Hatfield asparagus is known far annnnnnd wide and its almost here! Every time we put this out on the stand we get excited, it kicks off the season, and folks drive from all over to grab a few bunches. Not only does the "lobster" of vegetables taste incredibly good, ​it's a superfood. So many health benefits, we lost count!

Asparagus is an anti-inflammatory (reduces inflammation in the body) and contains a type of fiber that keeps the digestive system healthy. The plant chemical glutathione contained in asparagus has been found to be an anti-inflammatory and may help rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. This vegetable is also rich in soluble fiber oligosaccharide, which acts as a prebiotic in the gut by stimulating the growth of friendly bacteria. It is also a valuable source of vitamin C, folate, magnesium, potassium, and iron. Unusually for a vegetable, it is a good source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps keep the heart and immune system healthy.

The Good Stuff:

• folate and glutathione protects the heart by helping to reduce inflammation
• fiber content acts a prebiotic for gut health
• good source of important vitamins including vitamins E
• rich in iron, promoting energy and healing, and helps fight infection

Facts:

• peak season March to June
• white asparagus lacks heart protecting fight phytonutrients nutrients and provides less of vitamins A and C compared to its green counterpart

Tips:

• avoid spears that are fading in color
• trim the woody ends and stand stalks upright in a tall container with a little water in the bottom, cover the tops with a plastic bag and use in a few days
• brush large spears with oil and broil for 2 to 3 minutes until tender, so good
• small thin asparagus spears can be used in quiches, soups, risottos, and salad

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Reference: 100 Best health Foods, Eat This Not That, Cooking Light What to Eat
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Beautiful crowns of our green broccoli varieties will soon be available at our farmstand, picked fresh first thing in the morning and ready for pickup when you get out of work.

We have two new varieties coming, "Green Magic" and "Marathon", both earthy, savory, and robust. Incredibly good for you too! Have a look below and see why you should be eating broccoli everyday.

Of all vegetables in the Brassica family broccoli has shown the highest levels of protection against prostate cancer. Broccoli comes in several varieties but the darker the color the more beneficial the nutrients the vegetable contains. It contains sulforaphane and indoles, which have strong anticancer benefits particularly against breast and colon cancer. Broccoli is also high in flavonoids, which have been linked with a significant reduction in ovarian cancer. The chemicals in broccoli protect against stomach ulcers, stomach and lung cancer, and possibly skin cancer. They also act as a detoxifier helping lower bad blood cholesterol, boosting the immune system, and protecting against cataracts.

The Good Stuff:

• contains sulforaphane, activates enzymes destroy cancer cells
• helps lower bad cholesterol and protect against heart disease
• contains lutein and zeaxathin, helps prevent macular degeneration
• helps eradicate H.pylori bacteria
• high calcium content helps build and protect bones
• contains vitamins C, K, A, and B6, potassium, riboflavin, folate, and manganese
• excellent source of antioxidants and selenium
• 3 to 5 servings a week offers protection against cancer

Facts:

• peak season October through May
• you can eat the leaves of broccoli as well as the stocks and the florets, they contain as much goodness and taste great too
• did you know broccoli spouts have 20 times more cancer fighting power than their grown up counterparts
• add to sandwiches scrambled eggs salad and soups

Tips:

• look for heads rich with deep color avoid any pale yellow or brown patches on the florets
• store in the refrigerator and use within a few days of purchase 
• frozen broccoli contains all nutrients of fresh broccoli, purchase in bulk 
• cook lightly by steaming or stir-fry

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​Reference: 100 Best health Foods, Eat This Not That, Cooking Light What to Eat
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Stockbridge School of Agriculture professors do their best to get students as much hands-on work throughout the year. Today my Organic Vegetable Production class went on a field trip to Simple Gifts Farm in Amherst, MA. We talked with owner Jeremy about his organic  farming operation and helped him weed his spinach that he planted last fall in one of his high tunnel hoop houses. It felt good to finally have my hands in the soil again! 

Edyn Wi-Fi Garden Sensor
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Edyn’s Garden Sensor and Water Valve is a wifi-based app with a valve set-up that waters your plants, tracks light, humidity, temperature, soil nutrition and moisture. It even also gives you advice about what plants might do well in your garden.

Garden Plan Pro iPad
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Having trouble planning your vegetable garden? The Garden Plan Pro app is as a visual aid in laying out your rows and beds before you pick up a shovel. It also provides weather station data, gives advice on the best plants for your region, and offers information on more than 140 different species of flowers and vegetables. 

Plantlink Basestation
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Basestation is one of the best options out there to monitor the soil humidity of your plants, and let you know when you need to get watering. The Plantlink Basestation and app can manage up to 64 separate sensors. The starter package includes one and additional units can be purchased for $35.

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Did you know eggplants used to have spines and bananas had huge seeds? You bet they did.  

Humans started domesticating crops about 10,000 years ago. Since then, we've developed farming techniques to breed food to taste better, be more nutritious, live in different environments, and now look way, way different. 

Check out this video about fruit and vegetable history, it's pretty interesting.

Reference: Business Insider

Worked in the garage over the weekend prepping for season 2017 on this rainy day. With a little creativity and know-how I welded stabilizers on our sprayer's extended booms to give them the strength they needed.

​These new booms will help us be more efficient with less passes in the field, decrease the soil compaction, and in the end, save us time, fuel, and money. More importantly, less of a environmental footprint!

This quote speaks so many truths. Eat fresh, buy local and support local farms.

We've added a new piece of equipment! This Cole Planter will make farm life a bit easier while providing a better product to you, my customers. 

If you don't know what a planter is, it's a piece of equipment towed behind a tractor that sows (plants) seeds in rows throughout a field. The planter lays the seeds down in precise manner and are distributed through devices called row units. The row units are spaced evenly along the planter.

​Planters vary greatly in size, from 1 row to 48, with the biggest in the world being the 48-row John Deere DB120. The space between the row units also vary greatly. The most common row spacing in the United States today is 30 inches.

Pretty soon our farmstand will be stocked with all those pre-summer sweet leafy greens! And don't you fret, spinach will be high on that list. This season we will be stocking two varieties, Banjo and Admiral. Each promise to be sweet, earthy, and robust, perfect for salads, side dishes, smoothies, and juicing. With all the health benefits and versatility in the kitchen, have a look below and see why Spinach is so popular. 

Contrary to popular belief, spinach doesn't contain as much iron as originally thought but, nevertheless it has many excellent health benefits!

Researchers have found many flavonoid compounds in spinach at as antioxidants and fight against stomach, skin, breast, prostate, and other cancers. Spinach is also extremely high and carotenes which protect eyesight. It is also particularly rich in vitamin K which helps to boost bone strength and may help prevent osteoporosis. In addition, spinach also contains peptides which are aspects of proteins that have been shown to lower blood pressure, and its relatively high vitamin E content may help protect the brain from cognitive decline as we age.

The Good Stuff:

• excellent source of fiber
• flavonoid and carotene content protects against many cancers
• vitamin C, folate, and carotene content helps maintain artery health and prevent atherosclerosis
• helps keep eyes healthy
• vitamin K content boosts bone density

Facts:

• peak season is March through May
• the greener the greens, the more nutrients, vitamins, and minerals they contain
• research has shown that a spinach rich diet improves both learning capacity and motor skills
• Tufts University found that frequent spinach eaters had a 43% lower risk of age-related macular degeneration

Tips:

• avoid buying spinach with yellowing leaves
• pack unwashed spinach bunches loosely in plastic bags and refrigerate up to 4 days
• the carotenes in spinach are better absorbed by the body when the leaves are lightly cooked rather than eating raw, light steaming or stir-frying retain most antioxidants
• simply wash the leaves and cook in only the water still clinging to the leaves, stirring if necessary

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Reference: 100 Best health Foods, Eat This Not That, Cooking Light What to Eat
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