BHO '09

BHO '09

http://s966.photobucket.com/albums/ae146/Jaquet/?albumview=slideshow

A Ton of Tomatoes!

In roughly four weeks we have harvested over a ton (Yes, more than 2000 lbs.) of tomatoes! With only a few weeks left of the growing season we are now opening up our tomatoes and peppers to u-pick on Tuesdays and Fridays. Our hours will be 9AM to 1PM on Tuesdays and 9AM till NOON on Fridays. (This will continue until first frost.) Prices for u-pick tomatoes will be 50 cents a pound (Please bring your own containers for large quantities.) and peppers will be 25 cents each. We want to share our bountiful harvest with the community and this is a wonderful opportunity for folks who are interested in preserving healthy, organic food for winter. We will continue to offer already picked produce on Community Market Tuesdays and during the week at the college.

Thanks for your support from everyone at Black Hawk Organics!

Market Prices:

Tomatoes:
U-pick -- .50 per lb.
Fresh picked: $1.50 per lb.
$40.00 a bushel or $1.00 per lb. over 20 lbs.
Heirlooms -- $2.00 per lb.
*Heirlooms are not available for u-pick.

Bell Peppers:
U-pick: .25 each
Fresh picked: .50 each
$18.00 a bushel or $10.00 for ½ bushel
(Green red and yellow varieties available.)

Black Hawk Organics works to fill the need for future farmers and local foods

Black Hawk Organics works to fill the need for future farmers and local foods

By Laura Anderson

Tomatoes, bell peppers and onions, oh my! These locally grown treats and plenty more can be found in the organic garden at Black Hawk College in Galva, Ill. This year is the first that the garden is producing, and it's yielding tons of tasty veggies, awareness of locally grown foods and hands-on horticultural and agricultural education that students otherwise wouldn't have experienced.

Several horticultural, agronomic and agricultural classes work with the garden, teaching students concepts centered around organic production, says program coordinator Carla Jaquet. "Students enrolled in (the classes with) an interest in olericulture (the science of vegetable growing) and pursuing careers in business and production (are) directly involved in maintaining the fields," Jaquet says.

"Student feedback has been positive," she says. Students from local high schools' Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapters, as well as one student from Western Illinois University, have visited the garden to learn more. "We're excited to see how the program will expand and diversify as it develops," Jaquet says.

The plot of land selected for the garden had lain fallow for over 15 years, Jaquet says, which provided the perfect setting for organic production. The land also has been USDA-certified organic through the Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA).

For the first production season, Jaquet says that faculty and students chose veggies to plant based on personal experience, research, availability and flavor. This year's plants includes three types of tomatoes: Celebrity, Brandywine and Cherokee Purple; three types of bell peppers: Ace, Yankee Bell and Sunray; Blue Lake green beans; red onions; and sweet corn.

"The project accentuates Black Hawk College's commitment to promoting horticulture and agriculture as career choices," Jaquet says.

When the program began, it was operating on a limited budget. Recently, however, the Illinois Community College Board granted the college $50,000 to support the program.

"The market for locally grown, healthy foods is fast becoming more than just fad," Jaquet says.

On May 19, the Illinois State Senate passed the Local Food Farms and Jobs Act, stating that by 2020, 20 percent of all food and food products purchased by state agencies and state-owned facilities must be local farm or food products.

According to Jaquet, over $48 billion is spent on food in Illinois each year, with only a portion of that money being generated by food and food products within the state. Jaquet says America as a whole demonstrates a huge need for future farmers, especially farmers who practice sustainable methods. Programs like Black Hawk Organics allow for traditional and non-traditional students to get their hands dirty and try out farming firsthand.

Harvest in the organic garden began in late July, and produce is being sold at farmers' markets. Black Hawk Organics sells at the Davenport Farmers' Market from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays at the NorthPark Mall east entrance, 320 W. Kimberly Road. In addition, visitors are welcome to the farm to pick their own fruits and veggies from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Tuesday. The farm is located near the entrance of BlackHawk College East Campus, 26230 Black Hawk Road, Galva, Ill. On "CSA" days, guests also will be able to buy already-picked produce, Jaquet says.

For more information, visit blackhawkorganics.blogspot.com.

Laura Anderson is a health and environment reporter for The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus newspapers in the Quad-Cities.

Local Foods Initiative

PACG Local Foods Initiative: Healthy, Smart, and Sustainable

You are what you eat; a popular saying takes on new meaning in our diets today. The food we eat has changed drastically in the last 30 years: Factory Farms, Genetically Modified Food ingredients, Cloned Animal Food ingredients, contaminated food, and toxins in imported foods. We face a daily challenge trying to ensure that the food that we eat and feed our family is safe, healthy, environmentally-friendly and supporting our local economy.

PACG is energized to announce its newest forum, the Local Foods Initiative Forum.

The Local Foods Initiative goal is to assist in the development of a healthy, safe, sustainable, local food supply for the Quad Cities.

Four components of the Local Foods Initiative will work to educate and move to action citizens, businesses and local government to pursue a local food supply. There are:

• Farm to Cafeteria
• Community Gardens
• Local Food Coop
• An Annual Local Foods Summit

The first Annual PACG Local Foods Summit will be Saturday September 26th at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.

For more information or to register visit: http://qcprogressiveaction.org/design09/local-foods-initiative

September 8th Market News

Bell Peppers (green, red & yellow):
.75 each
Large quantities:
$10.00 1/2 bushel
$18.00 a bushel
U-pick: .25 each


Tomatoes: (Varieties include 'Celebraty', 'Brandywine' & 'Cherokee Purple')
$2.00 a lb.
Quantities over 20 lbs.:
$1.00 a lb. / $40.00 a bushel
U-pick: N/A

Freezing Bell or Sweet Peppers
Preparation – Select crisp, tender, green or bright red pods. Wash, cut out stems, cut in half and remove seeds. If desired, cut into 1/2-inch strips or rings.
Heated – Good for use in cooking. Water blanch halves 3 minutes, strips or rings 2 minutes. Cool promptly, drain and package, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Seal and freeze.
Unheated – Good for use in uncooked foods because they have a crisper texture, or in cooked foods. Package raw, leaving no headspace. Seal and freeze.

Resource: National Center for Home Food Preservation http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

Pepper Jelly (tastes good on buttered toast or on crackers w/cream cheese)
Submitted by Alan Abbott, BHE faculty.

Ingredients:
7 green or red peppers
1 jalapeno pepper
1 ½ cups vinegar
1 ½ cups apple juice
1 package pectin
5 cups sugar
Green or red food coloring
6 half-pint canning jars with lids

Day 1
1. Chop up 7 green(or red) bell peppers and 1 jalapeno pepper.
2. Puree half the peppers plus half the vinegar (3/4 cup) in a blender. Then puree the rest the same way.
3. Combine purees mix with 1 ½ cups apple juice and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2
4. Wash and sterilize canning jars and lids.
5. Pour pepper mixture through very fine holed strainer or cheesecloth. Collect 4 cups of liquid. Add apple juice to make 4 cups total, if needed.
6. Sprinkle 1 package pectin on liquid, stir to mix.
7. Add 5 cups sugar
8. Heat with stirring until mixture boils, boil for 1 minute.
9. Remove from heat, add green food coloring (add red food coloring for red peppers).
10. Ladle into sterilized ½ pint canning jars, screw on lids, cover with boiling water 10 minutes, retrieve and cool.

Community Market Day, every Tuesday 8 A.M. - 1P.M. till frost.
Produce available daily in the administration office at Black Hawk College - East Campus.
We recommend that you call ahead for availability.

Tasty Tomatoes & Market News

Danielle Olson, daughter of Dean and Pam Olson of Kewanee, enjoys a 'Cherokee Purple' tomato from our garden.

Tomato Flavor Basics

Acid content defines the characteristic "tomato" flavor. A true tomato possesses a delicate balance of these acids and the sought-after sugary sweet flavors that taste buds so often associate with tomato fruit. An overly sweet tomato doesn't have enough defining acid, and can taste bland. In general, the lighter a tomato's color, the less acid present in the fruit, and the sweeter and more mild the overall flavors. Tomatoes like Great White and White Beauty have this very mild, sweet flavor, without the tartness some find essential to true tomato taste.

Pink and red varieties like 'Brandywine Pink' and 'Stupice' achieve the balance of sweet and acid perfectly, and are many people's choice in all-around flavor. Dark, black tomatoes like 'Cherokee Purple' and 'Paul Robeson' are champions of the acid. With less sugar to mask the almost earthly flavors inherent in their fruit, many find these dark tomatoes' unique flavor as the most sought-after.

Whatever guidelines are established, trust in the tomatoes to break convention. One palate's acid will invariably be another's sickly sweet. The best way to know is to eat them. You won't be disappointed. You may notice that some tomatoes begin to split on the vine. These are simply bursting with juiciness and flavor, and they’re definitely still good to eat.

Freezing Tomatoes

Preparation:
Tomatoes can be frozen whole, sliced, diced or halved. If you prefer to freeze your tomatoes without their skins, dip them in boiling water for about a minute until the skins split, then carefully peel them away from the fruit.
To extend the time frozen foods taste fresh, package foods in material intended for freezing and keep the temperature of the freezer at 0 degrees F or below. It's recommended frozen vegetables be eaten within about eight months for best flavor, and to maintain quality.

Information resource: BackyardGardener.com

To learn more about heirloom tomatoes visit:
http://www.backyardgardener.com/tomato/tomatobasics.html

Market news

Tomatoes: (Varieties include 'Celebraty', 'Brandywine' & 'Cherokee Purple')
$2.00 a lb.
Quantities over 20 lbs.:
$1.00 a lb. / $40.00 a bushel

Bell Peppers (green, red & yellow):
.75 each
Large quantities:
$10.00 1/2 bushel
$18.00 a bushel

Community Market Day is every Tuesday till frost, 9A.M. – 1P.M.
Produce is available everyday in Black Hawk College – East Campus administration office.
Wholesale prices available upon request.

Thanks for your support from everyone at Black Hawk Organics!