Seed Piece Newsletter

Wet Spring. Fast Summer.

Newly Dug Prairie Blush Potatoes. Those Prairie Blush are destined for a delicious simple supper tonight when they will be steamed and joined by a good potato’s three best friends: butter, salt and pepper. If you have never tasted new potatoes fresh out of your garden, promise yourself to change that as soon as you can. If you lack a patch to grow potatoes in, our fiber-material container Smart Bags may be just what you need to grow your own on a back deck.
Our wet spring - and the planting delay that it caused - means that most of our crop is two weeks behind ‘normal.’ The rains have returned and with the hot days of July and now August, our potato crop is growing fast and looks excellent.
We hope the weather where you are has allowed you to grow and enjoy bountiful crops.
A lot of folks are ordering organic cover crop seed from us this time of year and if you need some just let us know.

Jim & Megan Gerritsen & Family

Wood Prairie Farm

Bridgewater, Maine

Village Voice: Maine farmer Jim Gerritsen says that “Monsanto and the biotechs need to respect traditional property rights and need to keep their pollution on their side of the fence.”

Village Voice: The Monsanto Menace.

You will want to read this significant recent expose’ on Monsanto by Village Voice researcher Chris Parker entitled “The Monsanto Menace.” The piece is well-written and provides insight into Monsanto’s effort to define how it should be “regulated.”

What follows are excerpts from Parker’s article.

"’They're a pesticide company that's bought up seed firms,’ says Bill Freese, a scientist at the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit public-interest and environmental-advocacy group. ‘Business-wise, it's a beautiful, really smart strategy. It's just awful for agriculture and the environment…

“Corporations wanted more control, and they got it with a dramatic, landmark Supreme Court decision in 1980, which allowed the patenting of living organisms. The decision was intended to increase research and innovation. But it had the opposite effect, encouraging market concentration. Monsanto would soon go on its buying spree, gobbling up every rival seed company in sight...

“In one case, Monsanto accused Indiana farmer David Runyon of illegally using its soybean seeds. Runyon claims the company threatened to sue for patent infringement, despite documentation proving that he'd bought non-patented seed from local universities for years. Monsanto's lawyer claimed the company had an agreement with the Indiana Department of Agriculture to search his land. One problem: Indiana didn't have a Department of Agriculture at the time...

“’Known as 'substantial equivalence,' it declared that genetically modified products are essentially the same as their non-GM counterparts—and therefore require no additional labeling or testing for food safety or toxicity. Never mind that no accepted science backed his theory. ‘It's simply a political calculation invented by Michael Taylor and Monsanto and adopted by U.S. federal policy-makers to resist labeling,’ says Jim Gerritsen, a farmer in Maine. ‘You have this collusion between corporations and the government, and the essence is that the people's interest isn't being served.’”

Click Here for our Wood Prairie Farm Organic Cover Crops Section.

Ted Quaday. Welcome to the State of Maine.

Quotes: David Suzuki.

"Any politician who tells you these products (GMOs) are safe is either very stupid or lying. The hazards of these foods are uncertain. In view of our enormous ignorance, the premature application of biotechnology is downright dangerous."

- David Suzuki, Ph.D.
Born 1936

3 lbs potatoes, such as Carola, peeled and cut into large chunks

sea salt

4 T extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch kale, large stems stripped and discarded, leaves chopped

1/2 c + milk or cream

freshly ground black pepper

5 scallions, white and tender green parts, chopped (optional)

Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Heat 2 T of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chopped kale, a big pinch of salt and saute just until tender, about a minute. Set aside.

Mash the potatoes with a masher or fork. Slowly stir in the milk a few big splashes at a time. You are after a thick, creamy texture. Season with salt and pepper. Dump the kale on top of the potatoes and give a quick stir (stirring in the kale too much can lend a green cast to your potatoes). Make a well in the center of the potatoes and pour the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with scallions if using.

Serves 6

-Megan

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