All our "dirty talk" recently about the soil, transitioning from one season to the next,
prepping the beds keeps us focused on the farm as a living, changing eco-system.
We depend on the weather and nature certainly to create
the right setting for our farm to thrive.
But we can help the delicate balance
that is needed for this to be the ideal environment for abundant and fertile growth.
Committed as we are to biodynamic farming, we are always
searching for ways to involve the right living organisms that
will participate in the life cycle of the farm and complete the holistic circle.
The thriving insectary surrounding the farm ensures that all the "good-guy" bugs
are at the ready to protect our plants.
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| Insectary plants |
Another important element to creating the quintessential place
to grow our vegetables is replenishing the soil with
necessary nutrients—and this isn't just about adding amendment.
Including worms as part of the compost plan transforms
the "dirt" to a fertile and rich breeding ground.
Our red wrigglers, which are considered the best garden worms,
come from a local source, Sonoma Valley Worm Farm.
Much has been written about the effect these worms have on
growing the best produce. "When worms
transform plant waste and/or animal manure
into compost,
their own manure—known as Vermicast
or worm
castings—becomes mixed into it.
This mixture is called Vermicompost.
Compost in
and of itself is a highly nutritious fertilizer and soil amendment.
When combined
with worm castings, which contain
an extremely
high concentration of water-soluble nutrients,
the mixture
is an amazingly nutrient-rich
organic fertilizer—a staple of organic
and bio-dynamic gardening."
Matt and Ray
from Local Landscapers, who work with us on the
farm project,
created a
worm bin in the space we farm behind the girl & the fig restaurant.
There is a
drain at the bottom, so it is easy to extract our "worm tea."
They created
a warm, moist and very hospitable environment
for the
thousands of worms that were in the two pound box
they brought from the Worm Farm.
One
particularly satisfying aspect of our farm to table commitment
is
the the perfect circle of our work. The kitchen scraps are used for compost,
which
contributes to the nutrients in the soil where we grow the vegetables
our chefs use to create the food we
serve to our guests.
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| photo by Steven Krause for Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country |
With the
restaurant we have an unlimited source of food
so our tasty
kitchen scraps became the compost added to some rich soil
for the worms
to "do their thing." Worms eat 30% of their weight per day,
so they are
very busy in the bin. The layer of straw is added for insulation
and then
covered with cardboard to keep them safe inside.
It will take about 6 weeks to reach the
concentration we are seeking.
"Locally
sourced" resonates even more for us when we can
trace the
food we create for you through this short route:
Our "farm
helpers," the red wrigglers, come from about 3 miles away,
are incubated
in our worm bin behind the restaurant to
become
nutritious soil amendment for our farm about 6 miles
down the road
where we grow vegetables to bring back
to our chefs at the restaurant to serve
to you.
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| photo by Steven Krause for Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country |
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| photo of butternut squash soup by Steven Krause for Plats du Jour: the girl & the fig's Journey Through the Seasons in Wine Country |
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