Platte Prairie Farms - EcoSystems Management

2010 CSA Program

Summer CSA   June 5^th – October 30^th                      

Full Share           500.00

Half Share          250.00

Individual           220.00

Signup starting January 11, 2010

Early birds get to pick the colors…more on that in a future post.

Fall CSA   November 6^th   – Dec 23

In Your Yard CSA’s designed during January, February and March. Sign up today.

Call Steve @ 816 352-9213 to reserve your share.

Cold Frame Spinach Shack

It’s not too late to get your own Spinach Shack.  If you are blessed with a south facing spot on your lot we may be able to build a custom passive solar Quarter Sky Tunnel or Cold Frame Spinach Shack for you.

Don’t worry about that lawn we’ll eradicate it. We even have plenty of spinach transplants to get you growing this fall.  Call today for a consultation and grow your own this winter.

 Call quick I’m going to get really busy.

 Steve

816 352 9213

Quarter Sky Tunnel Spinach Shack

I love the crisp thick green leaves of winter spinach. The arugula, beets, kale and carrots are just a bonus.  I’ve been growing my own in a cold frame on the South side of my garage for the last two years. My home shelters the bed and created a micro climate that can be a couple of degrees warmer. The freezing North winds are blocked and the Sun pours down its warmth.

Dut  to do  dododododo do do Spinach Shack Yea!

I’m smiling and singing since I built my  Spinach Shack Yea!

 Spinach is remarkable plant it contains antifreeze proteins that help protect the cell membranes from the freezing. Last year my spinach withstood all that Jack Frost could muster down to three degrees.

This year I took it to the next level with my cold frame design. I made it big enough to walk into.  It extends six feet out and is sixteen feet long and six feet high. I have a door on the side and can reach all areas for harvest.  I will be harvesting fresh sweet spinach and cold weather crops all winter. 

 If you have a microclimate and a building sidewall  with south exposure you too can have a Spinach Shack and fresh greens all winter.   Give me a call for a design consultation and to schedule construction.

 Steve

816 352-9213

Ruby

 She sits so contently in our Paradise Garden basking in the warm fall sun. Her luxuriant green locks cascade to the sides.  That’s my Ruby Rutabaga. She’s adorned by a string of ripening cherry tomatoes. They look so good on you Ruby. Ruby’s proud of her Swedish heritage and doesn’t mind being called a Swede. The glacial mineral enriched alluvial soil you dwell upon makes you strong and proud. So today I will move you to a pot of the rich soil and bring you home to live with me for the winter. Ok !  I’ll take you to the BadSeed Friday night but you have got to promise to behave.

 If you understand what real food tastes like, food grown with love and devotion then come share a bunch of Red Russian Kale or spicy white Shogan turnips. Ah yes Purple Kohlrabi woooooh. Visit with Rudy Rutabaga, Lumpy’s cousin.  Or I guess you can go to Mc Dungals.

 Platte Prairie Farms at BadSeed Farmers Market 1909 McGee KCMO Fridays 4:30 – 9:00PM 

Oakleaf, romaine and ruby lettuce,winter squash, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, spinach, arugula, radishes, turnips, and kale.

Crewmembers of SpaceShip Earth

Red worms creating humus from horse manure

The most valuable workers on my farm are the red worms in my compost pile. They are giving me wealth beyond compare. They change the organic materials in the compost to humus.  Humus is the most valuable substance on Earth.

Humus is a dark colored and fairly stable soil organic matter with known and unknown physical and chemical properties. It is an integral part of the organic matter complex in living soil.  Humus appears to be the product of the microorganisms in living soil, soil that has not been killed by Death-a-cides and petrochemical toxins.

The basis of Biodynamic farming is humus.  It is the component of the topsoil that allows plants to thrive. It allows the soil to hold water and mitigates the effects of droughts.  It is the living soil. For me to grow the most nourishing vegetables and fruit using organic methods requires humus. I use Biodynamic soil preparations along with pro-biotic microorganism mixture Toby and I have developed to enrich the compost and soil with beneficial microorganisms.  

The red worms are the finishing touch. The earth worm’s intestines are a rich ecosystem of bacteria and other microorganism of the soil community of life. They eat the compost organic material and  concentrate the microorganisms and stable organic material and coat it with their slime. This is magical stuff, echy slime, binding the clumps of organic material and clusters of organisms into a crumbly spongy ball, Humus.

My worms are experiencing a population boom in the rich horse manure and mulch pile on my farm so I will sell some. I will be bottling up the pro-biotic, Missouri Microbes, Line Creek mixture for sale also.  If you have seen the crops at Creek house Community Garden, you know this method works.

Red worms                             2.75/ 100

Missouri Microbes                 8.00/pt 

I will be adding a web page for your ordering convince after I plant 90 cabbage transplants. Till then email or call.

 Steve 

816 352-9213

csa@prairietrading.com   

Squash Blossom Coop Gathering

For more info :http://www.squashblossomkc.org/

 Come visit our booth at the Bliss Fest .

Cafe Gratitude Kansas City also holding a Gratitude Rampage

Saturday  July 25th

12:00 – 4:00

English Landing Park

Parkville, Missouri

http://www.meetup.com/rawkansascity/calendar/10353654/

Winter nutrition source

Nutritious Local vegetables don’t have to end with summer.  Platte Prairie Farms has been exploring fall/winter vegetable production and long storing crops like sweet potatoes, winter squash, beets, carrots,  rutabagas, turnips, spinach, kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli and all those succulent greens for the past three years .Yea all the really good for you immune system foods. 

 So prepare for winter stress now get hooked up with the Source of your Primary Health Care System…  Pure Holy Food from the Earth and someone who loves you.

Fall CSA:

sweet potatoes, winter squash, beets, carrots,  rutabagas, turnips, spinach, kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli.

Organic Pantry stocking items from Squash Blossom LFBC oatmeal, rice, peanut butter, raisins, flour , sprouting seeds canned tomatoes, Missouri Pecans and more.

Let’s work on the details together as a CSA Community by meeting around good food and creating our Bright Future. Those interested in the Fall Platte Prairie Farms CSA /In Your yard CSA. Call Steve (816 352 9213) for meeting time and location.