software application company to provide better access for people to their local farms, ranches and green thumbs

around their community.

It’s no secret that mobile phones and application software are increasingly becoming the way people want to purchase goods and continued on page 11 [

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Asparagus Salad

by BRIAN KERR Owner of Central Oregon Restaurant Consulting

Ingredients 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs 2/3 cup lightly toasted walnuts, chopped 1-2 tsp lemon zest, fine Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Crushed red pepper 1.5 lbs very thin asparagus 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/3 cup basil leaves, chopped Parsley and mint, chopped Extra virgin olive oil Blue de auvergne

Directions Combine the crumbs, walnuts, zest, salt pepper and CRP. Toss well.

Add the asparagus, cut on the bias to 1 inch lengths, lemon juice and basil.

Toss well.

Taste for salt and lemon. Once satisfied, add the olive oil and the cheese.

Cup onto plates, garnish with more zest, the parsley and mint.

YIELD 6 servings

Summer 2019

continued from page 9

consume information. The Sprout application intends to match that demand with the demand for fresh, local products and community support initiatives.

Oregon has some amazing cottage food legislation for people to be able to develop an economy for their families right out of their own backyards. People can grow, bake, preserve and pickle, raise chickens and their eggs, along with a plethora of other goods to market directly to consumers. The potential economy and community building aspect of this legislation is fun and exciting.

Farms take so much risk every time they present at farmers markets with produce that often ends up going to waste. The company that we are launching here in Bend will give these small farms the ability to accept orders and bring them to the farmers market, thereby operating once a week as their own “farmstand location”. Reducing their potential losses and increasing their potential profits.

Any farm operating a CSA program can utilize the app and existing infrastructure they already have in place to increase their weekly sales.

The goal for the company is for people to have better access to better food at a better price — all the while, supporting locals. By building a marketplace that farmers can advertise their products and their business for free, I am confident that there will be real benefits for the people who work so hard and put so much love into the food they grow. I really hope that people are willing to give this product a try and to support local agriculture businesses and people within their community. My efforts over the summer will be trying to onboard as many sellers to the platform as possible. The growth of this company, just like great food will take time and love. My hope is that the community is willing to grow with our product and continue to use it over the course of our first summer in Bend.

We became available for live selling as of May 1, 2019.

Our website, SproutMobileApp.com has great information for users of the application. Interested sellers can email us at ceo.sproutcommunity@gmail. com. You will receive an automated response with a lot of necessary information, and we will reach out to you personally as soon as possible.

We will be presenting at farmers markets in Bend throughout the summer to develop relationships with sellers and buyers. We look forward to helping the community — one box of vegetables at a time.

SproutMobileApp.com photos courtesy of Sprout

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Planted A Sustainable Lifestyle

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by CHAD BERG, Executive Chef at Deschutes Brewery

arming is an integral piece of the American economy, therefore it follows that plants are an integral part of not only the economy, but our everyday lives. We all love farmer’s markets, roadside stands and our local market’s produce section. Many of us grow our own with backyard gardens. Is there anything better than harvesting your own carrots, peas or greens?

Plants have always been a part of mankind’s diet and the variety of plant-based foods is becoming more and more diverse. From childhood, when we probably turned our noses up to the broccoli mom put on our plate, to adulthood, we have been exposed to many varieties of plant “food”, some of which we love, and some not so much.

In many cultures, plants are the centerpiece of most meals, with other sources of proteins as a minor additive.

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The food world is ever evolving, and there is a definite trend to more plant-based products. We are seeing large companies focusing on plant-based food items, making them available to all types of culinary outposts, from McDonald’s and food carts, to pubs and fine dining restaurants.

Hopefully this trend represents the future of food consumption, which has proven to have a positive impact on our health and the environment.

We are blessed in Central Oregon with some innovative farmers and restauranteurs that provide us with great choices of plant-based foods. These foods can stand alone on their

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own merit or provide a balance to the proteins that are also locally available. Purchasing plant-based foods supports our local economy, provides a healthy lifestyle and is environmentally responsible. And of course, there are many other plant-based products. When you buy disposable silverware consider plant-based vs. the standard plasticware.

It is a brave new world out there, with more access to fresh foods than ever before. Please take the time to explore plant-based products, and take advantage of all the benefits they offer. deschutesbrewery.com Stock Photos | HomeSpun

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Two simple rules to live by:

• As gardeners, we are responsible for what goes into our soil and food that our families eat — we should embrace the choice to grow healthy, natural and sustainable • Don’t treat your soil like dirt!

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Choosing Your Soil Amendments

by KEEGAN UHLER Owner/Operator of Desert Sage Farms Superior Soils, Bend

F

arming and gardening in Central Oregon can be challenging due to many conditions from the ground up. Most of Central Oregon has young volcanic ash top soil, thus lacking the fundamental elements for successful harvests.

Healthy living soil is the foundation for successful gardening. Houses with strong foundations help maintain their integrity through the uncertainty of what Mother Nature has to offer, as does a strong soil food web for the health and resilience of your plants.

Natural and organic should be the first thing verified before choosing a soil or soil amendment.

An astonishing amount of life is in a healthy soil. Soil contains strains of fungi, bacteria, microorganisms, Protozoa, nematodes and many more that maintain the living biology in healthy soil. Natural and organic are key words for keeping those beneficials thriving as well as a soil pH of 6.5 to 7 which ensures the health of those beneficials that are pH sensitive.

Without these abundant amounts of beneficials to help ward off “would be” predators and disease, your plant becomes prime real estate for the both.

Soils comprised of natural and organic ingredients such as compost, guano, coconut coir fiber, and worm castings as well as aeration from pumice or perlite (just to name a few) adds an abundant amount of beneficials as well as food and housing for them to thrive. Chemical fertilizers and amendments such as Polymer coated granular pellets jeopardize your soil biology and disrupt the natural soil food web. Thus, being said, when you are looking for a good soil to add to your field or just your garden, there are some things to look for to ensure proper health of your soil.

Mineral amendments such as perlite, pumice and

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cinder rock are a must to add air and increase drainage in soil, especially in Central Oregon where we have compacted soils. These amendments hold nutrients, water and air which is necessary for strong root penetration. Air allows the proper absorption of nutrients and provides a home for biology to thrive. These three amendments are close to neutral and do not negatively affect nutrient content or soil PH. Fast draining, well aerated soil can be fertilized frequently and helps prevent toxic fertilizer salt build up. Everything from cacti and succulents annuals, vegetables and herbs benefit from good aeration and drainage.

Coconut coir or “coco” is a favorite soil amendment for many growers. It holds a great amount of water while not becoming “muddy” or loosing structure.

Some of the best coconut coir is manufactured from an inland source in Sri Lanka. This source will naturally contain fewer salts than coconut sourced from the coast. Coconut coir is rinsed three or more times with Reverse Osmosis water to ensure lower

salt content and composted for at least one year. Soils comprised mainly of coconut coir hold water very well. Coco based soils may require more ventilation and less watering. As a grower you can go more days in between watering due to the water holding capabilities of coconut coir (based on watering preferences) which is a benefit when trying to conserve water resources. Coconut coir is very earth friendly as it is a renewable resource and it helps third world countries by providing jobs and income.

Premium premixed bulk or bagged natural and organic soil is the way to go for a soil that meets all of the needs of a healthy garden and the soil food web.

Soils fortified with beneficial bacteria, mycorrhizas, quality aged compost and coconut coir are a sure fire way to achieve explosive root growth. Healthy roots improve nutrient uptake which leads your garden to vigorous growth and beautiful, bountiful harvests.

Light fluffy aerated coconut coir makes for easy root penetration and drainage. When looking at a potting

soil you want to ask yourself, “Does the soil absorb water evenly?” A good way to test it yourself is to squeeze a handful of moist (but not wet or soaked) soil in your hand, if it expands back out like a sponge, as it should, then its good! Coconut based soils meet both of these very important requirements for proper and even root growth.

Desert Sage Farms knows and appreciates the importance of natural, organic and sustainable gardening. Rich, tilthy, aerated, living soil is sure to liven up roots and get that natural food web working for you.

Give back to your soil and it will give back to you.

Two simple rules to live by: • As gardeners, we are responsible for what goes into our soil and food that our families eat — we should embrace the choice to grow healthy, natural and sustainable, and • Don’t treat your soil like dirt! desertsagefarms.weebly.com photos courtesy of Desert Sage Farms

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Go Hive Yourself

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by JENNIFER SAWYER

don’t like to refer to myself as a “beekeeper” nowadays as that description feels like it leans towards a keeper of bees using commercial management methods — which I did for a couple of years. My views have changed drastically since my days of ten frame Langstroth boxes with foundation (prefabricated comb) to aid in my maintenance and routine hive checks, regularly scraping off all of the hard work they put into building propolis. Speeding through my look-sees with very little gentility often leading to agitated and smashed bees.

It would break my dark heart to hear the unavoidable

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crunch of their little bodies when moving at human speed. Don’t get me wrong, it is incredible to peek inside the workings of one of the world’s most fascinating superorganisms but I couldn’t stop the thought of how incredibly invasive it was and the exact opposite of the way nature intended.

I needed to re-learn “beekeeping” this time with the bees as the teacher.

I have spent hours on hours over three years watching their communication techniques and flight patterns at the hive entrance, as well as swarm behavior pre, during and post. Even more hours observing their little bodies as they assist mating between the flora in

my yard which lead to a full blown nerd-out obsession with all pollinators, all the insects and soil health. I have also done a bit of research on the what’s what of apis mellifera. I spent many nights awake obsessing over solutions to not just the issues facing honeybees, but for the entire umbrella of insects, which in return helps bird health and soil health. Their health is supported by availability of diverse forage-nectar and pollen sources free from topical and systemic pesticides, propolis production, less chance of stress and access to clean water and minerals. We also need to stop forcing them into managed boxes — which as it turns out is a very unpopular opinion. Too add: obtaining a hive in fact does not “save the bees”. Too many honeybees in one continued on page 23 [

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Herbed Polenta with Spring Veggie Hash by Bend - Old Mill District

375 SW Powerhouse Dr., Bend • 541-306-6855

Ingredients

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste 4 oz. Brie cheese, rind trimmed off and diced 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided 1 large leek, white and light green parts sliced 1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds Grated zest of 1 lemon 4 poached or over easy eggs (optional)

1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed 1 cup fresh or frozen shelled peas 2 cups milk 2 cups water 1 cup polenta (coarse-ground cornmeal) 1 1/2 Tbsp. Herbes de Provence 1 1/2 tsp. Sel Marin de Guerande Grey Sea Salt, divided (plus more to taste)

Directions Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Add asparagus and boil for 3 min.; add peas for the last 30 seconds. Drain veggies into a colander and rinse under cold water until veggies are no longer hot. Cut asparagus into about 2-inch pieces and return to colander.

Set veggies aside.

In the same saucepan, bring milk and water to a boil. Gradually stir in polenta. Reduce heat to low and add Herbes de Provence, 1 tsp. sea salt, and a dash of pepper. Simmer over low heat for about 10 min., stirring frequently, until thick and creamy. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and 3 Tbsp. butter. Season with additional sea salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, sunflower seeds, remaining ½ tsp. sea salt, and a dash of pepper. Cook for about 5 min. until leeks and seeds start to brown. Add lemon zest and reserved veggies and cook for 2 more min. Remove from heat.

Divide polenta among 4 plates and top each with veggie hash and egg of choice (if using). Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt to taste.

Vegetarian, Gluten-free

Vegan Substitution Suggestions Substitute milk with unsweetened soy milk or almond milk, or replace it with vegetable broth or water. Omit Brie, or use a mild vegan cheese. Use a dairy-free butter. Omit optional eggs.

Yield 4 servings

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area can cause a strain on native pollinators per lack of diverse forage including native flora. With that being said, one needs enough genetically diverse colonies in an area to strengthen the gene pool. Balance.

I realize that backyard urban “beekeeping” is not the equivalent to running an apiary where my income is dependent on the buzz of thousands of hives that require commercial maintenance, thereby giving me the chutzpah to express the above opinion/findings.

Then again, the very notion that we are forcing bees onto semis to be trucked around the country to ensure pollination because the biodiversity that sustains a healthy insect/native pollinator population has been wiped clean for mono-culture production of food should cause pause. This among many other environmental atrocities for the sake of industrial agriculture...I digress.

I have devoted my quarter acre urban property on the SE side of Bend (born and raised here) to revegetation using the methods, philosophy of balance encouraged

by Sensei Masanobu Fukuoka and am now focused on convincing others to do the same whilst simultaneously growing their own food using his natural methods and mineralized soil. My yard is brimming with creatures via an abundance of diverse forage (including “weeds”) for all pollinators, a canopy for birds, debris for insect habitat to support the birds and balance, and a garden that has slowly been building soil and growing small crops over the years. No pesticides or fertilizers are used anywhere on the property and I have banned mowing and edging our now walkable meadow-esque turf. It’s incredibly peaceful. I am sometimes successful in hosting honeybees for more than two seasons. Some years they don’t make it and that is okay. On a good year, the gals gift me honey that is deeply flavored in floral notes. I harvest only in small quantities as to not stress my gals by taking too much of their reserves.

Swarming — the birth of the colony — is by far my favorite of the honeybee happenings. Swarm season can be April-June in these parts, starting 16 days (daughter queen metamorphosis) after several consecutivewarm-seventy-ish days. The Queen Mother leaves en masse with about two thirds of the colony as the hive has become swollen with bees. This swarm of bees will cluster around the queen to protect her, hanging just about anywhere while scout bees peruse and measure new dwellings. Each scout returns to the surface of the honeybee ball and has the job of convincing her fellow scouts to check out her proposed digs, and that hers is the best choice through exuberant dance. The more

scouts she can convince the more votes she gets. This process can take several days or happen in a flash. Once the final votes are cast, the cluster moves as a unit to the winning location. This cluster looks like a cloud en route.

Back inside the original hive a daughter is born and takes her rightful place as queen. She will conduct mating flights with 10-20 drones from neighboring colonies and fill her spermatheca with a lifetime worth of sperm. This process is conducted mid-air. Drones who are successful mating with the queen die a most unfortunate death.

In a nutshell, upon ejaculation the penis is detached or ripped from his body sending him falling to the ground.

Heads-up! Although highly unlikely to happen naturally in these parts, a colony can give birth or swarm up to 20 times. The queen cells remaining after the birth of the last daughter will be disposed of by her. The most swarms I’ve had birth off one hive was five.

If you happen to encounter a cluster don’t panic and don’t pester them. You can either call a bee person like myself to re-home it, or leave it be and it will eventually move on. If you are interested in revegetation I sure would love to help you set your wilds free.

Cheers homies! gohiveyourself.com photos courtesy of Go Hive Yourself

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23

BETWEEN

The Relationship

Soil & Water in the High Desert

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Spring 2019

by MOLLY McDOWELL DUNSTON of North of South Landscapes

A

successful garden is not based on any singular component or attribute of the garden, it is a combination of the many factors that came together to create the garden. It could be the plant stock, seed variety, specialty fertilizer, the perfect exposure of morning sun and afternoon shade, or the aged manure compost amended soil, or just luck. There are so many factors that can influence the success of a garden or landscape that it can be overwhelming to take all of them into consideration so we will focus on the two most important factors: soil and water.

Soil can be thought of as the fuel tank for the landscape; it holds the water and nutrients that your garden and landscape need to keep grow a healthy and beautiful landscape. Just like with a vehicle, the fuel tank needs to be replenished before it is completely depleted. In order to refill your fuel tank, it is important to know what kind of fuel is needed and how big the tank is. Gasoline can be expensive and users avoid spilling or overfilling their tank. Irrigation water should be thought of in the same way, a valuable resource, which needs to be measured and monitored in order to know that what should be applied.

Soil is a mixture of clay, rock particles, and organic matter. The typical soil of the high desert has a very low organic material content, a low percentage of clay and silt with a higher percentage of sand.

Each of the components in soil interacts with water differently, clay hangs on to water tightly while sand retains very little water. Also, the soil profile of the high desert is very shallow as the bedrock is often close to the surface. The soil in the high desert is very different compared to a lower lying floodplain soil. So what happens to high desert soil when they are over-irrigated?

With the shallow soil profile, the depth of the soil often does not have the capacity to hold the water applied to it. The soil can quickly become saturated and reach field-capacity, water will move past the plants’ root layer and not be available for uptake. At continued on page 26 [

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continued from page 25

this point, the irrigation water will percolate through the bedrock and does not serve the landscape.

Depending on the cost of the irrigation water, the cost of the power to move the water, and the cost of the nutrients applied to the soil that are washed through, the over-application of irrigation is expensive on multiple levels. Over irrigation can also cause runoff and other environmental impacts that can create hazards to neighboring streets and properties.

Also consider the over-irrigation of desert soils is the introduction of excess water to an environment.

It can create ideal conditions for pest and disease that are not often found in a desert environment.

When pest and disease are found in the garden and landscapes they are often treated with pesticides, fungicides, and or herbicides to control the issue.

Altering the irrigation application and schedule to avoid overwatering can often alleviate a fungus, disease, or insect problem in the landscape and it is the more cost effective and environmentally responsible way to address the issue. Application

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Spring 2019

of chemicals can often affect the native species of plants and insects that are beneficial and necessary for a balanced, healthy environment.

An understanding of the porous soil of the High Desert is critical to garden and landscape success in Central Oregon. Irrigation practices utilized in other regions with deeper soil profiles, and higher organic matter and clay content that can handle yearly rainfalls of 30 inches per year are ideal for deep and infrequent watering to develop strong roots. The rocky soils and shallow bedrock of the Bend area prevent that practice from being successful here.

When referring to lawn care, many folks lean towards the deep and infrequent watering cycles that work in most other parts of the country. However, here in Central Oregon less frequent, longer irrigation run times do not provide the desired results that most homeowners are seeking. Lawns will often die out when overwatered and moss and other weeds will invade the area. It is important to maintain the sprinklers that irrigate lawns and landscape. Aging systems, winter snow removal activities, and our frequent freeze thaw cycles cause sprinklers to sink, raise, or tilt and can become blocked by foliage. When sprinklers are out of adjustment, the distribution uniformity of the application becomes skewed. Distribution uniformity can also be affected by a clogged or blocked nozzle. A tilted sprinkler will apply more water to one end of its performance arc than the other end. In this scenario, irrigation run times are turned up to apply more water to the area that is drying out and the other area is being over irrigated. After time an altered environment can develop that may be suitable to pests or diseases to move in.

By adjusting a tilted sprinkler the water is applied as designed and will address the overwatering issue as well as the dry area.

This simple fix will save water and prevent unnecessary applications of fungicides, herbicides or pesticides to the landscape.

One way to monitor the amount of water that is in your soil is with a soil moisture gauge. Soil moisture gauges can communicate with most irrigation controllers and will send a signal to tell the system when irrigation is needed. Agricultural irrigation

systems use deficit irrigation which is similar to when the fuel light turns on indicating the tank is getting close to empty. When the fuel light turns on, there are 2 choices: either fuel up now or keep driving and run out of fuel. A deficit irrigation system allows the water to be depleted to the minimum amount of water needed by the plants before they reach permanent wilting point. By allowing the soil to almost completely dry between irrigation cycles the plants are forced to endure some stress that results in a stronger, more tolerant plant that can resist pest and disease. When plants are overwatered they can often become stunted in growth and susceptible to pest and disease easier.

Many irrigation systems are programmed to apply water based on evapotranspiration (ET). ET is the process by which water is transferred from the soil to the atmosphere from the soil surface and by transpiration from plants. Irrigation applications based on ET rates are very effective and is common practice in the irrigation industry. Monitoring the amount of water held in the soil will really take your irrigation to the next level. If the soil has been amended you’ll have improved water holding capacity in the soil and the ET rate might not be accurate for the irrigation system to irrigate for a given cycle. There are often rain events in Central Oregon that appear to have rained enough to suffice for the landscape but actually did not apply enough water and the soil is dry enough to warrant an irrigation cycle.

Over-irrigation can cause a multitude of issues in landscapes and gardens that can often appear as other issues. Reducing water applied through irrigation will reduce maintenance costs and avoid other costly issues that can affect plants and crops.

Simple irrigation maintenance practices of adjusting sprinklers for proper alignment and allowing the sprinkler to apply water as designed will save water and improve the look and the health of the landscape.

Fertilizer and nutrients will not be pushed down through the soil by the water and will be available for plant uptake. Success in the garden and landscape is achieved by finding the happy balance between all of the factors that influence plant health. Water and soil are the most important factors and a balanced relationship between the two is pivotal to the success of your garden and landscape. northofsouthlandscapes.com

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27

Cooking

Comes Alive After Winter H

by BRIAN KERR, Owner of Central Oregon Restaurant Consulting allelujah Spring is here! I have had to tie myself to my chair today, as it is currently like 70 degrees and partly, nope, make that fully sunny! The sunshine and warmth is such a welcome relief from what seemed like a forever winter, some of its evidence still lingers in my neighborhood, clinging desperately to trees and shadows, kept alive by the still, cold nights.

I recently read in a cookbook that it is the cold nights that add a level of sweetness to the early spring vegetables that are now popping up around your local grocery. Asparagus comes to mind first off — I think we all associate springtime when the teeny tiny stems of asparagus show up to replace the woody stalks shipped from goodness knows where. These thin spears of asparagus are a harbinger of good things to come. However, before you put the kettle on or fire up the grill (my favorite way to eat asparagus is grilled simply with olive oil and salt) try eating your asparagus raw. Surely you have tried this before, but perhaps only a spear, or half of one? Have you tried a whole salad of raw asparagus? I made one for dinner last night out of toasted walnuts, a funky blue cheese, lots of lemon and extra virgin olive oil and I swear, it was so dang yummy! The crunch of the raw vegetable with its grassy, sweet, asparagus-y flavor pushed along with some flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper, the lemon zest playing a contrasting role to the full flavored and soft, fatty blue cheese, all of which leans on and gets better when a toasted walnut makes it to the fork. I paired the salad with a steak from the grill and left the table happy. I got to wondering about how I might use the rest of the bunch of spears I purchased, and since the grill was still hot, I took to my go-to 3-ingredient recipe and grilled them up al dente, cooled them down and cut them into 1-inch bits to use in an omelet in the morning for breakfast. Grilled asparagus with grated or peeled parmigiano and lemon zest as a side, or a cold salad, on toast with smashed fava beans or avocado and aleppo pepper, or pureed into a soup, or a salsa! (See Asparagus Salad recipe on page 10.)

But it was that salad that got me thinking about other items that could possibly take its place in a similar arrangement.

Pea shoots!

Pea shoots is another item I look forward to munching on in the spring with their bright color, tender leaves, playful curlicues of tendrils and some firm stems in there to keep it all bouncy and fun. The pea shoots could easily stand in for the asparagus in the salad I had for dinner, perhaps with shredded parmesan or fresh ricotta cheese instead of the blue, and adding some mint and basil to it, and extra ground black pepper with a light vinaigrette.

This delectable early spring treat is great on its own, but put it between two slices of olive oil-brushed and toasted crusty bread with mortadella and some olives, spice it up with some pickled peppers from your pantry and you’ve got yourself a delicious treat.

But, enough about cold salads, the mornings are still chilly, as are the evenings! Plenty

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of spring vegetables are well suited to warmer dishes. Have you seen any ramps in the store yet? They have a very short season as they are the earliest version of wild leeks, so they have an intense garlic-onion flavor and a heady aroma. Making pesto, the basil variety, ought to be in your kitchen arsenal, you could make it without a recipe, right? Are you secure enough in your pesto powers that you can try another herb, or nut? Ramp pesto is just a straight up knockout for garnishing your fresh pasta dishes, to fold into aioli for a bite of toast, or as a dressing for spring lamb. Just process some chopped ramps with some kosher or sea salt till smoothish, drizzle in enough extra virgin olive oil to loosen it up to your liking. You can embellish it with toasted nuts if you like, or if you are a by the book pesto maker you can add cheese too. But the three ingredient ramp pesto is sublime.

Remember, when cooking with very few ingredients, use the best you can get your hands on or afford.

As the pages on the calendar begin to turn toward regularly warmer, if not predictable, weather, more and more items tend to turn up in your CSA basket. Mustard greens, red sorrel and calcot onions are just several of the unique items I have recently seen advertised in local baskets. I had to look up the Calcot Onion though, that was a new one on me. They are a milder version of a scallion, quite similar in appearance, and they are originally from Spain. Where does that info take your cheffy mind? Romesco sauce!

Grilled onions and potatoes with an almond-rich, roasted red pepper puree tongue tingling chile and olive oil delivery system!

Wow, if you can find some of these treats, go for it.

I like to use broccoli raab, or rabe, or rapini, as a side dish whenever the first and freshest arrive, I tend to treat them a lot like I do asparagus, but I favor the saute pan instead of the grill.

Something about searing the leaves and stems and tender buds in olive oil with a lot of garlic sends my taste buds into heaven.

Speaking of heaven, it wouldn’t be heaven if there weren’t beets there! Early, early beets are sweet enough, and hopefully small and tender enough for you to brush off the grit and eat one out of hand!

Try it, I did, and I was transported. I lived in Russia for a summer while working at a fishing camp and beets were the dominant vegetable at the market there so I learned how to cook borscht like the Russians do. When I came home, and over the years, l have learned how to pickle them, roast them, boil them, salt roast, make beet and bacon sandwiches, shred them and dry them and turn that into a powder to garnish plates with. I don’t particularly care much for late season beet tops, but the young tender tops are good for a saute with some kale and mustard greens, arugula and garlic. I am making dinner this week with some roasted young beets which I will add to some young carrots, maybe some roasted garlic cloves.

Kinda like what you might do in the fall and winter with squash and onions, turnips, just your basic root vegetable roast, but this time using younger, more vibrant flavors and colors.

Artichokes are another great spring and summer item, good in so many different ways. We all have had someone’s version of artichoke dip, a couple of restaurants in town offer good ones, continued on page 31 [

29

Chocolate Rhubarb Bread

by Linda Stephenson, The Rhubarb Lady 4243 NW Gerke Rd., Prineville linda@lsgardens.com • 541-408-2295

Ingredients 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup Hershey’s chocolate 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon sea salt 1½ cups rhubarb, finely chopped ¼ cup unsalted butter (slightly melted and cooled) ¼ cup canola or coconut oil ¾ cup light brown sugar 1 large egg (room temperature) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions Mix dry ingredients together, add wet ingredients, mix well.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350° for 55 to 60 minutes.

Summer 2019

continued from page 29

and it’s a staple at potlucks year round. But when they are young and in season is when they have the most flavor, are more tender and much more versatile. I like to shop for small ones and peel away all of the outer leaves, peel away the skin on the stem, pull out the purple choke and scrape it clean with a spoon. Rinse them in some lemon water to keep them from turning color on you. From here you can slice in half vertically and oven roast them alongside some carrots, or just with herbs, oil and garlic or leeks and lemon.

From there you can make your own iconic dip, or a roasted artichoke soup, cool them down and slice into a salad with nuts, avocado, arugula and farro with herbs and olives.

As I round out this edition I would be remiss if I left out another one of those post-winter food items that herald in the season of sunshine, budding trees and flowers, kids in the playground and adults on mountain bikes.

Tender, delicious, versatile lamb. I am also cooking lamb this week, I think I will do lamb chops, though I have also cooked some lamb leg recently, braising it with cumin and coriander, plenty of flavorful broth, some onion, carrot and dried guajillo chilis and used that as the basis for some incredible tacos and tortas. The lamb chops I will cook this week are of the more tender and fresh variety, so I want that flavor to be the standout, simply cooked on the grill with a marinade brushed on made from coriander, fennel, olive oil, lemon, greek oregano and some fresh parsley. I will serve this with an arugula salad dressed in a honeychili vinaigrette alongside some twice fried fingerling potatoes and wilted spinach. The combination of flavors and aromas are sure to drive my neighbors wild. (See Grilled Lamb Chops recipe on page 38.)

Lastly, I just want to remind everyone to shop local, support your local farmers and producers, your independent grocers, all of which work so hard to keep us alive with the best that Central Oregon has to offer.

Eat locally at restaurants that support those farmers and businesses. Ask your server, next time you are out, where does the chef shop? Show your businesses that you care by supporting them through your purchases, by participating in CSA programs, lending a hand at a local farm, and saying thank you to the hard working people who only have our satisfaction in mind.

Thank you.

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31

Taking It to a New Level

by SCOTT MARICLE

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Spring 2019

I

was born into a farming family on both sides. My earliest memory is of me playing in the dirt while my grandpa was planting my mother’s garden on a happy spring day. I have been gardening or farming ever since. There is nothing like planting the seed and being a part of the miracle of new life.

Several years ago, my wife and I became very involved with Young Living Essential oils which brought new awareness and insights to me. First, I realized I needed to take personal responsibility for my health. Second, I gained a new appreciation that plants truly have the power to create compounds that can heal and support healthy life. You may say that this is obvious. I really did not get the breadth and depth of the healing power of the plant until Young Living came into our life. Food and plants can be our best medicine. Healthy plants, that is.

So, with this new insight, I started planning my next garden. I thought to myself, “Better up my game and learn how to grow organic superfood”. I went to Knott Landfill and brought home enough compost to cover my garden six inches deep. Knowing that Central Oregon hay fields eventually turn acidic and require lime supplementation, I went and found some dolomite lime

thinking, “A couple of bags ought to do.” I worked it all in the soil and planted my garden. Well, everything did not go so well. Yes, my seed sprouted but so did every bug under the sun. I managed to salvage some cabbage from the worms by using the old trick of submerging the heads under salt water. Once the worms quit coming to the surface you can start cooking.

What was I going to do? This was not what I pictured in my mind. I had seen photos of lush organic market gardens and mine did not look like that. My cabbage resembled Swiss cheese. YouTube continued on page 34 [

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continued from page 33

to the rescue and I started my quest.

After a few searches I found a gentleman by the name of Dan Kittredge that has changed my life.

I watched a very long series of videos from the Living Web Farm’s archive with Dan explaining the principles needed to grow highly nutritious healthy vegetables. His words were music to my ears. He was telling me exactly what I knew by instinct; that insects do not like healthy plants. If we provide the plants the fertility they need to be healthy, the insects will not be interested. Not only will the insects not be attracted to the plant, the plant will be more nutritious for us to eat. Plants can live in a wide range of soil and environmental conditions but there are large differences between surviving and reaching its genetic potential for quality. Modern agriculture is always pursuing yield and eye appeal.

Nutritional quality is not even on the radar.

The first principle to learn about is the symbiotic relationships that plants have with soil life and other plants. When nature does her work, she has great diversity both above and below ground. Plants feed the soil food web by excreting root exudates, or liquid carbohydrates that feed the soil food web. The

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biology in the soil then feeds on the minerals and converts them to forms the plant can use. So, if we care for and nurture the soil food web though good practices we will nurture the fertility of the soil.

Soil microbiologists estimate that there may be as many as 1,500,000 species of soil fungi and 3,000,000 species of soil bacteria. This does not include Protozoa and nematodes. Agricultural soils that have been farmed regularly with deep tillage, heavy commercial fertilizers and pesticides are estimated to only have 5,000 species total present. In many cases this leads to critical broken biological pathways that can lead to crop disease and insect infestation.

The second principle is that soil minerals matter.

Parent soil material most often has everything plants need to grow, however, the ratios of elements in the parent material can be quite different depending on the parent soil mineral content and other environmental conditions. Soil elements available to plants tend to mirror the compositions of the parent material. If the soil type is naturally low in calcium and high in magnesium this is going to influence soil Ph, compaction and the performance of the plant. We can easily change these ratios by amending the soil with the correct amendments.

Other factors that contribute to plant health are organic material or “carbon� and hydration. Carbon increases fertility and water holding capacity of the soil. Both are important for healthy plant growth. If the soil dries out, not only will the plants suffer, but also the soil biology will be reduced. Thus, decreasing the capacity of the soil to process minerals into compounds that the plants can use.

Minerals have both symbiotic and antagonistic relationships. There is a big difference between plant performance with adequate levels or optimum ratios of minerals. The pioneer soil scientist that worked on this was Dr. William Albrecht with the University of Missouri in the 1960s. Neal Kinsey, one of his students, went on to form Kinsey Ag Service, became a highly accomplished and sought-after agronomist and

Specializing in Gentle, Non Invasive Adjustments for You & Your Animals! wrote Hands On Agronomy, teaching people “how to balance soil nutrients for maximum yield.”

After being exposed with these principles through YouTube videos and podcasts, I purchased and read many books. I decided that to fully understand what I was learning I must practice it. So, I sent in my soil sample to the lab. With the results in hand showing the adjustments that needed to be made, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could source many of the minerals from local resources. This was not as hard as I was making it to be. The results were astounding.

My garden grew like it had never grown before. For the first time of 30 years of growing gardens I did not have worms in my cabbage!

Dan Kittredge was born into one of the first organic vegetable farms. His parents were instrumental in the early days of the organic movement. He grew up growing vegetables but knew that there must be better results than what his parents achieved. He is very passionate about growing nutrient dense food; food that truly can be used as medicine. He has created the BioNutrient Food Association that supports growers in learning and practicing the principles to grow nutrient dense foods. They have an amazing list of resources that you can find at bionutrient.org.

I am searching for other people who would like to study and practice these principles with me. If you are interested in increasing your soil knowledge and sharing it with other people, please email me. I aim to start a Central Oregon chapter of the BioNutrient Food Association this fall when things slow down for us gardeners and farmers. Please, email me at Scott@smcsbend.com.

Check out the web site for links to many resources at bionutrient.org photos courtesy of Scott Maricle & stock HomeSpun

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35

Growing 30,000 Pounds of Veggies on One Acre It’s All About the Soil

by AUDREY TEHAN, Founder & Executive Director of Seed to Table Oregon

I

can’t count the number of times I have heard someone say, “You can’t grow anything but cheat grass in Central Oregon”. It is certainly true that in the high desert, we do not have the luxury of just throwing seeds on the ground and watching a jungle emerge. At Seed to Table, we sweat, dig, water, pray, wish and hope our seedlings will emerge and maybe grow up to our shins. And grow they do. This year, we will grow 15 tons of veggies on one acre of land - to the amazement of many onlookers.

The secret to our success has been in understanding and building our soil. First, it was important for us to understand the soil situation in Central Oregon. The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) has identified over 20,000 different soil classifications, based on climate, topography and historic use, in the United

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States. We quickly learned that not all soils are created equal.

Oregon’s state soil type (Yes, Oregon has a state soil) is called Jory which is a deep, highly productive soil, rich in organic matter and is found exclusively west of the Cascades.

Jory is what makes the Willamette Valley one of the top agricultural producers in the entire United States. High desert soil, on the other hand, is sandy, coarse, high in volcanic rock and, generally, void of organic matter.

What are the natural functions to feed our soil biology in Central Oregon? Think sagebrush leaves, juniper berries, cheat grass and ponderosa needles. When Seed to Table first had its soil tested in 2013, we learned that our soil had 1.7% organic matter in our soil compared to our desired minimum of 7%. (Since organic practices are essential to our education farm, chemical fertilizers are not an option for us.)

To create a successful veggie farm in Central Oregon, we would have to make our soil more like Jory - a highly productive, living, breathing ecosystem. Our focus has

been on increasing the amount organic matter - plant and animal residue - in our soil to promote high levels of biologic activity. In our desired soil ecosystem, each handful of soil can have 50 billion bacteria cells, half a million fungal cells, algae, Protozoa and tiny critters too numerous to count. Central Oregon soils may only foster half of this amount of biologic activity. The more biologic activity in the soil, the more nutrients that are available to plants.

Since starting the farm four years ago, we’ve added up to 20 dump truck loads of composted horse and cattle manure, along with bone meal, blood meal and fish emulsion, each year to make our soil rich enough that it can mimic natural ecosystems of decay and renewal. When we re-tested our soil this year, our organic matter was up to 5.5%. While we continue work to achieve our 7% goal, our crops this year are larger and stronger than ever.

The best part? More productive soil means our workload has decreased. For instance, we only had to apply half as much compost to our beds as we did in prior years. And we can continue building our organic matter by simply tilling our crops back into the soil at season’s end - replicating the natural

system of leaf fall and decomposition.

Soil is a delicate ecosystem requiring our care and long-term vision. We need only to look to the Dust Bowl for an example of the dire consequences of poor farming practices. I am pleased to know that many farmers are realizing the benefits of increasing organic matter.

You, too, can reap substantial benefits from increasing organic matter and cutting back and, eventually, eliminating chemical fertilizers. Here’s how — add at least 2” of high quality compost or composted manure to your garden EACH YEAR. For the first year or two, add up to 4” of compost. Turn the organic matter into the soil. Feeding your soil to promote high biologic activity can also help balance those nasty pests we all see; decreasing the need for harmful pesticides.

This summer, Seed to Table will host a free series of classes called “Growing BIG” for anyone interested in learning more about soil and garden health. Please go to our website at www.seedtotableoregon.org to register for the class. You will be amazed at how this information can translate into growing better flowers, ornamentals and veggies! seedtotableoregon.org photos courtesy of Seed to Table Oregon

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Grilled Lamb Chops

by BRIAN KERR Owner of Central Oregon Restaurant Consulting

Ingredients 3-4 racks of lamb, Frenched.

You will need enough for 3-4 bones per person, depending on size of rack

4 tsp dried greek oregano, crumbled 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Sea salt

4 tsp garlic powder

4 lemons, halved, plus lemon wedges for garnish

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Fresh oregano sprigs for garnish

Herbed shallot dressing

Directions Combine the garlic powder, pepper and oregano in a bowl. Prep the lamb by removing the excess fat cap and, if you choose, French the bones. Slice between the bones to release individual chops.

Pound the chops with your fists to flatten into uniform thicknesses.

Press the seasoning blend into both sides of the meat including the meat on the bones. You can grill immediately or refrigerate for up to 12 hours. Bring to room temperature prior to grilling.

Prepare a hot grill. Just prior to grilling, drizzle the seasoned chops with olive oil and season with salt. Grill for 3 minutes per side for medium rare. Squeeze the lemon halves over them before removing from the grill.

Serve hot, drizzled with the dressing, garnish with lemon and oregano sprigs.

YIELD Serves 8

Summer 2019

JAR SOIL TEST

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by TRACY WILSON, OSU Extension, Agricultural Literacy Coordinator hen you think about texture, you probably think about words like ‘smooth’, ‘rough’, ‘fuzzy’ or ‘scratchy’.

Texture is the physical feeling of something when you touch it. Soils have textures too, although it’s not usually the first thing people think of when they talk about soil. Soil is made up of organic matter like dead plant roots and leaves, but the part of soil that gives it texture is the mineral part that is made from different sizes of rocks that have been worn down.

There are three sizes of these worn-down rock particles: sand, silt, and clay. While these are all small particles to us, in the soil they are really different! Sand is the largest particle size and has a really gritty, rough texture. Silt is the next largest particle size and has a soft, smooth texture (sort of like baby powder). Clay is the smallest particle size and has a smooth, sticky texture (think of modeling clay). When these soil particles are present in different amounts, they give soil a distinct texture that, with the help of an ordinary jar, will let you know how much of what particle size is in your soil. Knowing the texture of your soil is helpful because it can tell you if you will need to water more often (sandy soil), if you will need to be careful to not do anything when the soil is wet so it doesn’t get compacted (clayey soil), or if your soil is somewhere in between (loamy soil).

To do a jar test at home, you’ll need a few basic items: • A quart sized jar with a lid • Soil (enough to fill the jar half full) • Calgon water softener (optional, will still work without it) Fill your jar half full with soil (remove any rocks) and wet the soil enough to make it muddy and then tap the jar to settle the soil. Then mark the soil level with a marker or white-out. If you have Calgon water softener, add a teaspoon to the jar.

Fill the jar to the top with water and put the lid on tightly. Shake the jar really well so that the soil is well mixed with the water. Put the jar down on a table or counter and leave it for 40 seconds then mark the soil level on the jar. This is the sand portion of your soil. Leave the jar undisturbed for six hours then mark the soil level on the jar.

The distance between your sand mark and the new mark is the silt portion of your soil. The distance between your very first mark and your silt mark is the clay portion of your soil.

You can calculate the percent sand, silt, and clay by measuring the depth of the soil from the bottom of the jar to your first mark (sand) in inches, then the first mark (sand) up to the second mark (silt), and the distance from the second mark (silt) to the starting mark (the one you made before shaking it up). The percent sand is the depth of the sand layer divided by the total depth then multiplied by 1.19 (this converts from percent volume to percent weight). The percent silt is the depth of the silt layer divided by the total depth then multiplied by 0.87.

The percent clay is 100 minus the percent sand plus the percent silt then multiplied by 0.94.

Find your soil on the table below!

Soil Classification Clayey Soil

Loamy Soil

Sandy Soil

Percent Clay

40-100%

7-27%

1-10%

Percent Silt

0-40%

28-50%

1-15%

Percent Sand

0-45%

23-52%

85-100%

Source: soils4teachers.org extension.oregonstate.edu photos courtesy of Tracy Wilson

39

Rhubarb

You’re Living in

Y

Country

by LINDA STEPHENSON The Rhubarb Lady

ou’re living in Rhubarb Country, so let’s make the most out of this very versatile vegetable crop.

Growing and harvesting rhubarb boils down to simple do and do not’s.

Planting rhubarb just right, makes for a bigger and better plant. To get the most out of your rhubarb patch follow these tips.

• Choose a location that gets full sun.

• Choose a location that does not get over watered, damp but NOT soaked. Too much water will cause the roots to rot.

• Dig a hole as deep as the container you purchased it in. If planting from bare root dig the hole to the depth from which the plant came out of. Use good garden compost or aged, well-rotted manure.

• Feed your plants. Rhubarb loves well-rotted manure.

But if you do not have access to manure, use a fertilizer that reads 16-16-16.

• You do not want your rhubarb to put on a flower, remove them immediately. Actually it is not a flower but is a seed stalk and is causing the plant to bolt.

This happens when we go from cool weather to hot

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Spring 2019

weather real fast. Plants that flower produce fewer stems the following year.

• To pick rhubarb, grab the stems near the base of the plant and pull upward, twisting the stem as you pull.

You can also cut the stems: cut as close to the crown as possible.

Wait a year to harvest after planting. The second year pick only a few stalks, the third year and beyond harvest freely. Never remove more than one-third to one-half of the stalks from any one plant during a picking.

When harvesting, choose stems that are 12-18 inches long and bright in color. As the season progresses, stem length shortens. Stop picking after 10 weeks so plants can store energy for the next year’s harvest.

Before taking the rhubarb harvest inside, cut off the bottoms of stems and remove the leaves, tossing them onto a compost pile. You will get the best flavor by using immediately after harvesting.

There are several varieties of rhubarb that grow very well in our area. Victoria is a green and red stalked plant, whereas Crimson has stalks that are all red. Victoria is the most common variety and usually sells for a little less than Crimson.

I

ild About Local Honey

Product review by DIANNE PORTER, NTP Nutritionist

’m wild about the availability of local honey at Central Oregon Locavore. This sweetener was likely one of the first humankind encountered and made use of. Personally, I find local honey easier to digest and use in almost exclusively in place of refined sugar. It flavors and sweetens my coffee. It’s the binder in my homemade granola bars. It’s that special touch in the olive oil and lemon salad dressing for my roasted broccoli salad.

The industriousness of bees is not to be taken lightly.

According to John Haltiwanger at Elite Daily, these pollinators are responsible for much of the food we eat including almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, blueberries, cantaloupes, cashews, coffee, cranberries, cucumbers, eggplants, grapes, kiwis, mangoes, okra, peaches, pears, peppers, strawberries, tangerines, walnuts and watermelons. In fact, some experts posit that without honey bees, humans would not survive.

And then there are the scientifically documented

health benefit of honey. With varying degrees, all types of honey have been shown to have antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties. While still controversial in the scientific sphere, local honey may also have a beneficial impact on season allergies. Placebo effect or not, there are lots of locals who swear by it and seek out producers of local honey.

In addition to color, the taste of honey can differ depending on what the bees graze on. I usually keep more than one type of local honey on hand and match the flavor to my culinary needs. I may want to add wild flower honey to my coffee to flavor it in addition to sweetening it. Alternately, milder tasting clover honey may be just right in my oatmeal cinnamon muffins where I want the cinnamon to shine.

I’m grateful that thanks to bustling local bees, avid beekeepers and Central Oregon Locavore, I have access to some of the finest local honey available in the area. centraloregonlocavore.org photos courtesy of Central Oregon Locavore

41

STANDING UP FOR SMALL FARMS AT THE OREGON LEGISLATURE

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by NATALIE DANIELSON, Central Oregon Organizer for Friends Of Family Farms

ising land prices, too little water, too much water (or snow!), climate change, one-size-fits all regulations...in the midst of all these threats and more, how can our community work together to protect Oregon’s agricultural legacy?

As a grassroots organization, we at Friends of Family Farmers (FoFF) strive to listen, to mobilize and be the voice for Oregon family farmers who responsibly steward their land and feed our communities.

Listening is the foundation for any grassroots organizing, so to shape our programs and policy agenda, FoFF has hosted farmer and rancher listening sessions statewide since 2009, hearing from hundreds of producers over the years. In 2018, we visited 19 communities across Oregon, including Terrebonne and Bend. During these sessions, several issues rose to the top: beginning farmer access to land, enhancing access to small farm meat processing infrastructure, expanding opportunities for agritourism and water conservation.

With the input from family farmers across the state, we worked with legislators and several bills that support small and beginning farmers are now being considered.

Beginning Farmer Access to Land Access to land and capital for beginning and small farmers is an issue we heard over and over again, all

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Spring 2019

across the state.

The average age of farmers and ranchers in Oregon is 60 years old and with extensive areas of farmland expected to change hands in the coming decades, Oregon must do all it can to assist the next generation. According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, Oregon lost over ten percent of farms between 2002 and 2012, many of these beginning farmers in the first ten years of operation. Oregon farmland prices have been rising dramatically in recent years due to a variety of factors, making it even more difficult for beginning farmers to start or grow their farm businesses.

To address these challenges, we are working on three bills to support beginning farmer access to land.

House Bill 3085 creates a new Family Farmer Loan Program to offer direct loans for land or equipment.

Many family farmers or ranchers (depending on income) would be eligible to apply for low-interest loans for land and equipment if this new program is created, including beginning farmers. This bill passed the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee unanimously in early April.

House Bill 3090 establishes a Beginning Farmer and Rancher Incentive Program at the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) to assist beginning farmers and ranchers with student loan debt and tuition. Under this

bill, the ODA would establish a program for incentives that would include, but not be limited to: student loan repayment assistance, stipends and scholarships for those enrolled in agricultural training programs at Oregon colleges and universities. This bill also passed the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee unanimously in early April.

House Bill 3092 establishes a new statewide Beginning Farmer Tax Credit to incentivize leasing land to beginning farmers and ranchers. Similar programs already exist in other states, and have proved successful in helping farmers lease land at affordable rates while providing benefits to landowners who make land available. Tax credits can be controversial, and at the time of printing, this bill had not yet had a hearing.

These bills have the potential to have a big impact for beginning farmers throughout the state. “If we want our small farms and young farmers to be successful, we need to give them access to land and to give them the assistance they need to create on-farm efficiencies,” says Megan French of Boundless Farmstead near Bend.

For all of these bills, the next step is to convince the Legislature to fund them with the limited state dollars we have. But if we make enough noise in support of these bills, we can make it happen! Go to oregonlegislature.gov to look up your legislators and tell them to pass HB 3085, HB 3090 and HB 3091 and invest in our beginning farmers and ranchers.

Water Conservation & Climate Change Water use and conservation are big issues, particularly in drier parts of Oregon. Climate change is a growing threat to water supplies, rural communities, farms and ranches. With more extreme and unpredictable weather, farmers and ranchers are on the front lines and suffering the effects of climate change.

For this reason, we are supporting House Bill 2020, legislation that caps industrial greenhouse gas emissions while creating a framework for Oregon’s farmers and ranchers to be a part of the solution to climate change.

In particular, HB 2020 creates a new Climate Investment Fund to support projects, programs and activities that reduce and sequester greenhouse gas emissions and promote adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change. A significant portion

of these investments would be dedicated to rural Oregon for projects on working lands. Within a few years, grants could become available for producers to adopt practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote carbon sequestration or enhance irrigation efficiency. Practices could include planting cover crops or perennial pasture, managed rotational grazing, planting hedgerows and a variety of organic methods.

HB 2020 has been debated for much of the session this year. It may or may not have passed by the time you read this, but you can get the latest on our blog at friendsoffamilyfarmers.org.

These bills are the results of grassroots organizing efforts. We, the people, get to decide what the future of agriculture will look like in our state and together we can keep Oregon a great place to live and farm!

If you support these kinds of efforts, we invite you to get involved with Friends of Family Farmers.

FoFF was founded in 2005 to represent farmers and ranchers who didn’t feel their voices were being heard.

Today, we engage in educational programming like our InFARMation events to connect consumers and farmers; the Oregon Pasture Network to promote pasture-based livestock producers and Oregon Farm Link to connect beginning farmers with landowners.

Contact Natalie Danielson, our Central Oregon Organizer at natalie@ friendsoffamilyfarmers.org friendsoffamilyfarmers.org photos courtesy of friends of family farmers

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S

HOME

pun

HAPPENINGS

For event registration information, full details and MANY MORE events go to HomeSpunMagazine.com/Calendar HAPPY HOUR IN THE GARDEN

Every Tuesday • 4-6pm The Environmental Center

4TH ANNUAL FACES OF FARMING GALA

Friday, May 3 • 6-9pm Central Oregon Locavore

FARMER’S

Friday-Saturday • May 3-4 Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center FOOD WASTE STOPS WITH ME WORKSHOP

Wednesday • May 8 • 1-4pm Worthy Brewing

MARKETS

BEND FARMERS MARKET

Wednesdays, May 1-October 9 • 2-6pm Brooks Alley, Downtown Bend CROP — CROOKED RIVER OPEN PASTURES FARMERS MARKET & EVENTS

Saturdays, May 18-September 28 10am-2pm • See website for locations.

CrookedRiverOpenPastures.org MADRAS FARMERS MARKET

Saturdays, June 1-September 21 • 9am-2pm Sahalee Park REDMOND FARMERS MARKET

Tuesdays, June 11-September 10 • 3-6pm Centennial Park NORTHWEST CROSSING

Saturday Farmer’s Market Saturdays • 10am-2pm 2855 NW Crossing Dr., Bend SISTERS FARMERS MARKET

Sundays • 11am to 2pm Fir Street Park in Sisters

SEND US YOUR EVENTS! Ryan@HomeSpunMagazine.com Marcee@HomeSpunMagazine.com

44

COBA HOME & GARDEN SHOW

Spring 2019

CENTRAL OREGON BEEKEEPING CLUB MEETING

Thursday • May 9 • 6:30-8pm 63211 Service Road, Bend WWOLF (WILLING WORKERS ON LOCAL FARMS)

Friday • May 10 • 10am-3pm Mahonia Gardens TRANSPLANTING SEEDLINGS

Thursday • May 16 • 10am-12pm OSU Master Gardeners COMMUNITY LANDFILL TOUR

Friday • May 17 • 9am-12pm The Environmental Center and Rethink Waste Project CHOOSING SHORT SEASON VEGGIES

Thursday • May 30 • 6:30-8:30pm Northwest Crossing Community Garden CENTRAL OREGON MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION - 2019 PLANT SALE

Saturday • June 1 • 9am-12pm Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center 2ND ANNUAL SANCHOVORE ON-FARM DINNER WITH LOCAVORE & EL SANCHO

Sunday • June 16 • 4:30-7pm Anker Farm HIGH DESERT GARDEN TOUR

Saturday • July 20 • 9am-3:30pm Madras

2019 SEED TO TABLE PRODUCE SHARE ALL PROCEEDS GO TO SUPPORT FARM BASED SCIENCE AND NUTRITION EDUCATION AND TO HELP FEED LOCAL FAMILIES

SMALL SHARES (1-2 PEOPLE): $27 A WEEK LARGE SHARES (FAMILY): $32 A WEEK CONNECT WITH YOUR FOOD, FEED YOUR FAMILY AND JOIN OUR AMAZING COMMUNITY!

BEND AND SISTERS WEDNESDAYS FROM 3PM-6PM SPOTS FILL QUICKLY!

SIGN UP ONLINE: WWW.SEEDTOTABLEOREGON.ORG

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e Micro-Greens e Edible Flowers Jessica Wilkinson

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