Remember in last week's e-mail when I said I was having "killer contractions" and needed to forego the Farm Up-Date and get down to business?? Well, it turns out I was in labor!! I RUSHED home before getting all the 2000 e-mails on the list sent out. (I was at the coffee shop down the street where they have WiFi cuz poor farmers have no such thing in their own homes). I got home around 9:15 PM and of course Farmer Dan was still in the field. I curled up on the bed in fetal position thinking "this is it....this is really happening....". Farmer Dan stumbled in dirty as hell and tired like an old dog around 10 PM. I told him I'd been in labor for the last 4 hours (mostly at the coffee shop without realizing it) and that we should probably call the midwife soon.
Twenty seven...yes, TWENTY SEVEN HOURS LATER, my son, Percival James Heryer the 1st was born on June 8th at 11:50 pm. He was born at home, in the water, caught by a (still dirt-covered) Farmer Dan. What can I say...it was AWESOME, it was terrifying, it was excruciatingly painful, it was F%$&ING INSANE!!!
Anyway, that's why your URBAVORE Farmers weren't at market last week. That was the first BADSEED market I have not had my farm products at in the 5 years since I created it. Needless to say, I am still recovering, but me and little Percy James will be "back in black" not this Friday but next. Farmer Dan and the die-hard apprentices will somehow manage the harvest this week so you can expect my homegrown goodness THIS FRIDAY AT THE BADSEED FARMERS MARKET FROM 4 - 9 PM despite my absence. Just think - me and Mr. James seeded those wonderful veggies that you will find gracing our market table when he was in utero several months back! Eat up and know a whole hell of a lot of blood, sweat, and "baby-mama" tears went into those crops!!!! (also, speaking of "in utero" - KCPT did a special little segment on our farm just hours before I went into labor. Therefore, little Percival will someday see himself on "TV" the last day he was in my belly....pretty wild!)
As far as "Sexy Veggie of the Week" goes, I cannot make it out to the field to take those oh-so-perverted veggie shots. Since you didn't get your jaws on last week's "sexy veggie winners" in our absence, I will just go ahead and include them again as a reminder for all you fellow-veggie-perverts. (...the cylindra beets are simply outrageous and you must try them!!!)
Other NEW CROP HIGHLIGHTS This Week Include:
**FAVA BEANS from our farm (the crop is getting some fungal pressure so don't expect prolonged availability.....get em' while you can!)
**SWEET PEAS from JJ Farms (in Sugar Snap) and a wild assortment of PEAS from Bigg Blue Farm (in cascade sugar snap, mammoth melt, oregon giant snow, and early frosty shell pea)
**BULB FENNEL from both URBAVORE & Lew at Herb'N'Gardener
**NAPPA CABBAGE from JJ Farms
**BEETS from all us farming fools.....
**ZUCCHINI & PEPPERS from JJ and Bigg Blue
**NEW POTATOES....MAYBE!!...(if Stan at Bigg Blue can get them dug)
OKAY.....that's enough. Mama is tired!! Dan is out in the field all day and this recovering farmer has a baby to nurse, diapers to change, and meals to fix all on her own!! Just one more little thing: If you didn't catch the article in the KC Star regarding our Composting Program last Saturday, please check it out, and BRING US YOUR DEAD FOOD!!!! -
Last Week's MIA SEXY VEGGIE OF THE WEEK
This week's Runner-Up is the one and only gorgeous GARLIC SCAPE !! These long, looping ladies grace the market tables once a year.....just a few weeks before the glorious garlic harvest! Garlic Scapes resemble a swan's neck as they sexily shoot up from the middle of the garlic stalk with the intention of making a flower (or seed head) so that pro-creation can occur. The farmer must remove the scape in order to send all the energy of the plant back to the bulb. This ensures fat bulbs come harvest time in July. Although the garlic bulb is the main crop, the garlic scape is a delicious bonus!!! They have an incredibly smooth and mild garlic flavor that adds a wonderful dimension to any dish. Chop them up and use them like a spring onion OR substitute them for garlic cloves in your next batch of pesto!! They can be eaten raw or cooked and their versatility makes them a "must have". We harvest them into nice big bunches for only $2!! It's the sexiest deal in town......
This week's Grand-Prize-Winner will blow your freakin' mind. Brace yourselves for the one and only CYLINDRA BEET!!!! Hot Diggity Dog!!!....these girls put me over the edge. I (like you) adore beets, but this aint no ordinary beet!! These burgundy bold beauties have an elongated body dense with sweet rich flesh. Their unique shape make them an absolute oddity, but a delicious one at that! Despite their sexy and tasty disposition, you cannot help but find them somewhat humorous. They are the "wiener dog" of the beet world. I often joke that you could roast em' whole, stick em' between a hot dog bun, douse em' in mustard and your kids would never know the difference!! However you choose to fix em', your taste buds will undoubtedly be pleased. I suggest roasting or steaming them whole in a little lemon juice and olive oil until tender. Let them cool slightly and their skins will slide right off. Cube em' and chill em' then put them over a wonderful bed of farm-fresh greens (our "sex in a bowl" salad mix should suffice). Finish your masterpiece off with gobs of fresh sheep's milk cheese from Green Dirt Farm and a delicious dressing of your choice. (Other "local" additions may include hard-boiled farm-fresh eggs & toasted Missouri Pecans).
SEXY Photos are attached. You know the drill - print them out, blow them up, and plaster them all over the men's room!
THIS WEEK'S ORGANIC OFFERINGS -
URBAVORE Urban Farm
A project of BADSEED - Brooke Salvaggio & Daniel Heryer
5500 Bennington Ave., Kansas City, MO 64129
Welcome to URBAVORE - an off-grid, diversified, urban farmstead in the heart of KCMO. Born in 2011, URBAVORE is working towards the creation of an “edible oasis” that brings organic growth, sustainable life, and creative solutions to a city neighborhood. We grow an extensive variety of heirloom vegetables noted for their unique appearance and extraordinary flavor, as well as an array of culinary/medicinal herbs and edible flowers. URBAVORE is a non-certified, beyond organic operation dedicated to respecting both the health of the individual and the environment. It is our aim to build community and collective consciousness through the universal pleasure that comes from eating good food.
OFFERINGS:
*BODACIOUS BEETS (in Cylindra, Chiogga, and Detroit Dark Red)
*FAVA BEANS!!
*BULB FENNEL!!
*RED BORE KALE, WINTER BORE KALE, & RED RUSSIAN KALE
*RAINBOW CHARD !!!!
*LUSCIOUS LETTUCE HEADS (in assorted gourmet varieties)
*Oasis Gourmet SALAD TURNIPS
*RUBY RED Oriental Turnips
*GOLD BALL Turnips (buttery and delicious)
*GARLIC SCAPES
*"Sex in a Bowl" Signature Salad Mix
* Red Velvet Lover's Gourmet Lettuce Mix
*JAPANESE Giant Red MUSTARDS
* Succulent Braising Mix (with baby kale and baby swiss chard)
*Peppery & Perfect ARUGULA
*Fresh PARSLEY
*Fresh Dill
Herb'n Gardener
Lew Edmister
17th and Belleview, Kansas City, MO 64108
For the “meanest greens” in town, check out Lew's gourmet selection of urban-grown goodies. He grows a mouthwatering array of lettuces, spicy mustards, arugula, and gourmet salad mixes on KC’s west side. Other tasty morsels include heirloom tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, okra, and filet beans. New For 2011 -RUSTIC BREAD straight from Lew’s hand-built wood-fired oven. YUM!
OFFERINGS From the Lips of Lew:
" this week is thinning week in the new kale patches and that means a nice mix of both russian baby and toscano baby for you to play with in the kitchen. might i suggest a slaw of sorts accompanied by green onions, cilantro and if you're adventurous enough, throw in some bulb fennel. i'll have it all as well as swiss chard, arugula and my oh so delicate sweet 'n tender mix. i also have a recipe for the slaw if you want it. there will also be bunches of russian and starbor kale. "
JJ Farms
John & Judy Kaiahua
8531 E. 81st Terrace, Raytown, MO 64138
John has been growing organically since 1984!! He plants, weeds, and harvests all his own crops on urban land that has been chemical free for over 20 years. Produce includes a wide array of vegetable offerings as well as apples, peaches, and pears in season. John is originally from the far off lands of Hawaii where he comes from a long line of pearl divers!! Now he spends his days out of the ocean and in the dirt, growing righteous foods for the Kansas City community. Lucky us!
OFFERINGS:
*Kale
*Swiss Chard
*Nappa CABBAGE!!!
*A few ZUCCHINI & Peppers!!!
*LETTUCE Heads
Bigg Blue Farm
Stan & Carmen Biggs
19801 NE U.S. Highway 69, Liberty, MO 64068
Despite full-time jobs, Stan and Carmen Biggs still find time to organically grow an impressive array of colorful vegetables, greens, and storage crops on 7 fertile acres in Mosby, MO. Stan started out growing nutritious foods for his family as a 4-H project as a small boy. Stan’s passion for gardening was renewed when he met his wife Carmen, who grew up on her family’s 1,500-hectare farmstead in Romania that had passed through many generations. Today they cultivate the earth together, bringing well-fed customers delicious homegrown foods every Friday night at the BADSEED Farmers Market and through their Community Supported Agriculture program.
OFFERINGS:
*Peas Peas Peas: Mammoth Melt, Oregon Giant Snow, Cascade Sugar Snaps, Early Frosty shell peas
*Zucchini: Mix of Black and Early Prolific
*Yellow Crookneck Squash
*Beets
*Head lettuce
*Red and yellow green onion
*Spinach
*Kale: Red Siberian and Baby Green Wave
**Possible NEW POTATOES if the ground is dry enough to dig them!!
*Yellow Crookneck Squash
*Beets
*Head lettuce
*Red and yellow green onion
*Spinach
*Kale: Red Siberian and Baby Green Wave
**Possible NEW POTATOES if the ground is dry enough to dig them!!
PJ's Mushroom Farm
Paul & Judy Miller
916 SW State Route 13, Leeton, MO 64761
yopjmiller7569@yahoo.com
916 SW State Route 13, Leeton, MO 64761
yopjmiller7569@yahoo.com
"We purchase innoculated mushroom blocks from a Certified Organic supplier and place them in our growing trailer & cellar. There we water & harvest & get them to market as fresh as possible. We grow SHITAKE & OYSTER MUSHROOMS. We also have over 100 laying hens that produce wonderful, fresh, brown FREE-RANGE EGGS. We do our best to REUSE, RECYCLE and REPURPOSE our RESOURCES."
OFFERINGS:
*Shitake Mushrooms
*Farm-Fresh Brown Eggs
*Recycled Yard Art including vintage garden stakes!!
Parker Farms All-Natural Meats
Tom & Paula Parker
Richmond, MO
"We produce all-natural gourmet beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and eggs. All of our beef and lamb is 100% grassfed. They are never fed any grain, animal by products, antibiotics, or injected with growth hormones. We have been practicing Management Intensive Grazing since 1997. It is our goal to care for all of the livestock that we have been blessed with, in as natural and humane a manner as we can. Our chickens for meat and eggs are also raised on pasture with green grass under their feet as much as the weather in this part of the world allows. Our hogs are fed grain, but do live outdoors with dirt under their feet. We do not use any petroleum based pesticides or fertilizers on our pastures. We believe that healthy people, and healthy animals start with healthy plants and a healthy, biologically active, soil community. Our meats are available at the BADSEED Market or through our Community Supported Agriculture shares."
OFFERINGS:
*Ground Beef & Patties
*Pork Products: Chops, Brats, Breakfast Sausage, Italian Sausage, & Spare Ribs
*Lamb Cuts: Ground Lamb, Shoulder Steaks, Rib Chop (butterfly cut, loin chops), Leg (bone in whole, shanks, lamb liver)
**Pastured Chickens (just a few available....come early!!)
**Pastured Thanksgiving TURKEYS available for PRE-ORDER!! Talk to Paula Parker at market so she can order enough babies!!!!
*Tea Towels, Hand-made Teas, Candles, and Gourd Bird Houses from the lovely Parker Girls!!
Green Dirt Farm
Jacqueline Smith & Sarah Hoffman
Weston, MO
"Life is too short to eat grocery store cheeses! Green Dirt Farm, LLC invites you to try our HANDCRAFTED ARTISANAL SHEEP CHEESES created with milk from our very own PASTURED ewes. You can be assured of a richness and depth of flavor unique to the rolling bluffs of Weston, MO. Also on the menu is 100% GRASS-FED LAMB which is of unsurpassed quality, tenderness, and flavor."
OFFERINGS:
*Grass-Fed Lamb
*Artisan Sheep's Milk Cheese in aged and fresh varieties
New Traditionalist - Artisan Bread
Chris Glenn
Kansas City, MO
Chris produces old-world, rustic loaves from the finest locally-grown and milled flour on the market. His breads are made from a sour-dough "starter", lovingly kneaded, and baked to perfection in a wood-fired oven. Flour and water never tasted so good!
OFFERINGS:
1) Fig Loaves (country loaves loaded with organic dried black mission figs!!)
2) Struan (whole wheat loaves with organic oats, organic flax seeds, organic
sunflower seeds, organic spelt flour, and a little Miller's honey!!)
3) Country Loaves
2) Struan (whole wheat loaves with organic oats, organic flax seeds, organic
sunflower seeds, organic spelt flour, and a little Miller's honey!!)
3) Country Loaves