Last May, we purchased 400 new baby chicks. We asked for all females, but with every chick order we always get a small percentage of males. So far we have noticed only one or two, and while they strut about, trying to figure out how to crow, the females have gotten productive and have started laying eggs!
Chicks are fragile birds. Despite a lot of effort (putting them in round containers and keeping few birds in each container, adjusting them as they grew), the Fourth of July proved to be too noisy, and they piled up on each other. We lost a few of them as a result.
Most of the chicks have been growing well and eating good grains from the farm. At three months, they were set out on pasture. They have also been getting veggie culls from the Store and barley grass that we raise on the Delta Farm. As you can see from the photo above, their combs are developing and they look almost full grown.
Our egg count started with only a couple of scattered eggs here and there in the hen house, or outside in the yard. But every day the count increases. As they reach full maturity, the size of their eggs will also increase. This group of hens will then join the flock of our adult birds in the large pasture.

Meet Jacob Lund

Jacob Lund is another Sequim native that has found his way to Nash’s Farm. He lives in Carlsborg with his family and is probably the youngest employee on the farm. He is a senior at Sequim High School where he attends classes in the morning and works on Delta Farm in the afternoons.
Jacob operates the seed/grain cleaning and bagging machines and does some simple maintenance on tractors. He also does some field work as needed. “I’m learning a lot,” he admits. “It’s hard work, but I’m interested in ranching, and this is the closest I could get in Sequim!”
Someday, Jacob would like to work on a dude ranch in Wyoming or Montana. He has cared for horses and one of his interests is team roping, where two riders rope and take down a steer in competitions. “There’s a header, who ropes the horns and turns the steer to the left, and there’s the heeler, who ropes the steer’s back legs as it’s running. I’m still a header, but someday I hope to be good enough to be a heeler.” Jacob is a hard worker and we have no doubt that some time in the future he will accomplish that goal!

Potato Harvest Time

Last week, the crew went out with a potato digger, a machine that plows up the potatoes, bringing them to the surface for collecting. Then they went out and picked up the potatoes and loaded them into buckets and into bins. They can store for several months under straw in a small barn on the Wilson field. The walls are lined with straw also, so the potatoes will not be affected by a freeze.

For years, Nash’s Organic Produce has worked with gleaners from OlyCap who come on Mondays and collect market returns from the weekend and culls from our washing lines (veggies that are completely safe to eat, but not perfect in appearance). The gleaners deliver the veggies to food banks in Sequim, Port Angeles, and Forks, as well as to several assisted living homes, Peninsula Mental Health, and other facilities to help the needy on the Peninsula.

Last spring, Mark Ozias (above, right), Executive Director of the Sequim Food Bank and candidate for Clallam County Commissioner, received a grant from a generous individual donor to help food bank clients improve their diets. He started with a needs assessment survey and was surprised to find that fresh fruits and vegetables were among the items his clients most desired. And yet, boxes of local, organic vegetables were being delivered to the food bank every week and were not picked up. He decided to try something novel to resolve the disconnect.

“I created a Farmers Market at the Food Bank,” Ozias says, “and it really features the beautiful vegetables. Along with the produce, we have dietitian and nutritionist Dr. Monica Dixon (right) doing cooking demos and passing out recipes. We also have Devon Beck from Nash’s talking up the benefits of this great produce.”

Every client may pick up $20 worth of fresh produce for free. The grant pays Nash’s farm for the produce and for the vendor’s time. “It’s a win-win,” says Devon. “It’s important, especially for children, to have fruits and vegetables in their diets.”

“This is the second food bank market,” says Ozias, “and we hope it’s not the last. It’s been a great success.”

Standard Box

Lettuce, 1 hd
Red Beets with Green, 1 bu
Red Cabbage, 1 hd
Baby White Turnips, 1 bu
Cauliflower, 1 hd
Rainbow Chard, 1 bu
Lacinato Kale, 1 bu|
Walla Walla Onion
Curly Parsley, 1 bu
Russet Potatoes, 1 lbs
Spinach, 1 bu

Small Box

Lettuce, 1 hd
Apples, 1.5 lbs
Golden Beets with Greens, 1 bu
Baby White Turnips, 1 bu
Juice Carrots, 3 lbs
Red Chard, 1 bu
Green Kale, 1 bu
Russet Potatoes, 1 lbs

Baby White Turnips

Turnips are very low-calorie root vegetables, with just 28 calories per 100 g, plus they are a very good source of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins (especially C) and dietary fiber. These nutrients boost the immune system, helping the body scavenge harmful free radicals and prevent cancers and inflammation.

Turnip greens are also a storehouse of many vital nutrients, containing several times more than the levels in the roots. They are a good source of vitamins and antioxidants, such as vitamin A, B complex, C, K, carotenoid, xanthin, and lutein, as well as the minerals calcium, copper, iron, potassium, and manganese.

Turnips are very versatile:

• Young turnips are one of the favored items in raw salads for their sweet taste, complementing cabbage, parsnips, carrots, beets, etc.
• They mix well with other vegetables like kohlrabi, potato, and carrots in stews.
• Diced sautéed turnips are delicious with poultry, lamb, and pork.
• Mix raw baby turnip slices with olives and cherry tomatoes in olive oil and balsamic vinegar for an appetizer.
• Turnip cubes are great pickled.
• Turnip greens are used with other greens and vegetables in soups, curries, and stews.
• Like all root veggies, turnips are fantastic roasted.

Roasted Baby Turnips

1 bunch baby turnips, peeled and chopped into quarters
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400° F. Toss baby turnips in olive oil and salt. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, or until soft on the inside, with a slightly caramelized exterior.

Dijon-Shallot Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, finely minced
Pinch of salt, to taste
1/2 Tbsp. finely sliced fresh tarragon

While turnips are roasting, whisk together the white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, taking care not to add too much at a time. Whisk until emulsified, then whisk in the shallots, salt and tarragon. Toss in the roasted turnips. This is best served at room temperature.

We thank www.food52.com for this recipe.

Russet Potatoes

Potatoes are indigenous to South America. Spanish explorers brought them to Europe, where they were cultivated and brought back across the Atlantic with the colonists. At first, settlers used potatoes for animal feed. The unpredictable shape and somewhat bland taste made them generally disliked. That changed when Massachusetts horticulturist Luther Burbank created the hybrid today recognized as the standard Russet potato.

Burbank began crossbreeding potato plants in the mid-1800s, convinced that he could make a crop that was easy to grow and palatable. The Russet Burbank hit both of these goals, and also proved to be very disease- resistant. Pioneers who traveled west across the United States brought seedlings of Burbank’s plants with them.

Today, the Russet is the most popular potato in the United States, because it has firm flesh and a long shape, making it ideal for French fries. It lends itself well to being boiled, baked, fried, steamed, or roasted, with or without the peel. Sure, Russets are great with butter and sour cream, but try one with a just olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. You get its vitamins C and B6, plus protein and fiber, without the added calories.