Kate Zurschmeide

Preserving the Soil’s Ecosystem

April 13, 2020 by Kate Zurschmeide

In previous years, when we used to till our fields, all the rain we’ve had in the last 48 hours would have meant there was no way I’d be heading out to pick spinach this afternoon. Too much mud. But now that we’re into our second year on no-till planting, all that rain does what it’s supposed to do: it disappears into the structure of the soil. That means I can work in the fields immediately after a thunderstorm, which is a great advantage,

It also means the soil’s inner ecosystem has a chance to fully develop.

Most of us are accustomed to thinking of soil as part of our ecosystem, and it certainly is that, but soil has its own ecosystem as well. Bacteria, fungi, and viruses form a complex micro-ecology which largely determines the health of plants and the nutritional density of crops. A teaspoon of good soil contains at least a million such tiny creatures, possibly many more. Those micro-organisms interact with the roots of plants in ways we’re just beginning to understand, but it’s clear that certain bacteria perform specific functions for specific plants, without which the plants cannot thrive. Those functions include removing toxins from soil and converting nutrients into forms the plants can utilize.

It’s also clear that different bacteria have evolved to live at different depths, and when we displace them by tilling the soil, they die by the billions. Without their bacterial partners, our food crops are vulnerable to disease and pest pressure. And if they can’t get the nutrition they need from the soil, we can’t get the nutrition we need from them.

So that’s the second reason we’re now planting into undisturbed soil: to protect the vital ecosystem we can’t see.

Next week we’ll look at how no-till planting saves labor.

Why No-Till Planting?

April 8, 2020 by Kate Zurschmeide

Regenerative agriculture is a way of farming that fosters the health of our ecosystem in this moment, while also building toward a healthy future. This approach has many components, one of which we instituted last year: no-till planting. That means that instead of preparing the fields for seed by overturning the soil from a depth of six to eight inches below the surface, we’re leaving the soil intact and transplanting seedlings from the greenhouse directly into undisturbed topsoil.

One of the benefits of no-till planting is that it dramatically reduces erosion. It takes a long time to create topsoil — countless centuries of cyclical growth and decay — and scientists estimate that 23 billion tons of that precious commodity are washed into rivers, lakes, and oceans every year. At that rate, it will be gone completely in four or five generations. The primary cause of so much soil loss is industrial plowing, because loose soil is carried away by water, whereas undisturbed soil is like a great big sponge.

So one of the reasons we’ve stopped tilling our soil is to keep it on our fields, where it can grow delicious, life-giving food for many years to come. Next week we’ll talk about another reason: preserving the soil’s ecosystem.

We are Here ~ Farming for your Family!

April 2, 2020 by Kate Zurschmeide

Loudoun Local farm fresh produce starts in our Greenhouse

Farmer Mark Dewey gets some help from farm dog, Sandy, watering the green house.

We are all finding new ways to shop, cook, entertain, connect and cope in the light of COVID-19. One colleague encouraged, “Put down the phone and write.” That has inspired me to pick up the pen and share with you, our Pick your Own and CSA Community, the latest from Great Country Farms.

First and foremost, we are HERE and thankful to be able to support our community with wholesome, nutritious, food grown on this land that we are blessed to steward here in Loudoun County, VA. This time of uncertainty is challenging for all of us and something none of us anticipated.

As farmers, we regularly have to cope with the uncertainties Mother Nature sends our way – be it frost, raccoons eating all the corn the day before we pick it, too much rain, too little rain or beavers cutting down 300 apple trees overnight as the tireless engineers they were made to be. COVID-19 is one uncertainty we didn’t see coming but we are steadfast in our planting and plans to grow food for our community and we are here for you and your family.

Here’s a quick snapshot of how we are pivoting to provide:

We have purchased more seed, more onion sets and more potatoes to step up our spring plantings to help meet the needs for local food.
Our farmhands are coming into work each day to build our soil, plant the seedlings and nurture the seeds in the green house. Our regenerative farming is in high gear!
We have stepped up our creativity and computer savvy and are now offering online market ordering and curbside pick-up at the Farm Market.
We are working with other local farms such as Audley Farm and Baker’s Pork, to bring in more eggs, ground beef, pork and chicken for online purchase.
UPDATE 4.15.20: GCF Harvest Box CSA Shares are SOLD OUT! Thank you all for your support. We are evaluating the demand to offer more shares. If you would be interested in purchasing a 20-week subscription, please join our wait list and you will be the first to know if we open up more shares for the 2020 season.

It is our goal to ensure that the time after this crisis is filled with good food, family fun on the farm, and deeper connections with our community & neighbors. When your family savors a meal from our farm at your table, you connect with the soil, the seeds, the environment, our farmhand team and our family. We are honored to be your farmers! We thank you and send you a big “KALE YEAH!”

Peace & Pick Your Own,

Kate Zurschmeide, Founding Family

Kale for Dinner!

April 1, 2020 by Kate Zurschmeide

Here are two easy ways to use the green kale you just brought home.

Braise it.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a stock pot. When it starts to shimmer, add one diced yellow onion. Fry the onion for three or four minutes while you prep the kale. Note: this kale is clean as a whistle, so there’s no reason to wash it, and if you’re braising it, there’s no reason to take the ribs out either. Just chop it into bite-sized pieces, and then add about four cups of it to the stock pot. Add a teaspoon of salt, and then stir it around with the onion until it starts to wilt. Put the lid on the pot and let it steam for three or four minutes. Then serve it as a stand-alone side. It’s delicious with pinto beans.

Make a fresh kale salad.

Hold each leaf from the bottom of the stem and strip off the curly part. If the stem breaks half way up, you can leave that part. When your salad bowl is mostly full, sprinkle about half a teaspoon of coarse salt over the kale and massage it with both hands. Squeeze it about 25 times. Then add a stalk of chopped celery, a couple of chopped green onions, half a cup of dried cranberries, and half a cup of toasted almonds. For dressing, whisk together two tablespoons olive oil, two tablespoons high-quality balsamic vinegar (the kind that’s dark and thick and costs enough to not be cheap), one tablespoon real maple syrup, half a teaspoon of salt, and a little black pepper.

Many variations are possible, in both the dressing and the salad. I just try to strike a balance between bitter and sweet.

Corona Virus and Community Supported Agriculture

March 25, 2020 by Kate Zurschmeide

Dear CSA members and members of the Western Loudoun foodshed,

We want to let you know that Great Country Farms is responding to the ever-changing circumstances surrounding the corona virus by growing as much food as we can. Our greenhouse is full of new starts: peas, lettuce, onions, spinach, broccoli, beets, radishes, red kale, green kale, lacinato kale, bok choi, kohlrabi, Swiss chard, carrots, sweet corn, egg plant, Brandywine tomatoes, jalapeños, leeks, and basil. We have potatoes and onions in the ground already, and we’re starting to move out early peas, radishes, and beets.

Our exploration of no-till planting last year taught us how to get even more food out of less space, and we expect to learn even more — and grow even more — this year. So even though it’s impossible to predict what restrictions and other surprises might come our way in the next few weeks, rest assured that we’re following the guidelines of the CDC and the State Health Department, and we’re ramping up production. We plan to supply Western Loudoun County with a lot of health-sustaining, nutritionally vital food. Red kale, green kale, and a number of other items are currently available through our online farm store. We’ll keep you posted as more items come in.

Thanks for supporting us, and for supporting each other.

Farm Market & Play Area

Bakery & Play Area Open March Weekends

10am-5pm

Easter Egg Hunts start Mar 25th