Spring CSA Week 9 | Flailing, but in a good way
- 10th St. Farm & Market
- Jun 4
- 5 min read
Week 9: June 4th - June 7th
Last weekend, we made a short trek down just south of Hastings to pick up a new tool: a flail mower. Check it out above; yes, it's called the Blade Runner. We are beyond excited.
Long-time CSA members and farm fans know that here at 10th Street Farm & Market we practice what is called “no-till” farming. Essentially what that means is we prioritize the health of our soil by keeping it covered (either with plants or tarps) to prevent erosion, we avoid breaking up the soil with tillage in order to preserve soil structure, and we keep living roots in the ground for as long as possible to feed the soil microbiome and encourage the good kind of bacterial activity in our fields.The result is high levels of organic matter in our soil, strong underground networks that make nutrients available in various ways, and overall happier, healthier and more nutrient-dense vegetables!
Making no-till farming work on a farm like ours, where we are often planting two or three crops in a single bed over the course of season, requires getting creative in the transition from one crop to another. In traditional agriculture, this would be a simple process: you would run a rototiller or tractor through the first crop to kill it and turn it under the soil, leaving you with a clean bed to plant into. But this practice chips away at soil health over time, rather than regenerating and growing soil fertility.
So we “flip” our beds in a couple different ways. When timing is tight, we pull plants by hand to disturb the soil as little as possible - a process that is both body- and time-intensive. But our ideal bed flip is something we call chopping and dropping. In this type of bed flip, we mow down a crop close to the surface level and leave the organic plant material on top of the bed. Then we put a tarp over the mowed crop for 2-4 weeks and allow the plant matter to break down into beautiful fresh soil, without ever disturbing the soil structure or root system.
Which brings us back to the flail mower. In previous years, we have used a combination of weed whackers and old lawn mowers to accomplish the “chopping” part of our ideal no-till bed flips. Unfortunately, as you’re probably aware, these tools don’t exactly “drop” what they cut - they fling it all over the place, including onto neighboring beds. A flail mower uses lots of small blades that spin forward on a cylinder, rather than a single blade that goes around in a circle, to chop things up into very small pieces and drop them exactly where they grew.
The smaller pieces break down more quickly, and they don’t bother any of their neighbors - returning fertility directly to the soil they emerged from.
Our hope is that this tool - which we purchased with help from a Soil Health grant from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture - will make our bed flips faster, easier, and cleaner around the farm. We’re excited to start flailing wildly!
Have a flipping great week,
Chris, Ashley, and the 10th Street Farmers
In Your Share This Week
Sugar Snap Peas! The first peas of the season are here! Easily added to anything for crunch and a bit of sweetness, or just eat them on the drive home. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge, if they make it that far.
Head Lettuce: Beautiful crisp red and green romaine lettuce heads. Great for everything from lettuce wraps to salads and sandwiches. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Farm Mix Salad Mix: A diverse mix of tasty red and green lettuces. Delicious with just olive oil and salt, or dress it up! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Bok Choy: So versatile! Use in Asian-inspired dishes like soups and stir fries, or just chop and add to anything for a bit more flavor and nutrition. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Radishes: Add to salads or sandwiches for a little extra flavor. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Flavor Mix microgreens: Mild and tasty, these make an easy salad on their own or can add some color to any other salad. Try them on eggs or sandwiches – or anything, really! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Kale: The first kale bunches from our spring crop - tender and tasty! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Spinach: Our spring spinach is tender and tasty! Use as a salad base, sautéed as a side dish or in anything that calls for greens. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Cilantro microgreens: Zippy micros to add a little flavor to whatever's on your plate! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Scallions: The white and green parts of these beautiful green onions are both edible - use the white like an onion, chop the greens as a garnish or hit of flavor in your dishes! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Dill: Fresh and herbaceous, this dill is a great addition to sauces and salads. Store in a bag in your fridge (in a cup of water, if possible!)
Full Share Choice (Choose 2):
Salad Mix
Pea Shoots: Sweet and crisp, these make a great addition to sandwiches, wraps, salads or can be lightly sautéed as a side dish. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Sunflower Shoots: Crunchy and nutty flavor, these are a great substitute for lettuce on sandwiches or wraps. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Rhubarb: Did you know that not all rhubarb is red? Our green heirloom variety is sweet and crisp, perfect for both sweet and savory uses. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Edible Flowers: We've been loving these delicate edible flowers in our salads of late! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge (but only for a few days).
Arugula microgreens: Peppery micros add a little punch to pizza, salads, pestos, sandwiches, eggs, and more. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Kitchen Inspiration
We have peas in the share! We weren’t sure the peas would recover from our freak frost, but they surprised us and bounced back happily - phew. We love to snack on them raw, but you can also gussy them up in a salad with radishes and other veggies or even try them sauteed if plain peas aren’t your thing.
Everybody is also getting bok choy this week, which may be an ingredient people are less familiar with. It’s a tasty and versatile green that shines in stir fries, soups, and even salads. Try a crispy tofu bowl with sesame bok choy or toss it on the grill with some miso butter. Or combine it with your romaine lettuce and herbs for a delicious layered salad with a twist on traditional ranch dressing!
If you've found a recipe you're loving, please send it our way. We're always looking for new things to cook and share with other members!
Please bring back your Purple or Blue bag each week so that we can reuse it.
This helps us keep costs down! Thanks!
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