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ORGANIC FIELD GUIDE ORGANIC FIELD GUIDE
COMMON EDIBLE PLANTS GROW IT EAT IT LOVE IT
Health Power
Potatoes are wrongly maligned as a high-carbohydrate starch with little or
no nutritional value. Not so. The “problem” with potatoes is how they are
often prepared (deep fried in oil) and/or what people put on them (high-fat
dairy products and/or bacon bits). Potatoes have many different vitamins
and phytonutrients. A crucial one is Vitamin B6, which helps build new cells
and assists proper signaling in the brain. B6 also helps give us energy by
breaking down carbohydrates during exercise. It also has fiber that helps lower
cholesterol and supports digestion.
Vitamin and Mineral Content
Vitamins – B6 (Pyridoxine) and C
Minerals – Potassium, Copper and Manganese
Disease Prevention
Vitamin B6 helps control homocysteine, which helps prevent heart attacks or
strokes by keeping vessel walls flexible and free of plaque. It also fights cancer
development by attaching signals to molecules that turn on tumor suppressor
genes. This type of signaling is called methylation and also serves as a signal
to destroy toxic chemicals. The fiber in potatoes helps prevent indigestion and
colon cancer.
How to Grow
One of the cheapest, easiest foods to find at your local market. But most
places offer only a few choices. Grow them yourself and choose among many
different kinds. You can also enjoy a fresher, more flavorful ‘tater.’ With so many
varieties, choose a few different types to find those that grow and taste best to
you. If you buy seeds, get those certified disease-free. You can also create them
yourself by saving the strongest, healthiest ones from a shop or your garden.
When making potato seeds, place potatoes with the eye face-up adjacent
to each other in a container in a cool room with plenty of air and light. After
4-5 weeks, they will be bright green and sprout. Discard the thinner, smaller
sprouts (risk of disease) and keep the bigger, bushier ones. If they have more
than one sprout, cut them into a few pieces before planting. Choose a sunny,
warm, sheltered area. Amend the soil well with nitrogen-rich planting mix
and/or compost. The soil needs to drain well or the tubers will rot. Cover the
dedicated area with polypropylene to protect youngsters from weeds and frost.
Cut slits in plastic and plant them a couple weeks before the last frost with
sprouts facing up about 8 to 10 inches deep, a foot apart. Rows should be
2-3 feet apart. If shoots come up before frosting ends, work a bit of soil over
them. When shoots grow about 10 inches above soil, work a fistful of high
nitrogen plant mix like bone meal or seaweed meal along each meter of each
row. Then pull soil almost to the tips of each shoot. Do this again later if the
above ground growth is not very close to each other within the rows. For
smaller, sweeter tubers, harvest only as they flower by cutting foliage and
digging them up from the side with a garden fork. Store clean, blemish-free
ones and use others right away. If you want larger mature potatoes, wait until
the stems of the vines start to die back before harvest. Potatoes are also great
for growing in large pots. Use the same method except start with the pot half
full and add amended soil as the stem grows.
Insect Control
Potatoes are affected by slugs, wireworms, cyst nematodes, leaf hoppers and
many other diseases. Remove slugs by hand on moist evenings or mornings.
Beer traps work as well. Start the growing season as early as possible to
get the tubers well developed before pests arrive. As a general method,
apply organic insecticide/fungicidal soap to prevent many pests and the
development of common diseases like early blight, late blight, scab, dry rot
and silver scurf. Powdering the roots with sulfur before planting also helps
prevent bacterial rots.
Tips
Eat the skin! Most of the vitamins and minerals are in the tissue just below the
surface. To prevent rot, dig a slightly deeper trench and line it with a little mulch first.
Do not let tubers see sunlight or they will develop a toxic alkaloid. Monitor the foliage
closely for signs of pests or diseases, and apply proper treatment right away.
Health Power
Almost no food or drink has more antioxidants than artichoke. (Came in #4
out of 1,000-plus in 2006 study.) Beat out blueberries, red wine, dark chocolate
and tea. With a nice balance of nutrients, they are ideal for general health.
High potassium prevents kidney stones. Folic acid supports cardiovascular
health and helps prevent folate-deficiency birth defects. Contains cynarin,
which triggers production of bile and aids digestion. Contains phytonutrients
that help stimulate regeneration of liver cells and improve gall bladder
function, both improving detoxification and digestion. Great source of fiber,
which promotes smooth digestion and helps regulate blood sugar and
cholesterol. Low glycemic index and a good source of protein with no fat.
High vitamin C defends body tissues from oxidative damage of free radicals.
Vitamin and Mineral Content
Vitamins – C, K and B9 (Folate)
Minerals – Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese
Disease Prevention
Contains many poly-phenol-type anti-oxidants shown to reduce risks of heart
disease, cancer and birth defects. Help stimulate regeneration of liver cells,
reduce blood cholesterol levels and improve digestion.
How to Grow
A great addition to the garden and the dinner plate. Sensitive perennials needing
moderate temperatures in winter. If winters freeze, you can treat them as
annuals. Start with seeds indoors in winter or pick transplants in early spring
from a quality local nursery. Avoid planting before final spring frost. Choose
sunny, sheltered area of soil. Thoroughly mix in plenty of organic materials
and/or fertilizer. If working with dense, heavier soils, try more organic matter to
get good drainage. Plant roughly 18 inches apart. They grow up and sideways,
spreading up to 5 feet by 5 feet in size. Deep beds give artichoke plants room for
root growth, good drainage and high yields. Need a lot of water. Mulch the area
with mature compost or manure, making sure to water on dry, hot days. In a
colder climate, cut back plant in late fall and cover with a bushel basket or similar.
Insect Control
Damaged by a variety of slugs, which are most active feeding at night on soft
plant tissues. Several ways to remove. In the evening, physically pick them off
plant or soil and drop in a jar. Or cut bottom off a plastic jug and place over
seedlings. As plants grow larger, use a larger plastic bottle and cut off the top,
too. A dishful of beer sunk in the soil attracts them. They fall in and drown.
For problem aphids, plant marigolds nearby to attract predator bugs (ladybugs
and hoverflies). You can also rub off or spray off. If severe, use an organic
insecticidal soap.
Tips
They like the soil just below neutral pH of 7. If pH is plus 7, add lime to bring
down. When harvesting, expect 2-4 heads per plant. Cut off larger ones first,
just before they open, to encourage smaller ones to grow to full size.
Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
3 fingerling potatoes
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS
■ Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place fingerling potatoes in an even layer on
baking pan and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
■ Bake for about 45 minutes until potatoes are tender and golden brown.
■ After potatoes are cooked, stir together melted butter, dill, garlic and lemon
juice. Toss potatoes with butter mixture to coat well. Garnish with chopped
rosemary. Serve immediately.
Roasted Potatoes
RECIPE CARD
Globe Artichokes