In this video, Rombough’s story reveals not only a remarkable mind that grasps the complexities of nature at a deeper level, but a practical knowledge for how to extend the plant breeder’s tools of grafting to produce a single tree containing three different but complimentary varieties of apples: Orange Pippins, Holstein, and Liberty.

And, a nice story, to boot!

It’s all about making the most of the learning curve.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program’s mission is to advance—to the whole of American agriculture—innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE is proud of its connections to farming communities across the country. To learn more about our grants program; see more videos; read hundreds of fact sheets, books and other information about SARE-funded research; or search the projects database, visit www.SARE.org. SARE is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

View the longer video to learn about Tom Trantham’s Sustainable 12 Aprils Dairy Grazing Program.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program’s mission is to advance—to the whole of American agriculture—innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE is proud of its connections to farming communities across the country. To learn more about our grants program; see more videos; read hundreds of fact sheets, books and other information about SARE-funded research; or search the projects database, visit www.SARE.org. SARE is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

Frikeh, Parched Green Wheat

For organic farmer Anthony Boutard, the idea to grow the right variety of wheat to produce Frikeh came about by chance. While waiting for his number to be called at a favorite German deli, Boutard had ample time to read the labels of packaged products, and came across a package of green wheat. Intrigued enough to investigate further what to do with this grain, he discovered a preparation for parched green wheat to produce Frikeh. The market economics were right; Frikeh was not being produced in this country, and the process was labor intensive with only a 3-day window of time to harvest the wheat for parching. Eventually, Boutard settled upon a red wheat variety that is planted in the winter, the heads (containing the small grains) begin coming up in April. By July, when it’s time for the wheat to be harvested, only the heads are cut, the remaining straw stalks are mowed down later as they help with adding organic matter back into the soil, and also aid in weed control throughout the year.

As Boutard explains in this video, the grain is ready to be harvested (and burned) when the winter wheat is between the milk stage and the soft dough stage of growth. When the wheat is just right for harvest, pinching the heads will produce just a drop of milky substance.

Skilled Workers Preparing Frikeh

At the end of the heating process, the heads are put onto a trailer and hauled over to a mechanical thresher that will knock and separate most of the grain from the heads. The grains will then be placed on individual racks for air drying. The first 2-3 days are the critical stage for drying, this is the time where they are most susceptible to mold and yeast infection that would damage the grains. After this critical phase has successfully completed, the racks are combined in layers for up to two weeks to finish the drying process. After drying is over, the grains go through a seed cleaner to remove any remaining chaff, dirt and soot.

The Frikeh are placed into individual bags, and ready for market.

Boutard says that the Frikey is best consumed 1-2 months after harvest in the field, and is only available as a seasonal specialty on his farm (Ayers Farm).

Check out these fabulous Frikeh recipes: Frikeh and Albacore Salad and Frikeh Summer Salad.

[Editor's note: this post has been edited to correct two errors: grünkern—from Germany and Austria—specifically refers to Spelt, and though also a green wheat, is very different in taste from Frikeh, and roasted in a different manner,"on a darre, a heavy metal roasting pan". According to Anthony Boutard, in German, spelt is called "dinkel" so the proper term is gründinkel. The deli mentioned in this post was not a Mediterranean style deli, it was a German Deli. Thanks to Isabell Norman for originally pointing out the error with the grünkern (gründinkel) reference.]

If you’re finding you have too many beans, consider canning them. You might like to try Dilly Beans from Marissa McClellan’s canning blog, Food in Jars.

When the population of worker bees exceeds the resource capacity of a hive, a portion of the colony will leave to find a new home. A swarm is the natural way for a hive to divide itself (usually) in half, and transport the new colony (with the old queen) to a temporary spot (cluster) from which select bee members (scouts) search for a new home. There are a number of incredibly complex interactions that the honeybees make in order to decide when its time to form a new colony, when to actually start swarming (leave the hive); for the scouts to locate potential new homes; communicate their findings to other bees; select among a choice of different offerings; and then finally, direct the majority of the colony (that have never seen the new home) to its precise location. Chemical signals called pheromones play an integral role in their ability to communicate, but honeybees also rely upon acoustic signally methods. For example, the buzz-run dance signals the bees it’s time to leave the hive.

In this video, beekeeper Matt Reed demonstrates how to collect a wild honeybee swarm; this one is about 2 pounds in size, or 7000 bees. A swarm may range in size anywhere between roughly 1000 to 30,000 bees, and relies upon a small contingent of scouts to find a suitable home, and relay that information back to the collective. It is believed that honeybee scouts will perform an acoustic dance to convey their enthusiasm for a potential site, eventually, a consensus is reached among the group, and one site is chosen to become the new home. Suitable housing exists in hollow trees or logs, but may also be chosen inside man-made structures including hollow walls, and under porches or eves.

Beekeeper, Matt Reed, surveying honeybee nest

Reed does not treat his bees with any chemicals, but relies instead upon natural selection (those bees that survive without any treatments) to confer their genetic resistance to disease and parasite infection. By maintaining disease resistance in their genetic stock, Reed hopes to develop strains of bees that will remain hearty over time, and be entirely free of the need for chemical treatments, or medications to sustain their populations.

The key points that Reed emphasizes for maintaining his healthy bee hives:

1. Honeybees are caught in the wild; their wider genetic diversity increases their odds for survival.
2. Locally collected bees are well suited to their native environment, and have built up immunities to disease.
3. By not using chemicals and medicinal treatments to protect a hive, over time, the hive becomes stronger, and better able to withstand disease outbreaks.

Naomi Montacre, co-founder of Naomi’s Organic Farm Supply, a Portland organic feed and products store, shares some of her expert knowledge on raising backyard chickens.

In part 1, Montacre describes some of the basic considerations deciding whether to raise chickens in your own backyard. As she points out, chickens are relatively inexpensive to raise, and they can provide up to about 4000 eggs per chicken, throughout their lifetime. Though rare, backyard chickens can live into their early 20′s; 12 years of age is more the norm. The most productive years for chickens are within their first 3-5 years, and then tapers off sharply through the remainder of their life.

In the raising of young chicks, Montacre offers advice for those looking to raise chickens organically, without the use of medications in their feed, a practical suggestion how to do so in a healthy, and natural way.

In part 2 of this how to series with veteran beekeeper Glen Andresen, we learn about the basic equipment needed for those relatively new to beekeeping, or just starting out.

Glen Andresen Working On One of His Langstroth Hives

• Hive Types, the key strengths and weaknesses of the Langstroth, Top Bar, and Warre hives.
• The parts of the Langstroth hives, probably the most popular type of hive.
• A variety off hive Tools, including a frame holder, bee brush and scratcher
• Smoker
• Special Clothing

There are (of course) many good books on basic beekeeping. One book, I can recommend (disclosure: I received a free copy in the mail), is a hardcover titled: Homemade Living: Keeping Bees —All You Need to Know to Tend Hives, Harvest Honey & More published by Lark Crafts (2011).

Let us know if you have any favorite books that you have used, and can recommend to others.

That savings, and his profit margin, are going to be even greater if energy and fuel prices continue to rise as they have been recently. Rainville first got interested in oilseed production when University of Vermont Extension approached him about growing canola seed on his farm. Initially, Rainville thought the canola could provide a good source of feed (canola meal) for his cows, with oil production simply a side-benefit. Over several years, however, Rainville’s thinking was transformed as he realized the potential for producing his own biodiesel.

Starting from the initial questions about growing canola in Vermont, the project has grown to include a major emphasis on biodiesel production. As shown in this video, Rainville himself led that charge developing expertise in production, harvesting, processing and storage of canola (and sunflower) oil. He also fine-tuned the technical side of converting that oil into biodiesel fuel for use on the farm. Now it’s the seed meal and the harvest residue that are byproducts.

As the economic and environmental incentives attract more farmers to this technology, Rainville cautions that farmers should try out oilseed and biofuel production on a small scale first, before making any major changes or investments in equipment. Watch the video and learn more to see if biodiesel production might be adapted to your farm or ranch system.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program’s mission is to advance—to the whole of American agriculture—innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE is proud of its connections to farming communities across the country and encourages those who wish to learn more to visit the site. SARE is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

In a way, local beekeeping can be an extension of the mantra: think globally, act locally. Even before filming Call of the Honeybee about an entomologist who works with bees, and is attempting to breed more disease resistant queens, I found myself drawn to bees, their wonderful honey, and their precarious plight in recent years. So, learning more about urban agriculture that includes managing (if that’s the right word) bees feels like a good thing to learn how to do.

Glen Andresen, Portland, Oregon Beekeeper

Once you discover whether or not you can raise bees, there are some other considerations to take into account such as where would be the best place to put the hive, sun and wind considerations, and making sure there is a water source nearby.

Glen Andresen has been a beekeeper for 20 years and teaches beekeeping in the Portland Metro area. He has a number of hives in his urban backyard, and also several off-site as well. In this video he discusses the basics of beekeeping, and discusses a number of items that ought to be considered before purchasing hives, bees, and other equipment.

Rombough explains the advantages of grafting:

1. By grafting to a host tree, their roots may allow the (grafted) fruit tree to grow on soils, and other weather conditions that otherwise would prevent the fruit tree from successfully maturing.

2. The roots of a tree control their eventual size, dwarf fruit trees are created by grafting to the roots of miniature trees.

3. The root stock can vary the characteristics of what’s grafted on top of it too. How much fruit is produced in a year, the size of the fruit, sometimes varying slightly when the fruit ripens.

4. Grafting can be used for recreation or repair. A tree that has lost a limb (if it’s not too massive) can be replaced by using a graft. A bridge graft can be used to repair a tree trunck damaged by mice and rodents, by placing the graft between two areas that remain intact, the tree can keep growing across the damaged spot on the trunk.

5. Propagation: By using a graft from an existing tree, it’s possible to grow an exact replica of that tree that otherwise may not be possible to do.

With the encouragement of Mike Sligh of the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI), Trantham took his idea to Clemson University professors Jean Bertrand and Fred Pardue. They obtained a Southern Region SARE Research and Education grant to determine the feasibility of a minimum-input, financially sound grazing dairy. From 1994 through 1997, the SARE researchers monitored what Trantham was doing and recommended changes based on their findings. At the end of the project they had a body of scientific knowledge to help other farmers, and Trantham had a grazing dairy system.

Tom Trantham, 12 April's Dairy

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program’s mission is to advance—to the whole of American agriculture—innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE is proud of its connections to farming communities across the country and encourages those who wish to learn more to visit www.SARE.org. SARE is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

Ivy Manning; cookbook author and culinary expert talking to Shari Sirkin about Kale.

In an effort to learn where our food comes from, and to inspire more fresh, seasonal cooking, this two-part video series, with Cookbook author Ivy Manning, goes into the field, and back into the kitchen, for a round-trip exploration of Pacific Northwest kale. In this segment, Manning visits Shari Sirkin of Dancing Roots Farm in Troutdale, Oregon to investigate Kale from a farmer’s perspective in the midst of harvesting it. Next week— Ivy Manning goes into the kitchen to demonstrate how to prepare an incredibly tasty meal, using this fresh kale, and a few other simple ingredients.  Manning also shares the following written thoughts about Kale:

Tuscan black, cavalo nero, lacinato, dinosaur. One of my favorite vegetables goes by many names, and by any name, it tastes sweet. At least in the coldest months of winter. That’s when the deep blue-green, ostrich feather-shaped leaves of this, and all varieties of kale are at their most abundant and flavorful.

Just as everything else in the garden is languishing in the cold, the brassica oleracea family (which includes flowering kale, white, red, and curly kale varieties) thrives in the nippy weather, supplying our kitchens with a fresh, tender green when we’ve had our fill of root vegetables. I first learned of lacinato kale working in Italy, where the leaves where stripped from their tough stems, chopped and shoved by huge handfuls into pots of minestrone. “Cavolo nero, it likes to be cooked with beans. It’s a bean-green,” I was told by the chef I was assisting.

Field of Kale-Dancing Roots Farm

I took the chef’s word and used lacinato kale exclusively in soups, simmering it until it became a silky slip of a green. Until one day, I had a hankering for Southern greens over cornbread. I didn’t have collard greens on hand, but I did have a fresh bunch of lacinato kale, so I cooked as I would collard or mustard greens—sautéed in bacon fat with onions, garlic, and a pinch of chili flakes. Lacinato cooked in a quarter of the time collards usually take, and the deep, rich flavor and almost meaty texture had me smitten. The “bean green” easily slipped its way into my culinary repertoire as a favorite winter vegetable with endless applications. It’s great in soups, yes, but try it sautéed in olive oil or bacon fat and garlic with a pinch of red pepper flakes, blanch it and add it to stuffing, wok-fry it and dress it with sesame oil and soy sauce, marinated it raw in vinaigrette for a winter salad– the possibilities are endless. Before you head into the kitchen to become acquainted with these tall dark and handsome leaves, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind:

1. Choose small to medium leaves, and avoid bunches of lacinato kale that have yellowed or wilting leaves.
2. Wash the leaves in a sink full of cool water. If you find any powdery bugs on the underside of the leaves, dissolve a few tablespoons of salt in the water and soak for ten minutes; the bugs will jump ship.
3. Store all kale varieties in a plastic bag in the coldest part of the refrigerator and use it within a few days—kale will begin to break down and loose its fresh flavor quickly.
4. Tear the dark leaves away from the tough center rib/stem; the rib/stems do not break down while cooking. Use the rib/stems for stocks or compost.

Stayed tuned for the companion Cooking Fresh video— To the Kitchen: Twice Baked Potatoes with Kale!

Ivy Manning is the author of The Farm to Table Cookbook and The Adaptable Feast. She also writes the “Vegetarian Flavors” column in the Oregonian FoodDay and is a frequent contributor to Cooking Light and Bon Appetite magazine. Visit her website and blog.

Matthew Reed's Top Bar Hive—Window looking In

In turn, this documentary became the impetus to launch the first ever “Tour De Hive” neighborhood tour, a spinoff of the city’s popular Tour de Coop that provided public tours of urban chicken coops. Similiarly, the Tour de Hive offers for those who wish to participate in this free event, the opportunity to see working bee hives in a cluster of Portland neighborhoods, and to ask questions of their hosts to learn more about the bees, and urban beekeeping opportunities.

In this video, one such expert, Matthew Reed, who offers a range of beekeeping services, and products on his website Bee Thinking, shares his intimate knowledge of bee hives, and how he first became interested in honeybees. From his own backyard, he explains the different styles of hives that he uses (and has built himself), and some of the relative advantages, and disadvantages of each. Included in the video are examples of the following nontraditional style foundationless hives: Horizontal top bar, Warre and Langstroth hives.

Seed Head from a Lettuce Plant

Soon to follow will be another Growing Food video, as Robyn Streeter shows how to successfully store those seeds for next year’s planting.

If you didn’t have a chance to grow your own starts (young plants) in a seed tray, not to worry! A variety of cool weather plants – arugula, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts – are available at many local nurseries. Urban farmer, Kelly Wood, demonstrates how she transplants kale starts into her winter garden bed. Kale, a cruciferous vegetable, is a hearty and very healthy green that gets sweeter in the cooler months ahead.

If you live in a climate that will tolerate growing a cool weather crop, consider giving it a try!

Kelly Wood, Amaranth Produce

Stay tuned for more videos on this subject.

For now, here’s a slideshow introduction to some of the attractions at Naomi’s store:

Picking Kale

If you haven’t considered planting a winter garden, maybe now is the time! There are many vegetables you can plant and harvest in the winter months, depending upon where you live.

Master gardener, Jen Aron watering her seed tray

A big problem for most home gardeners is how to keep insects like aphids, mites, and caterpillars from eating and destroying a crop. Growing insectary plants would be a good start. It’s purpose is to attract beneficial insects which feed upon insects that might be damaging your garden.

Master Gardener Jen Aron talks about the different insectary plants she has in her garden and some of the beneficial insects they attract. Not only is an insectary garden beneficial to your plants, it’s beautiful to look at too.

Master Gardener, Jen Aron

Master Gardener, Jenn Aron Pulling Out the Cover Crop from Her Backyard Garden

Jen Aron, owner and operator of Peaceful Gardens, sustainable landscape design. OSU Extension Master Gardener, certified in Permaculture Design, have been teaching sustainable agriculture and Permaculture throughout the Portland area for the past two years, volunteer countless hours educating the Portland community about urban agriculture and sustainability.

Potatoes are one of those vegetables that are so plentiful and easily found at the market, many don’t even consider growing it. But it is one of the easiest crops to grow and there are over 4,000 varieties to choose from. They like to be planted when it is still cool outside, and urban farmer Donna Smith says she always gets hers in around St. Patrick’s Day.

Depending upon variety, potatoes can be harvested 90-120 days after planting. Many kids find digging up potatoes a fun activity, almost like going on a treasure hunt! And there are as many different ways to cook them as there are varieties. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend the Twice Baked Irish Potatoes with Stout Onions and Kale.

Master Gardener Jen Aron Working in her Backyard

Jen Aron, owner and operator of Peaceful Gardens, sustainable landscape design. OSU Extension Master Gardener, certified in Permaculture Design, have been teaching sustainable agriculture and Permaculture throughout the Portland area for the past two years, volunteer countless hours educating the Portland community about urban agriculture and sustainability.

What’s most remarkable about hanging out with Anthony Boutard besides his passion for food, it’s his incredible breadth of knowledge about organic farming. He does everything by hand, and he constantly is learning from his observations and field experiments. As Boutard is readying his corn seeds for planting in this video, he is doing another experiment by separating the 3 different corn varieties onto different plots of land to learn more about their unique characteristics.

In a follow-up email, I asked Anthony Boutard a few more questions about his corn. This is what I learned from him, some of his responses are provided just as he wrote them.

Corn Sheller Removing Seed Kernels from Ear

The process of removing corn kernels from the ear is known as “shelling”. As Boutard explains in the video, the best place to store ears of corn prior to shelling are in “cool, dry places without rodents”.

Longevity of the seed depends upon a variety of factors, in general, the seed will keep for several years, depending also, upon the variety. After a couple of years, the viability of the seed begins declining. Storing the seed on the ear, lengthens the period of time the seed remains viable.

Boutard explains how he determines the best time to plant his corn:

“This year, or normally . . .  Corn planting is governed by soil temperature. Generally, you want soil temperature of 60 degrees (16 C) or higher.  Sweet corn needs the soil closer to 70 degrees (21 C), or it will rot before it germinates.

Corn is harvested at “physiological maturity” in the autumn. A sooty layer forms where the kernel is attached to the ear, a sign that the ear has matured.  Maturity varies greatly among the varieties. In Oregon, Roy’s Calais Flint is mature by early September, while gourd seed corn needs another month or so, late November if you are lucky.”

Anthony Boutard Planting Corn at His Ayers Creek Farm Near Portland, Oregon.

“They are all Roy’s Calais Flint.  It has many different kernel colors. I think I referred to the variety having a superb library of traits found in the Northeastern eight row flint corns. 

Unlike ornamental varieties, all of the kernels on an ear are the same color.  The color varies from ear to ear.  I separated the kernels to get a better understanding of the corn, and to build up the red color in my “grex,” as the the breeding population is called. Nice scrabble word, huh? Get rid on an X and if you hit a triple word square, good for 36 points. 

The red kernel is apparently a recessive trait, so you have to pay attention to it. The red kernel matures earlier and has better cold soil germination, so I favor it. “

Boutard is working on a new book on the subject of corn, as he describes below:

“The working title is: Beautiful Corn: A guide to growing, milling and cooking America’s grain.  The book is loosely organized as an almanac, following corn through the year, as well as from kernel to plate.  In addition to the practical details, I hope to encourage readers to pause in the corn field and take a moment to contemplate the aesthetics of this remarkable sweet grass. It is a beguiling and accommodating plant that has seduced its cultivators from its earliest cultivation in southern Mexico.”

Unfortunately, most people have only experienced beets as purple pickled pieces of a stodgy salad. Truthfully, I happen to love pickled beets, but there are so many wonderful ways to eat them.

How to Grow Beets

(adapted from Jean Ann Van Krevelen’s Book Growing Food: A Guide for Beginners.)

Beets are easy to grow…There are just a few key things you need to know to ensure success:

1. These guys like to grow in cooler temperatures. If you have hot summers, you will do best by growing in early spring and fall. If you have mild winters, you may be able to grow them year-round.
2. Scout the planting site. Beets can take partial shade, a rarity in veggies; I like to grow them in full sun in the mornings with a bit of shade in the late afternoon.
3. They don’t take up a lot of space, so you can sneak them in lots of places. You can even pop them into your flower borders; just make sure you are using organic gardening methods there, too.
4. Beets must have even watering (an inch a week or so) and room to grow. As with many root vegetables, if weeds or other beets are in the way, they will not grow in size.

Planting Instructions

1. Once you choose your site, use a trowel or shovel to break up the ground a bit. Add rich, organic compost, and mix around. Remember, these form bulb type ends…so make sure they don’t have to fight too hard to make that happen.
2. Often, you will be directed to plant beets in rows and trenches, if you have the space, that’s a great idea. But, you can also work out a modified version that fits your needs. Plant in whatever configuration works best for you.
3. Plant them about 1/2 inch deep, about 2 inches apart. Watch for the little guys to start breaking ground.
4. Beets will reach maturity in 50-65 days.
5. When they become seedlings and start crowding (about 2 inches high or so), thin them out and eat the greens…
6. Beet seedlings don’t play well with each other…if they are too close, they will suppress each other’s growth. And isn’t that really true for all of us?
7. Fertilization with a side dressing of compost will encourage early growth.
8. Beets should be harvested soon after they reach full size. Plant rows in succession so you can extend the harvest.

It is a great time to add this unassuming veggie to your palate. If you aren’t sure about the strong flavor or the red version, try the golden beet, very tender and sweet. Please, for all of us, give beets a chance.

Jean Ann Van Krevelen, Portland, Oregon author and garden coach, enjoys a passion for growing, harvesting, preparing and storing vegetables and fruits of all kinds. Her new book, Growing Food: A Guide for Beginners consists of easy to follow steps to start growing your own food. For more information, visit her Growing Food Guide website.

I ran over to Jean Ann Van Krevelen the other day – she had put out a shout for any veggie starts. Since she had been traveling she hadn’t had the chance to do much early planting this season. Since we don’t live too far from each other and I had planted more than enough tomato starts (well, maybe not enough – can you ever have too many tomatoes?), I tweeted back that I had a few to share.

I found her busy in her greenhouse, along with new intern Dede, planting seeds and trying to catch up! As I gave her 5 little starts she said these are ready to be potted up! That reminded me…I was here last year filming that process. Gee, I need to go back and look and that video as a refresher. I thought there might be others in the same boat, so here you go: how to pot-up your tomato starter plants! Not only does Jean Ann explain what it is, why it’s important to do, but (more importantly for us learners) how to do it.

Cronin Farms innovative no-till system integrates both cover crops and livestock grazing (see related video: Next Step: Adding a Cover Crop to a No Till System). With support from SARE, Forgey has found several cover crop mixes that work well for his situation. In this companion video, Forgey describes his ongoing research with cover crops, this time looking at how they might be grown in sync with a cash crop of corn. A forage soybean variety developed by Dwayne Beck of South Dakota State University showed excellent results, with corn yields of 60-80 bushels per acre without chemical fertilizer.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program’s mission is to advance—to the whole of American agriculture—innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE is proud of its connections to farming communities across the country and encourages those who wish to learn more to visit their website. SARE is funded by USDA and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Several years ago, Forgey began thinking about how he might include cover crops on the 8500-acre farm to improve soil and the bottom line. But how best to do this in a no-till system? Usually, cover crops are tilled into the soil while they are still green in order to promote soil quality and fertility, but that is not an option in a no-till system. Forgey received a SARE grant to test the feasibility of using cover crops at Cronin Farms. It’s an on-going experiment, but after three years, results are promising. One cover crop mix of turnips, cowpeas and lentils increased corn yields by 18-20 bushels per acre in the SARE farm trials.

Other benefits include:

1. healthier soil, with increasing benefits over a period of 4 to 5 years
2. better soil aggregation and texture through the addition of organic matter and enhanced activity of soil microorganisms
3. economic savings as a result of reduced use of purchased fertilizer

No-till farmer Dan Forgey Holding Clump of Rich Soil from his South Dakota farm

Forgey is aware that the cover crops in this system may perform differently in drought years, when a cover crop could deplete soil water needed by the cash crop (wheat, corn, soybeans). He will monitor this closely in coming years. As for managing cover crops without tillage, Forgey’s answer is to have his cattle graze them. Enjoy watching this video to learn more. In addition, an information sheet describing how cover crops and livestock fit into a typical crop rotation at Cronin Farms (PDF) is available at the SARE Web site.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program’s mission is to advance—to the whole of American agriculture—innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE is proud of its connections to farming communities across the country and encourages those who wish to learn more to visit the SARE website. SARE is funded by USDA the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.

Joan and Ron Baune both grew up on farms near the Oregon coast and, though they didn’t meet till they were grown, when they married they knew they wanted property of their own. Kids came, and the pastures around their home were filled with the livestock the kids raised for Future Farmers of America projects.

When the kids grew up the Baunes decided to expand their small vegetable garden and plowed up the well-fertilized pastures to plant vegetables. Ron built a greenhouse for plant starts that they began selling at a nearby farmers’ market, and when that garden reached eight acres, they decided to hit the big time with a space at the much larger Portland Farmers’ Market.

While their plant starts were a big hit, they realized that city people didn’t have the larger parcels of land that were common in the suburbs. This “aha!” moment led Joan to the realization that potted vegetables would be a great value-added addition to their product mix, and she came up with her Rainyway Farm Salad Bowls.

Joan Baune, Rainyway Farm in Portland, Oregon

She first fills the 20″ plastic pots with a rich potting mix and then gently adds 15 to 20 lettuce and chard plants that she starts from seed. Joan’s eye for composition is evident in the red lettuces and colorful chard that she adds, saying that the different textures and colors make it look prettier on a patio.

After planting, the pots are then moved into the greenhouse to mature and fill in before going to the market. Joan said that many people buy them for gifts as well as for their own use, trimming off the outside leaves as they mature and using them in green salads. Frequent requests have led Joan to start making herb bowls as well, with a variety of perennial herbs (video coming soon).

With good care, these salad bowls will last through the summer months.

Jean Ann Van Krevelen is a garden coach and author in Portland, Oregon. She loves all kinds of gardening, but has a passion for growing, harvesting, preparing and storing vegetables and fruits of all kinds. Though she is inspired by beautiful television garden shows, she understands that is just not reality for most people. Her book, Growing Food: A Guide for Beginners consists of easy to follow steps to start growing your own food.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program’s mission is to advance—to the whole of American agriculture—innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE is proud of its connections to farming communities across the country and encourages those who wish to learn more to visit SARE. SARE is funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA.