August 26, 2021
The Lettuce Rejoice!
Firmly Rooted Farm's Newsletter for their Veggie Loving Farm-ily
On the Farm: From Soil Health to Gut Health
Hello again my veggie loving friends,
We have been busy at Firmly Rooted (as always); catching up on weeding tasks, harvesting all the fruits, and converting space in preparation for fall. This week the Great Wall of Beans came to a tumbling crash, and soon that indoor space will likely be planted with salad greens. Fall feels just around the corner. Last week I noticed the leaves already beginning to turn colour in Bayfield, interestingly a little sooner than around the farm. Soon we will find ourselves harvesting storage crops and filling the fridges with lots of food in preparation for the harshness of winter.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how our environment influences our health (a little encouragement from the spraying incident helped spur this train of thought). As someone very interested in fermentation as a hobby, I am curious about how our gut health influences our general health. Each of our bodies is an empire of billions of microbes, and gut health has been shown to have a direct link with mental health. Additionally, gut health is influenced by the microbial activity in our soils.
Soil and the human gut contain around the same number of active microorganisms, although the biodiversity of microbial species is drastically different; human gut microbiomes contain 10% of the diversity of soil microbiomes. And the biodiversity of our guts is decreasing. As humans have moved away from a lifestyle that brings us close to nature, and adopted practices that create more sterile environments, the health of our guts has been affected. This also means that people who live in rural settings versus people who live in an urban setting have different individual microbiomes, which I think is absolutely fascinating.
There was an interesting study conducted on this very topic. It hypothesizes while acknowledging that more research is needed, that a close linkage exists between the soil microbiome and human intestinal microbiome that has developed through evolution and is continuing to evolve. Quite simply, close contact with the soil microbiome directly influences the make-up of the human gut microbiome, by replenishing inoculants, genes, and growth-sustaining molecules. However, the interference of agrochemicals, low plant diversity, and loss of soil biodiversity are creating more sterile environments and may be connected to an increase in lifestyle diseases related to the human intestinal microbiome.
Often at the farm, we run around barefooted. As comfy as my rubber boots can be, sometimes you just need to get your toes in the soil. Jack can hardly ever be found wearing a shoe, the kid has feet of steel. And as much as Ruby loves fruit, she enjoys a good chunk of soil just as much. We’re building gut microbiomes as much as we are ecosystems at the farm it seems. I’m sure there are many reasons why my body feels so healthy working on the farm, one of them being the nice influx of healthy microbial life I’ve received while rolling around in the soil.
Kitchen Corner
It’s an eggplant extravaganza at the farm. Don’t fear the eggplant, there are many tasty dishes to be cooked up with the gorgeous veggie. I couldn’t pick just one recipe to share so I’m going to link to multiple. A couple of weeks ago a woman came to market and bought 15 eggplants. I asked what she was making, and she shared this Persian dish with me; Mirza Ghasemi. I enjoyed it with some baked pita chips and loved it so much I’ve frozen smoked eggplant so that I can continue to make it through the winter. Also, Tamara swears by this eggplant and crispy tofu dish, which has just the right amount of spice and is also delectable. You can also try making eggplant and chickpea tagine, which Amy raved about to me on Thursday. There’s so much to do with eggplant! Be adventurous and preserve some in oil and spices or keep it simple and just grill some with a little salt and oil. It’s delicious!
Kitchen Clean-Up
Some people have accidentally signed up for two winter shares, please check that you’re only signed up for one!
Also, many have asked how to use the credit on their account. Credits are automatically applied when you add extras to your share. For more details refer to this tutorial from Harvie University https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360034785114-Credits-What-they-are-how-to-receive-them-and-how-to-redeem-them-
That’s all for now folks, happy eating until next time!
Farmer Erika
