week 3: planting and picking

week 2: rain or shine, it's harvest time!

Week 1: cold spring

2013: our second season

After the end of our 2012 growing season, all of the Big Muddy growers took a deep breath as we settled into hibernation mode. Our first year certainly offered us many challenges that pushed us all to new limits and our bodies were ready for rest. It's a wonderful thing about living in an environment with four seasons; winter offers time to slow down and nestle in with a book, a project, some friends, and to refresh before the hustle and bustle of the other three seasons.

To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

With the changing of seasons, our farm has also seen many changes. In the beginning of January, Tyler, Caitie and Catalpa moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where Tyler accepted the position of On-Farm Manager for CommunityCROPS, an incubator farm that offers support to new farmers and manages a collective CSA. We are so excited for them and all the opportunities that lie ahead of them! And though they are no longer in Omaha, we will continue to share ideas and work together. Already, their presence is greatly missed.

Respond and adapt

Through these winter months, we have been actively planning for our upcoming growing season. Similar to last winter, we have been meeting multiple times a week at coffee shops, libraries and in our homes to discuss the future of our farm. With a smaller collective group, we must respond and adapt. The many skills and wisdom that were shared from both Caitie and Tyler through the last year, have allowed us all to grow as food-producers. The challenges we faced our first season guide us as we develop a more comprehensive business plan that will guide us through our upcoming season. We have selected and ordered our seeds that we will begin sowing soon, and the challenges of a hot and dry summer last year has encouraged us to seek out more drought-resistant crops and to reconsider how we water and tend to our plants, so as to act as stewards to the land. We have met with our wonderful land owners to renew the leases of our plots and to share the stories of 2012, and we have been brainstorming new ideas of workshops and events for the year! It seems that the many challenges and changes that have presented themselves to us, offer us many opportunities for growth. 

New growth

Yesterday, when the sun was shining and the crisp air was inviting me to be outside, I went to tidy up a little bit at the Gifford Park site. As I moved around the site, my body began to tingle with excitement! Anticipation of diving my hands into the warming spring soil and planting small seeds, and watching them grow into the bounty of a second season. Eagerness to share my days with some of my best friends, and with new folks I have yet to meet. In the mean time, I will be satisfied with the cold, and slow days of winter, and channel my excitement  into process of planning our season to come.

2012 season recap & off season happenings with NMEP

So... we haven't written our end of the year post, mostly because it just doesn't feel like an "end" quite yet. Our fall crops are still growing happily, looking perky and delicious in our hoop house and raised beds. Last Friday and Saturday we met a few folks at the Gifford Park plot to share our bounty, and we intend to do this a few more times as long as our plants keep growing. We also sold some greens to V. Mertz in the Old Market and started planting rye.

But now seems like the perfect time for an end of the growing season recap. Coupled with the recap is exciting news about our new partnership with No More Empty Pots, whose leadership believed months ago that we could start an urban farm and CSA program in Omaha. For some reason they didn't think we were crazy... or maybe they thought we were just crazy enough!

So, before the season summary let's rewind a bit here and get the whole story -- back to last December. In sweaters and scarves, with coffees and teas in hand, we sat down with the visionaries behind NMEP (Nancy and Susan) at downtown Blue Line. We told them (gulp) that the seven of us wanted to start an urban farm, and basically had no idea how to go about it. We didn't even have any viable land. After our little spiel Nancy and Susan offered us all their connections and support. They said, "Whatever you do, dream big! What's your big picture? It will happen. The universe provides." 

We left the table that day feeling really encouraged, like somehow this actually was going to happen. The biggest wrench in our plans at that time? We had no land and less than three months to throw it all together before our seed arrived and needed to be put in the ground. But, we did have farming skills, building skills, heaps of creativity, a passion for growing food and being connected with our land-base, some marketing skills, some financial skills (Ali studied economics), and a good community in near-North Omaha where we all lived.

Needless to say, it was a struggle and it was incredibly interesting at times. There were moments when we almost killed each other (while building raised beds, during dragging meetings that went for hours, while spreading mounds of dirt taller than any of us sans skid loader and arguing about how to do it, during times of high relationship drama, the day we realized all our tools were missing... et cetera). Somehow at the end of the day we were fine. We had our friendship to fall back on.

So, where are we now? Well... we can't support ourselves by selling what we grow (yet), but we were able to withstand a heinous drought and deliver produce and herbs weekly to our members. We foraged mulberries, gooseberries and cherries in the spring, peaches and plums in summer, pears, apples, and mushrooms this fall. We canned and preserved a lot of our harvest, which we will feast on all winter. We sold to a few restaurants who seemed to really like our veggies. We grew pumpkins for Upstream and they brewed a delicious pumpkin ale. We got to explore gardening, eat pizza, and sing songs with folks at the Gifford Park Community Garden's free summer youth program. We had two really successful community events; our Secret Cafe in the winter and our Hoophouse Hoedown in spring. We took ourselves out for lunch once a month to celebrate and relax (mostly at Dixie Quicks because we are obsessed with that place, but also at Big Mama's and the French Bulldog). We made some new friends doing work and/or supporting the local food movement in Nebraska and Iowa, and deepened connections with old friends. We refined our future dreams as individuals and as a collective. We pondered what it really means to function collectively and how we can create a business model that is collaborative, healthy, relationship focused instead of solely profit-oriented, yet still reasonable and able to support its workers. Further, we became a new source of naturally-grown produce in North Omaha and offered support to those who were curious about growing their own food. Ultimately our hope is that everyone can be more involved in the cultivation and/or collection of their own food sources.

Some of us will probably move into other "career" paths and not pursue urban farming (or rural farming) forever. Some of us really want to farm. Some of us want to someday move beyond farming and into more natural, mutually beneficial relationships with land and animals (read permaculture or re-wilding). However, we hope that Big Muddy Urban Farm continues for whatever period of time it needs to.

Right now we are excited to see increasing food security and organic practices in and around Omaha. We loved our CSA members this season and look forward to seeing returning members next year and also new faces. We will continue to attend the Benson Farmer's Market because in a lot of ways it feels like home to us, as does Jane's Health Market who supported us and provided us with processing space this year. We also wouldn't trade the kiddos and adults at the Gifford Park Community Garden for anything.

Big Muddy Urban Farm wouldn't exist without our CSA Members. Friday nights and Saturday mornings feel strange now because we are all so used to seeing and chatting with a group of 20+ folks. We like the CSA model because it emphasizes relationship, which makes a lot of sense to us.

We also wouldn't exist without Chris Foster (Gifford Park's Community Garden Co-coordinator) who we plan to shower with pies in the near future in thanks for all he offered us this growing season (tools, a truck, land, connections, etc.)

You know who else Big Muddy Urban Farm wouldn't exist without? Stephanie Ahlschwede of the Big Garden, because without their partnership (and offering their little greenhouse behind the Blue Flamingo Thrift Store) we wouldn't have had seedlings. The Big Garden was incredibly generous to us, but to no surprise, they are a rad organization helping folks start their own community gardens inside and outside Omaha.

And who else? City Sprouts. Without a failed proposal for a similar urban farm project (albeit a completely different model -- non-profit versus business) we would have never pursued starting our own urban farm.

Now back to No More Empty Pots and our future ... Thanks to their generosity we now have an office space. Yes, our very own! We also will do work for them during the off season (and even possibly during the growing season) in the areas of entrepreneurship and mentoring, marketing, and aiding in the design and build of their urban agriculture demonstration site. No More Empty Pots shares our vision for greater food security in Omaha as well as skill sharing around food, and mentoring folks who are interested in growing food in the city.

Wow, it's been a whirlwind. We've pushed ourselves to some crazy limits, and we've really enjoyed ourselves. Winter projects are on the horizon. We promise to keep you updated... even when we are buried in snow.

hip hip hooray,
cait & the big muddy crew (ali, brent, matt, james, dan, & tyler)

Pumpkin Harvest Ale now on tap at Upstream Brewery!

We are really excited to announce that our punkin's are being featured in a delicious brew at Upstream Brewery... and it just went on tap yesterday!

Two growlers of this delicious, peppy brew with pumpkin undertones have already been consumed by yours truly. Stop in today to enjoy and/or join us on October 30th for its official release party at Upstream's West Omaha location (yeah, it's kind of a drive for us "in-city" folk, but worth it).

Nebraska Beer - Release Party: Big Muddy Urban Farms Pumpkin Harvest Ale

Also, stay tuned for our 2012 season recap. Wowie, we learned SO MUCH! We can't believe the CSA & markets are all over. Now we can hang out with friends on Friday evenings again and stay in our pajamas and eat pumpkin pancakes on Saturday mornings. Woah, weird.

We really enjoyed participating in Food Day at Aksarben this last Sunday. It was a great finale to a crazy growing season. Now it's time to rest, eat greens, store the squashes, can our remaining abundance, and savor everything until frost finally comes (we heard tonight's temps might be a killer).


love & growlers,
cait & BMUF

CSA weeks 19 & 20: sweet potatoes & frost

Greetings CSA Members! We decided to transition our newsletter over to our blog. We have been neglecting this site and it is such a great avenue for sharing. It is also much easier because we don't need extra computer programs to create our newsletter, just the internet. :)

We have entered the final three weeks of our CSA (week 19, week 20, and the BONUS week 21). This is week 20. We are anticipating the first (well, second actually) frost and thinking of all our little baby plants. Our first frost was about a week ago at our McKinley Plot, none of our other plots were hit. Our sweet potatoes frosted so we quickly dug them up. They are so beautiful. So far our fall crops are surviving the cold temps.

Both markets ended last week. We enjoyed the celebration potlucks at both Gifford & Benson markets and look forward to being back next year.

After the CSA ends we will have plenty of greens, so if you'd like please come visit us outside of Jane's Health Market every Saturday morning from 10:00AM to noon. We are also growing fall and winter crops (kale, collards, brussels) in our hoop house. This is its trial run, we are interested to see how things grow in there.

We look forward to seeing you for our very last pick-up next Friday & Saturday! Stay warm.

love BMUF crew,
Ali, Caitie, Matt, James, Tyler, Dan, and Brent


Here's what was in your box this week --

week 20

sweet potatoes

apples

pears

1 pint tomatoes

1 quart peppers

1 quart bintje potatoes

1 eggplant

1 bag mixed greens

recipes:

sweet potato, ginger & carrot soup

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 C low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 5 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 tbsp jarred ginger, chopped
• Plain nonfat Greek-style yogurt (optional)

1.

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add stock plus 2 cups water, then add sweet potato, carrot, and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

2.

Strain out vegetables and put them in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth, adding a bit of broth if needed. (If you're using a standard blender, allow the mixture to cool first; hot liquid may cause the blender to squirt out contents. Depending on the size of your blender, you may have to do this in batches.)

3.

Pour vegetable puree back into the saucepan and stir until well blended and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of yogurt on top, if desired.

 

sweet potato cheesecake

• 12 ounces sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
• 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 15 gingersnap cookies
• 3/4 cup fiber one cereal
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 8 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounces Neufchatel cheese, softened
• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 3 egg whites
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9" springform pan with cooking spray.

2.

Combine the potatoes in a large saucepan over high heat with enough cold water to cover by 2". Bring to a boil; cook until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and mash; cool. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove from the heat, add the apricots and let stand for 10 minutes; drain.

3.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cookies and cereal; process until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and add the butter; mix well. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom and 1" up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes; cool on a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

4.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, place the mashed sweet potatoes, cream cheese, and Neufchatel cheese and beat on high speed until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the yogurt, egg whites, sugar, ginger, flour, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt and beat well. Sprinkle the apricots over the bottom of the prepared crust. Pour the potato mixture over the apricots. Bake until the cheesecake is almost set, about 42 to 45 minutes. Turn the oven off and let stand for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

 

curried sweet potatoes

• 4 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, (8 or 9 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 cup dried apricots, (3 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch slivers
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Place sweet potatoes in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until tender but not mushy, 8 to 12 minutes. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, combine apricots, raisins and boiling water in a small bowl; let sit until plumped, about 10 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked sweet potatoes, apricots, raisins and the fruit-soaking liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Stir gently over medium-low heat until warmed through.