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The Wood
Prairie Seed Piece
e-Newsletter
Organic
News
and
Commentary
Friday,
June 23rd 2017
Volume
25 Issue 10
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In This
Issue of The Wood
Prairie Seed
Piece:
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Summer
Beauty.
Lupine Hill Looking Westward
Across the 'Big Pond' on Wood Prairie Family Farm.
Sales have remained unexpectedly brisk this Spring across the country
for businesses involved in the garden and plant trade. So we've found
ourselves extra busy both keeping up with seed orders and getting our
own planting completed.
Crops are in, potatoes
have emerged from the ground and the area's beautiful Lupines are in
full bloom. Caleb's younger sister, Sarah, just graduated from high
school in nearby Mars Hill as Salutatorian. Sarah's
graduation-gift-Nikon-camera is getting an extensive workout and all of
us are being rewarded with photos like that of the Lupin above and the
baby ducklings you'll see below. She'll be attending the University of
Maine campus in nearby Presque Isle beginning this Fall, majoring in
Biology.
.
Caleb,
Jim
&
Megan Gerritsen & Family
Wood
Prairie Family Farm
Bridgewater,
Maine
Click here for the
Wood Prairie Family Farm Home Page.
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New Study: Organic is Great But
Pesticides Are Way
Worse Than Imagined.
Paul Adam's
Potato Production. Novel way of growing potatoes - imagine
the ease of harvesting!
A
new landmark study
commissioned for the European Parliament has dramatically raised
concerns that toxins used in conventional agriculture are far more
dangerous than previously imagined and causes damage to
the human brain.
The research
characterizes current levels of exposure to pesticides as a major concern, particularly to
children and pregnant women.
The study concludes organic food on the other hand offers a safe
alternative to pesticide-laden conventionally grown food.
Learn more about the study in
the article
in the UK’s Telegraph.
Jim
Click
Here for our Wood Prairie Organic Certified Seed Potatoes.
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Special
Offer: FREE Heirloom
Organic Turkey Red Wheat Seed.
Organic
Turkey Red
is a Hard Red Winter Wheat (when grown for grain, it’s planted late
Summer for harvest the following Summer). In 1874 Turkey Red
was
brought from Russia to Kansas by Mennonite farmers and before long this
phenomenal wheat was grown on millions of acres. Over time
the
landrace Turkey Red wheat faded from the scene and was nearly lost as
farmer shifted to more modern varieties.
Over the last twenty years, organic farmer Bryce Stephens and his
fifth-generation farm in western Kansas came to Turkey Red’s rescue and
saved the excellent variety from near
extinction.
Now here’s your chance to take part in history and grow some Turkey Red
for yourself with our offer for FREE
Organic Turkey Red Seed. Receive a FREE 2.5 Lbs. sack of our Organic
Turkey Red Seed (Value $9.95) when your next order totals
$39 or more. FREE
Organic Turkey Red Seed Offer ends 11:59 PM on Monday,
June 26, 2017, so better act now.
Please use Promo Code WPFF410. Your order
and FREE Organic Turkey
Red Seed must ship by July 3, 2017. Offer may not be
combined with other offers. Please
call or click today!
Click
Here for Our Wood Prairie Organic Cover Crop Seed.
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Organic
Turkey Red Hard Winter Wheat. Have fun and grow a slice of
history.
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Feature Photo: Family of Wood
Ducklings.

Family of
Wood Ducklings. This young family of Wood Duckshas found
refuge and quiet in the Big Pond on Wood Prairie Family Farm.
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Notable Quotes: Benjamin
Franklin on Responsibility.
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Recipe: Potatoes
with Swiss Chard.
3 medium potatoes,
peeled and quartered
2 lbs Swiss
chard
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
Sea
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Prepare
the chard by trimming ends from stems. Cut into 1/2-inch lengths. Wash
the leaf and stem pieces thoroughly, then drain well. Bring salted
water to boil in a large pot. Add the potatoes and cook 15-20 minutes,
until tender. Add the Swiss chard for the last 5 minutes. Drain. Heat 2
T olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook garlic for 30
seconds. Add potatoes and chard and season them lightly with sea salt
and pepper. Cook, stirring and mashing the potatoes, until liquid is
evaporated and potatoes are coarsely mashed. Add the
remaining 2
T olive oil, season to taste with sea salt and pepper and serve hot.
-Megan
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Potatoes with
Swiss Chard.
Photo by Angela Wotton.
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Mailbox: Tricking
Colorado Potato Beetles.
Tricking Colorado
Potato Beetles.
Dear Megan,
I
read your newsletter from beginning to end, and buy the majority of my
organic garden needs from you folks. One article that is near and dear
to my heart is the one on the Colorado Potato Beetle. One year I
volunteered my time working on a certified organic farm just up the
road from me, and saw, firsthand, how those potato beetles infested
everything. We first tried squishing the larvae by hand, but it was an
overwhelming task, and the owner finally broke down and sprayed the
plants. End of beetles.
The following year I spent my time
working in my own organic garden, especially trying my hand at growing
potatoes for the very first time. I expected the potato beetles, but
they never came. That was 5 years ago and I've been growing potatoes
ever since.
Quite some time ago I read an old farmer's
instructions not to plant potatoes until after the dandelions bloom.
The theory being that planting early draws the beetles because there's
not much else to eat, and they die before they can procreate.
For
several successive years I've not had to plant potatoes because I
always have what I cal "surprise" potatoes. Invariably I mistakenly
leave some spuds in the ground and they come up by themselves. What
I've noticed is that the shoots do not appear above ground until after
the dandelions bloom.
It's been 6 years since that memorable day
working on the farm and seeing the overwhelming number of bright red
Colorado Potato Beetle larvae. Each year the farmer's potatoes are
infested with the beetles, but not once have I seen a potato beetle on
my plants. No need for insecticide or any other product. Just wait for
those dandelions.
I've also noticed that the tiny black leaf
hoppers do not like buckwheat, and I always make sure I plant buckwheat
in my potato plants. I also like that the buckwheat is a bee magnet.
I'm sure you know all of this already, as I'm just a novice, but
thought I'd share my experience.
GC
Colebrook, NH
Very
interesting to hear your experience. Thanks for writing.
Within their range CPBs are a problem with
localized
variations. Meaning, in any given area where they are present, they can
in the same year range from a very minor problem to a crop-threatening
potential disaster. Also, over time the pendulum swings. In the late
1980s and early to mid 1990s CPBs were by-and-large horrible in
Aroostook County. Beginning in 1995, with the first use of
neonicitinoid Admire
insecticide, their populations were decimated for about five years.
Then CPB numbers began once again to grow, seemingly parallel to issues
of developed resistance to Admire.
At this point in time depending on the year (and the severity of the
preceding winter) they have the capability of being a serious problem
once again.
As to delayed potato planting, we
have friends in New Brunswick, Canada who swear by your technique and
have great success planting their potato crop at this time of year -
late June - and foiling those CPBs.
Jim
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Wood Prairie Farm Quick
Links
Caleb & Jim
& Megan Gerritsen
Wood
Prairie Family Farm
49
Kinney Road
Bridgewater,
Maine 04735
(207)
429 - 9765
Certified Organic, From Farm to Mailbox
www.woodprairie.com
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