Growing Efficiency (and More Veggies!)
Green Connect was founded with the values of Permaculture – Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share – and over the past 12 years, we’ve grown fair food that is good for the people who grow it, the people who eat it, and the planet.
Up until now, we’ve done everything on the farm by hand, including preparing garden beds which is one of the most physical and time-consuming tasks. ‘Bed prep’ is necessary for dealing with old crops and weeds, breaking up compacted soil, adding amendments such as compost, and shaping rows into mounds or furrows to best support the seeds or seedlings to be planted.
Doing this work with garden forks and hand hoes is labourious; it’s taken a physical toll on our team and limited the speed at which we can plant and the number of veggies we can grow. So, we’ve decided to enlist some help and buy a walk-behind tractor, with a Power Harrow.
How you prepare garden beds matters, especially when it comes to caring for the soil. In simple terms, Power Harrows loosen the soil by rotating it horizontally, instead of mixing it vertically like a traditional tiller. This action better preserves the delicate structure, profile, and ecosystem of the soil and better supports crops in the long-term. Even better than this partial-till method is no-till, which aerates but doesn’t mix or invert the soil. We hope to purchase a Reciprocating Spader (a powered no-till tool) next year when it is available again in Australia.
Green Connect is a non-profit social enterprise that receives no core funding. We are currently reviewing all our processes and finding ways to become more efficient and work smarter with our limited resources so that we can survive and thrive as a sustainable business into the future.
Enjoy!
Lindsay Burlton
Fair Food Coordinator
In your box on Tuesday 11 April 2023:
In your box on Tuesday 04 April 2023:
Note: We sometimes need to make changes to what we pack in your veg box based on the quantity or quality of produce that we can harvest and source. If you have any questions about what is in your box, don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].
Feature Veg: Patty Pan Squash & Gold Nugget Pumpkin (4th) & Fennel (11th)
Patty Pan Squash is a delightful yellow, flying saucer-shaped summer squash. It tastes a lot like zucchini (but a bit sweeter) and can be cooked in the same way as well. Try it pan-fried, oven roasted, grilled, or even air fried! Add it to a main course or enjoy it as a simple side dish.
Golden Nugget Pumpkins are a small and round with bright orange flesh. They can be prepared like any other pumpkin and enjoyed in soups, pastas, salads or stews. Because of their small size, they are particularly popular for stuffing and roasting whole. For a fun snack, you can even season and roast the seeds!
Fennel, a relative of carrots and celery, is known for its large white bulb, feathery leaves, and aromatic aniseed flavour, which mellows when cooked. The bulb can be shredded in salads, sautéed, or roasted as a side dish, or cooked into soups and sauces. The fronds can be added to salsas, stocks, dressings, dips, eggs, roast veggies, seared meats & more. Store your fennel loosely wrapped in a damp tea towel in your veggie crisper.
