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ORGANIC FIELD GUIDE ORGANIC FIELD GUIDE
COMMON EDIBLE PLANTS GROW IT EAT IT LOVE IT
Health Power
Red raspberries are delicious and contain powerful phytonutrients that have
antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-carcinogenic properties. Aside from
vitamins C and E, the tannin ellagic acids and a collection of flavonoids are the
antioxidants in raspberries, (which outdo kiwis, strawberries and tomatoes).
These compounds help protect critical cells and organs from damage caused by
free radicals. They also have antimicrobial properties that help suppress certain
bacterial colonies (and others like fungi). Research studies suggest some of the
phytonutrients in raspberries inhibit initiation of, or halt the growth of, certain
cancer cells. Both vitamin K and manganese help build bone matrix and are
an excellent source of fiber. Raspberries have a fair amount of sugars, but the
fiber and B vitamins slow the absorption of sugars and help break them down
faster. Fiber plays a large role in a healthy digestive tract and helps regulate
cholesterol levels. Raspberries also provide some folate, which reduces
damage in blood vessel walls and supports fetal nerve development.
Vitamin and Mineral Content
Vitamins – C, K, B9 (Folate), E and small amounts of B complex
Minerals – Manganese, Magnesium, Copper, Iron and Potassium
Disease Prevention
Cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, arthritis, macular
degeneration and many cancers (especially colon cancer).
How to Grow
These delectable berries are simple to grow in moderate climates and do
really well under organic methods. They take up a lot of room, but produce a
plethora of berries. They are self-fertile and require only one variety to fruit.
You can usually find healthy, disease resistant cultivars from a local nursery.
They grow best in a sunny site in deep, thoroughly worked, moisture-retentive
soil. The pH should be 6 or just under. (A pH above 7 causes iron deficiency
in raspberries. Bring down the pH well before planting.) Plant in fall to early
winter. With bare rooted plants, dig a trench a spade deep and 2 feet wide.
Loosen the bottom and amend it with a few inches of well-aged compost,
manure or planting mix. Place the canes down into the soil. Amend the soil
you dug up as you did on the bottom while filling up the hole. Cut the canes
to within 6 inches of the ground to encourage root growth. Separate plants by
3 feet and rows by at least 6 feet. For many varieties, create a post and wire
support for the canes to grow along. Embed 6-8 posts in the ground. Connect
the posts with wire, one 2 feet above the ground, one in the middle and one
on top. As the canes grow, fasten them to the wires as they develop, maintaining
a few inches between each cane. In late winter, mulch around the canes with
compost or other organic matter. This prevents an iron deficiency. Before the
fruit turns red, cover the canes with netting to prevent bird damage. Berries are
ripe when the taste is right. To cook with, harvest some just before full ripening.
Leave the central core of the fruit on the canes. If you cannot eat them all, store
by freezing or canning. For ever-bearing varieties, fruit bears a small crop on the
tips of first-year canes each fall and a larger crop on second-year canes. After you
harvest all the fruit, cut all the canes that fruited to ground level. Space new canes
3-5 inches apart on the support and remove excess canes.
Insect Control
Most common pests are birds, aphids and raspberry beetles. Netting deters birds.
Planting French marigolds reduces aphids by attracting their predators, ladybugs
and hover flies. Raspberry beetle larvae feed on ripe fruit and fall into soil to form
pupae. If you see deformed fruit, hoe the soil to bring pupae to the surface for
birds to eat. If infestation is severe, spray with insecticide like rotenone when the
first fruits turn pink.
Tips
Yellowing between veins on the leaves shows an iron deficiency. Quickly apply some
foliar spray and spread a couple handfuls of nutrient rich fertilizer over the roots.
Health Power
Leeks are in the Allium family and carry some of the same health benefits
as garlic and onions. (See Garlic and Onion entries for the benefits of
phytonutrients in this family.) Leeks differ from their family members in
giving fewer nutrients per weight. Because they are less concentrated, you
must eat more to get the same nutrition. Compared to garlic and onion,
this is easy considering how mellow and sweet their taste is. In general,
regular eating of veggies in the Allium family is linked with lower bad
cholesterol concentrations and preventing or inhibiting the growth or spread
of cancer. With a small dose of vitamin C, iron, folate and B6, leeks add a few
antioxidants to get rid of dangerous free radicals, help activate hemoglobin
molecules for oxygen transport, lower high levels of the compound
homocysteine (damages blood vessels at high concentrations), and helps the
body metabolize food to provide energy.
Vitamin and Mineral Content
Vitamins – C, B9 (Folate) and B6 (Pyridoxine)
Minerals – Manganese and Iron
Disease Prevention
With regular eating, leeks team up with other Allium veggies to help reduce
the symptoms or prevent development of atherosclerosis, heart disease,
prostate and colon cancer, ovarian cancer and many other cancers.
How to Grow
Leeks are great to grow for a winter harvest. They need little attention and
are hardy through all but the coldest winters when the soil gets too hard to
dig. Choose a site with plenty of sunshine. Work in a generous dose of organic
matter in the form of aged compost, manure or planting mix. They prefer a
soil pH around 6.5. Add lime to raise, if needed. The pale color we are used
to seeing near the bottom of leeks comes from the blanching process during
cultivation. There are two ways to do this. First, you can multiple sow them
in seed trays in mid-spring. Fill each cell with highly fertile soil (peat and
planting mix). Make a small dip in each cell and place 6-7 seeds in each.
Cover the seeds with a fine medium such as sand, cover with plastic, water
well, and place on a windowsill, under a florescent light or in the greenhouse
at or near 60˚F. Once germinated, remove the plastic. When they reach
1-2 inches, they are ready to plant out (around early summer). Plant them
about 10 inches apart in rows spaced 10 inches apart. Stagger the rows this
way to prevent overcrowding. For an alternative technique that blanches
each plant, sow seeds 6 inches apart outdoors in a shallow drill in mid-to-late
spring. When they reach a couple inches tall, transplant them into pre-made
dibber holes 6-8 inches deep. Place one plant per hole and space the holes
out by 6 inches. Space rows out by 1 foot. Don’t fill the hole with soil. Instead,
water each hole a little after placing the leek to get some soil over the roots.
As they grow, keep the area weed free by hoeing. Also, to keep the blanch
going, push some soil up around the base throughout the growing season.
Leeks are ready to harvest in mid-fall. They can be left in the ground until
needed unless the weather will make the soil too hard to dig them up. In that
case, dig them up early and store in a moist peat soil.
Insect Control
Leeks are usually pest free. If you have problems, consult your local nursery.
Tips
Companion plant leeks next to carrots and celery since they repel carrot fly.
Do not plant next to beans, peas or parsley.
Raspberries
INGREDIENTS
4 cups vanilla flavored Greek yogurt
1 cup granola
2 cups raspberries
INSTRUCTIONS
■ Spoon ¼ cup of the vanilla yogurt into the
bottom clear parfait glass.
■ Top with a few raspberries, then granola.
■ Repeat layers until parfait glass is almost full.
■ Follow the same steps for the other 3 parfait glasses.
Raspberry Breakfast Parfait
RECIPE CARD
Leeks