With fall having just arrived, we have a ton of new, fresh produce that Howdy Farm will be selling in the next couple months! And for today’s post, I wanted to give you a preview of a few of the more exotic veggies growing at the farm, as well as how you might use them. DaikonDaikon, a type of radish, is a fall/winter root crop that is popular in East and Southeast Asia. They are white in color and grow deep into the soil. Daikon are great raw in salads, sauteed in rice dishes, roasted, or in a smoothie! Rich in vitamin C and calcium, daikon have benefits for immune system and bone heath, as well as having some anti-inflammatory properties. Try these recipes: Radish Greens Smoothie Ginger Daikon Radish Rice with Fried Egg Roasted Potato and Carrot Salad with Daikon/Radish Pickle Korean Daikon Radish Salad Napa CabbageNot associated with the famous Napa Valley vineyards of California, Napa cabbage actually originates near Beijing, China, with nappa meaning the leaves of a vegetable. In fact, it’s called Chinese Cabbage in much of the world, and, like Daikon, often takes its place in Asian dishes, including kimchi. Napa cabbage has yellow-green leaves and thick crispy stems, and is described as softer and sweeter than traditional green cabbage. This means it’s also great raw in salads, or as a wrapper in a creative main dish! Try these recipes: Napa Cabbage Rolls with Meat and Veggies Asian Cabbage And Shiitake Mushroom Stir Fry Miso Noodle Soup Sweet and Sour Roasted Napa Cabbage Wedges ArugulaA native of the Mediteranean, arugula is popular in Italian and French dishes with its slightly peppery, fresh flavor. It’s high in vitamins A, C, and K, and is thought to have antioxidant properties. And if the health benefits weren’t enough, arugula adds a great kick to salads, as well as pizza, pasta, and soup. I mean, pizza people, I’m practically begging you to give it a try. Try these recipes: Caramelized Onion Pizza with Goat Cheese and Arugula Arugula Salad with Apple and Candied Walnuts Lemon Arugula Pasta Arugula Pesto (you can add it to your soup!) KaleLast but not least, kale has its origins all over Europe, and became popularized as a food source in the UK during World War II. Although you have probably heard of kale as a “superfood” before, you may not know that its high nutrient density, evident from its dark green color, has benefits for almost your entire body. Kale contains 14 different vitamins and minerals, and it great in everything from salads and smoothies, to tacos and veggie chips!
0 Comments
Howdy ya’ll! I know its been a while since the blog has been updated- but we have a new goal of getting a blog post out to you at least once a week for the rest of the semester! So without further ado- here are our latest updates on the farm…as always, there have been some pretty neat things going on! For starters, we have revamped our website in hopes that it would be easier to navigate and be more interactive- so feel free to click around a bit to see what’s new! Not only have we improved our website, but we have even improved on our member population! In other words, Howdy Farm is starting to get the attention it deserves!! This semester, our student member population has grown to about 60 students! This is the largest member population we’ve had in Howdy Farm history, and we are so excited. To maximize our potential, Howdy Farm has created committees that will be working on projects around the farm. One of these projects includes a rain garden. A rain garden is a garden that utilizes rainwater runoff for the benefit of watering plants. In our case, part of the land on our farm is slightly slanted downward, causing puddles of runoff during the year. We decided to place a few rows of potential farm land at the bottom of the slope to catch the runoff water and utilize it. Without this rain garden, the water that runs down the slope ends up in the street neighboring Howdy Farm, and is not immediately utilized for plant growth. In the past, Howdy Farm has been a producer of primarily fruit, vegetables, and herbs. But this semester, we have decided to dedicate the rain garden to the growth of ornamental flowers (more specifically, flower varieties that can withstand the high volume of water). So you can look forward to fresh cut flowers alongside the fruits, vegetables and herbs at our markets! Speaking of market… shop hours at the Farm will be starting THIS WEEK. Shop hours at the Farm will be held every Thursday from 12:00-5:00 PM. Come check it out! To learn more about rain gardens: click on this link! http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/raingarden_design/whatisaraingarden.htm Here at Howdy Farm, we believe in getting our hands dirty.We believe that growing things on a small organic farm in College Station, Texas, can help college students influence the world for good. All across America, schools and universities alike are realizing the power behind experience. Over the past few years, our classrooms have shifted slightly from their typical setting. Learning institutions, such as Texas A&M University, are using experiences and immersion to enhance and solidify what students learn in the classroom. Texas University at Austin describes experiential learning as "any learning that supports students in applying their knowledge and conceptual understanding to real-world problems or situations where the instructor directs and facilitates learning." In light of an increasing loss in student attention during class, teachers and professors have developed innovative ways to engage their students. One of them is through experience--something Howdy Farm excels at.
A&M Students from differing colleges are able to come together and work with each other. Howdy Farm successfully integrates students from different walks of life into a work environment that is progressive and fun. "Even though I'm a nutritional science major, I've learned so much interning here at Howdy Farm," said Farm intern Taylor Stolt. "I think having a garden of your own, even something small like an herb garden, could be a way to make healthy eating more fun and more convenient." Students are able to use their vocational skills in many forms, from accounting to public relations. The Howdy Farm encourages growth of the mind as well as the growth of produce. Howdy Farm coordinator Corey Wahl says that teaching students in new ways is his passion. "The most rewarding part of my position as the Howdy Farm coordinator is when I see the excitement in students as they encounter something they have just learned in the classroom," Wahl said. "They verbalize their knowledge to me and I help them understand how it applies to our farm system and beyond." The Farm offers positions that cater to student's future careers. By using their skills in an environment that encourages learning and promotes service, college students not only enhance their resume material but also grow in community. From business management to soil science, every major has a part in growing and caring for the organization. Our mission is to grow healthy food and community and the connect the two through experiential learning, interdisciplinary research and promotion of sustainable agriculture.
Volunteer on MWF from 1-5 pm. Or consider joining our program as a member of the Howdy Farm Team! The plant can have a dark, leafy-green texture, and while baby leaves from a younger plant have a taste related to mustard greens, older plants take on a unique spicy flavor. Pak Choy is easily crossbred, and because of this a variety of flavors, sizes and colors are available for those who wish to grow it and cook with it. Shallow roots aid the plant in rapid growth, and the white stems are preferred over other varieties because of their crisp, clean look. The plant is in the Brassicaceae family, along with mustard greens, turnips and kohlrabi. Pak choy is high in Beta carotene and Vitamin C, both of which are believed to help prevent cancer-causing free radicals. It also acts as an excellent source of folate, iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Pak choy, along with its relatives, has a large impact in the economy. The name pak chou in Mandarin, literally means "white vegetable," and during the 1900s it was finally brought to the North American continent. Now, some of the largest crops from America are grown in California, while a higher percentage still come from China, Japan and South Korea. Our Interns have been experimenting with ways to incorporate pak choy into their dishes.
Stay tuned for recipes involving Howdy Farm's organic pak choy! We love celebrating our hard working students. As the semester rolls on, we hope to introduce you to as many Howdy! Farm volunteers as we can. Meet Michael Bunsen,A sophomore majoring in environmental studies and minoring in horticulture. Howdy Farm: Why did you choose to volunteer at the Howdy Farm? Michael: I chose to volunteer at Howdy Farm for a variety of reasons, mainly just because I love to help out in a place the needs it. I really enjoy learning about farming and sustainable agriculture, and getting to meet the people that are involved. Howdy Farm: What is your opinion on organic produce? Michael: I want to promote it, just because I'm an advocate for more natural ways of eating. I'm not as much a fan of genetically modified organisms or any synthetics. I try to avoid those as much as possible. Howdy Farm: Prior to working at Howdy Farm, did you have any experience with growing organic produce? Michael: I did not. I didn't even know that Howdy Farm was here until late in my freshman year. Olivia Wolford introduced me to the Howdy Farm. We were just conversion one day in class about eating organically and living sustainably. IF YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER AT HOWDY FARM:
Join us at the Farm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 to 5 pm. We looked forward to having you! Howdy Farm would love for you to know our Interns, so we've interviewed each one. We asked them why they chose Howdy Farm and what they plan on doing while they're here. |
Categories
All
Archives
October 2020
|
The Howdy Farm at Texas A&M University |