So the farming year has come and gone. It has been a great year of learning, and requires some reflection.

My co-farmer let me in on the ground floor, “what hella harvest awaits!”, and we shot for the moon. 40x40 is tameable, and quantity is quality right? Huh ya? We’ll see...

The season started off with much excitement, and much promise. There was some (unfortunate) preparation, but still much hope in the spoils to come. When the plots were first revealed to us we thought "what could grow here, anything?". It was dry, hard, and desert like. Yet we sowed still, carving little grooves and tossing carelessly onions, carrots, beets and kales, life's seed in hopes of future edible bounties. Little did we know what life had in store for us.

The days went on, the weather stayed cold and dry, and nothing came. More planting with great help, peas, corns, collards, cabbage, and all my failed seedlings such as leeks, brussels, raab, zucchini more kale and who knows what else. Serious apparatus added for the peas, feeling confident if nothing grew at least that structure would still be standing in september.

And then came the tomatos, 36 strong (actually more!). Knowing i couldn't grow such an army myself they were recruited from Vicki's Veggies. The annual pilgrimage becoming much anticipated, a rite of passage into the growing year. Much loved wood fired pizza, preserves, amongst many other things acquired, and back to town to nurse the seedlings for a few weeks before they’re ready to stand on their own.

And stand they did. Strong and upright, no one would doubt their resolve. But once standing, it became clear they were stunted. It may have been a little like telling your university bound to simply grab a bus and have fun. No no, you drive them to campus. You baby them, you give them money, some words about not doing nothing you wouldn’t do, you linger too long, you embarrass, you stick, you influence. And then you let them be. But with much resolve. 

These tomatoes barely had enough for bus fare, it was clear. The first ones came out fast, like the plant was in a rush, timid, and nervous. Luckily in the meantime the peas were nice, clear evidence care and teamwork resulted in fine offspring. And tomatoes continued to come, but the plants were short, and the yields low. Fauna preyed on their insides, little oversight to help defend them. Left to their own devices, reasonable yield was had, but from 36 strong less than half remained by season’s end, and they were sad, forlorn, and wishing for the end.

But lets not forget the peppers. Modest hot hot cayenne’s recruited from crappy tire (of all places!) at the advice of my co-farmer. These were great. Added to a few semi-hot green hots from Vickies, and i had a bounty of peppers. The sriracha i made was outstanding. A very hot and a mild based on nom nom’s sriracha, they were an outstanding hit. You can’t go wrong with very sweet hot, it just works.

With the tomato harvests i did get, i tried to share what i could, and eat the rest. You do what you can with what you have. A few simple marinaras (typically to lubricate balls), gazpachos, open faced tomato sammies, simply sliced with EVOO/salt/pepper, and a lot of tomato conserva. But no salsa, no bolognese, no soup or salad (ok maybe a few salads). But what i did have i really enjoyed. REALLY enjoyed. The food, and the learning.

The farm is still there, but it was torn down today. Pulled the few sad, stunted carrots that came up, the last couple tomatoes (that weren’t rotten), and cleaned all the apparatus and stakes that held it together over the past few months. There may still be a few brussels (a few survived) and collards left to pull, but for what its worth the season is over.

I should also mention i had a few plants at my house. But there it WAS a numbers game, due to the squirrels. Last year they didn’t have an impact, but this year they go pretty much all the ripening tomatoes right before their peak. I had no defence, and they took advantage. And rubbed it in my face!

So what have i learned? Well for starters, 40x40 is easy to fill, but its hard to fill it with love. Spread yourself too thin and everyone suffers. Some of my neighbours had smaller places, but SO much more bounty.  The basic lesson here is to focus on what is in front of you and making it work, some things are not about number of at bats.

I also learned a lot of specifics. My apparatus for peas, pretty damn effective. But picking peas is another skill. You gotta be fast, as they have little patience. My hoeing strategy? Abysmal. Gotta hoe every two days in the heavy period. And then after, keep going. To hoe is to love. And watering? Well, plants need water. I don’t think my watering strategy was too bad, but my blanketing strategy needed work. The more hay/mulch, the less need for water, my co-farmer taught me this. I learned my car loves driving in mud, and i like how it looks all muddy. I learned you gotta love your soil, and it’ll love you back, and its a full spectrum. You can put your bet anywhere within, but gauge your expectations accordingly.

Next year i’ll likely stay close to home, and depending on the spring may go big. Or i may not. I guess i’ll have to see where my head is at. If i learned anything this year i probably should just focus on a small, concentrated effort. If i could unequivocally defend just one tomato plant from squirrels and the like for a whole season, that would be an accomplishment that i would be very satisfied with. Concentrating efforts can have a lasting impact, and doesn’t dilute the message.

So my seedlings were pretty much a bigtime fail this year.

I tried to plant many things, about 100 seedlings in all. I had less than a 50% germination rate, and out of all the ones that did come up, most of them died off pretty fast. Based on anecdotal conversations with those much more knowledgable than me, my failures are likely related to one of two things:

• Too much water after germination
• Too cold

At one point i had a heater going, but i don't think it worked very well, and made me nervous.

Next year, i'll invest in one of those warming blankets, and will not water nearly as much.

Fortunately a few things did come up, so hopefully i can see them through to the end. Also, i'm planting so much from seed at the farm that the seedlings were more of an experimentation anyways.

For posterity, and as i plan next year, here are how I rank the varieties I grew this year.

Would definitely grow again:

• Chateau Rose
• Pink Ping Pong
• Ropreco
• Chocolate Cherry
• Sara Goldstar
• Beaute Blanche du Canada
• Djena Lee's Golden Girl
• Arbuznyi
• Porkchop

Not bad, may grow again:

• White Currant
• Mortgage Lifter
• Big Rainbow
• Opal Essence
• Roman Candle

Then likely wouldn't try again. For the small ones it wasn't that they weren't great, but you only need so many small ones, and the Chocolate Cherry and Sara Goldstars take the cake there. 

• Lemon Drop
• Aladdin's Lamp
• Vintage Wine
• I had high hopes for this guy, but he was just too delicate for my work ethic

I'm currently reading The Jungle Effect. This book is a lot like the last book I read (Eating Wild) in terms of delivery and trying to get the most nutrition out of food. One of the main things it has taught me so far is just how divergent recipes we feel are traditional are from their ancestral versions.

One example cited is Borscht, a traditional european recipe of slowly simmered beets. Many modern recipes call things our ancestors wouldn't recognize: candied beets (and their juice), high sodium chicken stock, ketchup, bleached white bread, etc.. When you take something that generations have lived and thrived on, and manipulate it with products of the processed food era, bad things can happen - ie western disease, weight gain, not to mention generations of grandparents who are likely rolling over in their graves.

So...  I had a bunch of bryson farms beets building up in my fridge, so what better time to try my own "pure" borscht. Nothing too processed, all mostly natural. I borrowed heavily from a variety of recipes on the internet, so can't take all the credit.

Bob's Borscht

• 6 medium sized beets (i used gold+white beets, but red are likely better color, and better for you), peeled of rough parts, matchsticked
• 3 small potatoes (i used sweet), chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
• 4 small carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
• 4 small white turnips (greens too if you have them)
• 1 medium onion, sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 4 big cloves of garlic, pressed and rested for 10 minutes
• 4 large leaves of cabbage, slivered into shreds
• 4-6 greens from the beets or turnips
• 1tbs turmeric
• 1tsp paprika
• any other herbs you like, dill would be ideal (i had none)
• Lots of ground black pepper
• Salt to taste - i didn't use much
• 10 cups water
• Thick greek yogurt (for dolluping)
• Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large dutch oven heat the oil, and saute the onion for 3 or 4 min
2. Add the garlic, carrot, beets, spices, pepper, and a bit of salt and saute for a few more minutes
3. Add the turnips, sweet potatos and the water
4. Bring to boil, and when its there bring it way down and let simmer for 30 min to an hour
5. Add the cabbage and beet/turnip greens (if you have them), and let stew for another 15 minutes
6. Check for salt/pepper, season to taste
7. Ladle into bowls, serve with a healthy dollup of yogurt

I recently finished listening to the Eating on the Wild Side audiobook. It was quite a lot to digest and remember, so I thought I'd do my best to summarize the salient points as they might apply to me, and to others that have an interest in getting the most nutrients from their food.

Overall the book zips through the all the common healthy vegetables and fruits, and tries to guide the reader to the healthiest options with practical tips for getting the most out of what we can find. Most interestingly is that there is a TON of good stuff in food, but knowing what to eat, how to consume, store, and cook is by no means intuitive.

I am a firm believer that food is medicine. What this book does is arm you with knowledge to underline this somewhat ambiguous statement. My bolstered stance now is that I feel if I eat a wide spectrum of the good medicinal foods, I store and prepare them properly, that I will stand a great chance of living a long healthy life. What follows is some of my newly gained knowledge of the veggies and fruits that diet would encompass, and how to get the most from them.

Food is medicine

Yes, food is medicine. The book talks primarily about a wide class of things in food known as phytonutrients; a substance in plants that can be beneficial to human health. If you want a detailed account of exactly what is in the foods, and how they work to fight off a specific cancer or ailment - this blog post isn't for you. Too many benefits, too many foods, too much knowledge I'm not qualified or patient enough to understand. I will tell you there are a whole waft of great things the foods mentioned can do for you:

• lower blood pressure
• help prevent cancer
  
• help reduce cancer growth
• help slow age-related memory loss
• protect your skin from UV damage
• protect against chronic inflammation, cardiovascular disease
• fight depression
• lower LDL cholesterol
• live forever (ok maybe not...  or maybe??)

Do I really know these benefits exist? No. But based on the presentation and references cited in the book, I was left with a large amount of faith that the author knows her shit, and I would do well to heed her advice.

What's healthy for the food, is healthy for us

One of the basic principals that I learned from the book is that there is method to why certain foods are healthy for us. Regarding lettuce greens, the less tightly packed the leaf and the more colorful they are, the better they are for you. Why is that? Those greens that are "out there" have to work harder to beat off UV rays from the sun. They generate phytonutrients to help them in the battle. Same goes for some apples. If only one side sees the sun, the skin on that side may be substantially more beneficial to us than the skin on the shaded side. These nutrients which are part of the plant's self-defence system, then become part of ours. The less the plant has to work, the lazier it can be, and it will have less nutrients that we would benefit from.

Bitter is better

Sweet onions. Sweet corn. Sweet peas. Why are so many of our foods sweet now? We've selected them that way. Apples, onions, corn, carrots, etc., have all had thousands of varieties over the years that are no longer cultivated because people have selected the sweeter foods. Many of the varieties deemed less desirable have lots of good stuff. More often than not those bitter flavours in unpopular foods such as lamb's quarters come from extremely beneficial phytonutrients. Over the years we've overlooked the less tasty varieties in favour of the sweeter, often (but definitely not always) leaving behind their bitterness and benefits. A bit of extra effort in cooking or flavouring of these bitter flavours can have huge benefits on our health.

Garlic

Garlic - yes, its great for us, eat it up. The author ranked it pretty much at the top of the pyramid with regards to cancer fighting properties, and it has a ton of other benefits as well. However it is very easy to destroy its good properties if you cook it. When you cook it, press/smash/chop it really well and let it rest for 10 min before cooking it. The good stuff in it needs to combine and brew; if you just cook it right away (or whole for that matter), you'll destroy one of the parts needed to make the good stuff.

Berry Bliss

Berries? The jist I got is if you eat berries every day, you'll probably live forever. Blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries are king, the frozen form is just fine, so we have no excuse not to live forever. We can buy in season and freeze to have them all year round (or just get em from costco as many smoothie drinkin folks do). If you do freeze them, freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then bag to avoid massive clumping. Thaw berries in the microwave to preserve more of their goodness, the longer they take to thaw the more diminished their nutrients will be.

To cook or not to cook, and raw is not always best

For some things, raw is great. But for carrots and tomatoes, cooking them ups some of their vital nutrients substantially (betacarotene and lycopene respectively). Also of note, for better results cook with some oil or fat as the nutrients are fat soluble. Not surprisingly, boiling is just about the worst thing you can do to a beneficial food as the nutrients usually seep into the water. So only use boiling as a cooking method if you're going to be consuming the cooking water (ie in a soup). For dried legumes, this is also true. A trick here is to leave the beans/lentils in the cooking liquid for an hour after they're done as they can reabsorb a chunk of their lost nutrients - i'm not sure how practical this is as I imagine doing so will cook the crap out of them, but its worth a shot. Canned beans and legumes generally have more phytonutrients than home-cooked beans anyways, so maybe just skip the dried guys.

Organic or Not, Eat them Skins 

Organic is important for foods that you're going to eat the skins as most non-organic foods contain high residues of pesticides on the skins. And for many foods, the skins contain the majority of the nutrients (50% of potato's antioxidants are in the skin, and a ton of the fibre too). So if you want the most out of your food, buy organic, and eat the skins.

Colour is good

In general - the deeper the colour, the better the food is for you. For instance, purple "green beans" are way better for you than usual green beans. It seems like foods that are "deep" in colour, ideally purple, red, blue, green are almost always really good for you. This isn't always the case, but is a good general rule. Exceptions to this rule include white cauliflower and artichoke hearts, both of which are great for you.

High Glycemic Stereotypes

It is true eating a freshly baked russet potato can cause your blood sugar to jump as much as 2 white pieces of bread. But this doesn't mean all potatoes are created equal, and it doesn't mean there may not be other ways of consuming this hated-by-paleo food. Purple Peruvian potatoes have 28 times more bionutrients than our most popular potato, and a glycemic index that is not as high as standard potatoes. As well, if you're stuck on russet or white potatoes, by cooking and then chilling your potatoes for 24 hours, they will magically transform them into a low glycemic food.

Storage

There are LOTs of techniques and points in the book about storing and keeping food to preserve its freshness and potency. Broccoli, asparagus, kale, and artichokes have very high respiration rates. Store them in the fridge in micro perforated bags (the book describes a method to make your own), and don't keep for more than 2 or 3 days. These suggestions are definitely inconvenient and unattainable for me, but having a bit more knowledge will help me plan my Bryson Farms basket veggie consumption throughout the week a bit better.

Beans

Beans are great for you. They have great protein and a very high number of antioxidants, all of which are retained during canning (although some people like to avoid canned foods, perhaps a topic for a future post). Surprisingly though, garbanzo beans (aka chick peas) rank quite low on the antioxidant chart compared to black beans and lentils, which each have 10x more antioxidants. Don't stop the hummous, but mix it up a bit with different beans (or yellow split peas, which I LOVE and are excellent for you).

GMO or heirloom

I didn't learn a ton about the breeding techniques that have led to our huge diversity (and in some cases not so much) in foods, but I did learn a bit that was interesting to me. Breeding one species of plants with another happens naturally and with human intervention, all the time. For instance, our ever popular (and healthy!) common persian limes are a cross between a citron and a lesser known citrus fruit called a papeda. However, the term human intervention really can mean many things. Most of the varieties of our common sweet corn we eat today are the result of Operation Crossroads; a secondary goal of this mission was to test the effects of nuclear radiation from atomic bomb blasts on animals and foods. One of the eventual products of this was a corn strain known as sh2; the start of the super sweet corn craze. Does this mean if I don't want to eat GMO I should avoid corn? I'm still not quite sure, still mulling this over, still eating corn, but am planning on growing some healthier heirloom varieties next summer.

Tidbits, and in closing

A few other specifics to optimize health benefits that I found interesting:

• As far as salad greens go, eat lots of mixed greens, ideally arugula and radicchio. Avoid iceberg, romaine, or mix it with good stuff.
• Shallots and green onions are great for you. Conventional onions are also fantastic for you. Choose medium to small sized non-sweet ones for best bang for your health buck.
• The globe artichoke, despite its drab color, is one of the most nutritious foods in the supermarket. The heart, fresh or canned, is almost as nutritious as the leaves. Steam it for the best increase and concentration of antioxidants.
• Eat lots of beets and eat the beet greens. Reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases.
• Kale. King of the crucifers. No surprise, it is fantastic for you.
• Avocados, particularly the popular Hass avocado, are great for you.
• Purple carrot juice has been found to fight negative effects of high fructose corn syrup, and help to reduce blood pressure.
• Skip all but organic, darkly colored grapes - or drink concord/welches grape juice which is terrific for you and helps fight memory loss as we age. Skip the gibbed grapes.
• Oranges have 170 unique phytonutrients, one of which helps with depression. Vitamin C is no substitute for a whole orange. Eat the pith, its where most of the good stuff lives.
• All citrus fruits are rich in compounds called flavanones, which have important antioxidant and anticancer properties. Lemons are second only to cranberries in terms of anti-cancer properties.
• Eat melons for flavour, don't expect many health benefits from them other than small, bright red fleshed watermelons (they get their red color from lycopene)
• The common cavendish banana is about the least healthy fruit you could eat. Consider red bananas, or other tropical fruits such as guavas or mangos as far healthier alternatives.

Hope that gave you some ideas, and helps you eat a bit more healthfully in the future. Feel free to ask questions or point out any areas you think I might have erred on!